One of the biggest games on the college football schedule every year is the cross-border rivalry battle between the Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs, and this season is no exception.
This fall, the matchup has significant College Football Playoff and SEC Championship Game implications, adding fuel to an already ardent fire heading into Week 9's meeting in Atlanta. The Bulldogs have won five straight in the series — though the Gators came close last year with a 24-20 loss — but this year feels a little different from the recent past.
It should come as no surprise, then, that this year's edition of the Florida-Georgia rivalry sits atop The Athletic's list of top 10 college football games this weekend. With both teams ranked in the top 20 heading
into Saturday's showdown, this edition of the SEC grudge match is certainly must-see TV.
"The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party heads to Atlanta due to stadium renovations in Jacksonville. But which Florida team shows up? Is it the one with top-10 wins over Ole Miss and Texas? Or the one that got clobbered by Missouri and South Carolina?" author Justin Williams asks rhetorically.
"Gators first-year coach Jon Sumrall could become the first coach in program history with three top-10 wins in the same season, but it will require beating a Georgia squad coming off a stunning loss to Auburn and a bye, and which still ranks top-10 in offensive and defensive yards per play. Another top game with questions at QB: Sumrall is staying coy about who will start between Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr."
According to reports, Philo has been tabbed as the starter on Saturday — but nobody will know for sure until Florida's first possession of the afternoon.
The Florida-Georgia game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ABC.
The Athletic's top 10 college football games in Week 9
- No. 17 Florida (5-2) vs No. 3 Georgia (6-1), 3:30 p.m., ABC
- No. 2 Ohio State (6-1) at USC (6-2), 7:30 p.m., NBC
- No. 22 Arizona (6-1) at No. 13 Texas Tech (6-1), noon, ESPN
- No. 1 Miami (7-0) at North Carolina (4-3), 7:30 p.m., ABC
- No. 6 Utah (7-0) at Cincinnati (5-2), 3:45 p.m., ESPN
- Minnesota (5-2) at No. 4 Indiana (7-1), 3:30 p.m., CBS
- No. 25 Wisconsin (5-2) at Iowa (5-2), noon, Fox
- Auburn (4-3) at No. 12 Ole Miss (5-2), 12:45 p.m., SEC Network
- No. 20 Northwestern (6-1) at Oregon (4-3), 3:30 p.m., Peacock
- Army (5-2) at Memphis (6-2), 8 p.m., ESPNU
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida-Georgia matchup tops college football's Week 9 schedule
