The 3 most important games for Georgia fans to keep an eye on in Week 4

Georgia fans could probably use a week off from watching the Dawgs after last week’s nail-biter in Lexington. In Week 3, the Bulldogs opened up SEC play at Kentucky and narrowly escaped with a 13-12 win. Now, Kirby Smart’s team will get to enjoy some rest on Saturday before heading to Tuscaloosa to play No. 4 Alabama in Week 5. 

Before the focus of the fanbase completely turns to the Crimson Tide, who are also enjoying a Week 4 bye, these three games will be important to watch on Saturday. 

In Week 2, Texas waltzed into the Big House and left Ann Arbor Michigan with a resounding 31-12 victory over the defending national champions. When the Longhorns followed that up with a 56-7 win over UTSA and Georgia struggled at Kentucky, Steve Sarkisian’s team jumped to No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time since he took over as head coach in Austin. 

That win over Michigan is carrying a lot of weight for the Longhorns, but what if the Wolverines just aren’t any good? If USC and veteran quarterback Miller Moss can do the same thing that Quinn Ewers and Texas did, then Michigan will drop to 2-2, likely fall out of the AP top 25, and Texas’s biggest win so far, won’t be nearly as impressive. It may not even be as impressive as Georgia’s best non-conference victory. 

After Georgia stomped Clemson in Week 1, the Dabo Swinney era looked like it was unexpectedly on its last legs. Then, the Tigers responded with a dominant 66-20 win over Appalachian State to get to 1-1 and hang around the top 25. 

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik went 24/26 for 378 yards and five touchdowns in the best performance of his career, but considering App State just allowed 48 points to South Alabama in Week 4, that game may say more about the Mountaineers than the Tigers. Georgia needs its win over Clemson to carry some weight into the SEC gauntlet that begins in Week 5. 

Georgia fans should be rooting for Clemson to roll against NC State and to continue to win the ACC because that only strengthens the Dawgs case as the top team in the country. 

1. No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 15 Oklahoma

The Week 4 slate isn’t filled with a ton of intriguing matchups, but this is the best game on the schedule and by far the most interesting SEC matchup. Tennessee has been dominant through its first three games, outscoring its opponents 191-13. 

The only problem for Josh Heupel’s Vols is that their opponents have been Chattanooga, NC State, and Kent State. Now, Tennessee is going to get a real SEC test from a team playing its first-ever SEC game. 

Georgia doesn’t have Oklahoma on the schedule this year, but the Dawgs will see Tennessee at Sanford Stadium on November 16 before facing UMass and Georgia Tech to finish out the season. It’s probably best for Georgia is Tennessee does beat Oklahoma because it’ll make a win over the Vols more impressive and take the sting out of a potential loss. 

Beyond the implications this season for the Bulldogs, Tennessee and Oklahoma are both starting former five-star quarterbacks in their sophomore seasons and the development of Nico Iamaleava and Jackson Arnold could determine the landscape of the conference going forward.