As Georgia football eyes a three-peat, these teams could stand in its way
Georgia’s Peach Bowl triumph over Ohio State became an instant classic. Two immensely talented teams played in a high-wire clash decided as the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve in Atlanta when Ohio State failed to convert a 50-yard field goal, allowing Georgia to prevail by a single point after a fourth-quarter rally.
That preceded No. 1 Georgia’s 65-7 national championship romp over No. 3 TCU on Monday, leaving the image that the national championship was actually decided at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
And in 2023, Georgia and Ohio State should be considered frontrunners for college football’s top prize. Each team must replace its starting quarterback, plus a few other key pieces, but both return an array of stars, highlighted by the offensive skill positions.
Georgia is poised to challenge to become the first team to win three straight national championships in the modern era.
On this edition of “SEC Football Unfiltered,” a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine the top candidates who could prevent a Georgia three-peat, with the Buckeyes topping the list.
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Other teams they consider: LSU, Florida State, Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee and Southern Cal.
The list doesn’t go much deeper than that, though. Georgia will return a majority of their offensive and defensive starters. Combine that with a manageable schedule, and they're almost a shoo-in for the College Football Playoff.
Nonetheless, Adams says if he were offered Georgia or the field, he’d take the field in 2023. That’s not because he likes a team better than the Bulldogs, but he can’t shake the idea that no team has won three straight national titles since Minnesota did so from 1934-36.
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MORE TAKES FROM TOPPMEYER AND ADAMS:Sign up for the SEC Unfiltered newsletter for exclusive columns delivered straight to your inbox
USC nearly accomplished the feat in 2005, but Texas halted the Trojans’ bid in the Rose Bowl.
Toppmeyer goes the other direction and chooses the Bulldogs over the field. If he had a second choice, he’d take the Buckeyes, so long as C.J. Stroud’s heir apparent, former five-star recruit Kyle McCord, plays up to his recruiting billing.
Inside the SEC, Toppmeyer says Tennessee will be Georgia’s only real challenge before the SEC Championship. He considers LSU the biggest threat from the SEC West, while Adams isn't ready to rule out Alabama as a contender.
Later in the episode
The hosts examine their top surprises from the season that was. Among them:
– Georgia going undefeated – and doing so in mostly dominant fashion – after losing so many stars from its 2021 championship team.
– The Vols were ranked No. 1 in the first CFP rankings. Raise your hand if you had that pegged in the preseason? (Scans the room and sees no hands.)
– Texas A&M being overrated wasn’t surprising. But a 5-7 record with a six-game losing streak sprinkled in? Yeah, futility of that magnitude was surprising.
Where to listen to SEC Football Unfiltered
Blake Toppmeyer is an SEC Columnist for the USA TODAY Network. John Adams is a senior columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. You can subscribe to their podcast, SEC Football Unfiltered, or check out their SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: As Georgia football eyes a three-peat, these teams could stand in the way
