by Chuck Sommers
Monday, Sep 19, 2022
Game time: Noon ET
Venue: Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA
Where to watch: SECN/ESPN+
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
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Season record
Kent State: 1-2
No. 1 Georgia: 3-0
We are about to get rolling into conference season in college football. This is where the fun truly begins. And if you're trying to find the right expert handicappers to get you the right picks for those games, look no further than Kyle Hunter on a 15-5-1 run since the beginning of the season. What will next week hold? Make sure to check out Kyle's thoughts on our Best Bets page, where you can get a look at the rest of our champion handicappers and get in on the action!
Kent State - Georgia preview, analysis and prediction
Last week
Kent State: won 63-10 vs. Long Island
Georgia: won 48-7 at South Carolina
I think we, as a society, have yet to figure out if we are actually in a new college football season. Because who looks at what the Georgia Bulldogs are doing right now and don’t have an inkling that they’ve been transported to last season? It should be up for debate if it already isn’t.
I think we, as a society, have yet to figure out if we are actually in a new college football season. Because who looks at what the Georgia Bulldogs are doing right now and don’t have an inkling that they’ve been transported to last season? It should be up for debate if it already isn’t.
The defending national champions and No. 1 team in the country is certainly looking like that in their 3-0 start, coming off a 48-7 win on the road against South Carolina this past Saturday to kick off SEC play. Through three games, the Georgia defense is once again showing its dominance by allowing 10 points through 12 quarters while the offense has scored at least 33 points in all three games.
Georgia will return home next week for another easy non-conference matchup against the Kent State Golden Flashes, who are off to a 1-2 start after blowout losses to Washington (who might be moving to the top 25 soon after beating Michigan State this past weekend) and Oklahoma. Kent State won its first game of the year this past Saturday, a 63-10 victory over Long Island.
It shouldn’t take you long to realize where the barometer lies for this game. At the time of publishing, the line hasn’t been released yet, but when it does, if you want to bet this game, it shouldn’t matter. Georgia is going to roll in this one.
The Bulldogs opened SEC play with a 48-7 win in South Carolina, an easy cover of the 26.5 that Georgia was laying. Georgia put together 547 total yards of offense while holding South Carolina to just 306 and forcing three Gamecock turnovers.
Quarterback Stetson Bennett threw for 284 yards and two touchdowns, both going to the top tight end in the country, Brock Bowers. He had five receptions for 121 yards, and if you haven’t seen those touchdowns yet, you might want to get on it.
A reminder that the Georgia team last year had 15 players go to the NFL Draft, including top overall pick Travon Walker, and this defense is still dominant. Whether it’s still dominant enough to repeat as national champions is another matter entirely, but time will tell.
"That was a very special group. That's going to linger in our building," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. "Not the championship, but the way they practiced, the way they carried themselves."
Georgia didn’t play a competitive game until they got to the SEC title game against Alabama, which ended up being Georgia’s lone loss of the year. Even when they got to the College Football Playoff, the Bulldogs still steamrolled through Michigan and Alabama in the national title rematch. Other than that, it’s been nothing but domination no matter who they’ve faced.
"We're going to have to play a four-quarter game at some point. We're going to have to stay in shape," Bennett said. "This isn't going to happen every week."
Even if it happens in all but one week, there’s going to be plenty of time for Georgia to rest beforehand. Georgia’s win over South Carolina was the 15th in the last 16 matchups against SEC East teams.
Kent State, a respectable club in the MAC, is not ready for this kind of game, and if you’re expecting anything different, don’t hold your breath.
Prediction
The added element of Bowers becoming a lethal receiving threat is something that will make Georgia a more complete team. It’s not just the defense that makes the Bulldogs great. And if Georgia can capitalize and look like a dangerous offense, it’s only going to make Georgia that more dangerous. Georgia by 40
Betting trends
Georgia is 4-6 ATS in its last 10 home games.
Georgia is 5-3 ATS in its last eight non-conference games.
Kent State is 2-6 ATS in its last eight against SEC opponents.
Statistical leaders
Kent State:
Passing: Collin Schlee -- 508 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Marquez Cooper -- 180 yards, 3 TD
Receiving: Dante Cephas -- 230 yards, 1 TD
Georgia:
Passing: Stetson Bennett -- 952 yards, 5 TD
Rushing: Kendall Milton -- 167 yards, 2 TD
Receiving: Brock Bowers -- 216 yards, 2 TD
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
