Georgia opens as favorite in a stadium Kirby Smart has yet to conquer

ATHENS — Kirby Smart has won in every SEC stadium he has led Georgia into over the past 10 1/2 seasons except for two — and the stadium the Bulldogs will be playing in on Saturday is one of them.

Georgia, fresh off its 27-8 win over Florida, travels to play an Ole Miss team that’s coming off a 45-15 win over Auburn and fighting for its College Football Playoff life.

The Bulldogs (7-1, 5-1 SEC) are a 3.5-point favorite over the Rebels (6-2, 4-2) in the 7:30 p.m. game at Vaught Hemingway Stadium.

The last time Georgia played in Oxford, Mississippi — Nov. 9, 2024 — the Rebels literally ran the Bulldogs off the field, winning 28-10 before fans stormed the field.

The Rebels have outscored opponents 149-51 in home games this season and their 16-game home win streak ranks as the highest among power conference teams.

Ole Miss could be without elite tailback Kewan Lacy, who reportedly has no timeline to return after reinjuring his left shoulder in a 34-27 loss to Texas on Oct. 24.

Smart, meanwhile, left a degree of uncertainty about the health of projected first-round 2027 NFL Draft pick Ellis Robinson IV, who left the game against Florida in the third quarter with a lower-leg injury.

“His knee tightened up on him; I don’t know if it happened on the interception,” Smart said. “I thought he got hit right on the knee, but we don’t really know.

“Don’t think there was anything structurally wrong. It just tightened on him. It looked like a Charlie Horse or a bruise, but honestly, I don’t know.”

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss leads the SEC with 273.62 yards passing per game while Georgia ranks sixth in the SEC with 186.6 yards passing allowed per game.

Chambliss shredded the Bulldogs’ defense in the teams’ most recent in the CFP Sugar Bowl quarterfinal, completing 30 of 46 passes for 362 yards and two touchdowns in a 39-34 win that ended Georgia’s season.

Saturday will be pivotal across the SEC, with many other high-profile matchups that will carry SEC Championship Game and College Football Playoff field implications.

Kirby Smart as Georgia’s head coach in SEC stadiums

Ole Miss: 0-2

LSU: 0-1

Alabama: 1-2

Auburn: 4-1

Texas: 1-0

Arkansas: 2-0