Following some ranked-on-ranked non-conference matchups to open the season, we finally get our first big SEC clash this Saturday when No. 6 Georgia and No. 15 Tennessee face off in Knoxville.
The Bulldogs secured a pair of comfortable wins over Marshall (45-7) and Austin Peay (28-6) in their first two games. The Volunteers, meanwhile, dispatched Syracuse (45-26) and East Tennessee State (72-17) behind Joey Aguilar’s high-flying attack. Now, they’re renewing their rivalry in a contest that could determine who plays for the SEC Championship.
You can call it recency bias all you want; CBS Sports’ Rick Neuheisel doesn’t care. On Tuesday’s episode of Inside College Football, he expressed worry over how Georgia looked versus the Thundering Herd and Governors.
“Had you told me I was gonna take Tennessee in the preseason, I would have said, ‘you’re crazy,'” Neuheisel began. “But having watched a couple of weeks, I’m still concerned about Georgia. They played Marshall, and they played Austin Peay. And yet, they’re still averaging only 214 yards per game rushing… I’m wondering what’s wrong.”
Conversely, Neuheisel has no such qualms with Tennessee. When you add in the fact that Bulldog quarterback Gunnar Stockton will be playing in his first openly hostile environment once the schools are on the gridiron, he’s smelling an upset.
“Gunnar Stockton is now going on the road for the first time. He has played in some neutral sites… but that’s largely a Georgia crowd,” Neuheisel said. “I just feel like Tennessee — when I watched those highlights, that looked more like a Georgia defense than the Georgia defense has looked this far. Maybe I’m wrong… but I’m gonna go with Tennessee.”
Neuheisel’s claim regarding each team’s respective defense sounds like bulletin board material for Kirby Smart and Co., who have soundly beaten the Volunteers each of the past 8 seasons. That said, Tennessee won’t lose to Georgia forever. Saturday’s matchup is as good a time as any for them to end the skid.
Georgia is currently a 3.5-point favorite over Tennessee, per ESPN Bet. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. E.T. on ABC.
