Georgia Bulldogs not backing down from tough schedule in 2024

Few teams across the landscape of College Football could handle the schedule Georgia faces in 2024. The Bulldogs open the season against ACC favorite Clemson in a neutral environment not far from either campus. They’ll play just one game at Sanford Stadium during the month of September with road trips to Lexington, Kentucky and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, two tough places – and tough teams – to play. Later on, it’s Austin, Texas and Oxford, Mississippi that await UGA. Oh by the way, there’s the traditional rivals of Auburn, Florida, Tennessee and Georgia Tech too.

While there’s no doubt of the schedule’s difficulty, you won’t find Kirby Smart and his team backing down from the challenge. They know they are talented enough to win every game on there, and they know it’s what you’re in for when you choose Georgia over other schools.

“Initially I was wondering how I got that draw, but we’re not one to complain. We’re one to be excited. I think when you step into the shoes of a University of Georgia football player, you accept that challenge is going to be there,” Smart said last week during his appearance at SEC Media Days. “We embrace that and we love it. I mean, what you didn’t get to mention is we open with Clemson, too, one of the top programs in the country. So we’re really excited about that. I think that motivates our off-season so that we have the right kind of approach to the off-season.”

Opening against the Tigers, expected to be a preseason top-15 team when polls come out early next month, is the kind of game Smart hasn’t been afraid to schedule. Georgia and Clemson played to kickoff the 2021 season. The next year it was Oregon on the opposite sideline for the opener while non-conference opponents like North Carolina and Notre Dame have been on the schedule in the month of September three times. Series, or individual games, with Oklahoma, UCLA and Virginia have been called off for various reasons, but the Bulldogs still have the likes of Louisville, Florida State, Ohio State and NC State – plus a few more matchups with Clemson – on the schedule for Septembers over the next decade.

That’s just the start of things, and the offseason motivation for a strong opponent early on sets the tone for the SEC schedule that’s to follow. Smart compared the difficulty of the conference week in and week out to that of the NFL, where the majority of Georgia players hope to one day play.

“Our guys embrace that. As coaches we want to play the best. People forget that when you’ve spent time in the NFL, every week was like that. So when Texas and Oklahoma came into the conference, every schedule was going to get harder,” Smart, who coached in 2006 with the Miami Dolphins, said. “We embrace that. We look forward to it. We are excited for the challenge to go to some really tough places.”

Smart’s players that joined him backed up the statement of their head coach. Quarterback Carson Beck was asked in back to back questions about playing at Texas and Alabama. To him, the preparation to play in Austin or Tuscaloosa is no different than it would be to play a team in Athens.

“I’m super excited. we have a lot of good road games this year. That’s why you come to the University of Georgia, that’s why you go to the SEC, to have those opportunities to play in big time games against really good talent,” Beck said.

“The preparation factor is the same each and every week. Nothing really changes from that standpoint, just where you’re playing at,” he added. “Whether you’re at home, Bryant-Denny, it could literally be anywhere. The preparation factor doesn’t change. Super excited to get to play in those types of atmospheres.”

Fall camp begins in 10 days in Athens with the Bulldogs expected to open practice on August 1st. Georgia kicks off its 2024 slate – likely as the top-ranked team in the country – at 12:00 p.m. ET (ABC) on August 31st at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta against Clemson.