Welcome to Glass Slipper! Rest in peace to Johnny Gaudreau, and his younger brother Matthew; please enjoy the show.

- Jacob Rhee

This is a squad so good that it won a New Year’s Six game by 60 in a down year. Kirby Smart’s program is still on top, and the chase for a third national title in four years is about to commence. Let’s discuss the #1 team in the Glass Slipper rankings, Georgia.

Offense

Perhaps the most amazing part of the Dawgs’ back-to-back championships is that they got the job done without a single star at quarterback, running back, or wide receiver. George Pickens does not count; he never had 50 catches in any collegiate season, and barely played in 2021. Needless to say, the fact that Georgia now has a standout at two of those three positions should make everyone nervous.

People love to label Carson Beck a game manager, but that’s not what I see. This is a guy with NFL arm talent, who just hasn’t been asked to push the ball downfield a whole lot. Georgia’s wide receiver room is particularly underwhelming this year, and Brock Bowers is gone now. Mike Bobo should lean more on Beck, and the redshirt senior will deliver with a great campaign.

Kirby Smart rescued Trevor Etienne from his annual timeshare with Montrell Johnson at Florida, and he’ll now be an every-down back in Athens. I’ve always thought that Etienne was every bit as gifted as his older brother, who got some second-place Heisman votes a few seasons ago. I’m not saying that Trevor will wind up in New York too, but I do have him - if he stays available - rumbling for 1,200 yards and developing into a Day 2 draft pick.

By Georgia’s standards, things were actually a bit shaky up front in 2023. But four of the main guys are back, and Georgia has absolutely earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to developing players. I trust that the group will look much sharper this year.

Defense

This defense is nasty. I legitimately think that if you took the Dawgs’ backups and created a separate unit, it would be top-20 in the nation.

Edge rusher Mykel Williams is a big year away from being one of the first five names called next April. It’s pretty alarming how good he is already, because I still don’t think he fully knows what he’s doing out there. Williams isn’t showcasing this wide array of moves or techniques; he just kind of wins with his athleticism. It’ll be trouble for everyone if he has become more technically sound in the offseason.

I believe linebacker CJ Allen is headed for a breakout year, and Georgia has a couple of sensational players in the secondary. Malaki Starks gets a lot of the love, but Daylen Everette deserves people’s attention. His instincts and willingness to tackle remind me of Marshon Lattimore. I adore corners that relish their opportunities to come down and thump people near the line of scrimmage. The rest of the secondary is rather unproven, but five-stars Ellis Robinson IV and KJ Bolden are lurking in the background. Either those two kids will push the starters into elite performances, or they’ll take the jobs themselves at some point.

There’s not a single offense in the SEC capable of embarrassing the Dawgs. Georgia is headed for its fourth consecutive top-five finish nationally in points allowed per game.

Season Outlook

Pre-Bowl Record Prediction: 12-1

Selection Sunday Fan Mood: Oh, the national championship game is in our backyard this year? These other 11 teams can go ahead and figure out who wants to meet us there.

Pressroom

Spin It

“Malibu 1992” by COIN. Incredible.