Georgia hosts Charlotte Saturday afternoon Between the Hedges in the Bulldogs final home game of the regular season.
Kirby Smart’s Dogs are coming off an impressive 35-10 victory over then 10th-ranked Texas this past weekend in Athens, the victory improving Georgia to 9-1 on the season. It was Georgia’s eighth consecutive Southeastern Conference contest, and the Bulldogs sixth straight victory wraps up league play with a 7-1 mark for the reigning SEC champions.
Highlighting the win over the Longhorns was a dominating fourth quarter. Georgia outscored the Longhorns 21-0 in the fourth quarter. With the win, Georgia is now 66-6 in its last 72 games. Over the Bulldogs last 43 SEC contests, the victory total is 40 against just three losses.
Under Smart’s watch, the Bulldogs are now 9-0 versus top ten teams in Athens.
The 49ers come in with a record of 1-9. This past Saturday, Charlotte fell at home to the University of Texas – San Antonio 28-7. The 49ers, 0-7 in the American, close out the regular season and conference play next week at Tulane.
Charlotte has lost seven in a row since a 42-35 win over Monmouth on September the 13th. One of the 49ers better performances came the week prior, as they hung tough against North Carolina, falling 20-3 to the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill.
Georgia is a heavy favorite on Saturday to defeat Charlotte. A victory over the 49ers would most certainly punch the Bulldogs ticket to the 12-team College Football Playoff.
As for the Southeastern Conference Championship Game, there is still a lot of football to be played, before determining who plays in Atlanta. Texas A&M is undefeated, and still plays Texas on Thanksgiving weekend. Alabama suffered its first conference loss this past Saturday, falling to Oklahoma. The Crimson Tide, who still play at Auburn, have the head-to-head tiebreaker over Georgia on the strength of their win in Athens in September. Ole Miss is also once beaten, losing only to the Bulldogs Between the Hedges. Smart has led Georgia to the SEC Championship Game seven times in the last eight seasons. No school had ever been to six in seven years prior to Smart’s Dogs, much less seven in eight seasons.
But all the focus will be on Charlotte this Saturday. All of the scenarios for the College Football Playoff and the SEC Championship Game will sort themselves out. Saturday’s matchup will be the first ever between the Bulldogs and Charlotte.