There is cold; then there is the cold in Lexington Saturday afternoon. While waiting for postgame interviews to begin, I was chatting with Warren McClendon. I asked him if it was cold during the game or if the physical exertion kept him warm while the offense was on the field. McClendon, who gets right to the point, replied, “It was cold.” We often hear the old saw about summer in Georgia, “it’s not the heat but the humidity.” I propose a new idiom for Fall/Winter in Kentucky, “it’s not the cold but the wind.”

Kentucky was embarrassed by their loss to Vanderbilt last week. The Wildcats responded to that loss by galvanizing themselves for the Dawgs. “Cats quarterback Will Levis and running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. led Kentucky’s offense. An offense that ran right at the Dawgs’ strength had success. The Wildcats deserve credit for their effort. Georgia deserves credit for powering through and earning the win under adverse conditions.

Style points are for losers. Tennessee tried to impress poll voters last week by running up the score on Mizzou. Then, in a game analogous in many ways to the Georgia/Kentucky matchup, the ‘Cocks slammed the door on the Vols’ dreams of slipping into the playoff’s back door, putting up 63 points in the process.

“Clean Old-Fashioned hate” is on tap for the Bulldogs’ traditional season-ending game. The 5-6 Yellow Jackets will arrive in Athens with an interim coach and a burning desire to beat arch-rival Georgia. It is easy to see a program like Tech as a sure win for a national championship contender like the Bulldogs. The No. 1 team in the country “should” roll over a rival limping into the game with injuries at quarterback and an uncertain coaching future. Tennessee “should” have blasted South Carolina, and Florida “should” have destroyed Vandy, but both of Georgia’s division rivals managed to lose their season’s penultimate game. UGA has one huge advantage that will keep the Dogs grounded and focused on the immediate task – Kirby Smart.

To Hell with Tech!