Gunner Stockton had the ball in his hands with under a minute left against Auburn, a tied game, and 93,000 people waiting for Georgia to do what Georgia almost always does at home. He scrambled, the ball came loose, and Auburn kicked a 34-yard field goal as time expired to win 27-24. Two weeks later he gets the best possible way to move on: Georgia vs Florida on Halloween, in a stadium neither team calls home.
That is the odd part of this year's Cocktail Party. EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville is being renovated, so the game moves to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the first time it has left Jacksonville since 1995. The "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" will be played under a roof. Nobody seems too bothered.
Georgia
FloridaA quarterback who has to answer for one play
Stockton has been very good for most of this season. He threw five touchdown passes against Western Kentucky, put up 295 yards and three scores against Vanderbilt, and walked out of Tuscaloosa with a 20-17 win over Alabama that pushed Georgia to No. 1 in both polls. Then came Auburn, a 20.5-point underdog, and a day where he turned the ball over three times (two interceptions and the late fumble). It was the first time in his college career he had given it away more than once in a game.
Kirby Smart defended him afterward and said his quarterback wasn't hanging his head in the locker room. Stockton kept his own answer short: "I got to take care of the ball."
He also led a 94-yard touchdown drive to tie that game after Georgia had blown a 14-0 lead, which tends to get forgotten. I don't think the Auburn loss tells us much about him. It does tell us Georgia can be rattled when the turnovers start, and Florida's defense just won a game in Austin on a strip sack.
Georgia dropped to No. 5 in the AP poll and No. 4 in the Coaches Poll. At 6-1 and 4-1 in the SEC, there is no room left for a second slip if they want to stay in the playoff picture, and Ole Miss on the road follows a week later.
Florida's sophomore and the coach who found him
On the other side is a story nobody had in August. Jon Sumrall, hired from Tulane after leading the Green Wave to the 2025 College Football Playoff, started 4-0 in Gainesville, the program's best start since 2019, with a 44-39 win at Auburn and a 52-28 thumping of No. 4 Ole Miss. He was named Dodd Trophy Coach of the Month for September.
Then October hit. Florida lost 45-17 at Missouri and 38-19 at home to South Carolina, and starting quarterback Aaron Philo hurt his shoulder. So Tramell Jones Jr. made his first career start at No. 7 Texas, the Gators fell behind 17-3, and they won 27-24 anyway. Jones went 22 of 35 for 155 yards with two touchdowns, both to Lacota Dippre, and ran for 41 more. Myles Graham's strip sack of Arch Manning in the final two minutes, recovered by Kanye Clark, sealed it.
Sumrall called Philo's injury a multi-week problem and said the bye week helps. Whether Philo is ready for Atlanta, or whether Jones keeps the job after the Texas win, is the first thing I'd want to know on game week.
The steady piece of Florida's offense is Jadan Baugh. By our count of the box scores he has around 750 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, including 162 yards and three scores at Auburn. If Florida is going to keep this close, Baugh carries the ball 25 times and the Gators keep Stockton on the sideline.
Georgia vs Florida key facts
| Date | Saturday, October 31, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Kickoff | 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. PT, 7:30 p.m. UK) |
| Venue | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta |
| TV (US) | ABC |
| Records | Georgia 6-1 (4-1 SEC), Florida 5-2 (3-2 SEC) |
| Rankings | Georgia No. 5 AP / No. 4 Coaches; Florida No. 20 AP / No. 24 Coaches |
| Recent series | Georgia has won 8 of the last 9, including 5 straight |
| Last meeting | Georgia 24-20 (2025) |
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta. Photo: BullDawg2021, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Does Atlanta change anything?
On paper it is still a neutral site, but Atlanta is a 70-mile drive from Athens and a long way from Gainesville. Jacksonville split the stadium down the middle. Atlanta probably won't, and it is hard to see Florida fans matching the red in that building.
Georgia's record in this rivalry under Smart is the bigger number anyway. He has won eight of the last nine against four different Florida coaches, and Florida hasn't beaten Georgia since 2020. Sumrall is the fifth Gators coach Smart has faced. Last year's game was a 24-20 grind against an interim staff, so even Georgia's wins over a struggling Florida haven't always been comfortable.
The matchups that matter:
- Florida's run game against a Georgia defense coordinated by Glenn Schumann that held Oklahoma to 13 points and Alabama to 17.
- Jones (or Philo) against Georgia's back end, with Khalil Barnes and KJ Bolden in the secondary.
- Georgia's backs, Nate Frazier and Dwight Phillips Jr. (120 yards at Alabama), against a Florida front that just shut down Texas late.
- Turnovers. Georgia had three against Auburn. Florida won at Texas because of one.
How to watch
ABC has the game in the US at 3:30 p.m. ET, and it streams wherever your ABC subscription does. Outside the US, coverage of SEC games varies a lot by country, so check local listings. You can also watch it free on DAMITV in HD with no signup through our football streams page, which carries the big college games alongside the NFL. If you are making a full Saturday of it, our USC vs Ohio State preview covers the night game on NBC, and Sunday brings Commanders vs Eagles. Kickoff details are on Georgia's official game center.
GeorgiaFloridaOur pick
Florida has earned more respect than they had a month ago, and a sophomore who wins his first start at Texas isn't going to be scared of Georgia. But the Bulldogs are better on both lines, they have a quarterback with a point to prove, and Smart's teams usually respond to a loss with something mean. I'll take Georgia by around two scores, something like 31-17, and I wouldn't be shocked if Baugh makes it a one-score game into the fourth quarter.
