“No. 13? Sweet! Hey, I might not get fired after all!”
After a disappointing season capped off by watching Clemson win the national title with a quarterback from Georgia whom the Bulldogs didn’t even bother to recruit, UGA fans probably needed a stiff drink last night.
But this morning, ESPN posted its first top-25 rankings for the 2017 season, and guess what? They think Georgia will be pretty good this year!
The Worldwide Leader ranks the Dawgs No. 13:
After limping through much of Kirby Smart’s first season as coach of his alma mater, the Bulldogs might be poised to take control of the SEC East in 2017. Tailbacks Nick Chubb and Sony Michel and linebackers Davin Bellamy and Lorenzo Carter have decided to return for their senior seasons rather than enter the NFL draft early. Quarterback Jacob Eason should be better in his second season as a starter, and help for the offensive line is coming in a top-five recruiting class. Georgia is expected to lose only one starter on defense — safety Maurice Smith — and many of its best players on that side of the ball were freshmen and sophomores. The Bulldogs will play at Tennessee and Auburn in the SEC, and will take nonconference road trips to Notre Dame and Georgia Tech.
Alabama is the preseason No. 1 (shocker), while Auburn clocks in at No. 11, LSU at No. 15 and Florida at No. 21.
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