ATHENS - Georgia opened as a 22.5-point favorite over South Carolina on Sunday.

The No. 2 Bulldogs have beaten the Gamecocks by double digits in three of the previous four meetings between the two including a 28-14 win over the Chickens in a rare Sunday game last season.

Georgia has been favored 16 times in the last 20 years against the Gamecocks. UGA has won 14 of the previous 16 meetings in the serious. Georgia has only been upset by the Gamecocks three times in the previous 20 years (2000, 2007 and 2014).

The 22.5-point line is the largest recorded in published betting lines of this series. It gives the Bulldogs nearly a 97 percent chance of winning. The Bulldogs have been heavy favorites in this contest before. Georgia was a 17-point favorite in Athens two years ago when Greyson Lambert had a record-setting day during No. 7 UGA’s 52-20 blowout win over Carolina. The game was one of Steve Spurrier’s final games as a coach.

The Bulldogs were also 17-point favorites in 2005, but had to hold off Spurrier’s first Carolina team 17-15 on the way to the SEC title that fall. In games as double-digit favorites over the Gamecocks (1999, 2003, 2005 and 2015), the Bulldogs are 4-0 straight up and have won those games by an average score of 31-13.

South Carolina comes into the game with a mathematical shot to still win the SEC (Kentucky is also still alive). The Chickens must win the rest of their SEC games (UGA; UF), and hope that the Bulldogs lose to Auburn, but beat Kentucky.

Still, Carolina’s 4-2 mark in SEC play comes with the four wins over teams with a combined 1-18 SEC record. CBS will televise the border fight at 3:30 PM EST on Saturday.