Georgia Remains #1, Can They Win It All Again?
Picture from Wally Skalij, Los Angeles Times
Athens, Georgia (PSF) - With the college football regular season about two thirds of the way through, the defending back-to-back national championship Georgia Bulldogs remain ranked at #1 for the 20th straight week; this streak is the third best of all time, with them now only being one week behind the second streak of 21 of Miami from 2001-2002. With there being myriad questions of how Georgia would perform heading into this season after losing so much talent in the draft last year, they are still undefeated, although maybe not looking as bullet-proof as the past two seasons. Georgia hopes to be the the first team to win three consecutive titles since Minnesota in the 1930’s, but with Michigan tailing closely behind at #2 and Georgia having their toughest stretch of their schedule approaching, it will be easier said than done.
Picture from Visitathensga.com
The 4 remaining games on Georgia’s schedule are 14th ranked Missouri at home, 11th ranked Ole Miss at home, 19th ranked Tennessee at Neyland stadium, and unranked Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd stadium. Up to this point in the season, Georgia has only faced one opponent who was ranked when they faced eachother, so this stretch of three straight top 20 opponents will be a major test for the Bulldogs.
Picture from 247sports.com
Offensively, the Bulldogs have been examplary this season, with first year starter Carson Beck stepping up into the role after long-time starter Stetson Bennett IV was drafted. Beck has thrown for 2,462 yards, which is good for 9th best in the country, as well as having a great ratio of 14 touchdowns to 4 interceptions. The passing game, although having been extremely productive throughout the season, will likely struggle in the coming weeks without superstar tight end Brock Bowers on the field after suffering a high left ankle sprain. The Bulldogs still have talented pass-catchers though such as wide receivers Ladd McConkey and Dominic Lovett, but Bowers will certainly be missed by the Bulldogs offense for his inhuman production. Running the ball is typically Georgia’s bread and butter, and although this season the Bulldogs have been more pass-centered, their running game has still been effective. Running back duo Daijun Edwards and Kendall Milton have combined for 806 rushing yards and 5.6 yards per carry through 8 games, and without Bowers, we may see the amount of run plays increase as well.
Picture from Dawgnation.com
Defensively, Georgia has been remarkable once again and largely picked up where they left off last season, being ranked 7th in the country in scoring defense allowing only 14.8 points per game. Despite this impressive ranking, some SEC opponents have scored more than expected against this Georgia defense, resulting in some surprisingly close games such as their matchup against Auburn. If Georgia hopes to make a run for the national title once again, the defense as a unit needs to be tougher on skilled opponents, with the majority of the college football playoff contenders being fueled by superpowered offenses. The safety duo of Malaki Starks and Tykee Smith has been anchoring the defense thus far, limiting passing yards over the top and making notable contributions in the run game as well. More production from the front seven in terms of pass-rush will be the key to the Georgia defense improving and winning out in this stretch of tough opponents.
Picture from Mackenzie Miles, UGA Sports Communications
Georgia kicks off against Missouri this Saturday at 3:30pm E.T. and their journey to competing for a third consecutive national championship continues. With this feat not having been accomplished since 1933-35, it should be must-watch tv to see if the Bulldogs can make it back to the national championship and cement themselves in sports history.
