Honestly, I'm struggling to get a read on this game and I could easily skip it -- but what kind of capper would I be if I skip the game of the week? UGA has some injury concerns and this is basically a home game for Clemson in Charlotte. The Dawgs look a bit better on offense, but the Tigers are absolutely loaded on defense. Now that it's under 3, lets take Clemson.

This is a Week 1 gift. Clemson and Georgia match up exceptionally well. The Bulldogs appear to have an edge in the trenches, but that will only get you so far when you have myriad playmakers out of action. A lot has been made of JT Daniels' strong finish to 2020, but three of those games came against lower-rung SEC opponents. D.J. Uiagalelei, on the other hand, put up monster numbers against more talented teams in his spot starts. Georgia is going to find a lot of success on the ground with its talented stable of running backs, but Clemson's wide receiver talent should be able to answer quickly and take advantage of UGA's new secondary. This is going to be close in either direction, but I give the Tigers an edge, particularly with the line now under a key number.

Clemson and Georgia are a lot alike this season. Both have good QBs and question marks at the WR spot. Both have tremendous defensive fronts, and questions in the secondary. Where they differ in my eyes is on the offensive line. I have more faith in Georgia's OL being able to withstand Clemson's monster up front than I do Clemson's with Georgia's. In a game like this, that might make all the difference.

I'm a firm believer that defense doesn't win championships anymore, "just enough" defense does. Defense does, however, win games. Georgia's defense is going to be the story in this contest. Clemson has massive offensive-line issues and won't be able to get its running game going. Georgia will treat this like a heavyweight fight and hope to land a knockout punch in the fourth quarter after 45 minutes of body blows. This game will be a throwback to days of old, so take the Under.

The wrong team is favored here -- especially considering the specific strengths and weaknesses of both teams. Clemson’s offensive line is average at best, will rotate centers and running back Travis Etienne is gone. Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei is awesome, but any team has to be able to run the football to set the tone. Clemson won’t be able to do that. Georgia’s front seven is loaded, and includes 370-pound monster nose tackle Jordan Davis. Clemson’s offensive line is in flux, it is rotating centers and they’re supposed to stop Davis? Nah. He’ll be a monster in the middle, Georgia’s defense will flow around him and the Dawgs will spring the mild upset.

This is a huge game for Georgia and it doesn’t do well in these spots against better teams. Clemson certainly is better, with more experience on both sides of the ball. The spread caught me off-guard because I expected to be laying at least seven points. Is the game in Athens? Nope, Charlotte. Tigers sophomore QB D.J. Uiagalelei has made only two starts, but he was unstoppable in both. Lay the cheap number with Clemson.