As has become custom, my friend Macondawg of Dawg Sports took the time from surviving a Category 4 hurricane to answer our burning questions about the Georgia Bulldogs.

To be honest, they really aren’t as confident there as I would have expected. To be honest, the Dawg faithful don’t seem to think quite as highly of the team as the national media as a whole.

Seriously, they run a great website there and I will always recommend you read it. And thanks again to Macondawg for their time and effort!

1. Right off the bat, here’s a fun exercise for us to see where you stand: Right now, it looks like Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Missouri (I guess?) are the contenders the SEC. Where do you currently rank these teams and who will still have one loss or less at the end of the season?

I’m not entirely sold on Tennessee yet, in part because I think Nico is vulnerable to a team that can apply consistent pressure. I’m not sure Ole Miss has the depth to be there at the end of the year. And honestly, Missouri is just not that good of a football team. At this point I would rank the others based on their previous resume: 1) Texas, 2) Alabama, 3) Georgia. I think the funniest outcome is probably that all three each suffer defeat in a Southern firing squad.

2. I like Carson Beck a lot. I’ve generally been a doubter about most UGA quarterbacks during Kirby Smart’s tenure, but Beck is truly impressive. However, the loss of Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey to his pass catchers was huge. Will Dominic Lovett and Arian Smith be able to truly take over the games? Or someone else? Or nobody?

Lovett and Smith are among the many promising Bulldog receivers. Miami transfer Colbie Young has also shown the potential to be a big mismatch, and slot receiver Dillon Bell has shown flashes as well.

Replacing Bowers could be a different matter. He’s just a completely different type of player. Bowers’ replacement, Oscar Delp, has only managed four receptions so far this season and had one drop and one fumble against Kentucky. Getting him on track along with younger tight ends Lawson Luckie and Jaden Redell would go a long way toward loosening up the defense and allowing Beck to do what he does best.

3. Oddly enough, UGA hasn’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since Deandre Swift in 2019, despite its reputation as a somewhat old-school power running team. Is there any chance that Trevor Etienne will break this streak?

It’s doubtful why NFL hunks Zeus White, James Cook, Daijun Edwards and Kenny McIntosh won’t break the millennium mark in Athens for the same reason: Mike Bobo simply prefers to spread the carries around. Etienne has already shown that he will play a key role in the attack. But freshman Nate Frazier should get a growing share of the touches. Branson Robinson, the strong fullback, has also laid claim to being the goalie and short-yardage defender. Finally, the coaches have great confidence in experienced reserve player Cash Jones.

4. UGA retained Mike Bobo and Glenn Schumann in the coordinator spots. Continuity is always great! Are you happy with these guys?

Bringing Schumann with him from Tuscaloosa was probably the most important hire Kirby made early in his UGA tenure. Bulldog fans have come to terms with the fact that we will soon lose him to a head coaching job.

Bobo remains the scapegoat for the anger and fear of all UGA fans. Despite routinely coordinating offenses that put up tons of points while still winning the battle of possession (the dual mandate that Kirby Smart insists on), Bulldog fans always seem ready to shoot him into the sun. I would say that I’m probably happier with Bobo than the average Bulldog fan, because I’ve seen a lot of high-profile OCs play in a way that he never has. Kirby isn’t asking Mike Bobo to score 42 points per game. It requires him to carry out an attack on the field that consistently scores, keeps the ball and does not allow turnovers.

5. Is there a chance that UGA’s defense isn’t as infallible as it looks? The stats are pretty scary and I’m dreading doing a preview this week. I guess Kentucky passed you the ball halfway, but that’s about it. One explosive play in three games is just crazy.

So far, it’s been difficult to learn about this device because it was mostly patched together to begin with. Mykel Williams and Warren Brinson are probably Georgia’s two most disruptive defensive linemen, and neither of them have played since the opener against Clemson. But the early returns are very promising. The Dawgs brought back a lot of players at every level, and while the defense doesn’t have many stars other than Williams and Malaki Starks, there are guys you can count on at every spot, including plenty of players deep.

If there’s a concern, it might be that this team doesn’t have the two-hole defensive tackles under center that Georgia has had in the past with Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter. Nazir Stackhouse is solid, but Georgia defensive line coach Tray Scott needs a few other players to get good snaps behind him at center or someone is going to screw this defense.

However, if the interior line gets healthy, this unit could end up being close to the 2021 defense.

6. Are there any rookies who already look like they have real superstar potential and will terrorize the SEC next year?

Defensive security KJ Bolden has already found a home in the rotation and looks like the next Malaki Starks. Offensively reserved Nate Frazier has shown great instincts and should see more and more touches as the season progresses.

7. What is the outside opinion of Alabama after playing three games without Nick Saban in our first season? Do you still see us as a threat or just another SEC team?

I saw the Wisconsin game. But I also watched the first three quarters of the USF game. And from that, I’ve come to the conclusion that Kalen DeBoer has a team that still has talent from the Saban era, but may also still be finding its footing. I expect the Tide to be a title contender for a long time. But I don’t expect them to be as good for as long as they were under Saban. And neither should anyone else, because what Nick did in Tuscaloosa was unprecedented.

8. Do you make your match prediction?

I just can’t seem to feel confident about this. I’m a little worried about Georgia being able to consistently cover Ryan Williams. I’m very worried about Jalen Milroe. Georgia has struggled under Kirby Smart with quarterbacks who can go off script and make plays with their legs. With that said, Milroe killed the Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game last year and seems to me to be the better pocket passer this season. I don’t know that Red-Black has a counter for that. I’d like to be wrong, and both teams have been so different this year that I might as well. But I guess Bama 31, Georgia 23.

9. I’m assuming you’ll predict UGA will miss the playoffs. Is it a national championship or a bust? Or will you be happy (or at least okay with) a playoff win and a graceful exit?

I think it will depend to some extent on the circumstances. After two national titles, I admit that some of UGA fans’ old fear has disappeared. I honestly wondered for twenty years if I would ever see Georgia win a national title. Then I saw them win two victories in 364 days. So I’m much more relaxed in this area than before.

I will admit that the team that wins it all this season may be the one among the Big Four of Bama, Texas, Georgia and Ohio State that is healthiest at the end of the year. If the Bulldogs get it all together, get into the playoffs healthy and undefeated or with a narrow loss, and then fall to Utah, then I’d say this whole 12-team playoff thing is a terrible idea. But if they then limp in and squeeze together enough fairy dust to win another title, I’ll probably hail it as the greatest innovation since the forward pass.