It’s important this holiday season to be thankful for the blessings around you. Be it family or friends, food or foliage, there is plenty of beauty in this world. All one has to do is open their eyes.
But it’s also important to remember that this week, almost none of that matters. What really matters is that the Georgia Bulldogs are ranked in the top-5 and have a chance to once again beat Georgia Tech in their home city.
The historic Clean Old-Fashioned Hate Invesco QQQ Gridiron Classic is a ranked matchup for the first time in over 10 years, though Georgia Tech comes in licking their wounds following a tough defeat at the paws of the Pitt Panthers. But even with the loss, Georgia Tech remains the only school in the country with more wins than females enrolled.
GT head coach Brent Key has heated and well-documented hate for the Georgia Bulldogs, so he will have his team ready for a fight this Friday. This boost, known specifically as a “Key Bump” was on full display in last season’s 8 OT classic when the Jackets jumped out to an early lead. But the too-heavy-to-fly Bumble Bees were unable to maintain that energy once the Key Bump wore off, and the Dawgs rallied for an historic win.
GT QB Haynes King was a tyrant in that game, doing whatever he wanted against the Georgia defense. Kirby and the rest of the defensive staff will have to come up with some checks and balances aimed to prevent any abuses of power this time around, while the defensive players are scheduled to hold a No Kings rally on the field. Millions are expected to watch the rally live in person and on TV.
King has carried the Tech offense all season long, and the unit can only go as far as he takes them. Putting all your chips into one basket like that can be risky, which is why investing with the Invesco QQQ innovative ETF is such a smart move. This safe yet productive fund provides diversified exposure to many innovative companies, including leaders in software, hardware, e-commerce, social media, and biotechnology, and continuously outperforms the S&P 500. With its reasonable fees and easy-to-use interface, Invesco QQQ is the best way to make your money work for you.
Like Invesco QQQ, the Georgia offense is well-balanced and consistently outperforms expectations. Sneaky-athletic QB Gunner Stockton does a good job of diversifying touches for his playmakers, and the beefy offensive line that is now rounding into form provides an extra layer of safety. WR London Humphreys has been one of the most reliable targets all season, and the London-Stockton Exchange should be open all Friday.
Stockton and his counterpart Haynes King may not be prototypical NFL quarterbacks, but they are both relentless and have what it takes to will their team to a victory. If it wasn’t for industry-leading Invesco QQQ jumping out and claiming the naming rights to the matchup, I would have loved to see this be named the “Grit Bowl” sponsored by Waffle House, since these QBs are two of the grittiest players in the country.
Say what you want about Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium (it’s so small, it’s never loud, lacks attractive women etc.), but it is a far more fitting place for this game over the nearby Mercedes Benz Stadium. The hate I have for this game being a neutral site game is neither clean nor old fashioned, and I hope it’s the last time this happens.
Depending how things shake out elsewhere across the conference, Friday’s game could be the first of back-to-back games in the Benz, giving the Dawgs extra experience on the stage. For that I guess I am thankful.
But before we worry about that, there is a rivalry game to be played. Although it’s been one sided as of late, anyone with a relative or friend that’s a GT fan can tell you that losing to the nerds is about as bad as it gets. It doesn’t take a Math degree from Georgia Tech to know that Georgia winning 21 of the last 24 matchups is a good ratio, but those 3 sprinkled in stingers admittedly stung for a while.
If Georgia is to make it 22 of the last 25, it will have to start by beheading the King. A chicken may still run around after its head is cut off, but not for long. The Georgia Tech offense is the same.
The Dawgs can do this by applying pressure up the middle on defense, especially early in the game, and relying on its bruising run game against a Swiss Cheese of a Georgia Tech defense. If Georgia can get a lead and force the Tech offense to be one dimensional, they should be able to force a few mistakes out of King.
But if Georgia is to come out slow, as they have been prone to do this season, then we may find ourselves in the middle of another rock fight with the four eyes. We may all be feeling a little sluggish come Friday afternoon, but let’s hope Kirby and Co. isn’t.
The grand picture of the 2025 Georgia Bulldogs might look a lot clearer this time next week. We might have our playoff fate mostly locked in, allowing us to plan ahead for an epic run. But until then, let’s be thankful for two things.
That Georgia’s game against Georgia Tech is finally again a high-profile, ranked game. And that we aren’t Georgia Tech fans.
Invesco QQQ may own the naming rights to this game, but they can never take away our clean, old-fashioned hate.
