The stage is set for a top 10 Southeastern Conference mega showdown Saturday Between the Hedges, as the undefeated Ole Miss Rebels tangle with once beaten Georgia.
Ole Miss heads into the game with a record of 6-0, 3-0 in Southeastern Conference play. The Bulldogs are 5-1, and 3-1 in the league, losing only to Alabama on September 27, a setback that ended Georgia SEC record home winning streak at 33 in a row.
Both the Bulldogs and Rebels are coming in off heart stopping victories a week ago. Ole Miss, which had an open date following a tremendous 24-19 victory over old rival LSU, was favored by 32 points against Washington State, and escaped Oxford with a 24-21 win over the Cougars. Were the Rebels looking ahead to Georgia? Probably so, but in the end, Ole Miss got the win.
Georgia was being thoroughly dominated by ancient foe Auburn in the first half, trailing 10-0 and being outgained by over 200 yards. But the Bulldogs forced a fumble late in the first half, and turned the tables, completely flipping the script in the second half. The Bulldogs scored 20 unanswered to win 20-10, securing a ninth straight victory over Auburn in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. A defense that was leaky and shaky in the first half was dominant in the second.
Both teams have College Football Playoff aspirations and for the winner of Saturday’s affair in Athens, those odds get a huge lift.
The Rebels were a near miss last season, but Lane Kiffin’s team, which lost three close games last season, has found a way in the tight ones this year. The Rebels have beaten Kentucky by seven, Arkansas by six, LSU by five and have the aforementioned three point win over Washington State.
Georgia, which has won two national championships, three SEC titles and finished in the top seven eight straight seasons in the remarkable tenure of Kirby Smart, has been involved in three knee-knockers, winning in front of hostile crowds at Tennessee and Auburn, and falling at home, as mentioned above, against Alabama.
The Bulldogs have been plagued by slow starts, trailing Tennessee 21-7 in the first quarter, getting jumped by Alabama 14-0 and falling behind Auburn 10-0. Smart’s team has been resilient, and played fantastic second half football. But the future Hall of Famer knows his team is playing with fire if Georgia can’t start faster.
Especially against the high powered Rebels.
This will be the third straight season that Georgia and Ole Miss have played. Last season in Oxford, the Rebels, after falling behind 7-0, were dominant in a 28-10 win. The year before, the top-ranked two-time reigning national champion Bulldogs won big 52-17 Between the Hedges.
There are still plenty of landmines for both teams on the remainder of their respective schedules, especially for the Bulldogs. A win by Ole Miss, and the Rebels have a huge margin for error in the playoff pursuit. Another note, Ole Miss has never played in the SEC Championship Game, and a trip to Atlanta would be a great accomplishment for Kiffin’s rejuvenated program.
A win by Georgia, and the Bulldogs playoff hopes take a big bounce forward, as these Cardiac Canines aim to continue the excellence of the amazing Smart era.
Not only will this be the biggest game in all of college football Saturday, it should be noted, with a forecast for high temperatures in the mid to upper 70s, that these two schools have fanbases extremely famous for tailgating and fashion. It should be quite the setting Saturday, in fact, probably starting around Wednesday, for this battle between these two outstanding programs.