dpThe World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party returns for the 104th time as No. 3 Georgia hosts No. 17 Florida at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
This year’s game will be the first ranked-on-ranked matchup since 2020, as both teams remain in the thick of the SEC title race and College Football Playoff contention.
Of the on-air talent on SEC Nation and ESPN GameDay, only Tim Tebow, who played for Florida, picked the Gators to win.
“We’re playing for something so much more. Guess what? We’re gonna run the dang ball with Jadan Baugh, and he’s gonna get the job done,” Tebow said on SEC Nation. “And you know why? Cause he’s putting it on his back, cause he is a Gator. He decided to stay. He makes a statement in Atlanta today. What are we gonna say? Go Gators!”
Both teams are coming off a bye week, with Georgia (6-1) trying to bounce back after its lone loss to Auburn, while Florida is seeking its third top-10 win of the season following a victory at Texas two weeks ago.
Each team has a top-30 rushing attack (UGA at No. 27, UF at No. 29) and wants to lean on it to create explosive pass play opportunities.
The Bulldogs will make it their top priority to slow down UF back Jadan Baugh. This season, Baugh leads the conference with 13 touchdowns and has 763 yards on the ground.
Georgia rushed for a season-low 113 yards against Auburn and will now face the 40th-ranked Florida rush defense (121 yards per game). They should be getting a healthier group of backs with a refreshed Nate Frazier to complement Dwight Phillips Jr.
Chauncey Bowens will miss his third straight game with a lower-body injury.
SEC Nation is on site in Atlanta and the matchup earned additional coverage on College GameDay.
Here are the talent picks from both SEC Nation and College GameDay:
College GameDay
- Desmond Howard: Georgia
- Nick Saban: Georgia
- Isiah Thomas (guest picker): Georgia
- Pat McAfee: Georgia
- Kirk Herbstreit: NO PICK – On the call for game
Fan vote: 76% lean Georgia
SEC Nation
- Paul Finebaum: Georgia
- Tim Tebow: Florida
- Roman Harper: Georgia
- Chase Daniel: Georgia
