For the first time in a very, very long time, the Georgia Bulldogs are not in control of their own destiny in terms of the SEC Championships game and the College Football Playoff. Georgia has been on a near unprecedented run since the 2017 season, in which they had beaten Florida 3 consecutive times. While the loss to the Gators this past weekend ends those possibilities for the Dawgs in 2020, make no mistake about it, UGA still has a lot to play for going into the remainder of the season, beginning this week with Missouri.

First and foremost, Georgia has a chance to win the remaining 4 games on their schedule. This is not only a matter of pride for a program like Georgia, but in the COVID world that we currently live in, there are no recruiting visits on campuses, no in-home visits by coaches, so the product on the field is paramount to perception of the program from the outside looking in. Prospects and their families will be looking to see how Georgia responds, how their particular position is used, does what the coaches are selling on the phone and Zoom meetings match up?

Secondly, Georgia is very young at a lot of spots across the board. Safety, Wide Receiver, even Tight End and virtually every position group really, the Dawgs have an opportunity to play younger plays, without the penalty of losing a year of eligibility thanks to the NCAA rules in response to COVID, and Kirby Smart and company can manufacture more depth for the 2021 season. In doing so, these players not only gain valuable in-game SEC reps, but they also have a chance to build momentum heading into offseason workouts. Names like Chris Smith, Major Burns, Arian Smith, Channing Tindall, Bill Norton, Daijun Edwards, Carson Beck, and many others come to mind.

Finally, Kirby Smart, Todd Monken, and the coaching staff have an opportunity to send a message and begin to make changes in real time either schematically or philosophically that they might not have done in the circumstance in which all the chips were still on the table. Georgia plenty to fix and, or alter on each side of the ball. Essentially now, the Dawgs get a 5 game, including a bowl, stretch in which they can begin to mold the team at hand into the initial version of what the 2021 team could look like. It’s truly a blessing that there is any football at all during this crazy year. Try to enjoy the remainder of it Bulldog faithful.