JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dan Mullen and Kirby Smart are accustomed to bumping into each other during the summer at their vacation homes on Lake Oconee in central Georgia, only about 50 miles south of the University of Georgia's campus in Athens.
They are friendly encounters, usually around the pool with their wives and kids. Mullen and Smart have even played a couple of rounds of golf together.
"It's a great place,'' Mullen said this week. "There's a whole bunch of coaches up there."
When Mullen and Smart shake hands at midfield before Saturday's Florida-Georgia game here at TIAA Bank Field, they won't be so relaxed.
A new chapter opens in this annual Border War, with Mullen and Smart set to play starring roles for years to come if their teams continue to perform at this level. In his first season as Florida's head coach, Mullen has revived a program quicker than most expected. The No. 9 Gators (6-1, 4-1) have won five consecutive games after losing to Kentucky in Mullen's second game.
Meanwhile, the seventh-ranked Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1) won their first six games by an average of 29.8 points before getting upset at LSU two weeks ago. Still, no one is counting Georgia out yet of a return trip to the national championship game if they get back on a roll under Smart, who in two and a half seasons has built the Bulldogs into a formidable opponent for anybody.
With Mullen and Smart both in their 40s and at destination programs, the topic of their potential longevity and what that would mean for this rivalry was broached this week.
"I think it would be great,'' Smart said. "It would say that both programs are doing well for both of us to have been here for 10 years. It would bring a lot back to this rivalry.
"In a rivalry, as you well know, is only a rivalry if both sides are winning. I think that would mean it would be pretty balanced. There's a lot of other games outside just this one that are going to decide Dan's and my fate, but I certainly think this is one of the critical ones and we both know that. We know the expectations of the SEC and we know the expectations of Georgia and Florida."
When these schools met a year ago, Mullen was in his ninth season at Mississippi State and not looking to leave. And then the Gators lost 42-7, former UF coach Jim McElwain and the school reached a separation agreement the next day amidst a three-game losing streak and controversial comments by McElwain, and UF Athletic Director Scott Stricklin contacted Mullen a month later to gauge his interest.
A year later, Florida-Georgia is back on the national stage for what is happening on the field.
"The Florida-Georgia rivalry is a great rivalry," Mullen said. "If there is stability that goes back and forth between the coaches, that only adds to the fun part of the rivalry.
In this week's edition of The Opening Kickoff, here is a closer look at the Florida-Georgia game:
THREE QUESTIONS WITH … GATORS LINEBACKER DAVID REESE
Q: As a Michigan native, what have you learned about the Florida-Georgia game the past two years? David Reese A: It's huge. Growing up, I didn't know about the significance. I just knew a lot of great backs played on both teams and a lot of great defenses on both teams, a lot of NFL guys. I love going to Jacksonville's stadium. I feel like that's home away from home. I feel like we're just going up the street to play.
Q: How big of a game is this for the program?
A: It can do a lot. Not just for us personally … but it can do a lot for recruiting. These guys are probably trying to get the same kids. It can do a lot just to show the type of program we got and the type of standard we set here. It means a whole lot.
Q: What is the key to stopping Georgia?
A: Oh, gotta be the run. I feel like that's what they're going to go back to. They tried to go away from it against LSU and they see where that got them. So I know they're going to try and go back to the run.
THREE STORYLINES
Florida has won five in a row. Georgia is coming off a surprising 20-point loss at LSU. These teams don't need any extra motivation for this annual matchup, but with the SEC East title within grasp and any hope of a berth in the College Football Playoff at stake, they have ample reasons to show up strong.
All of a sudden, a portion of Bulldogs fans – or at least those on the lunatic fringe -- want freshman quarterback Justin Fields to take over and sophomore Jake Fromm shipped out to sea. Fromm has learned that one bad game in the Twitter age and some will consider you toast. Fields and Fromm are both talented and Florida is preparing to see both of them on Saturday.
Georgia played for the national title a year ago and opened this season ranked No. 2 in the country. And after what many recruiting analysts considered the most talented signing class in history, the Bulldogs appeared to open an even wider gap between them and the Gators. Yet, eight months later, a Florida victory on Saturday and it's Florida who is in the national title conversation.
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
The Gators want to slow down Georgia's running attack and force the Bulldogs to throw. UF defensive tackles Kyree Campbell and Adam Shuler have established their presence as the season has progressed and figure prominently in that task.
Regardless of how much he plays, Georgia freshman quarterback Justin Fields is a player Gators fans know. Fields took a recruiting visit to Florida as the nation's top-ranked quarterback in last year's recruiting class and is a dangerous dual-threat option.
UF, like Georgia, wants to establish the run first. Junior Lamical Perine is coming off the best game of his college career and is likely to be a factor in not just the running game, but as a quick option out of the backfield for quarterback Feleipe Franks in the passing game. Perine has also played a key role on some of the Gators' most important drives this season.
THREE DIGITS
600 –Minimum number of police to be assigned to Florida-Georgia game following a recent rash of what is believed to be gang-related shootings in Jacksonville.
