Georgia football ended 41 years of heartbreak and bad jokes on January 10. That 2021 National Championship will forever be remembered in Bulldog lore. Last year’s Dawgs made history, but as this season progresses, it’s clear Georgia could make even more in 2022.
The 2021 team will always be remembered as possibly having one of the greatest defenses ever to play college football. A record 15 players were drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft — five were drafted in the first round, and eight defensive guys were selected.
That is record-setting talent leaving the program, which made a lot of people think the Dawgs would fall off some this season. However, the Dawgs haven’t fallen off much. Instead, this 2022 defense looks just as elite, and the offense is even better than last year.
Georgia football continues to make history after its drought-ending championship.
After winning a national championship and sending a record number of draft picks into the league. Indeed, it would have taken Georgia years to build back into contention. Surely the motivation of ending the National Championship drought will make things harder for head coach Kirby Smart to motivate the following year’s team.
Well, the 2022 Georgia Bulldogs have a chance to do better. Georgia hasn’t won the SEC and national championship since 1980, and the Dawgs have never won 15 games in a season, either.
Only two teams have gone 15-0 since the playoffs began in 2014 — the 2018 Clemson and 2019 LSU squads. This team could join those two historical groups.
Nobody in the national media came into 2022 expecting Georgia to compete for a second-straight national championship. Alabama was the odds-on favorite. Now 10 games into the season, Georgia is sitting 10-0, clinched a berth in SEC Championship, and has by far been the most dominant team in the nation.
There are five games left for Georgia. Win those, and you’re the greatest team ever to wear the Red and Black. The same would go for starting quarterback Stetson Bennett — if he led this team to another national title, would he be the greatest Georgia quarterback ever? This team has a lot riding on its shoulders, and while there is still a lot of football left to play, it’s time to start thinking about this possibility.
Georgia continues to show they have a squad strong enough to go back-to-back, but it’ll take a lot of work and determination. Luck even comes into play when it comes to repeating as national champions. Alabama was the last to do so in 2011 and 2012 — could Georgia be the next to do so?