While much attention has been focused on Georgia’s coming game against Alabama and that game’s place in determining the College Football Playoff field, the Bulldogs must face one more foe before meeting the Crimson Tide for the SEC championship.
While the foe isn’t a garden-variety opponent, history is on Georgia’s side when the No. 5 Bulldogs play host to unranked Georgia Tech on Saturday at Sanford Stadium.
From 1966-2017, Tech and Georgia met 23 times when UGA was ranked and Tech wasn’t. Georgia won 21 of those games, losing in 1984 (at UGA) and 1985 (at Tech), has won the past 12 such games. (In that same time period, Tech was 5-4 when each team was ranked, and the teams split four games when Tech was ranked and Georgia wasn’t.)
The rivalry began to turn when Georgia won three consecutive games from 1964-66, which were Bobby Dodd’s final three seasons as Tech’s coach and Vince Dooley’s first three as Georgia’s. Before that, Tech won 14 of 21 games overall from 1943-63, though Georgia doesn’t acknowledge the games played in 1943 and 1944. (The dispute is about the players who were on the field during World War II.)
Yet, even before 1964, Georgia was 3-0 in games when the Bulldogs were ranked and Tech wasn’t and was 2-0 when both teams were ranked. (Tech was 7-0 before 1970 in games when the Yellow Jackets were ranked and the Bulldogs weren’t, all taking place in the 1940s and ’50s.)
Overall, Georgia has won 32 of the 48 games when either team was ranked.
The takeaway from all that is that when Georgia has a good team, it usually wins against Tech.
However … it’s still Clean Old-Fashioned Hate, so it’s easy to believe that anything can happen.
Here is some important information regarding how to follow the action:
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: Noon ET
Date: Saturday, Nov. 24
Location: Sanford Stadium, Athens
Television: SEC Network will televise the game. Tom Hart is handling play-by-play. Jordan Rodgers is the analyst and Cole Cubelic is the sideline reporter.
Streaming: The game is available online at WatchESPN.com. and on GTV at georgiadogs.com.
Local Tech radio: The game will be broadcast on the Georgia Tech IMG Sports Network, heard in metro Atlanta on The Fan 680/93.7. Andy Demetra is handling play-by-play. Sean Bedford is the analyst, and Wiley Ballard is the sideline reporter.
Satellite Tech radio: You can listen on XM Radio Channel 381.
Local Georgia 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.
Satellite Georgia radio: You can listen on SiriusXM Radio Channel 99/190.
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