Dawn of the Dawg
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Georgia football: An early look at 3 of the most intriguing 2022 opponents

By Payton Wilkerson

Georgia Bulldogs players celebrate after the Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 33-18 in the 2022 CFP National Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 10, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Georgia Bulldogs players celebrate after the Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 33-18 in the 2022 CFP National Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 10, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /
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Georgia football
New Oregon football coach Dan Lanning takes questions from the media after being formally introduced as the head coach for the Ducks. (Photo By: The Register Guard) /

Week 1 vs Oregon in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game

Like Week 1 of the 2021 season, Georgia will kick off their upcoming year against a perennial college football power. This time, they will take on Oregon, who won a pair of Pac-12 Championships and a Rose Bowl in the past three seasons.

The Ducks are coming off a 10-4 season in which they won the Pac-12 North division but were curb-stomped by Utah in the conference title game.

Their head coach Mario Cristobal left before their bowl game against Oklahoma to become the head coach at Miami, his alma mater. Cristobal’s replacement was none other than Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning.

While at Georgia, Lanning established himself as one of the best coordinators in the nation, overseeing a dominant defense in 2021 that ranked near or at the top of every defensive category. Oregon noticed this, and he accepted the Ducks’ head coaching job in December but stayed with the Dawgs throughout the playoffs.

Another familiar face Georgia will likely see in this game is former Auburn quarterback Bo Nix, who transferred to Oregon at the end of the season. Nix had 2,294 passing yards, 158 rushing yards, and 15 total touchdowns in 2021 before an ankle injury ended his season.

He will reunite with his former offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, who helped Nix win the 2019 SEC Freshman of the Year award.

Though the Ducks will be losing impact players like Kayvon Thibodeaux to the NFL, they still have plenty of talent on the team. Running backs CJ Verdell and Travis Dye still have eligibility if they decide to come back. Noah Sewell, the team’s leading tackler, will also be back — Lanning will love this guy.

This matchup will be a fun game to start the 2022 season.

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