ATHENS, Ga. — With fourth-ranked Georgia favored by six touchdowns in Saturday’s matchup with Charlotte at Sanford Stadium, the biggest challenge of the week for Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart may have been keeping his football team’s focus on only one game.
The next one against the 49ers.
Georgia, which is 9-1 overall, completed its Southeastern Conference schedule with a 7-1 mark against league competition, but the Bulldogs will need help to have the opportunity to play in the conference title game on Dec. 6 at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which would give them the chance to repeat as champions. The SEC title pairing won’t be set until after the Bulldogs wrap up their regular-season schedule against No. 15 Georgia Tech of the Atlantic Coast Conference on Nov. 28, with that game also at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“It’s not a difficult position,” Smart said when asked about the uncertainty of the SEC race. “We’re worried about Charlotte, right? So we’re focused on them.”
Thanks to last weekend’s 35-10 home win over Texas, which was ranked 10th at the time, Georgia moved up one spot in the College Football Playoff committee’s rankings and now is in position for a first-round bye in the 12-team bracket next month. Georgia’s best hope for protecting that spot is by avoiding a letdown against the underdog 49ers on Saturday, then winning the Peach State rivalry game known as Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate against the Yellow Jackets for the eighth year in a row.
Charlotte (1-9) will bring a seven-game losing streak to Sanford Stadium. Georgia is favored by 43 1/2 points, according to BetMGM, and the Bulldogs have won six straight games since a 23-20 home loss to Alabama on Sept. 27.
This is the first meeting between Charlotte, which is 0-7 in the American Conference this season, and Georgia.
“We all know the caliber of team they are,” Charlotte coach Tim Albin said of the Bulldogs. “We respect all opponents and fear none. We’re going to go in there and play for four quarters. We’re going there to compete.”
And make a little money.
According to the Charlotte Observer, Georgia is paying the 49ers $1.9 million to play the game at Georgia without a return trip. It’s the biggest payday in the history of the Charlotte program. In 2023, Florida paid the 49ers $1.55 million to play in Gainesville, where the Gators won 22-9.
Charlotte backup defensive back Collin Gill transferred to the 49ers from Georgia, and Albin was asked if he might look at Georgia players during pregame warmups to scout for any potential transfers who haven’t earned regular playing time for the Bulldogs.
“Right. I don’t have a crystal ball,” Albin said. “That’s an interesting question, but that’s probably out of my wheelhouse to comment on. We all know in this day and age in college football, everybody is looking to make moves. I’ll have probably other things on my mind.”
Georgia’s starting quarterback the past two seasons, Carson Beck, moved on to Miami via the transfer portal for his final season of eligibility, but the Bulldogs have been just fine with redshirt junior Gunner Stockton taking the snaps this year.
Stockton threw for touchdown passes and ran for another in last week’s win over Texas as he continued to compile impressive numbers and move into Heisman Trophy consideration. While Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is BetMGM’s Heisman favorite, Stockton has moved to No. 5 on the list, one spot ahead of Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King.
Smart said it’s difficult for him to lobby for a player for the Heisman. He then made his case for Stockton.
“What I will say is he embodies everything about that award: resiliency, character, determination,” the Georgia coach said. “I mean, all those words that embody the trophy winner, you understand it, and he’s done it on the biggest stages in front of the biggest audiences, against some of the toughest competition at a really high level.
“So, you know, he’s playing well. He’s playing to make the people around him better.”
Stockton has accounted for 27 touchdowns this season (19 passing, eight rushing). The program record for touchdowns in a season is 39 by quarterback Aaron Murray in 2012, and considering the potential for a lengthy postseason on top of the two remaining regular-season games, Stockton could challenge that mark.
Georgia could miss the SEC championship game and still maintain the No. 4 spot in the CFP by winning against Charlotte and Georgia Tech. Smart was asked if that path might be the best one to the playoff, especially since Beck was injured in last year’s SEC championship game, when Stockton took over halfway through and helped the Bulldogs top Texas in overtime.
Even though Georgia and other teams playing conference championship games lost in last year’s CFP, Smart doesn’t like the suggestion that it might be better for the Bulldogs’ national title hopes to not play for the SEC crown.
“That would be like saying are you looking at intentionally losing?” Smart said. “OK, what does that sound like? … I want to win every game that we possibly play.”
Smart is in his 10th season as head coach at his alma mater, which he has led to two national titles and three SEC championships. Before that, he was Alabama’s defensive coordinator under Nick Saban, who also lamented the reduced importance some had started to place on conference crowns in the national championship or bust era.
“It has been as rare to win (SEC championships) in some cases as the national championship,” Smart said. “And that’s a philosophy. I mean, I’m a kid who grew up in the SEC footwork and thinks that that’s one of the key ingredients, most important games.”