Classifying opponents on Georgia football's schedule

While the Georgia football team works on improving itself and preparing for week one opponent Arkansas, us non-players can look way ahead through the schedule and describe how we feel about each game.

Which opponents can catch the Bulldogs off guard? Which games the so-called easy ones? Who does Georgia absolutely need to beat this season?

Trap Games: Tennessee, Kentucky

Georgia's 2020 schedule is littered with pitfalls. There is more than one opponent on the slate who hand Georgia a stunning defeat if the Bulldogs don't have their heads in the right place. The weeks of the Tennessee and Kentucky games will really test the leadership on this team.

Tennessee is in a very concerning part of the schedule. The SEC dropped the Volunteers right in between meetings with Auburn and Alabama. Tennessee ended 2019 by winning seven of its last eight games, the program is heading in the right direction. Georgia can't have a letdown after Auburn, and can't get caught looking ahead to Alabama.

Kentucky is really only a trap game if Georgia beats Alabama. That's the hurdle Georgia is yet to jump in the Kirby Smart era. It kept Georgia from one, possibly two national titles. Emotions will be running high in Athens if the Dawgs pull out the victory. Kentucky meanwhile, has a great offensive line and will look to control the clock against Georgia's spread. Emotions must be kept in check that week.

Must-win rivalries: Auburn, Florida and South Carolina

Every game is almost must-win when there are only 10 games. But these three games are bigger than the rest. Georgia's schedule is so tough, and with an all-new, but talented offense, the likelihood of Georgia going undefeated is very slim.

That is why Georgia cannot afford to lose to Auburn, Florida, and South Carolina. A second or third loss would wreck the Bulldogs' playoff hopes. Yes, any team could be that second or third loss, but Auburn, Florida, and South Carolina can never be counted out.

The "Deep South's Oldest Rivalry" has season-ruining upsets as its foundation. Georgia may be turning the tide in the Cocktail Party, but Florida is still the program that thinks it doesn't lose to Georgia. And how many times have South Carolina soured a Georgia season in the last 15 years?

Missouri, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Arkansas, those are schools that kick Georgia while they're down. Auburn, Florida, and South Carolina have a rich history of knocking the Bulldogs off their pedestal.

Tune-Up: Arkansas

Hard to say any SEC opponent can provide a tune-up, but if any team can, it's the Arkansas Razorbacks. This Arkansas program entering the 2020s is vastly different from the one that entered the 2010s. After replacing head coach Chad Morris with Sam Pittman, the Razorbacks are on their fifth head coach in 10 seasons.

Too much turbulence for Arkansas and multiple weeks of practice for Georgia will make this a fairly easy game for the Bulldogs.

Landmark Game: Alabama

Georgia vs. Alabama has been circled on the calendar of every college football fan in the nation for years. After coming close in three championship games against the Crimson Tide in the 2010s, can Georgia get over the "Alabama hump" in a midseason matchup? Or will the status quo remain for a little while longer?

The historical implications aren't the only factors making this a must-watch game, there's also the questions facing both rosters in 2020. This game boils down to Georgia's offense vs. Alabama's defense. Can Todd Monken and Jamie Newman bring swift, positive changes to Georgia's offense? Can Alabama's already solid defense return to its Kirby Smart/Jeremy Pruitt era dominance?

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