The biggest game of the weekend is not happening in Jacksonville this year. For the first time in the history of the rivalry, Florida and Georgia are playing in Atlanta.

No. 3 Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC) and No. 17 Florida (5-2, 3-2 SEC) meet Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC. The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is on the move, and the stakes have rarely been higher for a regular season game in this series.

A Rivalry on the Road

The game is in Atlanta because EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville is undergoing renovations. Saturday’s matchup is billed as the Invesco QQQ Atlanta Gridiron Classic, the Cocktail Party Edition. The rivalry moves to Tampa in 2027 before returning to Jacksonville in 2028.

Jacksonville has hosted the game almost every year since 1933, so Saturday is just the 11th meeting played somewhere else. The two schools cannot even agree on which meeting this is. Florida counts Saturday as the 104th meeting. Georgia counts the 105th, because the Bulldogs count a 1904 game in Macon that Florida does not. Georgia leads the series 58-44-2 by its count, and the Bulldogs have won five straight, including a 24-20 win last season.

Everything Runs Through Saturday

Both teams are ranked at the same time for the first time since 2020, which also happens to be the last time Florida won this game. Both teams had last week off, and the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season come out on Tuesday, with both teams in the conversation.

Georgia has been a playoff regular under head coach Kirby Smart. Florida has never made the playoff, and first year head coach Jon Sumrall was hired to change exactly that.

The Bulldogs are trying to avoid back-to-back regular season losses for the first time since 2016 after Auburn beat them 27-24 in Athens two weeks ago. Smart’s Georgia teams are 17-3 in games after a loss, so history says the Bulldogs rarely stay down for long.

Florida’s problem in this series is easy to see. The Gators have scored exactly 20 points in each of their last four losses to Georgia. Against this defense, 20 points will not be enough.

The Quarterback Question

Florida still has not named its starting quarterback. Aaron Philo, who led the Gators to a 4-0 start, missed the Texas game with a shoulder injury and is listed as questionable. Tramell Jones Jr. made his first career start in Philo’s place at Texas and delivered, completing 22 of 35 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns, both to tight end Lacota Dippre, with no turnovers in the 27-24 upset of the then No. 7 Longhorns.

Sumrall has said health and availability will decide who starts on Saturday.

Georgia’s quarterback is no mystery. Gunner Stockton ranks second in the nation in passing efficiency with a 185.9 rating, throwing for 1,570 yards and 16 touchdowns against four interceptions this season, and he is 18-4 as Georgia’s starter. But his late fumble against Auburn set up the winning field goal, and Florida’s pass rush just sacked Texas quarterback Arch Manning five times, led by defensive lineman LJ McCray with 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

The Matchup That Decides It

This game comes down to Florida running back Jadan Baugh against Georgia’s run defense.

Baugh is an Atlanta kid who played at Decatur Columbia High School, and he comes home with 763 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns this season. Florida is 9-0 in games when Baugh runs for 100 yards or more. Georgia, though, allows only 91.4 rushing yards per game, the 10th best mark in the country, behind a defensive front of Jordan Hall, Gabe Harris Jr. and Elijah Griffin.

There is a story behind that matchup, too. Smart recruited Baugh out of high school as a linebacker, and this week he called the Florida running back one of the ones that got away.

Florida also expects wide receiver Vernell Brown III back after he missed three games with a knee injury. Brown has 17 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns this season, plus two punt return touchdowns, and Florida is 4-0 when he is on the field. He will be tested by Georgia cornerback Ellis Robinson IV, one of the best young corners in the SEC.

How to Watch

No. 17 Florida vs. No. 3 Georgia kicks off Saturday, October 31 at 3:30 p.m. ET from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The game airs on ABC with Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe on the call. Georgia is the designated home team.

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