SEC betting lines: Georgia opens as big favorite over Florida

ATHENS — There’s a different vibe and different stadium for this year’s Georgia-Florida rivalry.

The No. 3-ranked Bulldogs, despite their gaudy rank and double-digit favorite status (10.5 points, per the FanDuel Sportsbook) are back to being the hunters and not the hunted.

Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC) is still licking its wounds, literally and figuratively, after an embarrassing 27-24 home loss to Auburn that saw UGA fall short on offense, defense and special teams.

Florida, meanwhile, has visions of this being the first of two trips to Mercedes-Benz Stadium — the SEC championship game will be played there on Dec. 5.

The Gators (5-2, 3-2) are likely in control of their destiny by virtue of owning the tiebreak over such teams as two-loss SEC contenders Ole Miss and Texas. A win over Georgia would go a long way.

The last time Florida entered this rivalry game in control of their own destiny to reach the SEC championship game was in 2020 -- the most recent time they played in it.

This year’s game is being played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium because Jacksonville’s EverBank Stadium is undergoing a $1.4-billion renovation.

First-year Florida coach Jon Sumrall likes how his team is learning as it goes, most recently with a 27-24 road win at Texas on Oct. 17 before last week’s bye.

“The thing it does more than a ranked win — or a road win, or whatever those stats are — what it does for me, it gives me belief and hope that our guys understand you have to fight your tail off every time you play the game,” Sumrall said of his team’s marquee win over the Longhorns.

“It doesn’t matter who you play, where you play, when you play. You have to fight. And if you do not fight, you will get embarrassed. This league, man, like there’s nowhere to hide. Week in, week out.”

Georgia coach Kirby Smart’s approach has been to dial his team back to fundamentals while valuable players like safety KJ Bolden and tailback Nate Frazier get the rest and rehab necessary to return or be more effective.

“One of the glaring things to us is we want to tackle better,” Smart said after UGA yielded an eye-popping 192 yards rushing to Auburn, the Bulldogs’ first loss to an unranked team since 2019.

“We’re higher in missed tackles than we’ve been in years past. That’s a big target area for us.”

Georgia has its back firmly against the wall entering the contest, as a road trip to face Trinidad Chambliss and Ole Miss is on deck, followed by a home date with No. 23 Missouri and a road trip to suddenly dangerous South Carolina.

A look at this week’s lines on SEC games

Auburn at Ole Miss, 12:45 p.m.

• Favorite: Ole Miss (-12.5)

Florida vs. Georgia, 3:30 p.m.

• Favorite: Georgia (-10.5)

South Carolina at Oklahoma, 4:15 p.m.

• Favorite: Oklahoma (-3.5)

Mississippi St. at Texas, 7:30 p.m.

• Favorite: Texas (-20.5)

Missouri at Arkansas. 7:45 p.m.