NCAAF College Football Week 12 free picks: Georgia Bulldogs can get the lead

Where to watch

Georgia at Auburn: BT Sport ESPN, 8.30pm Saturday

Week 12 picks

Georgia -2.5
1pt 20-23 Betfred
Ohio State -52
2pts 10-11 Sky Bet

Georgia Bulldogs at Auburn Tigers

Defence looks set to take centre stage as the fifth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs travel to the Jordan-Hare Stadium to take on the 13th-ranked Auburn Tigers.

Georgia are fourth in the most recent college playoff polls and even with a loss to South Carolina on their record, they will have a chance of making the final four if they win their remaining three matches.

While there doesn’t seem to be a lot between the sides, in what could be a low-scoring affair, Georgia’s formidable run defence looks key to the outcome of this game.

The Bulldogs are the only team in the country not to concede a rushing touchdown this season, and allow a paltry 77 yards on average to opposing ground attacks.

If Auburn, like everyone else who has faced Georgia this season, struggle to establish the run, freshman quarterback Bo Nix looks in for a long night.

Nix has struggled in the bigger games this season. Against three ranked opponents in LSU, Florida, and Baylor, he has managed a combined 479 passing yards with four touchdowns and six interceptions.

While this Georgia offence is not the calibre of some of their recent classes, DeAndre Swift is dynamic in the backfield and quarterback Jake Fromm has an old head on young shoulders, and won't be awed by the occasion.

Georgia just about edge Auburn in most aspects on both sides of the ball, and if they can stop the run and force Nix to beat them, we haven’t seen enough in crunch games to suggest he’ll answer the call.

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Ohio State Buckeyes at Rutgers Scarlet Knights preview

Ohio State enter their match against Rutgers as whopping 52-point favourites, but even that eye-watering total shouldn’t be enough to stop the Buckeyes from covering the handicap.

Fresh from a 72-14 dismantling of the Maryland Terrapins - who beat Rutgers 48-7 in October - the Buckeyes will feel aggrieved to have fallen from top spot in this week’s rankings.

Ohio State lead the way in scoring defence, allowing just 8.6 points per game, and have the fourth-lowest yards per rush attempt with 2.48.

Rutgers’ offence has been woeful this season with their one-dimensional ground-and-pound attack limiting them against better defensive units.

The Scarlet Knights have scored the third-fewest points per game this season, averaging 14.7, and have been shut out on three occasions, a span of matches in which they collectively gained just 205 yards rushing.

It looks likely to be the same case against the league's best defence, and a fourth shutout looks a distinct possibility.

Ohio State are likely to rest their starters in the second half, as they did last week, but the damage could be done by then and their back-ups scored 31 points against a better Maryland defence last week.

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