If you've read my previous blog post, you'll see that I think Georgia will go 9-3 in 2015.
Let's take a look at how I got there with this game by game look.
9/5 vs. UL Monroe: A few years ago you might have said Georgia should be on "upset alert" with a "dangerous" team coming to town, but these Warhawks are hardly the same as the ones who beat Arkansas and took Auburn to overtime in 2012. They went 4-8 in 2014 and don't figure to be a whole lot better this year. We'll get a glimpse of how the offense will work, but I expect a lot of vanilla in this game on all sides of the ball. Nick Chubb and company will control the clock, and the defense will overpower ULM. Georgia 41, UL Monroe 10
9/12 @ Vanderbilt: I have to say I was surprised when CBS decided to slot this game at 3:30. I'm glad they did, though. Get the players home for some R&R ahead of South Carolina the next week. Back to point. Much like ULM, this Vandy team looks like a shell of the ones James Franklin brought to power between 2011 and 2013. Still, the Bulldogs haven't exactly dominated the Commodores on the road. Here's a quick rundown of the margins in the last five trips to Nashville. Won by 17 ('05), won by 3 ('07), won by 24 ('09), won by 5 ('11), lost by 4 ('13). My guess is Georgia does enough to take care of business, but not enough to dazzle anybody. Georgia 31, Vanderbilt 14
9/19 vs. South Carolina: Here we arrive at one of those games I mentioned in my previous blog post. Yes, I believe the Bulldogs are better than the Fighting Spurriers. But I thought that last year. And in 2012. And in 2011. And (at the time) in 2010. The Gamecocks just seem to have Georgia's number, and I think the Dawgs lay an egg. Much like 2014, at this point the Dawgs will be lauded as a Top-5 team after a high pre-season ranking and a good showing to start the year. I think Carolina will pull out all the stops and get a few bounces to pull off an upset. South Carolina 28, Georgia 24
9/26 vs Southern: After the letdown against South Carolina paired with the upcoming home date with Alabama, the Dawgs come out sluggish for what will be a two-thirds crowd at high noon. Thankfully, Southern's talent level should be so low comparitively that Georgia will take care of business, mostly padding stats with the second stringers in the second half. Georgia 52, Southern 7
10/3 vs. Alabama: Here we get to one of those teams Georgia "shouldn't" beat. I'll take that with a grain of salt, mostly because I think the 2015 Crimson Tide aren't nearly as invincible as some of their other squads of recent memory. That said, this is still going to be a tough game. My guess is Georgia's offensive line gets enough of a running game established, and Isaiah McKenzie makes a big play in the return game to give Georgia a close victory in Athens. Georgia 27, Alabama 21
10/10 @ Tennessee: And now we get to another Mark Richt-ism. I talked about Georgia losing to teams they shouldn't lose to, and now I point out that they don't always handle success well. I think Richt is a good coach, don't get me wrong. But look at the examples in years' past when it comes to these types of games. In 2014, a big win at home over Clemson was followed by a loss to a crummy South Carolina. A big win over Auburn in 2009 was followed by a loss at home to Kentucky. A huge win over defending national champion LSU in 2004 was followed by a dud loss at home to...Tennessee. I think Georgia comes in overconfident and falls behind too far, too early in Knoxville, and our rookie QB (whoever it is) throws a few too many interceptions under the pressure of the hostile crowd in Neyland. The Volunteers have been close against the Dawgs of late, too—a little too close for comfort most years. Georgia has won the last five, but after the 41-14 thrashing in 2010, the margin of victory has slipped to 8, 7, 3 (OT), and 3 (regulation). Tennessee 31, Georgia 20
10/17 vs. Missouri: Somehow Missouri keeps winning the SEC East. At this point, the Tigers could very well be 6-0. If they are, they'll already own wins over Kentucky, Florida, and South Carolina. A win over Georgia would all but eliminate the Dawgs from the East, but I don't see that happening. I think Mizzou will be good-but-not-great this year, with a decent defense. Meanwhile, Jeremy Pruitt has shown an ability to stop a spread offense, and that's exactly what he'll do to a team Georgia shutout in 2014. Dawgs take care of business and right the ship. Georgia 35, Missouri 21
10/31 vs. Florida (Jacksonville): A much needed bye week comes after that brutal three-game stretch. The reward is the annual date with Florida in the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. The Gators, much like Georgia, are a bit of a mystery this year. No doubt they have talent on defense, but their offense is a big question mark (though by Halloween, I'm sure we'll have some idea what they look like). I'm sure the Dawgs will be favored, but here again, I show that I'm a creature of habit. Even Georgia teams that are competing at the highest level still seem to bring their worst performances to Jacksonville. I think Florida makes it two in a row in a stunner. Florida 26, Georgia 14
11/7 vs. Kentucky: The Sanford crowd will be less-than-enthused for a matchup with an improved-but-still-not-that-good Kentucky squad. No, I don't think this should be an "upset alert" type game, but I wouldn't be surprised if the score at halftime raised a few eyebrows across the country. I think Georgia gets its act together and pulls away in the second half of an otherwise lackluster performace. Georgia 41, Kentucky 21
11/14 @ Auburn: A lot of football pundits predict Auburn to be the SEC Champion this year, and perhaps make a run into the College Football Playoff. A lot of that hinges on Will Muschamp and his ability to turn around a defense that was downright awful in recent years. I think this will be the opposite of the South Carolina game for Georgia, and the Bulldogs pull off an upset against a team it "shouldn't" beat. The defense forces a couple turnovers, and Nick Chubb gives the Heisman voters a couple of highlight reel runs as the rushing attack wears down the Tiger's front seven. Georgia 28, Auburn 24
11/21 vs. GA Southern: Now THIS is a game that should include the words "upset alert." Georgia Southern is not a team you want to mess around with, and its place between Auburn and Georgia Tech slides it perfectly into the role of a trap game. I think this game will be relatively close, if not down to the wire. Still, it should provide a decent tune-up to the option offense the Dawgs will face the next week against Georgia Tech. I expect the Eagles to score a few points, but ultimately they won't be able to stop the Dawgs' ground attack. A couple of fourth quarter touchdowns put this one out of reach. Georgia 45, GA Southern 28
11/28 @ GA Tech: This is the game a lot of Georgia fans have circled on the calendar as the one game they want....no, need to win after last year's roller coaster heart break in Athens. A lot of people are high on the Yellow Jackets this year. I'm not one of them, and no, it's not because of a deep-seeded hatred of all things Old Gold and Navy Blue. I just think they've lost too much in the skill player department. Sure, Justin Thomas is an excellent quarterback, and he's the best one to run Paul Johnson's offense since Josh Nebitt. But this year he won't have a lot of guys to give the ball to. My guess is this game goes right down to the wire, but an inspired Georgia team, playing in front of a mostly-red crowd, makes a play late in the game to win it. Somebody forces a turnover as the Jackets try to drive down the field to tie the game up and send it to overtime. Georgia 34, Georgia Tech 27
That's just my take. I see the Dawgs beating a few good teams (Alabama, Auburn, and Georgia Tech) and losing to a few not-as-good ones (South Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida).
Chances are, I'll be completely wrong, and I'm hoping it's in the positive direction.
I don't think the 9-3 prediction would come with a trip to the SEC Championship. For one, a three-loss team has only won the east once to my knowledge (South Carolina, 2010), and for two, the three losses I'm predicting all come against SEC East teams.
We'll see how it all plays out.
