Game of the Century: The Tennessee vs. Georgia Battle For 9-0

Week 10 is heating up as the Vols are headed to Athens! This year’s Tennessee vs. Georgia matchup is a huge opportunity for the Vols. The No.2  Tennessee Vols will take on the No.1 Georgia Bulldogs at 3:30 PM EST at Sanford Stadium. Both teams are 8-0 right now, leading many to call this the game of the century. But why is this game so important, and can the Vols pull it off? Keep reading to find out, and tune in to watch Tennessee vs. Georgia on CBS on Saturday!

Tennessee vs. Georgia: The Game of the Century

Tennessee is having a banner year, unlike anything the Vols have experienced since they appeared in the SEC Championship in 2001. Despite appearances in the conference title games of 2004 and 2007, Tennessee hasn’t soared quite like this since 2001.

But the Vols aren’t in the clear just yet. The result of Saturday’s game could decide two things: first, whether or not the Vols will play for a conference title for the first time since 2007 and second, whether or not the Vols will earn a spot in the college playoffs for the first time since the CFP’s inception in 2014.

Athens will host ESPN College Gameday this week, the third time the Vols have been in the Gameday spotlight this season, and CBS will broadcast the game–their third Vol broadcast this season. Tennessee has had a phenomenal transformation in Coach Josh Heupel’s second season as Head Vol, and Saturday’s Tennessee vs. Georgia matchup will be the season’s biggest–and most important–test for Tennessee.

Tennessee vs. Georgia: Is Tennessee Still Underestimated?

Pre-season rankings are more impactful than they should be. In the pre-season this year, the polls expected everything of Georgia and nothing of Tennessee. Georgia has lived up to expectations thus far; Tennessee has surpassed them. Every year Vols fan swear, “This year is our year!” and Bulldogs fans are no different. But in the pre-season it was a Florida State fan who said to me, “Tennessee is underestimated. And Georgia isn’t that good.” Interesting…

Tennessee has had a couple of close calls this season. They went into week two at Pitt looking unprepared and squeaked out a win that was too close for comfort. Two weeks later, they defeated Florida in a rivalry game played to a sold out Neyland Stadium–but the win was narrow and fans’ concerns grew.

After several weeks of consistent improvement, Neyland Stadium hosted the most epic win of the season so far when the Vols snapped the Crimson Tide’s 15-year winning streak in a 52-49 win that proved what I’d heard months ago: Tennessee was being underestimated, right  to the end of the biggest rivalry match of the year.

It didn’t stop there, though. With the Kentucky game fast approaching there was a lot of chatter about how Tennessee’s defense was going to handle Kentucky’s quarterback, an elite-level athlete who may or may not be in the same category as Hendon Hooker. In a 44-6 victory in Neyland Stadium, the Vols handled business and proved again that this season on Rocky Top is different.

And here we are in week ten. Two undefeated teams, vying for the top spot, a shot at the SEC Championship, a spot in the College Football Playoffs, and of course a National Championship title. So, who will remain undefeated?

Related Article: Tennessee vs. Kentucky Game Preview

Tennessee vs. Georgia: Battling for 9-0

This Saturday is an important game for the Vols and the Bulldogs. It’s also Clash of the Titans: CFB Coach Edition, with the top offensive coach in the country, Josh Heupel facing off against the top defensive coach in the country, Kirby Smart. I don’t care who you root for, this game is going to be an interesting one for football fans everywhere.

Both coaches are aware of each others’ strengths and the challenges those strengths pose to the desire end result: a 9-0 record on the season.

On Tennessee’s offense, Coach Smart said this week, “You’re not going to trick them. You’re not going to show them something they haven’t seen. You’ve got to do what you do better than they do, and they’re really good at what they do.”

On Georgia’s defense, Coach Heupel said this week, “They’re long, they’re fast, they’re extremely physical on all three levels. There’s going to be a lot of one-on-ones that we’re going to have to win. We have to be extremely physical on the perimeter.”

Some people say that defense wins games but in the case of Tennessee’s offense, their speed is effectively disconcerting for opposing defenses. It helps that Hendon Hooker’s skill is paired with mega-talent in wide receivers Cedric Tillman, Jalin Hyatt, and Bru McCoy. To that equation add running backs Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright, and the Vols’ offense is a huge force to be reckoned with.

Tennessee’s defense is not as strong as its offense, but they’ve proven week after week that they can hang with opponents ranked and otherwise, and I don’t see that changing this week. The Vols play with a chip on their shoulder and a goal to avenge the mediocrity of seasons in the not-so-distant past. Call me crazy but you can’t change my mind: the Vols will emerge from Saturday’s matchup undefeated.

Tennessee vs. Georgia: Former Vols Weigh In

Right now Georgia is ranked No.1, they’re undefeated, and every pollster in America has been a Dawg since the spring. But, Georgia hasn’t had a particularly tough schedule thus far. They’ve scored a lot of points but not against many worthy adversaries. And according to two former Vols, the Athens environment is a manageable one. 

Former Vols quarterback Eric Ainge weighed in on the weight of this game, tweeting, “Playing between the hedges is overrated. Not that loud and definitely not intimidating. Nothing like playing in Neyland. Vols will be just fine in Athens!” Ainge was Tennessee’s QB in 2007 and led the then-No.13 Vols in a 51-33 victory against the then-No.10 Bulldogs in Sanford Stadium. Clearly, he’s got some expertise on this matter.

Another former Vol, offensive lineman Ju’Wuan James responded to Ainge’s tweet saying, “Copy that. Fair weather quick to boo the home team if stuff isn’t going well.” Low volume and fair weather fans? Yeah, the Vols will be alright.