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Georgia is still hanging around the SEC East race, and to stay there, the Bulldogs need to take care of business in the short term. After losing to Tennessee in devastating fashion two weeks ago, Georgia stared down a stretch with three of four games against South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky, the three worst teams in the SEC. (A game against Florida on Oct. 29 will intercede, and that's the most important of them all, but it's also another point altogether.)
If UGA can beat the Gators, Auburn, and all the teams it's supposed to beat, Tennessee losing another SEC game would put the Dawgs in the East division's driver's seat. The idea requires a couple of things to break right, but it's not impossible if the Dawgs do everything they're supposed to do. A necessary step on that road is handling Vanderbilt at home this week, as the Commodores shouldn't be good enough to put great stress on Kirby Smart's team.
Vandy can defend a bit, though, so if Georgia doesn't come out sharp on offense, it could get tense.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: Noon ET, SEC Network. The broadcasters are Dave Neal, Matt Stinchcomb, and Olivia Harlan.
Radio: Vanderbilt and Georgia
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Spread: Georgia is a two-touchdown favorite.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at Anchor of Gold (for Vandy fans) and Dawg Nation (for UGA fans).
Three big things to know
1. Georgia's passing game still hasn't taken off. Five-star freshman Jacob Eason has undeniable skill, but he's been sacked 13 times and is only completing a hair more than half his passes. Outside of speedy junior Isaiah McKenzie, none of his top targets have caught even 60 percent of the balls thrown their way, and the Dawgs haven't gotten traction. They haven't been efficient, certainly, and haven't made enough big plays to compensate for it.
2. Nick Chubb looked good last week at South Carolina. If he's churning again, that changes a lot for Georgia. Chubb looked like he was "back" after an injury cost him most of 2015 when he went for 222 yards and a couple of touchdowns in Week 1 against North Carolina. But he slowed down a lot (and was injured again) in the four games afterward. Chubb rebounded with 16 runs for 121 yards and another two scores in Columbia. If he's going right, Chubb remains Georgia's greatest weapon.
3. Vanderbilt's offense is unwatchable. The Commodores rank 128th (out of 128) in IsoPPP, an advanced stat that measures explosiveness. They're 107th in play-to-play efficiency. They can run just a little bit, and they cannot pass at all. If you need to go to the bathroom, do it while Vanderbilt has the ball.