Going into Saturday’s huge game against bitter rival Florida, dubbed “the world’s largest outdoor cocktail party,” Georgia most likely doesn’t need much encouragement. They shouldn’t, at least, not with their hopes of retaining their position as the top overall seed in the college football playoffs still in jeopardy.
The Gators themselves will be a bit of a test because Florida has won four of its last five games after a dismal 1-2 start, improving to 4-3 on the season and putting itself back in the running for a respectable bowl game.
The Gators just defeated Central Florida 48–20 in Week 8, their most comprehensive game of the year.
Georgia’s hardest opponent this season has been themselves, despite Florida’s improvement. The Bulldogs can bookend their season-opening victory over Clemson with a strong victory over Texas last week.
But in between? For Kirby Smart’s squad, there have been many close calls and puzzles. The offense led a near-comeback victory over Alabama after they had to rely on a stumbling defense to grind out a 13–12 victory over Kentucky in Week 3.
However, the defense faltered in that match, giving up 41 points as the Tide defeated them. In Week 7, Georgia defeated Mississippi State, now 1-7, 41-31, adding another lackluster performance.
The main point of former Florida and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer’s speech on Fox Sports during the halftime of Friday night’s Boise State vs. San Diego State game was to caution the Bulldogs not to continue to be their own worst enemies.
“To me this is about the Georgia Bulldogs, Team A and Team B,” Meyer stated. “They are the top collegiate football squad. Right behind them is Oregon. However, it concerns Team A and Team B. Team A is Georgia, the same team that defeated Clemson handily in Game 1 and restricted Texas to 38 total yards. They will beat Florida rather well if they show up.
But they’re also among the least reliable teams in the nation. They lost to Alabama 28-0 if their Team B shows up, and they only scored one offensive touchdown in their 13–12 victory over Kentucky.The highs and lows of Georgia, you see.
