What a potential sendoff for Georgia and Tennessee as annual rivals

Georgia survived Tennessee’s best effort in nearly a decade, defeating the Volunteers 44-41 in overtime at Neyland Stadium. After the Bulldogs had pummeled the Volunteers for eight consecutive seasons by double digits, maybe it would be only fitting if the annual series concludes with an all-timer.

How we got here: The SEC is adopting a nine-game conference schedule that will include six rotating games and three “protected” rivalry matchups. The Volunteers will presumably maintain their rivalry with in-state Vanderbilt. They’ll also almost certainly retain Alabama as an annual foe. Their rivalry dates to 1901.

Kentucky and Tennessee have played since 1893. The Vols perhaps are Kentucky’s No. 1 in-conference rival, so it would make sense for the Wildcats to be the Vols’ third annual opponent.

While not official, that line of thinking means Tennessee’s other rivals who rose to prominence in more recent decades, like Georgia and Florida, could be reduced to every-other-year opponents. Each team will face the other every two years under the new format, but that’s not the same as an annual fixture. The Bulldogs obviously will continue facing Florida each year, but there probably aren’t any further guarantees — even with Auburn and Tennessee.

So the SEC could be entering a world where Georgia plays Tennessee as often as it plays Mississippi State, Oklahoma and Texas A&M. Consider it another price of realignment.

But if that’s indeed the case, Saturday marked a worthy send-off. A competitive Georgia-Tennessee game was long overdue. The Vols hadn’t stayed within a score of Georgia since 2016, when Joshua Dobbs completed a game-winning Hail Mary in Athens. The Bulldogs had won by an average of nearly 25 points per game.

Now, none of the past nine losses will sting Tennessee enthusiasts like this past weekend. Two days later, it’s still fair to wonder how Georgia pulled that off. Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said afterward he didn’t think his team should’ve won. If Max Gilbert had converted a 43-yard field goal at regulation’s end — he made a 42-yarder in overtime — Georgia wouldn’t have.

But these types of victories aren’t all luck. Saturday spoke to Georgia’s competitive character. Almost any program would’ve lost to Tennessee that day; the Vols happened to face one of the three most stable operations in the country, and had just enough miscues to leave an opening.

Both teams produced around 500 total yards, Georgia at 502 and Tennessee at 496. Both quarterbacks, Gunner Stockton and Joey Aguilar, looked up for the moment. They made timely throw and throw, positioning their teams to tie or take the lead. It was a frustrating afternoon for two good defenses. The ultimate difference: Georgia was penalized five times to Tennessee’s 10, and the Bulldogs went 5-for-5 in the red zone to Tennessee’s 2-for-3.

Georgia fans tire of the Neyland Stadium hoopla. But it’s legitimate: There wasn’t a louder stadium this past weekend. There might not be one rowdier this season. Vols fans create an environment that’s arguably the nation’s best. It embodies everything coaches say when they discuss the difficulty of road games in the SEC.

Since 2022, Tennessee is 21-2 at home. Both losses came to Georgia. And their passionate followers might have to stew on that for several years before getting another chance to host the Bulldogs.