The final week of the 2024 regular season has arrived, which means one thing in the state of Georgia … Georgia vs. Georgia Tech … Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate.

My goodness the stakes are immense for this year’s match-up as our Bulldogs are trying to get one step closer to stamping their ticket into the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. On the other side, the Bees are relishing their opportunity to pull the rug out from Kirby and his canines.

Then there is the madness from this past weekend’s games. “Whoa Nellie” to borrow from legendary broadcaster, Keith Jackson (a Georgia native, who passed in 2018).

Georgia went from being barely in the playoff to now having to wait until this Saturday to determine whether they will play Texas or Texas A&M in the SEC Championship. I’m still trying to determine that what I witnessed this past Saturday was actually real. It was absolutely nuts as the leader in the SEC clubhouse (Georgia 6-2 conference record) watched Ole Miss, Alabama and Texas A&M go down in massive upsets.

However, the above is all you will read from this writer regarding the post-season because as BI’s own Jeff Dantzler always says 365 days of the year… “we just gotta beat Tech!”

And to make things even more magnified, it’s Georgia vs. Georgia Tech on Friday night in Athens. This one is huge, so as our terrific cover highlights, “Bring the Friday Night Fire” Bulldog Nation! BRING IT with the same passion you can see in the face of Spike Squad member Ginny Thompson (of Roswell, Georgia) who paints as Disco Dawg!

Last week, I touched on the electric atmosphere in Sanford Stadium for the Tennessee night game (two weeks ago). The fans, the athletic department and the football team all delivered mightily. Our cover photos are from that glorious night, where our beloved stadium felt like it was actually on fire as the fourth quarter began. The goal for Friday night is to bring that same fire for all four quarters and send Brent Key and his Bees back to North Avenue once again without their stingers.

Buzz you later, Brent!

While I’m having a little fun with the Yellow Jackets, I’m by no means taking them lightly. Coach Key has done an excellent job pulling the Tech football program off the deck in the last few years. They play extremely hard, which is paying off for them in the win column, just ask the Miami Hurricanes.

And unfortunately, our Bulldogs continue to be sluggish at spots both defensively and offensively. That can’t happen on Friday night because Tech is winning by getting an early lead and never relinquishing it (see this issue’s A View From The Flats, page 22). Their strategy is simple actually. The less opportunities their opponents have offensively, the less ability they have to score points, thus a lesser opportunity to win the game.

Like I said Bulldog Nation … “Bring the Friday Night Fire!”

This issue of BI should get you juiced during the Thanksgiving festivities over the coming days. Your first required reading must be to turn to page 10 and immediately read Jeff Dantzler’s column. Ole’ JD hates the Yellow Jackets. While he is potentially a little over the top with his Tech loathing, he is not wrong that losing to the Nerds equals 365 days of misery. Yuck!

As we enter the holiday season, I encourage you to read Hamilton Culpepper’s What’s the Word column (page 30) where he covers what giving to the University of Georgia means to our beloved University. We thank Jill Walton and Will Willimon with the UGA development department for the interview. My wife, Cheri, serves on the executive board of Georgia Women Give (photos pages 31 and 32) and I encourage you to learn more about this initiative. And finally, everyone at BI encourages you to consider giving to Georgia. As both Jill and Will agree any amount is so appreciated and goes to the betterment of UGA.

Also, be sure to read our other social section offerings in this issue … Georgia Girls – Laura Frances Smith (pages 28 and 29), MixTape – Allen Miller (page 33) and Proust Q&A – Stephen Scates (page 54). And there are nearly 100 fan photos for your enjoyment beginning on page 31.

Alright Dawgs, I hope you have an awesome Thanksgiving. However, don’t overdo it on Turkey Day because the following day the objective is to “Bring the Friday Night Fire” and Beat Tech, Go Dawgs!!