NCAA Football – Bulldogs could roar to BCS title

NCAA football betting: Georgia getting +180 SEC odds, +500 BCS Championship odds

• Quarterback Matt Stafford should be much improved
• Tailback Knowshon Moreno will carry the load
• Defense must excel in the face of a brutal schedule

The Georgia Bulldogs were arguably the best team in the nation over the second half of 2007, winning their last seven games en route to a No. 2 ranking in the AP Poll and a 41-10 pasting of Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl.

Now, the Bulldogs have been bestowed with the No. 1 preseason ranking in the coaches poll, but they'll have to navigate through the SEC?which has yielded the past two national champions?to hold onto that ranking. Georgia has sports book odds of +180 to unseat LSU in the SEC, and +500 to replace the Tigers as national champions.

Quarterback Matt Stafford is back to lead an offense that was 74th in the country in 2007. The junior showed much improvement in his sophomore year, throwing for 2,523 yards on 55.7% passing while tossing 19 touchdowns and 10 picks. All those numbers were better than his freshman totals.

Stafford could be even better because of the presence of tailback Knowshon Moreno. Moreno was a beast in his freshman year, averaging 124.6 yards on the ground over the Bulldogs' seven-game winning streak. He should take pressure off Stafford and the aerial attack, though he won't have the element of surprise anymore. His offensive line returns three starters.

The defense welcomes back nine starters from last year's squad which finished 14th in total defense while leading the SEC in sacks. This group shone brightest in the Sugar Bowl romp over Hawaii, sacking NCAA record-setting quarterback Colt Brennan eight times and essentially making a mockery of a team that was ranked 10th at the time.

Senior linebacker Dannell Ellerbe led the team in tackles and he powers one of the top linebacking corps in the country. The Bulldogs' biggest problem will be replacing Marcus Howard's 10.5 sacks, as the linebacker left for the NFL.

Blake's Analysis: The Bulldogs are well-positioned to make a run at their first national title but they face an insane schedule. Georgia has an early-season back-to-back at South Carolina and Arizona State, followed by three tricky home games with Alabama, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

The next two games could decide their fate when Georgia heads to defending national champion LSU before hosting Florida in their annual rivalry match-up.

Moreno is a Heisman candidate in the making and, if the line holds up, the defense should be good enough to carry Georgia when the offense struggles. The Bulldogs should make it out of the SEC and battle for a berth in the BCS national championship game - right where some sports betting fans felt they should have been last season.

Blake walked onto his college football team and had a brief stint as an assistant coach after he graduated. He brings a sharp mind to the world of sports handicapping. Blake understands the nuances of the game that only someone who has played would understand, and he was one of the few who gave the Giants a chance against the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Thoughts or questions?