Kirby Smart hopes Georgia smashes the launch button and takes off in all three phases as the Bulldogs’ season-defining, two-game SEC stretch in crunch time begins Saturday at Ole Miss.
No disrespect to Florida, but wading through that rivalry game was simply the consultation before the scheduled extractions without anesthesia, which Georgia expects to give Lane Kiffin’s Rebels and Tennessee at home over the next couple weekends.
Does this Bulldogs team have that high-octane gear we’re used to this time of the year? Haven’t we already seen flashes of it previously at Texas and during the second-half surge in Tuscaloosa?
Averaging double-digit wins every season like Georgia has under Smart and winning two of the last three national championships means anything short of realistic title hopes underwhelms. And a loss to Ole Miss or Tennessee to potentially spoil the season and make the College Football Playoff road that much tougher would be, by all estimations, disastrous.
Independent of this week’s placement in the first CFP Rankings, Georgia can leave no doubt with the selection committee if it conquers this nationally ranked pair of opponents. Two wins would all but guarantee a playoff bid — and berth in the SEC Championship Game if Texas wins out or LSU loses once more — with an opportunity at potential legacy hardware coming in January should the streak continue.
The preseason No. 1 is not the world-beater of recent seasons, part of that falling on quarterback Carson Beck. Turnover-prone is not the phrase any expected to use concerning the projected 2025 NFL Draft early rounder, not after last year’s rise to top billing in the SEC.
In six starts against league competition, Beck’s thrown 10 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions. He has struggled to read coverages, missed underneath defenders and airmailed a few long balls that would’ve been scores with better accuracy.
His play is vital against the Rebels, who lead the SEC in sacks this season but are susceptible to big plays in the passing game. No one’s calling for Beck’s benching with little experience behind him, but he’s the guy whom Smart has hitched his wagon, and publicly, Georgia’s coach has expressed continued confidence in despite a bevy of bad decisions in recent weeks continuing to pile up.
The Bulldogs torched Ole Miss and Tennessee last season in a similar mid-November spot, but this is a different team and the parity around the SEC is noticeable. Georgia’s one of five SEC teams with a conference loss entering Week 11, and there are a few others — including the Rebels — fighting to get off the playoff bubble with strong finishes.
Smart knows Georgia’s regular-season conclusion hinges on road execution this weekend and beating the Vols thereafter. The Bulldogs leave it up to the selection committee if they take a loss to either opponent and relinquish their cloak of distinction in the SEC.
Hints of vulnerability have already set in.
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