Monday Night Football has been much more enjoyable ever since the ManningCast was introduced to ESPN. Fans tune in every Monday during the NFL season to hear Eli and Peyton Manning commentate that week's game in a unique style that is refreshing to hear.
This past Monday, while covering the Raiders vs Cowboys game, Peyton had to take a jab at Georgia and Brock Bowers. Manning said, “I met Bowers at a Broncos game last year, Eli,” Manning said on Monday’s ManningCast. “He walked up to me, right by me, I said, ‘Bowers, you went to Georgia. You couldn’t be that smart. But your girlfriend went to Tennessee, so you’ve gotta be pretty smart.’ He didn’t know what was happening. I had never met him before. He didn’t know whether to stop and talk to me or go back to the line. I teach a class at Tennessee, and his girlfriend was in my class. Very smart, obviously. Good for him for figuring it out.”
The Tennessee-Georgia rivalry runs beyond the football field. Peyton thinks Georgia has only dominated Tennessee in football. However, they dominate in academics too.
Academic comparisons prove Georgia over Tennessee
According to UnivStats, University of Georgia ranks higher than University of Tennessee in several academic categories. The national university ranking for Tennessee is No. 85 while Georgia is ranked no. 57. When it comes to admissions, Georgia also has better test scores than Tennessee as the average SAT and ACT score for UGA students is higher than Tennessee. Beyond that, the acceptance rate for Tennessee is at 45.99 percent while Georgia's acceptance rate is 37.20 percent, considerably tighter.
It is not only the "smarter" school, but Georgia is also cheaper to attend than Tennessee is. Undergraduates pay roughly $11,000 in state and $32,000 out of state at UGA. Tennessee's rate on the other hand is about $14,000 in state and $33,000 out of state.
To put even more icing on the cake, Georgia's rates are far better. Georgia has the higher graduation rate at 87 percent and the higher retention rate at 95 percent. Tennessee's graduation rate is 73 percent and their retention rate is 91 percent. Georgia also has a lower transfer-out rate at 8 percent, while Tennessee's transfer-out rate is 17 percent, more than double Georgia's.
Rivalries run deep. Tennessee and Georgia share a border, and that makes it easy for the coals to burn even hotter. No one can blame Peyton for being salty about not beating one of his biggest rivals in nearly a decade. Shots can be taken in Georgia, however, this one did not hit.