Final Predictions for Georgia Football vs Florida
Georgia emerges from the bye week to take on rival Florida in a key SEC Eastern Division matchup. The Bulldogs enter the contest with a 24-game winning streak, but at 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the conference, the Gators have designs on reversing their recent fortunes in the series by upsetting the top-ranked Bulldogs in Jacksonville. Georgia enters the game as the 14.5-point favorite and has won each of the last two and five of the last six against its long-time border rival.
The game will kickoff at 3:30 PM and will be broadcast on CBS.
The Dawgs Daily staff is here with our final predictions for the latest edition of the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.
Brooks Austin: Georgia 35 - Florida 20
Florida is a football team that through seven games has seen a handful of wins that perhaps most analysts entering the season couldn't have predicted. A double-digit come-from-behind win over South Carolina and a win over a then top-12 Tennessee at home are signature wins for a second-year head coach in Billy Napier. That being said, this is a football team that has seen some inconsistent play from both sides of the football due to being an extremely young football team.
The key to the matchup is Georgia's running back Daijun Edwards against a Florida rushing attack that has allowed more than 200 yards rushing on three separate occasions this season.
Tyler Graves: Georgia 34 - Florida 20
Florida has exceeded expectations this season and is far more competent in year two under Head Coach Billy Napier than it was at any point a year ago. However, even with All-American tight end Brock Bowers out of the equation, Georgia still holds a solid overall talent edge over the Gators. It would be foolish to suggest that the loss of Bowers won’t pose a challenge for Georgia, but the Bulldogs have a number of playmakers that can help cushion the loss of the All-American tight end. Receivers Dominic Lovett and Rara Thomas are proven playmakers in the SEC who will take advantage of their increased opportunities in the passing game. Tight end Oscar Delp will be finally be utilized in a role that more befits his skill set and let’s not forget that Ladd McConkey has returned to the field and is inching closer to 100%. And to top it off, quarterback Carson Beck is playing at a higher level than any quarterback in the SEC not named Jayden Daniels.
Beyond the overall talent edge, a number of the matchups in this game favor the top-ranked Bulldogs. Florida quarterback Graham Mertz is playing better than he has at any point in his career, but the Florida offense mirrors the Georgia offense in that it wants to establish the run in order to take advantage of play action. Running backs Montrell Johnson Jr. and Trevor Etienne provide a punch to the Florida run game, but it will be tough for the Gators to get the ground game going against the Georgia defense that ranks No.1 in the SEC against the run. Georgia will be able to control the Florida run game on early downs and get Florida to third and long where the Bulldogs will take advantage of another matchup edge. The Gators are 110th nationally in third down offense, only converting 33% of their third downs, while the Bulldogs lead the nation in third down defense. Florida is capable of upsetting the Bulldogs, but with the talent edge and matchups favoring Georgia, it will need Georgia’s help to pull it off. With the Bulldogs coming off of the bye week with renewed focus, that won’t happen.
Ethan Offutt: Georgia 35 - Florida 21
The SEC East's most fierce rivalry goes down in Jacksonville, FL., this weekend and will offer some great matchups between the 7-0 Georgia Bulldogs and the 5-2 Florida Gators. Both offenses have some great firepower that can make this game interesting, but I believe the defenses will be the most important factor of this game. How so? Turnovers. If the Gators can land a couple of early turnovers, something they have not done well all season, then Billy Napier's team can pull out a couple of scores before the Dawgs defense gets settled. One other issue that Georgia may face is the absence of Brock Bowers, who has torn Florida apart in his first two seasons playing college football. That said, I think Georgia's defense and Kendall Milton will settle in quickly to diminish Florida's chances of an upset and pull off another impressive victory to move to 8-0.
Jonathan Williams: Georgia 34 - Florida 17
Despite Georgia's star tight end Brock Bowers being out for this game, I still think Georgia's offense will be too much for the Gators. The Florida defense ranks 82nd in the country for passing yards allowed against power five opponents. On the defensive front for Georgia, I think they will be able to control Florida's offense by getting them off of the field on third down. The Gators rank 109th in the country for third down conversion rate, while Georgia's defense ranks number one in the country on third down. Florida has also been prone to allowing opposing offenses to hit for explosive plays against them, and I think Carson Beck and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo will be able to take advantage of that. I think the Bulldogs cover the 14.5-point spread, and the Bulldogs continue to their prefect streak this season.
How to Watch Georgia vs. Florida
- Gameday: Saturday, Oct. 28. 2023
- Game time: 3:30 pm ET
- TV: CBS
- Location: TIAA Bank Field (Jacksonville, Florida)
- Live stream on fuboTV: Start with a 7-day free trial!
- Stream on ESPN - HERE
- Broadcast Call: Brad Nessler (play-by-play) and Gary Danielson (Color) will be on the call
Other Georgia News:
- Georgia's Remaining Schedule - Who Could Be The Troublesome Game?
- Player Profile: How Can Oscar Delp Contribute to Georgia's Success?
- Reminder of What Georgia Has With Delp, Luckie, and Spurlin
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