The No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners have the longest active win streak among this year’s four College Football Playoff contenders at 8-0 straight up with a 5-1 against the spread record over their last six games. The red-hot Sooners will face their toughest test of the season Monday when they clash with the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs in the Rose Bowl.
Oklahoma opened as the Rose Bowl favorite, but the pregame spread favors Georgia
The College Football Playoff semifinal is expected to be a close one.
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Oklahoma is a 2.5-point underdog in Pasadena at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com, despite the Sooners opening as a small favorite. In their last seven games as an underdog, the Sooners are 6-1 SU and ATS.
Georgia Bulldogs vs. Oklahoma Sooners
When: Monday, Jan. 1, 5 p.m. ET
Where: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.
Betting Line / Total: Georgia -2 / 60 Points
Oklahoma Sooners
Baker Mayfield’s decision to return for his senior season at Oklahoma proved to be a wise one. The superstar gunslinger set career highs across the board with 4,340 passing yards and 41 passing touchdowns and only five interceptions en route to securing the Heisman Trophy.
Three of the top four scoring defenses in the nation make up the rest of the field in this year’s College Football Playoff and will give Mayfield a chance to cement his legacy against some of the sport’s very best units.
Since Oct. 1 of 2016, the Sooners have amassed a 22-1 SU and 15-8 ATS record, per the OddsShark College Football Database.
Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia averaged 34.9 points per game on offense this season and allowed only 13.2 points per game, giving the Bulldogs on average margin of 21.7 points per game.
The Bulldogs dominated most of the games on their schedule in going 12-1 SU and 9-4 ATS and had a chance to avenge their only loss in the SEC Championship Game with a 28-7 victory over Auburn. The betting favorite is 7-2 SU in the last nine Rose Bowl matchups, and Georgia is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games played in January.
Monday’s total is set at 60 points. The UNDER is 7-1 in Oklahoma’s last eight games against SEC opponents.
While this matchup is being touted for the exciting clash of an Oklahoma pass attack that ranks third in the nation vs. a Georgia pass defense that ranks second in the nation, that is only one element of an overall great game between two excellent teams. Regardless of which side of the offense vs. defense argument you land on, this has the makings of an instant classic that is decided on the last drive of the game.
For more info, picks and a breakdown of this week’s top sports betting news, check out the new OddsShark podcast with Jon Campbell and Andrew Avery. Subscribe on iTunes, or check it out at OddsShark.libsyn.com.
