Single games rarely affect recruiting. Streaks are another matter.

Tennessee travels to Georgia on Saturday to face its SEC East nemesis. The Vols have lost four in a row to the Bulldogs, a stat not likely lost on elite high school prospects from the state of Georgia.

"It's affected it (recruiting) a lot," said UT receiver Derrick Tinsley who is from Marietta, Ga. "A lot of people look at us and Georgia and they may feel like Georgia has the upper hand kids are going to look at schools where they can win and win championships. The past few years, that's been Georgia.

"I feel like they have the upper hand on us in recruiting but we can still go down there in the Georgia area and get some great players."

UT has 10 players from Georgia on its roster. That's the most of any state besides Tennessee.

UT's greatest success in recruiting Georgia came when they dominated the Bulldogs. The Vols won nine consecutive games against Georgia from 1989-99. With that streak as a backdrop, UT was able to lure players like Jamal Lewis, Deon Grant and Cosey Coleman to Knoxville.

The results: UT won a national championship in 1998 and Georgia replaced then head coach Jim Donnan with Mark Richt.

Richt's first hallmark victory at Georgia came in Neyland Stadium. It was a dramatic 26-24 win over the Vols in 2001. Richt has won all four games he has coached against Tennessee.

Tennessee fans often point to the 2001 victory by Georgia as the moment that changed the way highly touted prospects view the rivalry.

"I don't think there's much truth to that at all," said UT junior defensive end Jason Hall who is also from Marietta, Ga. "Every recruit has different reasons for choosing a school Mark Richt has done a great job there.

"He has pulled some Georgia recruits that might have come up here. We still get our fair share of recruits out of that state."

An upset win in Athens would be an invaluable recruiting tool for UT.

"It would mean a lot in the recruiting process," Tinsley said. "If we get this win, teams would know that Tennessee is for real The only reason a guy would pick Georgia over Tennessee is because they've got an upper hand on us.

"If we get a victory, the incoming recruiting class would know that Tennessee can play with Georgia."

The Vols are heavily recruiting several Georgia players this season. At the top of their list is Lovejoy High School offensive lineman Chris Scott. What makes Scott so attractive, aside from his 6-foot-5, 300-pound frame and athleticism, is his willingness to explore the opportunity that UT can offer.

UT has a strong tie to Scott. His former high school teammate, Anthony Parker, is a Vol freshman offensive lineman. The Vols' record of developing NFL offensive linemen is sure to catch Scott's eye as well. It's no surprise that UT's main competition for Scott is Georgia.

"Richt has turned that thing around," Scott said of Georgia. "The top elite players in Georgia want to play for a top-caliber SEC team. Georgia is right at the top.

"It's hard for other schools to come in and pick up the top prospects. If Tennessee were to get the edge this year then it would really turn heads in recruiting. It would look real nice for them."

Scott is a prime example of UT's recruiting focus in Georgia. The Vols will primarily recruit metro areas, such as Atlanta. Lovejoy is only a 30-minute drive from Atlanta. Small-town prospects usually have big time pressure to play at Georgia.

There's plenty of pressure for the Vols in Athens. One is the mounting pressure to end the Georgia streak.

Dave Hooker covers recruiting. He may be reached at hookerd@knews.com.