The 2020 Georgia Bulldogs football season is here, and it kicks off with a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks. The game is by no means a game that will be catching the national attention beyond the fact that it includes the No. 4 team in the nation. However, you can bet that the vast majority of Georgia fans will be glued to the TV for this one.
Georgia vs Arkansas Preview
Georgia vs. Arkansas kicks off at 4:00 PM ET on the SEC Network. Georgia comes in having won ten of the 14 all-time meetings, including the most recent matchup in 2014. Georgia is currently 26.5 point favorites.
It is truly a tale of two different worlds. Georgia comes in following their third straight season playing in the SEC Championship game. Meanwhile, Arkansas comes in with two straight 2-10 seasons with zero conference wins. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, Georgia has a 91.1% chance of winning the ball game.
Coaching Connection
The odds do not mean that Georgia should be looking past Arkansas and Kirby Smart knows that. In fact, even Arkansas Head Coach Sam Pittman knows that Smart knows that. In a recent press conference, Pittman said that the Georgia coach “is preparing for us as hard as he would prepare for Alabama.”
Pittman should know. The newly-hired Razorbacks coach was on Smart’s staff last year. He spent four years on the Georgia coaching staff as an offensive line coach. During that time, Pittman built one of the best lines in the nation. Before his time with Georgia, Pittman was the offensive line coach for his current team, the Arkansas Razorbacks.
The Favorites
As for the players on the field, Georgia looks to match-up much better. Running backs Zamir White and James Cook should look to have big games in the season opener. At quarterback, D’Wan Mathis will likely take the first snaps of the season. However, if JT Daniels is cleared to play, he will likely be taking some snaps, as well.
It will be great to see some of the receivers take the field, too. George Pickens and Jermaine Burton should both be expecting great seasons this year. There likely will not be a whole lot of passes thrown this week by Georgia, but they will still be big targets.
On the defensive side of the ball, Richard LeCounte, Malik Herring, and Azeez Ojulari should all be guys that contribute early and often for the Bulldogs this season.
The Franks Factor
For Arkansas, Rakeem Boyd is going to be the obvious impact player. The senior running back rushed for over 1,100 yards last season. Boyd is a player who could have been drafted had he decided to leave Fayetteville. Mike Woods, Trey Knox, and Treylon Burks all return as pass catchers for the Razorbacks.
Transfer quarterback Feleipe Franks from Florida is the new signal-caller for the Razorbacks. Franks has only played against Georgia once during his time with Florida, and things did not go well. That was the worst-rated game of Franks’s career. He also threw three interceptions in that game, the most of his career in a single game. Aside from that outing though, Franks has had some pretty solid games. If he can play one of those games against Georgia, things could be a lot closer than expected.
This game will be exciting for Georgia and Arkansas fans, as it indicates the beginning of the new season. However, do not expect it to be a super close game. Arkansas has a handful of talented players, but are vastly outmatched on paper.
