Georgia’s next test comes with a prime-time spotlight.
After beating Florida in Atlanta 27-8 on Saturday, Georgia heads straight into one of the biggest games on the SEC schedule this week: a road trip to face Ole Miss at night. The Bulldogs won’t get much time to enjoy the Florida win, because the Rebels are waiting in a setting that can turn hostile in a hurry.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm EST at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxord, MS. It will be Georgia’s second night game of the season.
The Bulldogs already played at Alabama under the lights earlier this year, and that one ended in a remarkable win. Georgia still has not played a home night game this season, though that could change when Week 11 game times are released for the Bulldogs’ home matchup with Missouri.
The game will air on ABC. Georgia didn’t spend the early part of the season on a main network every week, largely because of the level of competition it faced, but since Week 3 the Bulldogs have been on ESPN or ABC each week.
This one should draw plenty of attention nationally. ESPN will have ranked Kentucky-Tennessee, and NBC will carry a top-five Miami-Notre Dame showdown, but Georgia-Ole Miss stands as the biggest SEC game of the week and the one that may pull in the widest audience.
The matchup can also be streamed on the ESPN app and on Fubo TV.
Vegas sees a close one. Georgia is a three-point favorite over Ole Miss, according to the DraftKings Sportsbook, and the over-under is 56.5 points.
Georgia enters at 6-2 against the spread after covering easily against Florida. Ole Miss is 4-4 against the spread and also came through last weekend, covering in a 30-point win over Auburn.
Still, the spread is secondary here. Both teams need this win badly.
Ole Miss is in the more precarious spot, since a third loss would knock the Rebels out of the SEC race and could also damage their playoff hopes. Georgia, meanwhile, controls its own path to the SEC and playoff, but a loss would put that in jeopardy.
For both sides, this is the kind of game that can reshape the season. According to the oddsmakers, it should stay tight from start to finish.
In Other News...
Georgia's First CFP Spot Could Set An Early Bulldogs Debate
The first College Football Playoff rankings of the season arrive Tuesday night, and Georgia is positioned to be part of the early conversation whether the Bulldogs like the attention or not. Miamis narrow win over North Carolina is expected to put the Hurricanes at No. 1, but the rest of the top of the board should be messy enough to keep the selection committee busy, with Ohio State, Georgia and a cluster of other contenders all waiting to see how the opening snapshot shakes out.
For Georgia, the intrigue is less about where the Bulldogs land on one November night and more about what it says about the road ahead. The committee will spend the next month sorting through a crowded field that includes Utah, UCLA, Indiana, Kentucky, BYU, Notre Dame and several SEC teams, with recent results and strength of schedule likely to carry plenty of weight. The final rankings come Dec. 6, when the 12-team field is set, so this first release is really just the start of the debate. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Heads Into Oxford With Everything Suddenly Feeling Less Certain
Georgias trip to Oxford arrives with both teams carrying momentum, but not much room for error. Ole Miss has been dealing with uncertainty around tailback Kewan Lacy because of a shoulder injury, while Georgia is monitoring Ellis Robinson IV after a lower-leg injury, and those absences could shape how this SEC matchup unfolds on both sides of the ball.
For Georgia, the stakes go well beyond one Saturday in the regular season. With the SEC Championship race and College Football Playoff picture both in play, this is the kind of game that can sharpen a rsum or complicate it in a hurry, especially against an Ole Miss team that has already made itself part of the conference conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Exposed A Georgia Problem That Could Still Matter Later
Georgia came out of its bye week and handled Florida 27-8, leaning on a defense that forced four turnovers and helped fuel the scoring margin. The Bulldogs did enough offensively to control the game, finishing with 318 yards, but the passing attack never really found a rhythm, and Gunner Stocktons 13-for-23, 101-yard day reflected how much Georgia relied on everything else around it.
Kirby Smart did not hide from the issue afterward, acknowledging the passing game has to improve as the schedule turns toward opponents with more capable quarterbacks. For a team that can usually survive a sluggish day through defense and field position, that is the part worth watching now, because the next stretch may not be as forgiving if Georgia keeps leaving too much on the table through the air. [Read more 🡒]