At the start of the season Georgia expected Florida to be just another average game in the SEC, but looking at the Week 4 AP Poll tells a completely different story.
Florida began the season unranked be sliding into the top 25 after beating Auburn one week ago. The Gators then hosted No. 4 Ole Miss at home on Saturday and blew the Rebels out 52-28. Florida surged all the way to No. 8 in the updated AP Poll meaning Georgia now has a chance for a marquee victory next month against their bitter rival.
Florida's resurgence gives Georgia a new opportunity for a marquee win
For most of Kirby Smart's tenure at Georgia the Gators haven't given them too many chances to add a resume building win. A win over Florida is always nice, but it never was something for Georgia to hang their hat on. As of now a win over Florida could end up being the biggest win of their season.
Georgia needed another team on their schedule to fly up the rankings after Oklahoma plummeted ahead of their game this weekend. The Sooners started the season inside the top 10 so they looked like an opportunity for Georgia to get a marquee win. They however were not ranked on Saturday when they played Georgia and it doesn't seem likely they'll climb back in the rankings at any point this season.
This is where Florida comes into play because now Georgia gets the chance for the big win that they lost against Oklahoma. Georgia now has three top 10 opponents on their schedule (Alabama, Florida and Ole Miss) and they have to play them all away from home. If Georgia can win all three games then they might end up having the best resume in the country, but at the very least a win over Florida would give them rivalry bragging rights and at least one win that would look great on their resume.
AP Poll wasn't sold on Georgia's case to be the new No. 1 team
Georgia had a strong case to be the new No. 1 team in the country this week instead of Texas. The Bulldogs are 4-0 just like the Longhorns, but Georgia hasn't played a close game yet. All four of their wins have been by at least 28 points which includes their first two games in the SEC against Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Texas on the other hand doesn't have the same number of blowout wins as Georgia does. They were a bit fortunate to beat Ohio State in week two and they almost gave away the Tennessee game on Saturday. Sure those are two ranked wins compared to the zero Georgia has, but the Vols haven't beaten anyone good yet this year so who knows if they even deserve to be ranked.
Texas however stayed put at No. 1 and it looks like it will remain that way until they lose or Georgia adds some marquee victories of their own. Florida looks like they'll give Georgia a chance for a big win at the end of October, but UGA also has roads games against Alabama and Ole Miss on the schedule as well. Georgia will have their chance to prove why they should be No. 1 against some good teams, so let's see how they fare in those matchups first.
Texas also faces five more ranked teams this season, so there's a chance they could drop a game before Georgia does.
Every SEC team ranked in the Week 4 AP Poll
Rank | Team |
|---|---|
1 | Texas |
2 | Georgia |
7 | Alabama |
8 | Florida |
9 | Ole Miss |
11 | LSU |
16 | Mississippi State |
17 | Tennessee |
24 | Kentucky |
25 | Missouri |
