Georgia Football is about to kick off. The football season is upon us. Finally!
The boys in the coffee shop kept asking all last week when I was going to drop my game-by-game prediction. Well finally after a long wait, the time has come. By the way, I am never wrong in my predictions. Remember that. If one of my predictions does not come true it was the weather, time of day, Ref, players, or the coaches who messed up my predictions.
Week one: UT-Martin and Ball State
Look, I am not going to predict a score for these games for Georgia. I sincerely apologize to UT-Martin and Ball State’s football programs. It will not be worth your time to even read a game breakdown of these two games. Do either of these games have a spread yet? This is what you need to watch for these two games. Does the offense look like it is getting in form? Smart has been critical of the offense, more specifically the offensive line, in the two scrimmages Georgia has held. If the offense isn’t looking great the first two games, do not panic, and don’t call for the heads of Bobo and Beck. It takes time for an offense to gel. Things take time. The next thing we should all be looking for in these two games is watching the backups play. It is a lot of fun seeing who is fighting for meaningful playing time. The most effort Georgia gives in these types of games is in the 2nd half when the back-ups are in. That will be the only interesting point in the games. Who all gets to play and when? If you want to impress people at a tailgate you can give them some fun facts about UT-Martin and Ball State! UT-Martin’s nickname for their athletic teams is the SkyHawks. The name came from when the school in WWII was contracted to be a Naval fighter pilot school. Furthermore, the Red-Tail hawks are indigenous to West Tennessee, which is where Martin, Tennessee is located. A notable alumni from the school is Pat Summitt, the great women’s basketball coach. The basketball arena for UT-Martin is named in her honor. Ball State is located in Muncie, Indiana. Notable alumni from the school are Jim Davis, the creator of the Garfield comic strips, and Dave Letterman, notable hater of NBC, celebrities, and Jay Leno. Hopefully, everyone knows who Letterman is. If I went to UGA’s campus and asked students who Dave Letterman is, only about 30% would know who that is. There I did all the leg work for Loran Smith’s pre-game notes. You’re welcome, Loran.
Week three: South Carolina
Finally a real game! I really do believe Beamer is the right guy for the Gamecocks. With Rattler coming back, South Carolina looks to have an even better season than last year. There are still a ton of questions about the Cocks, are they going to be good enough on the lines of scrimmages? Losing their best lineman in the spring probably did not help their case. Also, they are breaking in a new offensive coordinator. They were the second-worst run defense in the SEC last year and lost Jordan Burch, a highly recruited defensive end to the transfer portal. We will get a read on them in week one when they play North Carolina. If they win that game there will be a ton of hype for them to upset Georgia this week. Now in the previous 3 match-ups against Georgia, the Gamecocks are 0-3, but they have been beaten 133 to 36 in all three games. This means the games have not been that close. I don’t think the Gamecocks are going to roll into Athens and beat the Dawgs. This is not 2019. The Dawgs will own the line of scrimmage and will have control of this game the entire time. Will it be close in the first quarter? Yes. Second half? No. Georgia will just wear the Gamecocks out by the 3rd quarter and we can all celebrate a 22-game winning streak for the Dawgs. Dawgs win 48-10
Week 4: UAB
I will hold myself to the same standard as I did when writing about UT-Martin and Ball State. I will not give you a breakdown of the team. You’re not going to read it nor do you really care, and frankly nor do I. But it is cool that UAB is back from the dead. Remember when they just stopped playing football? Anyway, the Blazers have been back for a few seasons and were led by Bill Clark, who retired for health reasons in 2021. UAB is now led by Trent Dilfer. Yes, that Trent Dilfer. The super bowl winning QB, Trent Dilfer. I guess that will be interesting to see how Dilfer coaches. Outside of that this game should be over by the time they kick the ball off. Georgia should put in the back-ups early in the third quarter and everyone in Athens is happy. Let’s learn about notable UAB alumni. Now if you’re a Falcons fan then you know Roddy White went to UAB. Hopefully, most of your fellow tailgaters know that one. But, Sam Hunt, a country music artist, also went to UAB. Also, according to Wikipedia an associate professor at UGA, John Knox went to UAB. Knox is a meteorologist and studies clear-air turbulence. Which is the most dangerous, I think? Who cares, I have a fear of flying, so I don’t really want to know. Speaking of being afraid of flying UAB will be afraid that Mykel Williams will fly back to Birmingham with them after the game. Dawgs win 55-7
Week five: Auburn
Hugh Freeze Auburn Revival (I own the rights to that) will have its first big test as they get the Dawgs at home in Jordan-Hare. There is a chance Auburn walks into this game 4-0. There will be tons of hype for Auburn to pull off this upset. Even if they lose to A&M the week prior to the Georgia game, there will be “whispers” that Auburn will pull off the big upset. Freeze called up 20…players… from the transfer portal. One of Freeze’s big gets was the former Michigan State QB Payton Throne. Who I imagine will be the starter by the time the Dawgs take on the Tigers, War Eagle, and Plainsmen. I don’t expect Freeze and his Tigers (or whatever they want to be called. It’s 2023, guys) will really hang in there with Georgia. Maybe for an hour.. I mean… a half. Everybody has raved about Auburn for doing well in the portal. But when you take a deeper dive into the players they got, well it tells a different story. Most of their players came from G5 schools and the ones from Power 5 schools are not big names. Also, the lines of scrimmages are not as deep as in Georgia. Auburn O-line is held together by duct tape and super glue. I expect Auburn to punch Georgia in the mouth for a bit, but when the dawgs fight back I don’t expect Auburn to have enough depth to match. Because of the respect I have for Jordan-Hare, the Dawgs win 31-17. If this was at Sanford Stadium it would be a lot like last year’s score.
