After an extra week to deal with the sting that came from Georgia’s 36-16 loss to then-No. 13 LSU on Oct. 13, the Bulldogs again will meet a ranked team. This one is No. 9 Florida.
The Bulldogs enter this renewal of the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” with their own No. 7 ranking, having fallen from No. 2 after that loss in Baton Rouge. Each team is coming off its bye week.
The winner of the game remains in contention for a spot in the College Football Playoff, whose initial standings of the season will be released Tuesday night.
This game marks the sixth time that the Dogs and Gators have played each other with both teams ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll. Georgia is 2-3 in those games, losing the past three. The most recent game with stakes this high for each team came in 2008, when No. 5 Florida defeated No. 8 Georgia.
After the Cocktail Party, Georgia has currently ranked teams waiting on the schedule the next two Saturdays, Kentucky and Auburn.
Here is some important information regarding how to follow the action Saturday:
Before the game: "Bulldogs Game Day" airs from 10-11 a.m. on WSB-TV Channel 2 Action News. Channel 2 sports director Zach Klein hosts the show each Saturday.
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Date: Saturday, Oct. 27
Location: TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Fla.
Television: CBS will televise the game. Brad Nessler is handling play-by-play. Gary Danielson is the analyst, and Jamie Erdahl is the sideline reporter.
Streaming: The game is available online on GTV at georgiadogs.com.
Local radio: The game will be broadcast on the Georgia Bulldogs Sports Network, heard in metro Atlanta on WSB radio (750 AM/95.5 FM). Scott Howard is handling play-by-play. Eric Zeier is the analyst, and Chuck Dowdle is the sideline reporter.
National radio: ESPN will broadcast the game. Bill Rosinski is handling play-by-play, David Norrie is the analyst and Ian Fitzsimmons is the sideline reporter.
Satellite radio: You can listen on SiriusXM Radio Channel 121/192.
SEC Network replays: 12:30 p.m. Oct. 29 and 1:30 a.m. Nov. 1.
Here are five other things you may want to know:
» Georgia defeated Florida 42-7 last season. The Bulldogs were ranked No. 3 entering the game, and the Gators weren't ranked. UGA's 35-point margin of victory was its largest margin against Florida since a 44-0 victory in 1982.
» The scheduling matter of each team having a bye the week before they play each other is a recent occurrence. This is the seventh time in eight years it has happened, but it had never happened before 2011. Each team has won three games when both teams were off the week before.
» The Gators have benefited greatly from having a bye week before playing the Bulldogs. In series history, Florida is 18-7 when playing Georgia after a bye week. In the same time frame, Georgia is 6-6 in such games.
» Florida coach Dan Mullen is 1-2 against Georgia as a head coach, with all of the results coming while Mullen was at Mississippi State. Florida was 3-1 against Georgia during Mullen's tenure as offensive coordinator for the Gators (from 2005-08).
» Georgia holds a 44-40-1 edge over Florida in games played in Jacksonville. Before 1933 the series was played at six sites. Since then, all but two games have been played in Jacksonville (1994-95). Georgia holds a 4-3 lead in the past seven games. In the 21 games before that, Florida was 18-3. In the 21 games before that, Georgia was 15-5-1.
