Ole Miss faces a must-win game for its College Football Playoff hopes on Saturday as it welcomes Georgia to town in SEC action.

The Bulldogs have played a rigorous schedule this season and questions continue to be asked about Carson Beck’s effectiveness. Can Beck get back on track against Ole Miss’ vaunted defense that has become one of the best in the country?

How about the Rebels, who have struggled to find a signature win in the Lane Kiffin era. Can the team win outright by 60 and pull off a minor upset behind the nice play of Jaxson Dart and the emerging defense?

Let’s reveal everything!

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Moneyline

Total: 55 (over -110/under -110)

Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook

Georgia

Carson Beck: Beck’s suspect play continues to be big for the Bulldogs second choice to win the National Championship on the betting market. Beck has more run-worthy plays than big-ticket throws this season, per Professional football Focusand is fresh off three interceptions against Florida. Can the Georgia quarterback play a clean game against an elite opponent? We haven’t seen a truly stellar effort from Beck since Week 1 against Clemson.

Oh miss

Jackson Dart: Dart leads the nation in passing and did so without No. 1 wide receiver Tre Harris the last two games. While Dart played at a high level, the Rebels offense struggled to get points on the board sometimes in SEC play, scoring more than 27 points just once, which was last week against Arkansas.

Of course, there is a lot of intrigue surrounding this game, but I consider this game to be a defensive battle.

Let’s start with Ole Miss’ offense, which has struggled of late amid injuries along that side of the ball in both the trenches and the qualifying position group.

Harris has been sidelined for two games, and while he could return, his availability is very much up in the air. Additionally, the team will be without its leading rusher Henry Parrish Jr for a run game that has been pedestrian this season to begin with.

Last season, the Rebels scored just 17 points in Athens against Georgia in a 52-17 loss. While this Ole Miss team isn’t the same as last year’s team, I’m not sure how much better the offense is now to put up a ton of points against Georgia.

Texas only scored 15 points on Georgia, and I don’t think Dart has the ability to extend plays with his feet like Jalen Milroe did in his 39-point effort for Alabama.

While I think Georgia’s defense can keep a lid on the Ole Miss offense, the Bulldogs offense has plenty of concerns as well.

Beck has regressed mightily this season, sorely missing the likes of Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey at receiver, and that’s hampering the Bulldogs’ ability to run an effective offense.

Beck’s average target depth is higher, but he forces the ball into dangerous spots, already having more run-worthy plays than high-speed throws. Furthermore, Ole Miss’ top-five passing rate this season should put pressure on Beck, who has completed just 36 percent of his throws when under pressure this season.

Will Georgia let Beck push him down the field? Or will he lean on his defense to win the day against a potentially outmatched Rebels offense? I see the Bulldogs backing up the field to avoid a potentially game-changing turnover from Beck’s shocking play.

All roads lead to the bottom in this one for me with a slight tilt towards the favorite road.

CHOOSE: UNDER 55

Game odds are periodically updated and subject to change.

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