Why Georgia’s Week 1 matchup vs. Clemson will look different from 2021

The marquee matchup to kick off the college football season this Saturday takes place at noon ET in Atlanta when top-ranked Georgia takes on No. 14 Clemson in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. A rematch of both team’s season opener in 2021 that took place at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

Both programs have come a long way since their previous meeting. During that span, Georgia has won two national titles while Clemson has struggled with just one ACC Championship after winning six consecutive conference titles and failed to return to the College Football Playoff.

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Dawgs HQ‘s Jake Rowe recently joined the On3 Roundtable to discuss the Week 1 showdown, breaking down why he thinks this year’s iteration will be different.

“I think it’ll look more like normal football. I don’t think we’re going to set the game back a few years like we tried to last time there in Charlotte,” Rowe joked. “I think that one was Clemson being extremely overrated kind of going into that season, just in terms of how good we thought DJU [DJ Uiagalelei] was going to be, and Georgia being dinged up on the opposite side of all up against a big time defensive front.”

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2021’s matchup was a rock fight that Georgia was able to win narrowly in a 10-3 victory. It was a game where neither offense manages to reach the end zone while a 74-yard interception return from Christopher Smith wound up being the lone touchdown for the Bulldogs.

This season, Georgia enters the game with veteran Carson Beck, a quarterback that most regard as the best in the country entering the season. Beck leads a roster that on paper can go toe-to-toe with any other program in the country this upcoming season. It’s why Rowe predicts bad news for the Tigers.

“I think over the over a four quarter game, I think Georgia is just way more talented than Clemson. From like 1 to 35, 1 to 40 on the roster I think Georgia is just way more talented. 1 to 11 I think Georgia’s way more talented,” Rowe explained.

“But this is game one and you kind of spend all off season working on it,” he added. “I do believe Clemson’s going to fight, but I also think that Georgia, they put a lot of emphasis on these things and being in shape for the first game of the season and kind of being there. And I think Georgia kind of outlasts them, more of a traditional score type thing. I don’t think we’re gonna be looking at 10-3 in this one.”

Georgia has only lost two games in the last three college football seasons, and hasn’t dropped a season opener since they fell to Clemson in Week 1 of the 2013 season. All those facts present a tall task for the Tigers as both teams look to start off the season on the right foot.