The Tennessee State Tigers take on the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, GA. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET on SEC Network+.
Georgia is favored by -46.5 points on the spread, and the total is set at 56.5 points.
Here's my Tennessee State vs. Georgia predictionsand college football picks for Saturday, September 5, 2026.
Tennessee State vs. Georgia Pick: Georgia -47.5
My Georgia vs. Tennessee State best betis on the Bulldogs to cover the spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page .
Tennessee State vs Georgia point spread: Georgia -46.5 (-105), Tennessee State +46.5 (-115)
Tennessee State vs Georgia over/under: 56.5 (-110o / -110u)
Tennessee State suffered through a really tough first season under new head coach Reggie Barlow, as the Tigers were 2-10 with blowout losses spearheaded by an offense that was held to 16 points or less nine times.
The rushing offense was one of the worst in the FCS level, as Tennessee State averaged just 81 yards per game and 2.7 yards per carry on the ground.
The defense was a little tougher than in prior seasons, but the unit was shredded last week by Jackson State , and the front was not able to register defensive havoc with regularity.
This is going to be a tough assignment this week.
The Tigers returned Byron McNair at QB but actually used Daylin Lee against Jackson State last week. Lee threw for 265 yards and Tennessee State threw the ball 41 times.
The ground game continued to be weak, as Tennessee State ran for just 89 yards on 33 rushing attempts with a long of 14. Lee was the leading rusher and he is an athletic player who can create with his legs, but this week he will be facing a much tougher defense.
Brenton Paul and Zach Simmons-Brown were featured backs last week, but the rushing success was minimal. I do not envision Tennessee State running with any level of success against the Georgia front.
Jayden Guy was a shining star at receiver, catching nine passes for 148 yards, and he will garner a decent amount of the target share against Georgia. The offensive line held up well against Jackson State and will now be tasked with lining up against a very talented front with motivation to show out.
The defense allowed one long explosive play, but otherwise did well to contain the Jackson State offensive attack from an explosiveness perspective last week. Jaylon Price is back along the defensive line after playing last year, but this front is very undersized, with many players weighing 280 pounds or less on the defensive interior.
The edge rushers will not be effective against Georgia, and this unit will struggle to stop the run. Sammy Taylor returns at linebacker and Brendan Hale shined in the secondary in the opener, but the defensive front is going to be very undersized against UGA.
Georgia has an elite defense that returns six starters from last year's stop unit. All three levels of the defense have depth, experience and talent, and I expect the defensive line to get back to form.
The sack and havoc numbers were down last season compared to prior seasons, but with Gabe Harris Jr., Elijah Griffin and Quintavius Johnson returning, there is a core to build around.
The two-deep is loaded with young talent itching to get on the field, and I would expect Georgia to rotate eight defensive linemen in this game against Tennessee State.
The linebacker room welcomes back Raylen Wilson and Chris Cole , and the secondary will be anchored by KJ Bolden at safety. The corners are big and physical and will create problems against Tennessee State's pass game.
Pass coverage will be solid this year, but the secondary will be aided by a more potent pass rush. This defense will round into a nasty unit.
Gunner Stockton is back at quarterback and is projected to have an outstanding season once again for Georgia.
The offensive line has great size, experience, and depth. The size disparity will be evident from the first snap, and the Dawgs are going to be able to run the football in this one.
Running backs Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens return, and Dante Dowdell was added via Kentucky , meaning the room is extremely deep.
The tight end position includes Lawson Luckie , Elyiss Williams , and Kaiden Prothro, who are all going to be matchup nightmares in the SEC, let alone facing a weak FCS team.
This offense will move the football and look great against Tennessee State.
This game opened with Georgia being favored by 44.5 points with a total set at 54.5. Georgia steam has pushed the current line out to a whopping -47.5.
I am going to lay it with the Dawgs.
I understand the narrative surrounding Kirby Smart and how he manages games against overmatched opponents, rarely covering big spreads.
That is a behavioral trend that is concerning when laying a number this large, but I do have this talent disparity among the widest in the college leagues for any two teams that will play this season. I power-rate this game Georgia -67.5.
The Dawgs are going to have an incredible size advantage in both trenches. The offensive line is going to pave the way for running lanes, and the backs are going to likely see five yards before first contact.
I would expect Tennessee State to wear down quickly in the defensive trench, and when the second platoon gets rotated in, the game could end up getting really ugly.
Tennessee State is going to have to throw the ball to sustain possession as the rushing offense is going to be largely ineffective. The Tigers will be faced with unfavorable down-and-distance all game, and I do not expect that they will execute when faced with third-and-long.
Tennessee State was awful in standard downs against Jackson State and ended up in third down 19 times in the opener. There was no continuity or explosiveness, and the quick-strike plays were not there.
There is a very low chance the Tigers are able to move the ball in this game, and I expect the offensive line to surrender a tremendous amount of havoc against the Tennessee State offense.
Later, the depth will take over, and Georgia will run this score up without even being overtly rude about it. The Bulldogs should score in excess of 50 points just by using a vanilla game plan and running the football.
I know the tendency with Smart, but this talent disparity is just too wide for me to ignore. I'm laying the number.
Pick: Georgia -47.5 (Play to -48.5)
