Bulldogs listed as 3.5-point favorite in Oxford

Georgia enters Saturday night's contest at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium as the 3.5-point favorite over the Rebels. The SEC lines listed on Sunday by the FanDuel Sportsbook place the Bulldogs (7-1, 5-1 SEC) ahead of Ole Miss (6-2, 4-2) for the 7:30 p.m. game. This matchup marks a difficult return for Head Coach Kirby Smart, who has yet to win in Oxford.

The Bulldogs arrive in Mississippi following a 27-8 victory over Florida. Their opponents are coming off a 45-15 win over Auburn and are fighting for a spot in the College Football Playoff. A loss in Oxford could leave the Rebels without an immediate return to the top tier of college football.

Smart has coached Georgia in every SEC stadium over the past 10.5 seasons with one exception. He holds a 2-0 record at home in Oxford and a 1-0 mark in Baton Rouge. His only other wins in rival stadiums include a 2-1 record in Tuscaloosa and a 1-4 record in Auburn. He is 0-5 in Knoxville, 0-5 in Tennessee, and 0-4 in Nashville, St. Louis, and South Carolina.

The last time Georgia played in Oxford was on Nov. 9, 2024. The Rebels won that contest 28-10 before fans stormed the field. Smart noted that the team was "pretty much" in a "Tennessee" type of situation regarding their chances after that loss.

"It was not a great game for us," Smart said. "We were not good enough. We were not competitive. We were not in the game. We were not in the game." He added that the team needed to be better against a high-quality field of opponents.

Ole Miss has allowed 26.3 points per game in its last six contests. The Rebels have given up 681 yards per game over that same span. Georgia will need to improve its defensive performance to secure a road win against a team that has shown resilience against other Power Four opponents.

The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The Bulldogs are 6-0 on the road in the SEC this season. Ole Miss is 4-2 in conference play. The outcome will determine the current standings in the SEC West division.