You know expectations were running high when “just” reaching Atlanta and playing for the SEC Championship for the first time since 2012 is considered a letdown of sorts.

But Georgia fans who once fancied themselves crashing the College Football Playoff this season and walking away with the school’s first national title since the glory days of Herschel Walker in 1982 would be thrilled for “only” an SEC banner after watching a once-promising season go so terribly wrong.

The Dawgs failed miserably in their biggest game of the season, falling 38-10 to visiting Alabama on Oct. 3 in what was supposed to be the game to formally herald a changing of the guard in the SEC and a harbinger of bigger things to come.

A stunning loss at Tennessee the following week was made worse with the gruesome knee injury that has sidelined tailback Nick Chubb for the rest of the season.

The Bulldogs can still salvage the season by winning the SEC East and reaching Atlanta to perhaps face Alabama in a rematch. But managing even that feat won’t come easily.

Here’s a look at what has to happen the rest of the way:

The most important remaining game: Oct. 31 vs. Florida (in Jacksonville, Fla.). The event formerly known as “The World’s Greatest Cocktail Party” will have considerably more at stake when the two SEC East rivals meet again for their annual dustup in Jacksonville. The surprising Gators currently sit atop the East standings with just one conference loss following last weekend’s setback at LSU. A win by the Dawgs would muddle the SEC East picture with several teams atop the standings with two conference losses. That could be all Georgia needs to get back to the Georgia Dome, given that Tennessee already has two conference losses and figures to be the prohibitive underdog at Alabama this week. A Florida win over Georgia would all but assure Florida of a trip to Atlanta as coach Jim McElwain’s team will then have just South Carolina and Vanderbilt left on its conference slate the rest of the way and will be heavily favored to win both.
Potential letdown: at Auburn on Nov. 14: Auburn is clearly not the team many thought it would be this season, but the Tigers aren’t lacking in athletes, and nothing would please them more than denying Georgia a chance to play in the SEC Championship game. The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry dates back to 1892 with many of the current players from both teams already familiar with one another dating back to their high school days. Georgia can count on getting Auburn’s best shot in the Bulldogs’ lone true road game the rest of the season.
X-factor: QB Greyson Lambert has been wildly inconsistent this season but will need to play well down the stretch if Georgia is to beat Florida and reach Atlanta for the first time in three years. Lambert has appeared gun shy thus far when attacking the field vertically but will have to overcome his own personal doubts if the Dawgs are to salvage the season.
Remaining schedule:
Oct. 31 vs. Florida (Jacksonville)
Nov. 7 Kentucky
Nov. 14 at Auburn
Nov. 21 Georgia Southern
Nov. 28 at Georgia Tech