Georgia

College football picks: No. 1 Georgia steps into SEC play, No. 11 Tennessee heads to The Swamp

Published

1 year ago

September 13, 2023

College football picks: No. 1 Georgia steps into SEC play, No. 11 Tennessee heads to The Swamp

Expect some weirdness this weekend in college football.

With no games matching ranked teams, and what is shaping up to be a monster Saturday on the horizon, you might look at the schedule and think it’s a good time to get a little yard work in. Maybe run some errands.

Be careful.

The season is still young enough that we really don’t know which teams are good and which are headed for disappointing seasons.

This week, for example, as Southeastern Conference play opens, we get our first look at No. 1 Georgia against an opponent that might have a sliver of hope of actually beating the two-time defending national champions.

It’s not so much that you should expect the unexpected as much as we really don’t know what to expect.

No. 11 Tennessee at Florida

The Vols broke a five-game losing streak to the Gators last year, and haven’t won two in a row in the series since 2004. The rivalry seems to be on the verge of flipping back to Tennessee, with Florida still trying to find its groove in Year 2 under coach Billy Napier.

For the Vols, QB Joe Milton is still in the prove-it phase as starting quarterback. The Gators need a bounce back after the Week 1 clunker at Utah.

LINE: Tennessee by 6 1/2. PICK: Tennessee 34-24.

No. 8 Washington at Michigan State

Michael Penix Jr. and the Huskies’ offense announced their arrival last season in an emphatic victory against the Spartans. Washington’s offense has been on point through two games this season, with Penix throwing for 859 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Spartans will play without suspended coach Mel Tucker, looking for the type of victory that it hasn’t had since 2021.

LINE: Washington by 16 1/2. PICK: Washington 28-17.

No. 15 Kansas State at Missouri

The defending Big 12 champion Wildcats have rolled through the first two weeks at home and now face what should be a good SEC road test. The Tigers rank 10th in the nation in yards per play allowed at 3.83. K-State has been solid on defense, too, allowing 3.98 yards per play.

LINE Kansas State 4 1/2. PICK: Kansas State 23-17.

Western Kentucky at No. 6 Ohio State

The Buckeyes have committed to Kyle McCord as their starting QB after he was better in Week 2 than in Week 1. Still, the explosive offense Ohio State has become accustomed to has yet to fully arrive.

The Buckeyes might need it this week. QB Austin Reed and the Hilltoppers like to sling it around. WKU WR Malachi Corley, who left the opener after taking a hard hit to the chest and sat out last week, is an NFL talent.

Don’t necessarily put the Buckeyes on upset alert, but they best not mess around.

LINE: Ohio State by 27 1/2. PICK: Ohio State 49-17.

South Carolina at No. 1 Georgia

The Gamecocks are the last team to beat the Bulldogs at home, back in 2020. That seems like a long time ago.

Georgia has the longest overall winning streak in the country at 19 games.

Getting a read on the Bulldogs through the first two games has been near impossible given the competition. News alert: They’re good again.

Facing the Gamecocks should provide a better assessment, though if the South Carolina offensive line that gave up nine sacks to North Carolina shows up in Athens, the ‘Dawgs will feast.

LINE: Georgia by 27 1/2. PICK: Georgia 34-10.

The rest of Saturday’s games matching Top 25 teams against FBS opponents, with lines by FanDuel Sportsbook:

Bowling Green (plus 40 1/2) at No. 2 Michigan

Wolverines have methodically buried their first two overmatched opponents, which hasn’t been a great approach for covering enormous point spreads … MICHIGAN 42-7.

No. 3 Florida State (minus 26 1/2) at Boston College

Seminoles have won four straight and 11 of 12 against BC … FLORIDA STATE 49-17.

Wyoming (plus 28 1/2) at No. 4 Texas

Could the Longhorns be a little sluggish after a big night in Tuscaloosa? … TEXAS 38-14.

No. 7 Penn State (minus 14 1/2) at Illinois

Last time these teams met, they slogged through a record nine OTs that the Illini won 20-18 … PENN STATE 35-17.

