The Georgia Bulldogs are 8-1 and 6-1 in SEC play ahead of the release of the second College Football Playoff rankings. Georgia is expected to maintain their spot as the No. 5 team in the playoff rankings after earning an impressive 41-21 road win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Georgia’s mission over the final three weeks of the regular season is simple. The Bulldogs would love to win out, but Georgia simply has to win two of their last three games to make the playoff. Georgia has a challenging remaining schedule with contests against No. 10 Texas, Charlotte and No. 12 Georgia Tech.
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Ahead of Georgia’s huge game against Texas, ESPN’s Bill Connelly gives Georgia a 85.4% chance to make the playoff. Connelly thinks Georgia’s defense, which “only shows up when it has to” is the Bulldogs’ fatal flaw that will keep Georgia from winning a national title or making the playoff.
Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Raylen Wilson reacts
Connelly was impressed that Georgia took care of business and did not need last-minute heroics against Mississippi State, but he is still concerned about the Dawgs’ defense.
“But the season stats are still alarming: In the first half, the Dawgs rank 74th in points allowed per drive (2.1) and 106th in success rate allowed (44.8%),” Connelly said. “It’s hard to beat a string of elite teams if you’re taking 30-45 minutes to play your way into the game.”
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A lot has been made of Georgia’s slow starts this season, but I’d say the Georgia pass rush is more concerning. Georgia’s pass rush was productive against Mississippi State. However, UGA is still last in the SEC with just 11 sacks. Georgia’s 1.22 sacks per game ranks No. 119 in the country. The Bulldogs have not disrupted opposing quarterbacks enough.
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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: ESPN names UGA football’s biggest weakness
