The No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs host the Charlotte 49ers for a Week 13 matchup on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. ET in Athens, Georgia.
The Bulldogs are listed as 43.5-point home favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at O/U 53.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction, and best bet for this matchup between these two non-conference opponents.
Charlotte vs. Georgia prediction, preview
Charlotte Preview
This game will be a tough task for Charlotte. The 49ers are one of the worst teams in the country, with their lone win this season coming against an FCS opponent. There aren’t many positive things to say about this team, except that they should play hard in the final two weeks of the season. This is not a situation where the coach could be fired, and players may be preparing to transfer. Tim Albin is in his first year at this program and is trying to build things up at Charlotte. Albin did a great job at Ohio and should improve this program over the coming years. While this is a monumental mismatch, Charlotte should at least put its best foot forward in this game.
Georgia Preview
Georgia is coming off a trouncing of Texas last week in Athens. The Bulldogs are now guaranteed a College Football Playoff spot and still have a chance at the SEC Championship Game if they get some help. Georgia’s SEC schedule is done, but it does have a big rivalry game against Georgia Tech next week. That game always matters, but with both teams in the CFP picture, Georgia will desperately want to win. That makes this a terrible spot for the Bulldogs. These players know that they could beat Charlotte with a D- effort. Sandwiched in between two massive games, Kirby Smart could already be focused on next week, and so could his players.
Charlotte vs. Georgia pick, best bet
My best bet is for Charlotte to cover the 43.5-point spread. This will be one of the scariest bets to follow all weekend, due to the fact that Charlotte has no chance to seriously compete in this game. However, with this large a spread, fade Georgia in this spot. The Bulldogs will be taking it easy in practice this week, recovering from a physical game against Texas. The coaching staff will also be looking ahead to game plan for a great Georgia Tech offense that they have to stop next week. Kirby Smart has never been one to run up the score in these games. He is 0-15 ATS as a favorite of more than 38 points, including 0-2 ATS in that spot this season. It won’t be a fun game to watch, but I am betting on that trend to continue with a Charlotte cover.