Central Michigan (plus 34 1/2) at No. 9 Notre Dame

One last tune-up for the Irish before Ohio State comes to town … NOTRE DAME 42-13.

No. 10 Alabama (minus 31 1/2) at South Florida

The last time Alabama played a road game against a team not from a Power Five conference was 1997 against Tulane … ALABAMA 52-17.

Hawaii at No. 13 Oregon (minus 37 1/2)

After Alabama’s loss, Ducks have the nation’s longest home winning streak at 31 … OREGON 63-20.

No. 14 LSU at Mississippi State (plus 9 1/2)

Bulldogs have remade their offense, moving away from the late Mike Leach’s Air Raid and throwing just 46 passes in two games … MISSISSIPPI STATE 28-23, UPSET SPECIAL.

San Diego State (plus 24 1/2) at No. 16 Oregon State

Aztecs could be a future conference-mate for the Beavers … OREGON STATE 35-16.

Georgia Tech (plus 19 1/2) at No. 17 Mississippi

Rebels beat the Yellow Jackets 42-0 last season … OLE MISS 35-17.

Colorado State at No. 18 Colorado (minus 22 1/2)

Boulder is the place to be: Both ESPN and Fox’s pregame shows will be at CU … COLORADO 35-10.

No. 19 Oklahoma (minus 27 1/2) at Tulsa

Golden Hurricane last beat the Sooners in 1996 and last won at home against OU in 1942 … OKLAHOMA 48-17.

Minnesota (plus 7 1/2) at No. 20 North Carolina

First meeting ever matches Gophers’ ground-and-pound vs. Tar Heels’ star QB Drake Maye … NORTH CAROLINA 26-20.

Northwestern (plus 18 1/2) at No. 21 Duke

Blue Devils have won four straight in the ACC-Big Ten Brainiac Bowl … DUKE 28-13.

Western Michigan (plus 28 1/2) at No. 25 Iowa

Broncos were losing 45-7 at the half to Syracuse last week; Time for an offensive breakout from the Hawkeyes? … IOWA 31-6.

TWITTER REQUESTS

James Madison (plus 2 1/2) at Troy — @MDWDFW: Two of the Sun Belt’s best teams .. JMU 27-23.

Pittsburgh (minus 1 1/2) at West Virginia — @romo2020extra: Backyard Brawl returned last year and Pitt won a wild one; Mountaineers coach Neal Brown could really use this … PITT 26-23.

BYU at Arkansas (minus 8 1/2) — @yehonala04: Razorbacks expected to be without star RB Raheim Sanders (knee) … ARKANSAS 28-17.

Northern Illinois at Nebraska (minus 10 1/2) — @willminich: Cornhuskers’ minus-6 turnover margin is worst in the nation … NEBRASKA 27-13.

South Alabama (plus 7 1/2) at Oklahoma State — @mroberson3: Cowboys looking for seventh straight 3-0 start … OKLAHOMA 23-17.

Fresno State at Arizona State (plus 3) — @ArtWMoore: Bulldogs already have a victory against a Big Ten team, now try to add a Pac-12 … ARIZONA STATE 31-28.

___

RECORD

Last week: Straight-up — 18-6; Against spread — 7-17.

Season: Straight-up — 36-12; Against spread — 16-32.

___

Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.appodcasts.com

___

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll

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Georgia

Jimmy Carter Christmas ornament now available at Georgia stores

Published

55 mins ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

Jimmy Carter Christmas ornament now available at Georgia stores

ATLANTA – The White House is honoring former President Jimmy Carter this Christmas with his own ornament, and Georgians can get their own for their tree.

The ornament is in the shape of an anchor, a symbol of hope that also represents Carter’s service in the U.S. Navy.

It also features historic moments from Carter’s life and presidency and comes with a keepsake box and illustrated booklet on Carter’s presidency.

