There was a time not too long ago when 11 wins, an SEC championship and a trip to the Sugar Bowl would have been considered a highly successful season for the Georgia Bulldogs. That time is gone.
It’s now been two years since UGA’s back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022, and the (maybe just a little spoiled?) fan base is getting antsy. Your mileage may vary, of course—many townies are tired of the traffic, the drag-racing, the undergrads ripping downtown to shreds, and all those short-term rental party pads and gameday condos sending housing costs spiraling out of control.
Nevertheless, the Dawgs abide. Out-of-town fans line our tip jars just like their extended-cab F-150s line our streets. As much as it is a music town, football is part of the fabric of Athens.
Who’s That Coming Down the Track?
It’s Gunner Stockton with a mustache. Unfortunately, the mustache is more Nacho Alvarez than Spencer Strider.
Carson Beck took his Lambo down 441 to South Beach, and now the Rabun County product Stockton is slated to start under center. Despite his first name, he’s a scrambler, resembling a bigger Stetson Bennett IV more than his pocket-passing predecessor. (Stetson, by the way, is looking more like a future U.S. senator than a state senator after putting on a show in L.A. Rams training camp—once he retires and opens that Kia dealership in Waycross, of course.)
Stockton already raised his stock with a come-from-behind win over Texas in the SEC championship game while Beck was in the shop. In addition to Beck, Georgia lost 13 players to the NFL draft, including defensive end Mykal Williams, linebacker Jalon Walker, safety Malaki Starks and running back Trevor Etienne. Just like Alabama under Kirby Smart’s mentor Nick Saban, it’s five-stars all the way down at Georgia, so Kirby should have no trouble filling those holes with players like linebacker CJ Allen, receiver Zachariah Branch and edge rusher Elo Modozie.
Regardless of talent, the SEC is going to be especially brutal this year, with 10 teams in the Associated Press preseason Top 25. Somebody’s gotta lose. To get back to the playoffs and win, Smart will have to improve the running game to take some pressure off Stockton, and get the defense to play more consistently. Here’s a look at the Bulldogs’ schedule for 2025 and how it might shake out.
Aug. 30: vs. Marshall, 3:30 p.m., ESPN
The Thundering Herd won the Sun Belt Conference last year, but this isn’t the same team. They lost coach Charles Huff to Southern Miss in the offseason, and more than half the roster followed him out the door, forcing new coach Tony Gibson to rebuild through the transfer portal. Fun fact: Sonny Perdue, a walk-on football player at UGA, had a small role as an opposing coach in the 2006 Matthew McConaughey vehicle We Are Marshall.
Sept. 6: vs. Austin Peay, 3:30 p.m., ESPN+/SEC Network+
Remember, it’s pronounced “Austin Pee.”
Sept. 13: at Tennessee, 3:30 p.m., ABC
In a rare September meeting, Georgia’s first challenge comes at Neyland Stadium, where the Volunteers have playoff aspirations of their own. After more than a decade of irrelevancy, Josh Heupel has the storied program headed in the right direction again—Tennessee finished third in the SEC last year, just behind Georgia. There are questions at quarterback, where UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar is taking over, and on offense in general. Can the Dawgs keep their eight-game winning streak against the Vols going? If so, expect fans to have a complete meltdown in Knoxville.
Sept. 27: vs. Alabama, 7:30 p.m., ABC
Kirby’s revenge tour starts here. Then-No. 2 Georgia lost to top-ranked Alabama 41–34 in Tuscaloosa last year, with Jalen Milroe outdueling Beck by completing 80% of his passes and racking up almost 500 total yards. Milroe is in the NFL now, but newcomer Ty Simpson will have plenty of weapons around him, such as star receiver Ryan Williams. The Tide look to have a customarily strong defense as well. Kalen DeBoer should be highly motivated, because given Bama fans’ impatience, another four-loss season could put the second-year coach on the hot seat already.
Oct. 4: vs. Kentucky, noon, ABC or ESPN
Georgia barely survived this game last year, winning 13–12 in Lexington against a Wildcats team that wound up 4-8. Former Prince Avenue Christian standout and UGA backup quarterback Brock Vandagriff retired from football rather than return for his last year of eligibility at Kentucky, and the ‘Cats are once again projected to finish near the bottom of the SEC.
Oct. 11: at Auburn, TBA
Though his Tigers/Eagles are playing at home, the Right Rev. Hugh Freeze will need a miracle to pull off a win. Which he has been known to do, having beaten Alabama twice in a row while at Ole Miss. However, Auburn remains mired in the middle of the SEC pack/flock, and seems unlikely to move up until Freeze finds a reliable quarterback to run his RPO-heavy offense.
Oct. 18: vs. Ole Miss, TBA
Kirby’s revenge tour continues. No one (least of all this Ole Miss grad) knows quite what to expect from the Rebels, who lost most of the best defense NIL money can buy, forcing “Portal King” Lane Kiffin to dip back into the transfer pool. Ole Miss is also breaking in a new quarterback, redshirt sophomore Austin Simmons. Georgia fans already know what Simmons can do, having watched him engineer a touchdown drive while Jaxson Dart was briefly sidelined during the Rebels’ 28–10 win in Oxford last year. The result may very well hinge on whether Lane can stick to yoga and resist the urge to subtweet anyone. Get your popcorn ready!
Nov. 1: vs. Florida, 3:30 p.m., ABC
This will be the last World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party in Jacksonville for a few years, as both teams have agreed to play in Atlanta in 2026 and Tampa in 2027 before returning to EverBank Stadium in 2028. Florida looked much improved late in the 2024 season, quieting talk of coach Billy Napier’s ouster by taking down LSU and Ole Miss. The Gators return 29 starters, including preseason Heisman contender DJ Lagway at quarterback.
Nov. 8: at Mississippi State, noon, ABC or ESPN
Georgia travels to Stark Vegas for a classic trap game before taking on what will surely be a highly ranked Texas team the following week. Jeff Lebby cleaned house after a 2–10 season last year, so the other Bulldogs will be different, if not necessarily better. One similarity: Their mascot Bully is almost as inbred as Uga.
Nov. 15: vs. Texas, TBD
Whether Texas is as good as advertised depends largely on whether quarterback Arch Manning lives up to the legacy of his grandfather Archie and his uncles Peyton and Eli. Just like Kirby no doubt has Alabama and Ole Miss circled on the schedule, Steve Sarkisian is surely looking forward to this matchup after the Dawgs gave the Longhorns a thorough asswhupping in Austin last year, then beat Texas again in the SEC title game. Just keep Bevo away from Sanford Stadium, please.
Nov. 22: vs. Charlotte, 12:45 p.m., SEC Network
The Bulldogs get a brief respite before playing in-state rivals Georgia Tech, and potentially the SEC title game after that. The 49ers have had one winning season in their 12-year history, and with one of the toughest schedules in the Group of Five, there’s no reason to think they’ll add a second in 2025.
Nov. 28: at Georgia Tech, 3:30 p.m., SEC Network
My fellow Husky Brent Key (Hewitt-Trussville Class of ‘97 represent) looks to be building something over in Midtown. But even though Haynes KIng is the type of player who can beat a lot of teams single-handedly, the Jackets don’t yet have the overall depth talent to hang with Georgia. The Dawgs also benefit from playing at Mercedes-Benz rather than Bobby Dodd Stadium—it will look like a Falcons game with all the red and black in the stands. Still, it’s a rivalry game, so anything can happen.
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