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UGA Football: The biggest tests on Georgia’s 2020 schedule

By Eric Taylor

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 01: Head coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs looks on during the game against the Baylor Bears during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 01, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 01: Head coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs looks on during the game against the Baylor Bears during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 01, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
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Expectations remain high for the UGA football team in 2020. To reach expectations, the Bulldogs will have to navigate a few potential roadblocks.

UGA football will have to navigate a few difficult games this season. The one that sticks out the most is its September 19 matchup with Alabama in Tuscaloosa. This is Georgia’s third meeting with Alabama in the last four years, but the first one on campus. In fact, it’s the Bulldogs’ first trip to Tuscaloosa since 2007.

The good news is, Georgia won the last matchup in Tuscaloosa. The bad news is, that was the last game UGA football won against the Crimson Tide. Georgia is currently on a five-game losing streak to Alabama. In fact, Georgia has lost seven of the last ten games against Alabama. Altogether, Georgia is 12-22-4 when playing Alabama on the road, and 2-7 in games played in Tuscaloosa.

The next roadblock is the game against Auburn on October 10. Auburn has been moved up on the schedule to the second week of October. The Tigers enter Athens with a three-game losing streak to the Bulldogs and are looking to even the score. Georgia has only lost to Auburn five times over the last 20 encounters. However, Georgia is 15-18 at home against Auburn, so it can’t sleep on the Tigers.

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The final roadblock may actually be tougher than the early meeting with Alabama. UGA football has a three-game road trip starting October 17 and going through November 7. The stretch includes trips to Missouri, Florida in Jacksonville and South Carolina.

Missouri has never really given Georgia any trouble. The Bulldogs are 8-1 against the Tigers and 4-0 when playing them in Columbia. However, coming off a tough game with Auburn, traveling to Missouri could take a toll on the Bulldogs. Even so, this first game of the road trip should go Georgia’s way. The challenges for Georgia increase substantially two weeks later when Georgia meets Florida in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.

Recent history has been very kind to Georgia in its series against the Gators. The Bulldogs have beaten Florida, handily, the last three seasons. Georgia actually ended the 2010s with a 6-4 record against Florida. All that said, Florida would like nothing more than to derail Georgia and win its first SEC East crown since 2016.

Waiting for Georgia the Cocktail Party is a trip to South Carolina and that annoying song Sandstorm by Darude. Even though Georgia is 21-10-2 in Columbia, after losing to South Carolina in Athens last year, nothing is a sure thing. Sure, the Gamecocks no longer have Javon Kinlaw, but Georgia lost a few key pieces to its team also. Just to show you why you shouldn’t overlook the Gamecocks, over the last ten games the series is tied 5-5.

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If Georgia is able to navigate all of that and win its fourth straight SEC East Title, its reward will most likely be a rematch with Alabama or Auburn. So, as you might anticipate, the road won’t get any easier after their regular season schedule. That said these are the kinds of challenges that championship teams get past.

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