The reigning 2021 national champions, Georgia Bulldogs, will enter the 2022 season at No. 3 in the preseason power rankings, per ESPN.

With some potential hiccups in the road, the Dawgs are looking to defend their champion status.

Quarterback Stetson Bennett will be back again to showcase his arm and dissolve any discrepancies on the field. Starting this season, the Bulldogs will look to maintain the same level of competitiveness as 2021, despite being without key players.

In ESPN’s preseason power rankings, writer Chris Low wrote the defense for the Dawgs will be the biggest question mark this upcoming season:

“Yes, the Dawgs lost five defensive players from a year ago who went in the first round of the NFL draft, not to mention defensive coordinator Dan Lanning, who is now the head coach at Oregon. But don’t feel too sorry for Georgia’s defense, a unit still oozing with young talent. The inside linebacker spots, in particular, will need replenishing. Gone are Nakobe Dean, Channing Tindall and Quay Walker. That’s a ton of experience and a ton of production to replace, no matter who’s waiting in the wings.”

Georgia will start the season against Oregon at Mercedes-Benz stadium on Saturday, Sept. 3, for the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game. We will stay tuned to see how this plays out for the Dawgs and their young defense.