WHERE: Sanford Stadium

WHEN: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

RECORDS: Georgia 7-2, 5-2; Tennessee 8-1, 5-1

TV/RADIO: ABC (Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe: Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Eric Zeier, DJ Shockley); Westwood One (Nate Gatter, Derek Rackley; Sirius XM (84).

Well, here we go.

Whatever chance Georgia has of making the College Football Playoffs will be answered with the result of Saturday’s game against the Volunteers.

Right now, the Bulldogs are on the outside looking in and need to not only beat the Volunteers but also take out UMass next week and Georgia Tech after that to give themselves a shot at one of the at-large bids to the 12-team field.

While Georgia isn’t technically eliminated from a spot in the SEC Championship, the Bulldogs would need some help in the convoluted conference standings.

Based on their game at Ole Miss, that’s not the only help they need.

Take absolutely nothing away from Ole Miss.

The Rebels were without question the better team. Ole Miss controlled both lines of scrimmage and often made Georgia look like a second-tier SEC squad.

Offensively, the Bulldogs were difficult to watch.

With little semblance of a running game, Georgia’s offense seemed to be moving in quicksand, with all the rhythm of a dancing giraffe. Trevor Etienne's absence with a rib injury will not help.

Defensively, Ole Miss and quarterback Jaxson Dart ate up the secondary, routinely picking up huge gainers, including various slant routes that were seemingly open all afternoon.

Tennessee, meanwhile, has some questions of its own.

The Vols are in prime position for a spot in not only the SEC Championship but also the playoffs. They come into Saturday’s game needing a win over Georgia to make that happen.

But Tennessee has questions, too. Not the least of which is the status of quarterback Nick Iamaleava, who reportedly suffered a concussion against Mississippi State and per the Vols’ availability report is questionable for the game.

Tennessee’s only loss came during its trip to Arkansas, which ironically was its last road game back on Oct. 5.

On the flip side, when Saturday’s game is kicked off it will mark the first home contest for the Bulldogs in 35 days.

Georgia

QB Carson Beck, RB Trevor Etienne, WR Dillon Bell, WR Dom Lovett, WR Arian Smith, OT Earnest Greene III, DE Mykel Williams, LB Jalon Walker, LB CJ Allen, S Malaki Starks, CB Daylen Everette, CB Julian Humphrey.

Tennesssee

QB Nico Iamaleava, RB Dylan Sampson, WR Squirrel White, WR Dont'e Thornton. Jr., OL Cooper Mays, DE James Pearce Jr., DT Omari Thomas, DE Dominic Bailey, CB Rickey Gibson, Star Christian Harris, S Will Brooks.

Get in an offensive rhythm: If you asked me to describe Georgia’s offense in one word, that word would be clunky. Against a Tennessee team that may have as good a defensive front as Ole Miss, it’s going to take everyone – Carson Beck, the offensive line, wide receivers, backs, and tight ends being on the same page and executing calls like they’re capable of doing.

Run the damn ball: Georgia’s run game has been one of the worst in the SEC, and for a team that lives and dies with the play-action pass, that’s not a good combination. The Bulldogs have to start making good gains on first and second down to keep Beck out of long-yardage situations and prevent Tennessee defenders from pinning their ears back and coming after the Bulldog quarterback.

Throw the kitchen sink at the Vols: Georgia’s playoff hopes are on the line. No ifs, and, or buts about it. Be aggressive, hold nothing back. Attack, attack, attack – both offensively and defensively.

Georgia

RB Roderick Robinson - Out

RB Branson Robinson - Out

DL Joseph Jonah-Ajonye - Out

RB Trevor Etienne - Out

WR Anthony Evans - Questionable

RB Cash Jones - Questionable

OL Micah Morris - Questionable

Tennessee

DB Jourdan Thomas - Out

LB Keenan Pili - Out

LB Edwin Spillman - Out

RB DeSean Bishop - Out

WR Dont'e Thornton Jr. - Questionable

QB Nico Iamaleava - Questionable

OL Vysen Lang - Questionable

…In the Kirby Smart era, the Bulldogs are 14-3 after a loss and haven’t lost back-to-back games in the regular season since 2016, his first year at the helm. The last eight times Georgia has lost a game, it has won its next contest.

