It’s Georgia-Florida day, and the No. 5 ranked Dawgs are looking to make it four in a row over the No. 8 Gators in Jacksonville.
For both sides, this is an SEC Championship play-in game. The loser of this matchup will have two losses on its record.
Georgia, though favored and ranked higher, is actually viewed as an underdog in the eyes of many for this one. A lackluster offense and a banged up defense have created a lot of doubt about UGA’s chances of winning.
Related: Five reasons Georgia will win
Related: Five reasons Georgia could lose
While on ESPN’s First Take this week, Paul Finebaum discussed the challenges that UGA and Kirby Smart face for the Cocktail Party, in addition to speaking on Georgia’s unfortunate quarterback situation.
“This is a precarious game for Georgia,” Finebaum said. “They’ve only lost to Alabama, they led at halftime, got blown out in the second half. They had an uninspiring game last week against Kentucky, only scoring 14 points. And if they lose this game, there are going to be a lot of people who go back into the history books of two years ago and start asking the question to Kirby Smart, ‘How did you let Justin Fields get away?’”
We know the story. Fields transferred to Ohio State after one year at Georgia. Now he’s a Heisman contender. Then Jamie Newman transferred to Georgia from Wake Forest, but we never got to see him in red and black as he opted out in the preseason.
Now, it’s all on Stetson Bennett’s shoulders. A former JUCO star, Bennett has struggled during the 2020 season, and he’ll need to clean it up today and limit turnovers if UGA wants to keep with Florida’s offense.
“They’re severely challenged,” Finebaum said. “And as I say that, Florida has one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Kyle Trask. … So this is a very dangerous game for Kirby Smart.”