When No. 1 Georgia faces No. 14 Clemson in Saturday’s Aflac Kickoff Game in Atlanta, two programs trending in opposite directions will look to prove themselves in the season opener.
Winners of 39 consecutive regular-season games, the Bulldogs saw their reign as back-to-back national champions end in last year’s SEC Championship Game, falling to Alabama.
As for Clemson, the Tigers failed to qualify for the College Football Playoff for a third straight year while missing the 10-win mark for the first time since 2010.
Littered with former five-star recruits and future NFL draft picks, Georgia’s roster has an advantage at almost every position, but coach Kirby Smart won’t undervalue a team and coach in Clemson and Dabo Swinney that have won two national championships in the last eight years.
“Just a lot of respect for their program, what Dabo has done,” Smart said. “He’s got a great culture there, a great environment. … It should be an awesome environment Saturday.”
Coming off a 13-1 season, Georgia features an offense that returns familiar faces as well as the first look into a new era of multiple units.
Fifth-year senior Carson Beck enters his second year as the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback. He threw for 3,941 yards and 24 touchdowns a season ago.
Questions arise, however, as to who Beck will hand the ball to in the backfield.
Early in the offseason, the obvious choice for Georgia’s RB1 was Florida transfer Trevor Etienne, who came to the Bulldogs after rushing for 1,472 yards and 14 touchdowns across two seasons for the Gators.
But after his arrest on DUI charges in March — they were dismissed in July — Etienne’s availability is uncertain for the season opener. Compounding the concern for the Georgia running back group is the toe injury of Roderick Robinson II, a sophomore who rushed for 70 yards in a 63-3 rout of Florida State in the Orange Bowl last season.
“I’m really excited about the backs we’ve got,” Smart said. “The guys have worked really hard. They continue to grow and get better. Rod’s toe is still an issue for him, and he did have surgery. … He’ll probably be week to week.”
As for Etienne, Smart wouldn’t disclose any update early in the week.
“I don’t really talk about all the other stuff, with regards to suspensions, for any of our players,” the coach said.
The Tigers, meanwhile, are eager to return to national glory and have a chance to upset the college football landscape on Saturday.
Finishing 9-4 last year, Clemson saw inconsistency from an offense that struggled to find its footing throughout the year.
The offense does return junior quarterback Cade Klubnik, who threw for 2,844 yards and 19 touchdowns, as well as running back Phil Mafah, who led the team with 965 rushing yards and 13 TD runs. Klubnik will need to improve on a season that saw him throw nine interceptions and lose five fumbles.
“You saw a lot of growth from him throughout the season,” Swinney said. “He was a first-year starter, and now you want to see a big jump.”
Now in the 12-team College Football Playoff era, the Tigers have a greater chance of returning to the sport’s biggest stage but will have to overcome their lowest preseason ranking since 2014, when they were No. 16.
“In my experience, we’ve been unranked and won the league, we’ve been ranked 12th and went all the way to the national championship, and we’ve been ranked high and didn’t finish as well,” Swinney said. “In college football, it’s all about where you are in November and December, not July and August.”
