Ask Farrell: Will any SEC East team compete with UGA, Florida?
There seems to be a perception that Georgia is separating itself as a player on the national level along with Clemson, Alabama and others, but there is another team in its own division that should have something to say about that this season and beyond.
Florida surprisingly won 10 games in coach Dan Mullen’s first season in 2018 and the Gators are poised for another big year. The offense should be humming and the defense is always good.
And in one of the best rivalries in college football, Florida has a slight edge over Georgia in the last decade.
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The Bulldogs have won the last two matchups by a combined 78-24 score, but the Gators hold a 6-5 advantage over the past 11 meetings.
It’s going to be a heated rivalry for years to come. Georgia coach Kirby Smart has done a phenomenal job quickly building the Bulldogs into a national contender. And Florida is already sneaky good under Mullen, who let's not forget took Mississippi State to No. 1 in the country during his time in Starkville. Both Georgia and Florida have top-five recruiting classes in the SEC.
We ask Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell how he sees the SEC East playing out this season and whether any team – Missouri? Tennessee? – has a chance of competing with Florida and Georgia in the coming years in that division.
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FARRELL'S TAKE
“The simple answer is nope. Georgia and Florida will be the class of the SEC East this season and it could be that way for a while. I like Georgia to take the division next year but it will be close between the two programs and the way both teams are recruiting will keep it interesting.
"Georgia is recruiting a bit better than Florida these days and that’s important, but Mullen is a very good coach and is known for coaching players up. I’m not sure who can compete with these two down the road.”