Florida vs. Georgia game: Pick, prediction, spread, odds, line, time, watch live

Image Credit: Michael Nash

The 2020 edition of the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party has arrived — and it could not have come at a better time for the college football world or really the United States as a whole. With just a couple months left in a wild year, the No. 8 Florida Gators and No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs will renew their hostilities by meeting as top-10 opponents for the third straight season in what is a first in rivalry history.

The winner of the Florida-Georgia game has gone on to capture the SEC East crown in five straight seasons, meaning everything is on the line Saturday as the Gators and Dawgs square off at TIAA Bank Field. Despite each team suffering losses to SEC West foes (Texas A&M and Alabama, respectively), Florida and Georgia have destiny in their hands.

A victory not only gives the winner the equivalent of a two-game lead on the loser in the SEC East, it likely secures an opportunity for a College Football Playoff play-in game and probably (at worst) a New Year’s Six bowl game.

For a Gators team that has been trying to live up to their massive offseason expectations, 2020 has been a difficult beast to slay. Not only did they lose spring practice and their planned summer program, they have not played with their entire personnel on defense all season due to a combination of injuries and absences amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Oh yeah, there was also an outbreak that kept the program off the field for two weeks.

While the offense has been lights out, the defense has been slow to gel. Head coach Dan Mullen has called some incredible games while simultaneously made himself the subject of a few negative headlines for his comments and antics. The fallout of the Missouri game has been massively blown out of proportion, and there should be no doubt that Mullen — as with Urban Meyer before him — is motivated to shut some people up while in the national spotlight. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the game.

Aspirations of contending for the SEC title and the program’s first opportunity in the College Football Playoff remain heavy on Florida’s shoulders. The Gators are in complete control of their fate with the SEC East likely on the line Saturday. What will go down in the latest edition of Florida-Georgia? Let’s find out.

Tale of the tape

Injuries and absences

Probable / questionable (?): ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Injured (1): OL Ethan White (knee)
Out for season (1): DB Ethan Pouncey (hip)

The following additional players were ruled out before kickoff last week. It is unknown whether any or how many have been cleared (13): DB Marco Wilson, DB Shawn Davis, DB Donovan Stiner, K Evan McPherson, DB Avery Helm, DB Chester Kimbrough, DB Quincy Lenton, DB Mordecai McDaniel, DB C.J. McWilliams, LB Lacedrick Brunosn, DL Jaelin Humphries, OL T.J. Moore, ATH Austin Perry

Viewing information

Date: Saturday, Nov. 7 | Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: TIAA Bank Field — Jacksonville, Florida [18,000]

TV: CBS (Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson)
Live stream: CBSSports.com | SiriusXM: 206/191| Radio: WRUF, TuneIn
Live updates: @OnlyGators on Twitter

Game notes

» Georgia holds a 52-43-2 edge all-time against Florida, though the Gators are 21-9 in the last 20 meetings since 1990 and the teams are 7-7 in their last 14 games. The Dawgs are also 46-40-1 all-time with the teams playing in Jacksonville.
» UGA has won three straight games over UF (and six of the last nine) by a combined score of 102-41, an average margin of victory of 20.3 points.
» The teams have swapped three-game winning streaks a total of four times since 2008.
» The Gators and Dawgs are meeting as top-10 opponents for the third straight season. This is a first in series history.
» UF is 9-5 against UGA since 1990 when they square off as ranked teams.
» Under Mullen, Florida is 18-1 when scoring first, 20-1…