Florida football: Ranking Florida’s 2022 Opponents

Florida football opponent rankings: Georgia Bulldogs (10/29)

Metric Score: 9.5

There is a compelling case that the defending national champions should be no. 1 on this list.

After capturing their first national championship in 41 years back in January, the Bulldogs are once again one of the favorites to win both the SEC and national championship in 2022.

Despite having a record amount of players drafted back in April, the Dawgs still return a great deal of talent on both sides of the ball.

On defense four of Georgia’s projected starters were selected to the preseason All-SEC teams. This includes defensive lineman Jalen Carter, who recorded 8.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks in 2021 and is currently projected to be a top 10 draft selection in 2022.

On offense the Dawgs return starting quarterback Stetson Bennett, who was named second team All-SEC this preseason. In 2021 Bennett threw for 2,862 yards and 29 touchdowns, while completing 64.5 percent of his pass attempts.

Perhaps Georgia’s biggest returning playmaker on offense, both figuratively and literally, is tight end Brock Bowers. At 6’4’, 230 pounds, the All American tight end returns to Athens for his sophomore season after catching 56 passes for 882 yards, along with 13 touchdowns in 2021.

Needless to say if Florida were to pull off a win against Georgia in Jacksonville this year, it would not only be the biggest victory of Billy Napier’s young coaching career, but would also be one of the biggest upsets in the nation.

While Vegas oddsmakers have not yet made a line for October’s game between these two SEC titans, ESPN’s matchup predictor currently gives the Dawgs a 90.4 percent chance to win this year’s showdown in Duval county.

Generally it is important for a team to defeat its main rival each year, primarily to establish dominance. But looking at it from a realistic standpoint, a win against Georgia in 2022 is not an absolute necessity for Billy Napier.

Kirby Smart has established himself as one of the top four best head coaches in college football after winning a national championship against his former mentor Nick Saban earlier this year. His elite defensive prowess and ability to recruit top-caliber talent across the southeast are just two reasons why the Bulldogs are ranked no. 3 to start the 2022 season and are heavily favored to repeat as divisional champions again.

Though Florida has made tremendous strides this offseason on the recruiting trail, along with opening their brand new $85 million standalone football facility, there are still some uncertainties surrounding this team. Primarily with the depth of this year’s roster and how quick both sides of the football will be able to adjust to the new coaching staff’s schemes.

This game will always be ranked near the top in the minds of Gator Nation just off of marquee alone. And though Florida fans would love to beat the Bulldogs this year, expectations should be tempered before expecting a first-year coach to knock off the reigning national champions.

That being said, there is still one in-conference rivalry game that is absolutely essential for Florida to win in 2022.