Georgia Tech @ Georgia preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 30, 2013 ) Georgia 41, Georgia Tech 34

Nine wins apiece, two top-15 rankings and a century-plus of what both schools call “clean, old fashioned hate” collide Saturday when Georgia Tech travels to Georgia for the latest installment of one of college football’s great rivalries. The No. 15-ranked Yellow Jackets know they will face Florida State next week in the ACC championship game, while the ninth-ranked Bulldogs could end up in the SEC title game should Missouri lose Friday to Arkansas. But state bragging rights take priority this weekend in a contest featuring two of the country’s most powerful rushing attacks.

Georgia Tech ranks third in the nation at 327.9 yards per game, while Georgia sits 12th at 260.5, and both teams have benefited from the emergence of backs pressed into service. Georgia Tech’s Synjyn Days has averaged 125.8 yards his past four games, while Georgia’s Nick Chubb has posted six consecutive 100-plus yard efforts. The Bulldogs have won five in a row and 12 of the past 13 against Georgia Tech, rallying from a 20-point deficit to upend the Yellow Jackets 41-34 in overtime last season in Atlanta.

TV: Noon ET, SEC Network. LINE: Georgia -13

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH (9-2): The Yellow Jackets throttled Clemson 28-6 before last week’s idle date, winning their fourth consecutive game following a two-game losing streak. Quarterback Justin Thomas is 173 rushing yards shy of 1,000 for the season and has impressed with his ability to throw out of the triple-option attack, passing for 15 touchdowns. Georgia Tech’s defense has fueled its recent winning streak, forcing six turnovers against Pittsburgh and returning two interceptions for touchdowns against Clemson.

ABOUT GEORGIA (9-2): The Bulldogs are seventh nationally in scoring at 43.3 points per game – six points ahead of the school record – and have rushed for 34 touchdowns. Chubb, who has won SEC freshman of the week five times this season, has rushed for 928 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 7.1 per carry in his past six games. Quarterback Hutson Mason has 19 touchdowns with only three interceptions this season, and the Bulldogs’ defense held Auburn – at the time averaging 38.7 points per game – to one touchdown two weeks ago.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The all-time series depends on which school you ask: Georgia does not count the 1943-44 games and says it leads the series 64-37-5; Georgia Tech claims those two games – both Yellow Jackets victories – and calls the series 64-39-5.

2. Georgia and Georgia Tech meet with nine victories each for the first time since the Bulldogs’ 1942 national championship season.

3. Georgia Tech’s last victory over Georgia came in 2008, and the Yellow Jackets have won just six times since 1986.

PREDICTION: Georgia 37, Georgia Tech 31