ESPN’s SP+ has predicted the final score of the annual rivalry grudge match in Jacksonville between Florida and Georgia.
The programs arrive in Jacksonville for the Week 10 showdown in very different positions. Georgia is ranked 5th with a 6-1 overall mark and a 4-1 SEC record, with all of its preseason goals intact on the first Saturday of November. Then there’s Florida, which is unranked and reeling after the recent firing of head coach Billy Napier. The Gators sit at just 3-4 with a 2-2 SEC record, but they would love nothing more than to ruin or help ruin their rival’s College Football Playoff hopes.
The Dawgs and Gators will kick things off at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC in the juicy SEC rivalry known as the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party,” even though that name is no longer officially used.
ESPN’s SP+ is available for all of the Week 10 matchups, and the model is projecting the favored Bulldogs to take care of business and beat the Gators, 31-21.
Here’s that prediction along with the rest of the Week 10 slate:
The Florida-Georgia rivalry is very special for a lot of reasons, highlighted by its predominantly neutral location, and it goes back to 1904, at least according to Georgia. According to Florida, the rivalry began shortly after in 1915. According to Georgia, the Bulldogs lead the all-time series, 57-44-2. Florida has it slightly different at 56-44-2.
Georgia has owned the rivalry lately, winning the past 4 meetings, and will try to extend that streak to 5 on Saturday afternoon on the national TV stage. The Bulldogs will also be trying to keep those Playoff hopes intact, while the Gators will simply be trying to play spoiler.
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.
