Georgia set to face serious challenges during the upcoming weeks

No. 1 Georgia got over their first post-bye hurdle by defeating Florida by 23 in Jacksonville this weekend. However, DawgHQ’s Jake Rowe knows that more tests are coming down the line over the Bulldog’s final four weeks.

Rowe joined ‘Andy Staples On3’ on Sunday to discuss UGA’s upcoming slate. He looked just to next weekend’s matchup with No. 14 Missouri as his reasoning for why this upcoming stretch is so difficult, even for Georgia.

“Missouri is a good football team,” Rowe said. “They’re going to have a bye before Georgia. So that’s something that Georgia is going to have to contend with – a fresh, well-coached football team.”

Each of Georgia’s next three games will all come against current Top-20 opponents. For all those who questioned the ease of the defending champion’s schedule this year, it has changed in a major way as Missouri, who opened the season unranked, and Ole Miss, who opened outside the Top-20, are currently No. 14 and No. 11 in the nation respectively.

That’s not to mention their trip to Knoxville to play Tennessee, who is currently No. 19, in a game that many circled as a potential stumbling block for the ‘Dawgs even before the year.

It is also a three-game run that is further complicated by the absence of Brock Bowers. Georgia was able to overcome it against the Gators but, considering Bowers’ importance, they’ll have to continue to prove they can be more than fine without him in the lineup.

With all that said, Rowe did note the good news that two of those contests will take place in Athens. With them between the hedges, he thinks the fans inside Sanford Stadium could do a lot to help Georgia close out the season strong.

“They kind of get Georgia’s version of the 12th Man in those games, which I think is going to be pretty helpful,” said Rowe.

Georgia vs. Missouri: Early point spread released on Bulldogs, Tigers

In a game likely to go a long way in deciding the division, Missouri will face Georgia on Saturday. A year removed from a scare on the road, the Bulldogs opened as big home favorites against the Tigers.

Georgia opened as a 20.5-point favorite over Missouri according to FanDuel. The points total is set at 53.5 points.

With Missouri sitting on one conference loss, the Tigers could seize control of the SEC East with a shocking upset. Otherwise, Georgia will likely only need to topple Tennessee in Knoxville to win yet another SEC East crown.