Georgia Listed as the Favorite to Win the SEC in 2023
Not only are the Georgia Bulldogs set to defend their back-to-back titles during the 2023 season, but they will also be defending their SEC title from the 2022 season as well. Prior to last season, head coach Kirby Smart and his program had not won the conference title since his second season as head coach in 2017. Now with two national titles and two SEC titles, the Bulldogs have been listed as the favorites to win the conference championship once again.
ESPN recently released its football power index (FPI) rankings, and the Bulldogs were ranked third only behind Alabama and Ohio State. To understand what FPI is exactly, here is ESPN's full explanation of the ranking system. "The Football Power Index is our season-long ratings and projections system. In the preseason it relies on past performance on offense and defense, returning and transfer production and past recruiting data for players on the roster to form a rating. We then use those ratings to simulate the season 20,000 times, resulting in our projections."
While Georgia was ranked behind Alabama in the FPI ranking system, the Bulldogs were still listed as the favorites to win the conference with a 49.3 percent chance, according to FPI. Alabama had the second-highest percentage at 40.9 percent.
Georgia and Alabama have met in the SEC championship game a handful of times, and the Bulldogs have not yet beaten the Crimson Tide on that stage. With both programs looking to be the overwhelming favorites to win their division and make it to Atlanta in December, perhaps Smart and the Bulldogs can finally get their SEC title win over Nick Saban and his team, and college football will get a rematch for the ages.
Georgia wins the 2022 SEC Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. (Photo by Kayla Renie)
The Bulldogs are also listed as the current betting favorite to win the national championship for a third year in a row with a current +220 odds. The next best odds are unsurprisingly the Alabama Crimson Tide at +500.
So while Georgia may be undergoing a change at quarterback and will have to replace some big-time contributors from last year's team, it doesn't seem to be hurting their preseason chances of adding more hardware to the trophy case.
Other Georgia News:
- NCAA Adopts New Recruiting Rules for Visits
- Amarius Mims' "Time Has Come", Talks Through Growth at UGA
- OPINION: Carson Beck Makes it Clear, He Is Georgia's Top Option at QB
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