'This is an elite team': Tim Tebow, College GameDay commentators preview Georgia-Tennessee

On the eve of one of the biggest games in Sanford Stadium history, several ESPN commentators spoke with media members to preview No. 1 Tennessee at No. 3 Georgia.

Here are some of those highlights from Rece Davis, David Pollack, Laura Rutledge and Tim Tebow:

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Laura Rutledge, SEC Nation

You've seen Tennessee a couple times this season. How much has this offense improved in the calendar year?

It's one of the most drastic improvements I think we've seen in recent years in college football. You think about teams that have turned it around — LSU from 2019 comes to mind, a team that people didn't really think they'd end up being as good as they were and then they win the national championship. What Tennessee and Josh Heupel have done is truly remarkable. I think it's because of his scheme that really matters here. Sometimes it's just teams stockpiling talent or they get a lot out of talent than we expect, but this has to do with coaching and culture change. It's really an offense that many see as indefensible. I think there are ways to slow them down, but they're still such a threat.

How have you seen the landscape of college football shift when it comes to the College Football Playoff, with four teams having a shot at playing for a national championship rather than just two? 

I think it affords you maybe the ability to suffer a loss here or there. You can't really suffer two, although it's not unthinkable that we could see a two-loss team. It allows for the season to not be over (with a loss), and not that it was with the BCS, but it felt a little more imminent that it would go that way. I think the opportunities are just endless a lot of the time. When you look back at these seasons, we counted a team out when they lost. Even when Alabama lost to Tennessee, they might not have looked like a Top 4 team right then, but they could by the time that it matters. That's something that Bama has proven they can do year in and year out. Even if Georgia suffers a loss at home to Tennessee, it's not over right? That's where the possibilities become really interesting.

How would you compare and contrast Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel and Georgia head coach Kirby Smart?

They're actually more similar I think than they are different. Kirby is somebody who has adopted some of the seriousness of your perennial powerhouse college football coach. People liken it to being like (Nick) Saban, but I think Kirby is who he is. He continues to be a guy that isn't afraid to put his personality out there and isn't afraid to put a lot of seriousness on these matchups. It matters so much to him. He's one of those coaches that I think people don't even realize how much he internalizes losses and how much he tries to move on from wins to make sure that he's always striving for success...Josh Heupel is a little more free-willed and easy-going at times, but still the ultimate competitor. Both of these guys played at a high level of football themselves, so when you've played at that level, become coaches and coached at big-time programs, you get used to (what's required).

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Tim Tebow, SEC Nation

Having played in Tennessee's Neyland Stadium and being in Athens, in Sanford after your playing days, how would you compare the two atmospheres?

Both super exciting atmospheres. There's a lot of intensity. If you had to pick one that's slightly louder, maybe over there when they play Rocky Top. But they're both so loud. You think about the SEC — LSU gets really loud, at times Florida gets loud, College Station gets loud. These two teams are tough. They should measure (the sound) Saturday afternoon.

You have a Heisman Trophy vote. Where do you see Hendon Hooker at and is it too late for Stetson Bennett to get back into the race?

It's not over for Stetson Bennett. I think so much of 'what have you done for me lately' creates hype for them and that's what gets talked about. I do not believe in that. I watch every player that is a contender and I watch every play. Literally every play, I don't care if it's the Samford game or whoever. I don't just look at the stats. I will look at every play and I think Stetson has had a very good season. Do I think he's right there? Not necessarily but can he get there? Absolutely. There are some guys who have more moments right now, but he has a chance. If he plays great tomorrow afternoon, (against) Kentucky, SEC Championship game, you can absolutely make a statement. Because of what he's done, too you're always going to root for him.

If I had to vote today, I'd lean 1A towards Hendon Hooker and in second would be CJ (Stroud)...We're just over halfway through the season and there is so much ball left to be played.

What are some of the things that are pretty consistent in Kirby Smart coached defenses, both at Alabama and now at Georgia?

