Georgia’s path to Atlanta got a little more interesting this week, even though the Bulldogs aren’t playing.
With Georgia on a bye, the SEC race around them is still very much alive. The Bulldogs are one of four one-loss teams in the league, alongside Kentucky, Tennessee and Ole Miss, and those are the teams Georgia is fighting with for a spot in the SEC Championship game right now. Three of them are in action this weekend, and UGA would love to see the standings get a little cleaner while it sits out.
The most eye-catching possibility comes from Vegas, which is backing South Carolina to upset Tennessee.
That would qualify as a shock on paper. South Carolina has been one of the SEC’s weakest teams this season, with its only conference win coming against Florida. The Gamecocks are 3-3 overall, but DraftKings Sportsbook still has them favored by a couple of points over Tennessee.
The Vols, meanwhile, arrive with a much stronger resume. Their only loss came in a three-point game against Texas, and they just beat Alabama by 16 at home last weekend. Even so, the line is pointing toward South Carolina.
If that holds, Georgia gets a boost it could really use. Tennessee dropping another conference game would leave one fewer one-loss team standing alongside the Bulldogs, and that matters even more because Georgia can’t do anything about Tennessee directly this season.
That’s the frustrating part for UGA: the Bulldogs and Vols won’t meet in 2024.
Georgia and Tennessee have played every year since 1992, and while they aren’t considered traditional rivals, that run has turned the matchup into a heated one for both fan bases. Georgia has won nine straight in the series, and several of those victories came against strong Tennessee teams. Based on that recent history, it’s not hard to imagine the Bulldogs liking their odds if the game were on the schedule.
Instead, Georgia has to watch from the sideline and hope Tennessee slips somewhere else.
Ole Miss is also on the road at Texas, which creates another possible opening for Georgia if the Rebels lose. But that one carries less weight for the Bulldogs, since they’ll get a chance to handle Ole Miss themselves in a few weeks.
For Georgia, the ideal weekend would be simple: let the other contenders take losses while the Bulldogs stay parked at home. South Carolina beating Tennessee may not look likely, but it would be a welcome sight in Athens.
In Other News...
Georgia Fans Have A New Reason To Worry About Glenn Schumann
The opening at NC State has put an unwelcome new name on Georgia fans radar: Glenn Schumann. ESPN recently listed the Bulldogs defensive coordinator as a potential candidate for the Wolfpack job after Dave Doerens firing, a reminder that Schumanns profile keeps rising as he prepares for another Georgia season. He has been in Athens since 2016, moving from inside linebackers coach to defensive coordinator, and he has been part of six national championship teams along the way.
For Georgia, the appeal is obvious and so is the concern. Schumann has become one of the more respected defensive minds in the sport, and while he is still focused on the Bulldogs right now, the possibility of a head-coaching move is getting harder to ignore. Whether this particular job becomes a real threat or just another line on a growing list of opportunities, it is the kind of development that can have fans watching the staff carousel a little more closely than they would like. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Fans Just Got A Reassuring Sign About Elite QB Commit
Jayden Wades trip to Michigan over the weekend gave Georgia fans something to watch closely, even if the five-star quarterback remains committed to the Bulldogs in the 2028 class. Wade made the visit to see the Wolverines take on Indiana, and the setting offered a useful snapshot of a program trying to sell itself to one of the nations top young passers while Georgia continues to hold the early pledge.
Michigans recent quarterback play and broader team struggles have made the pitch a tougher one than it might have looked a year ago. The Wolverines have built a reputation for flipping recruits in the past, but this season could make that harder, and for Georgia the timing at least offers a reassuring backdrop as it tries to keep Wade in the fold. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia-Florida Suddenly Feels Bigger After What Happened At Auburn
The annual Georgia-Florida rivalry already had enough weight attached to it, but this years edition in Atlanta has taken on an even bigger feel after what unfolded at Auburn. Instead of the usual setting in Jacksonville, the game is being moved because of renovations at the stadium that has hosted the matchup since 1995, turning a familiar neutral-site date into something with a different backdrop and a little extra edge.
It still carries the same kickoff window, with a 3:30 p.m. EST start on ABC and streaming available through the ESPN app and Fubo TV, but the venue change gives the old rivalry a fresh look. Georgia enters as the clear favorite at 10.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook, and ESPNs matchup predictor pegs the Bulldogs with an 82.1 percent chance to win, but this one feels like more than a routine November measuring stick. [Read more 🡒]