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Georgia Bulldogs vs. Clemson Tigers Prediction
By Dan Lyons,
4 hours ago
No Week 1 matchup features the talent of Saturday afternoon’s Georgia vs. Clemson game in Atlanta. The game pits the only two active head coaches with multiple national championships — UGA’s Kirby Smart and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney — against one another for the second time since Smart took over at his alma mater in 2016.
Georgia enters the season as the favorite to win the national championship, a title that has become quite familiar to the Dawgs. This year they tout Carson Beck, perhaps the top quarterback in the country and one of the favorites to win the Heisman and go No. 1 in the 2025 NFL Draft . Clemson is trying to build itself back into the national title conversation. From 2015-19, Swinney’s team went 69-5, reaching four College Football Playoff national championship games in five seasons. In the years since, the Tigers are 40-12 without a Playoff appearance, a great record for most programs, but not up to the standard built by Swinney. The 12-team Playoff and Florida State’s Week 0 loss to Georgia Tech present great opportunities for the program. A win over Georgia would vault Clemson towards the top of the national championship conversation.
Georgia is 43-18-4 in the all-time series against Clemson. The Bulldogs won the last matchup, a 2021 slugfest in Charlotte, 10-3.
Georgia quarterback Carson Beck is a preseason favorite to win the Heisman Trophy and become the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta Kickoff: Saturday, Aug. 31 at Noon ET TV: ABC Spread: Georgia -13.5 Over/Under: 48.5 Announcers: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe
Why Georgia Will Win
Georgia has far fewer question marks than Clemson entering the season. The Tigers should have a standout defense, but Beck, playing behind a loaded offensive line, has the weapons to put points on the board. While tight end Brock Bowers and top receiver Ladd McConkey have moved on to the NFL, pass catchers like Dominic Lovett, Dillon Bell and Oscar Delp are primed to take on significant roles.
Defensively, Georgia is talented enough to win a slugfest similar to 2021 if need be. Smart is able to plug and play NFL talent in the front seven every year, with Athlon All-SEC preseason selections Mykel Williams, Smael Mondon Jr. and Nazir Stackhouse setting the tone up front. The secondary will break in three new starters, but they surround one of the nation’s best defensive backs, safety Malaki Starks. Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik has struggled to make big plays through the air as Tigers starter, and will be off-rhythm due to the pressure that Georgia can bring with its base defense.
Clemson RB Phil Mafah was incredibly productive sharing the backfield with Will Shipley in 2023. He put up over 1,000 from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns.
Nathan Ray Seebeck&solUSA TODAY Sports
Why Clemson Will Win
The Tigers have flown under the radar entering the season after a disappointing 2023, but finished the year pretty strong with five consecutive wins including an upset of Notre Dame and a Gator Bowl win over Kentucky. The offense will likely lean on running back Phil Mafah, last year’s leading rusher with 965 yards and 13 touchdowns, but will need quarterback Cade Klubnik to take the next step in order to keep the Georgia defense honest and open up running lanes.
Klubnik’s best game at Clemson remains the 2022 ACC championship, when he stepped in for DJ Uiagalelei and completed 20-of-24 passes for 279 yards and a touchdown in a 39-10 win over North Carolina. He entered 2023 with plenty of hype, but failed to capitalize on it, turning in a fine but ultimately disappointing season. There is plenty of room for growth for a young quarterback entering his second full season as starter, and if he can take advantage of Georgia’s inexperienced defensive backs, the Tigers have a shot.
Georgia may be the most complete team in the country, and have a significant talent edge in this one. Clemson may be able to limit what the Bulldogs’ offense can do, but it is hard to see the Tigers’ largely unproven offense finding many points against Georgia’s star-studded defense.
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