Week 3 of the 2025 college football season is hardly light on big-time matchups, but there’s no bigger game in the country on Saturday than No. 6 Georgia vs. No. 15 Tennessee at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.

We’ll dive into the top players to watch in this matchup and what we expect to unfold on Saturday afternoon, but first, it’s worth noting the one-sided history between these rivals in recent years.

The Vols won back-to-back games vs. Georgia in 2015 and 2016, with Kirby Smart dropping his first Georgia-Tennesee game in Athens.

UGA has won the last eight times these teams have played, though, and all eight of those victories came by at least 14 points, including six by 20 or more.

Tennessee memorably traveled to Athens as the No. 1 team in the country in 2022 and lost 27-13 on a tough day for an offense that averaged over 46 points per game that season.

This could be the last matchup between these teams for a few seasons, as the SEC has not confirmed whether this will be a protected annual rivalry in 2026 and beyond.

How To Watch Georgia vs. Tennessee

• Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. EDT
• TV: ABC

Georgia vs. Tennessee Betting Odds

Georgia vs. Tennessee Betting News, Analysis

Both of these teams were well-represented in the 2024 NFL Draft, though Georgia — which had 13 players from last year’s roster drafted, including three first-round picks from the defense — had a lot more to replace this offseason.

Tennessee also had to reload, albeit to a lesser extent, after defensive end James Pearce Jr., defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott, WR Dont’e Thornton and RB Dylan Sampson all were taken in the first four rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Georgia Bulldogs Betting News, Outlook

• 2024 record: 11-3 (6-2 SEC)
• SEC winner odds (FD): +330
  
• Odds to make College Football Playoff (FD): -200

Georgia remains one of the teams to beat in not just the SEC, but all of college football, though there are questions at quarterback.

Longtime backup Gunner Stockton, who arrived in Athens as a heralded recruit back in 2022, has just three career starts under his belt, and two of them came against Marshall and Austin Peay the last two weeks.

If Stockton can avoid mistakes and distribute the ball to Georgia’s talented backs and receivers, the Bulldogs should be able to win a ton of games, but he’ll need to be more than a game manager in environments like Neyland Stadium.

Right now, based on Stockton’s performances in relief of Carson Beck in last year’s SEC Championship Game and as the starter vs. Notre Dame in the 2024 CFP, it’s difficult to project how much Smart and Georgia offensive coordinator will ask of Stockton on Saturday.

Georgia’s offense did more than enough to beat Marshall and Austin Peay, but it hardly looked national title-worthy, especially in Week 2 vs. Austin Peay. After averaging 6.5 yards per play in a 45-7 win over the Thundering Herd, UGA picked up just 5.5 yards per play in a game Georgia only led 14-3 at halftime.

The Georgia D, however, looks like it has not missed a beat, even after seven players from this unit were drafted last April. In 2021 and 2022, the Georgia teams that won it all both allowed 14 points per game or fewer.

It’s probably too soon to call the 2025 Dawgs defense — which hasn’t yet faced an SEC offense — “elite.” But between DL Christen Miller, LB C.J. Allen, safety K.J. Bolden and corner Daylen Everette, this looks like yet another dominant Georgia defense.

Tennessee Volunteers Betting News, Outlook

• 2024 record: 10-3 (6-2 SEC)
• SEC winner odds (FD): +1400
• Odds to make CFP (FD): +176

The Vols are one of the most intriguing teams in the country after the Nico Iamaleava saga that resulted in Tennessee starting former Appalachian State signal-caller Joey Aguilar under center.

Aguilar has been solid in two games as a Vol, leading Tennessee to a season-opening 45-26 win over Syracuse in Week 1, followed by a 72-17 romp over East Tennessee State last Saturday.

His ability to avoid turnovers will likely make or break Tennessee’s season. Over 850 pass attempts at Appalachian State in 2023 and 2024, Aguilar put up big numbers, averaging right at 8 ypa on 850 pass attempts as a Mountaineer.

But he also threw 24 picks (including 14 in 2024) and was sacked 34 times in two seasons. He’ll need to cut back on both the turnovers and the sacks to keep Tennessee in contention in the SEC.

Defensively, Tennessee was as good in 2024 as it has been in decades. The Vols finished in the top 10 in the nation in scoring defense (16.1 points per game allowed). The losses of Norman-Lott and Pearce Jr. hurt up front, but Tennessee brings back several proven pieces on defense, including preseason first-team All-SEC CB Jermod McCoy and two productive veterans in LB Arion Carter and Boo Carter.

Unfortunately for the Vols, both McCoy and Carter will miss this game due to injury, and they could also be without starting DT Jaxson Moi, who is listed as questionable.

Though Stockton and the Dawgs haven’t shown much through two games, Georgia poses a tough test for this defense, especially with McCoy, Boo Carter and (potentially) Moi all unavailable.

Georgia vs. Tennessee Pick, Best Bets

Tennessee’s losing streak against Georgia has to end at some point, and the home crowd for this one be sensational. At full strength, I might recommend the Vols to at least cover, especially at +4.5.

But both McCoy and Carter will be sorely missed, and I just can’t justify taking a Tennessee team that has routinely struggled to run the ball (and stop the run) against Georgia throughout Smart’s tenure.

Chalky as it is, the right play here is to take Georgia to cover.

Best bet:

• Georgia -4 (-110 at DraftKings) — 1 unit

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