We’ve made it, folks. College football is here.
No. 3 Georgia takes on No. 11 Oregon from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game.
There are plenty of story lines in this one.
Former UGA defensive coordinator makes his head coaching debut against his former team.
Auburn transfer quarterback Bo Nix leads the talented Ducks while national championship game offensive MVP Stetson Bennett leads the Dawgs into one of the top matchups of the weekend.
Here are five reasons Georgia wins the season opener.
1
Matchup problems
The first thing you’ll hear when watching your usual pregame programming is ‘Georgia lost 15 players to the draft’ or something similar.
That doesn’t mean the Bulldogs are any less of a matchup nightmare.
UGA’s defense took the biggest hit with eight players taken, and we’ll get to that in a minute. What fans should keep in mind first is the weaponry the Dawgs posses on offense.
Preseason All-American tight end Brock Bowers may be the best tight end in the country, and he comes off a freshman season in which he racked up a team-leading 56 receptions for 882 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Also in that tight end group is 2020 Freshman-All SEC selection Arik Gilbert, a former five-star recruit and junior Darnell Washington, who is also a former five-star recruit.
At receiver the Dawgs are led by sophomore Adonai Mitchell, who caught a 40-yard touchdown pass over an Alabama defender that helped Georgia to a national title.
The Bulldogs also boast a loaded running back room, featuring senior Kenny McIntosh and juniors Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards, along with 2022 five-star recruit Branson Robinson.
McIntosh is the highest graded pass catcher out of the backfield since 2020, per Pro Football Focus.
Even with preseason All-American linebacker Noah Sewell prowling the field for the Ducks, how does Oregon match up with each of these guys for four quarters?
2
Georgia's front 7 reloads
Kirby Smart has reeled-in a top-three recruiting class each of his first six seasons in Athens. That helps the Bulldogs revamp after losing eight defenders to the NFL.
Junior defensive lineman Jalen Carter is a preseason All-American and considered a top-three 2023 NFL draft pick.
Senior edge defenders and former five-star recruits, Nolan Smith and Robert Beal Jr., decided to stay in Athens another year and will be on sack watch this season.
Inside linebackers Jamon Dumas-Johnson and Xavier Sorey, a former five-star recruit, impressed when given chances in 2021 and followed that trend in fall camp.
3
Pick your poison at RB
McIntosh is expected to start at running back on Saturday after waiting his turn behind NFL draft picks Zamir White and James Cook.
Milton will get plenty of carries as the Bulldogs utilize a three-man rotation that also features Edwards, who combines the best of McIntosh and Milton as a threat between the tackles and as a receiver.
Georgia totaled 3,081 yards last season behind an offensive line that returns 3 starters in 2022, including former five-star recruit Broderick Jones at left tackle, junior Sedrick Van Pran at center and preseason first-team All-SEC selection Warren McClendon at right tackle.
4
Bo Nix vs. Georgia
We can’t talk about this matchup without mentioning Auburn transfer quarterback Bo Nix’s record against the Bulldogs.
Career vs Georgia: Three starts, three losses. He is 72 of 128 passing for 639 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also has 34 carries for 34 yards.
It’s safe to say UGA isn’t spending all of its efforts on game planning for Nix, who was named the starter earlier this week.
5
Home game?
This marks the sixth year in-a-row the Dawgs have played in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The schedule may read ‘neutral site’, but the short drive from Athens to Atlanta makes this matchup more of a home game for Georgia than Oregon.
Expect DawgNation to show up in droves to cheer on the defending national champions.
