SEC Championship Game 2019: Picks, Predictions & Best Bets for Georgia vs. LSU

SEC Championship Game 2019: Odds & Picks for LSU vs. Georgia

• Odds: LSU -7
• Over/Under: 56
• Moneylines: LSU -265 | UGA +210
• Time: Saturday, 4 p.m. ET
• TV: CBS
• Location: Atlanta, Ga.

The 2019 SEC Championship Game pits arguably the nation's best offense against one of its best defenses.

So who wins out?

No one has proven capable of stopping Joe Burrow and LSU so far this season, but the betting market seems to think it's a forgone conclusion that Georgia won't be able to keep up. Lookahead lines just a few weeks ago made this game LSU -4, and it's now all the way up to LSU -7.

Our experts give their favorites SEC Championship Game picks below, including a moneyline, first half total and a player prop.

Georgia vs. LSU Picks

Odds as of Saturday morning and via DraftKings, where Action Network users get a risk-free bet up to $200 and a deposit bonus of up to $500.

Collin Wilson

Georgia has been methodically slow in its offensive game plans this season. Conservative play calling and lack of explosiveness are the primary reasons the Bulldogs consistently find themselves in passing downs. It's reasonable to ask if old school SEC football can beat the new-age aerial attack that LSU features.

But I think Smart may have held plenty of tricks In the bag specifically for this game, which they've been itching to get back to after last year's heartbreaking loss in the SEC championship.

Keep in mind that Kirby Smart has been money in second halves since his arrival in Athens and the 2019 season has been no different. The only team to score more points than Georgia in the third quarter this season is Murray State. This should be a chess match through the first half as Joe Burrow and Clyde Edwards-Helaire find an offensive rhythm.

I ultimately expect the elite Georgia defense and special teams to keep this close throughout, giving the Bulldogs a real shot at pulling off the upset in front of what should be a heavy contingent of Bulldogs fans.

Picks: First Half Under 27.5, Georgia Moneyline +210, Georgia +7 [In New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana or West Virginia? Bet now at DraftKings]

Collin Wilson is 482-404-23 (54.4%) overall betting on college football. You can follow him in our free app.

Stuckey

I agree with Collin here with the under, which I split between the game and first half.

This Georgia defense is just so solid in every facet and arguably the most efficient in all of college football. The Dawgs make you earn every yard and don’t allow any explosive plays.

I think the Tigers also can take a lot from their dominant defensive effort last week against Texas A&M and carry that momentum into Atlanta.

The Georgia offense has struggled even more when receiver Lawrence Cager isn’t on the field and the star wideout will not play this week. With him out of the mix and George Pickens suspended for the first half, Georgia will be without its top two receivers on the season.

That leaves Dominick Blaylock as the receiver with the most receiving yards on the season and he hasn’t even reached 300 yet. LSU can focus on taking away the run here without having to worry too much about Georgia hitting anything big downfield.

I think you see Georgia go to an even heavier ball control offense and play even slower than normal in order to keep the LSU offense off of the field.

In regards to the side, I think there is a tad bit of value on Georgia at +7 or more in a game they’ve been waiting for since last season’s SEC championship loss.

I will likely only play it pregame small as I will be looking to add to Georgia on the second half line when Pickens returns and Kirby can make some halftime adjustments.

Regardless, I think the best play is the under here. This Georgia defense is real and can provide a test for LSU’s offense while the LSU defense is more than capable of slowing down a very pedestrian and undermanned Georgia offense that has struggled to get to 24 points against any defense with a pulse this season. — Stuckey

Pick:First Half Under 27.5, Full Game Under 55.5[In New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana or West Virginia? Bet now at DraftKings]

Stuckey is 519-478-29 (52.1%) overall betting on college football. You can follow him in our free app.

Steve Petrella

Georgia running back D'Andre Swift has been dealing with a shoulder injury for much of the season, according to Kirby Smart, and it's limited his touches in the last few weeks to just 14.5 per game (down from 21.5 over the previous four).

Swift left last week's contest against Georgia Tech after fumbling and apparently re-injuring that shoulder.

So I think his rushing yard prop of 89.5 at DraftKings is just a little too high.

Senior Brian Herrien has looked capable at times spelling Swift, and also has three games in his last five with at least two catches. Expect him to see a fair amount of work in the SEC Championship Game.

LSU's front seven isn't elite, but it's solid, and to top 90 yards Swift will need at least 16-17 touches. Given the injury, the possibility that Georgia will be playing from behind and the Bulldogs' other options at running back, I don't know if he gets to that carry threshold.

Swift is also more efficient than explosive — Georgia ranks No. 62 in rushing explosiveness rate this season with him leading the way.

Unders on player props may not be all that fun, but there are so many more outs than with an over.

Pick: D'Andre Swift under 89.5 rushing yards [In New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana or West Virginia? Bet now at DraftKings]