The Georgia Bulldogs have been one of the better teams in college football in recent years. They took Alabama to overtime in the title game two years and came close to taking down the Crimson Tide in the SEC title game last year. But they just haven’t been able to get past that Alabama hump—yet.
Heading into the 2019-20 college football season, the Georgia Bulldogs look like a team that could give Alabama a run for its money and take a spot in the college football playoffs. They appear to have a solid defensive unit coming back, a great offensive line, and a pair of Heisman Trophy candidates in quarterback Jake Fromm and running back D’Andre Swift.
However, it remains to be seen if they are going to have the passing attack they’ll need to keep defenses from stacking the box against the run. With the recent dismissal of wide receiver Jeremiah Holloman, it becomes a little harder to project just how good their passing game could be.
But despite that uncertainty, oddsmakers still seem to be confident in Georgia’s chances to compete. So far, following Holloman’s dismissal, their championship odds have not changed (+700 at Bovada.lv behind Clemson and Alabama).
It would be easy to think that losing such an important player would have more of an impact on their odds. But Holloman’s perceived importance was a lot like the Bulldogs championship odds—a projection. His role was not significant last season (24 catches for 418 yards and five touchdowns).
However, with the departure of the team’s three leading receivers, he was the last man standing. His perceived role and importance to the team was more because of that then his talent.
Does it hurt to lose him? Sure, a team never wants to lose a veteran player that has contributed and could in the coming season. But he was far from a lock to be an integral part of the offense.
Losing him shouldn’t impact Georgia’s odds to win the national title this season. If the Bulldogs are going to be in the mix, it is going to be more because of Jake Fromm, D’Andre Swift, and their offensive line. They may not have a chance to run up the score on Alabama like Clemson did last year.
But if they can control the ball, they may not have to. Does this mean the Bulldogs are a good bet to win it all next year?
Good bet? Eh…. But there is value to betting on them.
Should they have a few young guys step up and contribute in the passing game, the Bulldogs could have a dynamic enough offense to compete with Clemson in the title game (after beating Alabama in the SEC title game and knocking the Crimson Tide out of the playoffs).
They are a very good team as they are; losing Holloman doesn’t affect that. But there are several good teams in college football every year. There is a chance they could be the best this season, but if they want to turn that chance into a good one, they will need some young wide receivers to step up.
