The betting experts in Las Vegas have labeled No. 4-ranked Georgia as a 3-point favorite on the road against No. 12 Auburn on Saturday. ESPN’s College GameDay panel agreed that it will be a close game.
During the predictions segment that ended the show, the panel was split 2-2 in the Georgia-Auburn matchup. Analysts Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard selected Georgia while analyst Lee Corso and guest picker Joanna Gaines (and her husband Chip) chose Auburn.
“Low-scoring, defensive struggle. I think Georgia makes a play on special teams or a defensive score. Georgia beats Auburn,” said Howard.
Herbstreit agreed that it will be a low-scoring affair with the team making the fewest mistakes winning. That’s his reason for picking Georgia.
“These kind of games, I go with the veteran quarterback, that’s why I’m going with Jake Fromm over the young gun Bo Nix,” said Herbstreit.
Gaines picked Auburn for personal reasons, as her sister lived in the town. Corso explained that he sided with the Tigers because Gus Malzahn is 9-0 after bye weeks in his career.
The last time Georgia visited Auburn in 2017, the Tigers defeated the Bulldogs, 40-17. Since then, though, Georgia earned revenge beating Auburn in the 2017 SEC Championship Game and in the 2018 regular season. The Bulldogs have won five of the last six matchups in the series.
In the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, Georgia holds a slight all-time edge, 59-56-8. While Auburn was off last week, the Bulldogs defeated Missouri at home, 27-0.
The Georgia-Auburn matchup will kick off at 3:30 ET on CBS.
