Michigan is a storied program that dates all the way back to 1879 where the began their first season. This program has collected 11 national titles over their years and, also, have 5 “unclaimed” national titles under their belt. This team is now under Jim Harbaugh with a (8-1) record and look to capture the Big Ten Title for the first time since 2004. If they are able to do it all they must first over come Ohio State, whom they’ve struggled with for years. Now it is looking more and more like a Michigan Playoff appearance.
The Georgia Bulldogs are a fierce competitor in the SEC conference. Last year this team captured the SEC Conference Championship under head coach, Kirby Smart. The Bulldogs now are attempting to take the SEC East, once again, and win yet another SEC Title. The Bulldogs currently sit at (8-1) and are set to take on #24 Auburn this weekend. This is a young team that has been hungry for a big win ever since their unfortunate upset to SEC foe, LSU. Georgia now looks to overcome Alabama and the SEC to make their second Playoff appearance in a row.
The Stats:
| Georgia | Michigan | |
| Points Per Game | 38.1 | 36.7 |
| Points Allowed Per Game | 16.4 | 13.6 |
| Average Win Margin | 26.9 | 26.9 |
| Opponent Winning Percentage Average | .600 | .598 |
| Turnover Margin | 5 | 5 |
| Total Offensive Yards Per Game | 456.2 | 418.4 |
| Total Defensive Yards Allowed Per Game | 306.6 | 216.2 |
Yes, your eyes aren’t tricking you. Georgia wins this by one category. Going into this, I believed that Michigan would dominate the slate of statistics and show that they’re the better team. To my surprise, the Bulldogs aren’t as bad as people think and they might be able to take Michigan, as well. It would all depend on whose defense or offense would come to compete to the next level against one another.
First off, lets look where each team gained. It is obvious that Michigan took the cake when it came to offense with (216.2) defensive yards allowed on average and (13.6) points allowed each game. This would poise Michigan to be in the top category of defenses, and perhaps the best. This was no surprise however because we all have seen what Michigan has done to opponents such as Penn State and Wisconsin. However, there was a monster lurking with Georgia.
Georgia came into this and showed us why you can’t just believe whatever the College Football Rankings yell at you. If you look, Georgia matches Michigan in turnover margin with (5) and even sits with them on average win margin at (26.9). Could this be balanced by a lack of tough teams on the schedule for Georgia? No. In fact, Georgia’s opponent winning percentage sits at an astounding (.600), which is two one-hundredths above Michigan’s. Also, this bulldog unit takes more when it comes to offensive. they average (1.4) more points a game than Michigan and average (37.8) more yards a game. This isn’t a lot more, but it gives them the lead.
Now, is this a shot at Michigan? Absolutely not, Michigan has played a heck of season with their only loss coming to undefeated Notre Dame by a touchdown. However, Georgia shows that their offense can put away teams just as effectively as defenses, with an equal win margin. Now if these two were to play in a bowl, I would give the advantage to Michigan. The defense of the Wolverines is so sever that it outdoes Georgia bad. The margin between Michigan’s category wins versus Georgia’s are significant and lean towards Michigan. So if the time comes this year and these two seem to meet up, go with the Wolverines.
Photo Credits: Evan Norris
