Georgia’s trip to Oxford puts a handful of Bulldogs under the microscope, and the list starts with the man in charge. Kirby Smart has already steered Georgia to its sixth straight win over Florida, and now the Bulldogs turn to No.
12 Ole Miss with Smart still chasing his first victory at Oxford. After the 27-8 win over the No.
17 Gators, Georgia has a chance to show the Auburn loss was just a bump and not a trend.
The passing game has a young name worth tracking in Craig Dandridge. The freshman led Georgia with 39 receiving yards on three catches against Florida, and his biggest play came on a 34-yard grab from Gunner Stockton in the fourth quarter.
That was the Bulldogs’ most explosive pass of the day. Dandridge was also Georgia’s top receiver in the loss to Auburn, finishing with 88 yards and a 31-yard catch that set up a touchdown from Dwight Phillips Jr.
Nate Frazier is another piece Georgia needs rolling. Against Florida, he posted 67 rushing yards on 12 carries and scored once, while also leading the Bulldogs in receiving yards.
It was the kind of outing that made it look like he was getting his rhythm back after missing two games. In Georgia’s 2025 win over Ole Miss, Frazier ran for 72 yards and played a key role in the home victory.
With his health back in order, he’ll be important against a Rebels defense that ranks low in rush defense.
Gunner Stockton remains the engine of the offense. The senior has given Georgia a dual-threat element, using his legs and his arm to keep defenses honest.
He had a rough day against Auburn, but he also showed why he runs the No. 2 team in the country. If Georgia is going to win in Oxford, Stockton will need sharper deep throws and a better read on Ole Miss coverage.
On the other side of the ball, Chris Cole has been a force. He scored his second touchdown of the season against Florida by taking a fumble 66 yards for a score, and he also led Georgia with nine tackles.
Add in a sack and a tackle for loss, and it was a full-impact performance. Cole helped Georgia blank Florida in the first half, the Gators’ first shutout half of the season.
Jordan Hall’s matchup carried extra weight, too. The defensive line leader was playing in the same Georgia-Florida setting where he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Jacksonville in 2025.
Georgia’s job was to bottle up Jadan Baugh, who entered with 807 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, and the Bulldogs did exactly that. Baugh was limited to 38 yards, while Georgia’s defense piled up 11 tackles and four turnovers.
Demello Jones also made his presence felt in the secondary. Kirby Smart pointed to Jones breaking up a pass to Dallas Wilson as one of the game’s biggest moments, since it stopped a potential swing in momentum for Florida. Jones added an interception and returned it 23 yards, and Smart continues to praise his ball skills and work ethic.
In Other News...
Georgia Just Got A CFP Warning Fans Can't Ignore
The first College Football Playoff rankings of the season brought Georgia exactly where it expected to be in the conversation, sitting at No. 2 behind undefeated Miami. For a Bulldogs team with championship ambitions, the placement is a reminder that the margin for error is already thin, and that every week from here carries the kind of weight that can reshape the bracket picture.
The bigger buzz around the rankings came from the chaos around the rest of the top 10, where Alabama landed at No. 5 despite two losses and Tennessee was slotted much lower even with a head-to-head win over the Crimson Tide. Utah at No. 3 and UCLA at No. 8 only added to the debate over how the committee is weighing records, schedule strength and results on the field, leaving Georgia in a spot where it is secure for now but still very much watching the board. [Read more 🡒]
Georgias CFP Position Now Hinges On One Committee Debate
Georgias place in the first College Football Playoff rankings came with a familiar kind of respect and a fresh reminder of how tightly the margins can be in November. The committee slotted Miami at No. 1 and put Georgia right behind the Hurricanes at No. 2, while also showing a willingness to reward schedule strength by keeping Alabama at No. 5 despite two losses. It was an early snapshot, but one that made clear the Bulldogs are firmly in the national title mix and already part of the debate that will shape the rest of the season.
What makes Georgias position so interesting is that the committees explanation for the opening order did not stop with the top two. Ohio State and Notre Dame were also part of the discussion, with the group pointing to the factors that separated teams in the initial rankings. For Georgia, that means every week from here on out is about protecting a rsum that already looks strong, because the committee has shown it will weigh more than record alone when it starts sorting out the field. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Just Got A Playoff Reality Check Before A Huge Week
The first College Football Playoff rankings of the season delivered an early snapshot of where Georgia stands in the national picture, and it came with a little less certainty than the Bulldogs might have hoped for. Miami landed at No. 1, Georgia checked in at No. 2, and the rest of the top tier included a mix of undefeated and one-loss teams that leaves plenty of room for movement as the season tightens up.
Indianas placement at No. 4 and Alabama at No. 5 only added to the sense that the race is still wide open, especially with several marquee games still ahead involving teams near the top. For Georgia, the ranking is a reminder that the margin for error is thin and that the next stretch will go a long way toward shaping where the Bulldogs land when the playoff picture starts to sharpen. [Read more 🡒]