After the 2021 and 2022 season, it looked like the Georgia football team was going to be the next great dynasty in college football. The Bulldogs finally slayed Alabama in the 2021 national title game, and then they cruised past TCU in 2022 to secure back-to-back championships. The past two years, however, Georgia has gone in the wrong direction. Don't get that twisted — the Bulldogs are still one of the best programs in the country. The 2025 season is a crucial one, though.
The Georgia football team did win the SEC last season, but it did not make it to the College Football Playoff semifinals. That is two years in a row without it making it to the semis, and the Bulldogs have to avoid making it three.
“Are they still the dominant force?” Fox analyst Joel Klatt asks. “Let's say Georgia does the same thing they did a year ago, except they don't win the SEC. Well, then that would be the third straight year that they did not play in the national semifinal. They did not go to the playoff the year Michigan won the championship. Last year they get beat by Notre Dame in a quarterfinal. And then if they don't play for it this year, that's three straight years, which means that there would be a cycle of elite recruits that have entered, played through their eligibility in college football, and then now are going to the NFL.”
To Joel Klatt, this is an issue for Georgia. For most programs, it's not a big deal, but Kirby Smart is supposed to have an elite program every single year. Making the semis makes the Bulldogs elite.
“All of that has happened since Georgia won the national championship,” Klatt continued. “So to me, that's a problem. If you can be in the national semifinal, then you can win the national championship. Those are spots reserved for elite programs, and they feel like they're an elite program. So, Kirby Smart has got to get back to that bar. He's got to get back to there. This is a big year for them. A huge year for them. They're trying to replace a quarterback, other things on the roster, like whether they can get back there.”
Lucky for Georgia, the 2025 schedule works out nicely. The Bulldogs only have three road games, so they should be in a good position to make the SEC title game again. Still, just winning the SEC isn't going to cut it. Smart needs to get his team back to the semifinals.
“The schedule sets up beautifully for them,” Klatt added. “So Georgia is 47-1 in their last 48 games at home. They happen to be playing a schedule this year where they only go on the road three times for true road games, two neutral sites. But again, like other tough games are at home. This is a year where they need to get back to that and re establish themselves up there. I know they're the reigning SEC champions, but this is two straight years they have not been in the national semifinal. They need to get back to that spot. So Georgia has to be in the Final Four.”
You wouldn't think that a team that has won two national titles in the last four seasons would be under a lot of pressure, but this is an important season for the Georgia football team.
