HOOVER, Ala. - The 2017 Georgia Bulldogs continue to cast a sizable shadow over their successors.
Last year's Bulldogs won 11 games, swept the Southeastern Conference's Eastern Division for a second consecutive season and competed in the prestigious Sugar Bowl, but that didn't measure up to the season before. Georgia qualified for college football's four-team playoff during the 2017 season, posting a double-overtime triumph over Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl before losing in overtime to Alabama in the national championship game.
"The bar definitely has been raised, no question about that," junior quarterback Jake Fromm said Tuesday at SEC Media Days. "You've got to play to a standard, and we didn't feel like we played to the standard in every single game we played in last season. It is what it is, and now we're looking forward to this season and hopefully doing well."
Georgia went 11-1 last year during the regular season, which mirrored the year before, but the Bulldogs could not repeat their SEC title. They led Alabama twice by two touchdowns in the league championship game in Atlanta before losing 35-28, which eliminated them in the eyes of the playoff's selection committee.
At the Sugar Bowl, the Bulldogs came out flat against Texas and stayed flat, losing 28-21 to the underdog Longhorns.
"I think everybody would admit that we didn't finish the way we wanted to finish," Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said. "It's why it was part of our battle cry heading into this offseason. We have to do a lot of those things better if we want to finish the way that we want to.
"We achieved a lot last year, too, and we've made great strides in the three and a half years we've been here. You're on a continuum of growth. It's not enough to be 24-5 these last two years. We've got to do more, and we understand that."
The Bulldogs could be ranked as high as No. 3 in the preseason polls, returning Fromm, 1,000-yard rusher D'Andre Swift and arguably the strongest and deepest offensive line in the country. The defense should be upgraded with new edge-rushers Jermaine Johnson and Nolan Smith, and kicker Rodrigo Blankenship will vie for several school records.
Receiver is Georgia's biggest question mark following the departures of Terry Godwin, Mecole Hardman and Riley Ridley to the NFL, and that position took an additional hit last month when Jeremiah Holloman was booted from the squad.
"I don't think it changes anything, because one of the big question marks coming into this season was going to be receiver," Smart said of Holloman's departure. "It's probably just more glaring now, because a guy who had a lot of touches is now gone, but we were facing that issue anyway. I am excited about the guys we've got, and I certainly think those guys have worked really hard."
Smart and Georgia's traveling players were asked several questions about Alabama, but their responses typically dealt with the Aug. 31 opener at Vanderbilt and going from there. What was evident is that the 2017 season was more fun than last season and that topping 2017 will be the objective in the foreseeable future for a program that went 8-5 and held up a Liberty Bowl trophy as recently as 2016.
"We want to win the national championship, so we're not satisfied with anything below that," junior left tackle Andrew Thomas said. "That's why we've been preaching to do more and doing everything we can to reach our goals. I think this is the way the Georgia program has changed. We're not satisfied with winning double-digit games. We want to win every game and be the best."
Said senior safety J.R. Reed: "If you buy into the program and have great leaders, you can take a program from 8-5 to the national championship."
No decisive answer
Smart has made several comments the last several months about the game against Florida in Jacksonville costing the Bulldogs an on-campus recruiting weekend every other year. He was asked Tuesday if he was definitely for the game moving to the two campus venues.
"I'm for what's best for the University of Georgia and as a group and as a staff and an administration," Smart replied, "and we'll look at that internally and make the decisions based on what is best for our student-athletes and what is best for the university. I don't get caught up in the emotion of this decision or that decision.
"I look at it from a perspective of 10,000 feet where I say, 'What is best for our program?' We'll make that decision as a group and go with it."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.