5 reasons Georgia makes the 2019 College Football Playoff

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: Deandre Baker #18 of the Georgia Bulldogs celebrates a play during the second quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 8, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

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NASHVILLE, TN – OCTOBER 07: Running back D’Andre Swift #7 of the Georgia Bulldogs carries the ball during a game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images) /

4. The next crop of great running backs

It’s no secret that the bulk of the Georgia offense last season came on the ground, mostly with the ball in the grasps of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. The Bulldogs rode that running back duo time and again for good reason. Chubb finished last season with 223 carries for 1,345 yards and 15 touchdowns, while Michel ended the year with 156 carries for 1,227 yards and 16 touchdowns. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, both Chubb and Michel are now in the NFL.

For many college football programs, losing a pair of running backs of that caliber simultaneously would be crippling for the offense. Georgia is not most programs, however. Traditionally, this has been a factory for high-quality running backs (Todd Gurley, remember, was Chubb and Michel’s predecessor). That’s something that doesn’t look to change this season.

At the top of the depth chart is D’Andre Swift, who was electric in limited work last season with 81 carries for 618 yards and three touchdowns. Behind him is Elijah Holyfield, who also held his own in limited work last season. Throw in the fact that the Bulldogs also have two of the best 2018 running back recruits, Zamir White and James Cook, in the mix, and there are weapons galore still in this backfield.

With what quarterback Jake Fromm showed last season, there’s a good chance that the Bulldogs rely a bit more heavily on their passing attack than they did last season. Having said that, this team could still find their bread-and-butter on the ground with the group that they have. The names have changed, but the fantastic production is unlikely to.

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