Better Know an SEC Opponent: The Georgia Bulldogs

The School: The University of Georgia

Record: 3-1 (1-1 in the SEC, 8-5 in 2013)

Ranking: 13th in the AP Poll and 12th in the Coaches'. The formulas have Georgia rated 18th in the Real Time RPI (Vanderbilt is #81) and 45th in Warren Nolan's rankings (Vandy is, sigh, 114th).

Mascot: The Bulldogs. Nothing sums up living in rural Georgia quite like an animal bred so that at no point in its life does it appear to be in good shape or have the ability to breathe without first opening its mouth.

Location: Athens, GA.

Conference: The ESS-EEE-CEE.

All-time vs. Vanderbilt: 53-19-2.

In the Last 10 Years vs. Vanderbilt: 8-2. Vandy has won by an average of three points in their victories. UGA has beaten VU by 23.5 points in their wins. Other than that, things are very close.

The Last Time We Saw These Guys: Vanderbilt trailed 27-14 in the fourth quarter and Austyn Carta-Samuels tore his ACL, but the Commodores rallied for Patton Robinette's first win as a Commodore, 31-27. Jerron Seymour had a pair of touchdowns and the Vandy defense held Aaron Murray to just 114 passing yards in the home victory.

Also, Carey Spear scored his first NCAA touchdown:

Is Vandy Favored?: No. But they're only 32.5 point underdogs! I imagine that line would be +78 if not for the presence of Darrius Sims.

Most Potent Offensive Threat: Todd Gurley. Holy crap, Todd Gurley is going to do terrible things to Vanderbilt on Saturday. He's got some lost time to make up for after missing last year's contest, and he's entirely capable of pulling two games' worth of production from one half of football. The junior is averaging 8.8 yards per carry so far this season. It may be a moral victory for Vandy just to hold him to six each time he touches the ball.

Most Potent Defensive Threat: Amarlo Herrera. The senior inside linebacker has a knack for finding his way to the ball and making plays. He had 10 tackles against Vandy last season and leads UGA with 34 so far this season. He's also been effective at getting to the quarterback (three sacks, five hurries). That's bad news for a Vanderbilt team that got absolutely ruined by Kentucky's blitzes last week. Expect Herrera to earn some intimate knowledge about the physical force needed to drive Wade Freebeck or Patton Robinette through the turf this weekend.

Matchup to Watch: UGA's kickoff team vs. Darrius Sims. Can the Bulldogs stop Vanderbilt's LEADING SCORER?

Interesting Fact: The Bulldog is the #6 most popular breed in America and the most popular dog in Los Angeles. You've gone Hollywood, Georgia, with your designer dog breeds and fancy hats. I blame Richt.

Bonus Fact!: Todd Grantham CHOSE to leave Georgia in order to coordinate a Bobby Petrino defense. His family wasn't even kidnapped or anything. Todd Grantham is a strange guy.

If Georgia wins, we: just keep drinking. There's no shame in losing to a very good Bulldog team on the road. However, if it comes as the result of another performance where the offense fails to score a touchdown, it's time to switch from Old Grand-Dad to Kentucky Gentleman.