Georgia is rolling through September with all the confidence in the world, but the SEC schedule has already thrown up a result that could make Bulldogs fans nervous: Vegas thinks Florida has the edge over No. 4 Ole Miss.
That alone is enough to turn heads in Athens. Georgia has owned the rivalry since Kirby Smart took over, posting an 8-2 record against Florida and winning the last five meetings.
The Gators are 3-0 after beating Auburn last weekend, and they’ll get their shot at the Rebels next at home. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Florida is a three-point favorite.
For Georgia fans, the idea of Florida getting a marquee win is a mixed bag. On one hand, nobody in Athens is eager to watch the Gators grab national attention again.
A win over Ole Miss would immediately send Florida climbing in the AP Poll and give the Gators real credibility in the SEC race. That’s the kind of momentum Georgia would rather avoid seeing build before their own meeting with Florida later this season.
But there’s another side to it. Ole Miss is one of the bigger threats standing between Georgia and the SEC Championship Game, and a loss for the Rebels would help the Bulldogs’ path to Atlanta.
Georgia still has to travel to Ole Miss later this year, and that matchup already looks like one that could go either way. If the Rebels stumble against Florida, it gives Georgia a little breathing room even if they drop that game down the line.
For now, though, Georgia’s attention has to stay on its own business. The Bulldogs face Oklahoma this week, and that game is their first real test of the season. The Sooners looked like Georgia’s first shot at a ranked win, but their poor play over the last two weeks has pushed them out of the top 25.
That means Florida may be in line for the kind of résumé boost Georgia won’t have access to for another two weeks, when the Bulldogs play at Alabama. If the Gators beat Ole Miss, they’d pick up one of the best wins in the country so far this season, and their resume would stack up better than Georgia’s.
Even so, the bigger picture hasn’t changed. Georgia will get its own chance to bring Florida back down later in the season. Still, if you’re a Bulldogs fan, it’s hard to pretend you’d enjoy watching the Gators cash in on one of the season’s biggest early opportunities.
In Other News...
Georgia's New O-Line Coach Deal Reveals One Long-Term Concern
Phil Rauschers first Georgia contract is already telling on the programs larger hopes for the offensive line room. The first-year offensive line coach is set to make $650,000 now, then jump to $925,000 annually beginning Feb. 1, 2027, a structure that points to a staff move Georgia clearly expects to keep intact for a while. The deal also includes the kind of protection that has become standard for coaches with NFL ties, another reminder that the Bulldogs are never really negotiating in a vacuum when they hire someone with that background.
Larry Knights new agreement adds to that picture on the defensive side, with the outside linebackers coach locked in at $400,000 a year through June 30, 2028. Taken together, the contracts show Georgia investing in continuity while also building in some caution around future movement, particularly if the NFL comes calling. For a program used to competing for elite staff talent as much as elite recruits, the real issue is not just what these deals pay now, but how much long-term stability they actually buy. [Read more 🡒]
Kirby Smart Just Added Intrigue To Georgias Oklahoma QB Matchup
Oklahomas trip to face No. 2 Georgia already had the feel of a measuring-stick game, and the attention has only sharpened around John Mateer. The Sooners are 2-1, and Mateer has drawn some criticism for how he has played early this season, even as his athleticism and toughness remain part of the conversation around what Oklahoma can be when the offense is clicking.
Kirby Smart added another layer to the matchup by publicly defending Mateer, a notable wrinkle with a quarterback under the microscope heading into one of the toughest environments on the schedule. For Georgia, the interest is obvious: how Mateer handles the pressure, and how Oklahoma responds if he can make enough plays, could go a long way toward deciding how competitive this one becomes. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Fans Wont Love The Latest Shot At This Offense
Georgias offense has become the kind of topic that invites a little extra side-eye around the SEC after another chaotic weekend around the conference. In a league full of shifting story lines, coaching scrutiny and wild finishes, the Bulldogs are still one of the teams everyone measures against, which makes any fresh jab at the offense land a little harder than usual.
The latest satirical rundown of the 16 SEC teams leaned into that tension, using humor and opinion to take aim at the way Georgia has looked in this stretch. For a fan base used to more polished answers on that side of the ball, it is the sort of offhand shot that can stick, even if the broader conference mess gives plenty of other programs reasons to hear it too. [Read more 🡒]