No, I am not a Georgia football fan despite my living in Atlanta. Yes, I realize that it won the title back in 1980. The question is, can they do it this season?
The Bulldogs have both the talent and the hunger to win it all this year.
So, Magic 8-Ball. Can Georgia finally win a d$%n national title? *shakes vigorously*
Answer: Outlook good.
Fact, Jake Fromm is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Just because he doesn’t get the headlines doesn’t mean that the guy can’t throw a mean pass.
Fact, the Georgia backfield is stellar. D’Andre Swift is looking to have a breakout season and Zamir White is back to full health. Add in other rising talents like James Cook and Brian Herrien and you’ve got the recipe for a game made of explosive cuts and breaking through tackles.
Fact, Kirby Smart knows how to play against Alabama. Despite last season’s heartbreaking overtime loss to Alabama, the Dawgs matched the Tide play for play.
OK, yes, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence is poetic in his passing game. And let’s face it –Nick Saban isn’t going to have a losing season anytime soon. But Georgia has a darn good chance of joining the College Football Playoff again in 2019.
Let’s take Fromm, Georgia’s quarterback, as an example. He spent most of last season quietly being a really good signal-caller. He averaged 255 passing yards and threw three touchdown passes against Florida, Alabama and Texas with only one interception.
The Bulldogs’ offensive line is massive — they average 330 pounds, and boast such talent as tackles Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson. The Dawgs averaged 5.9 yards per rush last year.
White is now back to full health, adding to the depth at an already loaded running back position.
Their defense needed a bit of work last season, and Kirby Smart recruited accordingly. I say they needed a bit of work in a sarcastic sense — they still managed to win 11 games in the regular season. Smart learns from his mistakes, and recruited hard on defense. We can expect Tyler Clark and Brenton Cox to have a breakout season, as well as Richard Lecounte in the secondary.
Smart’s home state has some of the best football talent in the country, and he’s taking full advantage of it. His team is due, and it seems like it’s simply a question of when.