It’s almost that time of the year. College football returns, and for the Oregon Ducks, it will be anything but a warmup game. The obvious storyline this game presents is a return for new head coach Dan Lanning. He will leave his championship ring home in Eugene as he and his new team travel to Atlanta to face the Bulldogs in Mercedez Benz Stadium.
The defending champs are nowhere near the level of talent that they were a year ago. As expected, many Bulldogs declared for the draft, 15 to be exact, the most ever in a seven-round selection. The other obvious missing piece from the 2021 Georgia team is the coaching staff. Defensive coordinator Dan Lanning is now on the opposing team, while two other position staff members for Georgia left in the offseason as well.
Georgia recruits at an elite level. With the missing pieces gone, there should be no worry. Lanning’s mentor, Kirby Smart, is still running a tight ship down in Athens with plenty of confidence in his team. The confidence is primarily due to the fact that Stetson Bennett is still under center. He looked the part of a top-tier collegiate quarterback; coming off the biggest win of his life, he will more than likely keep Oregon’s secondary on its toes.
So, what’s the rest of the Bulldog’s roster look like? Where do the Ducks have the advantage? I’ll compare the two teams’ position groups while explaining why an Oregon upset is not as crazy as it sounds.
Quarterback
As I mentioned above, Georgia lost plenty of depth to the draft in the offseason. Luckily for them, Stetson Bennett was not one of those players. Instead, he came back to the team that he first joined in 2017. No quarterback in college football has more confidence than Bennett, so whoever the eventual starter is for the Ducks, Georgia will have the edge. Bo Nix is expected, but Lanning has made it clear that nothing will be announced until game day. Nix has plenty of experience of his own. Nix is another SEC guy but decided to leave the Auburn Tigers in the offseason. With his new corps around him, he could easily have a career year.
Runningbacks
Georgia was hit harder in the offseason than any team in college football. No team is ever safe from the draft/transfer portal, however. Oregon got hit, too – the running back room especially. Two top 10 greats (Travis Dye and C.J. Verdell) parted ways in the same offseason, leaving a young and very new unit left to pick up the slack. The main names to point out for this year are Byron Cardwell and Sean Dollars, with transfers Mar’keise Irving and Noah Whittington rounding them out. The group is unproven but has plenty to look forward to. Georgia lost some greats as well. Zamir White and James Cook were selected in the draft leaving two more veterans in Kendall Milton and Kenny Mcintosh to take the workload. Both veterans have success in their own right, and with the bigger roles, I expect them to follow in the previous backs’ footsteps. At this point, it could go either way, but Cardwell’s upside makes me give the advantage to Oregon.
Receiving Corps
It will be a battle of veterans throwing the ball in Atlanta on September 3rd. The athletes catching the balls are talented on both ends as well. A common theme, both teams’ wide receiver units experienced a change in the offseason. Oregon lost four starters (Mycah Pittman, Devon Williams, Johnny Johnson III, Jaylon Redd), while Georgia also lost two top targets (George Pickens, Jermaine Burton). With all the losses, there was plenty of addition for both universities. Oregon will have a large rotation, expected to feature some combination of Dont’e Thornton, Troy Franklin, Kris Hutson, Chase Cota, Seven McGee, Caleb Chapman, and more. A duo of sophomore tight ends (Terrence Ferguson, Moliki Matavao) will complete the bulk of the targets for an overall dangerous unit for new Offensive Coordinator Kenny Dillingham to play with. Georgia’s unit will return their leading receiver from a year ago. Tight end Brock Bowers was near-unstoppable in 2021, with 13 touchdowns and close to the 1,000-yard receiving mark. The main outside threats on the team are Sophomores Ladd McConkey and Adonai Mitchell, who are joined by a fleury of elite underclassmen. The two corps are very close, but Oregon again has a slight edge.
D-Line/Edge
The first no-brainer when comparing the position groups is at the defensive line. Georgia has a clear advantage, with Nolan Smith headlining the overall defense. The unit also features returning senior Robert Beal Jr., who led the team in sacks last year, and Jalen Carter, a junior who was nearly as important as the likes of Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt. Oregon is dealing with the key departure of Kayvon Thibodeaux, who was the leader of the defensive front. Now, notable names include Brandon Dorlus, Bradyn Swinson, D.J. Johnson, Taki Taimani, and more. Lanning has been able to put together an excellent defensive front, but it is nowhere near what he once had with the Bulldogs.
Linebackers
Another clear pick when comparing the two teams is when looking at the linebackers. Oregon is obviously headlined by Noah Sewell, who will most likely be selected near the first round of the upcoming NFL draft, following in the footsteps of his brother Penei. Behind him is Justin Flowe, who might be the scariest man in football with less than two full games played. He was a fellow 5-star with Sewell in the 2020 recruiting class. If he can stay healthy in year three, the duo might just be the best linebacker pair in the nation. Georgia has to replace both Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker, who were part of the Bulldog alum in this year’s draft. Jamon Dumas-Johnson and Trezmen Marshall will likely be the replacements for this year. The talent level is still high with these two, but a drop-off should be expected compared to last year.
Defensive Backs
Big shocker here. Both teams lost a lot of depth at the defensive back unit during the offseason. Oregon returns Bennett Williams, Jamal Hill, Dontae Manning, and more, while transfer Christian Gonzales is most likely a lock for the starting corner position. Mykael Wright, Verone McKinley, and D.J. James were the key losses for Oregon, while Georgia is missing Lewis Cine and Derion Kendrick. The big returner for the Bulldogs is Kelee Ringo, who alone gives this unit the edge over the Ducks.
Yes, overall, Georgia looks better on paper. But to the extent that some are saying — I have to disagree. This situation feels awfully similar to the one a year ago. It seemed like critics all over social media downplayed the level of threat that Oregon was coming into Columbus. The Ducks, of course, ended up shocking the world and upsetting the Buckeyes 35-28. I’m not saying to expect the upset to happen next Saturday, but don’t be surprised if the Ducks end up pulling it off again.
