It may come as a bit of a surprise to you, but Georgia does have an interesting all-time series rivalry with the Vanderbilt Commodores. Yes, they both play in the SEC East and their two states share a border, but we are talking about the best program in college football right now, in comparison to the only private school in the SEC's footprint. There is a big discrepancy between the Dawgs and 'Dores.
Heading into Saturday afternoon's kickoff from Nashville, Georgia and Vanderbilt have played each other 82 times on the football field. They first met in 1893 when the Commodores shut out the Dawgs, 35-0. So yes, Vanderbilt has indeed beaten Georgia in this rivalry series. It may be very much lopsided in Georgia's favor, but there are plenty of fascinating wrinkles in this annual SEC matchup.
Georgia holds the all-time series record at 60-20-2. The Dawgs have won their last five meetings over the 'Dores, having outscored them a combined 117-0 in the last two seasons. To date, Clark Lea has never gotten a single point vs. Georgia. Keep in mind that Vanderbilt did not play Georgia during the 2020 COVID season, as Vanderbilt had an internal outbreak during the latter part of that campaign.
Let's keep diving into one of the longest, yet most underrated, football rivalries in the SEC to date.
Georgia vs. Vanderbilt series history: Records, last wins, streaks and more
So Georgia has won the last five meetings with Vanderbilt dating back to 2017. The Dawgs' most recent loss was during current head coach Kirby Smart's first year back at his alma mater in 2016. It was a narrow one-point victory for Vanderbilt, as the 'Dores stunned the Dawgs 17-16 Between the Hedges of all places. Vanderbilt has defeated UGA thrice this century: 2006, 2013 and then in 2016.
Georgia has the longest winning streak on both sides, as the Dawgs won 11 straight from 1974 to 1984. Vanderbilt's longest winning streak over Georgia was four in a row during meetings between 1901 and 1912. Prior to 1954, the Dawgs and 'Dores did not play annually. While some SEC rivalries are well into their 100th or more installments, we are not that far away from UGA-Vandy getting there.
Although most of this rivalry series' history stems from the early years when Vanderbilt was good and Georgia was an up-and-comer, it has been incredibly lopsided since the 1970s. Vanderbilt has six wins over the Dawgs since then. However, very rarely will the Dawgs win double-digit games in a row over its regional rival. Vanderbilt will get them every so often, but this is a rivalry Georgia dominates.
A win on Saturday would get No. 1 Georgia to 7-0 and would make it six games in a row over Vandy.
