The annual meeting between Florida and Georgia in The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party was billed as a de facto SEC East title game this year, but the Gators haven’t held up their end of the bargain.

While Georgia has jumped out to a 7-0 record, the Gators have struggled their way to 3-3. Though Florida’s 3-2 mark in SEC play has them tied for second place in the division with South Carolina, Georgia’s 4-0 conference mark gives the Bulldogs a cushion to work with.

Still, coach Kirby Smart’s crew needs to prove it is different than the Georgia teams that always seemed to suffer major letdowns under former coach Mark Richt.

Therefore, snapping Florida’s three-game rivalry winning streak will be a good first step toward showing they’re for real this year.

Here are three things the Bulldogs can do to avoid an upset on Saturday afternoon:

Stop the Feleipe Franks-Tyrie Cleveland connection

Cleveland will be a game-time decision, but if he does play, the Georgia secondary will have to know where he is at all times.

Though the Florida offense has struggled mightily this year, Franks and Cleveland have a clear chemistry, as evidenced by the game-winning touchdown heave against Tennessee and a couple of other big plays in other games.

Even if Cleveland can’t play, Franks has a cannon arm, so the members the Georgia secondary will need to keep receivers in front of them.

It’s an intense rivalry game, so if the Gators keep it close with their strong defense, preventing a miraculous play late in the fourth quarter will be a huge key to avoiding an upset for the Bulldogs.

Avoid throwing a pick-six

The Gators have only forced six turnovers all year, and they’ve all been interceptions. However, the Florida secondary has returned three of those picks for touchdowns.

Even though QB Jake Fromm has been impressive in his starting role this year, he’s still a true freshman, so a mistake is always possible, especially against a group of defensive backs such as Florida’s.

Considering the Florida offense will struggle to score a touchdown on Georgia’s defense, all Fromm needs to do is avoid a costly interception and the Bulldogs should be able to hold on for a win, even if the score is close.

This will be the biggest test the freshman has faced since Notre Dame, though, and that game may have ended a lot differently if not for an incredible catch by WR Terry Godwin.

Set the table for success on third downs

The Gators have been great at stopping opponents from converting third downs, allowing only a 29.9-percent conversion rate through six games.

This is where star RBs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel will come into play, as getting into third-and-manageable situations will be critical for the Dawgs.

The Gators feast when they get opponents behind the chains, so successful runs and short, high-percentage passes will be the name of the game on the early downs.

We’ll see on Saturday what OC Jim Chaney dials up, but his game plan on first and second downs will determine whether the Bulldogs continue blowing teams out or find themselves in another tight battle with the Gators.