Georgia Bulldogs Meet Hated Florida Down in Jacksonville

The Georgia Bulldogs take on arch rival Florida Gators down in Jacksonville this afternoon. Kickoff is at 3:30 PM ET on CBS. Faton Bauta will start at QB for the Dawgs.

It is finally here! The always anticipated annual rivalry game between your Georgia Bulldogs and public enemy number one in the Florida Gators.

This annual affair is always filled with animosity, as this is one of the last remaining neutral site games in college football. Dawg Nation doesn’t want The Chomp to come to Athens, nor do the Gators want to hear “Go Dawgs, Sic ‘Em” in Gainesville. So we’ll meet in Jacksonville like we always do.

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Florida enters the game as the slight favorite at 6-1 (4-1) and ranked #11 in the nation. The Georgia Bulldogs still control their own destiny at 5-2 (3-2), but a win over Florida is a must for the Dawgs today. In essence, this is the SEC East Championship Game, as the winner will hold the tiebreaker and sit in first place in the East with two conference games remaining apiece.

Since Georgia is without superstar tailback Nick Chubb for the rest of the season, UGA isn’t a threat to contend for a College Football Playoff spot in 2015. Florida still is very much alive, with their only loss to undefeated LSU in Baton Rouge two weeks ago.

It appears that the Georgia Bulldogs are embracing the underdog role in this game, as HC Mark Richt will start former 3rd string quarterback Faton Bauta in a must-win game. Bauta is a favorite in the Georgia locker room, as his work ethic is supposedly unrivaled.

Could Bauta be the boost that the Georgia offense needs in Chubb’s absence? Potentially, as Faton is a dual-threat passer that has improved his accuracy. Many liken him to a poor man’s Tim Tebow. I’ll take that since Tebow, though he did play for Florida, is one of the greatest college football players of all time.