…Georgia is riding a school-record 28-game home winning streak dating to 2019, which leads in FBS.

…The Bulldogs are averaging 30.6 points/game (48th nationally). They are 34-for-37 (92 percent) in the Red Zone with 25 touchdowns, nine field goals, and three turnovers. Georgia is averaging 6.1 yards per play and 410.6 yards per game

…Georgia’s running backs to see the most action are Trevor Etienne, Nate Frazier, and Cash Jones. Etienne has a team-high 477 yards (5.0 avg.) and 7 TDs. The longest Bulldog rush belongs to wideout Anthony Evans III (52 vs. MSU). Branson Robinson has missed the past three games with an injury and Roderick Robinson II has yet to play this year due to injury.

…After allowing just 10 sacks through eight games, Georgia faced the Rebel front that came in leading the FBS with 41 sacks. They added five to that total against the Bulldogs. Along with Ratledge, the rest of the starters up front feature RS-sophomore Earnest Greene III (LT), RS-junior Dylan Fairchild (LG), and RS-senior Xavier Truss (RT). RS-sophomore Drew Bobo (C) and sophomore Monroe Freeling (T/G) are in the rotation.

…Due to injuries, Georgia has yet to have a full complement of defensive linemen for a game this season. The group flashed its potential in the road win over #1 Texas as junior Mykel Williams, recently named a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award, made his presence known with his most action since the season opener when he went down with an ankle injury. Against Texas, Williams had three tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble. For the year, Williams is tied for second on the team in TFL with 5.5.

…The Vols are seeking their first victory in Athens since the 2016 Hail Mary game. Tennessee, owners of the SEC's longest current win streak at four, is off to an 8-1 start for the second time in three years.

…Twenty is the school-record rushing touchdowns by Jr. RB Dylan Sampson, who leads the SEC, ranks tied for second in FBS, No. 8 in SEC single-season history.

…Assuming quarterback Nico Iamaleava makes the start, it will be his 11th career start and seventh SEC start this weekend. Iamaleava is 9-1 with six home victories, a road win at then-No. 15/13 Oklahoma, and two neutral site wins (Citrus Bowl, Duke's Mayo Classic). Four of his nine wins have come vs. ranked opponents at the time of the meeting (No. 20 Iowa, No. 24 NC State, No. 15/13 Oklahoma, No. 7 Alabama).

…Tennessee has held opponents to under 20 points in 10 straight games dating back to last season's 35-0 Citrus Bowl shutout of Iowa.

...The Vols have held opponents to under 20 points in the first nine games of a season for the first time since 1966. That year, all 11 opponents were held under 20. They are the fifth SEC team to achieve that feat since 2000, joining 2003 LSU, 2011 Alabama, 2012 Alabama, and 2021 Georgia. All four of those previous teams won the national title.

…Tennessee has allowed 113 combined points this season through nine games. That is the fewest point total through the first nine games of a UT season since giving up 66 in 1972.

Perhaps its recency bias, but after watching the ways Georgia struggled at Ole Miss, it doesn’t give one much confidence regarding Saturday’s game against Tennessee.

Although he’s known primarily as an offensive coach, quarterback Josh Heupel’s squad boasts a defense that’s playing as well as anyone in the SEC.

The health status of quarterback Nico Iamaleava is a big question mark we won’t know the answer to until game time. But even if he doesn’t, Georgia’s problems are concerning.

Between injuries, a sporadic offense, and a defense that has also proven inconsistent, that’s a lot of issues for Georgia to overcome. While I think we will see a better effort from the Bulldogs, I’m not sure it will be enough. Prediction – Tennessee 24, Georga 21.