Georgia’s win over Alabama changed the conversation around the Bulldogs, but it did not change what comes next. The calendar does not get easier just because Georgia pulled off what many would call the best win in college football so far this season. If anything, the next stretch brings a different kind of challenge: more attention, more pressure and a target that is about to get a lot bigger.
That target should grow even larger when the updated AP Poll drops and Georgia takes over the No. 1 spot. For most of the season, the Bulldogs had someone ahead of them in the rankings, something to chase. Now they become the team everybody else is hunting, and that changes the feel of every week from here on out.
Auburn is first in line, and the Tigers have plenty riding on the trip to Athens. They come in at 3-2 and still looking for the kind of breakthrough under their new head coach that they had hoped for. Facing the No. 1 team on the road gives Auburn exactly the kind of stage it needs if it wants to try to get its season moving in the right direction.
That is part of the danger for Georgia now. When a team takes down a heavyweight like Alabama, it is easy for the outside world to assume the rest of the schedule is going to unfold smoothly.
But college football rarely works that way. Texas learned that lesson this weekend after beating Ohio State earlier in the season, then falling to a subpar Oklahoma team.
The Bulldogs also have to deal with the emotional aftereffects of such a huge win. A team can ride a wave like that and, in the next game, lose a little edge if it is not careful. Kirby Smart and his staff will spend the week making sure that does not happen, because Auburn is the exact kind of opponent that can make a team pay for even a small lapse.
There is also a simple reward waiting if Georgia handles business: a bye week. Win this game, and the Bulldogs get a chance to rest, get healthy and settle into life as the nation’s top-ranked team.
Even with all the praise that is headed their way, Georgia still has not accomplished its real goal. Beating Alabama matters.
Being No. 1 matters. But championships matter more, and the Bulldogs still have work to do before they get there.
Georgia and Auburn are set to kick off Saturday, Oct. 17 at 3:30 pm EST.
In Other News...
Georgia Just Got Extra Fuel Before Its Biggest Alabama Test
The buildup around Georgias showdown with Alabama got a little louder after the College GameDay crew weighed in on the matchup, and the picks leaned heavily toward the Tide. Three of the four voices on the panel, including Nick Saban and Bryce Young, selected Alabama, adding another layer of outside skepticism to a game that already carries major stakes for the SEC race and the College Football Playoff picture.
Saturday night in Athens now feels even bigger, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. EST and the winner positioned to seize a major edge in both races. Georgia does not need any extra motivation for a game of this size, but a national stage and a panel picking against the Bulldogs only sharpen the backdrop for what should be one of the seasons defining tests. [Read more 🡒]
Former Georgia Defender Lands In Ugly Oregon Controversy
Former Georgia defender Bear Alexander found himself at the center of a messy moment Saturday night in Eugene, where Oregons game with UCLA briefly tilted from routine conference football into something much more heated. Alexander, now a defensive lineman for the Ducks after stops at Georgia and USC, threw a punch at UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava during the game, but officials missed the action and no penalty was called.
Iamaleava left the field briefly with a lower-body injury that was not tied to the punch, adding another layer to an already ugly sequence. For Georgia fans who remember Alexander as part of that defensive pipeline before his transfer journey continued, the episode is another reminder of how quickly a familiar name can become part of a very different kind of headline. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Must Now Prepare For An Alabama Twist They Didn't Expect
Alabama enters Saturday nights showdown with Georgia carrying a piece of news that changes the feel of the matchup a little: tight end Josh Ford, who broke his arm last week against Mississippi State, is expected to play. Ford has been an important part of the Crimson Tides offense this season, especially as a blocker, and he also flashed earlier with a touchdown catch against South Carolina, making him more than just a physical presence on the edge.
For Georgia, that means preparing for a familiar Alabama package with one more layer of toughness attached to it at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game kicks at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC, and while the Bulldogs have plenty to sort through on their own side, Fords availability adds another wrinkle to an SEC heavyweight meeting that already had enough of them. [Read more 🡒]