Georgia Tech captain does not shake hands with Georgia players ahead of rivalry game

So much for Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate keeping it classy. While the Georgia Bulldogs do not care for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, the Ramblin' Wreck of Georgia Tech loathe the Dawgs with every fiber of their being. That is probably the best way to describe the nature of this in-state rivalry. What makes this game so unique is we are talking about two ranked teams that have a combined 19 wins...

Right before kickoff at illustrious Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, we found out right away what type of game it was going to be. Rather than exchange pleasantries after the opening coin toss, Georgia Tech captain Keyland Rutledge refused to shake hands with any Georgia player. The Middle Tennessee State transfer and 2024 All-American was not about to show Georgia any respect here.

Rusty Mansell of DawgsHQ made this astute observation minutes before toe met leather on Friday.

As hinted at above, there is a ton at play in this game. For Georgia, an 11th win on the season would get the Bulldogs in a great spot to potentially have a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff, regardless of if they played in next week's SEC Championship Game or not. For Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets will need this win and some help to have any realistic shot of making the playoff here.

Georgia was won the last seven meetings between these two rivals dating back to the 2017 game.

Georgia Tech captain refuses to shake hands with Georgia players

Rather than try to throw Rutledge or any of his teammates under the bus, we have to remember this is just par for the course when it comes to rivalry week. Emotions are at an all-time high. While these are two of the 25 best teams in the country, you can take the records and point spreads out of the equation here. For Georgia Tech, hating Georgia is everything. For Georgia, it cannot lose this game.

Overall, the reason this rivalry has come back into focus in recent years is because of the two great head coaches leading their respective alma maters. Kirby Smart has been calling the shots in Athens since 2016. Entering play today, he is 7-1 all-time in this rivalry series, winning all but his first game. For Brent Key, he has brought Georgia Tech back to respectability, but has yet to win this rivalry game.

Ultimately, Georgia is playing with a ton more confidence than Georgia Tech right now. Georgia has won seven games in a row, while Georgia Tech has last two of its last three. The Ramblin' Wreck nearly lost three in a row, but were able to avoid complete embarrassment vs. the Boston College Eagles two weeks ago. This is still a quality team, but one that is not quite on the level of its arch rival just yet.

For now, let's keep this civil for as long as we can, hoping that everybody can come out of it healthy.