Why Tennessee vs. Georgia Will Be the SEC East Game of the Year
When Tennessee was cooking at its highest level under former head coach Phillip Fulmer, the matchup versus Georgia used to mean the world.
From the hobnail boot game in 2001 to Peyton Manning's game-winning drive in 1995 and the stunner in 2007 that helped Tennessee win the SEC East, these two teams have produced some of the SEC's most thrilling and notable games.
Even over the last two years, with the Vols operating with a heavily depleted roster, the game has been incredibly tight. Pig Howard fumbled going into the end zone in the first overtime of the 2013 game, allowing Georgia a chip-shot field goal to win it.
Last year, the Vols and Bulldogs squared off in a 38-35 shootout that saw head coach Butch Jones' crew overcome a mid-game injury to quarterback Justin Worley and press Mark Richt and Co. for a full 60 minutes.
When the two meet on Oct. 10 in Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, it will likely serve as the de facto SEC East title game and be the game of the year within the division.
For the first time in a long time, the Vols are on par with the Bulldogs in terms of overall talent on the roster. They return an experienced secondary; veteran linebackers Curt Maggitt and Jalen Reeves-Maybin; a deep defensive line that helped them post the SEC's second-best third-down percentage last year; talented wide receivers, including Marquez North; a one-two punch at running back; and a veteran playmaker at quarterback in Joshua Dobbs.
What's more, they should get a boost from a depth perspective with the arrival of talented freshmen, including receiver Preston Williams, defensive ends Shy Tuttle and Kahlil McKenzie, and tackle Drew Richmond.
This game was a classic when the rosters were incredibly unbalanced, and head coach Butch Jones has changed that by luring top-tier talent to Rocky Top over the last three recruiting cycles.
"This year's a little bit different," Jones said at SEC media days. "Obviously, the expectations have changed a little bit, but as we're all aware, when you're at the University of Tennessee, you always have high expectations. But this year is different for each and every player in our football program. But really that's what you want. You want the expectations to be exceptionally high."
At Georgia, Richt is used to playing big games.
The program has either won the SEC East or been in the discussion in mid-November in each of the last four seasons, has turned into a recruiting machine after Richt's "Dream Team" of 2011 and boasts the nation's top running back in Nick Chubb, maulers up front on the offensive line and the best set of outside linebackers in the country.
Richt knows just how important division games are.
"We're going to play eight games in league play, and most of them within the Eastern Division," he said at SEC media days. "Those head-to-head matchups are crucially important."
The two traditional powers were picked one-two in the SEC East by the media in Hoover in July, which makes their midseason matchup one of the most anticipated games of the season.
What's more, both of these teams are coming off big-time games against SEC West opponents that love to make it hurt the week before.
The Vols will host an Arkansas team that's very similar to the Bulldogs in the sense that it gets after teams in the trenches and pounds the rock. The Bulldogs will host the always-physical Alabama Crimson Tide the prior week. Over the last four years, SEC teams are 10-13 the week after facing Nick Saban's crew, with only seven of those wins coming over conference teams.
For both schools, it's a chance to make a major statement regardless of where they are in the standings.
Georgia has SEC games with Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Alabama prior to the matchup, while Tennessee will have already played Florida and Arkansas. Whether it's a game for SEC East front-runner status or a desperation game to stay alive in the division, or both, it's an enormous game on Rocky Top.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports. Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93 XM 208.
Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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