Rece Davis picks winner of Georgia-Georgia Tech 'Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate' rivalry game

Rece Davis expects Georgia Tech keep it close against Georgia while predicting a Bulldogs victory.

ESPN college football host Rece Davis picked a winner between Georgia and Georgia Tech's rivalry game this week. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs and No. 23 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will collide Friday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the latest installment of their bitter in-state rivalry. This neutral-site matchup carries significant College Football Playoff implications for Georgia and follows a historic eight-overtime thriller between the two schools last season.

Georgia enters the contest with a 10-1 record and looks to secure its eighth consecutive victory in the series known as “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate.” Georgia Tech stands at 9-2 and aims to recover from a home loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers that dampened its Atlantic Coast Conference championship hopes.

Two finalists for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award will lead the offenses in Atlanta. Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton and Georgia Tech signal-caller Haynes King headline the matchup as dual-threat playmakers who have earned praise for their physical durability.

Rece Davis Anticipates Competitive Battle, Georgia Win

On a Wednesday episode of the College GameDay podcast, ESPN host Rece Davis analyzed the matchup and offered his prediction. Davis acknowledged that Georgia Tech’s recent performances might encourage bettors to dismiss their chances.

“I think based on what happened to Georgia Tech against Pittsburgh and then the way they played against Boston College, it would be real easy to say lay them and laugh,” Davis said. “But this feels like sort of a last stand, in a bit of a face-saving type of game for Tech.”

The Yellow Jackets lost 42-28 to Pittsburgh last week. Davis noted the emotional toll of that defeat compared to the heartbreak the team suffered a year ago in Athens.

“Georgia Tech had a devastating loss,” Davis said. “Probably going to keep the Yellow Jackets from going to the ACC championship game, losing against Pitt. That one probably didn't hurt the heart as much as the eight-overtime loss against Georgia last year, a game that they completely squandered.”

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart expressed respect for King’s toughness leading into the game. He compared the Georgia Tech quarterback's resilience to that of his own starter. “The toughness, and the durability he has done that with has been similar for Gunner,” Smart said. “He just hasn’t done it as long as Haynes has.”

Davis expects the Yellow Jackets to offer resistance despite the 13.5-point spread. He believes the team is motivated to disrupt Georgia's postseason positioning.

Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) has thrown for 2,465 yards, 19 touchdowns and scored eight times on the ground this season. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

“They'll have a chance to sort of stick it to the Dogs' resume Friday afternoon,” Davis said. “I think Georgia's playing great. They're not going to push Georgia to the brink the way they did last year. But I do think that Tech will hang in there.”

The ESPN host ultimately predicted the Bulldogs would win but suggested the final score might be tight. He credited the Yellow Jackets’ ability to fight until the final whistle. “They'll fight to the bitter end,” Davis said. “But I'll take the Dawgs to win.”

The Bulldogs will face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.