Georgia vs. Florida Pick Center

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SPREAD

TOTAL

Georgia

-500

-13
(-110)

O 43.5
(-110)

Florida

+384

+13
(-110)

U 43.5
(-110)

NCAAF

FINAL (10/28/2017)

Oct 24, 2017 ATHENS, Ga. -- Third-ranked Georgia and Florida are trending in opposite directions. Kirby Smart's Bulldogs (7-0, 4-0 SEC) are poised to win the SEC East and are a College Football Playoff contender. Jim McElwain's Gators (3-3, 3-2) are just trying to find themselves. Losers of two straight, it's been a tumultuous week in Gainesville, as mounting injuries and claims of recent death threats by McElwain has added to all the usual storylines for the rivalry game Saturday at EverBank Field in Jacksonville. Fla. Naturally, the Bulldogs claim they're not going to give the Gators anything less than their full attention and respect. "They're dangerous every year; Florida's a great team. That's no one to sleep on. No one is thinking we've already passed them. We know they're going to bring their game," senior defensive back Aaron Davis said. "They're tough, they're coached well over there. Regardless of their record, they send a lot of guys to the NFL every single year. " Florida has beaten Georgia in 21 of the past 26 meetings, but the Bulldogs were a two-touchdown favorite early this week. "Obviously, this is a team that's playing at a high, high level," McElwain said of Georgia. "They're playing really well. Kirby's got them playing well. They're a team that offensively has done a really good job of possessing the football, which keeps obviously their defense off the field, lets those guys play fresh. Georgia averages 454. 3 yards per game, led by running backs Nick Chubb (688 yards) and Sony Michel (492 yards), as well as freshman D'Andre Swift (358 yards). Chubb is the seventh-leading rusher in SEC history with 4,042 yards. Freshman quarterback Jake Fromm, despite his youth, has seemingly played better with every game. "Those runners are real," McElwain said. "And then you load the box, and the quarterback can hurt you throwing it down the field. Something we've got to do on third down is get off the field, give ourselves an opportunity. " But like any game Fromm plays this year, Saturday's contest in Jacksonville will represent another first. He has yet to play in a rivalry game as intense as Georgia-Florida. Fromm has completed 75 of 121 passes for 1,162 yards, with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions. "Any time you have a true freshman starting, it's challenging," Smart said. "I think this kid has grown. He's gotten better each week. Hope that continues through the bye week. You reference Jacksonville. I think what makes it challenging is the Florida defense that happens to be in Jacksonville. "It's not just the fact we're playing in Jacksonville, it's that we're playing against a caliber of defense that has been really, over the last 10 years, one of the best defenses in the country. So, you look at what they've done, the players they've had, style of defense they play. They're attacking, they're aggressive. (Coordinator) Randy Shannon does a great job with them. So, it's always a challenge. " McElwain said his Gators won't be approaching the game any differently than they have in past years, or put any added pressure on his team after its recent losses to LSU and Texas A&M. "No, I think it's a chance for us to go get better. You know, we just haven't finished. We had two opportunities to finish games and we didn't," he said. "That's what these young guys have got to figure it, when you give yourself an opportunity to win in the fourth quarter you've got to take advantage of it. And we didn't do that the last two ballgames. " Smart and the Bulldogs have their own issues they admit need cleaning up. Against Missouri, the Tigers burned Georgia with a pair of 63-yard touchdown passes, and with Gator redshirt freshman quarterback Feleipe Franks possessing one of the conference's strongest arms, seeing a repeat is a definite concern. Florida, however, ranks 11th in the SEC in passing offense (182. 3 yards per game) and last in passing TDs (five). Franks is 2-3 as a starter and took responsibility for UF's offensive struggles against Texas A&M, when he completed 17 of 26 passes for 129 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. "Ultimately, it's my job to get the offense moving," Franks said.