Congratulations to Vanderbilt! The Commodores have finally done it. They've made Georgia fans somewhat interested in playing them again.
After a two-year layoff, the Commodores are back on Georgia's schedule and even have the honor of being the Bulldogs' homecoming opponent. There are so many reasons for Georgia fans to care now.
There's Jared Curtis returning to Athens after once being committed to Georgia. There's a 3-1 record. There's an actual SEC football team coming to Sanford Stadium rather than the conference-mandated Vandy-bye Georgia fans used to politely sit through before wondering what time Alabama and LSU kicked off.
Unfortunately for Vanderbilt, there's a small problem with becoming interesting...
Georgia might actually pay attention to you now.
Vanderbilt picked an unfortunate time to become respectable
For the past two seasons, Vanderbilt has become a somewhat respectable name in the SEC. They upset Alabama in Nashville. They vaulted into the Top 25 and even into the Top 10 last season. They had a Heisman-hopeful quarterback and put together a string of two consecutive non-losing seasons.
That's quite an accomplishment for the longtime doormat of the SEC.
For years, the Vandy game would arrive, and the biggest Georgia concern was essentially “please don't let anybody important get hurt.” Now the Commodores finally bring some intrigue to the game. That may be regrettable for them.
Vanderbilt wanted to be taken seriously. They wanted to look respectable. They wanted opposing teams to actually care. This might be one of those unfortunate “be careful what you wish for” situations.
What do they bring? Jared Curtis gives this game an obvious storyline (if he plays). Vanderbilt is 3-1. Clark Lea has built something more credible than what Georgia fans have become accustomed to seeing from this program.
And Georgia?
Dawgs are 4-0. No. 2 in the country. Just beat Oklahoma 41-13, and are favored by 24-25 points.
Hey, Jared Curtis, wish you were here, the weather's nice
Oh, Jared, you could have picked an easier homecoming, you know? Your first trip to Sanford Stadium as an opposing quarterback probably shouldn't involve facing this Georgia defense... if you play.
Apparently, even your body looked at the Georgia schedule and started having second thoughts (but seriously, hope you're ok).
You could've been a part of homecoming in Athens someday as an established upperclassman with 30 starts behind you. Instead, you get the possibility of facing Kirby Smart's defense as a freshman while approximately 92,000 people are extremely aware that you used to be committed to the team wearing red.
Don't let the boo-birds get you down when and if you take the field. Probably better to be concerned about Chris Cole, Raylen Wilson, and PJ Dean. There's a good chance those fellows want to give you a little homecoming gift... person to person.
We hear Nashville is pretty in the fall, though, so you've got that flag to wave.,
Georgia-Vanderbilt hasn't exactly been appointment television lately
Before the two-year hiatus, to say the series against Vanderbilt was getting lopsided is like saying a hurricane will get your yard a little damp.
Georgia's last five meetings with Vanderbilt:
2018: 45-14
2019: 41-13
2021: 30-6
2022: 62-0
2023: 37-20
A combined score of 215-53. All Georgia wins. All double-digit drubbings, and the 2023 result wasn't even as close as the score, with the Georgia backups allowing 13 garbage-time points in the fourth quarter. Georgia leads the overall series 61-20-2.
It's a safe bet that Netflix probably isn't fighting ESPN for the documentary rights to this... rivalry, and the phrase “Instant Classic” hasn't gotten much work from Georgia-Vanderbilt either.
The worst thing Vanderbilt could've done was give Georgia a reason to care
Vanderbilt's greatest accomplishment might also be its biggest mistake: It made itself interesting enough to get Georgia's full attention. Kirby Smart usually spends these weeks trying to convince everyone that the opponent is the 2019 LSU Tigers and that they shouldn't be overlooked.
Vandy did some of the work for him this time.
Georgia has bigger games coming, and Vanderbilt ordinarily screams trap/look-ahead/get-through-it/get-right game. Only now you've got a former 5-star commit at quarterback, a 3-1 opponent, a third conference game, and homecoming. You have a team that Kirby Smart has been admonishing every week for not playing up to their potential, despite literally destroying everything in their path.
And Vanderbilt has shown enough life to prevent Kirby Smart from having to invent reasons for his team to take the Commodores seriously. You give the Bulldogs laser focus, and it'll be a long afternoon on Dooley Field.
Welcome back to relevance in Athens, Vandy
So welcome back, Vanderbilt. It's nice having you around. Georgia fans have a former commit to boo, a freshman quarterback to worry about, and an actual reason to spend the week discussing the Commodores.
You're actually a good tune-up for Alabama, and a way to measure progress for Georgia's young players. There's an air of "Beat Vanderbilt" permeating the Bulldog Nation, rather than just an excuse to get hammered and not care about the game beyond the point spread.
That's progress.
There's just one unfortunate consequence you may not have considered. Georgia finally has a reason to take you seriously again. Making Georgia care was potentially a huge mistake.
In the words of Lucius Fox... "Good luck".
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