ATLANTA — Florida got a blunt reminder that it still has plenty of ground to make up before it can match Georgia, regardless of whom the Gators have beaten this season.
Jon Sumrall, welcome to the rivalry.
Georgia’s 27-8 win on Saturday offered a convincing case that the Bulldogs remain the SEC’s top team, even after their loss to Auburn. They led 24-0 at halftime and needed to do very little after the break to finish the job.
Kirby Smart has entered his most dangerous era after Georgia’s aggressive win over Alabama
It was a Halloween afternoon rout. Florida fans began heading for the exits as their marching band took the field, which ended up being one of the more enjoyable moments of the day for Gators supporters.
College football’s parity gets talked about constantly. Sometimes, though, the gap between teams is hard to miss.
In Atlanta — a place that could practically be called “Sanford West” by now — Georgia showed why it remains the SEC’s leading national championship contender.
As Florida fans filed out, Georgia forced another turnover in the third quarter. That made an already lopsided game feel all but settled.
Did Auburn’s upset a few weeks ago somehow wake up a monster in Athens?
Against a Florida team that looked overwhelmed, Kirby Smart’s defense sent a clear response to anyone wondering whether the Bulldogs had slipped. Smart kept bringing pressure against an offense that struggled to find its footing.
The halftime score said plenty, but Georgia’s continued aggression made the message even clearer.
This was the same Florida team that went to Austin a few weeks earlier and stunned Texas, leaving Longhorns fans in a panic. Then Auburn’s win over Georgia sparked plenty of talk about whether the Bulldogs had flaws that could catch up with them again.
Gunner Stockton had a rough game against Auburn, and the Tigers made the most of it. Upsets and letdowns have been piling up around the country this season. Georgia, though, seems to have turned its frustration into fuel, taking it out on a Florida team many had considered pretty good.
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This may prove to be a second act for the Bulldogs in 2026. They head to Ole Miss next week, a game that could add another strong opponent to their schedule. A loss in Oxford would not necessarily damage Georgia’s playoff hopes; the Bulldogs could lose twice more and still have a case for the postseason.
Still, after what happened in Atlanta, there will likely be some nervous faces when Smart arrives at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for next week’s primetime matchup.
Perhaps Smart should send Alex Golesh a fruit basket. Auburn’s win in Athens may have provided the wake-up call Georgia needed.
Just how comfortable was Georgia against Florida’s defense? With 1:19 left in the third quarter, Stockton had thrown for only 59 yards, and the Bulldogs were still ahead 24-0.
The toughest SEC game left on Georgia’s schedule may be its Nov. 21 visit to South Carolina. The Gamecocks have plenty to prove after hearing criticism from around the country, and they’ll bring some extra motivation into that matchup.
Georgia also has Ole Miss and Missouri over the next two weeks. If the Bulldogs keep playing with this kind of intensity, they could put themselves in position to clinch another College Football Playoff berth.
It wasn’t clear how much of Georgia’s response to the Auburn loss people around the country had noticed.
They probably have now.
