The No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs will head to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Friday for their annual end-of-season "Clean. Old-Fashioned Hate" rivalry game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. It will be the 117th version of the in-state clash.
Georgia leads the series all-time 72-39-5, and has won the last seven meetings with the most recent featuring an exhilarating 44-42 win in eight overtimes in 2024.
This year's game will have an unusual element that the series has never experienced before, as both teams' quarterbacks have a legitimate argument to win the Heisman Trophy as the most outstanding player in the country.
Gunner Stockton and Haynes King have had outstanding seasons
In his first year as the Bulldogs' starting quarterback, Gunner Stockton has been phenomenal, posting Stetson Bennett IV-type numbers, while leading his team to a 10-1 record and an inside track to a lofty CFP ranking.
Stockton has thrown for 2,269 yards at a 70-percent clip, while throwing 19 touchdowns against just three interceptions. He has killed opponents with his legs, too, running for 350 yards and eight touchdowns. With a QBR of 89.7, he is the third-ranked quarterback in the country in terms of efficiency.
Haynes King has been a one-man wrecking ball for the Ramblin' Wreck, tossing 12 touchdowns to just four picks. But King has been particularly effective as a runner, gaining 883 yards on the ground and scoring 15 touchdowns. He gave the Dawgs all they could handle with his RPO mastery in last season's game.
King has been the driving force behind a 9-2 Tech team, which had its eyes on the ACC title game appearance and a CFP berth before a late rally fell short in a loss to the Pittsburgh at home on Saturday.
A struggling defense was exposed for Tech, while King had his poorest performance of the season, throwing an unfortunate 100-yard pick-six. Nonetheless, he tallied three more touchdowns, and it does not negate his overall body of work for 2025.
Combined, the two quarterbacks have accounted for 54 touchdowns, while turning the ball over only seven times.
It has been a long time since this rivalry game featured two elite quarterbacks who are both playing well enough to be considered Heisman Trophy candidates. In fact, it has never happened. Not in the modern era, at least...
Both teams pride themselves on dominant rushing attacks, and whenever one team has had a Heisman-level quarterback like a Bennett or Matthew Stafford, the other team has not...
This year, however, both teams feature signal callers who deserve invitations to the New York Athletic Club alongside others, such as Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin and Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, as legitimate contenders for college football's most prestigious award.