Florida State vs Georgia Props for Orange Bowl: Bulldogs Ready to Juice Seminoles

Prop bet #1: Semi-incapable

Remember when Bowl Games were the thing? No longer, as players are either preparing for the NFL Draft, or seeking their next destination via the transfer portal. Florida State is no different, and it’s offensively decimated because of it.

Its national title hopes actually went belly-up when quarterback Jordan Travis suffered a gruesome leg injury in the home finale against North Alabama. Backup Tate Rodemaker was concussed in the regular-season finale, but he opted out of this game and is currently in the transfer portal.

That leaves freshman Brock Glenn to make his second career start. He was below serviceable in his previous start, though earning the 16-6 win in the ACC Championship over Louisville.

Glenn went 8-for-21 for 55 yards without a TD pass or interception and was the very definition of a game manager. That might have worked against the Bulldogs, but the Seminoles’ running attack has been stripped of any pop.

Trey Benson is preparing for the 2024 NFL Draft, so his 905 yards and 14 scores are out. Backup Lawrence Toafili, who had a game-high 118 yards rushing and a score in the win over Louisville, is out due to injury. 

Glenn can’t even lean on his top pass catches, as Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson are also eyeing the pros, as is tight end Jaheim Bell. 

Georgia isn’t the game-wrecking defense that held teams to 16.6 points per game, as they have question marks dotting their roster, including stud safety Javon Bullard and corner Kamari Lassiter. 

Defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse looks as if he could be a go, and that could make things a mess up front for the ‘Noles. I don’t think their offense gets off the ground Saturday.

Florida State prop: Under 12.5 points (-125 at DraftKings)

Prop bet #2: Peachy in Georgia

Georgia won’t have its full collection of stars, lowlighted by star tackle Amarius Mims sitting out after getting hurt in the SEC title game loss to Alabama

The good news is, there’s plenty for the ‘Dogs to work with, as Carson Beck will be under center, and he had a great season, throwing for 3,378 yards, 22 TDs, and just six interceptions.

He’ll have at least one key receiving piece in the mix, with Ladd McConkey confirming he’s a go at the Orange Bowl. The run game pieces should be there too, with Daijun Edwards and Kendall Milton expected to play.

Edwards led the team with 819 yards and 11 scores on a healthy 5.2 yards per tote, while Milton rang up 686 yards on a 6.1 average, finding the endzone 12 times.

They will be going up against one of the best defenses in the nation in the regular season, as FSU held teams to just 15.9 points per game. 

They will be compromised, though, as front-seven standouts Fabien Lovett and Jared Verse, along with safety Akeem Dent and corners Renardo Green and Jarrian Jones are all prepping for the draft.

Apart from the 27-24 loss to Alabama, Georgia has generally risen to the occasion against ranked teams, beating Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee by an average of 24 points.

This is a school that’s lived on the big stage, and there are enough parts that helped it score 39.1 points per game during the regular season, that the beat should go on.

Georgia prop: Largest lead Over 22.5 points (-135 at DraftKings)

Prop bet #3: Dogs house it

Not a lot of mystery to this one. Georgia hasn’t lost back-to-back games since the 2018 season, and it’s looking to complete a three-year run with a sparkling 46-2 mark.

It’s a credit to Florida State to be able to patch together a good-enough gameplan to extend its winning streak to a national-best 19 games, but there’s just not a lot to go on for this game.

I expect Georgia to get on Florida State early, and ride it out for a fourth win in five Orange Bowl appearances.

Georgia prop: Bulldogs to score first + moneyline (-310 at DraftKings)