Outback Bowl 2012: Why Georgia Will Blow out Michigan State

The Georgia Bulldogs are a 3.5 favorite going into their game against the Michigan State Spartans in the Outback Bowl.

That sounds fair because if an average fan was to look at what both teams do on offense, defense and special teams, that fan would say they are both evenly matched teams.

That is all true and the game could come down to who blinks first. But when push comes to shove, the Bulldogs will hammer the Spartans and will finish the year 11-3.

Here are a few reasons why.

The first reason is the Bulldogs tend to play well in the bowl games under Mark Richt. The Bulldogs’ record in bowl games since Richt took over the program in 2001 is 7-3 and they won four consecutive bowl games from 2006-2009.

They did have a very disappointing loss to Central Florida last year in the Liberty Bowl, but based on the way the team played and the calls the coaches were making, they played and coached like they did not want to be there.

When the Bulldogs are focused, they play well and dominate their opponents. For example, the Bulldogs blew Hawaii in the 2008 Sugar Bowl, dominated Florida State in the same game in 2003 and they even defeated the Spartans by two scores in the Capital One Bowl in 2009.

Another reason the Bulldogs will blow past the Spartans on Jan. 2 is the motivation factor.

This goes back to the Liberty Bowl lost to UCF last year. It may have looked liked the Bulldogs did not want to be there, but they did not think they would lose to the Golden Knights.

They do not want to end the season on a losing note, especially when they have done so much good this season. There have been no distractions for the Bulldogs this week and they looked very refreshed. They will be very focused, but they should be able to play loose at the same time.

And the last reason is the Spartans aren’t used to playing a team like the Bulldogs.

The opponents that the Spartans have faced this season, such as Michigan and Iowa, like to spread teams out and beat them with speed. The Bulldogs have plenty of speed, but with the offensive line they have, which is the biggest in all of college football, and the defensive front seven they present, it will tough for the Spartans offense (ranked 60th in the country) to get anything going.

Also, with the Bulldogs having all four of their running backs healthy, it should be easier for Aaron Murray to make plays with his arm.

Michigan State is a very good football team that did a lot of good things this season. But when it comes down to it, the Bulldogs do a lot of things better than the Spartans and will look to prove that on Monday.

It will be a very close game during the early stages, but because of the Bulldogs' size and speed, they should come away with a dominating win and that should carry them into the 2012 season where the expectations will be as high as they were in 2008.