The runners-up in the SEC and Big 12 collide on New Year's Day when the Georgia Bulldogs and Baylor Bears square off in the 2020 Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. The matchup is the final of three bowl games pitting teams from the SEC and Big 12. Both the Bulldogs and Bears are 11-2 and coming off a loss in their respective conference championship games. Georgia lost to LSU in the SEC title game while Baylor fell in overtime to Oklahoma in the Big 12. 

Despite the loss to the Sooners, the Bears are 5-0 against the spread in their last five games. Kickoff is 8:45 p.m. ET. The Bulldogs are 3.5-point favorites in the latest Georgia vs. Baylor odds, while the over-under for total points scored is 41.5. Before making any Georgia vs. Baylor picks, be sure to check out the college football predictions from college football expert Barrett Sallee.

Sallee is a true insider -- a CBS Sports analyst, SiriusXM host, Heisman voter and consistently one of the top CBS Sports experts picking games against the spread -- and his best bets have helped bring in some huge returns. He debuted with SportsLine in 2017 and has delivered in a big way, posting a winning record in his weekly best bets column since that point. He is on a blistering roll again, going on a 33-14 run with his best bets.

In addition, the college football guru has had a particularly keen eye for the Bears. In fact, he is 4-0 with his last four college football picks involving Baylor, and anyone who has followed him is way up.

Now Sallee has dialed in on Baylor vs. Georgia and released a confident against-the-spread pick. Go to SportsLine to see it. Here are the college football lines and trends for Georgia vs. Baylor:

  • Baylor vs. Georgia spread: Bulldogs -3.5
  • Baylor vs. Georgia over-under: 42.5 points
  • Baylor vs. Georgia money line: Bulldogs -179, Bears +152
  • UGA: Bulldogs are No. 2 in the country in scoring defense (12.5 ppg)
  • BAY: Bears are No. 2 in the nation in turnovers forced (30)

Why Georgia can cover

Sallee knows that the SEC already is 2-0 against the Big 12 during bowl season. LSU destroyed Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl, and Texas A&M beat Oklahoma State in the Texas Bowl. Entering Tuesday, the Big 12 was winless in three bowl games, with the combined score in those three losses being 120-58. That bodes well for Georgia and the SEC on Wednesday.

In addition, Sallee has factored in that the Bulldogs have the depth on defense to make up for the loss of multiple starters. For example, even though All-American safety J.R. Reed (foot) will miss the game, freshman Lewis Cine, who was a top 50 recruit this year, will start in Reed's place. Georgia rotates so many players on defense that no one defender dominates the stat categories. (Azeez Ojulari leads the team in sacks, with 4.5.) And the tackles are spread out too. The team leader in tackles, is only 12th in the SEC, and nobody else is in the top 35. But 15 players have at least 10 tackles, and 26 players have at least one tackle for loss.

Why Baylor can cover

Sallee knows that Georgia will be playing without at least five starters. Left tackle Andrew Thomas and Reed -- who are both All-Americans -- as well as right tackle Isaiah Wilson, guard Ben Cleveland and defensive tackle Tyler Clark will not play on Wednesday. Thomas and Wilson are skipping the game as they prepare for the NFL Draft. Reed has a foot injury, and Cleveland reportedly will miss the game because of academics. The reason for Clark's unavailability has not been disclosed. Star running back D'Andre Swift (shoulder) is also questionable. 

In addition Baylor has one of the best edge rushers in the country in James Lynch. The 6-foot-4, 295-pound junior ranks seventh in the country in sacks (12.5) and 11th in the nation in tackles for loss (11.5). For his dominant season Lynch was named a consensus All-American.

How to make Georgia vs. Baylor picks

We can tell you Sallee is leaning over, but he also has isolated a critical X-factor that has him going big on one side of the spread. He's sharing it only at SportsLine.

Who wins Georgia vs. Baylor in the Sugar Bowl 2020? And which critical X-factor makes one side of the spread hit hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Baylor vs. Georgia spread to back, all from the college football insider who has hit four straight picks involving the Bears.