“It is a great honor to offer the Official 2024 White House Christmas Ornament at Home Depot stores for the first time in Georgia,” said Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association. “This year we pay tribute to President Jimmy Carter’s remarkable life and enduring legacy as he continues to be a fixture in our country’s ongoing history.”

The White House Historical Association, Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/NARA)

Shoppers can find the ornament at around 60 Home Depot stores across Georgia and in the Washington, D.C. area.

You can also buy the ornament on The Home Depot’s website.

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Georgia Senate study panel considers restrictions on trans women’s college sports participation • Georgia Recorder

Published

9 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

Georgia Senate study panel considers restrictions on trans women’s college sports participation • Georgia Recorder

A Georgia Senate study committee that bills itself as tasked with protecting women’s sports met Thursday for the last time before it is set to release recommendations before next year’s legislative session, and transgender Georgians are bracing themselves.

At Thursday’s hearing, transgender women and allies argued that vanishingly few transgender women participate in school sports, and those who do are largely not at the top of the competitive heap. Many said the national focus is making life difficult.

“It’s so hard to face this kind of opposition,” said Aaron Baker, a transgender woman and activist. “It’s so hard to be at a hearing like this and hear the language. It’s so hard for you to hear people describe me as a biological man because it’s not

Aaron Baker. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder

true. I am hormonally female, I’m phenotypically female, I’m psychologically female, and that is a gross oversimplification of who I am and my identity, and it hurts.”

Committee Chair Greg Dolezal, a Cumming Republican, told members he would spend the next week or so reviewing testimony from the committee’s three hearings and plans to announce the date for presenting recommendations shortly after. Study committee recommendations could take the form of proposed legislation in time for the 2025 General Assembly, which is set to begin Jan. 13.

Dolezal indicated he is interested in considering regulations for college sports. A previous hearing featured testimony from cisgender women college swimmers who said they were placed at an unfair disadvantage when they had to compete against a transgender woman at a competition at Georgia Tech.

“A few years ago, I believe it was three years ago, the General Assembly passed a bill essentially prescribing the control to make decisions around transgender participation in sports to the Georgia High School Association, they passed a resolution that stated that participation in sports, high school sports, in the state of Georgia was based on the sex prescribed on a birth certificate. The law is currently silent on the collegiate competition level. So right now, we just have a law as it relates to high school associations,” he said.

Other Republicans on the committee suggested they would like to see legislation in K-12 schools, especially surrounding restrooms and locker rooms.

“As a father of two young daughters, we’ve got to protect women,” said Gwinnett Republican Sen. Clint Dixon. “We’ve got to protect their sports, we’ve got to protect them in changing rooms from what we heard from many of those athletes who testified, four or five of them who testified in the first committee hearing, having to change, which took 20, 30 minutes at a time, in front of a transgender female, but still had the genitalia of a male, which was horrific for them to witness that, some of them ended up changing in a storage closet, some of them waited until that athlete left the room, having to miss some of their competition, and that’s just at the college level, we’re not even talking about minors in K-12.”

Some activists indicated that they would oppose any kind of restriction on transgender participation, while speakers like Lambda Legal attorney Sasha Buchert urged the lawmakers to take a nuanced approach over a blanket ban, which could mean a committee including medical experts to consider safety or competitive concerns on a case-by-case basis. Others said such decisions should be left to athletic associations and leagues rather than politicians or political appointees.

Delfina Booth Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder

“Sports are already managed by expert organizations like the NCAA, the International Olympics Committee, and professional leagues,” said Delfina Booth, a former Georgia Tech student and high school athlete who said she has lost transgender friends to police violence and suicide.

“These governing bodies have developed policies over decades that analyze fairness based on unique needs of each sport,” she added. “Contact sports have different rules than non-contact sports, children’s sports focus more on teamwork and development than adult sports, et cetera. These nuances cannot be addressed through broad government legislation. Additionally, decisions about athletic ability involve multiple complex factors, including the signs of physical development and the specific demands of each sport. These aren’t matters that lend themselves directly or easily to blanket rules.”

