Saturday marks the 84th meeting all time between Georgia and Vanderbilt. That makes the Commodores one of the teams Georgia has played the most in their program's history, but their dominance has ensured this matchup has never even come close to turning into a rivalry.
Georgia holds a massive 61-20-2 advantage over Vanderbilt all time. This includes winning each of the last six meetings with their most recent victory being a 37-20 win on the road in 2023.
Georgia will put their six game win streak against Vanderbilt on the line when the Commodores come to Athens on Saturday, and while everyone expects Georgia to win they need to be careful that this game looks nothing like the first time Kirby Smart coached against Vanderbilt.
Kirby Smart somehow isn't undefeated against Vanderbilt
When an SEC fan thinks of Vanderbilt they typically envision the worst program in the conference. That hasn't been the case the last few years, but overall they are historically one of the worst teams in the SEC.
Kirby Smart however isn't undefeated against Vanderbilt.
During Smart's first season as head coach he actually lost to Vanderbilt at home 17-16. The Commodores weren't even good that season as they finished 3-5 in the SEC and 6-7 overall after a loss in their bowl game.
This is one of Georgia's worst losses since Smart became head coach, but the good news is that he has recovered since then. Georgia has won six straight games against Vanderbilt since this loss, and the closest margin of victory was that 17 point win which occurred the last time they played in 2023.
Georgia shouldn't have any issues beating Vanderbilt this year, but if they do somehow lose there will be some nasty PTSD everyone in Athens would have to deal with.
What's at stake when Georgia takes on Vanderbilt?
It really is quite simple for Georgia when they play Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs need to win in order to keep their hopes of winning the SEC alive. If Georgia were to lose to Vanderbilt they still could make the SEC Championship game, but they'd likely have to go undefeated the rest of the season just to make it to Atlanta. With three top 10 opponents still on their schedule it wouldn't seem like they'd be able to do that after losing to Vandy.
A loss to Vanderbilt would significantly impact their future College Football Playoff outlook as well. As long as Georgia finishes 10-2 they could still make the playoff, but a loss to Vanderbilt would likely see them seeded lower than other 10-2 teams. This means Georgia's path in the playoff would be more difficult from a seeding perspective.
Georgia however is favored by over three touchdowns, so there isn't much of a chance that they lose this game. They still have to show up and play well though, but the hope is that they will blow Vanderbilt out just like they did their first four opponents.
Kickoff between Georgia and Vanderbilt is scheduled for 12:45 pm EST on Saturday, Oct. 3.
Add us as a preferred source on Google