Week six: Kentucky
The Wildcats have been one of those teams the past few seasons, that have just hung tough against the Dawgs. I have a ton of respect for what Mark Stoops is doing at Kentucky. Did you know outside of Nick Saban, Stoops is the longest-tenured coach in the SEC? Kentucky is not a favorite to finish second in the SEC East, but I think they will finish second. I am a big believer in Big Blue. With Liam Coen coming back to take over play-calling duties, and the addition of Devin Leary, Kentucky could have a shot at winning 10 to 11 games this season. Kentucky also has one of the best wide-out groups in the SEC outside of Georgia. Devin Leary was someone who was picked to be a 1st rounder last season, but injury ruined his hopes of that. Leary could once again be in the conversation of a 1st round pick with the talent that is around him. On defense, Kentucky is returning a bunch of seasoned guys. The only weakness that Kentucky has is the offensive line. Georgia is probably the only team that will be able to take advantage of that. With the Wildcats being able to limit possessions, do not be shocked by a low-scoring game. Dawgs win 28-10.
Week seven: Vandy
I am a big fan of what Clark Lea is doing at Vandy. Sure he will talk 45 minutes on the importance of tying your shoelaces, but he is trying to build Vandy into a Stanford-esque program. Vandy has the potential to start the season 4-0. So all they need is to steal two games to make it to a bowl. Which they very well could. The Defense lost Orji, who was the best player they had. The defense was the worst in the league. So maybe they can improve a bit. AJ Swann in his second year as the starter looks to have another great season. Georgia should take care of business in Nashville. The only question is will Vanderbilt stadium renovations be done by then? How many fans are going to see this game? Like 20,000? I have no idea, but this is the last time Georgia will play up in Nashville for the foreseeable future, so if you are able to go enjoy it. Georgia has been playing Vanderbilt since 1894, Cornelius Vanderbilt had only been dead for 20 years at that point. So it is odd that Georgia and Vandy will not be squaring off in 2024. The dawgs should handle this one pretty easily. I would be shocked and irritated if Georgia does not handle business in Nashville. However, I can see this being one of the first games where the Dawgs sleep-walk into this game. Dawgs win 52-0
Week nine: Florida
Billy Napier heads into year two with more uncertainty. This season feels like a make-or-break year for the Gators. They are going to struggle offensively. If you watched the spring game, you saw that. Yes, a spring game showed that. Mertz, the Wisconsin transfer, is going to start at QB for the Gators. But with the Offensive line being completely overhauled, I would not expect anything great from the Gator’s offense. The defense should be improved. They are replacing 3 of their stars on that side of the ball, but many around the program feel like it could be better than last year. I don’t think highly of the Gators, and that is not because I went to Georgia. It has everything to do with I do not think their football team is great. The only concern I have about the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is it is in Jacksonville. It is a house of horrors for Georgia in the past. No matter Georgia’s record for the past 10 years down there I am always petrified to play down there. Florida is the boogeyman and I hate Florida. As a wise man once said, “The ball bounces funny down in Jacksonville”. It sure does. But the Dawgs should win this game by a big margin. Given that it is Carson Beck’s first homecoming as the starter for the Dawgs, I expect him to play a great game. Florida can’t score and the defense will be tough,
Dawgs win 42-17.
