Tag: Georgia Football

Alabama vs. Georgia ranked the top must-watch game of 2024 college football season

The Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs meet in Tuscaloosa for a Week 4 battle that experts claim is the must-watch game of the 2024 season.

The 2024 season for the Alabama Crimson Tide football program will be under a microscope, as the program looks to maintain the success it had for nearly two decades under the now-retired legendary head coach, Nick Saban. Former Washington Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer has taken over and will be tested in many ways throughout the regular season.

Not only is DeBoer looking to fill some very big shoes, but he is tasked with taking over a historical powerhouse during a time of drastic change.

Name, Image, Likeness has taken over, the transfer portal is as wide open as it ever has been, the College Football Playoff field has expanded to 12 teams and conference realignment is going into effect, which means the SEC will welcome the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners in 2024.

Along with all of that, DeBoer and the Crimson Tide don’t have the easiest schedule.

In Week 3, Alabama travels north to take on the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison. The very next week, the Tide returns to Tuscaloosa for a Week 4 matchup in Bryant-Denny Stadium against the Georgia Bulldogs.

This matchup will be a massive test for DeBoer and this Crimson Tide team. No matter the outcome, it will set the tone for the rest of the season, and possibly the first few seasons of the DeBoer era.

Recently, ESPN’s David Hale ranked the top-10 matchups of the 2024 college football season and ranked this Alabama-Georgia game as the No. 1 must-see game of the year.

“These teams combined for nine championship game appearances during the 10-year run of the four-team playoff, and while much has changed over the past year at both schools, there’s no reason to assume the Dawgs and the Tide won’t be at the very top of the college football power rankings again in 2024.”

Hale makes it clear that this game, though no longer featuring Saban vs. Kirby Smart on opposing sidelines, is still a meeting between two national title contenders. With an expanded CFP field, it’s likely that these two teams, assuming they follow the trends of recent seasons, will be back in the playoffs in 2024. With that, this regular season contest could be a preview of the SEC conference championship, as well as a CFP game.

A few months still sit between today and the start of Alabama’s 2024 regular season. However, there will surely be more news and analysis to come as the Week 1 matchup against Western Kentucky inches closer.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football news as the 2024 offseason progresses.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM. 

Raiders deny flipping a coin to decide on drafting Brock Bowers

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce denies using a coin toss to decide on drafting UGA tight end Brock Bowers

The Las Vegas Raiders have denied that they used a coin toss to aid in their decision to select Georgia Bulldogs tight end Brock Bowers with the No. 13 pick of the 2024 NFL draft.

Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce denied speaking to Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold. “No call, and no coin flip,” said Pierce to ESPN NFL expert Ryan Clark. “As soon as the last two quarterbacks went off the board we said Bowers all the way.”

Antonio Pierce’s take on the matter conflicts with Terrion Arnold’s story. “The Raiders’ coach, they called me after the draft, and they were like, ‘You know, we (the Raiders) actually had a coin toss between you and Brock Bowers and landed on him.’ I was like, oh wow.”

The Detroit Lions ended up drafting Arnold with the No. 24 pick in the draft. Arnold shared the story of the call on “The Next Round”, which is a podcast.

It is possible that another Raiders coach called Arnold and mentioned how close Las Vegas came to drafting him without the Raiders flipping a coin.

The Raiders made a smart decision in drafting Brock Bowers, who is a very consistent receiving option.

College Football News predicts five SEC teams will make playoff

Five SEC playoff teams? It’s possible and almost likely.

The SEC has dominated the four team College Football Playoff. It might own the 12-team tournament as well.

College Football News’ Pete Fiutak released his early SEC football preview and predictions on Monday. Among its bold predictions is that the league will have five teams in the upcoming playoff. Here’s his reasoning.

“If there was a 12-team playoff format last year, Alabama (4), Georgia (6), Missouri (9), and Ole Miss (11) would’ve been in. Texas (3) would’ve been in, too, and Oklahoma (12) and LSU (13) would’ve barely been on the outside looking in.

Four other conference champions are automatically in, and several Big Ten teams will get in, too, but assume Georgia, LSU, and Texas will get that 10-2 mark or better, and two more out of Alabama, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, and Tennessee will find their way in.”

