No. 7 Georgia vs No. 6 Florida

WHERE: TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Fla.

WHEN: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

RECORDS: Georgia 6-1, 3-1; Florida 7-1, 4-1

TV/RADIO: CBS (Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson, Jamie Erdahl); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Eric Zeier, Chuck Dowdle); Sirius/XM/Internet (81/81/81).

Georgia versus Florida.

Even if it were just bragging rights on the line for Saturday’s annual grudge match, the annual war between the Bulldogs and Gators would be a big deal.

Considering this year’s winner takes one step closer to a possible SEC East crown only adds to the fun.

“It’s the way it should be when you look at the SEC East,” Bulldog running back D’Andre Swift said. “Georgia and Florida have been pretty dominant in the East picture for a while, and this game has always had some bearing on who goes to Atlanta. And I think both teams are good, and I think it's what college football is all about.”

Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on CBS.

As far as rivalries go, this one qualifies as one of the more heated you’ll find, starting with the fact that Bulldog head coach Kirby Smart and Florida’s Dan Mullen probably won’t be taking vacations together anytime real soon.

Nevertheless, for whatever personal differences might divide the two, there's definitely respect when it comes to the product on the field.

Considering Mullen’s background is offense and Smart’s is defense just adds to story.

“It's a chess match every time you go against somebody, but it boils down a lot more to players than it does Xs and Os. He always has a very physical football team,” Smart said. “They believe, and they have a commitment to the run game. They always seem like they have downhill, low-center-of-gravity backs. Very similar to what he has now, he had at Mississippi State. Big, physical offensive line; he never abandons the run. He's always going to be able to run the ball.”

But this Gator team can also pass.

When Feleipe Franks’ season suffered a premature end, seldom-used Kyle Trask stepped in and Florida hasn’t missed a beat. In fact, the Gators might actually be a better passing team than they were before.

Since taking over for Franks in the fourth quarter against Kentucky on Sept. 14, Trask has completed 110 of 164 passes for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns.

"All the credit goes to the coaches—coach Mullen and his staff—for just progressing along with me," Trask told sister site GatorsTerritory.com. "He’s making sure I'm ready to go out there, no matter what the stage is."

Mullen agrees.

"He’s played in some tough road atmospheres. He’s played in some big games already," Mullen said. "I feel pretty confident. He knows what he’s doing.”

Of course, it helps having what’s arguably the deepest group of wide receivers in the SEC.

“He’s got as good a wideout group as he's ever had, that I can remember. And he's using those guys' skill sets. He highlights those wideouts he has because he has so many,” Smart said. “I don't know how to better say it better: He has a complete offensive package right now with what he has, so he has the ability to use all those guys. And he's doing a good job offensively.”

The Bulldogs hope to be able to say the same after Saturday’s game is complete.

Jake Fromm struggled big-time in the loss to South Carolina, turning the ball over four times (three interceptions, one fumble) and attempting only 12 passes during the Bulldogs’ rain-soaked win over Kentucky.

If Georgia wants to beat Florida for the third straight year, Fromm will obviously need to play well, something he’s actually done in his two previous contests against the Orange and Blue. He has completed a combined 21 of 31 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns.

Of course, a strong ground game will also be needed, and that’s an area the Bulldogs have excelled at for most of the year, averaging 236.9 yards per game, led by D’Andre Swift, who has rushed 110 times for 752 yards and seven scores.

Swift says he’s ready.

“I think every week in the SEC, you're getting a matchup like this. It seems like for the next two or three weeks it will continue to happen, because you have really good football teams in our league,” Swift said. “I think when you strap it on in our league, you better come ready to play, because week in, week out, you're going to have to play in big-time matchups.

...Mix up the plays; be creative: Jake Fromm said Wednesday that Georgia won’t re-invent the wheel when it comes to the Bulldogs' offense against the Gators. But one can certainly argue more gas needs to be found for the engine. Although Florida has been vulnerable at times against the run (South Carolina rushed for over 200 yards), the Bulldogs can’t be content to simply pound the ball at the middle of a talented Gator front seven. No, the Bulldogs will need to continue not only to mix up the kind of runs they attempt to execute, but James Coley must put Fromm in position for success. Georgia’s receivers must step up to make plays in the passing game to make this happen.

...Win the turnover battle: We're dwelling on the obvious here, but neither team can lose the turnover battle and win this game. This is underscored by the fact that Florida is one of the best at causing turnovers, with 18 takeaways, ranking sixth in all of FBS.

...Dominate the line of scrimmage: Dominate might be a strong word, but as we just said regarding turnovers, whoever wants to win this game must be the better team up front. Good news for Georgia is, the Bulldogs are as healthy as they’ve been in some time. But there’s still the need to re-assert themselves against a Gator defensive front seven that’s one of the best they’ll see this year.

…Wide receiver Lawrence Cager (ribs and shoulder) was cleared to return to practice, but Smart warned there’s a difference between being cleared and game-ready. The guess here is Cager will be good to go, and if he is, that could be a huge boon for the Bulldogs' offense.

…Defensive end Travon Walker (wrist) returned to practice on Monday, but like Cager, it’s unclear if the true freshman will have shown coaches enough during the week to warrant getting in Saturday’s game.

…Cornerback Tyson Campbell (turf toe) appeared to be ready to go early on. But according to Smart, he suffered some sort of minor setback in the middle of the week. Campbell hasn’t played in well over a month, so it’s unclear if coaches will want to push the sophomore further. We’ll have to wait and see.

…Backup offensive lineman Justin Shaffer (neck) is out.

There's an old saying that goes, things are never as good or as bad as they seem. The truth always lies somewhere in-between.

That's probably a good way to assess the Georgia football team.

While there's a certain segment of the Bulldog Nation still up in arms after the loss to South Carolina, the truth is, despite everything that's happened, Georgia still controls its own destiny as far as its preseason goals are concerned.

We'll be able to say the same this time next week.

Prediction: Georgia 24, Florida 21.