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FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2021: UGA considered major contender in 2021 national title hunt
UGA FB
Quarterback J.T. Daniels returns to lead the offensive attack for Georgia in 2021, a season with high expectations for the loaded SEC East squad. (UGA Athletics) - photo by Special Photo

Georgia Bulldog fans know this already, but it’s been 41 years since the Bulldogs have been crowned national champions. 

In recent years, they’ve had the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Florida Gators and the Tigers of LSU to derail their chances of capturing another title. 

Sometimes, Georgia has been its own worst enemy. 

But, could this be the year? Could the Bulldogs finally get over the hump and win it all? 

Well, it seems like their chances are greater than ever. 

They return J.T. Daniels leading the offense along with running back Zamir White and George Pickens. Defensively, the Bulldogs will have Nakobe Dean and Lewis Cine coming back who produced a lot. So, it seems like UGA will have a solid foundation to start 2021. 

A great indicator will come in week one when they face Clemson in Charlotte, N.C. The Tigers are losing major contributors like Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne. So, that’ll bring huge question marks with Clemson if they’ll make it to the college football playoff for the seventh straight season or not. 

Then, after playing UAB in week two, the Bulldogs will face a series of rebuilding programs: South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Arkansas and Auburn over the four weeks, respectively.  

Three weeks after their matchup with Auburn, the Bulldogs will have their revenge game with Florida. As always, the game will be played in Jacksonville, Florida, on Oct. 30. 

UGA lost this matchup last year but, unlike last year, it’ll be Florida coming into this contest with more question marks. The Gators lost playmakers like Kyle Pitts and Kyle Trask to the NFL. While Trask’s successor, Emory Jones has received substantial playing time, there’s still uncertainty surrounding how the Gators’ offense will look. 

The last four weeks feature matchups with Missouri, Tennessee, Charleston Southern and Georgia Tech, which is predicted to be inferior competition. 

So, during the regular season, it seems like the Bulldogs will have two true tests in the season premiere and during the World’s Largest Cocktail Party. Should everything go as predicted, UGA will then likely face Alabama in the SEC Championship in Atlanta on Dec. 4. 

The Crimson Tide comes in with a few question marks as well. They’ve lost Mac Jones, Heisman Trophy winner Devonta Smith and many more influential pieces to their title run a year ago. 

By the time this potential matchup comes around, the Crimson Tide should have some answers, but it seems to be a different team nonetheless. 

Other teams could possibly make some noise this year, but overall it seems like the Bulldogs are one of the few top tier programs returning key contributors from one year ago. 

The only question remains is, will the Bulldogs take advantage of the opportunity?