Georgia Bulldogs (0-0 SU, 0-0 ATS) vs. Clemson Tigers (0-0 SU, 0-0 ATS)
College Football Week 1
Date/Time: Saturday, August 31, 2013 at 8PM EST
Where: Clemson Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina
TV: ABC
By Loot, NCAA Football Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Point Spread: Geo -2/Clem +2
Over/Under Total: 68
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5th ranked Georgia opens its season on the road against 8th ranked Clemson in what is assuredly the marquee matchup in the opening week of the college football season. Each team has Heisman candidates at quarterback, with Tajh Boyd returning for Clemson and Aaron Murray beginning his 4th season as a starter for Georgia, who wasn’t that far off from the BCS game last season. A play or two away last year, Georgia enters 2013 with high hopes, but so does Clemson
Coach Mark Richt and Murray have this program on the upswing. From 6-7 in 2010, they improved to 10-4 in 2011, to 12-2 last season. Murray is here for one thing and that’s to win the whole thing. Meanwhile, Boyd is starting his third season as starter and has a ton of things that make him special. He has all the intangibles. He is super-clutch and a good guy to boot. With 36 touchdowns in the air and another 10 on the ground, he can get it done in a big way. The ACC favorite Tigers looks to make a national splash in 2013
Boyd again leads an explosive offense. The game has slowed down for him at this point and his decision-making is ultra-solid. It might also be good that he has only one class on his schedule this semester, meaning he can focus almost solely on football. He loses top target DeAndre Hopkins and RB Andre Ellington, but the receiving corps still appears strong, led by massively-talented Sammy Watkins. Look for a heavier dose of guys like Martavis Bryant, who had 305 yards and 4 touchdowns on only 10 receptions last season. At running back, they have what appears to be a nice alternative to Ellington with Roderick McDowell, who averaged 5.4 yards per rush with 450 yards in 2012. With a veteran offensive line, this offense should not lose a step.
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Georgia’s offense is no joke, either. The one word that stands out is “reliability.” Week in and week out, they deliver and this year should see more of the same. The rushing game is where they have Clemson trumped, with Todd Gurley returning after a 1385 yard/17 touchdown campaign that saw him average 6.2 yards per carry. Rounding out the run game is Keith Marshall, who averaged 6.5 yards per carry with 759 yards and 8 touchdowns. That opens up the pass for Murray, who has a deep crew of pass catchers to spray the ball around to.
One matchup component that may be alarming for Georgia is how they stack up against the Clemson passing attack. The Tigers have guys who can stretch the field with a big-armed sharpshooter in the pocket throwing barbs. Georgia combats this with a secondary that has a fine corner in Damian Swann, but returns no other starters in that unit. Not that Clemson should be expected to carve up the Georgia secondary, but at some point in this game, Clemson’s pass attack could conceivably tip the scales in their favor.
Then again, one could say the same thing about how Clemson figures to match up against the versatile Georgia rushing attack. With some voids on the defensive line from last season, Clemson needs some youth to step in quickly and produce. You typically wouldn’t want to see such unproven talent on the line going against a team that can run the ball as well as Georgia.
Clemson probably has more explosive talent at the skill positions than Georgia. And Boyd isn’t the constantly-running quarterback that people make him out to be. Sure, he has dangerous legs and is always a threat to make something happen with his running prowess. But he isn’t necessarily looking to do that--he only does it when he has to. He relies on all that explosive talent around him, which should really test defenses this season--even Georgia’s standout unit.
The spread speaks volumes. Georgia is a minor 2-point favorite, which almost seems like the bookie is imploring you to take the Bulldogs. Fresh in people’s minds is how they seemed to be schooling Alabama last year, if only they didn’t fall apart at the end. They see a returning quarterback and a team that has been on an upswing for several years and came so close to winning the conference that gets the lion’s share of attention in college football coverage. But Clemson is right there too. Boyd is the goods and the talent around him is rich, especially if the defense can make another step forward in 2013--starting with this game.
This point might be overly-simplistic and might not make a difference, but Clemson needs this more. Georgia could lose this game and still has a lot of chances to make a BCS case. Clemson loses this and they can forget it. Georgia is no easy task, even at home. Even if Clemson is as good as they look, it still figures to be a massive struggle.
Loot's Pick to Cover the Point Spread: Take Clemson and 2 points.
