Everything you need to know as South Carolina travels to Georgia

After winning against a solid Furman team, South Carolina’s schedule only gets tougher from here with the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs next.

The Gamecocks are set to head down to Athens, where they’ll take on No. 1 Georgia. They’ll be major underdogs trying to snap Georgia’s 20-game home win streak that dates back to 2019.

Before the game begins (3:30 p.m., CBS), here’s what you need to know about the Bulldogs.

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How they got here

For the last two years, Georgia has been the most dominant team. It comes into this game as the two-time defending national champions. The Bulldogs have won their last 19 games, last losing to Alabama in the 2021 SEC Championship game.

Needless to say, this team is very good. It’s been much of the same this year. Georgia has been dominant in its two games, routing UT Martin and Ball State. But considering those are much lower opponents, it’s hard to get a true gauge on how good this team really is. But that will be slowly unraveled this weekend when South Carolina gets a crack at them.

Kirby Smart is in his eighth year as the team’s head coach. Since 2016, he’s gone 83-15 and 48-9 in SEC play. It’s also worth noting that South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer used to work under Smart in Athens from 2016-17.

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Where they sit in the rankings

The Bulldogs are unequivocally the best team in the country in every major media poll. But let’s take a look at where they stand in some of the more nitty-gritty rankings.

In the College Football Power Index (FPI), they rank at No. 3 with a 24.5 FPI. Alabama and Ohio State are the only teams ahead of them. Georgia has a 15.1 percent chance to win out, 78.2 percent chance to win the SEC East and a 41.6 percent chance to win the conference. For comparison, the Gamecocks sit 44th in the FPI.

In the SP+ rankings, the Bulldogs come in at No. 1 with a 30.6 overall rating. They have a 40.6 offensive rating and 10.1 defensive rating.

Georgia also sits at the top in the Massey ratings. It’s both No. 1 in power and defense and No. 3 as an offense. The Bulldogs have the 116th-best strength of schedule.

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Players to know

Everything for Georgia starts at quarterback with Carson Beck. He takes the reins from Stetson Bennett IV, who was under center for both of the team’s last two national titles.

Beck enrolled at Georgia in January 2020. He saw limited action in his first few years and waited his turn to compete to be the starter.

So far this year, he’s been solid. Beck has completed 72.1 percent of his passes for 577 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He has a 164.5 passer rating.

If there’s someone South Carolina will need to heavily guard in the passing game, it would be Brock Bowers. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound tight end has terrorized defenses since he stepped foot on a college field in 2021. And the Gamecocks should be well-aware of this. He had five catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns in a 48-7 win in Columbia last year.

It’s been somewhat of a slow start for Bowers this season. He had five catches for 78 yards in Week 1 but only had one reception for three yards last weekend.

Still, he shapes up to be a major threat. His size and ability makes him one of the best pass-catching tight ends in college football.

It’s hard to pick out one player on the other side of the ball because Georgia has been amazing defensively for years. But if it comes down to one guy, watch out for Mykel Williams.

As a true freshman last year, Williams led the Bulldogs with 4.5 sacks. He’s a guy that has a big frame and can get into the backfield without much trouble, which could create issues for South Carolina’s offensive line.

While he’s listed as a defensive lineman, he mainly comes off the edge. In two games, he’s recorded two tackles and one sack.

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Path to victory

It’s pretty simple. A lot has to go right for South Carolina to come away with a victory. There’s a reason the Bulldogs have been the best team in the sport for the last few years. The Gamecocks can’t have many mistakes, otherwise it could prove to be costly.

It will have to start with Spencer Rattler. He’s been a man on a mission through two games, completing 83.3 percent of his passes for 683 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.

In this matchup last year, Rattler went 13-for-25 with two interceptions and looked lost. But when he is clicking, he’s a tough man to beat. And here’s why Gamecock fans should feel a bit more confident: he has shown up in the biggest games.

In the final three games of last season, all against ranked opponents, Rattler threw for 1,044 yards and 10 touchdowns to three interceptions. How did South Carolina end up doing? It knocked off Tennessee and Clemson in back-to-back weeks. So the proof can be in the pudding for him to have a similar effort.

But it’s going to take more than that. It cannot be a one-man show. South Carolina’s offensive line has to be able to block up front and give Rattler the time to throw. Georgia’s defensive front is going to cause some problems but with enough time good things could happen.

Fortunately, the Gamecocks are slowly getting healthier on the defensive side with Nick Emmanwori, David Spaulding set to play on Saturday.

The last time Georgia lost at home, it was South Carolina’s defense that made the biggest impact. In that game, Israel Mukuamu led the way with three interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Could Emmanwori or Spaulding put together a similar effort? It’s always possible.

As if it weren’t obvious, the Gamecocks might also need a little bit of luck to pull it off. It’s rare that an unranked team can go on the road and take down a top-ranked opponent. Stanford was the last team to do it, upsetting No. 1 Southern California, 24-23 in 2007.

Look for special teams to play a big role in any outcome. It’s hard to believe South Carolina, a team that is partially known for having great special teams units, wouldn’t have something up its sleeve for this big of a game.

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