Rivals rankings director and national transfer portal analyst Adam Friedman has thoughts on Georgia’s dominance, undefeated teams and a team with a coach on the hot seat.
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1. THEY ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE
Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Georgia has an elite defense, can run the ball when they want to and have an average quarterback.
No, I’m not talking about the Georgia teams that won back-to-back national championships. Georgia dismantled Texas on Saturday night and reminded everyone that the Dawgs can still be a truly dominant team.
Since the loss to Alabama a few weeks ago Georgia has reeled off three wins in a row and has, at times, looked completely overwhelming. This Georgia defense, when healthy, can make even the most highly regarded quarterback and offensive line in the country look like a JV squad.
Don’t think for a second that Georgia’s dominant defensive line is going anywhere. Five-star defensive lineman Elijah Griffin committed to Georgia last week and the Dawgs lead for five-star Justus Terry. Defensive end Darren Ikinnagbon, a top-100 talent, has been committed to Georgia since April and linebacker Zayden Walker, a top 40 prospect, committed to Georgia in June. There are plenty of other highly-rated defensive prospects considering Georgia too.
2. ARE WE AT THE BEGINNING OF AN EXTINCTION?
The era of the undefeated national champion is all but over. In a world of super conferences and increased parity (thanks to NIL and revenue sharing) Michigan may have been the last undefeated national champion. The opportunities afforded to players through Name, Image and Likeness have helped spread the talent around and the expanded College Football Playoff will make it harder for teams to finish with an undefeated record even if they make it through the regular season unblemished.
National championship favorites Texas, Georgia, Alabama and Ohio State have all taken losses already. There are 10 undefeated teams remaining - Army, Navy, Miami, Pittsburgh, BYU, Iowa State, Indiana, Oregon, Penn State and Liberty - and we’re just halfway through the season plus there are conference championship games. Nearly all of these teams will take at least one loss before the College Football Playoff.
This scenario may happen again in the years to come but as long as NIL, revenue sharing, and conference championship games still exist the 2023 Michigan Wolverines might turn into the college football version of the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the last undefeated team in NFL history.
3. SIGNS OF LIFE IN GAINESVILLE
Is Billy Napier turning things around in Gainesville? Florida's head coach was left for dead just a few weeks ago but now the Gators are 4-3 and could have easily been 5-2 if things had gone differently at the end of the Tennessee game.
The Gators are finding ways to win despite injuries and inconsistent play on the offensive side of the ball. The defense is really stepping up and taking advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. With Graham Mertz going down and freshman standout DJ Lagway taking over on offense, the Gators are adjusting their offensive strategy. They’re all they can to possess the ball, pile up rushing yards and be as physical as they can at the line of scrimmage while trying to set up their young quarterback to find explosive plays when possible.
The rivalry game against Georgia is coming up after the bye week this week followed by a visit to Texas then home again for LSU and Ole Miss before closing out the season at Florida State. Four of their five five opponents are ranked in the top 25 and four of them are ranked in the top 10 so the schedule certainly won’t do Florida any favors but this scrappy team may play these elite opponents closer than the experts think. If Florida pulls out a win or at least plays these teams close, who knows if Napier can stick around for another season.
