Georgia’s win at Alabama may have wiped out the toughest hurdle left on its regular-season schedule.
That road victory over the Crimson Tide was probably the hardest assignment the Bulldogs will face before the postseason, and the rest of the slate doesn’t look nearly as intimidating as it once did. Georgia still has six games left, but half of them are looking far more manageable than they did a few weeks ago.
Florida and Ole Miss still sit among the most notable matchups remaining, yet both teams come with a lot more uncertainty now than they did earlier in the season. Florida’s 52-28 blowout of Ole Miss three weeks ago briefly made the Gators look like a major challenge, especially with Ole Miss fresh off a win over LSU. Since then, though, Florida has fallen apart with losses to Missouri and South Carolina, and it is no longer ranked.
Ole Miss, meanwhile, still has only the Florida loss on its record, but the shine on that resume has worn off. Florida’s downturn makes that win look less impressive, and LSU - the Rebels’ signature victory - lost its second game to Kentucky. At this point, it’s fair to say Ole Miss doesn’t have a ton of convincing wins on the board either.
Neither game should be a walkover for Georgia, but both may look a lot less daunting than they did a few weeks back.
The real problem spot might be Missouri.
The Tigers have emerged as one of the more surprising teams in the SEC, sitting at 5-1 and ranked No. 13 in the country. Their only loss came on the road to Mississippi State, and it came by just seven points. Outside of that, Missouri has taken care of business, including wins over Texas A&M and Florida.
Georgia and Missouri are set to meet on Nov. 14, and the Tigers get a couple of revealing tests before that date arrives. This week they travel to Ole Miss, and they also host Texas on Nov.
- If Missouri keeps stacking wins against that level of competition, it could show up in Athens as Georgia’s toughest remaining opponent.
Georgia will almost certainly be favored in that matchup, but not by the kind of margin most people would have expected before the season began. If Missouri ends up being the Bulldogs’ biggest remaining challenge, that’s a pretty good place for Georgia to be halfway through the year.
In Other News...
Georgia Enters Auburn Stretch With One Offensive Question Looming
Georgias stretch run now comes with the kind of schedule wrinkle that can shape a season, with Alabama followed by Auburn in back-to-back games instead of the more forgiving setup Auburn has enjoyed in recent years. The Tigers are already dealing with a defensive absence in linebacker Xavier Atkins, while Georgia has kept building momentum off the field as well, recently flipping three-star cornerback Nash Johnson from Auburn to the Bulldogs.
On the field, though, the bigger immediate question is in Georgias backfield, where Chauncey Bowens status for the next game is still uncertain. The Bulldogs have had other running backs step up if needed, but this is the kind of late-week uncertainty that can change how Georgia approaches a matchup, especially with Auburn trying to manage its own defensive pressure without Atkins. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Faces A Brutal SEC Test With Plenty To Prove
The Deep Souths Oldest Rivalry returns to Athens with Georgia again carrying the top ranking and the weight of a streak that has turned into its own storyline. The Bulldogs have beaten Auburn nine straight times, and another win would tie a series record while keeping Kirby Smarts team right where it wants to be in the SEC picture.
Auburn arrives with plenty to prove, and the matchup has drawn comments from both Smart and first-year coach Alex Golesh about where each program stands and what has stood out in recent performances. With key players on both sides producing notable numbers, the game offers Georgia another chance to reinforce its grip on the rivalry, while Auburn gets a test that says plenty about how far it still has to go. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Freshmen Are Suddenly Becoming A Real Factor In Big Games
Kirby Smart was quick early in the season to cool any talk about Georgias true-freshman class making an immediate impact, but that picture has changed as the schedule has grown tougher. In recent games, several first-year players have become part of the conversation, with Craig Dandridge, Valdin Sone, Zykie Helton and Blake Stewart all carving out meaningful roles as the Bulldogs have leaned on fresh legs and fast development.
Smarts broader point is one that fits modern college football: freshmen are no longer just depth pieces to stash for later. For Georgia, the real separator has been less about where those players were ranked coming out of high school and more about how they have handled the training, the mindset and the speed of the moment when big games start demanding real answers. [Read more 🡒]