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Georgia Laying 2.5 Points at Auburn in Early Week 12 Odds

Jordan Horrobin

by Jordan Horrobin in College Football

Updated Jan 6, 2023 · 3:45 AM PST

JaTarvious Whitlow running with football
The early 2.5 spread for Georgia against Auburn could shift depending on the availability of Tigers' running back JaTarvious Whitlow. Photo from @BR_CFB (Twitter)
  • Georgia has beaten Auburn in five of their past six meetings
  • The Bulldogs beat Missouri last week, while the Tigers had a bye
  • Check the preview below for analysis on how this early line may shift

This past week in college football featured its share of craziness, with two of the top four teams (Alabama and Penn State) taking a loss. As a result, Georgia — which entered the week with the fifth-best CFP odds — is in great position entering its marquee matchup against Auburn.

In the early stages of the NCAAF Week 12 odds, Georgia is favored by less than a field goal. But that spread is likely to change, based on factors such as the status of key injured players, Tuesday’s updated College Football Playoff rankings and more.

Georgia vs Auburn Odds

Team Spread
Georgia -2.5 (-115)
Auburn +2.5 (-105)

Odds taken Nov. 10

For those who want to jump the gun on a potentially-shifting spread, here’s what you need to know.

Last Time Out

Week 11 was a bye week for Auburn, which was helpful for injured players such as lead running back JaTarvious Whitlow and sack leader Marlon Davidson. Whitlow’s status against Georgia is still unclear (more on that in a moment), while Davidson is expected to return after missing the Ole Miss game in Week 10.

This past week might as well have been a bye for Georgia, who blanked Missouri 27-0 at home. Missouri was missing its starting quarterback, Kelly Bryant, and managed just 198 total yards against one of the country’s best defenses.

Auburn’s Big Uncertainty

Earlier this season, Whitlow had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee that forced him to miss Auburn’s Oct. 19 game against Arkansas. He was cleared to come back to face LSU the following week, but contributed only three attempts for nine yards.

Whitlow leads the Tigers with 553 yards (4.9 per carry) and seven touchdowns. Georgia allows 2.8 yards per carry and is the only team that has yet to allow a rushing touchdown, which could make for quite the matchup.

The status of Whitlow is something that should impact the point spread one way or another. It’s too early to tell if he’ll play this week, however, because his short stint against LSU could mean one of two things: either he had a setback, or Auburn realized he’d be better served to rest on the bye week and come back to face Georgia.

Efficiently Speaking

Georgia ranks ninth overall in ESPN’s team efficiency calculations, but that is buoyed by its defense, which ranks sixth (Georgia’s offense ranks 14th).

Auburn comes in right behind Georgia at No. 10, thanks to a defense that ranks even higher (third).

Although Georgia has allowed far fewer yards (260.7 per game versus Auburn’s 334.1 per game), Auburn has faced tougher offenses, such as LSU and Oregon.

Decision Time

Whitlow’s status is going to swing the pendulum favorably or unfavorably, depending on which team you’re keen on in this matchup. If he’s cleared to play, Auburn should see it’s odds shortened; if not, those odds are bound to get longer.

If I had to guess, I’d say he’ll be cleared to play, so react accordingly. More news will surface about that throughout the week.

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