Georgia is entering rivalry week with a 10-1 record and No. 4 ranking in front of them after defeating Charlotte 35-3. Now the only thing standing between them and guaranteeing their spot in the College Football Playoff for the second year in a row is their in-state rival Georgia Tech.
The Yellow Jackets are having a solid season themselves as they are 9-2 this season, but they have lost two of their last three games and are trending in the wrong direction. Georgia is close to a two touchdown favorite in this matchup, but even if that is the case they still have one unique challenge they must overcome when they face Georgia Tech.
Georgia must overcome unique scheduling challenge vs Georgia Tech
For the second year in a row, Georgia will face Georgia Tech in their season finale on a Friday. On top of that, this game will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta instead of Georgia Tech's home field.
The fact that Georgia is playing at a neutral field isn't that big of a big deal. That is especially the case because it is Mercedes-Benz Stadium where UGA typically plays at least one game every season. But the fact that Georgia has to play on a Friday this week could be problematic.
College teams are not used to playing on any day other than Saturdays. That is especially the case with Georgia who never schedules games on different days, but for two years in a row their season finale against Georgia Tech is on a Friday.
This created a big problem for Georgia last year because even though they were favored by nearly three touchdowns at home they almost lost the game. Sure Georgia Tech played extremely well last season, but this change in routine could have impacted things as well.
The hope now is that Georgia will be more prepared to play on a Friday this year compared to last year. But this will be something to monitor throughout the week because having one less day to prepare for a team as good as Georgia Tech will create a significant challenge they are not used to.