Editor’s note: Saturday Down South’s annual Crystal Ball series continues today with Georgia. Last week, we predicted every game for every SEC West team. This week, we’ll predict every game for every SEC East team.

Farewell, 1980 jokes. You lived a long, self-deprecating life.

Hello, national champions.

Hello, new set of expectations, as well. The question after the dust settled on UGA’s first title in 41 years was “so … team of the 2020s?” It was a fair one to ask. Sure, it took arguably the best defense we’ve seen of the 21st century to get there, and the likelihood of repeating that after losing 15 NFL Draft picks isn’t great.

Then again, Kirby Smart has recruited like Nick Saban in a way that no other coach has. The path to remaining a yearly title contender starts and ends with the head coach’s ability to sign and develop top-flight talent. So far, so good. Five consecutive top-7 seasons earned Smart a new contract worth more than $112 million.

With all that money, UGA has yet to find a way to clone Jordan Davis or Nakobe Dean. Of course, the cupboard is anything but bare in Athens. Nolan Smith, Jalen Carter, Kelee Ringo and even The Mailman himself, Stetson Bennett IV, are all back in hopes of becoming the first team to repeat as national champs since Alabama in 2011-12. Smart, of course, was the defensive coordinator on that team.

But any path back to the top of the podium will likely include getting past Nick Saban and Co. another time. Will UGA get that showdown? Or will a repeat bid come up short like the previous 9 teams that attempted to pull off that feat?

Let’s dig into that:

What does The Mailman have in his bag in 2022?

Bennett’s return was met with mixed emotions from UGA fans, and understandably so. Yes, he won a national title. The program’s first in 41 years, in case you haven’t heard. Not many dudes will be able to write “came back from a deficit in the 4th quarter in a national championship against Saban” on their résumés. Bennett can. He can also add “finished No. 4 in FBS in quarterback rating.” Filling in for the injured JT Daniels, Bennett was everything that UGA fans could’ve hoped for. Hence, why Daniels never got his job back.

So why was Bennett’s return for Year 6 not welcomed with open arms? Well, Bennett’s return means that the likes of promising former blue-chip recruits Carson Beck and Brock Vandagriff won’t be QB1 to start the season. It also meant that Daniels transferred having never started more than 4 consecutive games in his 2 seasons at Georgia.

Unless Bennett falters significantly or gets hurt, he’s not giving way to Beck or Vandagriff. Due to Bennett’s physical limitations — he was phenomenal throwing the deep ball off play-action last year — there will always be a lingering doubt that the starter cannot take the offense to places that one of UGA’s more talented backup could. Fair? Maybe, maybe not. It’s reality.

Bennett made big-time throws. He also benefitted from having that aforementioned historic defense on his side. Like, the defense that allowed 8.8 points per game (that’s the real number because you should always take away non-offensive points scored from a defense’s total). Bennett worked with short fields. It didn’t hold UGA back to have the No. 51 passing attack in the country, which is what you’d expect from a team that ranked No. 103 in FBS in pass attempts per game.

But can Bennett, who got consistent first-team reps in offseason for the first time in his career, take his game to another level in Todd Monken’s offense? He’ll need to if the words “repeat” are still being said in December.

Those tight ends are worth all the hype

Rarely does a group of tight ends get so much offseason buzz. With Georgia, it’s justified.

UGA returns Brock Bowers, AKA the guy who was a national championship-winning team’s best offensive player as a true freshman tight end. There’s also Darnell Washington, AKA the former 5-star tight end who already established himself as one of the top run-blocking tight ends in the conference in his first 2 seasons. There’s also Arik Gilbert, AKA the highest rated tight end recruit in the 247sports rankings era who flashed monstrous potential in Year 1 at LSU but is coming off a lost 2021 season because of academic and conditioning issues. And then there’s Oscar Delp, the No. 2 tight end in the 2022 class who looked the part in the spring game and has been getting rave camp reviews.

An embarrassment of riches? Absolutely. The question now is how Todd Monken will use them all effectively. Could UGA run “14” personnel with 1 running back and 4 tight ends on the field at the same time? Fingers crossed that it happens at least once, but it’s not likely.

Here’s the good news. Bowers and Gilbert are versatile enough to play hybrid roles. They can line up in the slot and be just as effective, if not more effective than lining up inline. Washington also played 67 of his 315 offensive snaps in the slot or out wide. There will be plenty of instances in which UGA runs a 2-tight end set. That’s what history tells us about Monken.

