Kickoff: Saturday, September 5 at 2:00 PM CT
Location: Sanford Stadium
TV: SECN+
DraftKings line (Aug. 30): UGA -46.5
Over/under: 56.5

The setup

Georgia and Tennessee State have never met. The Bulldogs enter the blind date with 15 returning starters and only nine scholarship transfers, the fewest in the SEC. Obviously, Georgia as huge favorites, hopes to get plenty of guys on the field in this one as they prepare for a long SEC season.

What I’m watching

The question is how long Tennessee St can keep this from becoming a depth game. Georgia averaged 32.1 points per game last season and returns 6 offensive starters. Tennessee St allowed 26.6 points per game. A couple of first-half stops would matter much more than matching Georgia play for play.

Personnel snapshot

• Tennessee St: Reggie Barlow enters Year 2 as head coach.
• Tennessee St quarterback: Byron McNair is Tennessee St’s most experienced returning passer. Last season, he threw for 1,558 yards, 9 TD and 6 INT.
• Georgia: Kirby Smart enters Year 11 as head coach. 14 starters return—6 on offense and 8 on defense. Key defenders back include Jordan Hall, Xzavier McLeod, and Quintavius Johnson. That defense allowed 298.0 yards and 17.4 points per game last season.
• Georgia quarterback: Gunner Stockton returns as Georgia’s starting quarterback. Last season, he threw for 2,658 yards, 24 TD and 5 INT.

Three quick analysis points

• The running-game test: Georgia allowed only 81.5 rushing yards per game, fourth nationally. Tennessee State managed 89 rushing yards in its opener – almost exactly what the Bulldogs surrendered to an average opponent all season.
• The scoring trend: Kirby Smart’s Georgia teams are 84-3 when they score at least 30 points. Tennessee State allowed 26 in its opener, so the Tigers’ first mission is keeping the Bulldogs below their historical automatic-win line.
• The quarterback-versus-pass-rush test: Byron McNair is Tennessee St’s most experienced returning passer. Last year he threw for 1,558 yards, 9 TD and 6 INT; 2.5% of his throws were picked off. Georgia returns 8 defensive starters and ranked No. 93 nationally at creating sacks and other disruptive plays, so this was not an overwhelming pressure mismatch last year. Tennessee St returns no listed starting offensive linemen, making protection the immediate question.

How the game is decided

Tennessee St needs a short game: long possessions, no giveaways and one special-teams break. Georgia needs to stay patient, lean on its size and depth, and avoid the kind of early mistake that gives an underdog belief. If the home team controls the line, the depth gap will take over.

Prediction

I make my final predictions on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook at @uthinkuknowsports.

Full disclosure: I use AI tools to format my research into an article encompassing all of the information.