Georgia Football: Game-by-Game Predictions for 2022

Hey Kirby Smart, it's a pretty good time to be you right now. You won the Bulldogs their first national title since Buck Belue and Herschel Walker were in cleats. You did it by beating the seemingly unbeatable Nick Saban. And you just got a record $112.5 million contract through the 2031 season. We've gotta get you in a poker game.

With all this going for him, you'd think he would be upset that he saw five first-round picks plucked from his defense and more than a dozen overall Bulldogs taken by the NFL. But Smart is a wily S.O.B. because he knows there are a ton of positives going into this post-championship glow that is the 2022 season. Like having quarterback Stetson Bennett at the controls again. Or like having all-world tight end Brock Bowers back. Or that they will operate behind one of the best O-lines in the country … again.

Related: Georgia Football 2022 Season Preview and Prediction

If there is some concern — and that might be too strong of a word here — it would be on the defense. The Junkyard Dogs have just three starters back and, as mentioned above, are missing five first-round talents.

But this defense does have a few things going for it. First off, Georgia played a ton of defenders last season, so even though it's just three starters back, that doesn't mean there is a lack of experience. Secondly, you know how Smart and his staff have recruited these last few years, they have 4-star players leave and replace them with 5-stars, no muss, no fuss. And thirdly, Smart brings in defensive guru Will Muschamp to be a co-defensive coordinator, so look for plenty of attitude, energy, and innovation from the defense once again.

So how will Georgia's title defense go down? Some of the experts at Athlon Sports make their picks for every game on the Bulldogs' 2022 schedule.

Georgia Football Game-by-Game Predictions for 2022

Steven Lassan (@AthlonSteven)
The Bulldogs are losing a good chunk of talent off last year's team, but I don't expect much of a championship hangover in Athens. Georgia's dominant defense will simply reload behind the next wave of stars like lineman Jalen Carter, linebackers Nolan Smith, Robert Beal, and Jamon Dumas-Johnson, and standout players in the secondary like Kelee Ringo (CB) and Christopher Smith (safety). An offense that averaged 38.4 points a game will be lethal once again and can carry this team if there's a close contest while the defense reloads. Quarterback Stetson Bennett should have another standout season throwing to one of the nation's top receiving corps and working behind one of the best offensive lines.

Barring a major change, Georgia should be favored by double digits in each of its 12 regular-season games. I think the Bulldogs use the 12 contests to work out all of the new faces to set up a huge showdown against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.

Mark Ross (@AthlonMarkR)
Yes, Georgia lost a lot of talent from its championship team, especially on defense. But no one is shedding any tears for Kirby Smart, nor should they, not with the recruiting classes he has stacked during his tenure. And it's not like everyone has left either so the Bulldogs aren't exactly starting over. So while others will focus on who's gone, the bottom line is that until further notice, Georgia remains the team to beat in the SEC East. That means get ready for another showdown with Alabama in Atlanta and a return to the College Football Playoff regardless of how that game turns out.

Eric Sorenson (@Stitch_Head)
First off, this will be the second straight unbeaten regular season for the Bulldogs. Yep, I said it. And if I'm wrong, I'll walk from here to Vegas and put down a bet against them in whichever postseason game they play.

I mean, if you're thinking this team should have a letdown, be careful in saying that. Sure, they might not hold teams to a paltry 10 points per game, but don't look for them to start playing defense like some Mountain West outfit. With a lot of key returnees on offense, they should very well find themselves going into the SEC title game unscathed once again. For the second year in a row, the Dawgs avoid all of the usual monsters in the SEC West. There's no Texas A&M, no LSU, no Ole Miss, no Arkansas, and of course there is no Alabama … till the SEC title game that is.

Georgia starts off with a pretty good Oregon team that will be trying to work in Auburn transfer Bo Nix at quarterback and has plenty of returning talent. But since Nix will still be in that breaking-in period, I can't see the Quack Attack making this a four-quarter game, much less pulling off the upset. If this game was played a few weeks later, I'd give UO a puncher's chance.

To be honest, the first seven games look like they are downright easy. They'll have a week off prior to the Florida game and then play Tennessee, Mississippi State, and Kentucky, and finish up with their usual breezy scrimmage against Georgia Tech. I don't see a loss in there. Tough games? Sure, especially those roadies at the SEC West's Bulldogs and division rival Wildcats back-to-back. The only caveat is that you know there are always one or two games that teams just seem to mail in or go through the motions, no matter what. If one of those low-energy weeks happens to come against say, Florida or Tennessee or on the road at MSU or UK, then yes there is a *chance* that one or two of these games comes down to a single score, and dare I say, a loss. Otherwise, these Silver Britches are primed for another trip to the CFP.