Liberty Bowl @ Memphis, Tenn.
UCF vs. Georgia -6.5 O/U 55
December 31, 12:30 pm PT – ESPN
Overview: This marks the fifth straight year the Liberty Bowl has featured a C-USA vs. SEC matchup. The SEC won the previous four, which included three pointspread covers. The games however were all competitive with margins of 8, 7, 6 and 3. The beauty of C-USA is that while offenses earn the headlines, the league’s top defenses have a way of always winning the conference crown. That was the case this year as UCF boasted the best stop unit in the league. But that doesn’t mean Georgia’s offense isn’t poised for success. The Golden Knights’ top three offensive opponents (ECU, Southern Miss and Houston) all managed 30+ points – none of which have the capabilities of the Dawgs. What is intriguing is UCF’s offense vs. UGA’s defense. Take away games against UL-Lafayette, Vanderbilt and Idaho State and Georgia’s defense allowed 30.7 ppg.
Rob Veno’s Take: (Power Rating: Georgia -4.5) The Bulldogs under head coach Mark Richt have been bowl season gold the last four years going 4-0 against the spread. Moving that record to 5-0 with an impressive win here would help to somewhat soothe a disappointing season in Athens. Georgia did go 5-2 SU and 4-3 ATS over its last seven games but the defense imploded over the final five games by allowing 31+ points to every opponent except Idaho State. That could be an important factor in this game because containing UCF freshman quarterback Jeffrey Godfrey and his running ability is very difficult. The Golden Knights have a stout defense, newly found ability to score, and obvious desire to play an SEC opponent which makes them a real threat in this game.
ACCU-STATS: True Rushing Numbers
Line Moves: Betting market pushed this one down off the key number of 7. The total moving slightly upwards.
What the local media is saying: No fear UGA fans as Mark Richt says he
isn’t going anywhere. George O’Leary has slowly built UCF into a
consistent winner.
