It’s Georgia’s schedule vs. the field this college football season

It’s abnormally bizarre for the College of Georgia to be odds-on nationwide title favorites. I’m not saying Kirby Sensible’s group is unworthy — they gained the previous two Faculty Soccer Playoffs, and seem like each bit the juggernaut Vegas thinks they’re. It merely takes a beat for notion to catch as much as actuality, as followers want repeated proof that Clemson is not Clemson, or that there’s a frontrunner within the SEC not named Alabama.

The Bulldogs have been dominant over the previous two seasons, however it’s not fairly on the extent — purely from a story standpoint — as say an Alabama, and even Pete Carroll’s USC group after their back-to-back titles this century. There’s no sense of inevitability, and perhaps that’s as a result of Stetson Bennett and a bunch of first-round defensive expertise have moved on, however they nonetheless have a few of the shortest odds for any favourite (+240) prior to now 20 years, according to ESPN.

Aside from Brock Bowers, I’d problem informal school soccer followers to call one other licensed star on the group — although they undoubtedly may have a couple of. Sensible lastly named his beginning quarterback two weeks in the past, and the expectations for Carson Beck heading into his first yr as a university QB1 are astronomical.

Title or bust is a weighty objective for anybody, however contemplating it might be a three-peat for the Dawgs — a feat that’s by no means been performed within the AP Ballot period — the burden is that a lot heavier. The one impetus I can discover for oddsmakers’ obsession with UGA, at the very least this season, is their schedule.

Attributable to Oklahoma’s pending arrival within the SEC, the 2 colleges known as off their non-conference matchup, and because of this, Georgia doesn’t play a ranked group till November. Now, issues may change as South Carolina, Florida, and Auburn all have the flexibility to tug competence out of the thick, humid Southern air, however, because it stands, No. 22 Ole Miss and No. 12 Tennessee are the one high 25 packages on the docket.

That would depart Georgia susceptible in the event that they don’t win the convention.

Groups who may spoil UGA’s social gathering

We all know traditionally a one-loss SEC group is all however assured a spot within the Faculty Soccer Playoff, so that you’d assume all of the Dawgs must do is beat the Vols in Knoxville, maintain enterprise elsewhere, and it gained’t matter what occurs within the convention title recreation. That’s a giant assumption contemplating the sector in 2023.

It might be an ironic, and unlikely, accident if the defending champs don’t get a CFP bid with just one loss, however I personally would like to see an SEC group get docked for a lax schedule. Southern Cal and LSU are getting loads of title love from the playing public, due to favorable strains, however, not like LSU, USC may spoil the social gathering.

The committee takes expertise into consideration, and would leap on the alternative to get reigning Heisman winner and projected No. 1 NFL draft decide Caleb Williams — and the rankings that include it — into the playoff as a one-loss Pac-12 champ.

I don’t know if that logic applies to Ohio State, Michigan, or Penn State, if a state of affairs like final yr occurs once more. There could be a debate over energy of schedule, for certain, and UGA would most likely prevail simply because they’re the defending champs, however this isn’t the season to probability that by not successful the SEC.

Notre Dame has a harder slate, Clemson definitely has the expertise to get by way of the ACC largely unscathed, and there’s all the time an outdoor shot of a Huge 12 group surviving lengthy sufficient to budge its method in, a la TCU. There clearly are loads of exterior components that Georgia can negate by successful, however, in sure instances, status is probably not sufficient.

Georgia’s star recognition is nowhere close to the extent of that Reggie Bush-Matt Leinart Trojan group, and Sensible hasn’t but absolutely wrestled the Huge Palpatine power away from Nick Saban. So, yeah, there’s an indefinable high quality about this UGA squad that’s giving me pause.

Perhaps it’s the uncertainty at quarterback, Georgia’s historical past earlier than these previous two titles, or I’m an fool and the schedule is simply that straightforward, however as of but, I’m having a tough time blindly accepting Georgia as favorites for the easy cause that they gained it final yr.