WHERE: Sanford Stadium

WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

RECORDS: Georgia 9-2, Georgia Tech 7-4

TV/RADIO: ABC (Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer, Katie George); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Eric Zeier, DJ Shockley); SiriusXM (84).

Georgia has a ticket to the SEC Championship tucked away in its back pocket but if you think the Bulldogs are looking ahead to the game on Dec. 7 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium then you’re out of your pea-picking mind.

Friday night’s game against the Yellow Jackets isn’t just a game, it’s war and Kirby Smart has made sure his Bulldogs understand what they’ll be getting into.

When talking about what his squad can expect in what should be a raucous environment at Sanford Stadium, Smart used descriptions like “street fight” and explained how his Bulldogs would need to “seek contact” to win a game vital to Georgia’s post-season chances.

But even if playoffs were not part of the conversation, the importance of winning Friday night has not been lost on the Bulldogs.

Georgia is going for its seventh straight Governor’s Cup Trophy, with Tech’s last win in the series coming back in 2016, Smart’s first year as the Bulldogs’ head coach.

Friday night’s game should be interesting.

The Bulldogs may be 19.5 favorites, but Tech (7-4) has played well this year, having beaten No. 6 Miami a few weeks ago, and seems to be playing with a newfound toughness courtesy of third-year head coach Brent Key.

Offensively, the Yellow Jackets employ two quarterbacks – Haynes King and former Prince Avenue star and freshman Aaron Philo, who threw for 265 yards in last week’s come-from-behind win over North Carolina State.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs are counting on a third straight solid game from Carson Beck, who appears to have rediscovered his groove after a recent rash of interceptions.

Beck has had zero picks over his last two ball games and will look to continue that success against a Georgia Tech defense with five interceptions this year.

Georgia: QB Carson Beck, RB Nate Frazier, WR Arian Smith, TE Oscar Delp, WR Dom Lovett, C Jared Wilson, RG Tate Ratledge, DE Mykel Williams, N Nazir Stackhouse, LB Jalon Walker, LB C.J. Allen, S Malaki Starks, CB Daylen Everette.

Georgia Tech: QB Haynes King, QB Aaron Philo, RB Jamal King, WR Malik Rutherford, WR Eric Singleton Jr., C Weston Franklin Jr., DE Sylvain Yondjoeun, N Zeek Biggers, Mike Kyle Efford, CB Warren Burrell, S LaMiles Brooks.

Take advantage of the atmosphere: Although many students may be home for Thanksgiving, the atmosphere at Sanford Stadium should be rocking and it will be up to the Bulldogs to take advantage.

Win the line of scrimmage: Kirby Smart talked a lot this week about the physicality and how this game would be a “street fight.” Well, this all starts up front on both sides of the ball.

Do a better job of stopping the run: This is a must when playing Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets no longer run the option, but Haynes King is as dangerous of a runner for a quarterback as there is, and we’ve seen how the Bulldogs have struggled against running quarterbacks before.

RB Trevor Etienne (out)

RB Branson Robinson (questionable)

RB Roderick Robinson (questionable)

OL Earnest Greene III (questionable)

WR Dillon Bell (doubtful)

WR Anthony Evans III (questionable)

DL Christen Miller (doubtful)

DL Joseph Jonah-Ajonye (out)

…The Bulldogs look to retain the Governor’s Cup Trophy for the seventh straight year. The current winning streak in the series began in 2017, and the teams did not square off during the 2020 campaign when each played a conference-only schedule. This season, Georgia is 5-0 at home, 2-2 in true road games, and 2-0 at neutral sites.

…The No. 10 (CFP) Bulldogs have won a school-record 30 consecutive home games dating to 2019, and that is the longest active streak in the FBS. After going over a month without a home game, the Bulldogs returned to Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium on Nov. 16 and registered a 31-17 win over No. 7 Tennessee.

…Georgia is aiming for their fifth straight undefeated season at home and seventh in nine years under Smart. Georgia is 49-4 Between the Hedges in the Smart era. *Georgia has won 25 straight night games at home including 16-0 under Smart. The current streak of night victories at Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium started in 2010 with a 42-34 win over Tech.

…Georgia is 37-2 against non-conference teams in the Smart era. The only two losses have been to Texas 28-21 in the 2019 Sugar Bowl and 28-27 to Georgia Tech in Athens in his first season in 2016.

...The Bulldogs have won 25 consecutive non-conference matchups.

…Georgia’s 2024 Senior Class is an FBS-leading 51-4 (45-2 in the regular season) since 2021 and that’s a school record. The next best record in this span belongs to Michigan at 46-8. Georgia’s 2023 Senior Class held the previous school record at 50-4 with two national titles, an SEC crown plus going 6-0 in bowl/CFP games.

…The Bulldogs have clinched their fourth straight appearance in the SEC Championship Game (SECCG) and seventh overall trip under Smart. It will face the Texas/Texas A&M winner in Atlanta on Dec. 7.

Georgia’s running backs to see the most action are Trevor Etienne, Nate Frazier and Cash Jones. Etienne, who has made eight starts but missed the last two games due to injury, has 477 yards (5.0 avg.) and 7 TDs. Frazier made his first start in the win over No. 7 Tennessee and provided 68 yards on 19 carries (tied career high) and one touchdown. Frazier became the first Bulldog fresh[1]man tailback to start since 2014 when Nick Chubb and Sony Michel both did it.

…Fifth-year senior Carson Beck, a 6-4, 220-pound native of Jacksonville, Fla., owns a 22-3 record as a starter. Led Georgia to a 13-1 mark in ’23. He is 8-3 versus top-20 opponents with a 66.8 Completion Percentage (243-364) for 3,118 yards, 20 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in those contests.

…This year’s matchup marks only the second time in the 118-game history of the Georgia Tech-Georgia rivalry — which dates back to 1893 — that the teams will square off on a Friday. The previous Friday matchup came on Nov. 25, 1994 in Athens.

…While Georgia has won 18 of the last 21 matchups in the rivalry, the Yellow Jackets’ most recent success in the series has come in Athens, where Tech has won twice in its last four trips and three times in its last seven visits.

…The Yellow Jackets are facing their third top-10 opponent of the season. Tech is 2-0 in its previous two matchups against top 10 teams — a 24-21 win over then-No. 10-ranked Florida State in the season opener in Dublin, Ireland on Aug. 24 and a 28-23 triumph over then-No. 4 Miami (Fla.) on Nov. 9. The Jackets are one of only 12 unranked teams that have beaten a top 10 opponent this season, and the only unranked squad that has done it twice.

…With a win on Friday, this season’s Yellow Jackets would become only the second team in Georgia Tech history with three wins over top 10 opponents in one season. The 1959 Jackets defeated No. 6 SMU (16-12), No. 6 Clemson (16-6) and No. 8 Tennessee (14-7) in three consecutive weeks — Sept. 26, Oct. 3 and Oct. 10, 1959.

…With seven regular-season victories (its most since 2017), Georgia Tech has clinched back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2013 and 2014.

The line is 19.5 points and that seems to be a lot from the standpoint of in rivalry games like this, betting lines do not always mean as much as they might in a normal game.

Although beating the spread might prove difficult, Georgia should have enough ammo to win, but Georgia Tech will make the Bulldogs work. Prediction: Georgia 31, Georgia Tech 20