At media day for the SEC, the majority of experts picked the Georgia Bulldogs to win the SEC East. This has been the fourth time that the media has picked Georgia to win the SEC East since 2012. The other years are 2012, 2013, and 2015. But, they have struggled to live up to the hype as they finished in 3rd place in 2013 and 2015, with their lone time living up to expectations in 2012.
So is this Georgia team any better than the other teams that have been picked to succeed? Let’s look at the offense, defense, and coaching to see if they have what it takes to win the SEC East, and potentially beyond.
Offense
This is a pretty easy start to the debate, no they don’t have what it takes. The issue with this offense has been the reasoning for the other times on why Georgia hasn’t lived up to the hype: quarterback play. Aaron Murray was sensational and after his departure in 2013, they have had a hard time finding a stable quarterback. They had Tavarres King, Malcolm Mitchell and Chris Conley so it is not like they did not have any outside talent because they did.
Looking at the quarterback situation now, I am not impressed by what I have seen from Jake Fromm at all. Both the stat sheet and the tape have me unenthusiastic about Fromm. This is also against bad defenses like Mississippi State, Tennessee, and Samford. When the best defense you have faced is Notre Dame, you haven’t faced much. So it is hard to say that he is anything special.
As far as the offensive line is concerned, they haven’t really improved from last year, but they haven’t gotten any worse either. However, I am skeptical due to the kind of talent they have in the backfield. This group has usually been no better than average. This will also segue to the next group of players, the running backs. It is a serious debate on which duo is better between the Gurley-Marshall duo and the Chubb-Michel duo. So in that respect I will say Georgia has maintained the strength of their offense. Georgia has relied heavily on their current duo and will have to continue to rely on them if they want a chance to win the East.
Defense
Georgia’s defense has always been elite, but they have had something extra this year. They played very well against Mississippi State and Tennessee, both of which can move the ball and score points easily. They will have a few more challenges throughout the season still having to play Missouri, Kentucky, and Georgia Tech. But so far this unit has played pretty amazingly, and it seems like they are on pace for an amazing season as a whole.
But in the past, Georgia has had a few games where they laid an egg defensively. They seemed to avoid that in 2016 but many other years have not been as kind. So that will be one thing I will be looking for going forward. Not to mention the struggles they have had against Florida, who has been one of the more offensively handicapped teams in college football.
Coaching
Kirby Smart is only in his second season, so it is hard to gauge what his capabilities are after only 18 games. However, from what we have seen so far, fans can be encouraged. They should also know that there is still a lot of work to do. The offense has been so-so thus far, and it seems like their dangerous running duo is masking a lot of issues. I’ll give him a pass for now as every coach needs a crutch to lean on in his first few years or so but we will need to see some sort of progress as the season goes on.
As for the defense, it is much like the offense. It is too soon to tell due to him only being there for just over a year. Nonetheless, it is expected for some of his recruits to be on the field as they do have to prepare for a potential bus-load of departures this coming offseason. So far he has done a good job keeping this defense at an elite status–and maybe even improved their play.
The Verdict
For right now I am at a hard pass. They have seemed to improve from last year, but have not faced any one that is worth a lick. While the offense right now is getting in a groove they could once again stall when they start playing respectable defenses. So until I see some good wins against the likes of Florida, Auburn, and state rival Georgia Tech, I will remain off the hype train.