Oh baby, strap in — it’s Georgia–Tennessee week and the stakes feel SEC-title big before we’ve even turned the calendar to October. The sixth-ranked Dawgs are marching into a checkered Neyland for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on ABC this Saturday, with College GameDay setting up on The Hill that morning. It’s classic red-and-black versus orange-and-white, and this one screams strength-on-strength: Georgia’s evolving offense against a Vols defense that wants to suffocate you with waves up front and heat from everywhere.

Tennessee’s defense is nasty, deep, and unapologetically aggressive under Tim Banks — but it’s also shorthanded on the outside. Both starting corners, Jermod McCoy (ACL) and Rickey Gibson III, are out again, pushing Colorado transfer Colton Hood and true freshman Ty Redmond into prime-time duty. That’s a huge swing on the perimeter in a week where Georgia’s speed threatens every blade of grass. And yes, the Vols are feeling themselves at 2–0 after lighting up Syracuse and detonating ETSU, but Georgia’s a different animal.

This is Gunner Stockton’s show, and the sophomore already popped the hood on what this offense can be when it’s humming — two passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns in the opener against Marshall, the kind of dual-threat spark that keeps a defense from teeing off. The receiver room is humming with Dillon Bell’s reliability, Colbie Young’s big-frame red-zone menace, and the jet-fuel speed of USC transfer Zachariah Branch, who came to Athens to change games in a hurry (and on special teams). Even with some youth showing in an uneven Austin Peay win, there’s real juice here — and it only takes one Branch orbit motion or a Bell glance route to flip the conversation.

The offensive line is the week’s bellwether. Georgia’s been patching on the right side, but there’s optimism that Earnest Greene and Juan Gaston can factor after missing time, and the Dawgs’ own notes underscore that they’ve yet to allow a sack in 2025. Keep Stockton upright for four quarters, let Oscar Delp work the seams, and suddenly this unit looks a lot like the one Mike Bobo loves: methodical, clock-choking, and then bang — explosives. The one real setback is at tight end, where freshman Ethan Barbour is out after ankle surgery, trimming a bit of flexibility in the heavier sets. Still, Georgia’s backfield — with Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens hammering — is built to steady the ship while the perimeter playmakers hunt mismatches outside.

Banks’ 4-2-5 lives on simulated pressures and negative plays, and Rodney Garner’s front rotates like a hockey line — fresh bodies, fresh teeth. They lost terror off the edge when James Pearce Jr. jumped to the Falcons in the first round, but they’ve stocked the cupboard with veterans like Dominic Bailey, Bryson Eason and Tyre West, with Joshua Josephs and Jordan Ross bringing length and burst at LEO. Arion Carter is the tone-setter at linebacker, Boo Carter is a problem at STAR, and the Vols pride themselves on staying disruptive all night. Tennessee’s identity under Heupel may be offense by brand, but this 2025 defense is the engine.

So how do the Dawgs tilt it? By making Tennessee defend every inch. Early downs are everything — win them with RPOs and glance/post looks to Bell and Branch so you’re not feeding the crowd third-and-long. Use Colbie Young to bully those banged-up corners on back-shoulders and digs. Marry the pin-and-pull run game with orbit motion so the STAR and safeties have to play honest, then hit the shot when the rotation gets greedy. If Bobo leans into tempo in spots — sprint to the line after explosives, then slow-cook with Delp attached — you keep Garner from getting the sub packages he wants and keep that pass-rush rotation stuck in third gear.

Neyland will be roaring, but the rivalry trends don’t lie: Georgia has stacked eight straight in this series and understands exactly how to suffocate the Vols in the fourth quarter. Expect a grown-man day from the backs, a steady hand from Stockton, and at least one lightning bolt from Branch to punish those corner absences. Dawgs seize the moment, quiet the checkerboards, and get back on the bus 1-0 in the league.

Georgia 31, Tennessee 23. GO DAWGS.