The 2018 Georgia Bulldogs Have Major Defensive Problems

by DS Williamson

Former Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart rewarded the believers at Georgia with a runner-up National Championship appearance last season. Now, Georgia fans are clamoring for a National Title victory. This season things figure to be tougher for Smart and the 2018 Georgia Bulldogs. Their potential may not be able to reach expectations that have never been higher.

Dawgs’ offense should rock The  offense should be one of the best in the nation, which should come as no surprise. Sure, the Bulldogs lost their top running-backs - Sony Michel and Nick Chubb - but the offensive line is more experienced. It’s also bigger. It won't matter who Smart finds to replace Michel and Chubb’s production because the 2018 Georgia Bulldogs will be trench menaces. Any running-back will find it easy to gain yards running behind Georgia’s offensive line. Not only that, but the wide receiver position is also set.

Surprisingly, Georgia could have a quarterback controversy this season.

As a freshman, Jake Fromm was terrific. He completed 62% of his passes and led the Bulldogs to an SEC Championship and the National Championship game. It might be difficult for Smart to keep five-star recruit freshman Justin Fields on the bench, though. That’s how talented Fields is supposed to be. Whether Fromm or Fields plays QB, the Bulldogs offense should score a ton of points. It might need to for Georgia to win football games. Replacing star running backs is never as difficult as replacing star defensive players and this is where the 2018 Georgia Bulldogs could have trouble.

Defense might be where the issue lies Georgia lost 8 players on their defense. Sure, Alabama can lose 8 players on their defense and come out unscathed. It’s difficult to see Georgia doing the same thing that Alabama does because Georgia lost all 4 of their linebackers including Roquan Smith.

The defensive line isn’t nearly as deep as it was last season either. All of these issues pile up on one side of the ball, which won't be a problem when Georgia's dumping touchdowns in to the endzone on offense. But this a problem that will surface when Georgia is faced with teams that can match them on the scoreboard.

The 2018 Georgia Bulldogs have a lot to live up to defensively after ranking 6th in yards allowed (294.9 per game) and 6th in points against (16.4 per game). Their ability to shut down opponents helped propel them to an overall record of 13-2 SU and 11-4 ATS in 2017. That will be tough to match in NCAAF betting this upcoming season, especially with a hard target on their backs.

Dawgs’ schedule is more difficult than it looks The SEC East is the weaker division, but Georgia’s schedule is much more difficult than it appears to be at first glance. Road games against LSU and South Carolina are land mines waiting to happen.

Georgia must also battle an improved Florida Gators team now coached by Dan Mullen. Florida could be the surprise team in the SEC East. Auburn is not an easy game while Georgia Tech will be much improved from last season. The offense will help them win plenty of games, but if the defense doesn’t come together (and that’s a huge if) Georgia could stare at two losses easily during the regular season. That might keep the Bulldogs from the SEC Championship.

It will most definitely keep them from a return trip to the College Football Playoff.