Intro by Doug Kezirian
Newly-crowned No. 1 Georgia hosts No. 11 Kentucky in a marquee battle of undefeated teams but the Bulldogs are still 22.5-point favorites. They will play just one week after previously top-ranked Bama lost outright as a 19-point favorite at Texas A&M.
"If you're a coach, that's the one thing you want to put on the board," Caesars Sportsbook vice president of trading Craig Mucklow told ESPN. "That's the message you want to send to all your players. You can't take anything for granted and certainly not in college."
There's obviously a middle ground between an outright upset and covering as an underdog. Mucklow believes the point spread will close around the current line. "The max is 23.5. It won't touch 24. If anything, we will move downwards because we'll see Kentucky money."
And with a big number like this, an over/under of 44.5 is also part of the equation. "My ratings had it 25 but due to the style the two teams played, I shaved a field goal off and opened it 22. We had initial sharp action at 22," Circa Sports sportsbook director Matt Metcalf told ESPN. "It usually doesn't bode well for the underdog when they play a team with a similar style with superior athletes."