What's the biggest threat to the Georgia Bulldogs this season?

The Georgia Bulldogs will kick off the 2024 season on August 31st in Atlanta looking to finish their season in the same building playing for a national championship. In fact, the Dawgs are the betting favorite to win their third national title in the last four years.

On the other hand, the upcoming season will be unlike anything we have ever seen in college football. From massive conference expansion and a re-shuffling of divisions -- or, rather, the doing away with them entirely -- to the move to a 12-team playoff format, this will be a season of several new stumbling blocks.

The Bulldogs should be favored in every game they play, but what could stand in their way of finishing with another title in their trophy case? John Fricke discussed what he sees as stumbling blocks for Kirby Smart and company in 2024.

"Georgia, for example, is the best team in the nation and a preseason number one but their schedule is brutal," he said. "What is the biggest threat to Georgia? Is it the brutally hard schedule?"

John first dove into the slate of games that they will need to traverse this season, including matchups away from home in Atlanta to play Clemson and true road games against Alabama and Texas. Then, visitors like Tennessee and Ole Miss will be coming to Athens.

All five of those opponents could end the season in the top 15.

That's before you include a second potential trip to Atlanta for the SEC Title Game and then the race to the College Football Playoff, which would include three to four more matchups against elite opposition.

"Or, [could it be] possibly having to beat Alabama or Texas three times and beat them twice at least," Fricke said.

With the way it's currently formatted, the SEC Champion would be decided between the top two teams by record. There is no more East versus West, so with both Alabama and Texas already on the schedule, Georgia may end up needing to play either of those a second time.

Additionally, with the expansion of the playoffs, there is a non-zero chance that one (or both) of those squads make a run and see the Bulldogs an unprecedented THIRD time in the postseason.

Winning a national title will be more difficult than ever in 2024. Perhaps Georgia will win its third in a four year span, but they will certainly have their fair share of stumbling blocks trying to trip them up along the way.