What's the toughest game for Georgia football in 2024? The easiest? We rank all 12 of them.
Believe it or not, it’s only been a month since Georgia football slammed Florida State in an Orange Bowl mismatch.
The college football world has been turned upside down since then with Alabama’s Nick Saban retiring, Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh taking off to the NFL after winning a national title and Washington coach Kalen DeBoer replacing Saban in Tuscaloosa.
Rosters have seen big changes via the transfer portal and NFL departures, but things have slowed down by now.
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Let’s take a look at how we see Georgia’s 2024 schedule shaking out from easiest to toughest opponent.
12. vs. Tennessee Tech Sept. 7
Yeah, there’s an FCS team on the schedule but the Bulldogs play 10 Power Five opponents in a rugged slate. Former Old Dominion coach Bobby Wilder takes over a team that went 4-7 last season.
Key departure: CB Gerald Kilgore (South Carolina transfer). Impact newcomer: RB Leon Franklin (Michigan transfer)
11. vs. UMass Nov. 23
This will be the second of three home games to end the regular season. Georgia won 66-27 in the only other game against the Minutemen in 2018. Don Brown is entering his third season as coach after going 3-9 in 2023.
Key departure: WR George Johnson (Florida Atlantic transfer). Impact newcomer: Offensive lineman Paul Tchio (Georgia Tech transfer)
10. vs. Mississippi State, Oct. 12.
New coach Jeff Lebby will have a bye week before the Georgia game after starting SEC play with Florida at home and going to Texas. He’s talked of bringing a fast, aggressive offense to a program that went 5-7, 1-7 in the SEC and fired first-year coach Zach Arnett.
Key departure: QB Will Rogers (Washington transfer). Impact newcomer: TE Cameron Ball (Buffalo transfer)
9. vs. Georgia Tech, Nov. 30
Brent Key hired a new defensive coordinator in Tyler Santucci ahead of his second full season as head coach. He ran Duke’s top ACC scoring defense. Yellow Jackets finished 7-6, capped by a Gasparilla Bowl win over UCF.
Key departure: Edge Kyle Kennard (South Carolina transfer) Impact newcomer: CB Syeed Gibbs (Rhode Island transfer)
8. vs. Florida in Jacksonville Nov. 2.
This seems like an important season for third-year coach Billy Napier who is 11-14 with the Gators. November is rough: Georgia, at Texas, home for LSU and Ole Miss and at Florida State. QB Graham Mertz is back for another season. The highest-rated transfer portal addition is defensive lineman Joey Slackman from Penn.
Key departure: Edge Princely Umanmielen (Ole Miss transfer). Impact newcomer: QB DJ Lagway (five-star freshman).
7. vs. Auburn Oct. 5.
Derrick Nix is in and Philip Montgomery is out as offensive coordinator for offensive-minded Hugh Freeze coming off a 6-7 first season with the Tigers. Auburn plays five home games before going to Athens. QB Payton Thorne returns but Freeze has called the position “wide open.”
Key departure: S Jaylin Simpson (NFL). Impact newcomer: WR Cam Coleman (5-star from Phenix City)
6. at Kentucky Sept. 14
Georgia going up against Bulldog transfers Brock Vandagriff and Jamon Dumas-Johnson will be a big storyline, but the Wildcats also got key SEC transfers in OT Gerald Mincey (Tennessee) and safety Kristian Story (Alabama). Wildcats, 7-6 last season, get Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Auburn at home but go to Florida, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas.
Key departure: RB Ray Davis (NFL). Impact newcomer: QB Brock Vandagriff (Georgia transfer)
5. vs. Clemson in Atlanta Aug. 31
The Tigers took a step back with a 9-4 record, but closed by winning five in a row including 38-35 against Kentucky in the Gator Bowl. Clemson ranked sixth in the ACC and 50th nationally at 29.8 points per game. Swinney hasn’t added a single player from the transfer portal.
Key departure: CB Nate Wiggins (NFL). Impact newcomer: 5-Star LB Sammy Brown (Jefferson High School)
4. vs. Tennessee Nov. 16
Nico Iamaleava, a former five-star, had an impressive starting debut at quarterback in a 35-0 Citrus Bowl win over Iowa, rushing for three touchdowns and throwing for another. Tennessee’s entire starting secondary from last season is gone. Five 2024 SEC opponents had losing conference records in 2023.
Key departure: Edge Tyler Baron (Louisville transfer). Impact newcomer: WR Chris Brazzel (Tulane transfer)
3. at Ole Miss Nov. 9
The Rebels are coming off an 11-2 season and ruled the transfer portal rankings with 17 additions including 2022 1st-team All-SEC receiver Antwane Wells from South Carolina. Jaxson Dart returns at QB and the schedule is favorable with no Alabama and getting Georgia and Oklahoma at home with the toughest road game at LSU.
Key departure: RB Quinshon Judkins (Ohio State transfer). Impact newcomer: DL Walter Nolen (Texas A&M transfer)
2. at Alabama Sept. 28
Georgia will play the Crimson Tide for the first time in 21 years with someone other than Nick Saban on the other sideline. It was Mike Shula in a 37-23 UGA win in Athens then. Now it’s former Washington coach Kalen DeBoar who lost safety Caleb Downs and offensive lineman Kaydn Proctor among 10 to transfer out after the coaching change, but returns QB Jalen Milroe.
Key departure: OLB Dallas Turner (NFL). Impact newcomer: OL Parker Brailsford (Washington transfer)
1. at Texas Oct. 19
This will be the marquee home game for the Longhorns which plays huge games away at Michigan on Sept. 7 and against rival Oklahoma Oct. 12 in Dallas. It’s probably THE game of the season nationally on paper. QBs Carson Beck vs. Quinn Ewers will have NFL scouts watching. Defense adds transfer pass rusher Trey Moore (UTSA) and safety Andrew Mukuba (Clemson).
Key departure: DT T’Vondre Sweat (NFL). Impact newcomer: WR Isaiah Bond (Alabama transfer)
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Ranking Georgia football 2024 opponents from Tennessee Tech to Texas
