Posted on 8/24/2007 9:54:44 PM

NCAA Football Betting 2007 – Beware of these Georgia Bulldogs

By Tim Furious

For a team that was supposedly rebuilding, the Georgia Bulldogs might have stunned the college football betting fans by barreling to a 9-4 record. The AP was generous to Georgia and gave it the thirteenth ranking in the latest preseason poll, but Georgia still has a long way to go if they are going to bite at the ankles of Florida and LSU in the tough SEC division.

Voices of the betting faithful for the Bulldogs undoubtedly went hoarse as the season went on. With a 6-6 ATS, the Bulldogs were as frustrating to their investors as they were to those that bet against them. They were an unfortunate 3-5 against the spread as favorites. More appropriately as under”dawgs” they went 3-1 ATS.

In the absurdly difficult Southeast Conference, the Bulldogs are at the bottom of the curve. Their path to the BCS will indeed be steep. After a surprising 9-4 record with true freshman Matthew Stafford at quarterback, a betting man might be intrigued by the +2500 odds for Georgia to win the BCS title game in the BetUS.com sportsbook. Luckily for you, I’m here to keep your betting dollars safely in your pocket.

Coach Mike Richt’s Bulldogs are a perennial afterthought in the SEC where LSU, Florida and Tennessee reign supreme. All three of those schools have titles to their name, while Georgia is still searching for their own. To be truthful, they have never been close at all.

So what is there to be hopeful for this season? Not much. Stafford will be much better than last year, but that isn’t saying much considering he only amassed seven scores along with thirteen picks last season. This year he will struggle without any promising receiving targets, not to mention a brand new offensive line.

Richt has a habit of tutoring offensive linemen into championship caliber o-line units, but that development will be a slow process this season. Stafford will suffer the most, both statistically and physically as defensive lineman chase him all over the backfield. While Stafford might improve personally, the offensive unit around him is not improving at the same pace.

The defensive line isn’t much better. With three starters from last season now playing in the NFL, it will be up to the coaching staff to find new starters and stars from their current depth chart. The big guys in the middle, Jeff Owens and Kade Weston, are massive defensive tackles that will occasionally command double teams. New starting defensive end, Roderick Battle, will take time to develop.

The secondary for the Dawgs is also a concern for Georgia fans, and betting investors. Starting corner back Asher Allen is only 5-foot-10, while his counterpart Prince Miller is only 5-foot-8. On top of that, as they proved last year, they couldn’t tackle a sack of potatoes in a wheel barrow. Pass-heavy teams will be able to torch Georgia this coming season. The schedule is going to be a nightmare for the Bulldogs. Week three poses their first true test as they hit the road to take on the Tennessee Volunteers. Last year they lost 51-33. If history repeats itself in that game, the Georgia Bulldogs will drop out of BCS consideration faster then receiver Sean Bailey can drop a pass.

Overall, the offense and defensive sides of the football propose too many question marks for the Georgia Bulldogs to be a major threat to the SEC Conference title. In the meantime, keep your betting dollars safe and avoid any futures involving these done-Dawgs. The Bulldogs will struggle to recreate a 9-4 season again, let alone weasel their way in to the BCS picture.

With NCAA football just around the corner, the BetUS sportsbook already has tons of college football Futures betting available for those of us who can't wait. Bet on the Heisman winner, Conference and Divisional winners and, of course, the 2008 BCS National Championship winner. Bet NCAA Football Futures in our sportsbook today in the Future / props section!