6 – Number of Florida true freshmen who have exceeded the four-game limit to be redshirted: running back Dameon Pierce, kicker Evan McPherson, tight end Kyle Pitts, defensive back John Huggins, defensive back Trey Dean and defensive back Amari Burney.
14.57 –Snaps per game for Georgia freshman quarterback Justin Fields, whose popularity in Athens soared following the loss to LSU.
"If you said, 'Hey, 6-1 going into the Georgia game, take it or leave it,' I might take it. I would love to be 7-0, to be honest with you, but if you threw that out there, I might, like on the game shows you hit the button, I might consider hitting the button right there and taking it." – Gators head coach Dan Mullen on expectations at the start of the season
"He's an offensive guru. That's what I call him. He's a great guy calling plays. I mean, he always has us ready." – Running back Lamical Perine on Mullen
"This is just a big trash talking game. The last two years I played in it, that's the way it's been, that's the way I think it will always be. Just good old-fashioned hate between two teams that don't like each other." – Georgia tight end Isaac Nauta, who is from Jacksonville, on Florida-Georgia rivalry
The Gators are ranked ninth in the Associated Press Top 25, their first top-10 ranking since the 2016 season. Meanwhile, the No. 7 Bulldogs have been in the top 10 all season. This marks only the sixth time in the rivalry's storied history that both schools are ranked in the top 10. A look at those meetings:
SEASON
FLORIDA
GEORGIA
WINNER
1976
No. 10
No. 7
Georgia 41-27
1983
No. 9
No. 4
Georgia 10-9
1984
No. 10
No. 8
Florida 27-0
1999
No. 5
No. 10
Florida 30-14
2008
No. 5
No. 8
Florida 49-10
2018
No. 9
No. 7
TBD
NEWS, NOTES, NUGGETS
Georgia leads the all-time series 51-43-2 according to Georgia. Florida says it trails the series 50-43-2, discounting that 1904 class in Macon the Bulldogs count as a win. Hey, a rivalry without a good dispute is boring.
Florida is the only team currently ranked in the AP Top 25 that finished the 2017 at .500 or below.
Gators head coach Dan Mullen, UCF's Josh Heupel and Georgia Southern's Chad Lunsford on the only first-year FBS coaches with six wins this season.
ESPN's "College GameDay" show is broadcasting live from Jacksonville on Saturday, its first stop at the annual rivalry game since 2005. This is the show's fourth stop (1999, 2002, 2005) overall. The Gators have won the three previous matchups.
Florida's defense has limited opponents to a success rate of 21.9 percent (9 of 41) on third down the past three games. Over that span, the Gators have jumped from 103rd nationally in third-down defense to 40th.
Former Gators Percy Harvin and Alex Brown are being inducted into the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame on Friday. They will be joined by Georgia's Aaron Murray and Boss Bailey.
UF punter Tommy Townsend has dropped 48.4 percent (15 of 31) of his punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
Florida junior linebacker Vosean Joseph has a team-leading 44 tackles, only 11 shy of matching his total from last season.
Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm is 18-3 since taking over as the starter as a true freshman last season, but he posted a career-low passer efficiency rating of 96.6 in the loss to LSU (16 of 34, 209 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs).
The past four games in this rivalry have not been close, with the margin of victory 22.8 points. The closest contest over that span is Florida's 24-10 win in 2016.
THE OTHER SIDE
Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart is one of 10 head coaches at schools in Power 5 conferences who is leading his alma mater.
Since taking over Georgia prior to the 2016 season, Smart has posted a 27-8 record and won 16 of 23 SEC games. Georgia played for the national championship last season, losing in overtime to Alabama, where Smart spent nine seasons as an assistant before taking the Georgia job.
Quick, name the other nine coaches at Power 5 conference schools leading their alma maters (hint: Smart replaced one of them) … tick, tock, tick, tock … time's up.
Here they are: Paul Chryst (Wisconsin), Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern), Scott Frost (Nebraska), Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State), Jim Harbaugh (Michigan), Cliff Kingsbury (Texas Tech), Barry Odom (Missouri), Mark Richt (Miami) and David Shaw (Stanford).
Not that this audience needs the answer, but Richt is the coach Smart replaced at Georgia. You can check out Smart discussing the loss to Alabama and his outlook on the future of program in video below:
BOTTOM LINE
The Gators keep winning and the games keep getting bigger and bigger. This is the way Gator Nation likes it. Furthermore, this is the way Florida-Georgia should be every year. Both in contention for the SEC East title, both still with a chance to make the College Football Playoff, and both ranked in the top 10. As I've typed in this digital space before, this game has always been my favorite on the schedule. Of course, last year I strongly considered packing up the laptop at halftime and going out to enjoy the festivities in the parking lot. The game was a bore. The Bulldogs bit from the start and romped to a 35-point win. Georgia is favored in this one, and no one should be surprised if they beat the upstart Gators. Still, unlike two months ago, nobody should be shocked if the Gators win and move into the top 5. I view this one a toss-up that comes down to the fourth quarter, perhaps a mistake by the loser opening the door to victory for the winner. Hard not think Georgia won't bounce back strong after its disappointing loss at LSU. Then again, hard to pick against the Gators right now. They have some mojo working that is going to be the difference.
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