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ESPN is already gearing up for the 2025 college football season this fall. The Worldwide Leader has put together its way-too-early top 25 rankings and now is taking a look at those top teams and their schedules this fall.
In ESPN’s early top-25 rankings, the Georgia Bulldogs check in at No. 5. The Dawgs have one of the most-difficult schedules in the SEC, and thus the country, entering this season.
Which game on that schedule will define Georgia’s season? ESPN analyst Mark Schlabach picked the Sept. 27 home game against Alabama. Here’s what he had to say about that elite matchup:
With Georgia playing one of the most difficult schedules in the FBS again in 2025, there are plenty of contests that might define what the Bulldogs hope will be a bounce-back campaign. SEC road trips to Tennessee on Sept. 13 and Auburn on Oct. 11 will be early tests for new quarterback Gunner Stockton (if he wins the starting job) and a rebuilt offensive line and defensive front seven. Home games against Ole Miss and Texas will be among the most important matchups in the SEC this season, along with Georgia’s annual contest against rival Florida in Jacksonville on Nov. 1. But no Saturday figures to be as important as Georgia’s Sept. 27 game against Alabama at Sanford Stadium, given the Bulldogs’ 1-6 record against the Crimson Tide under coach Kirby Smart. Last season, Georgia nearly rallied from a 30-7 deficit at the half in a 41-34 loss at Alabama. The Bulldogs held a 34-33 lead, but then watched it disappear on Jalen Milroe’s 75-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Williams with 2:18 to play. Another loss to the Tide wouldn’t knock the Bulldogs out of the SEC title game or the CFP, as we saw last season, but it would put them in an early hole.
Georgia won the SEC title in 2024 and earned a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. But without QB Carson Beck, the Dawgs fell to Notre Dame.
Based on the lofty standards Kirby Smart has for his squad after winning 2 national titles, last year was seen as a disappointment. Can the Bulldogs change the narrative in 2025?
Even though sports betting isn’t legal in Georgia, fans can get in on the action with daily fantasy sports. Check out our list of the best DFS apps on the market today.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
