Georgia football: Schedule provides clear path to SEC Championship Game

Georgia football may have one of the SEC’s tougher schedules, but it’s laid out perfectly for a run to Atlanta.

Georgia football media, Dawn of the Dawg and myself in particular have been very critical of UGA Athletic Director Greg McGarity for quite some time now. But I have to acknowledge one thing he’s great at; getting the Bulldogs favorable schedules.

For the longest time, Florida always entered the meeting in Jacksonville off a bye week. Since McGarity has been at Georgia, the Bulldogs have also taken the weekend off. We also always have a well spread out schedule with at least one premier match-up each month.

That’s very important because Georgia is never out of the spotlight very long. And until champions are no longer decided by polls or committees, playing in big games spread throughout the season will always be a must.

But spreading out the schedule is also needed because it keeps Georgia from playing great teams multiple weeks in a row. Look at what Tennessee goes through. They always have to play us, Florida and Alabama within four or five weeks. Last year Texas A&M was added to the middle of that stretch.

The Volunteers never make it through that stretch unscathed and last year it might have cost them the SEC East. It’s hampered them before as well. But with Georgia, the only thing that have been in our way is ourselves. The schedule has always been favorable and 2017 is no different.

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After what should be a challenge against Appalachian State, Georgia travels to Notre Dame. The Bulldogs will be in the spotlight at least somewhat in both games. People are going to want to see if the Mountaineers can topple Georgia after what they did in Knoxville last season. And any time two historic programs tangle, the nation will watch.

But then Georgia plays a pair of Bulldogs in weeks three and four. Samford is a FCS opponent and not a very good one. Then Georgia hosts Mississippi State who will probably hang around the bottom of the SEC West in 2017. Although they are very well coached and you can’t put anything past Dan Mullen.

Regardless, Georgia should be 4-0 and 1-0 in the SEC going into the game against Tennessee because of how the schedule begins. Georgia gets their toughest match-ups out-of-the-way first. They get a tune-up against a FCS team and then can settle into conference play against a decent at best Mississippi State squad. And Kirby Smart is too familiar with Mullen to over look his team.

Georgia will be favored against Tennessee and depending on how they begin the season, that game might take the prime time slot on CBS. Even Tennessee fans aren’t expecting their team to be great this season, but they always play Georgia tough. However, Georgia will be looking for revenge and will certainly be the more talented team.

The Bulldogs then have to meet the best defense on their schedule a week later in Nashville. The Vanderbilt game on the road is always a refreshing one for fans who make the trip as the stadium seems to have more red in the stands than black and gold. Plus Georgia hasn’t lost consecutive games to them since 1956-1958. That’s a record of 48-7-1 since 1959.

We then follow that game by hosting Missouri who always seems to be a challenge for us. Of course last year Jacob Eason had his finest moment with a game-winning touchdown pass to Isaiah McKenzie on fourth down in the last-minute. And before that Georgia won 9-6 at home.

The Tigers have one of the SEC’s best quarterbacks in Drew Lock, but Georgia has one of the best defenses and they intercepted Lock four times last year. Of course Lock was a freshman so he’ll be much better this year. But Georgia as a whole will be a better team.

Then Georgia enters the bye week. And unless the Bulldogs have a lapse of their own, they should be 7-0 or 6-1 heading into the game against Florida. In Jacksonville Georgia will have the biggest challenge of the season to date. The Gators defense is similar to Vanderbilt’s, but they probably have a bit better offense.

Plus, Georgia has only beaten Florida six times since 1997 and they’ve lost three straight. Nerves and the pressure of being the team that beats Florida always seem to affect Georgia. But it’s certainly a winnable game and one Georgia will have had two weeks to prepare for.

As always, Georgia ends with their toughest month. A week playing Florida, the Bulldogs host South Carolina who is still in rebuild mode after Steve Spurrier left. But Will Muschamp is a great defensive coach so he’ll have the Gamecocks ready to play on that side of the ball. They believe they have a quarterback and they have enough skill players around him.

The game against Auburn might be the toughest of the season if the Tigers prove that their defense wasn’t a one-hit wonder last season and if Jarrett Stidham is as good as advertised. If this years team is as overhyped as previous years, Georgia should dismantle the Tigers similarly to how they did in 2011, 2012 and 2014.

Kentucky at home will be another challenge. They’re very similar to Vanderbilt, they might have a better offense though with not as good of a defense. But the challenge is still there.

But while these games are tough games, they’re still spread out. We do not play Tennessee, Florida and Auburn back-to-back-to-back. We’re not always on the big stage, dealing with the pressure that brings.

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That’s not to say that Georgia can or will get to relax for a down of 2017. But it does mean that the blame for losing the East will fall solely on the team. We can’t blame the schedule. Georgia can play one game at a time without ever feeling like they have to be too concerned about next week.

That’s a luxury not many teams share, including Florida who plays LSU, Texas A&M and Georgia in three-straight weeks. The path to the SEC Championship Game is relatively clear for the Bulldogs. They just have to take care of business.

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