The analysis could be correct. We had five SEC teams in our recent College Football Playoff prediction in Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss, Alabama and Tennessee. The prediction saw LSU just missing the playoff as a sixth 10-win SEC team.

Believe it or not, even Missouri and Texas A&M have a favorable enough schedule to win 10 games and make a playoff. I have both going 9-3.

Four other automatic bids for conference champions could limit how many teams the SEC gets into the playoff. The SEC, Big Ten, ACC, Big 12 and top Group of Five Champion will take five of the 12 spots. That leaves seven at-large bids.

The Big Ten at its peak probably gets three or four teams into the playoff. Outside of the top four of Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan and Penn State, there aren’t many other contenders.

The likelihood is the SEC and Big Ten take at least all but one at-large playoff spot that the ACC, Big 12 and Notre Dame will vie to win. Even so, there’s no guarantee any team outside the Big Ten or SEC will win a second bid.

The top eight or nine teams in the SEC would probably be good enough to reach an ACC or Big 12 championship. That alone could make it difficult for either conference to earn a second bid. Texas 28-point Big 12 title victory over Oklahoma State last season doesn’t help its former conference’s perception.

Count College Football News among the outlets predicting five SEC playoff teams. Texas will look to be one of those teams in a consecutive playoff appearance.

Steve Spurrier’s expectations have hit rock bottom for Florida

It is hard to blame Steve Spurrier for have low expectations for the Florida Gators, who are coming off a 5-7 season

Former Florida Gators head coach Steve Spurrier is trying to be optimistic about the Gators. However, that’s a challenge these days.

The Gators have really struggled over the past three seasons, and Florida faces the nation’s hardest schedule this fall. Florida has a five-game stretch against Georgia, at Texas, LSU, Ole Miss and at Florida State to finish the season. Spurrier thinks Florida will win at least one of those games.

1010 XL asked Spurrier about where he thinks the Florida program is headed.

“(The) anticipation and expectations are about the same as last year. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad,” said Spurrier. “He’s (Billy Napier) got a bunch of new coaches, seems like they’re going to be more demanding, make the guys more accountable. Seems like the leadership of Graham Mertz and some of those other guys is going to be there.”

“So, schedule’s tough, but, you know, everybody’s got a tough schedule now just about in the SEC,” continued Spurrier. “So, we’ll wait and see. I picked them to go 8-4 and win a bowl game, and if we do that, we can do cartwheels and somersaults around here. We’ll be a happy bunch of Gators.”

Can you imagine a Florida fan or coach being excited about an 8-4 season during the Steve Spurrier or Urban Meyer era? Expectations are low around Gainesville, and that’s just the way Georgia fans like it.

Florida has not beat Georgia since the 2020 season and has never made a College Football Playoff appearance. In fact, Florida is 11-24 against Power Five opponents since the Gators’ infamous shoe throw against LSU.

Based on Florida’s recent trajectory, the Gators would be happy with a 8-4 record. Florida would have numerous quality wins if it finished 8-4. With a 9-3 season, the Gators would be in the mix for a spot in the playoff. We don’t see a 8-4 season happening in what could be the last year of the Billy Napier era.

Projecting Georgia’s highest impact true freshman for 2024 season

Brock Bowers, Malaki Starks, CJ Allen – which true freshman will follow suit and make the greatest impact in 2024?

Championship football teams don’t rely solely on returning talent and experienced starters. Often, the impact of a true freshman can provide the extra spark needed to make a postseason run.

Georgia’s 2021 season provides a great example. The Bulldogs broke a four-decade national championship drought thanks, in part, to the efforts of future three-time All-American tight end Brock Bowers. His 56 receptions led the nearest Georgia receiver by 21 catches (Ladd McConkey). Bowers also set several UGA records as a true freshman that year.

Safety Malaki Starks left a similar mark on Georgia’s 2022 squad that finished 15-0 and secured a consecutive national title. The former five-star recruit finished third on the team in total tackles (68) and led the team in pass breakups (7).

In 2023, it was inside linebacker C.J. Allen, who stepped up big when starter Jamon Dumas-Johnson went down with a season-ending injury. Like Bowers and Starks, Allen earned Freshman All-American honors and finished fifth on the team in total stops with 41.

So which 2024 signee could make a similar impact to those aforementioned?

