2022 College Football Rankings: Updated top 10 after spring

2. Georgia

Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs finally got over the hump and got the Alabama monkey off their back as they defeated the Tide in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Now comes the hard part — repeating.

But in a strange twist, that isn’t that strange, the reigning national champion isn’t even the defending champion of the SEC. Alabama has done this twice in the past decade and the first time, Saban’s team won the next year too, as well as the SEC title.

Smart’s team would love to do that in 2022 and the Bulldogs have a great shot despite a mass exodus on the defensive side of the ball. Three defensive linemen, Travon Walker, Jordan Davis, and Devonte Wyatt are expected to go in the first round as well as Nakoe Dean.

Yet, the Bulldogs are still one of the most talented teams in college football. The loss of wideout Jermaine Burton to Alabama in the transfer portal hurt, but Georgia has by far the best group of tight ends in the country (multiple early-round picks) and a championship QB in Stetson Bennett returning, which is more than enough to see this team as a legit SEC/national title contender.