Last year, UGA was the only SEC team and 1 of 5 Power 5 teams that had 3 tight ends who played at least 300 snaps apiece. That was with Washington banged up for a decent chunk of 2021. That bodes well for Gilbert, who might be better suited to be in Bowers’ shadow after a tumultuous start to his career.

Whatever the case, UGA’s tight end room is a cheat code, and it’ll be used to create mismatches all over the field.

Replacing a historic defense and its coordinator will lead to regression, but how much?

It’s silly, really.

UGA’s first-team defense didn’t allow a running back to have a 20-yard run all season, and in the 6 games against AP Top 25 foes, the Dawgs allowed just 1 rushing touchdown. That’s why it wasn’t a surprise when 5 UGA defensive players came off the board in Round 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft. In total, 8 UGA defensive players were picked. On top of that, coordinator Dan Lanning left to become Oregon’s head coach.

Regression is coming. That’s inevitable. The question is how much.

The good news for UGA is that it boasts a preseason All-American at every level of its defense. Smith, Carter and Ringo were all integral parts of that group, and they should be poised for prolific seasons. Add in former West Virginia transfer Tykee Smith, who missed basically all of 2021 with injuries and is still working his way back from a torn ACL, and there’s somehow a handful of All-American candidates still back for UGA.

It’s unrealistic to expect Georgia to boast the nation’s top defense yet again. They rank No. 122 of 130 FBS in percentage of returning defensive production. They have issues to solve in non-Carter areas on the defensive line and at the corner position opposite of Ringo.

But it’s still Smart, who had a top-7 defense in FBS 11 of the 14 times he was either a coordinator or a head coach. Best-case scenario would be UGA allows 15 points per game against Power 5 competition and is in contention for one of the top 10 defenses in the country. Smart has yet to boast consecutive top-10 defenses at UGA.

Now would be a good time to buck that trend.

Game-by-game predictions

Week 1: vs. Oregon in Atlanta (W)

I can’t picture Bo Nix celebrating a victory against Georgia. Not now. Not ever. The only potential hurdle that UGA might have to work through in the first half is that young defensive front working against an Oregon offensive line who returns all of its starters. It’s possible that the Lanning reunion has a few moments where we get reminders that he watched Bennett every day in practice for the last few years, and he might now the best ways to defend him. But I still see UGA’s ground game taking over in the latter half of this one. Kenny McIntosh and Kendall Milton both reach pay dirt for a 3-score victory in Atlanta.

Week 2: vs. Samford (W)

Hey now. Samford put up half a hundred in The Swamp last year. Against UGA, though? I don’t think Samford would hit that if you gave them from now through December.

Week 3: at South Carolina (W)

Can we call this one the Delp Bowl? Nah? OK, but I do think that on the road, this is where all the hype about UGA’s tight ends is legitimized. After a slow start coming off injury, Bowers looks like the 2021 version of himself and reaches the end zone twice while Gilbert makes his first highlight-reel grab of 2022. Christopher Smith picks off Spencer Rattler twice to quiet the capacity Columbia crowd. Shane Beamer’s squad can’t keep pace with UGA and its “hundred 5-stars.”

Week 4: vs. Kent State (W)

Branson Robinson time? You bet. The true freshman body builder/tailback has his first big moment in a UGA uniform and the Dawgs trounce a Kent State squad who ranks No. 117 in percentage of returning production.

Week 5: at Mizzou (W)

Last year against Mizzou, it felt like Bennett really flashed a different level of confidence. Against a Mizzou secondary that liked to take some chances, Bennett stretched the field at a high level. I expect that to happen again. This time, it’s Ladd McConkey and AD Mitchell who are on the receiving ends of long touchdowns off play-action. Eli Drinkwitz busts out a couple of trick plays, but nothing fools the UGA defense. Mizzou struggles in obvious passing situations and UGA wins by 4 scores for the 5th time in the last 6 seasons.

Week 6: vs. Auburn (W)

It’s wild to think that in the 5 games since Auburn knocked off No. 1 Georgia 40-17 in 2017, the Dawgs have a 5-0 advantage and have outscored the Tigers 137-47. In those matchups, UGA was never ranked worse than No. 6. The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry has been decided by 3 scores or more in 4 of those past 5 matchups. Since 2010, Auburn only has 1 instance of losing by less than 3 scores in Athens, and that was Smart’s Year 1, which was a 13-7 UGA victory. So no, I don’t expect Auburn to finally beat Bennett — he had 2 of his best games against the Tigers — and win at Georgia for the first time in 17 years.

