Georgia Tech might be closing the gap, but they cannot close the deal against Georgia

Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate has arrived! No. 4 Georgia (10-1) will take on No. 23 Georgia Tech (9-2) at beautiful Mercedes-Benz Stadium mid-afternoon on Black Friday. While a win ensures Georgia of a favorable College Football Playoff seed, Georgia Tech needs to pull off the monumental upset and then some to make the 12-team field. Has Georgia Tech started to close the gap on Georgia, though?

Chris Cellini of 680 The Fan believes that Georgia Tech has started to close the gap to some degree.

"Georgia is riding a seven-game winning streak against Georgia Tech. Now it was blowout city for a while. And since [Brent] Key took over, it's been an 11-point margin of victory. Prior to that, it was 41-16. So they're closing the gap. We know about eight overtimes last year. The past two meetings have been decided by a total of 10 points. But what does it really mean going into this game? It probably doesn't mean anything."

Cellini's 680 The Fan co-host Chris Dimino is also riding with Georgia because he trusts them more.

"I trust Georgia more if it comes down to that type of game to win. Tech has to prove me wrong, the college football world wrong, the two-touchdown underdog thing wrong. Georgia is the favorite for a number of reasons. They're more talented. That's a given. The thing you have going for you if you're Tech is you can score. You really can. You can score kind of from all over the field."

While both Cellini and Dimino have a lot of respect for Georgia Tech, they like Georgia to win this one.

FanDuel Sportsbook has Georgia laying a massive 15.5 points to Georgia Tech on a neutral site.

Georgia continues to outpace Georgia Tech for one very key reason

Dimino encapsulated it best. The Bulldogs are simply more talented. They have been recruiting at an elite level for a decade now under Kirby Smart. Brent Key is trying to do his part to turn his alma mater around in that regard, but Georgia Tech still has to overcome the consequences of runnin a triple-option offense for years. They are now at a point where they can recruit as a major player in the sport.

Since Georgia has more to play for in this game, beyond just bragging rights, there is a chance the Yellow Jackets do cover the gargantuan spread. Betting on Georgia to cover a sizable spread is not for the faint of heart. What this may really come down to is what team is more tenacious on defense. Georgia has started to find its own there recently, while it has been a season-long struggle for Tech.

Overall, Georgia is playing a great deal more momentum than Georgia Tech is right now. The Dawgs have won seven straight games since falling at home to Alabama by three points months ago. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech has lost two of its last three games, with a close scare to a 1-10 Boston College team sprinkled in between. Georgia is peaking right now, while Tech seems to be fading.

Ultimately, Georgia has not lost to Georgia Tech in Atlanta since before Haynes King was born. The last time the Yellow Jackets got the best of the Bulldogs in Atlanta, Key was playing along the offensive line for George O'Leary. All streaks are meant to come to an end, but Georgia is going to remember how close last season's edition of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate was at Sanford Stadium.

ESPN's matchup predictor is giving Georgia a whopping 87-percent chance to win this rivalry game.