ATHENS - Florida and Georgia are meeting with more than bragging rights hanging over the day. Both teams have the SEC championship in view, and this one could end up shaping who gets to play for it.
For Georgia, the message from defensive captain Raylen Wilson was simple: the goal never changes.
“I would say yeah, that (SEC championship game) is always a goal, every year,” UGA defensive captain Raylen Wilson said. “Just winning the SEC, it’s big around here; nobody takes it lightly to get there.”
Florida arrives with its own path still open, holding control of its SEC championship game destiny for the first time since 2020, the last season it made the title game.
That makes Saturday’s rivalry matchup especially weighty with the SEC crowded by two-loss teams trying to stay in the conversation for College Football Playoff Selection Committee consideration. The first CFP rankings come out Tuesday night, and one of the biggest questions is how the committee will weigh SEC schedule strength and nonconference performance against raw record.
Here’s where the league stands in nonconference play:
• SEC (10-2)
• Big 12 (6-7)
• ACC (6-11)
• Big Ten (4-10)
• Mountain West (1-8)
• American (1-11)
• MAC (1-17)
• Conference USA (0-9)
• Pac-12 (0-12)
• Sun Belt (0-15)
Georgia enters at 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the SEC, ranked No. 3 in the AP Top 25 and No. 5 in the Sagarin computer rankings. Florida is 5-2 and 3-2 in league play, ranked No. 14 of 266 in the Sagarin computer rankings.
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. The game will air on ABC, with radio coverage on the Georgia Bulldogs Sports Network and Sirius XM 172. The climate-controlled setting will be 72 degrees indoors.
Georgia leads the series 58-44-2.
The teams last met in Jacksonville a year ago, when Georgia won 24-20 in a game that was tighter than the final margin might suggest. Gunner Stockton intentionally kneeled at the Florida 1-yard line with 1:48 remaining so Georgia could drain the clock and keep the Gators from getting another possession.
That game swung back and forth all afternoon, with five lead changes. Florida, under interim coach Billy Gonzales after Billy Napier’s firing, took its last lead at 20-17 on Trey Smack’s 54-yard field goal with 14:52 left. Georgia answered by going ahead for good on Chauncey Bowens’ 36-yard touchdown run with 4:36 left.
Both teams are coming off dramatic results. Georgia fell to Auburn 27-24 in Sanford Stadium, suffering its first loss to an unranked opponent since the 20-17 overtime defeat to South Carolina in 2019. Florida erased a 17-3 halftime deficit in Austin and beat Texas 27-24.
There are a few other notes around Georgia heading into the game. Kirby Smart still owns the SEC’s best winning percentage among coaches at .848, just ahead of Nick Saban at .847 and well in front of Tennessee’s Robert Neyland at .829, even after the loss to Auburn.
Georgia also has two inductees into this year’s Georgia Hall of Fame: Brandon Boykin, a defensive back from 2008-11, and Andre Hastings, a wide receiver from 1990-92. Florida’s honorees are Maurkice Pouncey, an offensive tackle from 2007-09, and Emmitt Smith, a running back from 1987-89.
This is the first time the Georgia-Florida game has been played in Atlanta. The rivalry began in 1904 in Macon, and every meeting since 1933 had been in Jacksonville except for the 1994 and 1995 games, which were played on campus in Athens and Gainesville while the Gator Bowl was being renovated for the Jacksonville Jaguars. The current stadium is in the middle of a $1.4 billion renovation, with next year’s game slated for Tampa before the series returns to Jacksonville in 2028.
Stockton also has a small milestone within reach. He is three completions away from passing offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, who had 445 completions from 1994-97, for ninth place on Georgia’s career completions list. Quincy Carter is eighth with 483 completions from 1998-2000.
In Other News...
Georgia Could Get A Crucial Defensive Boost At Florida
Georgias secondary is set to get a timely lift with KJ Bolden expected to play against Florida on Saturday. Bolden had been listed as questionable earlier in the week after missing the Auburn game with an injury he picked up three weeks ago, but the outlook now points toward him being close to full health.
His return matters for a Georgia defense heading into a critical stretch against ranked opponents, where depth and stability in the back end can make a real difference. Getting Bolden back now gives the Bulldogs another experienced piece as the schedule tightens and the margin for error gets smaller. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Gets A Huge Rivalry Boost For Florida Showdown
Talyn Taylor is set to finally get his first shot at Florida, a notable development for Georgia as the rivalry heads to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The wide receiver missed last years meeting because of injury, so his availability adds another layer to a matchup that already carries plenty of weight for the Bulldogs.
This years showdown also comes with a rare backdrop, since it will be the first time the ranked teams have met since 2002. With the game set for a national ABC broadcast and multiple viewing options available, Georgia fans will have no trouble keeping close tabs on a rivalry game that already feels bigger than the usual late-October stop on the calendar. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Just Made A QB Choice Georgia Fans Will Notice
Floridas quarterback situation is settled for now, and Georgia fans will have a clear name to track when the rivalry game arrives. The Gators announced Aaron Philo will start against Georgia, sticking with the player who opened the season as the starter out of fall camp and has handled most of the snaps this year.
The choice carries some intrigue because backup Tramell Jones has also pushed his way into the conversation after leading Florida to an upset win over Texas. Even with that momentum, the Gators are going back to Philo, a decision that has sparked debate among fans and inside the program about which quarterback gives Florida the better chance in one of the seasons biggest games. [Read more 🡒]