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- Jacob Rhee

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I recently unveiled the 13 college football teams that have a chance of winning the national title. It’s time we break down each of those squads. The Georgia Bulldogs are up next, at No. 8.

Offense

I don’t know what to do with Gunner Stockton. Part of me wants to just give the guy a clean slate; after all, the first meaningful pass attempt of his career came in the second half of the SEC championship game. He was shoved into an impossible situation, and displayed a ton of toughness.

At the same time… isn’t a high-stakes contest actually the best arena in which to judge an inexperienced player? Anyone can look sharp during garbage time against Tennessee Tech. Who are you when the lights come on? Are you prepared to seize the opportunity? While Stockton wasn’t a total mess in Georgia’s final two games, he certainly didn’t give me star vibes. The pick he threw to Jahdae Barron was alarming. His lengthy delivery scares me, as well. In any scenario, we’re heading into the season with a question mark taking the snaps.

I’d argue that the group up front is an even bigger area of concern. It was already the offense’s true weak link a year ago, and four of the five starters from that group are gone. Mike Bobo is infatuated with trying to piece together 15-play scoring drives, and those won’t happen unless Georgia is moving people at the line of scrimmage. Fortunately for the Dawgs, I think their running back duo is elite. An offseason of learning and lifting should do wonders for Nate Frazier. So will the arrival of Josh McCray, who battles as hard as any ballcarrier in the sport. Perhaps those two will provide a couple of flashbacks to the glorious Nick Chubb and Sony Michel era.

The wide receiver room is vastly improved. Zachariah Branch has escaped the Lincoln Riley disaster, and feels destined for a breakout. Noah Thomas was tied for second in the SEC with eight touchdown catches a year ago, despite participating in an extremely run-heavy system at Texas A&M. Add tight ends Oscar Delp and Lawson Luckie into the mix, and our friend Gunner has a really solid group of pass-catching weapons to utilize.

Defense

Georgia has allowed 24 points per game or fewer for 11(!!) consecutive seasons. I’m convinced that you could toss the men’s golf team into the facility, and a stream of first-round picks would walk out. The Dawgs are coming off a down year defensively, but a fresh crop of elite talent is ready to bring this unit back to its championship-caliber heights.

Christen Miller is the best player on the squad. I hope he’s a good instructor, because there is inexperience all around him on the defensive line. Just for a series, I want Glenn Schumann to plant Miller in between Jordan Hall and Elijah Griffin, so we can watch 940 pounds and 14 recruiting stars go to work.

Roquan Smith won the Butkus Award. So did Nakobe Dean. Jalon Walker took it home in 2024. Is it CJ Allen’s turn?

His ability to pursue and thump is awfully impressive; as an ever-frustrated fan of the I-don’t-feel-like-tackling-today Bengals, I’ll be watching CJ’s development closely.

Insert Ellis Robinson IV into the starting lineup instead of Daniel Harris, and we’re looking at an awesome secondary. Daylen Everette returns as Georgia’s CB1 after a rocky campaign, and soon-to-be first-team All-American KJ Bolden steps into a leadership role. There isn’t a decidedly great quarterback on the schedule until November; Kirby Smart’s crew may not allow a 200-yard passer until then.

Season Outlook

Pre-Bowl Record Prediction: 10-3

Selection Sunday Fan Mood: Give us a playoff game between the hedges. Actually, you know what? It doesn’t matter what our draw is. We’ll beat any team at any venue. Let’s not even watch the bracket reveal. Kirby will get this thing done.

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“Are You With Me Now?” by Cate Le Bon. Unbelievable.