It’s the middle of the college football season, and temperatures are beginning to drop. It’s feeling like prime Playoff chase time, and that’s got me thinking about one thing.

Chili.

Let me explain.

This is the time of year that I generally break out the big pots and start throwing together my favorite cold weather dish. No, there’s no recipe in my house. I just use some ground beef and beans, cut some fresh jalapeños, and add a collection of spices from the rack until it tastes right.

Every once in a while, I’ll get just the right distribution of spices in the mix and the chili is an absolute success. Delicious. And when I don’t, it’s never bad – on the contrary, it’s still a top-tier dish. But something just isn’t quite right and it’s impossible to place.

The 2023 Georgia Bulldogs are a little bit like chili.

They might still be the best thing around at this point of the year, but they just aren’t quite spiced right and the results have reflected it.

Georgia is 7-0. It is ranked No. 1. It is still the betting favorite to win a third consecutive national championship. Don’t let anyone fool you – this is still a very good football team. But it’s impossible to overlook the slow starts, the occasional breakdowns on defense, the failure to put teams away week after week.

At the beginning of the year, the assumption was that if new quarterback Carson Beck could shoulder the load, then the Bulldogs would be every bit as good as they were a year ago. Instead, Beck has been great, but the team hasn’t quite gotten out of third gear.

There’s the very good: top 10 nationally in total offense and defense, a 51-13 blowout of No. 20 Kentucky in the first test against a ranked opponent, the second halves against South Carolina and Auburn.

And the baffling: trailing South Carolina at halftime, needing a fourth-quarter comeback against Auburn, just a 10-point lead against Vanderbilt a week ago.

And now Georgia is missing its chili beans: tight end Brock Bowers, the most crucial ingredient, is out 4-6 weeks with an injured ankle.

Beck has shown enough to encourage fans that he can keep the ship afloat in Bowers’ absence, and he has no shortage of weapons in the passing game. Ladd McConkey has returned and seems to be the next man up as the safety valve. Rara Thomas, Dominic Lovett and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint have each taken over games at one point or another this year. Daijun Edwards, despite missing 2 weeks, has been as steady as they come running the football. Oscar Delp is incredibly capable, if somewhat untested. The defense is deep and talented, though it has fallen short of its potential to this point in the season.

The question in the coming weeks as Georgia plays its toughest 4-game stretch of the season, which will largely determine the fate of its threepeat pursuit: Is the mix in this pot of chili the stuff that wins awards? Or will it end up on the floor like Kevin Malone’s?

Week 9: vs. Florida (in Jacksonville)

Georgia is the better team, but Florida has quietly become a pretty serious threat to win this game. I too quickly dismissed them a week ago, but after some deeper digging and game watching, the Gators do look like a team that can spring the upset. Especially if the Bulldogs struggle out of the gate (again) in Bowers’ absence. I’m hedging slightly, but I still like Georgia to pull away in the end.

Prediction: Georgia 34, Florida 21

Week 10: vs. Missouri

This game is scary, not just because the Tigers nearly pulled off the upset a year ago. Missouri is a legitimately good football team. Brady Cook (2,054 passing yards and 14 touchdowns) and Luther Burden (808 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns) are as good a tandem as there is nationally, and Cody Schrader isn’t too bad either (648 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns). With that said, it’s beginning to feel like this could be another game like Kentucky. The Bulldogs seem to show up big in games people begin to doubt them in. If that’s the case again, it could be lopsided.

Prediction: Georgia 37, Missouri 17

Week 11: vs. Ole Miss

Before the season, this was the game I circled as Georgia’s biggest test. I still sort of feel that way, especially with Tennessee on deck the following week, but my gut says the Bulldogs eke this one out. Ole Miss can sling the ball, and Lane Kiffin can be somewhat of a giant killer. Still, Beck puts together a great fourth quarter here to avoid the upset and keep the team’s winning streak alive. Until …

Prediction: Georgia 30, Ole Miss 24

Week 12: at Tennessee

This is it. I’m sorry, Georgia fans. I’m calling it again. It didn’t look so good last year when I said Tennessee would be the game the Bulldogs would drop. But this time, in Knoxville with revenge on their minds, I’m calling a Tennessee upset of Georgia. It may not ruin Georgia’s hopes of a threepeat, but they would certainly be on life support. The feeling here is that this is just the last leg of a 4-game gauntlet. The Bulldogs will be drained, and they’ll know they’re one win for clinching a spot in the SEC Championship game and giving themselves the inside track to the College Football Playoff. They may even be 1 week away from getting their best player back. Sometimes, that’s the most dangerous time for a football team.

Prediction: Tennessee 27, Georgia 24

Week 13: at Georgia Tech

The Yellow Jackets have shown some decent improvement under Brent Key as head coach. Transfer quarterback Haynes King, formerly at Texas A&M, has been solid if not spectacular. I have no doubt Georgia Tech is moving in the right direction, but this game won’t be close. Bulldogs in a blowout.

Prediction: Georgia 41, Georgia Tech 13