Georgia Bulldogs: SEC East Division Ramps Up This Saturday

The Georgia Bulldogs, (2-0) and ranked 13th nationally, are set to host Samford tonight at 7:30 PM EDT. There are a couple of other division games worthy of attention.

Basking in the red hue of victory last Saturday in South Bend, the Georgia Bulldogs are set for, what most folks dismissively term, a “tune up” game. After the big road win last week, these types of games serve as a chance to work on some things, and get younger personnel valuable game time experience.

A quick gander at the UGA schedule and one realizes that this is the last Saturday like that in a while. In fact, starting next week against Mississippi State, the teeth of the SEC schedule starts grinding its mandible. MSU, at Tennessee, at Vandy, Mizzou comprise the next four games.

Those games represent the heart of the matter for UGA. Were the Georgia Bulldogs to go 4-0 in those games, they’d be 7-0 going into the bye, with a firm choke hold on the SEC East Division with 2 huge games against South Carolina and Florida looming.

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Yes, the old axiom of “just handle your own business” still applies. But there are a couple of SEC East games of note today that will directly affect UGA’s fortunes.

Kentucky heads down to Columbia to face the Gamecocks. Big Blue was kind of a media darling coming into the season as a dark horse for the SEC East Division Championship. That shine has now faded a bit after struggling on defense. South Carolina, however, looks legit after a couple of games. That game tonight will probably let us know who really is legit and who is still stuck in mediocrity.

Then you have the game that, since 1992, has helped decide who wins this division. Tennessee square dances their way down to Gainesville to try and end a 14 year win drought in that stadium by besting the Florida Gators. If you’re reading this, I don’t have to explain to you what this game means, generally speaking.

But this UT vs. UF match-up is a peculiar one. If the Vols lose this game, I’m stating right now this writer doesn’t think Butch Jones will be in Knoxville after this season. If HC Jones and Tennessee part ways, and they will with a loss, the Vols will have their 4th coaching search inside a decade. That’s a problem.

Then you have the Gators who looked awful against Michigan, just went through a hurricane, and a missed game, and now try to self-correct against a desperate Tennessee team. If Florida loses today they could easily wind up around the 6-6 mark. That won’t fly with those fans.

The loser of this game is in trouble of losing their fan base this year, and it’s just September.

Most eyes of Dawg Nation will be on the Samford game tonight to find out a few things. Has Fromm become settled and improved?. Can the Offensive Line move kids from a smaller school and open run lanes? Will Jim Chaney run the “wild dawg” against an inferior opponent? In short, it’s a diagnostic temperature check before the next four weeks.

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But those games in Columbia and Gainesville mean something for these Georgia Bulldogs. It’s the first “Separation Saturday” of the 2017 SEC East Division calendar, and all four teams play UGA down the line.

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