The matchup between the Tennessee Vols and the Georgia Bulldogs this weekend in Athens is easily the biggest college football game of the season.

This game will almost certainly determine the winner of the SEC East. And the winner will also likely lock down a spot in the College Football Playoff (assuming neither team stumbles in the final few weeks of the season).

Tennessee is the No. 1 team in the initial College Football Playoff rankings while Georgia is the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 poll. This game could really be billed as a battle of No. 1 teams.

Of course, the rankings ultimately don't matter. At least not yet. There's a lot of season left to play and this game will play an important role in determining how the postseason looks.

I don't think it's a stretch to say that this is Tennessee's biggest game since the 2001 game against Florida that set the Vols up for a chance to play for a national championship (unfortunately for the Vols, they weren't able to take care of business against Nick Saban and LSU in the SEC Championship game that season).

No one expected the Vols to be playing for a national championship this season. But that's the position this team is in right now. And they're not just happy to be in the conversation — Tennessee's goal is to win it all this season. That's a goal they've had since before the season started.

Getting past Georgia, though, won't be easy. But it's doable. The Vols' offense is electric and Georgia's defense isn't quite as good as it was last season. If Tennessee is hitting on all cylinders, I'm not sure the Bulldogs can stop them.

There is essentially only one way to stop the Vols' offense. And it's something that Georgia will certainly try to do on Saturday.

Pressure quarterback Hendon Hooker.

There isn't a secondary in the country that can hang with Tennessee if Hooker has a clean pocket.

But if teams get pressure on Hooker, it can wreck the Vols' offensive game plan.

If Hooker gets sacked on an early down, it immediately gets Tennessee off schedule and has a massive impact on play-calling. Suddenly, instead of the Vols dictating how the game is played, it's the defense that's setting the tone.

Protecting Hooker is without a doubt the biggest key to this game. If Tennessee's offensive line holds up, they will put up a lot of points against the Bulldogs. But if Georgia is able to get home against Hooker more often than not, then it could be the first time we've seen the Vols' offense shut down this season.

The key to the game is really that simple. Protect Hooker and I think Tennessee wins. Let Georgia get pressure on Hooker and the Bulldogs win.

Nolan Smith, Georgia's top pass rusher, is out for the rest of the season. That certainly hurts the Bulldogs' defense. But Georgia has plenty of talent. They may not have another Nolan Smith on the roster, but they have guys with elite talent who can play.

It should be a wild one in Athens on Saturday.

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