Peach Bowl 2020: Updated Odds and Preview for Cincinnati vs. Georgia
The Cincinnati Bearcats were not rewarded by the College Football Playoff selection committee for their undefeated season.
Unfortunately, the best Group of Five team's ceiling in the current system is a New Year's Six bowl game against a power-five roster.
Luke Fickell's team will head to Atlanta to take on the Georgia Bulldogs, who are not the most ideal opponent for the Bearcats to prove their mettle against.
Georgia was likely overvalued in the playoff rankings, and its ninth-place rankings finish is not indicative of the season it had.
The Bulldogs got better once J.T. Daniels stepped in at quarterback, but by that time of the season, they were beating the weaker programs in the SEC.
With Daniels at the helm of the Georgia offense, Cincinnati's top-rated defense will have a chance to shut down a highly-rated quarterback.
Peach Bowl Info
Date: Friday, January 1
Start Time: Noon ET
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: ESPN.com and ESPN app
Odds
Spread: Georgia (-6.5)
Over/Under: 49.5
Money Line: Georgia (-240; bet $240 to win $100); Cincinnati (+190; bet $100 to win $190)
Preview
Cincinnati is aiming to become the fourth Group of Five program to win a New Year's Six game and the first since the UCF Knights in 2017.
If the Bearcats defeat Georgia, they will likely win through their defensive play. They rank 10th in yards allowed and seventh in points conceded per game.
The Clemson Tigers are the only team to qualify for the playoff or New Year's Six to rank in the top 10 of either category.
The Bearcats allowed a single opponent to score more than 25 points in their nine games. They held two of their three ranked foes beneath 15 points.
While Cincinnati's defense rightfully gets plenty of praise, its offense can hold its own as well. Quarterback Desmond Ridder and running back Gerrid Doaks are a tough duo to stop on the ground.
Ridder and Doaks both gained over 600 rushing yards, and they are responsible for 19 of Cincinnati's 28 rushing scores.
Cincinnati's top offensive strength will go up against Georgia's front seven, which conceded 69.3 rushing yards per game in the regular season.
If the Bearcats can break through the FBS' top rushing defense, it could control the clock and earn all the momentum.
Even if Cincinnati controls the game on the ground, Georgia could strike back fast through Daniels, who threw for 839 yards and nine touchdowns in three starts.
Daniels has three impressive targets to work with in Kearis Jackson, George Pickens and Jermaine Burton.
But the case against Daniels torching Cincinnati's defense comes with the evaluation of Georgia's last three opponents.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs and South Carolina Gamecocks struggled throughout conference play and the Missouri Tigers sit in the second or third tier of SEC teams depending on how you rank them.
Cincinnati will pose the first true test to Daniels inside Georgia's offense, and if he passes that challenge, Daniels could drum up the hype surrounding his team's title credentials in 2021.
If the Bearcats come out with more motivation and down the Bulldogs, they will finish one of the more impressive Group of Five seasons in the last few years at 10-0.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.
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