The Georgia Bulldogs are ready for a revenge tour.
After back-to-back national titles, Kirby Smart's Bulldogs were left out of the College Football Playoff due to an SEC Championship loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Despite it being their only loss, the Bulldogs were left out in favor of programs like the Texas Longhorns and Washington Huskies.
That shouldn't be the case this year. The expanded 12-team format gives Georgia a significantly better chance at qualifying for the playoff, and the team brings back a loaded roster capable of beating just about anyone.
There's more to Georgia's story than expected dominance in 2024, so let's take a swing at a few bold predictions for the upcoming season.
Dillon Bell will make an All-SEC team
Casual college football fans may not know much about Dillon Bell, but Georgia fans understand the kind of impact he can have for the team in 2024.
On a team with legitimate receiver talent, Bell stands out as the most versatile of the bunch. He's capable of lining up all over the field, including in the backfield. He finished last season with a modest 29 catches for 355 yards and two touchdowns, but also carried the ball 25 times for another 157 yards and two scores.
The departures of Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey have left a huge opening on Georgia's offense for a dynamic skill player. Bell's versatility at 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds makes him a dangerous playmaker with the ball in his hands. Kirby Smart even praised him for his leadership during spring ball.
Expect an increased workload from Bell in 2024, leading to some recognition from the SEC.
Carson Beck won't be named a Heisman finalist
Before Georgia fans start panicking about this, Carson Beck is still going to have a very productive year. However, the Bulldogs quarterback being the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy feels like a bit of a market inefficiency.
Beck put up respectable numbers in 2023, completing 72.4 percent of his passes for 3,941 yards, 24 touchdowns, and six interceptions. However, efficiency and volume are two wildly different things when it comes to the Heisman voting process. LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels, who won the Heisman last year, logged 50 total touchdowns with over 1,100 rushing yards, and won despite playing on a non-playoff team.
It's a safe bet to think that Beck will improve upon his 2023 numbers this season. But the style of offense that Georgia likes to play may not help his case for the Heisman while players like Dillon Gabriel with the Oregon Ducks and Jaxson Dart with the Ole Miss Rebels put up video game numbers this year.
Mykel Williams goes No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft
If there's any player that's going to take college football by storm this year, it's Mykel Williams.
A former 5-star recruit, Williams has played in limited reps for the Bulldogs up to this point. However, the film he put up against the Florida State Seminoles in the Orange Bowl displayed the kind of game-wrecking EDGE he can be at the NFL level.
At 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds, Williams is a well-built and explosive outside linebacker. He's recorded nine sacks over two seasons in a rotational role, but will take on a significantly larger workload in 2024.
The Bulldogs have produced top-tier talent at the position in previous years, most notably with Travon Walker going No. 1 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022. Expect a similar meteoric rise for Williams after this season.
