The Kirby Smart-led Georgia Bulldogs are on top of the college football world. Their success showed that defense can still be king in a wide-open world of spread offenses. Smart is about to find out, however, that getting to the summit is the easy part.
By Steve Wright
Here are three keys for Georgia to repeat as National Champions:
The Recruits Step Up
Georgia set a number of new marks in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Bulldogs had five defensive players taken in Round 1 including No. 1 overall selection Travon Walker to Jacksonville. The Bulldogs then broke another NFL record with 15 total players selected out of the school in a seven-round draft.
That clearly means there are holes to fill all over the field. This, however, should not result in an “LSU after Burrow” type fall-off. Smart has recruited and developed a roster deep enough that Georgia is more akin to an Alabama-style turnover than an LSU implosion.
Smart Must Understand his Team
Allowing just 10.2 points per game over 15 games shouldn’t even be possible. The Georgia defense was athletic, disciplined, and motivated to a man, and the talent level was like nothing we have ever seen at the college level. The 2022 team will have to be built differently. That scoring average will go up – expect something nearer to 17-20 – and the likes of Tennessee and Kentucky will test the new faces. The offense will need to step up as Georgia’s identity shifts to that side of the ball.
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Go Undefeated in the Regular Season
It is a massive goal, but Georgia is at the level now where a season ending in anything but a CFP spot would be deemed a failure. The SEC East schedule doesn’t allow for a slip-up as the West does as the other teams are not at that level. Georgia has just three ranked teams to play and the only top 20 non-conference opponent is Oregon on opening weekend in Atlanta. West crossover opponents Auburn and Mississippi State are not going to be good. Winning out in the regular season is likely the only way for Georgia to defend their title and get into the playoffs.
The Georgia Bulldogs open their 2022 season on September 3 when they face Oregon in Atlanta.
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