Georgia’s No. 1 recruiting class provides a number of talented options, but my pick comes at a position of need for Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs. UGA faces the challenge of replacing star cornerback Kamari Lassiter, who is now a Houston Texan. Lassiter was the definition of a lockdown cornerback at Georgia, allowing just two touchdowns in his three-year career.

Five-star early enrollee Ellis Robinson IV, the highest-rated recruit at his position in the Smart-era, brings an elite level of talent to Athens. While we don’t typically see a true freshman cornerback play a consequential number of snaps in Smart’s defense, Robinson is that good.

Robinson (6-foot-1, 185 pounds) was considered the No. 1 cornerback and the No. 2 player in the country, per 247Sports. He maintains a blend of size, speed, physicality and ball skills that can compete for a starting spot in the fall. Daylen Everette returns as a starter, while young up-and-comers Julian Humphrey and Daniel Harris make up the top of the depth chart.

The IMG Academy product joined the team ahead of Orange Bowl practices and participated in the spring period, totaling three tackles during the G-Day scrimmage game.

Robinson’s athleticism and skill set, paired with joining the team early, points towards a large role, eventually, in Georgia’s defense moving forward. The only question is when exactly he will be trusted enough by Smart and company.

Georgia’s Carson Beck graded highest returning SEC quarterback

Georgia’s Carson Beck has generated 2025 NFL draft buzz and is the SEC’s top quarterback entering the fall

Georgia’s Carson Beck has already generated a great deal of buzz regarding his position among the quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL draft class this offseason.  Pro Football Focus recently provided another affirmation of Beck’s status as a top signal caller heading into this season. PFF ranked Beck as the top returning SEC quarterback this season according to their grading system.

Beck passed for 3,941 yards and 24 touchdowns with only six interceptions a season ago while completing 72.4 percent of his passes. Now with a full season of experience, Beck is expected to continue to progress within Georgia’s offense this season. The acquisition of multiple transfer wide receivers should help Beck this fall.

Beck’s 91.5 overall grade narrowly beats out Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart at 91.2. Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Texas‘ Quinn Ewers, and Missouri’s Brady Cook rounded out the top five on the eleven player list.

Beck is widely considered to be one of the top three draft eligible quarterbacks following this season along with Ewers and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders.

Kirby Smart talks Georgia’s sky-high expectations

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart details his thoughts on Georgia’s high expectations with ESPN’s Paul Finebaum

The Georgia Bulldogs have some of the highest expectations in the country year in and year out. Georgia’s expectation level is approaching that of the Alabama Crimson Tide during the Nick Saban era.

Kirby Smart detailed what Georgia’s expectations are like with Paul Finebaum on “The Paul Finebaum Show.” Georgia has won two of the last three national championships and has extremely high expectations entering 2024. In fact, many polls have Georgia as the preseason No. 1 team.

“We’ve come to have an expectation of excellence and there’s a standard now,” said Kirby Smart. “Like hey, you’re supposed to win every game and I watched that happen at Alabama where if you’re not careful you find no joy in winning.”

Smart notes that Georgia is still trying to enjoy the ride. Football is a sport and should be fun to play and compete in.

“If you take the joy out of winning it makes your career shorter,” continued Smart, who has had some concerns about burnout. “It makes it frustrating for the players, so we still celebrate every win.”

Kirby Smart does not appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. Smart just inked a massive contract extension.

4-star receiver commits to Bulldogs

The Georgia Bulldogs and coach Kirby Smart have added a ninth commitment to their 2025 recruiting class

The Georgia Bulldogs have added a ninth commitment to their 2025 recruiting class and their first at the receiver position. Thomas Blackshear, a four-star recruit out of Savannah, Georgia, officially chose the Bulldogs over Tennessee on Sunday.

Blackshear is listed at 6-foot-1, 197 pounds, and plays at Calvary Day High in Savannah. In the 2023 season, he caught 27 passes for 551 yards and five touchdowns and garnering praise for his physical style of play. He also runs track and plays basketball for the school.

The commitment is the first major recruiting pickup for James Coley since his return to the position of wide receivers coach following the departure of Bryan McClendon to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

When asked why he chose UGA, Blackshear told 247Sports, “The coaches, going down there, getting to know the coaches more when I visited and watching them practice. Talking to Coach Coley and Coach Kirby, that’s when I made the decision.”

