UGA 2024 Schedule Reaction
Last Wednesday night, the SEC released the 2024 football schedule for the conference. Efforts have been made over the past several years to keep schedules competitive and fair, but that’s not how I’d describe the UGA 2024 schedule.
After settling on an eight-game conference schedule for ’24, there were plenty of complaints that the SEC was making their schedule too soft compared to the nine-game slate of other conferences. However, I don’t think anyone can look at the ’24 schedule and call it soft for nearly every SEC school.
The full list
The conference has done away with the east and west divisions, allowing greater opportunity to play teams from the opposite division. However, there is still a desire to maintain rivalries within the conference. The SEC also considered each program’s conference winning percentage over the last 10 years.
So without further ado, let’s just take a look at Georgia’s schedule for ’24, with the games in no particular order.
Georgia faces: Auburn, Florida, Alabama, Texas, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Clemson, Tennessee, Tennessee Tech, Massachusetts, and Georgia Tech.
The Dawgs only have three SEC home games: Tennessee, Mississippi State, and Auburn. However, the Florida game counts as a ‘home’ fixture, despite being played at a neutral site. That means the Dawgs will head to Austin and Tuscaloosa in ’24.
Not to mention, they kick off the season in Atlanta with Clemson. This will be the teams’ first H2H clash in two years, and the first since August 2014 to be played on the Dawgs’ own turf.
‘Undefeated ain’t happening’
With the changes in the ‘24 schedule, Georgia will wind up with one of if not the most challenging schedules in the nation.
Undefeated ain’t happening in ’24. Georgia could lose anywhere from 1-3 regular season games with a slate this difficult. The Dawgs are also likely replacing their entire offensive line, QB, multiple receivers, several D-linemen, and their top two linebackers. I don’t see a new group of players getting the job done against Clemson, Texas, Alabama, and Tennessee.
At least one of those games won’t end well, and possibly more than one will be a defeat. However, if UGA can survive this brutal of a schedule, they will be battle-tested for the expanded playoff in ’24. With the SEC schedules becoming more demanding and a 12-team playoff looming, the teams with the greatest depth will rise to the top.
Fortunately, Kirby Smart has recruited at a very high level for years. That means UGA will surely find itself in an enviable position once again. It also means that with this year’s soft schedule, it will be imperative to work in reserve players to get them as many snaps as possible in preparation for next season.
UGA 2024 Schedule – Final Thought
Frankly speaking, the UGA home schedule has been abysmal for years. It’s clear that the SEC did the Dawgs no favors this year. Meanwhile, Alabama and Texas will host a multitude of recruits for their high profile game against Georgia. Purely as a fan, I think a tally of just three SEC home games screws the Dawgs. I also feel that neutral site games are becoming a significant detriment to the Sanford Stadium experience.
As a small consolation, the Dawgs will get to show off their crazy atmosphere versus lowly Mississippi State and an Auburn team that is simply pathetic right now. Subsequently, I think Georgia’s home schedule will improve in the long run. We’ll also see interesting dynamics develop with teams that UGA only plays every so often from the SEC West.
Despite my reservations about the schedule, I’m confident that coach Smart will feel differently. Georgia will not be hunted.
