Peach Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Georgia odds, preview, and pick

The No. 8 Cincinnati Bearcats (9-0) and No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs (7-2) will do battle at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on New Year’s Day in the 53rd annual Peach Bowl.

Hailing from the superior conference, the SEC’s Bulldogs are sizable favorites over the AAC’s Bearcats. Can Cincinnati compete with Georgia? Here’s our wagering preview.

Cincinnati vs. Georgia

Georgia survived a scary schedule

The Bulldogs faced five ranked opponents in a nine-game span this season and went 3-2 straight up and against the spread. They beat No. 7 Auburn and No. 14 Tennessee and lost soundly to No. 2 Alabama. Georgia then lost to No. 8 Florida and closed out the regular season with a road victory over No. 25 Missouri.

Cincinnati’s schedule was softer, but not by much

The Bearcats faced three ranked opponents en route to an undefeated season. They dispatched No. 22 Army, No. 16 SMU, and No. 23 Tulsa, but Cincinnati needed a last-second field goal to beat the Golden Hurricane in the AAC Championship Game. Additionally, the Bearcats played all but two of their games in the comfort of Nippert Stadium.

Comparing quarterbacks

Cincinnati junior Desmond Ridder and Georgia sophomore JT Daniels have both been successful behind center, but their styles vary drastically.

Ridder is just as likely to pull the ball down and run as he is to air it out. The Louisville native threw for 2,090 yards and added another 609 yards on the ground this season, which was not far behind tailback Gerrid Doaks for the team lead in rushing yards (673).

Ridder was an efficient passer in the regular season. He completed 66.4% of his throws for 8.6 yards per attempt, with 17 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Ridder will likely need to rely on his arm more often in the Peach Bowl against Georgia’s fourth-ranked run stoppers.

Daniels — a traditional pocket passer — will make just his fourth start as a Bulldog, but his first three since a transfer from USC have been inspired. He has completed 66.7% of his throws for 10.4 yards per attempt, with nine touchdowns and an interception. Daniels will face a Bearcats defense that ranked 21st in stopping the pass this season.

Trends say roll with the Bulldogs

Georgia has covered in six of its last seven bowl games. The Bulldogs are also 9-3 ATS in their last 12 neutral-site contests.

Cincinnati has covered in four straight games as an underdog, but the Bearcats are just 1-4 ATS in their last five bowl games.

Score prediction: Georgia 31, Cincinnati 20

NCAAF pick: Georgia -7.5

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