Georgia Bulldogs 10 Days From Opening Game With Vanderbilt

The Georgia Bulldogs are ten days away from their opening game with Vanderbilt. The August 31st game marks the beginning of the Bulldogs journey to finish the job from the last two seasons: beat Alabama and win the National Championship. Will this year be the year for Georgia?

For the Georgia Bulldogs, the expectations are through the roof coming into the season. When the preseason rankings came out last week, Georgia was at 3, only behind Alabama and Clemson. After knocking on the doorstep of the National Championship the last two seasons, Bulldogs fans will be looking to win their first national title since 1980.

With the talent that is returning to Georgia for the upcoming season, the Bulldogs are a safe bet to be in the mix for the SEC Title game and a College Football Playoff spot. Jake Fromm is back for his third season as the starter. DeAndre Swift is getting Heisman hype heading into the season. The offensive line for Georgia is one of the best, if not the best, line in all of the nation. The receiving core, specifically the WRs and TEs, are an area of weakness of that offensive side of the ball, but that’s only because the rest of the team is so deep and talented.

On the defensive side of the ball, Georgia will have to replace some big names, specifically D’Andre Walker and Deandre Baker. Baker was the best player in Georgia’s defense so his absence won’t go unnoticed. On top of the losses, Georgia has a new defensive coordinator coming into this season, Dan Lanning. Lanning was a coach on the defensive staff last season and now has a chance to run the whole defensive show.

The Georgia Bulldogs defense will be missing some key players from last season, but that doesn’t mean that this defense will be taking any steps back. Last season, Georgia was ranked 14th nationally in scoring defense and 13th nationally in total defense. Those are great numbers, but Georgia has a chance to be even better with the young talent that Kirby Smart has stockpiled since becoming the Georgia Bulldogs head coach. One is that will have to improve is sacks. Georgia ranked last in sacks in the SEC last season. Look for Georgia to step up the pressure on opposing QBs this season.

There is going to be a lot of pressure on the shoulders of Jake Fromm and Kirby Smart coming into this season after how close the pair were to leading Georgia to a National Championship. Just because this team is reloaded and ready to go is no promise of anything. Clemson and Alabama both have their starting quarterbacks returning this season, too. And with Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney recruiting, their respective rosters will be loaded back up. It’s going to be a long road for Georgia to travel. It all starts next Saturday in Nashville. Georgia will open their season August 31st at 7:30 p.m.