Georgia Tech’s long odds against No. 1 Georgia in their Saturday meeting were recognized in the point spreads that have been set by various bookmakers. The Yellow Jackets were underdogs by 35 points as of Monday morning.
It’s the widest margin by which the Bulldogs have been favored over the Jackets in their annual rivalry game since at least 1997, according to the website Sports Betting Stats.
The previous high was the 28.5-point spread in the 2019 game, the last time that the two teams met, as the 2020 game was canceled because of the SEC’s decision to only play conference games as a COVID-19 measure. The Bulldogs won that game 52-7.
Among other factors, the spread takes into account the Bulldogs’ defeating their FBS opponents by an average of 38.7-7.6, a 31.1-point difference, and Tech’s five-game losing streak, including its 55-0 loss to No. 8 Notre Dame on Saturday.
Tech fans might take a small consolation in the fact that it was not Georgia’s largest spread of the season. The Bulldogs took the field against Missouri Nov. 6 as 40.5-point favorites. They were also 36-point favorites against Vanderbilt Sept. 25. Georgia beat the Tigers 43-6 and the Commodores 62-0.
However, it was the largest spread that the Jackets have been given this season. They were 27.5-point underdogs against Clemson on Sept. 18, a margin they covered in their 14-8 loss to the Tigers.
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