Week 9 SEC & Big Ten Preview: Florida and Georgia Meet in Jacksonville
In one of the most prominent rivalries in college football, the 11th-ranked Florida Gators (6-1, 4-1 SEC) will take on the Georgia Bulldogs (5-2, 3-2 SEC) Saturday afternoon at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. In either the 92nd or 93 edition of the rivalry — depending on which schools’ history books you believe — the Gators look to rebound from their first loss of the season. Last week in Baton Rouge, Florida QB Treon Harris threw for 271 yards and two touchdowns but was unable to lead a comeback against LSU. This week, he will face a Bulldogs’ pass defense that only allows 187 yards per game. Georgia RB Sony Michel has recorded 508 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns this season in place of the injured Nick Chubb. The Bulldogs offense will also have its hands full with Florida ranking 4th in scoring and total defense in the SEC. Gator LB Antonio Morrison leads the defense with 54 tackles and seven tackles for loss, while defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard has registered 10 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
Divisional play continues across the SEC and Big Ten this week. Though there are few matchups between elite teams in either conference, there’s plenty of potential for upsets or shake-ups to league standings.
Other games this weekend:
#19 Ole Miss (6-2, 3-1 SEC) travels to Auburn (4-3, 1-3 SEC).
South Carolina (3-4, 1-4 SEC) travels to Texas A&M (5-2, 2-2 SEC).
Illinois (4-3, 1-2 Big Ten) hosts Penn State (6-2, 3-1 Big Ten).
Kentucky (4-3, 2-3 SEC) hosts Tennessee (3-4, 1-3 SEC).
Maryland (2-5, 0-3 Big Ten) travels to #10 Iowa (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten).
Wisconsin (6-2, 3-1 Big Ten) hosts Rutgers (3-4, 1-3 Big Ten).
#15 Michigan (5-2, 2-1 Big Ten) travels to Minnesota (4-3, 1-2 Big Ten).
Vanderbilt (3-4, 1-3 SEC) travels to Houston.
Arkansas (3-4, 2-2 SEC) hosts Tennessee-Martin.
Nebraska (3-5, 1-3 Big Ten) hosts Purdue (1-6, 0-3 Big Ten).