Great defensive line push. Last week against Florida, you would see four defensive linemen right at the snap shoot their hands and you'd see four offensive linemen from Florida just get stood up. They win the fight at the line of scrimmage. Then their linebackers play fast and downhill. I do hate it for Georgia and for Nolan not being in, I think he's one of the best players in the country, so they'll miss him, especially down the stretch.

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David Pollack, College GameDay

Does the atmosphere, specifically in Sanford Stadium, have an impact on the game?

This is a stupid atmosphere. It's silly man. It's so awesome. It's one of my favorite things about Athens and one of the reasons I came to Georgia. I remember being a recruit in 2000 against Tennessee, us winning and ripping the goalposts down, I think that's the moment I knew that I wanted to go to Georgia. Insane atmosphere. I think one of the hardest things in college football is to win on the road. It's so tough, especially in this league. The crowd will be a big factor in the football game.

Statistically, you see Tennessee's offense at the top and just behind them in a lot of categories is Georgia. Do you think Georgia is overlooked?

Todd (Monken) has done a great job. This offense with Stetson is definitely different than it was a year ago. Last year, you were just like 'don't screw it up' and now you're seeing them let him throw it. Brock Bowers is the deal. If you asked me my Top 5 players in college football, I'm not getting past five with him. What he does for this team sets the tone for everything else that they do. His ability to play on the perimeter and win against corners, then you have corners who have to try and get by him when he's blocking for somebody. That one-two punch (Bowers and Darnell Washington) is the tone setter of this offense. Stetson's feet in a game like this when you need it becomes more of a factor. Does anybody at wide receiver step up and make plays? When you look at this offense, that's been the weakness the last several weeks. McConkey needs to make some plays, Arian Smith is healthy and he's a burner.

If you were on the Georgia defensive staff, how would you slow down Tennessee's offense?

I don't care about yards. I swallow my pride when it comes to yards. You just can't give up those big plays. When you get in the red zone, you're going to have to punch me in the mouth, run the football. The way they space from sideline to sideline, it creates so much space. When you get in the fringe area, in the red zone, I don't have to cover as much space or worry about that as much and you become a better defense because it becomes easier.

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Rece Davis, College GameDay

Can you put into context the historical context of this being a 1 vs 1 game with Georgia the top team in the AP poll and Tennessee No. 1 in CFP Rankings?

It's not the first time ever. Alabama and LSU in 2019 was 1 v 1 and Michigan State-Notre Dame in 1966 was also 1 vs 1 in terms of the major ranking services at the time. It's extraordinarily rare. The way I've described this — This has been a nice rivalry. This rivalry has been full of memorable moments, but not necessarily momentous occasions. This is by a million miles the biggest Georgia-Tennessee game ever. I don't think there's anything that touches it or comes close to it. Whether it's Herschel or '"Touchdown! My God, a touchdown! He stood up we snuck the fullback over. We just stepped on their face with a hobnailed boot and crushed their nose, broke their nose. We just crushed their face' sorry Uncle Larry I missed a quote. Those are memorable moments, but life went on after that. The Dobbs nail boot game. Great moment for Tennessee and they faded away and Georgia wasn't that great.

Your rankings this week: Ohio State, Tennessee, Georgia. What do you need to see from Georgia to see more of a complete team?

Explosion on the outside apart from Bowers. Certainly he's probably the best tight end or running back. I suggested that a great recruiting tool for Kirby would be on their depth chart is they should just list Brock Bowers as 'Baller' and nobody else at the position. When they recruit guys, they should ask if they want to play the baller position like Brock Bowers. A little more explosion around him and then finding someone to replace Nolan to generate some pass rush. The good news is that there are people capable of doing that. They haven't generated a ton of pass rush relative to what the guys did last year, but they have guys capable of doing so. You're looking for tiny pimples on a super model here. This is an elite team.

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McClain Baxley is a recruiting reporter for the Athens Banner-Herald and the USA TODAY Network. Reach him by email at mbaxley@onlineathens.com or on Twitter at @mcclainbaxley. Subscribe today to support local journalism. 

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: ESPN's Tim Tebow, others preview Georgia football vs Tennessee