Facing one of the toughest schedules in college football, Georgia coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs know the expectations haven’t changed for the nation’s likely preseason No. 1 this fall: Achieve elite status in the SEC and get back to the College Football Playoff with a chance to win the national title. Georgia certainly has the roster to do so, but it’s not going to be easy with this gauntlet ahead.
Combing through the schedule and highlighting Georgia’s five most important games for the 2024 season, these are the matchups that will be year-defining for the Bulldogs and ones circled by the playoff selection committee ahead of the final vote in December. The outcomes will also determine which teams get to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game.
Georgia is the only team nationally that could theoretically play three top-5 teams away from home this season along with three others inside the top 25. If the Bulldogs return to the playoff after a one-year hiatus, they will have certainly earned it.
National rankings would be tossed in a blender during opening weekend if Clemson pulls the unthinkable and derails Georgia inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta as a double-digit underdog. The Bulldogs have a history of dominating these big-time openers and, as the probable preseason No. 1 over Ohio State, need to look the part against a Dabo Swinney-coached team that has its share of questions entering the new campaign. Clemson is not the preseason favorite in the ACC and is the only Power 4 program not to sign a transfer this recruiting cycle.
The Bulldogs haven’t lost at home since 2019 (South Carolina) and hold college football’s longest active streak at 25 games entering 2024. On gameday, Athens is a top-5 environment nationally, rising to the level of the elites in recent years in terms of pageantry due to heightened success under Smart. And with one of the most favorable slates at home across the list of contenders this fall, this streak should continue to grow as long as the Tennessee game winds up in the win column
Georgia’s five most important games of 2024 college football season as Kirby Smart eyes SEC title, CFP berth
by Brad Crawford
5 hours ago
Facing one of the toughest schedules in college football, Georgia coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs know the expectations haven’t changed for the nation’s likely preseason No. 1 this fall: Achieve elite status in the SEC and get back to the College Football Playoff with a chance to win the national title. Georgia certainly has the roster to do so, but it’s not going to be easy with this gauntlet ahead.
Combing through the schedule and highlighting Georgia’s five most important games for the 2024 season, these are the matchups that will be year-defining for the Bulldogs and ones circled by the playoff selection committee ahead of the final vote in December. The outcomes will also determine which teams get to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game.
Georgia is the only team nationally that could theoretically play three top-5 teams away from home this season along with three others inside the top 25. If the Bulldogs return to the playoff after a one-year hiatus, they will have certainly earned it.
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Here’s our ranking of Georgia’s five most important games in 2024:
5. VS. CLEMSON (ATLANTA, AUG. 31)
(Photo: Joe Robbins / Icon Sportswire, Getty)
Early betting line: Georgia -13.5
National rankings would be tossed in a blender during opening weekend if Clemson pulls the unthinkable and derails Georgia inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta as a double-digit underdog. The Bulldogs have a history of dominating these big-time openers and, as the probable preseason No. 1 over Ohio State, need to look the part against a Dabo Swinney-coached team that has its share of questions entering the new campaign. Clemson is not the preseason favorite in the ACC and is the only Power 4 program not to sign a transfer this recruiting cycle.
Of course if you ask former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy, he feels there’s just as much mystery heading into the first game of the season for Georgia as there is on the other sideline.
“I think there are more questions on Georgia’s roster than people realize. Doesn’t mean that they’re not going to be really good,” McElroy said during a recent episode of the Always College Football podcast. “They’re going to be excellent. This is a team that is no worse than No. 2 in college football coming into the season. There is no team outside of Ohio State that has more capable bodies on their roster. They are legit.”