Georgia head coach Mark Richt, right. and cornerback Damian Swann (5) watch as Georgia makes a field goal during their game against Charleston Southern on Nov. 22, 2014, in Athens, Ga.The Georgia Bulldogs dismantled Charleston Southern 55-9 this past weekend, unaware of their fate in the Southeastern Conference East Division race.
It will be different this weekend.
Georgia will host state-rival Georgia Tech on Saturday afternoon, and the Bulldogs will know by then whether or not they will be making the trip to the Georgia Dome on Dec. 6. Missouri, which leads the East but would lose it with a second SEC setback, hosts rapidly improving Arkansas on Friday afternoon.
"We've had some distractions this year from time to time, and it hasn't seemed to affect us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt said Sunday night. "I think we've done a very good job of focusing on the things we can control, and that's going to be the goal again."
The Bulldogs routed the Buccaneers and then spent Saturday night pulling for Tennessee, which hosted Missouri. The Volunteers and Tigers were tied 13-13 at halftime, but Missouri then scored 16 consecutive points before holding on for a 29-21 triumph.
Georgia defeated Missouri 34-0 on Oct. 11, but the Bulldogs lost control of their destiny Nov. 1, when Florida cruised to a surprising 38-20 win in Jacksonville. That propelled the Tigers out front, and Missouri has responded with wins over Kentucky, Texas A&M and Tennessee.
A victory over Arkansas would result in a second straight East title for Gary Pinkel's Tigers, who joined the SEC in 2012.
"Obviously that's what our guys are aware of, but thinking about those things really don't help you play better," Pinkel said Saturday night in a news conference. "This isn't the time to be talking about the year and your program. We've got a big game this week, and it's game four in November."
Missouri's 13-2 record in SEC games the past two seasons is matched only by Alabama, and the Tigers have captured their past two triumphs in venues that seat more than 100,000.
"It just shows how hard our guys fight," Tigers quarterback Maty Mauk said. "We've had a tremendous last three or four weeks of practice, and we're doing a great job of executing our game plan. We've just got to block that stuff out.
"Control what you can control, and what we can control is on the field."
The Razorbacks have not allowed a point in 133 minutes and 21 seconds after blanking LSU and Ole Miss by a combined 47-0 the past two weekends. Arkansas starting quarterback Brandon Allen left Saturday's game after taking a blow to the hip, and Razorbacks coach Bret Bielema said afterward that he hoped to have him back "sooner than later."
Saturday's Georgia-Georgia Tech game at Sanford Stadium will be a pairing of 9-2 teams. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 8 n the latest Associated Press poll and No. 9 in the USA Today poll, while Georgia Tech is No. 16 in the AP and No. 15 in the USA Today.
The Bulldogs have won 12 of the 13 meetings against Georgia Tech under Richt, including last season's 41-34 triumph in double-overtime at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Yellow Jackets were off this past weekend but won the Coastal Division of the ACC by virtue of Duke's loss Thursday night to North Carolina.
"We better be ready to play them," Richt said. "There is absolutely no excuse not to be ready for this game. It means too much."
Odds and ends
Georgia opened Sunday afternoon as a 14.5-point favorite over Georgia Tech, but the line was down to 12.5 Sunday night. ... Richt said everybody who played against Charleston Southern should be available this week. ... The last time both teams were ranked entering this game was 2008, when the Jackets pulled out a 45-42 upset in Athens.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.