Given that the Georgia Bulldogs have a new quarterback and a new defensive coordinator, it sounds strange to say that the season ahead could be their best chance to break through — and by “break through” we mean win the SEC title and grace the College Football Playoff — over the next few seasons. But there it is, and I just said it.
Hear me out. Hutson Mason is a new quarterback in the sense that he has never opened a season as the starter, but he’s also a fifth-year senior who has, according to coach Mark Richt, “been ready for a long time.” In a conference stripped of holdover starters quarterbacks — among true SEC contenders, only Auburn’s Nick Marshall qualifies — even a sliver of seasoning could prove beneficial.
Mason won’t be as good as Aaron Murray, but if Todd Gurley can stay healthy, it might not matter. Until we see how good LSU freshman Leonard Fournette is, Gurley rates as the nation’s best tailback. He’s also a junior, which means he can declare himself draft-eligible come January. That’s Reason No. 2 why the Bulldogs are advised to make hay in 2014.
Reason No. 3 is the schedule. Georgia has to travel to South Carolina, where the Bulldogs were beaten handily in 2010 and resoundingly in 2012, but the rest is manageable. They’ll play Clemson, Tennessee and Auburn at home. They’ll play Arkansas, picked to finish last in the SEC West, in Little Rock. Try as we might, it’s hard to see Georgia not winning at least 10 games. As for 2015 … well, that looks more problematic.
Then the Bulldogs will face Alabama (albeit in Sanford Stadium), as opposed to Arkansas. They’ll play Auburn in Auburn. They’ll face Tennessee, which might be ready to start beating people again, in Knoxville. And they’ll do this with yet another new quarterback and presumably without Gurley.
Given how well Georgia recruits, no year is now-or-never. The Bulldogs always have good players, and if you have good players you’ll always have a chance. But the SEC is as unsettled as it ever gets, and that could augur well for a team that’s invariably good — last season was an exception, although I’d suggest that Georgia was very good until a slew of key guys got hurt — but never quite great.
Yes, there are issues. The offensive line needs reworking. The defensive backfield is an area of uncertainty. Nobody knows how Mason will react in a hostile environment. (His maiden start came at Georgia Tech in a stadium half-filled with Bulldogs backers.) Nobody knows how long it will take Jeremy Pruitt to impart his defensive wisdom. Still, the 2014 Bulldogs could go 10-2 or better and play for the conference title, and if they win the thing it’s hard to imagine an SEC champ wouldn’t be included in the inaugural playoff.
Great teams don’t always win the greatest prize. On talent and seasoning, Alabama was better in 2013 than in 2012 or 2011, but 2013 was the one year in three that Bama didn’t win the national title. Stuff happens. Maybe good stuff will happen to these Bulldogs.
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