One of the biggest wildcards in the SEC heading into the 2016 season, Georgia is a team many are finding difficult to peg considering all the unknowns in Athens. The Bulldogs are of course led by first-time head coach Kirby Smart and will likely to be led on offense by freshman quarterback Jacob Eason, all the while playing three of its first four games and six of the first nine away from the Hedges of Sanford Stadium.

All of these factors could lead to an unpredictable campaign, which is exactly what FOX Sports columnist Stewart Mandel predicts in his latest mailbag column.

Mandel points out the statistics over the last two decades indicate starting freshmen quarterbacks average seven overall and four conference wins per season. Combine that with the potential first-year adjustment struggles to the Smart era and the Bulldogs may unexpectedly drop a game or two, however very well could win one or two just as unexpectedly.

Here’s how Mandel broke down UGA’s schedule:

So, here’s how I pegged Georgia’s season to play out: Lose the season opener to a very good North Carolina team; lose first two road games against Missouri (which I have finishing 5-7) and Ole Miss; rebound to hand Tennessee a crushing loss at home, then beat South Carolina and Vanderbilt; lose the Cocktail Party to Florida, win at Kentucky, fall at home to Auburn, beat Louisiana-Lafayette and Georgia Tech. In other words, up and down, as might be expected given the circumstances.

It’s an interesting take and one that begs the question for Georgia fans, would you accept dropping a game you likely shouldn’t (North Carolina/Missouri) to potentially ruin the season of East rival Tennessee?

Considering the do or die stakes in Knoxville this season, that seems like a fair trade for a Georgia program that appears to be building toward major success under Smart.