2020 Team Preview: Can Georgia Continue To Defend Its Division

It is one of the most reliable and expected occurrences in college football these days: The Georgia Bulldogs win the SEC East Division and reach the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta versus the SEC West champion. They made the 2017 SEC Championship Game and beat Auburn, making the College Football Playoff before winning the Rose Bowl and narrowly losing the national championship game. IN 2018, they lost the SEC title game to Alabama. In 2019, they lost the SEC Championship Game to eventual national champion LSU. In two of the last three seasons, Georgia has lost to the eventual national champion of college football, but it has won its division all three years. Can Georgia make sure to keep its division title streak going and increase it to four straight seasons?

Offseason Changes

The Bulldogs lost two first-round NFL draft picks, offensive linemen Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson. They also lost quarterback Jake Fromm to the pros, as well as running back D’Andre Swift, guard Solomon Kindley, tight end Charlie Woerner, and linebacker Tae Crowder. That is a lot to replace, especially since quarterback (Fromm) and running back (Swift) are such centrally important positions on the field. Georgia has recruited extremely well – top five in the nation – under coach Kirby Smart, so the Dawgs are relying on the strength, quality and depth of their recruiting to replenish the ranks this season. That is part of the Georgia philosophy – depth in recruiting will enable the program to reload each year without having to take a step back to rebuild.

The Bulldogs Will Succeed If…

J.T. Daniels or D’Wan Mathis can provide substantial leadership and reasonable production at quarterback after Jamie Newman opted out of the 2020 season. Jamie Newman is a transfer from Wake Forest who was initially supposed to be the starting quarterback for the Dawgs this year. However, he opted out to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft as a response to COVID-19. Daniels, a transfer from USC, was supposed to be a backup quarterback for Newman, but now he is battling Mathis for the starting spot.

Jake Fromm, the quarterback Daniels or Mathis will replace this season, was not a spectacular quarterback, but he did make the important throws he needed to make when Georgia required him to execute at a high level. He was not dominant, but he was capable and competent. On a team with a very strong defense, Fromm didn’t need to be the hero. He just needed to do enough to win. That’s what Daniels and Mathis need to do. Whoever wins the starting job needs to fill Fromm’s shoes adequately. It doesn’t need to be flashy.

The Bulldogs Will Fail If…

Their offensive line collapses. Georgia’s offensive line gave Fromm enough protection to make the offense work – the offense wasn’t great, but it did enough to complement the defense and create another SEC East championship in 2019. As long as the offensive line’s performance doesn’t drop sharply, Georgia can rely on its elite defense to shut down Florida’s offense and win the SEC East once again.

Prediction

The Bulldogs have a tough schedule. A game at Alabama is likely to be a loss. If Georgia stumbles in a game other than Alabama and Florida, it might be in real trouble this year. However, as long as Georgia does beat Florida – something the Bulldogs have done consistently under Kirby Smart – they are still the favorite to win the East. Florida’s offense has not yet shown it can score enough to beat Georgia. Stick with the Bulldogs, despite the schedule.

Prediction: 1st in SEC East