Florida-Georgia moves to Atlanta as the SEC keeps changing around its oldest rivalries

Constant change in college football keeps reaching the SEC's oldest traditions, and Saturday's Florida-Georgia game shows it. On The Paul Finebaum Show, ESPN analyst Matt Barrie talked about how that steady churn has reshaped the conference, then previewed No. 17 Florida against No. 3 Georgia.

This year the change is easy to see. Construction at EverBank Stadium has pushed the game out of Jacksonville, and it will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Sports Talk Florida reported. It is the first time the rivalry has gone to Atlanta. The Gators lose some of the Jacksonville setting they are used to, and the Bulldogs get a site a short drive from Athens.

The sidelines have changed too. Jon Sumrall is coaching his first game in the series for Florida, and offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner brings experience against Georgia from his time at Georgia Tech, 247Sports noted. The same outlet expects wide receiver Vernell Brown III to return and reports that Aaron Philo is back at quarterback, though who starts there has not been confirmed. Florida has not beaten Georgia since 2020.

What it means for Saturday

Both teams come in after a week off and with something to prove. Florida is 5-2, 3-2 in the SEC, and its season has swung back and forth. The Gators beat No. 4 Ole Miss 52-28, lost 45-17 at Missouri and 38-19 at home to South Carolina, then won 27-24 at No. 7 Texas before the bye. Georgia is 6-1, but its last game was a 27-24 home loss to Auburn, which CBS Sports described as turnover-fueled. That came a week after the Bulldogs won 20-17 at No. 6 Alabama.

The playoff math adds weight. CBS Sports' forecaster gives Georgia a 94.5% chance to reach the College Football Playoff with a win and 72.7% with a loss. Florida sits at 9.5% now, rises to 29% with an upset and falls to 5.6% with a third loss.

Georgia is a clear favorite across the 12 venues on this site's board. Novig has the Bulldogs favored by 12.5 at +102, while theScore Bet offers the best Georgia number anywhere at -11.5 for -105. That leaves the market split by one point on the spread. On the moneyline, Novig prices Georgia at -400 and Florida at +376. The total is 56.5 at Novig, -104 on the over and even money on the under. BetRivers has the best under price at 57 for -114. Sportsbook hold runs from 3.4% to 7.0% across the markets.

Georgia has won eight of the last nine meetings. The spread suggests a comfortable Georgia win. Florida's best chance is the explosive offense it showed against Ole Miss and Texas. The Gators also need to clean up their mistakes, since penalties and turnovers have cost them at times this season. The game kicks off Saturday on ABC and Disney+.