Georgia Bulldogs:
Kirby Smart’s team is the betting favorite to win the national championship this year. Georgia missed out on the College Football Playoff last season, with a loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship being the reason for that. But the Bulldogs return most of their key starters from a year ago, including quarterback Carson Beck. There might not be a team in college football with as much talent as the Dawgs, and they’ll undoubtedly play with some edge after last season.
The issue for Georgia is that this year’s schedule is absolutely brutal. The Bulldogs will play road games against Alabama, Texas and Ole Miss. They’ll also host Tennessee and play a neutral-field game against Clemson. The expanded playoff should mean that Georgia can slip up, but what if it happens twice — or three times?
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Offense
Not only is Beck back after throwing for 3,941 yards with 24 touchdowns, but he’ll be protected by an offensive line that returns four starters. So, Beck should have all the time in the world to pick opposing defenses apart. And Georgia also happened to add Florida transfer Trevor Etienne, who is one of the best running backs in college football. With those two in the mix, along with a talented group of wide receivers, this offense is going to be hard to stop.
Last year, Georgia was fifth in the nation in scoring offense (40.1 PPG). The Bulldogs should flirt with that number again, as they’re going to light up some of their weaker opponents. But it will be interesting to see how Georgia does against some of the big guns. Last year, the Tide held the Bulldogs to 24 points in the SEC Championship and shut the lights out on their season. Georgia needs to be able to move the ball and score against elite competition, as the Dawgs will face a few stout defenses in 2024.
Defense
Georgia only allowed 16.6 points per game in 2023, giving the Bulldogs a top-10 scoring defense for the third year in a row. With seven starters returning, including some talented defensive linemen and linebackers, there’s no denying this unit will be a strength for Georgia in 2024. The only real concern for the Bulldogs is in the secondary, but corner Daylen Everette and safety Malaki Starks can both play. Georgia also has some crazy-talented underclassmen who are expected to play big roles in the back of the defense.
There really won’t be any reason to panic about this unit until Smart leaves, or he stops recruiting. It doesn’t feel like either will be happening anytime soon.
Outlook
Georgia might be the best team in the country, but I don’t think the gap is that wide between the Bulldogs and some of the other elite teams in college football. That makes it hard to like Georgia to win 11 games this year. The Bulldogs would have to win two games out of these four: vs. Clemson (neutral), at Alabama, at Texas and at Ole Miss. It’s not fair to expect any team to do that, and Georgia also hosts an up-and-coming Tennessee team on November 16th.
Pick: Under 10.5 Wins
