College Football Playoff: Which Top 25 teams are contenders, pretenders?
After going 4-4 in the SEC last season, Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs have been one of college football’s biggest surprises.
The Bulldogs currently own a 4-0 record in 2017, including impressive wins over No. 24 Notre Dame and No. 17 Mississippi State.
Georgia’s offense has been incredibly steady this season behind the arm of freshman Jake Fromm after Jacob Eason’s injury and returning senior running back Nick Chubb, who finished last year with 1,130 rushing yards on 224 attempts with with touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs are returning 10 of their 11 starters from last season, with only one new starter, Jonathan Ledbetter, joining the defensive line.
Currently ranked the 16th-best defense in all of college football, Georgia will need to rely on its defensive playmakers if it wants to keep its playoff hopes alive.
One factor outside of Georgia’s control that has greatly improved their chances of winning the SEC East is the ineffective play of its conference opponents.
After winning the division for the last three seasons, the Florida Gators appear to be having a down year, with only surprisingly the Kentucky Wildcats providing a challenge for the Bulldogs going down the stretch.
Georgia’s chances of making the College Football Playoff could come down to the SEC Championship Game against SEC West opponent Alabama, and if it can win that game, it could clear the way for Georgia’s first national championship of the playoff era.