The 2022 college football season had its soft launch this past weekend with Week 0 action, but Labor Day weekend brings out several intriguing matchups between power conference teams and dozens of fun games to wager on. Dan McDonald gives you an early preview of this weekend’s action along with picks for Thursday and Friday night games.

No. 11 Oregon vs. No. 3 Georgia (-17) (Atlanta); Over/Under: 53

The matchup between the Dawgs and the Ducks will be a tricky one for bettors trying to pick a side or the game total. Georgia returns enough on offense with Todd Monken calling plays, Stetson Bennett under center, and one of the best offensive lines in the country to put up 40 points any given week this season. However, Oregon’s defense is still quite talented with the strong recruiting prowess of Mario Cristobal the last few years and led by two stud linebackers in Noah Sewell and Justin Flowe. New Ducks head coach Dan Lanning knows Georgia’s personnel as good as anyone, but Kirby Smart knows Lanning’s tendencies as a play-caller.

Offensively, Lanning still hasn’t named a starting quarterback, but most expect Bo Nix to get the nod. I don’t think anybody is reasonably expecting Georgia’s defense to be as strong as last year’s record-setting unit, but could it still be a top 15 defense? If that answer is yes, Georgia will be in the national championship mix again.

For the reason I opened with, I’m not likely to make an official pick on this game. There are too many variables at play to feel strongly about any outcome. If you feel obligated to make a play, OVER 53 seems like the best bet.