Which College Football Teams Stack up Against Georgia?

Can anyone derail the Georgia Bulldogs as they attempt to win their first national championship since 1980?

Author:
Brian Smith
Publish date:
Oct 25, 2021 4:20 AM EDT

With the Associated Press Poll’s No. 1 ranking locked up by way of securing all 63 of the first-place spots, it’s a sign that the Bulldogs are the clear favorite to win the national title.

Who shall challenge this team?

Here’s a look at some of the top contenders to compete with Georgia, from a defensive perspective mixed with quarterback play. Any team that wants to play with the Bulldogs will need to bring a big-time defense, and of course how a team’s quarterback performs will matter regardless of the situation. This would be what teams will go up against with Georgia.

So far in 2021, Georgia allowed 6.6 points, 64.3 rushing yards, and 144.9 passing yards per game.

That’s incredible.

Teams simply will not make their way to the endzone against Georgia, so they need to play great defense and possess a quarterback that can at least make some special plays to realistically compete with Georgia.

Here’s a look at three teams that one could at least argue could contend with Georgia.

To further the discussion, here’s also a podcast detailing 15 teams that would like a crack at the Bulldogs, and how they stack up to Georgia and its defense.

Ohio State

The Buckeyes broke in a new starting quarterback with CJ Stroud being a redshirt freshman this season, and he’s really starting to become a top-flight signal caller. During his last three starts, Stroud produced 1,002 yards, 14 touchdowns and zero interceptions. For the season, Stroud is 125/185, 1,965 yards, 22 touchdowns, and three interceptions.

Defensively, Ohio State played poorly earlier in the season versus Oregon by allowing 35 points, but have since righted the ship. Ohio State allowed 18.6 points, 119.4 yards rushing, and 230.9 points per game passing.

Ohio State recorded 24 sacks this season, making its defense a formidable foe when it’s an obvious passing situation.

Pittsburgh

Nobody honestly saw the transformation of quarterback Kenny Pickett coming. He’s been incredible, lighting up defenses to the tune of 168/224, 2,236 yards, 23 touchdowns and one interception.

Against Clemson's vaunted defense, Pickett just torched them for 302 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. That's coming from a day that included 25 completions from 39 passes. It's also a performance against Clemson's defense, definitely one of the nation's top 10. If Pickett can it against Clemson, there's a chance he can do it against Georgia.

This past Saturday, Kenny Pickett (#8) led Pittsburgh past Myles Murphy (#98) and Clemson 27-17 — This past Saturday, Kenny Pickett (#8) led Pittsburgh past *Myles Murphy (#98) and* Clemson 27-17
Ken Ruinard / USA TODAY Network / USA TODAY

On defense, the Panthers simply play solid across the board. The Pittsburgh defense allowed 19.6 points, 109.3 yards rushing, and 209.4 yards passing per game so far this season.

As for what Pittsburgh can do best, it would be to rush the passer. The Panthers recorded 22 sacks through seven games, averaging 3.1 sacks per contest.

Texas A&M

After starting the season very slowly, the Aggies have found their offensive footing with quarterback Zach Calzada suddenly making strides as a passer. He dominated Alabama with 285 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He did not play great against Missouri or South Carolina, but he was solid. For the year, Calzada is 115/208, 1,364 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

The Aggies play good defense. Allowing 16.1 points, 129.4 yards rushing, and 199.9 yards passing. The key to the Texas A&M defense would be the defensive lineman.

They simply make it difficult to sustain drives because of their ability to penetrate and bring down players behind or near the line of scrimmage. The Aggies recorded the same number of sacks as the Buckeyes, with 24 so far this season.

Final Thoughts

Any one of these teams could possibly beat Georgia if everything fell just right, but even with really good quarterbacks and defenses that have their moments, Georgia would likely be 10-plus point favorites by the oddsmakers in Las Vegas.

For college football, UCF Football, and recruiting information go to: The Daily Knight podcast. It will be found on iTunes and Spotify. For more college football, UCF and recruiting information, go to Twitter: @fbscout_florida and @UCF_FanNation, as well as my YouTube Channel and Instagram page. Like and Subscribe!