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NC State football vs Georgia Tech score: Live updates, highlights from ACC game

Published

19 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

NC State football vs Georgia Tech score: Live updates, highlights from ACC game

The N.C. State Wolfpack and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets play in primetime on Thursday (7:30 p.m., ESPN) at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Week 13 of the college football season.

Coming off an idle week, the Wolfpack (5-5, 2-4 ACC) needs to win one of its final two games to become bowl eligible for the fifth straight season. But it won’t be an easy task taking on the Yellow Jackets (6-4, 4-3) in Atlanta, where N.C. State has lost 11 of 15 games in the series.

The Wolfpack hasn’t won at Georgia Tech since 2010.

NC State vs GT preview, prediction

Keep this page refreshed and bookmarked for live updates for N.C. State vs. Georgia Tech.

NC State vs Georgia Tech score

Live scoreboard:

What channel is NC State vs Georgia Tech today?

TV Channel: ESPN

Livestream: Fubo (free trial), ESPN+

Watch NCSU vs. GT on Fubo

N.C. State vs. Georgia Tech will be broadcast nationally on ESPN in Week 13 of the 2024 college football season. Matt Barrie and Dan Mullen will call the game from the booth at Bobby Dodd Stadium, with Harry Lyles Jr. reporting from the sidelines. Streaming options for the game include FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers. Matt Chazanow, Johnny Evans and Tony Haynes will have the radio call on the Wolfpack Sports Network.

NC State vs Georgia Tech start time

Date: Thursday, Nov. 21

Start time: 7:30 p.m.

Buy NCSU vs GT tickets here

The N.C. State vs. Georgia Tech game starts at 7:30 p.m. from Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

NC State vs Georgia Tech history

Series record: Georgia Tech 20-11

NC State’s last win: 2020 (23-13)

Georgia Tech’s last win: 2019 (28-26)

NC State vs Georgia Tech prediction

Georgia Tech 30, N.C. State 23: The Yellow Jackets will remain undefeated at home behind a big effort from quarterback Haynes King. The Wolfpack will head to Chapel Hill for the regular-season finale, needing a win to play in the postseason.

NC State vs Georgia Tech spread, betting odds

Game lines and odds from BetMGM will be posted as they become available.

Spread: Georgia Tech is an 8.5-point favorite

Over/under: 52.5 points

Moneyline: N.C. State (+270), Georgia Tech (-350)

NC State vs Georgia Tech weather

Temperatures for kickoff will be around 44 degrees under clear skies in Atlanta, Georgia. Winds will be between 8-16 mph, with gusts up to 38 mph.

NC State vs Georgia Tech injury updates

This section will updated in the pregame.

NC State schedule 2024

Aug. 29: Western Carolina (W, 38-21)
Sept. 7: Tennessee (L, 51-10)
Sept. 14: Louisiana Tech (W, 30-20)
Sept. 21: at Clemson (L, 59-35)
Sept. 28: Northern Illinois (W, 24-17)
Oct. 5: Wake Forest (L, 34-30)
Oct. 12: Syracuse (L, 24-17)
Oct. 19: at Cal (W, 24-23)
Oct. 26: OPEN
Nov. 2: Stanford (W, 59-28)
Nov. 9: Duke (L, 29-19)
Nov. 16: OPEN
Nov. 21: at Georgia Tech (Thursday)
Nov. 30: at UNC

Georgia Tech schedule 2024

Aug. 24: Florida State (W, 24-21)
Aug. 31: Georgia State (W, 35-12)
Sept. 7: at Syracuse (L, 31-28)
Sept. 14: VMI (W, 59-7)
Sept. 21: at Louisville (L, 31-19)
Sept. 28: OFF
Oct. 5: Duke (W, 24-14)
Oct. 12: at UNC (W, 41-34)
Oct. 19: Notre Dame (L, 31-13)
Oct. 26: at Virginia Tech (L, 21-6)
Nov. 2: OFF
Nov. 9: Miami (W, 28-23)
Nov. 16: OFF
Nov. 21: NC State (Thursday)
Nov. 29: at Georgia

Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.

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