Georgia Bulldogs Football is rarely a bad program, but they have found some exceptional relevance under Kirby Smart. This upcoming season will add to such a reputation, as 2021 can quite possibly be their best year since 2017. And considering that the latter resulted in a national championship game appearance, that is no small feat.
Let’s do a deeper dive into the multiple factors point towards a promising 2021 season. Including Georgia’s opponents and the Bulldogs themselves.
Dominant Recruiting
It hardly takes an Ivy League graduate to understand both how and why the Dawgs are better at recruiting than many others. Being a Southern school with a decorated history is helpful enough. However, Georgia is consistently a top-tier state when it comes to high school talent production.
So far this year, UGA is fourth in the country for recruiting. That places them behind only LSU, Ohio State, and Alabama for best talent class. How hard can winning be with an arsenal of that volume in such a talent-rich state?
“Easy” Schedule
A schedule is crucial in predicting how a team will fare for obvious reasons. The Bulldogs have a schedule that favors their run at the SEC Championship Game. At least by SEC standards, a very manageable schedule for 2021.
Taking a peek at their slate, none of UGA’s three strongest foes (Clemson, Kentucky, and Florida, respectively) are road games. Rather, the Wildcats will be heading to Athens while the other two will meet Georgia at neutral sites.
The Tigers will be rusty due to it being their opening game, Kentucky has never been quite big enough to regularly handle the Dawgs’ might, and the Gators are expected to take a noticeable tumble following their 2020 run. To put it simply, there is a lot that can go Georgia’s way throughout the roughest patches of their season.
The Crimson Tide
This is the only hiccup that UGA has absolutely no control over. Alabama may not be on their regular-season schedule, but they are certainly in their heads.
There is no need in lying to anyone: the Tide is going to be back in the SEC title game in 2021. In other words, if Georgia wins the East division like they are expected to, Bama will most likely be the ones standing between them and the conference crown.
Considering the Tide’s championship run last year, it appears as if any hopes of their downfall is nothing more than wishful thinking at this point. But if said downfall were to occur, the Dawgs would surely be the ones to take their place on the Southeastern throne.
Summary
To summarize, the Georgia Bulldogs can reach their highest potential by playing as well as they have proven they can. They have both the talent and the schedule to go undefeated, all they need to do is play like it. If Alabama is just somewhat mortal heading into their seemingly inevitable conference championship game with the Dawgs, the latter can sneak into the playoff bracket once again.
