Prediction: Georgia 31, Tennessee 24
Close, physical, and noisy—just the kind of game you expect in September SEC football. When No. 6 Georgia visits No. 15 Tennessee on Saturday at Neyland Stadium, the matchup will be billed as a rivalry game. But in recent years, it hasn’t felt much like one. The Bulldogs have dominated the series, reeling off eight straight victories over the Volunteers—their longest winning streak in a rivalry that dates back to 1899.
Kirby Smart, who has made Georgia a fixture atop the SEC, knows the game still matters deeply to fans. “It’s a historic rivalry,” Smart said ahead of the 55th meeting between the programs. He’s lost just once to Tennessee—on a last-second Hail Mary in his coaching debut in 2016. Since then, Georgia has turned the matchup into a one-sided affair.
The defending SEC champions enter their conference opener ranked sixth but with room to improve after a somewhat underwhelming 28-6 win over Austin Peay. New starting quarterback Gunner Stockton will be under the spotlight. The sophomore is 2-1 as a starter and will be making his first true road start in one of college football’s most hostile environments.
Stockton has shown flashes of versatility, throwing for 417 yards and two touchdowns through two games while also scrambling for 73 yards in the opener. His composure will be tested against a Tennessee defense eager to rattle a young signal-caller.
Josh Heupel’s Volunteers are 2-0 after setting a program record with 72 points in a rout of East Tennessee State. Neyland Stadium has been a fortress under Heupel: Tennessee has won nine straight at home and is 21-1 there since the start of the 2022 season. The lone loss? Georgia.
Heupel has already broken long droughts against Alabama and Florida during his four-year tenure. Taking down Georgia would be another breakthrough moment. “Obviously, we know the test that we have in front of us,” Heupel said.
Fans will “Checker Neyland” in orange and white for the sold-out showdown. Tennessee is 4-4 in such games, though it has won the last three. Defensive back Andre Turrentine says the crowd noise will be a factor. “It’ll help our defense feed off that energy,” he said.
Tennessee’s new quarterback, Joey Aguilar, will be making his SEC debut, but he’s hardly inexperienced. The transfer from Appalachian State (by way of UCLA) has already started 26 games at the FBS level. Now 2-0 with the Vols, Aguilar has quickly settled in, averaging 267.1 passing yards per game with five touchdowns through two contests.
Aguilar got a taste of Neyland in last week’s home opener, and Smart has taken notice. “He’s a really good athlete,” the Georgia coach said. Aguilar’s ability to extend plays and hit explosive passes will be crucial if Tennessee wants to end Georgia’s stranglehold on the rivalry.
This is only the conference opener for both teams, but the implications loom large. Georgia is aiming to maintain its hold over Tennessee and reassert itself as the SEC’s standard-bearer after a shaky start. Tennessee, meanwhile, is looking for a signature win to prove its rise under Heupel is sustainable.
Add in a sellout crowd, a checkerboard stadium, and two quarterbacks with everything to prove, and Saturday in Knoxville promises to be one of the defining games of the SEC’s opening month.
