No. 1 Georgia football hosts No. 20 Kentucky in Athens on Saturday. These are the top two teams in an otherwise very-winnable SEC East. It's still early in the year, but this is possibly the most important game of the season so far. Because the SEC still sends each division winner to the conference championship game, the loser of this matchup can't get another crack at the winner at the end of the year, unlike Clemson, who is still alive to fight for the ACC Championship and redeem its loss against Florida State.

Nobody thinks Kentucky is going to the College Football Playoff, but that's not the point. Consider this scenario. Kentucky somehow pulls off the upset against Georgia and then wins all of their remaining games except for, say, the Alabama game. One conference loss. Even if Georgia won all of its remaining games, it would still lose the tiebreaker in the SEC East. Kentucky would represent the division for the SEC Championship, and Georgia's door to the playoff would be closed.

The Bulldogs are National Championship contenders. Defending back-to-back champions. It feels impossible for their title hopes to end on Saturday. But Kentucky could potentially spoil their very-real shot at the elusive college football three-peat. On top of that, Texas A&M could beat Alabama this weekend, and the frontrunners for the SEC Championship Game would be Kentucky and A&M. How many people predicted that one?

But I'm getting ahead of myself. The Bulldogs are favored by more than two touchdowns. Still, Georgia needs to pull itself together and perform in the dominant fashion we've seen the last two years. So what can we expect for Saturday's matchup?

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3. Georgia may struggle to stop the run

When we think of Georgia, we think of this gritty, run-stopping defensive juggernaut. The Bulldogs have been bigger, stronger and more physical than anybody else the past two years. They didn't hide the game plan, they just pushed everyone around. But they also had the personnel to do that successfully, and that's why they were so dominant. A lot of those elite defensive lineman and linebackers now play on Sundays, however.

Now, Georgia has still recruited at the highest level and has as much blue-chip talent up front as anybody. But for some reason, the results on the field have not been the same so far. A year ago, the Bulldogs ranked first in college football in rushing yards allowed per game. Through five games this year, they are 39th. They allow 4.0 yards per carry, the same as USC's Swiss cheese run defense. Something is not clicking right now.

I do think Georgia is better than this, and that they will right the ship eventually. I just don't think Kentucky is the team Georgia suddenly stuffs at the line of scrimmage for four quarters. Kentucky ran all over Florida last week. Ray Davis went for 280 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. He averaged nearly 11 yards per carry.

Do I expect Davis to put up what looks like a quarterback stat line against the Georgia defense? No. But the Wildcats are second in the country in rush yards per attempt with 6.5. Georgia could struggle to stymie this ground game and get the defense off the field.

2. The Bulldogs also get their own ground game going

Remember how Georgia was the best defense against the run last year? They were also seventh in yards per carry on offense. This year: 64th.

The Bulldogs haven't exactly played the most stout run defenses either. Auburn had by far the best run defense of Georgia's first five opponents, and they rank 58th in rush yards allowed per game. Meanwhile, Kentucky ranks 10th in that stat.

However, I expect the Georgia offense to snap out the sluggish state it has struggled to emerge from in first halves this year. Though South Carolina and Auburn both gave Georgia a real fight, neither was good enough to really punish the Bulldogs for lackluster play. But Kentucky is.

Kirby Smart knows that, and he's bound to have this team fired up Saturday night. Georgia has been fortunate to have a pretty easy schedule this season, but there's no room to coast now. Smart is gonna lean into what Georgia football does best. On the legs of Daijun Edwards, look for the Bulldogs to move the ball with force between the tackles.

1. Georgia covers 14.5-point spread

14.5 points is the spread on FanDuel, and feels like way too many points here. We just went through all of the stats that point to one conclusion: Kentucky is better than Georgia at the things Georgia is supposed to be elite at. The Wildcats are a good football team, and the Bulldogs haven't proved they're as dominant as they have been the last two years.

But, we're doing Georgia football predictions here, so let's ride with the Bulldogs.

At the end of the day, recruiting is king in college football. Size, speed and talent are acquired in the offseason, and that's 90% of the battle. Sooner or later, the sheer talent of Georgia's roster is going to wake up.

Coming off a road game in which Auburn put them on their heels, the Bulldogs are poised to respond. That's what great teams do after putting up a sub-par performance. Particularly when they go back to their own building.

I expect Georgia to remind college football who the top dog is. Georgia wins in a statement victory by three scores.