Last week, I did something unthinkable.

Especially unthinkable considering I once roamed the University of Georgia campus, grilled burgers and drank (responsibly, of course) at tailgates on North Campus, and then screamed at the top of my lungs from the Bulldogs student section.

My crime? I picked against Georgia.

Yes, I was taken in by the incredible run that our neighbors in orange to the north were having. Tennessee had beaten Alabama in an epic upset and … what can I say? … I was convinced.

You can imagine how Bulldog Nation took the prediction. Questions about my sanity. A few assertions of below-average intellectual acuity. I saw the comments and, believe me, I get it. I had the same reactions to those know-nothing sports writers who had the gall to think upstart Alabama could take down No. 3 Georgia at Sanford Stadium in 2008.

Well, wait. Maybe that isn’t the best example.

But the point is that it’s crazy to think that a team that is still technically in the midst of a rebuild could possibly go up against Georgia – defending national champion Georgia – and pull out another epic victory. I mean, you might as well have given No. 13 LSU a chance to beat undefeated and No. 2-ranked Georgia in 2018.

Wait …

What I’m trying to say is this: I get it. This is still the Bulldogs’ game to lose. They’re the favorites (by more than 10 points, no less), they haven’t lost a regular-season conference matchup in 11 games, nor a regular-season contest of any kind in 15. They are ranked No. 1 in the AP poll, have been for most of the season, and are one of the betting favorites to win the whole shebang. Again.

So, let’s put all that naysayer stuff aside for a day. Let’s forget Tennessee’s top-ranked offense, Heisman Trophy frontrunner Hendon Hooker, an improving defense that allowed just 6 points last week, and, seemingly, the propulsion of destiny for just a moment.

Today, we’re going to go over why Georgia will win.

Here are 5 reasons:

The best secondary Tennessee has faced this year

I can hear the folks in Tuscaloosa protesting a little bit. Alabama does have one of the nation’s best in terms of talent.

But in terms of talent, overall performance, experience, and cohesion, give me the Bulldogs secondary as the best in the conference.

Let’s talk about what they have:

In cornerback Kelee Ringo, they have a seasoned veteran who has been in the biggest situations college football can offer and risen to the occasion. He is enormously talented – a 5-star coming out of high school and a projected 1st-round draft pick in the pros.

At safety, Malaki Starks and Christopher Smith have grown into arguably the best tandem in the nation. Starks has been the talk of the secondary all season, despite a failed gamble that resulted in a long touchdown pass for Florida last week. Smith has quietly become arguably the defense’s best.

Others have performed strongly in their roles – Javon Bullard, Kamari Lassiter, Tykee Smith and so on.

This unit is 8th in the country in completion percentage allowed, 4th in yards per attempt, 2nd in passing touchdowns allowed, and 3rd in passer rating. It was No. 4 in overall pass yardage allowed per game heading into last week’s game and performed masterfully there with the exception of 2 plays that accounted for 44 percent of Florida’s passing offense for the game.

All of this is to say that if anyone has the talent, scheme, experience and cohesion to slow down Tennessee’s elite receivers, it’s Georgia.

Jamon Dumas-Johnson becoming a factor

The big news coming out of Athens early this week is that the team’s top pass rusher, Nolan Smith, is unlikely to play Saturday.

That’s a massive blow for Georgia, which already ranks near the bottom nationally in team sacks. But, as so many Bulldogs fans are quick to point out, sacks aren’t the only important stat when it comes to affecting the quarterback. And Dumas-Johnson did just that last week against Florida.

Dumas-Johnson failed to bring quarterback Anthony Richardson down. But he did have 5 quarterback hurries. He has developed into a reliable linebacker who has the ability to beat blockers at the line and collapse the pocket, while also being one of the more reliable tacklers in the unit.

So, how can this help Georgia?

Well, I’ve already made the argument that merely affecting Hooker but not bringing him down (or at least forcing the ball out of his hands too soon or at awkward angles) won’t be enough. But, as good a runner as Hooker can be, he also lacks the elusiveness of Richardson.

Hooker releases the ball quickly, and Tennessee likes to push the pace, so opportunities won’t be abundant, but the thought here is that despite lacking much statistical success Georgia still has the personnel to get to the quarterback on Saturday.

Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington just as dangerous as top UT duo

This is the great equalizer.

If there’s an advantage the Bulldogs have that will matter against a suspect Tennessee pass defense, this is it.

We all know about Bowers. He burst onto the scene as a true freshman a year ago and was everybody’s pick to be the best at the position nationally in 2022. He hasn’t disappointed. He’s got 547 yards and 3 touchdowns receiving, in addition to 3 rushing touchdowns. He made a circus catch against Florida on a ball that tipped off a defender’s hands, sat on his head for a brief moment and then landed in his grasp.

Washington is the more intriguing of the 2, however, because every week he appears just a little more integral to the Georgia passing attack.

After being used primarily as a blocker in the past because of his size, the junior from Las Vegas is having his best season between the hedges. He has 19 catches for 332 yards – still no touchdowns, but his value in extending plays and never being tackled by the 1st man to hit him is huge on 3rd downs (no wonder Georgia is ranked in the top 10 nationally in that category).

Quarterback Stetson Bennett will need contributions from everyone – and it feels like running back Kenny McIntosh might love the matchup against the Volunteers – but it starts with these 2 for the Bulldogs.

Speaking of the Vols’ pass defense …

Tennessee is good at a lot of things, and better than you think at a few others.

In addition to the nation’s top offense, it is top-10 nationally in run defense, top-20 in 3rd-down defense, top-15 in red-zone scoring defense and even just outside the top 25 in scoring defense overall.

But there’s one area that Georgia can make the Vols pay. More than anything else it might be what gives the defending champs the victory.

Tennessee allows more than 300 passing yards a game. That is 5th worst in the country. Now, there’s a caveat: The Vols are middle of the pack in passer rating allowed and opposing quarterbacks throw more passes against them than any team in the nation. So, the yards are sure to accumulate.

Still, there’s an opportunity here for Bennett and the Georgia offense to take advantage of a relative weakness for Tennessee.

Other high-performing quarterbacks have had success: Bryce Young passed for 455 yards and a pair of touchdowns, LSU’s Jayden Daniels went for 300 and even Florida’s Richardson, not known as a passer, threw for 453 yards and a pair of scores in their meeting.

This is a place Georgia can have success, and mismatches like Bowers and Washington, as well as McIntosh on short passes as an extension of the running game, will give it plenty of opportunities.

In an even matchup, experience can make a difference

This might be what everything comes down to. Georgia has been there. Tennessee has not.

The vast majority of the Bulldogs were around for last year’s national-title run. That means they experienced the blowout loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship, then victories against Michigan and Alabama for the championship.

Bennett is like a 10th-year senior or something (he’s 25, nearly the same age as Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, an early MVP frontrunner in the NFL).

Coach Kirby Smart is no stranger to 1-vs.-2 matchups. He coached in 7 of them on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama, where his teams went 5-2. At Georgia, he’s never coached in a 1-vs.-2 game, but he’s been in 2 national championships, 2 semifinals and 4 SEC Championship games.

Tennessee compares so much to 2019 LSU – except in 1 key area: That team had played in meaningful SEC games in the years leading in. It was 10-3 and ranked as high as No. 3 in 2018. It combined for 26 wins from 2015 to 2017.

That is not this Tennessee team.

The Vols were 7-6 and barely made a bowl last season. They combined for a 16-19 record from 2018 to 2020. This program hasn’t recorded double-digit wins in a season since 2007. It is an upstart in every sense of the word, and everything from this point forward is new for everyone involved.

That must count for something.

Right?