Georgia vs. Kentucky picks, predictions, 2024 college football projections for Week 3 games

SEC rivals square off this weekend, one looking to avoid falling under .500 and pull off a massive upset, and another hoping to make a statement to preserve its No. 1 ranking as Georgia visits Kentucky in college football's Week 3 action on Saturday.

Kentucky comes in at 1-1 and already down a game in the SEC standings after coming out the wrong end of a 31-6 decision against South Carolina in which its quarterback, ex-Georgia prospect Brock Vandagriff, passed for just 30 yards and the offense failed to score a touchdown.

Georgia is under some pressure to maintain its top spot in the polls after Texas moved up to No. 2 following its win at Michigan and with the Bulldogs looking ahead to some very tough road games, including at the Longhorns in a few weeks.

Looking ahead to this week's matchup, let's check out the latest college football predictions from the Football Power Index computer projection model.

The model simulates every NCAA college football game 20,000 times and uses key analytics from both teams to predict outcomes based on a projected scoring margin per game.

Georgia vs. Kentucky picks, predictions

As expected, the computers are strongly siding with the Bulldogs, who have the overwhelming 92.4 percent chance to win the game outright, according to the models.

Conversely, the Wildcats have the 7.6 percent shot to pull off the upset and move to 2-1 on the year.

The index currently projects that Georgia will be 23.1 points better than Kentucky on the same field in both teams' current composition, not quite enough to cover the spread.

That's because Georgia is currently the 24.5 point favorite against Kentucky, according to the lines at FanDuel Sportsbook, which set the total at 45.5 points for the game.

Georgia will win 10 games this season and sits second among SEC teams with an 83.4 percent chance to qualify for the College Football Playoff, according to the index's calculations.

Kentucky is last in the SEC with a 0.3 percent shot at the 12-team playoff and is forecasted to win 4.7 games this season with a 26.1 percent chance to play in a bowl game.

Georgia vs. Kentucky game time, schedule

When: Sat., Sept. 14
Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern
TV: ABC network

College Football Power Index

Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance. 

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season and games, using a combination of key analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, team talent, recruiting, and a team’s schedule.

Teams are ranked not in order of talent like in other rankings, but by a projected point margin per game against an average team on a neutral field.

AP top 25 rankings

First-place votes in parentheses

1. Georgia (54)
2. Texas (4)
3. Ohio State (5)
4. Alabama
5. Ole Miss
6. Missouri
7. Tennessee
8. Penn State
9. Oregon
10. Miami
11. USC
12. Utah
13. Oklahoma State
14. Kansas State
15. Oklahoma
16. LSU
17. Michigan
18. Notre Dame
19. Louisville
20. Arizona
21. Iowa State
22. Clemson
23. Nebraska
24. Boston College
25. Northern Illinois

Details ... Week 3 AP top 25 rankings

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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