The Chik-fil-A Kickoff looks to be one of the most exciting matchups for the first official week of college football. The Georgia Bulldogs will begin their title defense with a “neutral site” matchup against the Oregon Ducks. Both teams are currently ranked in the top 11, and both teams have aspirations of making it to the College Football Playoffs in 2022-23.
Additionally, this will be the first game for new Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, who spent the past three seasons as Georgia’s defensive coordinator. He engineered one of the best units in all of college football, with Georgia’s average of 13.6 points per game allowed ranking first nationally during his tenure.
So with that, let’s dive into our Oregon vs. Georgia predictions and best bets for this Week 1 matchup.
Oregon vs. Georgia Predictions
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Oregon vs. Georgia Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | +17 | +625 | O 52.5 (-110) |
| @ Georgia | -17 | -900 | U 52.5 (-110) |
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 1 p.m. ET on Aug. 31
Game Info
- Date: Saturday, Sept. 3
- Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)
- TV: ABC
Oregon vs. Georgia Trends
- Georgia was 14-1 last season (10-5 against the spread).
- Oregon was 10-4 last season (5-8 against the spread).
- Georgia was 4-4 as a favorite of at least 17 points last season.
- Oregon is 1-5 against the spread in their last six games as underdogs.
- Georgia is 7-4 against the spread in non-conference games since the start of 2019.
- Pac 12 teams were 3-0 against the spread vs. SEC teams in 2021-22.
- The Under is 7-1 in the last eight games where Oregon was at least +150 underdogs.
- The Under was 9-6 in Georgia games last season.
- Georgia is 3-0 against quarterback Bo Nix, winning by an average margin of 18 points per game.
- As of Wednesday, DraftKings reports that 45% of the handle and 55% of the spread bets are on Georgia.
- The Over has received 57% of the handle on 77% of the bets.
Can Georgia Reload Quickly?
They say that teams like Alabama and Georgia don’t rebuild, they reload. That’s going to be put to the test this season.
After winning the College Football Playoff National Championship last season, Georgia faced one of the largest exoduses of talent in recent memory. They lost a record 15 players to the NFL Draft, including eight members of their dominant defense.
It’s impossible to understate how good the defense was last season. They ranked first in scoring defense and red zone defense. They finished third in opponent yards per game. They racked up the eighth most sacks per game. In the National Championship, they held a dominant Alabama offense to just 18 points.
Georgia has the ability to reload quickly, but it’s reasonable to expect some sort of drop-off this season.
PFN Top 100 CFB Players in 2022:
7) Brock Bowers, TE, @GeorgiaFootball
Bowers makes the most of his receptions, showcasing elite after-the-catch skills and ridiculous 4.49 speed for a man who stands 6'4", 230 pounds.pic.twitter.com/AEzJkp3I8S
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) August 25, 2022
The offense will have to do a bit more heavy lifting, and they were also hit hard. They lost their top two running backs, two wide receivers, two offensive linemen, and one tight end to the NFL Draft and transfers.
Fortunately, Stetson Bennett will be back at quarterback after leading the Dawgs to the promised land last year. He may not be an elite NFL-caliber talent, but he averaged 10.9 adjusted yards per attempt with 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions last year.
Bennett will lean on a strong group of tight ends, headlined by Brock Bowers. He had 56 catches, 882 yards, and 13 touchdowns last season.
While Georgia might not be quite as good as last year, they still have oodles of talent on both sides of the ball.
Will Oregon Finally Live Up To Its Potential?
Oregon isn’t a blue-chip college football program, but they’re in the next tier. They’ve been the most successful Pac-12 team for the past decade-plus, but they’ve never been able to get over the hump. The biggest reason is their lack of consistency. They almost always drop a game that they shouldn’t: They’ve lost at least one game to a team that would finish below .500 in six of the past seven years. That’s the type of thing that good programs simply don’t do.
It will be up to Lanning to turn things around in Eugene. They’re coming off another strong campaign in 2021, but one that saw them lose in the Pac-12 Championship and the Alamo Bowl.
still can't believe Bo Nix left Auburn, moved 2,600 miles away to Oregon….. and has to come all the way back to Atlanta to play Georgia in his first game.
he'll never truly escape. https://t.co/7aJxKmSzto
— Josh Vitale (@JoshVitale) August 29, 2022
The strength of this squad should be the offensive line. They return all five starters from last year’s unit, and they excelled in the run-and-pass games. The Ducks lost yardage on just 6.8% of snaps last season, which was the seventh-lowest mark in the league.
Bo Nix will take over as the starting quarterback after transferring from Auburn. Nix has had his struggles against Georgia – his offense has never scored more than 14 points in three matchups vs. the Bulldogs – but he’s had a productive career. He averaged a career-best 7.4 adjusted yards per attempt in 2021 to go with 11 touchdowns and three picks.
If Nix can thrive behind the Ducks’ fantastic blocking and Lanning elevates the defense, Oregon has a chance to win the Pac-12 crown.
Oregon vs. Georgia Predictions
While this is technically a neutral-site game, it is being played in Atlanta. That gives Georgia fans a much easier trip to this contest than Oregon fans, so expect to see plenty of red and black in the stands. With that in mind, it’s not surprising that Georgia is favored by a whopping 17 points.
However, I like Oregon’s chances of covering the spread. The Ducks’ offensive line will present the Georgia front seven with one of their most difficult matchups of the year. Given all the new players they have on that side of the ball, that could spell trouble.
Additionally, if anyone can figure out how to solve the Georgia defense, it’s Lanning. He knows that unit better than anyone else in college football, so he should have a few ideas on how to beat it.
Georgia’s talent should ultimately win out in the end, but this game has the potential to go down to the wire.
Prediction: Oregon +17 | -110 DraftKings Sportsbook