Georgia football is the reigning SEC champion, and winning the SEC in any given year is one of the hardest things to do in college football. But to win the conference in back to back seasons feels nearly impossible.
But that is what Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs are going to attempt to do after beating the Texas Longhorns in Atlanta last year on the back of Gunner Stockton.
But winning the SEC will be easier said then done as the conference will be loaded with many elite teams once again. On top of that, Georgia faces arguably the most difficult schedule in the SEC for the second season in a row, which makes winning the SEC even more difficult.
But some big news in the SEC that recently came out just gave Georgia a better chance to repeat as SEC champions this season.
Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava leaving the program
While Georgia has had Tennessee's number for almost a decade now, the Vols figured to be one of the top teams in the SEC this coming season. Some even thought this could be the year that Tennessee will finally be able to get past Georgia and make a run to the SEC Championship game.
But after a week of drama surrounding their start quarterback Nico Iamaleava, no one thinks Tennessee is a threat in the SEC any more.
This drama began with Iamaleava asking Tennessee for more NIL money, even though he is reportedly already making $2 million per year. This situation then quickly evolved into Iamaleava skipping practice and team meetings and ultimately cutting all communication with their coaching staff as negotiations for a new deal unfolded. This standoff however didn't last long as Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel stated that the Vols are officially moving on from Iamaleava.
While it does seem surprising for a team with high expectations to move on from a player as good as Iamaleava, this was the right choice for Tennessee as letting any player push their program around for money would be a very bad look. But this situation, even though Tennessee handled it to perfection, significantly hurts their chances at winning the SEC.
This obviously is good news for Georgia as their goal is to win the SEC as well. On top of that, Georgia travels to Tenness week three for the first SEC game of the season for both teams, and this news makes that game seem a little easier. This doesn't mean that UGA is guaranteed to win this game, but it's impossible to not think that their chances of winning not just this game, but the SEC in general, increased even a little after this news from Tennessee.