SEC East preseason power rankings: Can Missouri football cause some chaos in 2021?

No. 1: Georgia Bulldogs

It’s championship or bust for teams like the Georgia Bulldogs. This is a group that has absurd levels of talent and comes close, but simply falls short at inopportune moments.

Kirby Smart has yet to win anything more than an SEC Championship, which he claimed back in 2017, and Bulldog fans are wanting more than just SEC Championships. This is a fanbase that is full of folks clamoring for a national title.

Of course, wins in the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and Peach Bowl are worth celebrating and most fanbases would be more than ecstatic with winning any one of those, let alone having won all three.

But many Georgia fans have hopes that are a bit loftier than that. Whether that’s right or wrong, it doesn’t matter. That’s the way it is.

Can Smart and his team win a national title this season and get some of that absurd pressure off of them?

Well, maybe.

Connelly’s SP+ preseason rankings are pretty favorable to Georgia as the Bulldogs are currently No. 6 there. Their offense, which should be a blast to pay attention to this year, is ranked at No. 15 while the Bulldogs’ defense is ranked at No. 5. ESPN’s FPI has Georgia ranked as the No. 5 team heading into this season.

The Bulldogs could certainly end up ranked higher than that by the time it’s all said and done this season, but that’s only if they play up to their full potential all season long.