EXPECTATIONS
Since Georgia won its first Southeastern Conference title in 12 seasons last December and played in January’s national championship game, the lofty bar has been set in cement. Great expectations are nothing new for the Bulldogs, but the league’s “Pool of Six” postseason inventory that has housed Georgia in recent years – whether at the TaxSlayer, Belk or Liberty bowls – now would be considered a complete disaster. Georgia swept its Eastern Division slate for the first time in 2017, winning every game by at least two touchdowns, so anything short of an East crown would be considered a travesty as well.
CONCERNS
The Bulldogs are having to replace several players who seemed like they were in Athens for a decade, most notably running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, who became the first SEC classmates to each amass 3,000 career rushing yards (Chubb had more than 4,000). Because Georgia has recruited so well at that spot with D’Andre Swift, Elijah Holyfield and five-star freshman Zamir White, the bigger impact likely will be felt at linebacker, where Davin Bellamy and Lorenzo Carter are no longer on the outside and Roquan Smith no longer inside. There is capable talent, but Smith especially was a generational star.
WHAT’S NEW