Way-too-early rankings high on Georgia for 2025

The 2024 College Football season comes to a close Monday night as Ohio State and Notre Dame square off for the National Championship. It’s a game Georgia has been in before but missed out on this season despite how it handled a gauntlet of a schedule to still win the SEC and earn the No. 2 ranking going into the College Football Playoffs.

The page has been turned to 2025 however in Athens for a few weeks now, and Bulldog fans have plenty to be excited about. Way-too-early rankings have UGA near the top as has become the norm for Kirby Smart and company thanks to the way Georgia continually brings in talent on top of talent. The combination of key returnees and instant impact newcomers have hopes high for the Dawgs in 2025.

Sporting News – No. 3

What They Said: Will the Bulldogs have their “Empire Strikes Back” moment like Ohio State did this season under Kirby Smart? Carson Beck’s departure means this is Gunner Stockton‘s team now, and the Bulldogs added Texas A&M receiver Noah Thomas and USC playmaker Zachariah Branch via the portal, and the return of tight end Oscar Delp will help. Nate Frazier will lead an improved running game. Linebacker CJ Allen will anchor a defense that should be better in the secondary. The schedule is still stacked with Tennessee (Sept. 13) and Alabama (Sept. 27) early and Ole Miss (Oct. 18), Florida (Nov. 1) and Texas (Nov. 15) later, but only one of those games is on the road. This team will face pot-holes, but an SEC championship repeat is possible.

Athlon Sports – No. 3

What They Said: Coach Kirby Smart has work to do to bring another title back to Athens next season. Quarterback Gunner Stockton’s performance in the Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame should give the staff confidence, but the Bulldogs need to find a spark for a rushing attack that ranked near the bottom of the SEC. Transfers Noah Thomas (Texas A&M) and Zachariah Branch (USC) are vital to improving a receiving corps that dropped too many passes in ’24. Georgia’s defense held teams to 20.6 points a game, but this unit was more inconsistent than the ones Smart developed in previous years. Linebacker CJ Allen and safety KJ Bolden will have to lead the way in ’25 with several key performers departing to the NFL.

On3 – No. 6

What They Said: We may have just gotten our first look at the Gunner Stockton era at Georgia, and though the Bulldogs didn’t light up the scoreboard, you can see a ton of potential in the young quarterback. Kirby Smart has one of the sturdiest programs in college football and could have projected offensive returners like running backs Nate Frazier and Branson Robinson, receiver Dillon Bell and tight end Oscar Delp to lead the new era. Georgia’s defense, backed by a ton of talent like safety KJ Bolden, will still be nasty. Georgia is built to compete for a national title every year. (ARI WASSERMAN)

Should Be Noted…

While Georgia’s schedule in 2025 is easier than it was in 2024 with no non-conference game quite like Clemson (UGA plays Marshall, Austin Peay and Charlotte, plus its traditional rivalry game against Georgia Tech) and the return dates of SEC road games, the Bulldogs still will play their fair share of talented teams.

They get Alabama (Sporting News: No. 8, Athlon Sports: No. 10, On3: No. 14), Ole Miss (Sporting News: No. 17, Athlon: No. 19) and Texas (Sporting News: No. 1, Athlon: No. 2, On3: No. 1) all between the hedges as opposed to in enemy territory. Road trips to Tennessee (Sporting News: No. 12, Athlon: No. 11, On3: No. 13) and Auburn (On3: No. 11) plus neutral site contests against Florida (Sporting News: No. 11, Athlon: No. 14, On3: No. 9) and Georgia Tech (On3: No. 24) present challenges, but it’s nowhere near as daunting as a slate that saw Georgia play almost double the number of ranked teams away from Athens than conference home games. Yes there could be hiccups – as we saw all but one team have in the 2024 regular season – but playing the biggest games at Sanford Stadium should be of benefit to the Bulldogs.