Game To Watch: #8 Cincinnati vs #9 Georgia: January 1, 2021

Cincinnati will battle Georgia in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl this Friday at 1:00 EST. Cincinnati is undefeated at 9 – 0 and won the AAC Championship this year. They were hoping for a spot in the Playoff, but will have to settle for a New Year’s Six Bowl game. Georgia is 7 – 2 this year and did not qualify for the SEC Championship Game. The Bulldogs have won three straight games since JT Daniels took over at quarterback. Cincinnati will attempt to prove they were worthy of a spot in the Playoff, while Georgia is building toward 2021 with their new quarterback in place.

Recent History

Georgia and Cincinnati have only played twice. Georgia won both of those contests, one in 1942 and the second in 1976. Those games were a long time ago and will have little to do with what happens Friday.

Top 25 Players

What To Watch For…

Can JT Daniels perform against a good defense?

JT Daniels has breathed life into the Georgia offense since taking over as the starter. The sophomore quarterback has played three games and completed 66 percent of his passes for 839 yards with 9 touchdowns and 1 interception. He has as many touchdowns as Georgia’s other two quarterbacks did combined, but he’s done it with less than a third of the attempts. The Bulldogs have averaged 41.7 points per game since Daniels took over, compared to just 29 points per game in the six games prior. Cincinnati’s defense is one of the best in the country. The Bearcats have allowed just 16 points per game this year and have a secondary that is among the best in the country. Cincinnati has playmakers at all three levels of the defense. They will challenge Daniels more than any of the three teams he has faced so far this season. If Cincinnati is able to contain Daniels and the passing game this game could get ugly for Georgia.

Does Cincinnati have the weapons to score against Georgia?

The other side of the coin is how well the Cincinnati offense can move the ball against Georgia’s talented defense. The Bulldogs will be without a few key players included Monty Rice and Eric Stokes who have opted out of the bowl game, but still have a ton of talent on the defensive side of the ball. Cincinnati has to sustain drives to not only get points on the board, but give their defense a chance to rest between possessions. Georgia’s defense allows just 19.9 points per game this season and has held seven of their nine opponents to 24 points or less. Only Alabama and Florida were able to put up a big number against Georgia this year, scoring 41 and 44 points respectively. Cincinnati’s offense has scored 39.3 points per game this year, but they have not faced a defense as talented or deep as Georgia’s. Cincinnati is going to have to score more than 24 points to win this game, only two teams have been able to do that against Georgia this year.

How deep is Cincinnati?

The biggest difference between the traditional powerhouse teams and the group of five teams that have great seasons is depth. Cincinnati has starters that are excellent players and could play for most schools in the country, but do they have the bodies to rotate in the game and keep their stars fresh. If Cincinnati is able to rotate players into the game without a significant drop off in talent, the defense can hold up for the full four quarters. Otherwise the Bearcats’ key players will begin to tire as the game wears on and Georgia will be able to wear them down and take advantage in the second half. Georgia’s backups on defense could start at a lot of schools in the country, we will find out if Cincinnati has the depth to match-up on Friday.

Prediction

For Georgia, this has been a disappointing season. They did not play for an SEC Championship and did not qualify for the College Football Playoff. Several key players have opted out of the game and the team is not at full strength. On the other hand, Cincinnati has had an excellent season, they went undefeated and feel like they were robbed of an opportunity to play in the Playoff. None of they players have opted out. Cincinnati will be out to prove they belonged in the Playoff. The defense is for real and will make things difficult for Georgia. Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder has been a potent dual threat quarterback this year and will make some plays with his legs to score some key points for Cincinnati. In the end though, Georgia has too much talent and will hold on for a close win. Georgia 27 Cincinnati 20.

For more content like this don’t forget to subscribe to our website.

For the latest content follow us on twitter @saturdayscfb & @cfbsaturdaysC or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CFBSaturday

GA VS LSU E101318 132 Image by Tammy Anthony Baker is licensed under CC BY 2.0.