2021 Georgia Bulldogs: Poised for a Run to the Top

Georgia is coming off another Top-5 recruiting class and look like they are going to be a permanent fixture in the national rankings for the foreseeable future. They finished 8-2 in 2020 and considered that a down season after losses to Alabama and Florida. They appear to be ready to get back to the top again and challenge Alabama for the SEC title. Being in the East Division gives them an advantage as that side is not as deep as the West.

Offense: The offense was struggling in 2020 until JT Daniels was inserted into the lineup at QB and in four starts he completed 80 of 119 passes for 1,231 yards, 10 touchdowns and only two interceptions. However, none of those four starts were against Alabama, Florida, LSU, or Texas A&M. Still, he is back and he had a full offseason in Athens and is a big asset to have. The backfield has loads of talent and leading rusher Zamir White returns to lead the group. The receiving group suffered a blow in the spring when George Pickens tore his ACL, but Kearis Jackson emerged as a leader and will be joined by the dynamic Jermaine Burton. The offensive line has 3 starters back and there is plenty of talent there. They have the ingredients to be hard to stop.

Defense: The front seven is elite and features some future NFL players. Defensive linemen Jordan Davis, Devonte Wyatt, Travon Walker and Jalen Carter are going to give opposing offensive linemen fits. LB, Nakobe Dean has become the leader of the defense and will be joined by Nolan Smith and Adam Anderson. That brings us to the secondary and there are problem areas on this unit. At corner they lost 1st round draft choice Eric Stokes and 2nd rounder Tyson Campbell plus Tyrique Stevenson transferred to Miami. So, the Bulldogs are going be young, inexperienced, and vulnerable at that very important position. S Lewis Cine is back but he is the only starter with any experience.

Non-Conference Schedule:

9/4 Clemson at Charlotte NC

9/11 UAB

11/20 Charleston Southern

11/27 at Georgia Tech

The opener against Clemson is going to tell both teams where they stand pretty quickly. The game is so early in the season whoever loses still has plenty of time to recover and make it back into the playoff hunt. I would say the game is bigger for Georgia because it will be much harder for them to go undefeated through the rest of their schedule since Clemson plays in the ACC. The rest of the games are must wins.

Conference Schedule:

9/18 South Carolina

9/25 at Vanderbilt

10/2 Arkansas

10/9 at Auburn

10/16 at Kentucky

10/30 Florida at Jacksonville

11/6 Missouri

11/13 at Tennessee

The conference schedule features 4 road games, 3 home games, and the neutral site game with the Gators. As with all SEC teams the two crossover games from the West are important and Georgia dodged Alabama, A&M, and LSU. The road games are all winnable for sure with Vanderbilt and Tennessee must wins. The game at Kentucky comes between Auburn and Florida and it is a potential trap for the Dawgs. The toughest road test will be at Auburn. Home games against South Carolina, Arkansas, and Missouri are games Georgia needs to get. The Florida game is always tough but they should bounce back and beat the Gators.

Summary: It looks like Georgia is ready to bounce back and claim supremacy in the SEC East. They are good on offense and if they can patch some holes in the secondary the defense can be very good. The conference schedule is pretty easy and is manageable with only two games that should be difficult. If they win the Clemson game they might run the table.

Predicted Finish: 1st Place in the SEC East

Overall Record: 11-1