Georgia football has one more challenge to get through before their second bye week of the season, and that challenge is potentially the biggest yet this season. Ole Miss is up next for Georgia and they come to Athens with a perfect 6-0 record and as the No. 5 team in the country.
The Rebels are a very good team, no one needs to be told that, but there are a few significant advantages Ole Miss has in this matchup that Georgia is going to have to overcome.
1. The possibility of a Georgia hangover game
Georgia's win over Auburn was as emotional as it gets. A comeback victory against a hated rival with all of the controversy that unfolded made this win one of the sweetest Georgia has had recently.
But the only problem with that is the potential for a hangover game against Ole Miss. Can Georgia move past that victory and give Ole Miss their full attention? Or will they be feeling too good about themselves after beating Auburn?
Georgia already is a team that struggles early in games, so the potential for a hangover game is very concerning for this group.
2. Extra time Ole Miss has had to prepare
A report came out earlier this week indicating that Ole Miss has spent the last three weeks preparing for Georgia. This includes their recent bye week and in the lead up to their game this past weekend against Washington State where the Rebels chose to prepare for Georgia instead.
This means that Ole Miss will have spent three times as long as Georgia preparing for this game which does give them an advantage going into this matchup. It's unclear how much this will actually help them, but this extra preparation could help swing things in the Rebels' favor.
3. Lane Kiffin's mind games
Lane Kiffin is potentially the only coach who is able to get inside Kirby Smart's head. Kiffin is known for saying so many outlandish things that sometimes it's impossible to not fall for his mind games.
Earlier this week Kiffin was speaking with the media and he went above and beyond in his praise for Smart. He wouldn't stop talking about how great of a coach he is, how good of a job he has done this season, and he even went as far as to call him the next Nick Saban.
Some people might think Kiffin is just being nice, but there is a chance that he is playing mind games with Smart. There is a chance he is attempting to distract Smart with all of these kind words to throw him off his game this week. So this is something Smart is going to have to be mindful of so he doesn't let Kiffin win at his games.