ESPN’s FPI apparently doesn’t care much that when Florida and Georgia collide every year at about this time, the records, rankings and point spreads can be thrown out the window.
The Bulldogs have beaten the Gators 5 straight times, dating back to 2021, and ESPN’s FPI believes that Georgia winning streak has a great chance to be extended to 6 games on Saturday afternoon (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC). The FPI is totally tilted in the Dawgs’ favor in Week 9, as the longtime rivals who first met in 1904, according to Georgia, and 1915, according to Florida, hook up once again for their annual neutral-site showcase.
This time around, the Bulldogs and Gators will be indoors at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta instead of their normal outdoor locale in Jacksonville. Florida is coming off a bye week, so it should be fresh, and it’s trying to build on the momentum of a Week 7 upset win at Texas.
The Gators (5-2, 3-2 SEC) are ranked 17th, too, but the FPI isn’t budging when it comes to the third-ranked Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1 SEC), who are getting a healthy 81.6% chance to take down Florida.
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With Florida reportedly going back to Aaron Philo as its starting quarterback on Saturday, according to a report by ESPN insider Pete Thamel on Friday afternoon, the Gators will be trying to pull the shocker as a double-digit underdog. But that FPI is perhaps giving Florida some bulletin board material as the Gators try to hand Georgia its second straight loss.
The Dawgs were stunned at home by Auburn in Week 7, and they are also coming off a bye week, like the Gators. The FPI believes Georgia has a great shot to bounce back coming off its bye.
With the FPI spitting out its own predictions for who has the edge in the Florida-Georgia matchup on Saturday, here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about which team is more likely to come out of Atlanta with a victory in the prestigious rivalry:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
