Georgia football doesn’t need the playoffs in 2017, but they need the SEC East title

The start of the 2017 Georgia football season is right around the corner. Georgia has high expectations and can’t afford to not live up to any of them.

2017 will be the second Georgia football season with Kirby Smart at the helm and Jacob Eason under center. It’s also the second season with a top-5 recruiting class. Understandably, there are high hopes in Athens for 2017.

The Bulldogs are ranked no. 15 in the preseason coaches poll, which is the highest ranking in the SEC East. At SEC Media Days, the press predicted Georgia to win the SEC East. And just about everywhere you look from Lindy’s to Athlon Sports, the consensus is that either Georgia or Florida will win the SEC East.

However, no one is predicting Georgia to win the SEC Championship or even sneak into the College Football Playoffs. Alabama is still the king of the SEC and it isn’t likely that they’ll be dethroned in 2017.

If Georgia is unable to beat Alabama in Atlanta and is unable to make the playoffs, no one in the Bulldog Nation should be disappointed. But, if Georgia fails to win the SEC East, you should consider 2017 a failure.

This is not a team that should finish as the runner-up to anybody in the East. The Bulldogs return 10 starters on defense. Not only that, they return all seven contributors on the defensive line.

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They have a pair of seniors coming off the edge as outside linebackers. And an inside backer like Roquan Smith who’ll once again lead the team in tackles. In the defensive backfield, Georgia has a shutdown corner in Malkom Parrish, and safety Dominick Sanders could realistically tie the school record for interceptions in a career this season.

Make no mistake about it, Georgia has the best defense in the SEC East and they should finish in the top-three at the end of the year.

Offensively, Georgia has to worry about the offensive line. But with what will be a vastly superior receiving corps compared to last year, Georgia will not have to worry about teams loading the box to stop Nick Chubb and Sony Michel as much this season.

Florida can’t be as optimistic about their offense as Georgia can be. No one in the SEC East can. Florida is only seen as a safe choice because they won the last two SEC East titles with a bad offense.

They’re only up there because those in the media don’t trust Georgia to put everything together for a successful season. Florida is not seen as a safe choice because they’re the best in the SEC East. Because Georgia is the most talented and the deepest team in the East.

Don’t let anyone tell you differently, Georgia should win the SEC East. If this team fails to do so, there should be no looking back at the preseason magazines and saying that we weren’t the consensus pick so we shouldn’t be too disappointed.

No, Georgia and Kirby Smart need to win the East this year. We’re out-recruiting 12 other teams in the conference. With our depth, Georgia should remain the most talented team in the SEC East through the next few years.

The opportunity to put a stranglehold around the SEC East the same way Alabama has done the West is there. But if the Bulldogs fail to win the East, they will have lost that opportunity.

Right now, recruits have faith that Kirby Smart is the best coach to play for in the SEC besides Nick Saban. How will he look to recruits if he can’t even win a weak SEC East with one of the most talented teams in the SEC overall?

And how patient should the fans, donors and AD Greg McGarity be with Smart after that? Losing to Florida again should be strike one, losing the East in 2017 should be strike two. And losing the East again next year should be strike three. Georgia cannot afford to be too patient.

Next: Georgia at no. 15 in preseason Coaches Poll

A win of the SEC East however, ensures that Georgia will continue to dominate Florida and the rest of the division on signing day. It will begin to validate Kirby Smart as one of the next great coaches in the SEC.

And furthermore, it will be a huge building block for a program that should one day soon be competing for national championships.