Under Kirby Smart there’s been a culture change around the Georgia Bulldogs. The program is poised to make another run at the College Football Playoff. However, there is one obstacle in their way. And it’s a big one. That team from Tuscaloosa resides in the SEC and there’s a good chance the Dogs will need to get by the Tide in the conference championship. The precedent has been set for a team to reach the playoff without winning its conference championship, but the Dogs can’t afford any missteps along the way.
One thing working in Georgia’s favor is the return of a bona fide NFL caliber quarterback in Jake Fromm. No longer is he looking over his shoulder. This is his team and his last chance at winning a title. Fromm led the Dogs to the national championship game two years ago and they are 24-5 over the last two seasons. Online sportsbooks have UGA with the third best odds to make the playoff. Whether they do or not remains to be seen.
College Football Playoff Odds at BookMaker.eu
Georgia Bulldogs To Make 4-team Playoff
Yes +110
No -140
The Bulldogs raised the bar in Athens when they reached the national championship game two seasons ago and they were on the verge last year until a loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship. The letdown from that game carried over when the Dogs were upended by Texas in the Sugar Bowl. There is no doubt Georgia has become a powerhouse program under Smart and you have to think they will be able to handle the outside pressures after coming so close the last two years.
2019 Georgia Bulldogs Schedule
Week 1: at Vanderbilt Commodores
Week 2: vs. Murray State Racers
Week 3: vs. Arkansas State Red Wolves
Week 4: vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Week 5: OFF
Week 6: at Tennessee Volunteers
Week 7: vs. South Carolina Gamecocks
Week 8: vs. Kentucky Wildcats
Week 9: OFF
Week 10: vs. Florida Gators (Jacksonville, FL)
Week 11: vs. Missouri Tigers
Week 12: at Auburn Tigers
Week 13: vs. Texas A&M Aggies
Week 14: at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Georgia Bulldogs Schedule Analysis
If the Bulldogs don’t make the SEC Championship it won’t because of their schedule. Granted there are no layups in the toughest conference in America, but the Dogs have emerged as the class of the East. The season opens with a division game at Vanderbilt. UGA can’t assume a victory, but it is Vandy. Notre Dame is the biggest non-conference opponent, but that game is played in Athens.
Another positive on the schedule is the lack of road games. From Week 2 to Week 11, the Dogs play one true road game, going to Knoxville in early October. They also skip LSU and Alabama in cross over games, which is another positive. The toughest stretch comes at the end of the season with road games at Auburn and Georgia Tech sandwiched around a home date with Texas AM. It’s not the most difficult set of games, but the Dogs have little margin for error.
Georgia Bulldogs Season Preview
Coming so close to beating Alabama the last two times they played has to at least give the Bulldogs a good feeling should they meet in the conference championship. UGA was denied a CFP berth with a 7-point loss to the Tide in last year’s SEC title bout. They also fell by a field goal in the national title game the season before. Are they due for a breakthrough this year? It’s hard to say, but the Bulldogs are certainly among college football’s elite.
Fromm is the key to the offense, but there are so many weapons the Dogs could be one of the top scoring teams in the country. They didn’t throw the football a lot last season, which wasn’t requirement with a ground game that amassed nearly 240 yards a game. D’Andre Swift is the next superstar back after scampering for 1,049 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. There are some unknowns on the opposite end of Fromm’s passes, but the Dogs have a number of prospects from their top-three recruiting classes.
There is no first-team All-American talent on defense like there was the last two years. However, the 2019 unit as a whole could be deeper and stronger. The group boasts six five-star recruits as well as the top JC player. It’s going to take time for all the youngsters to come together, but the Dogs are likely better than the top-15 overall and scoring defense from last season. Georgia is a half step behind Clemson and Bama in overall talent, but it has everything needed to make a run at a second CFP berth in three years.
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