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Betting World Eyeing Massive Texas-Georgia, Rams-Seahawks Games

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Betting World Eyeing Massive Texas-Georgia, Rams-Seahawks Games


There’s no question that Texas-Georgia and Rams-Seahawks will be two of the most wagered upon sporting events this weekend in Las Vegas.

All four teams have marquee names at the quarterback position and three of the four squads have lived up to the preseason hype. And while Texas still has a chance to make the College Football Playoff, the Longhorns haven’t matched the summer billing of national title favorite.

One Vegas bookmaker has slid the Horns’ rating quite a bit.

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“I’m down seven points since the opener,” Westgate SuperBook vice president of risk Ed Salmons told me from Las Vegas.

“Every time I watch Texas, I come to the same conclusion: When the offense plays well, the defense sucks, and when the defense plays well, the offense sucks. They are what they are at this point.”

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The SuperBook opened Georgia -6.

“I opened a little lower,” Salmons admitted. “People we respect have been betting these ‘dogs off bye weeks and Texas fits that trend this week. Then somebody we respect laid the points.

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“Georgia really ran the ball like old-school Georgia last week for the first time in a long time. It’s a team I really didn’t like early, but the more I watch, the more impressed I am with the offense. The defense is the weakness.”

Yours truly is invested in the Horns at +6.5. It’s rare to get a team with that caliber of defensive speed catching almost a touchdown.

Less than 24 hours after Texas and Georgia kick, the Rams and Seahawks meet in a massive showdown with big-time divisional and conference implications. Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold are legit MVP candidates and both teams have stingy defenses and brilliant head coaches.

“I think these two teams are identical,” Salmons said.

“The spread should be 2.5, but it’s a little inflated because we’re expecting Rams money. The public is just enthralled with the Rams.”

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Are people sleeping on Seattle?  

“I really liked Seattle coming into the year,” Salmons said. “I think highly of [head coach Mike Macdonald]. He’s really prepared, and he knows what he’s doing. And for the first six or seven weeks, the Seahawks were playing without half their secondary and kept winning games.

“Darnold has played great, and their No. 1 receiver has just been phenomenal. I think they’re the real deal.”

It’s been a treat watching Darnold and Stafford sling touchdowns, though I’ll be the first one to admit, I didn’t envision Stafford sitting at 25 touchdowns with just two interceptions in mid-November. Especially not considering all the rumors about Stafford’s ailing back we heard all summer long.

“There was a lot of professional money in the summer on the Rams missing the playoffs and ‘Under’ on wins,” Salmons reported. “Respected guys believed in the Stafford back rumors. That was a real thing.

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“He doesn’t get hit a lot. We haven’t seen that yet.”

Finally, I saw a segment on “First Things First” this week in which the hosts debated which team at the top of the AFC standings could be trusted in the playoffs — the Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos or New England Patriots.

I think the answer is none of ‘em. Just wait ‘til we get the No. 5 seed Buffalo Bills and No. 7 seed Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship.

“It wouldn’t be surprising at all,” Salmons cracked.

“When Kansas City beats Denver this week, they’re gonna run a bunch of wins off. Look at their schedule. Denver is so beat up coming into this game, too. And it’s Andy Reid off the bye. We all know what’s gonna happen.”

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Sam Panayotovich is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and the BetMGM Network. He previously worked for WGN Radio, NBC Sports and VSiN. Watch him on FOX Sports’ Bear Bets and follow him on X @spshoot.

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High Fire Danger conditions continue through Thursday in Georgia

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High Fire Danger conditions continue through Thursday in Georgia


Dry air and gusty winds are expected to create high fire danger conditions Thursday afternoon into the evening across parts of north and central Georgia.

GEORGIA FIRE WEATHER ALERTS

Relative humidities of 25 percent or less are expected for four or more hours Thursday afternoon into the evening. Winds are forecast to be from the northeast to southeast at 7 to 12 mph, with gusts up to 20 mph. With dry fuels in place, the weather service said high fire danger conditions can be expected.

Everyone is urged to check with local burn permitting authorities about whether outdoor burning is allowed. If burning is permitted, use extreme caution.