CFB analyst believes Ohio State tops Georgia with ‘best roster in the country’

Ohio State over Georgia? The evaluation starts, and ends, at quarterback…

Fox college football analyst Joel Klatt is known for giving the Big Ten extra love. It’s no surprise that he recently included Ohio State at No. 1 in his post-spring college football top-25 rankings.

While rankings this early in the year aren’t worth noting in my mind, Klatt’s reasoning for listing Georgia at No. 2 behind the Buckeyes is worth some exploration, though. According to the former Colorado quarterback, Ohio State is the best team in the nation because of its star-studded roster.

“There was a lot of debate about who should be No. 1 between Ohio State and Georgia,” Klatt wrote for Fox Sports.

“I was initially going to put Georgia at No. 1 because the Bulldogs have a strong incumbent quarterback in Beck. But that couldn’t make up for the fact that Ohio State’s roster is the best in the country.”

Georgia’s 2024 squad sits at No. 1 in both ESPN and CBS Sports’ way-too-early top-25 rankings. A top-tier roster propelled by Carson Beck’s return is an undeniable reason for UGA’s standing in both of those polls.

The Buckeyes’ situation at quarterback, on the other hand, is anything but established. That is a much bigger issue than Klatt admits here.

“Their quarterback situation is their biggest question and could cause some to hesitate from ranking them No. 1.”

Ohio State’s question at quarterback should cause more than hesitation. A similar situation arguably caused the Buckeyes to falter at the hands of Michigan last season with Kyle McCord at the helm. The Buckeyes also had a strong roster top-to-bottom in 2023, but didn’t have a signal-caller that could will the team past the Wolverines, who have won three-straight matchups between the Big Ten rivals.

Head coach Ryan Day and new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly will choose from among Kansas State transfer Will Howard, five-star signee Julian Sayin and four-star signee Air Noland to take the keys of the Buckeye’s offense. A unit that will be without No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr.

Klatt is putting his faith in Ohio State’s defense to make up for the question at quarterback and the transition to a new offense under Kelly.

“The defense will also allow Will Howard or whoever is at quarterback to go through some growing pains. It allows Chip Kelly to get Ohio State’s feet settled on offense. Kelly’s effect on the run game can’t be overlooked. It hasn’t reached its potential in that element over the last few years, and he has the best backfield in the country with Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson.”

The Buckeyes defense does appear to be one of the top units in the sport after returning nine starters from 2023 and adding All-American safety Caleb Downs. The question is can that unit carry the Buckeyes past a new-look Michigan team in their own conference, nonetheless a program in Georgia that has lost one game in the last two seasons?

It’s probable that both Ohio State and Georgia make the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, regardless of the pair winning their respective conference. This means that we likely won’t get to witness the Buckeyes face a uber-talented team until the postseason. A rematch of the 2022 Peach Bowl, a thrilling last second win by Georgia, would be a game of epic proportions and one that would be a tale tell sign of how these blue-blood programs actually compare on the field rather than in the month of May.

Joenel Aguero next in line at focal point STAR position for Bulldogs

Joenel Aguero is expected to be a new starter for the Georgia football secondary

The STAR position, a linebacker/safety hybrid, has been one of the most important in the Georgia defense for over a decade, with previous starters including Dominick Sanders, Maurice Smith, Aaron Davis, Javon Bullard, and most recently Tykee Smith. Coming off a freshman year in which he played limited snaps in a reserve role behind numerous players now in the NFL, we project Joenel Aguero to start at STAR on Georgia’s defensive depth chart.

Aguero was a five-star prospect in the class of 2023 and the top recruit in Massachusetts. He attended St. John’s Prep in Danvers, Massachusetts for his final two years after transferring from IMG Academy in Florida. 247Sports’ Gabe Brooks compared Aguero to former Texas and New Orleans Saints star safety Kenny Vacarro and described him as having, “The requisite size of a stout, tone-setting safety who could also drop down to the linebacker level and give you quality snaps.”

Aguero is listed at 5-foot-11, 205 pounds. Last season, he played in 12 games, recording seven total tackles, including a season-high four against UAB. He also recorded a blocked punt against Florida.

In a starting role in the spring game, Aguero recorded four tackles and two pass break ups for the black team, giving a preview of his role this upcoming season.