Week 7: vs. Vanderbilt (W)

UGA is going to have a handful of instances in which we see a young skill player look like they’re ready to become a star. In this given week, Dillon Bell is that man. The true freshman receiver torches Vandy over the top and reaches the end zone twice. Mike Wright spends too much of the afternoon running for his life and UGA cruises into the bye week still perfect.

Week 8: Bye

Week 9: vs. Florida in Jacksonville (W)

On the bright side for Florida, it can’t get much worse than last year. Georgia’s talent and development trounced the product the Gators had on the field. I say “development” because even though it was a 3-0 game with 2 minutes left in the first half, we saw Anthony Richardson’s inexperience lead to 3 turnovers at the end of the first half. Richardson is more poised this time around. But Smith, Carter and Ringo are all plenty capable of making it a frustrating afternoon once again. On the other side of the ball, Monken’s offense puts on a masterclass. Georgia’s tight ends account for 3 Bennett touchdown passes to fuel a 2-touchdown victory in Jacksonville.

Week 10: vs. Tennessee (L)

I know, I know. Tennessee is 4-35 against Alabama, Florida and Georgia in the post-Phil Fulmer era. That includes 16 consecutive losses to them, 5 of which came vs. UGA. So why is this time different? Tennessee’s offense. The Vols have the formula to put pressure on the UGA defense. Hendon Hooker attacks downfield with Cedric Tillman and Jalin Hyatt, and that young UGA defensive line can’t get pressure with 4 against a Tennessee offensive line that returns 4 starters. Josh Heupel’s offense stretches the field with pace and balance. UGA can’t adjust until it’s too late. Bennett, even against a porous Vols defense, can’t quite rally the troops back late facing obvious throwing situations. Tennessee pulls off the upset of the year in the SEC.

Week 11: at Mississippi State (W)

It’s too bad for MSU that UGA could be coming off a stunning loss to Tennessee. Why? Since 2017, Smart is 7-1 coming off a loss with the lone blemish being that 2018 Sugar Bowl against Texas. That doesn’t bode well for MSU trying to protect that Georgia front, which should have the advantage off the edge. UGA will lock down those swing passes that MSU uses as an extension of the running game, and we’ll get a reminder that Smart’s defense isn’t at 2021 levels, but it’s still loaded with talent.

Week 12: at Kentucky (W)

It might not be an SEC East title game like it was in Lexington in 2018, but unfortunately for the Cats, the result will be the same. A year after Will Levis’ pinpoint accuracy was on display in Athens, he gets greedy. A Christopher Smith interception kills some early UK momentum and UGA enters the break somehow with a touchdown lead after being outplayed for most of the first half. That balloons when the Bennett-Mitchell connection gets cooking down the stretch. Two weeks removed from Hooker running and throwing all over UGA, the Dawgs shut down Levis and walk out of Lexington having clinched the East title for the 5th time in 6 years.

Week 13: vs. Georgia Tech (W)

Poor Georgia Tech. Last year, they had to watch Bowers run past their entire defense. This year, in an effort not to let history repeat itself, the Yellow Jackets double cover Bowers every time he steps on the field. That sets up UGA’s oft-injured outside threat Arian Smith to take the top off the Yellow Jackets’ defense twice. With Geoff Collins firmly on the hot seat, UGA delivers a haymaker early that puts the game away by halftime.

2022 projection: 11-1 (7-1), 1st in SEC East

#GoDawgs

Look. If you’re a national title contender, all you can ask for is a shot at the Playoff on conference championship weekend. That’s what UGA will have, even if a loss to an improved Tennessee squad is in the cards. That shouldn’t be taken for granted. Take it from the likes of 2015 Ohio State or 2020 LSU, neither of which reached their respective conference title games a year after winning it all.

Smart maintained that his team is doing everything in its power to prevent complacency. That includes 15-minute breakout sessions studying examples in sports, business and history of how “the mighty have fallen.” UGA is indeed mighty. Thanks to Smart and his staff, the Dawgs are still loaded with talent.

But talent aside, repeating is awfully difficult. UGA doesn’t have to hear about the 1980 jokes anymore. But maybe it’ll instead be reminded why just 3 teams have repeated as national champs since 1980. This 2022 squad will have a different identity. As a result, the path to confetti will be different, as well.

Georgia’s mission to become the team of the decade begins … now.