No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 18 Auburn picks and best bets for Week 6

The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry returns to the Plains for the first time since 2017 as the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs invade Jordan-Hare Stadium to face the No. 18 Auburn Tigers. This is the first of an SEC on CBS doubleheader on Saturday and will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Georgia (5-0, 3-0 SEC) absolutely dismantled Arkansas at home last Saturday, frying the Razorbacks for a 37-0 shutout win. The consternation over backup quarterback Stetson Bennett IV starting in place of an injured JT Daniels didn’t matter all that much as the running back committee of James Cook, Zamir White, Kenny McIntosh, and Kendall Milton handled most of the load on offense. Meanwhile, UGA’s unrelenting defense now has three games where they’ve shut an opponent out of the end zone on their resume. In their latest masterpiece, they limited Arkansas to just 162 yards on 3.6 yards per play and nine first downs total.

Auburn (4-1, 1-0 SEC) exorcised a demon in Baton Rouge last Saturday, downing LSU 24-19 to pick up their first victory at Tiger Stadium since 1999. By now, you’ve most likely seen that insane Bo Nix touchdown pass like 40 times already and it’s more unbelievable with each watch. Lost in Nix’s heroics is the Auburn defense coming up huge down the stretch. Following LSU’s final field goal in the the third quarter, AU forced them into three punts and an interception over their final four drives, allowing enough leeway for the offense to pull off the fourth-quarter comeback.

This is just the second time since 1936 that the game has been played outside of the month of November. The rivalry was shifted to October mostly to accommodate Auburn, who previously had to play both Georgia and Alabama in a three-week stretch to end the season.

Here’s all the data you’ll want, and a pick for the game!

SP+ Rankings

Georgia: 1st overall, 13th offense, 1st defense
Auburn: 18th overall, 44th offense, 15th defense

Injury update

Georgia

QB JT Daniels Ques Sat – Back
WR Dominick Blaylock Out Indefinitely – Hamstring
LB Rian Davis Ques Sat – Quadricep
CB Jalen Kimber Ques Sat – Shoulder
WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint Ques Sat – Ankle
DL Julian Rochester Ques Sat – Knee
DB Tykee Smith Ques Sat – Foot
WR Arian Smith Ques Sat – Knee

Auburn

DT Jeremiah Wright Out Indefinitely – Knee
K Ben Patton Ques Sat – Lower Body
LB Owen Pappoe Ques Sat – Leg
DT Zykeivous Walker Ques Sat – Arm
WR Tar Varish Dawson Jr. Out Indefinitely – Undisclosed
DE T.D. Moultry Ques Sat – Undisclosed

ATS/Total

Against The Spread

Georgia: 4-1 ATS
Auburn: 3-2 ATS

Total

Georgia: Over 3-2
Auburn: Over 3-2

Returning/Overall Talent from 247Sports

Georgia: 3rd overall, 3rd offense, 2nd defense
Auburn: 17th overall, 18th offense, 16th defense

Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: Georgia -14.5
Total: 46
Moneyline: Georgia -720, Auburn +500

Opening line: Georgia -15
Opening total: 45.5

Weather

83 degrees, 8 MPH winds NNE, 12% chance of rain

The Pick

Georgia -14.5

We’ll once again be on JT Daniels watch for UGA heading into Saturday and once again, it probably won’t matter much. In a similar situation last season, the Dawgs stymied Nix and the Tigers and held them to just six points in a three-touchdown victory. Auburn is known for pulling off wizardry in odd-numbered years, but not here. UGA covers easily.

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