The 2024 edition of the Georgia Bulldogs reminds me of the 2014 Florida State Seminoles.
Both teams entered the season with high expectations following outstanding seasons. Both Florida State and Georgia returned veteran quarterbacks and had supremely talented teams, but something just wasn’t right.
Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston had a mistake-filled 2014 campaign after winning a Heisman and national title in 2013. Winston threw for 3,907 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and 18 interceptions as FSU went miraculously went 12-0 in the regular season. Winston led the Seminoles on countless clutch drives in the second half.
Georgia quarterback Carson Beck has had a similar campaign in 2024. He entered the season as a Heisman favorite, but has struggled to take care of the ball at times. Beck has 3,429 passing yards for 28 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Beck has played better in the second half of almost every game this season.
Florida State played a very challenging schedule, but always emerged on top in the regular season. The Seminoles went an impressive 7-0 in one-score games including a 37-35 ACC championship win over Georgia Tech.
Speaking of Georgia Tech, Georgia also beat the Yellow Jackets with a two-point win in 2024.
Florida State went on to have 11 players drafted in the 2015 NFL draft. I would expect a similar number of Bulldogs to go in the 2025 NFL draft (Georgia has seven players ranked in the top 100).
In 2014, FSU’s averaged 33.7 points per game and allowed 25.6 points per game. This season, Georgia is posting similar numbers. The Bulldogs are scoring 34.1 points per game and allow 20.5 points per game.
A future first-round pick patrolled the Seminoles’ secondary in Jalen Ramsey. Georgia safety Malaki Starks is also expected to be drafted in the first round.
Florida State’s magic ran out in the College Football Playoff semifinals in a 59-20 loss to the Oregon Ducks. The Seminoles coughed up five turnovers against Oregon and were outscored 41-7 in the second half of one of the biggest blowouts in the playoff era.
Will Georgia’s inconsistent play catch up to the Bulldogs like it did for 2014 Florida State? Well, Georgia already has suffered two losses on the Dawgs’ extremely challenging schedule. At times the wheels fell off in UGA’s road losses to Alabama and Ole Miss. However, one thing this Georgia teams has showed is that it won’t quit no matter what the circumstances are.
Georgia plays against Texas in the SEC championship on Dec. 7. Win or lose, it is hard to envision this Georgia team putting all the pieces together for three or four consecutive games in the playoff to win a national title.
