Florida (6-1, 4-1 SEC) vs. Georgia (7-1, 4-1 SEC)
The “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” returns on Saturday in Jacksonville with huge implications when No. 5 Florida and No. 8 Georgia meet, with the Gators 6-point favorites on WagerWeb.com.
The victor Saturday almost assuredly will win the SEC East and earn a trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game. And Saturday’s winner also will remain very much alive in the BCS national title race and probably will jump over one-loss Southern Cal in the next BCS standings.
The Gators lost to Georgia last year – a game made famous for the Bulldogs’ team-wide on-field celebration after their first touchdown – but are 15-3 in the game since 1990 (Georgia winning in 1997, 2004 and 2007). Knowshon Moreno torched the Gators last year, and the Dawgs are 10-0 in the 10 career games in which Moreno – who is +500 on WagerWeb.com to win the Heisman this year – has rushed for at least 100 yards. Florida is third in the SEC in rushing defense, giving up 102.7 yards per game and 3.4 yards per attempt. Only one back has rushed for over 100 yards against the Florida defense this season and only three of Florida’s seven opponents have rushed for over 100 yards.
Meanwhile, UF QB Tim Tebow was beaten up heading into last year’s game. Trying to protect a bruised shoulder, Tebow was sacked a career-high six times, never got the offense going and finished with 221 yards of total offense, although he did score three times.
“I think we rattled Tim Tebow and the offense,” Georgia defensive lineman Geno Atkins said. “We wanted to pressure him. No one really works that well under pressure, not even the greatest quarterbacks. You put a little pressure on them, they’re bound to flinch, but he’s healthy this year.”
The Gators, who despite being ranked higher than Georgia are two spots below UGA in the BCS standings, have outscored opponents 152-33 since a 31-30 loss to Mississippi on Sept. 27.
“We’re going into that game on all cylinders,” said Florida WR Percy Harvin, who’s averaging 106.8 yards from scrimmage.
The Gators lead the SEC in scoring at 42.0 ppg, and Tebow has passed for 926 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions in his last four games, also rushing for five scores during that span.
Georgia is coming off an impressive 52-38 win at LSU last week, where QB Matthew Stafford was 17-of-26 for 249 yards and two touchdowns. He added a 7-yard score rushing TD as he improved to 24-5 as a starter.
In such an evenly matched game, the difference could be on special teams, so watch out for Florida return man Brandon James. He already has punt returns of 74 yards (against Hawaii) and 78 yards (against Tennessee) for touchdowns. He is averaging 20.2 yards on punt returns and 28.8 yards on kickoff returns. Georgia has not given up a punt return for a touchdown since 2001 and leads the SEC in net punting.
While Jacksonville is technically a neutral site, it is located only 73 miles from Gainesville, home of the Gators. Athens, home of the Bulldogs, is 342 miles to the north. However, the crowd in the stadium is generally split 50-50 between the two schools’ fans.
NCAA Betting game at WagerWeb.com
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