Is this the Bulldogs’ year or will Georgia undoubtedly Georgia in 2015?

That’s the million dollar question heading into the season for one of college football’s most talented teams, a group headlined by three All-SEC level linebackers and Heisman candidate Nick Chubb in the backfield.

The cross-divisional slate is the SEC’s toughest and we’ve already established that an unbeaten record in the East is a necessity. Georgia’s road to Atlanta won’t be easy, but is it ever?

Best case scenario SEC series

GEORGIA BULLDOGS

2014 record: 10-3, 6-2
2015 best case: 13-0, 8-0 (Winning SEC title game)
Closer look: Will Georgia’s home game against Alabama on Oct. 3 be the most important contest this season? Yes, but under one condition — the Bulldogs must beat South Carolina at home two weeks prior. The Gamecocks have been a thorn in Mark Richt’s side in recent years and there’s no reason to believe the matchup will be any easier this season despite the talent gap. Three of Georgia’s four toughest games come before its bye week pre-Florida Oct. 24, so the Bulldogs will know what they need to do over the final month of the regular season to win the SEC East. Circle the road game at Auburn as the potential decisive battle in their march just down the road toward Atlanta.
Silver lining: There isn’t much solace to take in one of the league’s toughest slates this fall other than the fact most of Georgia’s most challenging games will come between the hedges. The Bulldogs will play as many as three Top 10 teams during the regular season, two in Athens and Auburn at Jordan-Hare. Their schedule is so robust that if things fall into place, a College Football Playoff berth would be near automatic even if Georgia drops a game during the regular season.