Breaking down Georgia's 2025 College Football Playoff outlook
The Georgia Bulldogs are next to get the deep dive treatment. The Bulldogs still have a bite, but will it be enough to win another title? Or will Georgia's banged-up quarterback room cost them?
Check out the rest of our playoff preview here:
12. Clemson | 5. Texas |
|---|---|
11. SMU | 6. Penn State |
10. Indiana | 7. Notre Dame |
9. Tennessee | 8. Ohio State |
3. Boise State | |
2. Georgia | 1. Oregon |
Record: 11-2 (9-2 SEC)
How We Got Here: It was hardly a dream season for the Bulldogs, but head coach Kirby Smart's team did enough and beat the right teams to make sure they were comfortably in the field. They had narrow wins over a bad Kentucky team, Mississippi State (who rallied to within two scores late), and Georgia Tech, and lost to the Nick Saban-less Alabama (after a furious rally to nearly score the win) and Ole Miss (in which the Bulldogs looked utterly lifeless).
But Georgia also beat Texas twice (once to lock up the SEC's automatic bid) and comfortably knocked off Tennessee to earn the second seed.
The Good: The Bulldogs thrive rushing the ball. Travis Etienne is healthy, and backup Nate Frazier has looked capable all year long. The defense has ranked 12th in EPA, and has looked solid for a good chunk of the year. This remains one of the most talented defenses in the country, and has shown a knack for putting the clamps on when they need a stop most.
The Bad: For being the number two seed in the playoff, Georgia has a shocking number of issues. The offense has struggled in the passing game all season; starting quarterback Carson Beck can't seem to stop throwing interceptions, and may not even play in the playoffs; Smart said on Sunday that the team is waiting on MRI results on an elbow injury he suffered against Texas. If he can't go, the Bulldogs will rely on Gunnar Stockton, whose passing has been largely non-existent in spot duty. The wide receivers are inconsistent on their best days, and it's clear that the offense is sorely lacking in easy yards and points even when everyone is healthy.
While the defense is good, they're vulnerable. They allowed 260 yards on the ground against Georgia Tech, 150 against Tennessee, and a staggering 230 against an absolutely ghastly UMass team.
This Georgia team is good, to be sure. But this isn't the unstoppable juggernaut we've seen in years past. And if Beck is too hurt to play, things could go from troubling to straight-up bad.
Playoff Path: This comes down to the matchup in their second-round game. If Indiana upsets Notre Dame, Georgia's superior talent should give them a marked advantage against the Hoosiers in the second round. But if Notre Dame beats Indiana, this could be a tough, tough game for the Bulldogs. The Irish run the ball incredibly well, and as we saw against Georgia Tech, if you want to beat Georgia, there are plenty of yards to be had against this defense. After the quarters, while things figure to get easier for the Bulldogs, a potential matchup with the Boise State Broncos should be enough to keep defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann up at night.
The Verdict: This might be the worst Georgia team since Smart won his first title in Athens, but the Bulldogs are still very much a threat. They're not going to cruise past anyone (except maybe Indiana), but they'll be able to punch with anyone, and when the dust settles, they could find themselves in the title game. If Beck can't play, though, things could get messy for Georgia.