No. 3 Georgia and No. 17 Florida will be squaring off somewhere other than Jacksonville for the first time since 1995 on Saturday, as the historic rivals take the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party indoors at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday. With Jacksonville's EverBank Stadium under renovation until August 2028, the setting will be different. The stakes remain the same.
In fact, there may be an even higher degree of intensity to this year's showdown between the border foes because of the circumstances. It's the first time since 2020 that both are ranked in the top 20 of the AP poll. Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC) is coming off a bye week after a stunning home loss to Auburn, and Florida (5-2, 3-2) is riding high off an Oct. 17 road win over Texas.
First-year Gators coach Jon Sumrall already has two wins over top-10 teams (Ole Miss and Texas) and could get his team firmly in the College Football Playoff hunt with another marquee win. The Bulldogs have won five straight meetings in the series, but Sumrall has reinvigorated the Florida program this season since arriving from Tulane. The Gators have shown the ability to slay some of the SEC's top dogs already this season, and Georgia will need to be on high alert to avoid suffering consecutive regular season losses for the first time since Kirby Smart's first season in 2015.
Florida's quarterback situation: Starting in place of the injured Aaron Philo, Florida sophomore Tramell Jones Jr. rose to the occasion in a Week 7 win at Texas. The inexperienced quarterback completed 22 of 35 passes for 155 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions against the Longhorns' vaunted defense while also totaling 41 rushing yards. But will he play against Georgia?
Philo was listed as questionable on the Gators' first student-athlete availability report this week, raising questions over who will get the nod under center. Florida coach Jon Sumrall said Monday that he doesn't plan to name a starter before the game, which will force Georgia to prepare for both QBs. Jones is more mobile, but he's also put his full repertoire on tape now.
Philo is still dealing with a right shoulder injury, but he did practice this week. Georgia's run defense: Regardless of who starts at quarterback for Florida, the Gators are going to try and lean on their run game. Georgia's run defense has shown some vulnerability in the past two games.
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