Before the season started, I made my game-by-game predictions of how the Georgia football season would play out.
I graded myself at the halfway point, where I was pretty close to predicting what actually happened for the year.
I won't bore you by re-hashing the old picks here (feel free to review them if you'd like), so 'll grade myself for the second half of the year, starting with the Missouri game.
MISSOURI
WHAT I PREDICTED: A 35-21 Georgia victory, with Georgia righting the ship after the loss to Tennessee. I figured the Tigers would field a pretty good defense (hey--got that right!), but they--as a team--would be average this season.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: The Bulldogs won 9-6 in a game where neither team scored a touchdown. I drastically over-estimated the offensive prowess for both these teams, but I did accurately predict a win. So there's that.
CONCLUSION: Not really close at all, except saying Mizzou has a good defense and that Georgia would win.
GRADE: D-
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FLORIDA
WHAT I PREDICTED: Florida pulls a stunner 26-14, once again continuing their domination of Mark Richt in Jacksonville.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: It was actually worse than I predicted, at least as far as Georgia's ability to put points on the board. For the second consecutive game, Brian Schottenheimer's crew failed to score a touchdown, and the Gators dominated 27-3. QB Faton Bauta made his first collegiate start, and promptly threw four INTs.
CONCLUSION: Pretty close. I figured the Bulldogs would once again be favored, then collapse. They were not favored, but got whipped either way. I was also pretty close to Florida's final score.
GRADE: B+
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KENTUCKY
WHAT I PREDICTED: Georgia limps into the game in front of an uninspired crowd, and lets the Wildcats keep it close through the first half. The Bulldogs pull away in the second half for a 41-21 win.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: The narrative was pretty spot-on (Georgia led 10-3 at the half), but the numbers were substantially lower, as the Bulldogs dominated 27-3. If not for a deep turnover, the Wildcats might have been shutout.
CONCLUSION: Again, pretty close. How the game played out was pretty much what I expected, but again I vastly over-estimated the offense.
GRADE: B+
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AUBURN
WHAT I PREDICTED: Two ranked teams duke it out on The Plains, with RB Nick Chubb flashing his Heisman potential in a big road upset. Georgia makes it two in a row over Auburn, 28-24.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: Pretty close on the score (20-13), though obviously Chubb was no longer able to walk at this point. It was Isaiah McKenzie who stole the show, scoring on a short end-around and a punt return to key the offense in the come-from-behind win. Jeremy Pruitt's defense once again proved the difference, holding the Tigers to just 275 yards and just one score.
CONCLUSION: For the third time in a row, I was pretty close. I was right on the brink when it comes to the score, though I was totally wrong in thinking this game could have SEC Championship or even College Football Playoff implications. Yeesh.
GRADE: A-
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GA SOUTHERN
WHAT I PREDICTED: Georgia gets caught celebrating its Auburn win and looking ahead to Georgia Tech, and lets pesky Georgia Southern stick around longer than they should. I figured the Bulldog offense would score some points, but the defense would struggle against the triple-option attack. I thought Georgia would pull away in the fourth quarter to win it 45-28
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: The Eagles brought everything the Bulldogs could handle, pushing them to the brink of an upset. A field goal with 9:21 remaining gave the visitors a 17-14 lead in Sanford Stadium. Georgia was able to respond, but the game ultimately went to overtime. Pruitt's defense got a fourth down stop, and RB Sony Michel needed only one play to take it 25 yards for the game-winning score, 23-17.
CONCLUSION: I was right to assume that Georgia Southern would bring their "A game" with thoughts of an upset. I didn't think it would require overtime, though.
GRADE: B
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GEORGIA TECH
WHAT I PREDICTED: Georgia, looking to avenge last year's wild, whacky debacle, makes a play late in the game to seal a 34-27 victory.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: Much like Missouri, I had the general idea correct, but guessed way too high as far as the scoreboard is concerned. The Bulldogs won 13-7, fending off a furious comeback from the Yellow Jackets. Sure enough, Georgia made a play. Greyson Lambert found TE Jeb Blazevich on a play-action pass out of his own end zone when Tech was looking to make one final stop to try to get one more possession. By the time the Jackets got the ball back, there were less than 10 seconds left, and they were backed up deep in their own territory. Malkom Parrish sealed the win with an interception.
CONCLUSION: Narrative was close, scoring was not. I never would have predicted this would be Tech's NINTH loss of the season, either.
GRADE: C-
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OVERALL
WHAT I PREDICTED: Georgia finished the year 9-3, scoring a few big wins (South Carolina, Alabama, Auburn) and a few bad losses (Tennessee, Florida).
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: The Bulldogs finished 9-3, though there really weren't any "good" wins on the year. Heck, you MIGHT be able to make a case that Georgia Southern was the best team Georgia beat all year. If not them, it's certainly 6-6 Auburn. South Carolina and Georgia Tech both finished 3-9. Otherwise you're looking at wins over UL Monroe, Vanderbilt and Southern University. And Alabama and Florida stomped the Bulldogs into the ground, while Tennessee opted for the break-your-hearts-with-a-21-point-comeback variety.
CONCLUSION: Almost spot-on. I nailed the last half of the season in terms of the record (didn't miss a single game!), and overall I pegged this team as a 9-3 squad. Sure enough, as I predicted, they didn't win the SEC East, and will find themselves in a less-than-desirable bowl game. My only blemishes were predicting a loss to South Carolina (oof) and a win over Bama (more oof).
GRADE: A-
