We are finally on the backside of a stress-free, yet anxiously-waiting-like-a-kid-at-Christmas off week with Georgia sitting at 7-0, ready to face its most well-known tormenter in Florida.
And I don't care what the official folks want to call it, this game will forever and always be The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.
Lately, it's been a place where dreams go to die, but you already knew that.
(And you're hoping for something different this go-round.)
Well, here's some stats that might sway you one way or the other.
The last time...
1) These teams met:
It was probably the most predictable game of the 2016 season, as the listless Bulldogs (already losers to Tennessee and Vanderbilt) failed to establish any semblance of a run game against the Gators' talented defensive front.
Florida forced Georgia into enough mistakes to walk away with a 24-10 victory that really wasn't as close as the scoreboard might've suggested.
This was the game that famously sparked the in-office meeting between Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and Offensive Coordinator Jim Chaney.
Perhaps Chaney listened, because a lot has changed since then. Or perhaps Sandra Bullock called him, yelling in his ear to "Run the dang ball!"
2) A Georgia quarterback won his first start against Florida:
For this stat, we need to venture back to 1989, when Greg Talley started his first game against Florida, leading the Bulldogs to a 17-10 win in Jacksonville.
Since then, Georgia has only had four quarterbacks total notch at least one win in the Cocktail Party: Mike Bobo (1997), David Greene (2004), Matthew Stafford (2007) and Aaron Murray (2011, '12 and '13).
And all of them lost at least once before notching a win.
3) Florida lost to an SEC East opponent:
For all the flack Jim McElwain gets as Florida's head coach, the one thing he's done consistently is beat other teams in the SEC East.
In fact, under McElwain, the Gators are 14-1 against the East, with the only loss coming last year in Knoxville.
Florida let a 21-3 lead slip away, as Josh Dobbs led Tennessee to an impressive 38-28 comeback win in Neyland Stadium.
And in case you're wondering, the Gators are equally UNimpressive against the SEC West under McElwain, currently sitting at 2-6.
4) Georgia lost four in a row to Florida:
For as much as the Gators have won of late in the series, they haven't won more than three games in a row since a six-game winning streak from 1998-2003.
Since then, Florida — currently riding a three-game winning streak, by the way — has put together two three-game winning streaks, starting with 2008-2010.
Hard to believe the UGA Class of 2002 was the last one to never experience a win over Florida at some point.
5) Florida had a losing record seven games into the season:
The Gators come into the game with a 3-3 record — a title tilt with Northern Colorado was canceled during Hurricane Irma — and have the very real possibility in front of them of starting 3-4.
The last time that happened was 1986, back before most Florida fans acknowledge football's existence.
That year the Gators opened with a win over Georgia Southern, then lost four straight before righting the ship to a 6-5 record.
6) A Georgia player scored a touchdown whose jersey number is higher than 35:
No. 35 is, of course, Brian Herrien, and he represents the Dawgs' highest jersey number to score a touchdown since Sept. 17, 2016.
That was the road game against Missouri, and the player we're looking for is the #PayneTrain.
Christian Payne hauled in a 2-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Eason early in the second quarter to give the Bulldogs a 14-10 advantage.
In fact, Payne is the only Georgia player with a jersey higher than 35 to score since Reggie Davis (81) scored a pair of touchdowns against Tennessee in 2015.
7) Florida lost following a bye week:
To find this stat we need only venture back to 2013, when Florida lost after just about any kind of week, not just bye weeks.
The Gators only had one bye week that year, ahead of Georgia, incidentally.
The Bulldogs raced out to a 20-0 lead (23-3 at halftime), only to hang on for a 23-20 victory.
That Florida team would go on to finish 4-8, while that Georgia team would go on to finish with about a thousand torn ACL's.
Since then, the Gators are 6-0 following bye weeks — if we're counting cancelations as a "bye."
8) Georgia ended losing streaks to Tennessee and Florida in the same season:
The Bulldogs have already ended a two-game skid to the Vols, thanks to a 41-0 thumping earlier this year in Knoxville, and they're looking to turn around a three-game skid in Jacksonville.
The last time Georgia ended losing streaks to both teams in the same season was ... never.
Put simply: The Dawgs have never lost to both Tennessee and Florida one year, then beaten them both the next year.
9) Florida had a 300-yard passer:
Let's return to the Gators' game against Kentucky.
No, not this year. I'm talking about their meeting on Sept. 10, 2016.
Luke Del Rio had one of his best games ever that day, finishing 19-of-32 for 320 yards, 4 touchdowns and 1 interception.
And in the 1 year, 1 month and 17 days since then, no Florida player has thrown for 300 yards in a game.
10) Georgia started the year 2-0 on CBS:
This will be the Dawgs' second appearance on CBS this season, the first being the 41-0 smackdown of Tennessee.
CBS hasn't been too kind to Georgia of late, losing at least once a season on the network.
The last Bulldog squad to start 2-0 on the network was the 2012 team, which one two regular season games (against the Vols and Gators, incidentally) before falling in the SEC Championship Game to Alabama on CBS.
BONUS STAT 11) Tennessee scored an offensive touchdown:
Man, I love making fun of the Volunteers.
And their offense deserves it, having been held touchdown-less over the last 14 quarters.
Tennessee's last offensive score was an 8-yard touchdown pass from Quinten Dormady to Tyler Byrd with 25 seconds left in the first half ... against UMass.
The ONLY touchdown the Vols have scored since then was a pick-six last week against Alabama, their only points in a 45-7 Bama romp.
Okay, back to your regularly scheduled Florida hate.
***
As of this writing, the Vegas oddsmakers like Georgia by 14.
I've seen this game far too many times to take the Dawgs and the points. I have a feeling it'll be close.
(Not to mention Georgia hasn't beaten Florida by that much since 1997. Hey! Bonus stat!)
My gut tells me the Dawgs win, but more in the ball park of 31-20, or 24-14.
10 feels a bit more accurate, but I've certainly been wrong before.
Enjoy the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, everyone!
http://accesswdun.com/article/2017/10/596986/the-last-time-georgia-vs-florida