Week ten: Missouri
The Tigers defense just like last year is going to be the anchor of this team. They had one of the best turnarounds in the SEC last year, and I think they keep that momentum up and have another solid season. Offensively they got a new OC Kirby Moore. There is a lot of promise for Brady Cook. With the new offensive coordinator, maybe the Tiger’s offense will be improved. Last year, the Tigers gave Georgia a fight for 4 quarters. That game showed me that last year’s team had a fight in them and they never gave up no matter the score. If last year’s game with Missouri wasn’t as tight as it was, I am not sure Georgia would beat Ohio State. So, thank you Missouri. Anyway, this year’s game is in Athens and I don’t think the Tigers are going to have the same magic they did last year. Especially, given that last year’s game will be a talking point for a potential upset win for Missouri. The Dawgs will probably be inspired not to let last year’s game happen. So give me the Dawgs on top 31-7.
Week eleven: Ole Miss
I know one thing about Lane Kiffin, he can coach an offense. That is one of the two scary things about this game. The other thing that is worrisome about this game is that it is before the Tennessee game. So all of Dawg Nation will be on trap game alert. Ole Miss did hire new defensive coordinator Pete Golding, Golding was not a fan favorite at Alabama but always had a top-10 defense. Given that, I think Ole Miss’ defense will be greatly improved, but that’s not saying much. Jaxson Dart had a great debut season for the Rebels last season. Lane Kiffin went shopping for QBs in the transfer portal and brought in Walker Howard and Spencer Sanders, for reasons I am still not sure of. Quinshon Judkins Ole Miss running back returns as one of best running backs in the country. Ole Miss has a ton of talent on the offensive side, but it is in their skill positions. Like I said at the start, Lane Kiffin can coach an offense, and that scares me a little in this game. Moreover, Kiffin knows Smart’s defense pretty well since they were both on staff at Alabama. Outside of the “Get the popcorn ready” game Ole Miss has done well against Alabama. So it would not surprise me if this game is a little uncomfortable for the Dawgs. The Dawgs should win, however. Dawgs win 45-38
Week twelve: Tennessee
In the second year of Josh Hepuel, the Vols won 11 games and had a Heisman contender, Hendon Hooker, who put up silly numbers. The Vols had all this momentum, beating Alabama, and then, suddenly, like the rain in Athens melted away when they played the back-to-back champs. Now the Vols have to replace Hooker, Hyatt, Tilman, and a pair of linemen on the offensive side. Also, Tennessee is replacing its two best players on a putrid defense. Do you think that Tennessee’s defense is going to greatly improve in year 3? Also here is another negative about the Vols. Joe Milton lost 2 starting jobs at 2 different schools. I still do not understand the hype around Milton. The media is treating him like he is Patrick Mahomes of CFB. Anyway, there is a possibility that the Vols have two losses. More than likely they will have one and that will be from Alabama. This will be a highly anticipated matchup and most of the media and Vol fans will think Tennessee will win this game. I just don’t see it happening. Georgia is the more talented team and the deeper team. In each of the last two matchups against the Vols, Georgia has outscored 68-30. Smart and Glenn Schumann seem to have the right game plan against the “high-powered” Vols offense. Dawgs Win: 41- 20
Week thirteen: Tech
Really? You thought I was going to break down a high school team? The Hell with Tech and their stupid lemon of a car. Brent Key is the new Georgia Tech coach. The first mistake he made was saying that Tech was going to outwork the “other team” in the state. Brent might want to say our name, it’s very silly trying to kick the hornet’s nest (pun intended) Second thing that bothered me was that the Key said they were going to outwork Georgia. I don’t know too many programs that will outwork Georgia in all of CFB. I am not going to give a breakdown of the team and the players they have because it doesn’t matter. They won’t be in a bowl game. This blurb will just be about my hatred for Tech. They are second on my hate list, only behind Florida. The only difference between Tech and Florida is that the Gators actually care about the football program. So I’ll give them the respect they deserve. It took Georgia winning the Back-to-Back national title for Tech to start trying to put money into its football program. The one thing Tech cares about is academics and UGA is now ahead of them in some rankings. It was the one thing Techies could hang over us; now they can’t. As the great Lewis Grizzard once said “ I couldn’t get into Tech, I didn’t have enough pimples.” When Georgia plays Tech it’s the Saturday after Thanksgiving so enjoy your turkey and the beating the Dawgs are about to put on Tech. Dawgs Win: 55-0
So there you have it the Dawgs go perfectly for the second year in a row and play in the SEC Championship. Who do they play? Keep a watch on the blog in the next few days for that prediction and playoff predictions.