SEC strength of schedule rankings

Barrett Sallee ranks Georgia’s as the conference’s third easiest.

It won’t be easy for the Bulldogs right out of the gate, as they will travel to Charlotte to take on the mighty Clemson Tigers in what is the most heavily-anticipated game of Labor Day weekend. After that, it’ll be smooth-sailing for Kirby Smart’s crew. Arkansas is their rotating cross-division opponent, permanent cross-division rival Auburn is rebuilding under first-year coach Bryan Harsin and it’s not like intra-state rival Georgia Tech has returned to bowl contention. Even with a loss to Clemson in the opener, Georgia should run the table and could be double-digit favorites from Week 2 through the SEC Championship Game (depending on what Florida looks like).

It really is beautifully constructed.  The opener, win or lose, should establish Georgia’s bona fides as a national title contender.  From there, as Sallee notes, the Dawgs will be favored in every game for the rest of the regular season.  (It certainly helps that Georgia doesn’t face itself or Alabama.)  It’s a recipe for success.

By the way, somebody really hates Sam Pittman:  “The Hogs draw Georgia on the road as their rotating cross-division opponent, have a four-game stretch that has Texas A&M, Georgia, at Ole Miss and Auburn in consecutive weeks and face back-to-back road games at LSU and Alabama.”

Advertisement