Georgia football schedule 2022: Way-too-early game-by-game picks

Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs finally won a national championship. Can Smart sustain this new level of Georgia football success?

They did it. Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs finally did it. When facing the Alabama Crimson Tide for the national championship to cap off the 2021 season, Smart’s Georgia football program broke through and beat the Crimson Tide.

Now comes the task of defending that national title. That’s easier said than done. This program is a consistent winner, but can Smart and the Bulldogs contend for a championship once again next year?

2022 Georgia football schedule: Way-too-early predictions for Kirby Smart and Georgia Bulldogs

• Sept. 3 vs. Oregon in Atlanta: W
• Sept. 10 vs. Samford: W
• Sept. 17 at South Carolina: W
• Sept. 24 vs. Kent State: W
• Oct. 1 at Missouri: W
• Oct. 8 vs. Auburn: W
• Oct. 15 vs. Vanderbilt: W
• Oct. 29 vs. Florida in Jacksonville: W
• Nov. 5 vs. Tennessee: L
• Nov. 12 at Mississippi State: W
• Nov. 19 at Kentucky: W
• Nov. 26 vs. Georgia Tech: W

2022 way-too-early prediction: 11-1

That season opener against the Oregon Ducks will be fascinating, especially with former Auburn Tigers quarterback Bo Nix now playing in Eugene. Georgia’s Sept. 17 trip to face the South Carolina Gamecocks could also be interesting with Spencer Rattler now a member of Shane Beamer’s roster.

Other than that, there aren’t many true challenges for Georgia early on. This team should be good enough to cruise to some early victories.

But, despite how good they are, the Bulldogs will hit a gauntlet of a schedule with the back half of their 2022 schedule. There’s a very good chance that things could get (relatively) rough for Georgia in late October and throughout November. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Bulldogs slip up a little and lose a game or two they otherwise shouldn’t, even if they are the better team on paper.

The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party always has potential to be fun, but this year’s rivalry game in Jacksonville could be extra intriguing with Billy Napier taking control of the Florida Gators. After that, Georgia will get challenged by Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Vols.

Following that, back-to-back road trips to face the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Kentucky Wildcats will be more challenging than some Georgia fans would like. An undermanned Mississippi State team went toe-to-toe with Georgia in 2020 and the Bulldogs’ Air Raid has only improved since then. Meanwhile, Kentucky remains a tough place to play. Both Mike Leach and Mark Stoops will be looking to steal a win against Georgia.

Georgia should be more than talented enough to run the table, but those late season games could very well end up producing a loss or two.

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.