09; Dave's Free Pick Against The Spread College Football

Written by Dave | 13 December 2009

Georgia Bulldogs (7-5) vs Texas A&M Aggies (6-6)

Independence Bowl Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA

College Football: Monday December 28, 2009 5PM EST (ESPN2)

The Line: Georgia -7

This years Independence Bowl looks to be an intriguing matchup between a high powered aerial assault and a smash-mouth ground attack.

While this season has been a disappointment for Georgia, they come into the Independence Bowl with some momentum after slaying seventh ranked Georgia Tech 30-24 in their last game. Georgia amassed 339 yards rushing behind Washaun Easley and Caleb King. While the regular season ended on a positive note for the Bulldogs, it sure didn't start out that way. In week one Georgia was matched up in a highly viewed game against ranked Oklahoma State and suffered a 10-24 defeat. Home losses to LSU and Kentucky dropped Georgia below their preseason expectations.

Texas A&M rode a roller coaster through their season and ended up with a flat 6-6 record. The Aggies got beat by 48 points at Kansas State, turned around and beat bowl teams Texas Tech and Iowa State by a combined 47 points and then lost to Oklahoma by 55. Texas A&M finished the regular season by putting a mild scare into Texas and their national title hopes with a 39-49 loss.Quarterback Jerrod Johnson finished the year with over 3,200 passing yards and 28 touchdowns.

Georgia is 4-7 against the spread this year while Texas A&M is 6-5-1

Georgia is 8-3 ATS in their last 11 bowl games

Texas A&M is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 bowl games

Georgia's 58th ranked offense (27.7 ppg) matches up against the 104th ranked Texas A&M defense (32.7ppg)

Texas A&M's 15th ranked offense (33.9ppg) goes up against Georgia's 70th ranked defense (26.4ppg)

Both teams certainly have the ability to score and both teams have struggled on defense. While the strength of schedules are fairly close, Georgia has played more games that had a brighter spotlight shown on them. Georgia is used to the pressure of playing tough teams on national television and the Aggies have played their season in the shadows of Texas and Oklahoma. A good Texas A&M team can light up the scoreboard and hang with almost anyone, but too many times a poorer version shows up and gets throttled. I expect an angry, physical Georgia team to come out swinging against A&M and deliver a knockout blow.