We're still a few months away from the return of college football, but the anticipation is slowly building across the country with spring practices in the books and the spring transfer portal window closed. Below, we continue our college football odds series with an over/under win total prediction for the Georgia Bulldogs.
Here are the latest college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Football Odds: Georgia Regular Season Wins
Over 11.5 Wins: +116
Under 11.5 Wins: -142
Why Georgia Could Hit The Under
Georgia remains at the top of our way-too-early college football playoff rankings heading into the summer, despite losing 10 of its best players to the 2023 NFL Draft, and another three to UDFA deals.
That includes three first-round picks in DT Jalen Carter, DE Nolan Smith, and OT Broderick Jones. In addition, TE Darnell Washington, CB Kelee Ringo, and QB Stetson Bennett profile as potential mid-round steals.
But this isn't exactly unfamiliar territory for the Bulldogs, as they lost 15 of their best players to the NFL draft last year, including five first-round selections. They also lost quite a few prominent players to the transfer portal.
They handled that adversity by going 15-0 and winning a second consecutive national championship with a 65-7 beatdown of TCU, which was the biggest blowout win in college football national championship game history (at least, dating back to the advent of the Bowl Coalition in 1992).
Nevertheless, they had a few scares along the way, including back-to-back ugly wins over Kent State and Missouri, who led Georgia by double digits in all but one quarter early on in the season. The Bulldogs also sleepwalked through a 16-6 win at Kentucky in mid-November, before destroying three of their final four opponents (postseason included).
While Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Ole Miss each have dealt with plenty of recent turnover, all four programs could pose some real challenges for the Bulldogs as ranked opponents this season.
But perhaps the biggest obstacle will be the departure of offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Georgia's also dealt with a chaotic offseason in general.
Why Georgia Could Hit The Over
The Bulldogs followed up their second consecutive national title with another stellar recruiting class, which includes seven five-stars and 15 four-stars. Loaded with talent and depth at every position, Georgia has a very real chance to go for the three-peat, with star tight end Brock Bowers and standout receiver Ladd McConkey returning to lead a dynamic offense guided by junior quarterback Carson Beck.
Beck, a classic pro-style pocket passer with solid mechanics and even better processing, takes the reigns from Stetson Bennett, and he'll be operating behind a strong, experienced offensive line with proven playmakers. New Bulldogs receivers RaRa Thomas and Dominic Lovett are also notable pickups from the transfer portal.
And despite the departures of Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith, the Bulldogs are bringing back some standout defenders from a unit that gave up just 14.3 points per game last year. Talented edge rusher Mykel Williams is one of the biggest pieces to the puzzle, along with their top three tacklers in linebackers Smael Mondon Jr. and Jamon Dumas-Johnson, and safety Malaki Starks.
Before getting drafted by the Raiders last week, defensive back Christopher Smith had a strong take about Georgia when asked how the school made a run at the national title despite losing a record 15 players to the NFL draft.
“A lot of people didn’t know the amount of talent we had then, and the amount of talent we still have there,” Smith said, per dawgnation.com.
“We definitely have the capacity to go win another one. Three-peat is definitely legit, we have all the talent in the world to be able to do it. We have the best coaching staff in the nation and the best fanbase, and I know those boys will go in there and go in there and work.”
The schedule also sets up nicely for the Bulldogs to shake off any rust at the start of the season against significantly inferior competition, which includes home matchups against UT Martin, Ball State, South Carolina, and UAB.
Their first two road test are against Auburn (Sept. 30) and Vanderbilt (Oct. 14), with a matchup at Athens against Kentucky sandwiched in between. Assuming injuries don't become a major obstacle, the Bulldogs' biggest challenges are down the stretch against Florida (Oct. 28), Ole Miss (Nov. 11), and Tennessee (No. 18) in Knoxville.
Final Georgia Win Prediction & Pick
As the season progresses, health, depth, and leadership will be key factors in the Bulldogs' championship aspirations. Despite a decent amount of inevitable turnover, Georgia's well-equipped to handle its schedule and finish with yet another undefeated mark at the end of the regular season.
Final Georgia Prediction & Pick: Over 11.5 Wins: +116
Follow Us
Subscribe