ATHENS - Georgia football opened as another double-digit favorite over a rival.
This time the Bulldogs are listed as a 10.5-point favorite to topple the Gators in Atlanta on Halloween. It is another in a string of games where the Bulldogs have been favorites to beat their biggest SEC rival.
Georgia has not been an underdog against the Gators since 2016 - the first year Kirby Smart took over as the head coach in Athens. Should the line remain unchanged at kickoff it would be the sixth time since that year that Georgia has been a double-digit favorite to win the game.
Georgia’s 24-20 win over Gators in Jacksonville last fall was the first time UGA had been favored by fewer than ten points in five seasons. One of the keys to success for Kirby Smart’s program over his tenure in Athens has been the Dawgs’ ability to slow or even stop the Gators running the ball effectively.
Florida has not eclipsed the 120-yard mark on the ground since going for 161 in a 34-7 loss to the Dawg in 2021. Florida has been up and down running the ball this season - even with one of the best running backs in the nation… Jadan Baugh.
Baugh has been solid against the Dawgs - going for 136 yards on 32 carries with a touchdown. With the Gators’ quarterback situation in flux, Baugh might be the singularly-important player in the game. South Carolina and Missouri slowed the Atlanta native in their two wins against the Gators.
But against Texas, Baugh was a workhorse again - scoring once on the ground after carrying the ball 25 times for 91 yards. Baugh blistered Auburn (162 yards; 3 TDs) and Ole Miss (142 yards; 3 TDs) earlier this season. Georgia is 7-4 all time when allowing a 100-yard rusher under Kirby Smart.
Georgia had a tremendous start to the season defending the run, but has had back-to-back games on run defense that are as bad as they have had dating back to the end of the 2024 season.
The Bulldogs have only covered once in the last four games against the Gators - in 2023 thanks to a late-game touchdown from Dwight Phillips. This is the first time since 2018 that UGA is coming off a loss going into a scheduled bye week. The Dawgs are 17-3 all time after losses and 12-3 after a bye under Kirby Smart.
The Dawgs and Gators meet in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the first time ever. The game, which is traditionally held in Jacksonville, is on a two-year hiatus from there so that massive renovations can take place to upgrade the facility there. Georgia has played in Mercedes-Benz Stadium each year it has been open.
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