Georgia measuring stick isn’t beating Florida, it’s by how much

Georgia needs to go out there and assert its dominance over Florida in Jacksonville on Saturday.

While anything and everything can happen in the Cocktail Party, it is imperative that Georgia does not play with its food and takes care of business vs. arch rival Florida in Jacksonville.

The Dawgs are 7-0 and the No. 1 team in the land. They are the defending national champions and a potential candidate to repeat in January. Georgia is going up against a 4-3 Florida team under a new head coach in Billy Napier. Although the Gators had a great first victory on the year over Utah at home, Florida has not been anything more than a middling SEC East team up to this point since.

This is why it is crucial for the Dawgs to have their day in the Jacksonville sun and win decisively.

Georgia needs to not only beat Florida, but must accumulate style points in Duval

Let’s be real. For Georgia to overlook Florida on Saturday, egos must be running rampant in Athens. This is their biggest rival and they can never overlook them, not even for a second. Florida would love nothing more than to spoil their perfect season, as well as rip all positive momentum away from the Dawgs ahead of their big game vs. division rival Tennessee in Athens next Saturday.

Although the Vols could be looking ahead to that game as well, Tennessee will have its work cut out for it vs. divisional foe Kentucky on Saturday. Simply put, Florida is not Kentucky, and the Dawgs have to take advantage here. We all know how important this game is for Georgia head coach Kirby Smart. His players know how important it is. However, the Dawgs need style points.

See, unless Georgia wins decidedly at home next week vs. Tennessee, people are going to find ways to poke holes in their resume. It may have two blowout wins over top 25 teams in Oregon and South Carolina, but that’s not the point. New is always better, and Georgia is not the flavor of the week. Keep in mind that the Selection Committee will meet for the first time on Tuesday…

No doubt about it, a loss to Florida would be of the absolutely devastating variety. It would mean Georgia is grossly overrated and has little chance to repeat as national champions. Would it shock you if they missed out on the New Year’s Six if they ended up at 10-2 or 9-3 because of this loss? Regardless, Georgia needs to build off its last two games and forget about Kent State and Mizzou.

Ultimately, styles make fights and the Dawgs desperately need some style points in Jacksonville. Accumulating them will breed confidence in this Georgia team ahead of their biggest home game in ages. Don’t kid yourself. Tennessee is dangerous and has every reason to believe they can knock off the Dawgs. Simply, anything short of a blowout victory over Florida will be a cause for concern.

If Georgia plays with a crashing sense of urgency from opening kickoff, the Dawgs should be fine.

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