When it comes to Georgia football, our man Erik Evans is the master of passive-aggressive analysis. Take, for example, his look at whether wagering on the Dawgs to win the SEC this season — saucily subtitled “Georgia is favored again, but should they be?” — is a sensible play.
First, start with a little Dawgrading:
Despite an exodus of talent in 2022, everyone figured the ‘Dawgs would be hell on wheels again — if for no reason, the offense and interior alone. That was a prescient prediction, as it happens. The offense would finish as the most efficient in the nation, and the lines dominated teams on both sides of the ball. When you couple a solid defensive scheme
Kirby stole from Alabama, and Monken’s eclectic offense that doesn’t ask too much from the quarterbacks besides distributing to mismatch nightmares, and a punishing deep ground game, and another Sisters of the Poor schedule in a trash division, well you have yourself a national title contender.
Shit, maybe they should return the trophy. But I digress from the main mission. Here’s his take on this season:
However, this year there is a lot of pressure on the ‘Dawgs, and some difficult-to-replicate factors no longer weigh in their favor: The team has now lost 37 players to the portal and the NFL in two seasons, including 10 defensive starters from the team Alabama faced just 17 months ago. UGA lost one of the best offensive minds in the game to the NFL, as well as their DC, in the space of 13 months. The Dawgs lost a 25-year-old Super Senior QB with three years of starts under his belt. And, UGA has now turned over 60% of its offensive line. The talent will be stockpiled, and Searcy for sure is better at his job than anyone in the country, but a new QB, a new front seven, a thin offensive line (for now), Road Kirby’s continuous near-misses, and a bit of a tougher conference schedule that sees more heavy lifting done away from Athens is a big, big hurdle to overcome.
Sounds grim. But Erik’s not about to jump off the ledge.
They’ll be in Atlanta — no one else in the East is close to them yet. But I doubt they get there undefeated. Still, if I’m a betting man, given the state of the SEC, this is the most talented and stable program left remaining, with the best intact coaching staff. They won’t be a buzzsaw in 2023, but UGA is going to leave the Mercedes Dome with the crown.
Sure, -110 isn’t a great moneymaker, but it is practically free money: Take Georgia.
Like I said, nobody does it better.
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