GEORGIA OFFENSE VS. FLORIDA DEFENSE

The Bulldogs have finally settled on a quarterback, and it's the freshman Matt Stafford. Stafford is 3-0 as a starter, but this will be his toughest test, by far. In last week's 27-24 win against Mississippi State, Stafford completed 20 passes in 32 attempts for 267 yards and two touchdowns. That's the good news. The bad news is he threw three interceptions. That's what you can expect when you're starting a young quarterback, and statistically speaking, the turnovers are only likely to increase against the Gators and their ball hawking secondary. CB Ryan Smith and S Reggie Nelson have four interceptions each. The Gators are stingy against the run. They force you to pass, and then they take the ball away. Stafford's best option could be emerging WR Mohamed Massoquoi, but Stafford will suffer if injured TE Martrez Milner can't play. It doesn't appear that he will.

The battle at the line of scrimmage will be interesting. With DT Marcus Thomas in the lineup, UF is much, much stronger. As far as the passing game goes, Stafford will be protected by an offensive line that has allowed nine sacks in eight games, pretty good numbers. But UF's defensive ends, including a healthy DE Ray McDonald and the red hot Derrick Harvey (six sacks this year) will cause problems. The Bulldogs offensive line must keep Harvey out of the backfield and off of Stafford if Georgia is going to survive.

With an inexperienced quarterback, the onus often falls on the running backs to carry the load. RB Thomas Brown, maybe Georgia's fastest player, is out for the year, so Kregg Lumpkin and Danny Ware will be called upon. Lumpkin averaged 5.3 yards per attempt last week, and Ware is an inconsistent running back who usually saves his best games for the Gators. But the Gators are one of the best defenses in the nation against the run. They allow SEC opponents an average of 2.4 yards per carry thanks to the talented defensive line and the great play of their linebackers, especially Brandon Siler.

The key will be passing the ball. This game might be entirely about Stafford. It's hard to see Lumpkin and Ware doing much on the ground, so Georgia must be able to throw the ball. Stafford has proven he can throw it, but he hasn't proven he can avoid throwing it to the wrong team. As is often the case, the game might be decided by turnovers. One note: Running against UF is not impossible. Just ask Auburn. Kenny Irons and Brad Lester torched the Gators defense, but I don't see it happening this week.

The Gators defense definitely holds an advantage over the Georgia offense.

FLORIDA OFFENSE VS. GEORGIA DEFENSE

UF Coach Urban Meyer insists he will get Tim Tebow more involved. Tebow played only four snaps against Auburn in Florida's only loss this year. Tebow matches up well against Georgia because he is speedy and shifty, and the Bulldogs have had trouble tackling. Even though Meyer will play his talented freshman QB, the senior Chris Leak will still be the main man. Leak, who has never thrown an interception against the Bulldogs, has yet to silence his critics, who claim he makes too many mistakes with games on the line.

When Auburn beat Florida, the Tigers secondary did a solid job taking away the big plays that UF's receivers typically make. Georgia DB Tra Battle is the key for the Bulldogs. He is the most experienced player in the Bulldogs secondary, and he must have a big game. UF throws out maybe the deepest receivers unit in the country with Dallas Baker, Jemalle Cornelius, Percy Harvin, and Andre Caldwell. Florida has 41 plays this year of 20 yards or more after producing just 32 of those plays last season. The key for Georgia will be stopping the Gators receivers from getting behind them. Let UF pick up small chunks of yards at a time, force longer drives, and hope to get a turnover.

Coming off a bye is huge for UF. RB DeShawn Wynn claims to be 100 percent for the first time in a long time. He and Kestahn Moore will team up and run against the Bulldogs defense, which is reeling. The Dawgs have given up 51, 24, and 24 points in their last three games. UF should be able to run the ball well against the Bulldogs, considering Georgia's tackling problems and the fact that just about every player on offense is capable of taking a handoff. Expect to see the receivers get carries on several occasions.

While the Gators have a lot of talent, the offense has underachieved this season. In fact, UF was producing more points under Ron Zook than they are under Meyer. The good news for Georgia is the play of DE Quentin Moses and DE Charles Johnson. Both are coming off their best games of the year. Moses is considered one of the best ends in the country, but he has had a disappointing season (three sacks). Maybe last week's game can get him going. The Gators offensive line has given up 13 sacks through seven games, which is much better than what they allowed through seven games last year - 27 sacks.

Give the edge to the UF offense.

SPECIAL TEAMS

I think just about any team in the SEC has a special teams edge over Florida. That's because UF's place kicker, Chris Hetland, is 1-5 this year on field goals. Special teams killed UF against Auburn, but it was a punt block and a punt returned for a TD that hurt them. The Gators are actually a very good team in punt coverage, ranking 13th nationally.

Georgia is hurt by the loss of Brown, who is a blazing-fast kick returner. The Bulldogs return game is slowing a bit, but PR Mikey Henderson has scored two touchdowns this season. He remains a constant threat. Kicker Brandon Coutu, a standout, is out for the year. So Andy Bailey has taken his place, and he is 5-6 on FG attempts, but his longest make is only 34 yards. Punter Gordon Ely-Kelso is a weapon for the Bulldogs.

Georgia holds a slight advantage over UF, just because the Gators do not want to see it come down to a UF field goal attempt.

PREDICTION

There is no logical reason to pick the Bulldogs. The Gators are more talented, deeper, playing better, healthier, and well-rested. The Bulldogs are banged up, unranked, and struggling to beat Mississippi State (after a loss to Vanderbilt).

There is one intangible that plays into Georgia's favor: This is Georgia-Florida. Everything that happens in other SEC games means nothing this weekend. Georgia is out of national title contention, so this is their National Championship. A win against Florida would make the Dawgs' two losses irrelevant.

Call it a gut-feeling, but I like Georgia in this one. The key will be keeping it close by halftime. Florida's defense is terrific in the second half, so Georgia can't assume they can come back from a large deficit. Georgia's defense is better than it has been playing. It's going to take a season-defining performance from Quentin Moses for Georgia to get a season-defining win. UF's offensive line has overachieved all year. This might be the game it stops. Some fans are comparing this game to the 1997 contest. The Bulldogs were heavy underdogs. They blew UF away.

I predict Georgia wins this game as Florida makes critical mistakes, doesn't take advantage of opportunities, and the Gators end up beating themselves in a frustrating loss.

Georgia 16
Florida 14