ATHENS – There are a lot of things that could hold back the Georgia Bulldogs in 2022. The schedule is not one of them.
The Bulldogs’ slate sets up perfectly for a return trip to Atlanta in December. There is a high-profile, neutral-site matchup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to open the season, six home games, four road games and the annual Georgia-Florida tilt in Jacksonville. The Bulldogs will be favored in every contest, the majority by double-digits.
Georgia draws Auburn and Mississippi State from the West. The Bulldogs’ toughest tests come back-to-back in mid-November trips to Starkville and Lexington.
Survive all those games, or at least 11 of the 12, and Georgia should find itself representing the Eastern Division in the SEC Championship game (Dec. 3) for the fifth time in the past six seasons. With a little luck, the Bulldogs could play three games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium this season. The Peach Bowl will host a College Football Playoff semifinal there this year.
Here’s how it breaks down:
GAME 1: Georgia 49, Oregon 3
Stetson Bennett passed for a career-high 368 yards and the defense was dominant as the Bulldogs defeated the Ducks and first-year coach Dan Lanning, the former Georgia defensive coordinator.
GAME 2: Sept. 10 vs. Samford (4 p.m., SEC Network)
Smart will see a familiar face on the opposing sideline when Chris Hatcher brings his Birmingham-based Bulldogs to Sanford Stadium. Hatcher actually gave Smart his first job when he hired Smart as a 24-year-old defensive backs coach at Valdosta State in 2000. That might equate to Smart calling off his Dogs late.
GAME 3: Sept. 17 at South Carolina (Noon, ESPN)
Typically, it promises to be 100 degrees, with the possibility of violent thunderstorms before, after or during the game. There was a time Georgia played the Gamecocks in the SEC opener every season. Only time will tell whether catching Shane Beamer’s squad early is good or not.
GAME 4: Sept. 24 vs. Kent State (Noon, SEC Network-Plus)
Georgia’s defense promises to have a busy day as coach Sean Lewis brings his “Flash Fast Offense” to Sanford Stadium. Kent State averaged 493 yards and 33 points in their three games against Power 5 opponents last season. Alas, they were 0-3 in those contests.
GAME 5: Oct. 1 at Missouri (TBA)
Georgia has given up only two touchdowns in its past three games against the Tigers and hasn’t lost to them in eight years. But the thinking in Columbia is this is the year Mizzou gets going on offense under coach Eli Drinkwitz, with four returning starters on the line, quarterback Brady Cook back under center and 5-star receiver signee Luther Burden in the fold. Logistically, this is the Bulldogs’ longest and most difficult road trip.
GAME 6: Oct. 8 vs. Auburn (TBA)
Nobody knows what to expect from Auburn this year. After a mass exodus of both players and coaches following the 6-7 season in 2021, coach Bryan Harsin had to survive an internal coup attempt. Quarterback Bo Nix (who transferred to Oregon), will be replaced by either former Texas A&M QB Zach Calzada or LSU’s TJ Finley. But running back Tank Bigsby, a returning offensive line and a representative SEC defense give the Tigers a chance to be competitive.
GAME 7: Oct. 15 vs. Vanderbilt (TBA)
Second-year Commodores coach Clark Lea got a rise out of the audience when he said at SEC Media Days, “in time, Vanderbilt will be the best program in the country.” Perhaps, but it won’t be in this century and certainly not in 2022.
BYE: Oct. 22
GAME 8: Oct. 29 vs. Florida (Jacksonville, 3:30 p.m., CBS)
While the Bulldog Nation continues to debate whether this game should be played in Jacksonville, it will be for 92nd time in 102 overall meetings this year for sure. Billy Napier, another apple off the Nick Saban tree, takes over for the ousted Dan Mullen. He’ll try to turn the tide in a series that has seen Georgia win four of the past five. Two former Bulldogs will suit up for the Gators’ defense in defensive end Brenton Cox and cornerback Jalen Kimber.
GAME 9: Nov. 5 vs. Tennessee (TBA)
No rivalry has been more dramatically reversed than this one, in which Georgia has won 10 of the past 12. Second-year coach Josh Heupel has the Volunteers rolling on offense, but it’s the defense that has let them down. The Dogs have averaged 41.4 points in winning the past five.
GAME 10: Nov. 12 at Mississippi State (TBA)
Circle this one as a proverbial trap game for Georgia. This is Year 3 for offensive guru Mike Leach, who finally should have the program retrofitted for his unique brand of “Air Raid” offense. Quarterback Will Rogers, one of the better running back duos in the SEC and an experienced offensive line makes them dangerous, as do all those cowbells.
GAME 11: Nov. 19 at Kentucky (TBA)
This game could well decide the Eastern Division. Mark Stoops has done a phenomenal job as the Wildcats’ coach, leading them two 10-win seasons and six consecutive bowl games, the past four of which Kentucky won. With Will Levis at quarterback, the Cats will be in the hunt again this year. A defensive rebuild could be their undoing.
GAME 12: Nov. 26 vs. Georgia Tech (TBA)
Under coach Geoff Collins, the Yellow Jackets no longer are competitive in this once-proud series. Tech has lost the past four by an average score of 45-9. That margin is unlikely to get trimmed this season.
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