Florida Atlantic Preview.....

After a big win there is nothing like coming home and paying someone 1 million dollars to let you kick the crap out of them.

Georgia is doing just that this week as they host Florida Atlantic.  The Owls are 42 point underdogs, so this is the last thing about Florida Atlantic that I will say: take the points, no way Georgia will cover.

Two weeks ago, I thought Georgia fans were crazy for being upset about the Dawgs performance against Buffalo.  I now think Georgia fans are equally as crazy for believing that the win over Missouri was a blow out that put the Tigers in their proper place in the SEC pecking order.

All I saw on social media on Sunday morning was comments about welcoming Missouri to the SEC.  I wonder if these people actually watched the game, or if they just woke up on Sunday morning, saw the score, and thought it was a good time to talk some trash.

I was extremely impressed with Missouri.  Their offense was dynamic, but erratic in the first half.  They lost their best offensive linemen and never really got going again after that, but what team (other than Alabama) could lose a starter on the offensive line and not miss a beat?

James Franklin played well, but you could tell that he isn't the most accurate passer.  I thought they should have let him get on the edge more instead of standing in the pocket and only running once the play broke down.

Defensively, Missouri was aggressive and disruptive.  The defense kept Murray and the Georgia offense on their toes for the majority of the game and there were times when it didn't look like Georgia could do anything on offense.  The motion that Missouri was using just before the snap played havoc on the offensive line, especially freshman John Theus.  Theus was just called for another false start.

For those of us that watched the game, we know that Georgia was winning by 7 points with 7 minutes to go in the fourth quarter and Missouri had the ball.  No matter how the game finished, that was no blow out.

What happened in the last 7 minutes of the game will be remembered by Georgia fans for a very long time.  Jarvis Jones is an NFL star that just happens to be playing for Georgia this season.  It wasn't just the big plays he made that was so impressive, it was the fact that Jones was seemingly around the ball on every single play of the game.  The big plays at the end of the game could have changed the way this season plays out for Georgia.

Jarvis will make more big plays as this season goes along, but more importantly, once Georgia has all of its defensive weapons back, Jones will free up Georgia other stars to make big plays of their own.  Jones will be one of the top 10 picks in next April's NFL Draft, and he will be remembered in Athens for being an amazing player, even if it will only be for 2 years.

After Florida Atlantic, Georgia will enter what I believe will be the piviotal point in their season.  A home game against Vanderbilt, which will be played under the lights (7:45pm kickoff on ESPN 2), will be followed by a home game against Tennessee.  If Tennessee beats Florida this weekend, which I believe they will, this game could be an SEC East eliminator.  Georgia should have all of their players back from suspension for the first time against Tennessee, but will they play at their best against a great quarterback in Tyler Bray and his great receiver Justin Hunter?

If Georgia wins both of those home games, it will set up one of the two biggest regular season games in the SEC this season.  Georgia travels to Columbia again, but this time it will be against the South Carolina Gamecocks.  For the first time since South Carolina entered the SEC in 1992, these two teams will play each other in October.  This game is typically close and frustrating, but perhaps most of that comes from it being played so early in the season.  It is a big step to think Georgia could be South Carolina on the road, but the Dawgs have never lost three straight to South Carolina.

Georgia's season basically comes down to 4 quarters of football in Columbia, South Carolina.  A win would mean that Georgia would be on track for their best season since 2002, and could set up a date with Alabama for a trip to the National Title game.  I know it is early, but it is never too early to understand what is on the line.  Georgia has to show up every week, play its best game every week, and keep their eyes on the ultimate prize if they want to cash in on what I believe is Georgia's best team since 1982.