Legge's Thoughts: This is Going to be a Challenge for UGA Football

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ATHENS - UGA Football has a real challenge on its hands with a College Football Playoff that has plenty of obstacles in sight - starting with Notre Dame in New Orleans. 

Now that we’ve experienced the first weekend of the College Football Playoff we know that, as expected, this format has some work to do. The first four games all ended with double-digit results. Only moments in the Clemson-Texas and Tennessee-Ohio State debacles were entertaining. The other two games were total mismatches between two teams that could make a legitimate claim to be in the playoff and Indiana and SMU. 

Those two, to borrow a phrase from the Dave Matthews Band, were the best of what’s around - they certainly didn’t belong. That doesn’t mean I am advocating for Ole Miss, Alabama or anyone else. It is simply a statement regarding those two. 

We thought Southern Methodist and Indiana were not going to be competitive in these big games. In the biggest two games this century Ol’ Google’s teams face planted in seven of eight quarters. SMU, like Clemson, isn’t ready for the next world of college football, but at least the Taters’ QB was functional. 

What was the SMU quarterback thinking? Quincy Carter’s performance in Columbia that blazing September afternoon in 2000 would like to have a word. 

Notre Dame looked good. That is to say they looked good not great. Georgia, was listed as a narrow underdog before that game. The Dawgs were listed as a narrow favorite after it. Betters likely saw what I did: Notre Dame is not dangerous the way you need to be to be a favorite over Georgia. Notre Dame is a good team that will beat you if you beat yourself. Indiana did all it could to lower the chances it would win - time and time again.

The other thing that was quite noticeable in the first two games of the weekend was how horrific the quarterback play was on the losing side. I mean it was really, really bad. 

So UGA gets Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. Then the winner of that game gets the winner of Boise-Penn State. Meanwhile, Oregon has to play Ohio State, which is clearly the most talented team in the tournament, and then probably Texas. This is an unfair situation for the Ducks - I’m not sure how else to say it. I’m not sure I need to continue repeating that. 

Texas looked explosive on the ground this week, which makes you wonder just how good Georgia’s defense is if it limited the Horns to under 100 yards rushing in two games. Ohio State, Oregon and Texas all on one side of the bracket… Kirby Smart has to be happy about that.

I thought the football gods were always against Georgia? GREG SANKEY DID NOT DIE FOR THIS!

I does seem clear to me that Ohio State is the best team in the playoff, but the path - beating Tennessee, then Oregon, then Texas in Dallas and then very possible Georgia in Atlanta or maybe someone else in Atlanta… that’s asking a lot. 

I’m not sure if this is going to be true or not, but I think Norte Dame is the toughest situation on the bottom side of the bracket for Georgia. Penn State and Boise are manageable on the offensive side of the ball. I think Notre Dame is as well, but this is the first game Georgia will have to install Gunner Stockton in as starter. 

And no matter how much optimism (misplaced or not) there is about Stockton - this will be his first start. He’s the least experienced signal caller in the field. It can’t be that its OK that’s the case if Kirby Smart harps on experience over and over and over and over again when talking about quarterback play. 

It took Carson Beck, I would say, about four games to get comfortable as the starter. There are at most three games left in this season for Georgia. 

So that means, to me, there are two things that Georgia is going to have to pack for New Orleans and beyond - a significant run game and a junkyard defense. The good news is the program has both… they just have to stuff them in bags and get them ready in New Orleans. 

Trevor Etienne hasn’t been what I thought he would this season - because he’s been out. He certainly was what I thought he would be against Texas in both of those games. It is hardly asking too much for him to explode here at the end of the season. I think Nate Frazier and Stockton can help a ton - Gunner’s legs are weapons. Now you have weeks to install the read option… this could look more like 2022 UGA than 2024 UGA… and just in time for Stetson Season. 

However, and this is a big however, Gunner isn’t Stetson Bennett… it took a lot of time and fire for Stetson to become that. 

Ohio State, to me, showed that if it has its act together like it did Saturday night that the Buckeyes are the team to beat. A narrow favorite to beat the Ducks, Ohio State rolls into Pasadena with all of the ugliness of the Michigan loss covered up with a blowout win over Tennessee. Rabid Buckeye fans didn’t get the chance to jeer Ryan Day. 

And the Horseshoe - nearly half filled with Vols - mocked Tennessee with chants of “SEC” all night long. Then remixing Rocky Top into the PA music at the end of the game. 

Pussies. 

Half of your stadium is full of the other team, and you have the balls to do that? Who thought that up? Fans chant “SEC” - you can’t control that as a school. But when you decide to roll that over the speakers... that’s an adult doing that. 

I’m all for trolling the other team - that’s what social media is for - but when your institution insists on attempting to trademark the work “the” to show the importance of your institution, and you are then going to do that?

My, my we aren’t so sensitive when flags aren’t involved. 

It was a trashy move - and a cowardly one. Arkansas doing that is one thing - the Hogs will play at Neyland next year, and they weren’t on their high horse equipped with pepper spray when the other team was celebrating at midfield. 

Also, the SEC chant… when you have three victories over a league in your entire school’s history you might want to go easy on the mocking of a league that owns your ass. Ohio State is probably the biggest brand in college football. Speaking of branding - all this late- and post-game stupidity in Columbus these last few weeks has been very on brand for those guys.

You got the best team Ohio State - keep it moving. 

All that said, no matter who wins this thing they are going to earn it. There’s not a ton easy left to this outside of Penn State and Texas’ quarterfinals. Both of those should have never been in the situation where they were hosting to begin with. They should have had byes into the bowl round. 

Now Georgia will have to steady itself for a Notre Dame team that’s won a school-record 12 games already… at NOTRE DAME… the hallowed grounds, touchdown Jesus, the Four Horsemen and all of that with a side of Lou Holtz’s pretentiousness. 

It is not impossible that this could be the greatest Notre Dame team of all time. And that’s not hyperbole. An Irish squad that ends the season with 15 wins and a national title - loss to Northern wherever or not - would be something the school has never seen. It hasn’t seen a national title since George Michael and Faith. 

Last Christmas might be the best Christmas song of all time. 

Last Christmas is the best Christmas song of all time - there, I fixed it. 

This isn’t going to be an easy trip for Georgia. The Dawgs are better than the Irish, but its by a narrow margin. That Georgia is starting a new quarterback for the first time since the underwhelming performance against Tennessee-Martin in 2023 should explain plenty of the reason there is skepticism surrounding Georgia. 

The Dawgs’ defense is going to need to be ready to inflict its ways on a Notre Dame offense that’s steady, but not uber explosive. This might be the toughest game before the heavyweight side of the bracket produces a finalist… we will see.