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MIDDLE GEORGIA FIRE WEATHER ALERTS

MIDDLE GEORGIA FIRE WEATHER ALERTS

The statement covers a wide area of Georgia including the following Middle Georgia counties: Butts, Jasper, Putnam, Hancock, Upson, Lamar, Monroe, Jones, and Baldwin.



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Georgia football knew it couldn’t make same mistake twice with Khalil Barnes

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Georgia football knew it couldn’t make same mistake twice with Khalil Barnes


Georgia Bulldogs

The Bulldogs initially missed out on the defensive back, but the Clemson transfer is expected to make an immediate impact.

Clemson transfer Khalil Barnes — pictured taking part in the second day of spring practice in Athens in March — has spent most of the spring starting at the STAR position despite Rasean Dinkins playing there late last season after Joenel Aguero was injured. Aguero transferred this offseason. (DawgNation staff)

ATHENS — Landing prospects out of the transfer portal is often a dart throw.

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And after bringing in three defensive back transfers for the 2025 season and another four this offseason, Georgia finally seems to have hit the mark with former Clemson standout Khalil Barnes.

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Elijah Griffin takes part in the second day of spring practice in Athens, Georgia, on Thursday, March 19, 2026. (DawgNation staff photo)

Connor Riley

Connor Riley has been covering the University of Georgia since 2014 before moving to DawgNation full-time before the 2018 season. He helps in all areas of the site such as team coverage, recruiting, video production, social media and podcasting. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2016.

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Republicans win Georgia race — but Democrats post largest swing yet in special House elections

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Republicans win Georgia race — but Democrats post largest swing yet in special House elections


Republicans padded their slim House majority with a special election win in Georgia on Tuesday night. But the race also marked the biggest swing against the GOP compared with the 2024 presidential results out of seven House special elections in President Donald Trump’s second term.

It’s the latest sign of an encouraging political environment for Democrats, though the results in lower-turnout special elections never translate exactly to November. Democrats hope to mobilize voter frustration with Trump and his party to break the Republicans’ unified control of Washington this year.

Republican attorney Clay Fuller, Trump’s pick to fill the seat vacated by GOP former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s resignation this year, is projected to defeat Democrat Shawn Harris and hold Georgia’s 14th Congressional District for Republicans. But the results Tuesday look nothing like in 2024, when Trump won the district by almost 37 points and Greene won by about 29 points.

Fuller led Harris by 55.9% to 44.1% with 99% of the expected vote in, according to NBC News’ Decision Desk. That’s a 12-point margin — and a 25-point swing from Trump’s margin.

The previous biggest swing in a House special election during Trump’s second term came about a year ago, in Florida’s 1st District. There, Democrat Gay Valimont lost by about 15 points, a 23-point improvement on Trump’s 37-point victory margin, even as Republican Jimmy Patronis won the seat. In another special House election the same day, in the state’s 6th District, Democrats improved on Harris’ 2024 margin by 16 points.

And in a December special House election in Tennessee, the Democratic candidate lost by 9 points about a year after Trump won the district by 22 points.

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The trend across those House special elections has also extended to other special elections, helping Democrats flip 11 state legislative seats in special elections since the start of last year. And there are signs the party isn’t doing that just by turning out more Democrats while Republicans stay home: An NBC News Decision Desk analysis found that Democrats’ most recent state legislative wins in Florida came despite the fact that more registered Republicans voted in those races than registered Democrats.

Harris’ overperformance in Georgia stands out from the other Democratic congressional candidates in Republican-held seats because he spent the least amount of campaign funds on ads, according to the tracking firm AdImpact.

Harris spent $1.1 million on ads in the race, including $298,000 since the first round of voting March 10. Fuller and Republican outside groups spent a combined $4 million, including $1.1 million since March 10.

Harris’ most recent campaign finance report, which detailed spending through March 18, showed that his campaign spent heavily on digital fundraising and building his donor list and on running a field program.

In both Florida special elections, the Democratic candidates, Josh Weil and Gay Valimont, outspent Republican groups and their respective GOP opponents, Randy Fine and Jimmy Patronis, on the airwaves. In Tennessee, Democrat Aftyn Behn spent $3.5 million on the airwaves. Republican Matt Van Epps and his GOP allies ultimately spent $7.5 million, thanks to a late spending push from Republican groups.

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