With the season just over a week away, not much will change for Georgia, as a whole, between now and then. There won’t be any transfers or new recruits to bolster the roster, the hands have been dealt and the Bulldogs know what they’ve got to play with.

Georgia has never lacked talent, but it remains to be seen how Kirby Smart will use his players in his first season with the Bulldogs.

There are plenty of unknowns on the depth chart – more than fans would like in any given year – and an obviously huge one at quarterback, but the coaching staff appears ready to roll with what they’ve got. Outside of the unproven, the Bulldogs have some top commodities that will be relied upon while everything gets sorted out.

Here are Georgia’s biggest strengths and weaknesses heading into the Sept. 3 opener against No. 22 North Carolina.

Strengths

1. The running game: Nick Chubb is expected to be back for the season opener, which is the most important development for Georgia this offseason. This comes just over 10 months after Chubb’s gruesome knee injury against Tennessee last October and punctuates a truly remarkable recovery for the star running back.

With Chubb healthy, the Bulldogs finally have their bite back. He will be the team’s offensive identity while the quarterback situation is resolved and he has proven more than capable of carrying the load. Provided he is 100 percent, the running game is once again the team’s biggest strength.

Fellow junior Sony Michel is still recovering from his broken forearm and it remains unclear whether he will be available against North Carolina. When healthy, he and Chubb form a dynamic combination in Georgia’s backfield.

Add to the mix veteran Brandon Douglass and freshmen Elijah Holyfield and Brian Herrien, and the Bulldogs have a tantalizing blend of depth and talent.

2. Secondary: Outside of the ground game, the defensive backfield is Georgia’s best unit. All four starters from last season return, and it’s a veteran unit full of upperclassmen with plenty of game experience.

Junior safety Dominick Sanders, a preseason All-SEC selection, led the team with six interceptions in 2015 and is the ballhawk of the secondary. Fellow safety Quincy Mauger is capable in both pass and run defense, notching 58 tackles last season and four interceptions in 2014.

Manning the cornerback positions are juniors Malkom Parrish and Aaron Davis. The duo is solid and reliable, if not flashy. Davis, a former walk-on, earned a scholarship because of his effort on the field and Parrish was playing some of his best football near the end of last season.

The addition of graduate transfer Maurice Smith provides Smart and defensive coordinator Mel Tucker with another veteran for the unit. Smith could push for a starting role or become the team’s rotational player because of his versatility. Cornerbacks Rico McGraw and Mecole Hardman could also make an impact coming off the bench.

3. Offensive line: Don’t confuse competition along the line with the position becoming a weakness. Right now, there are six guys for the five spots, but that’s something Smart is comfortable with heading into the season.

Two spots are locked up with seniors Brandon Kublanow and Greg Pyke manning center and right tackle, respectively. Isaiah Wynn will play, but his position depends on the three players competing for left tackle and the two guard positions. Wynn (below) is capable of playing left guard or tackle, but the coaching staff is waiting to see if a player steps up at either position, allowing him to start at the other.

Offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn (Photo by John Kelley)

Credit: University of Georgia Athletics

“There are three guards we really think are rotating playing – Isaiah, Gaillard and Dyshon Sims,” Smart told reporters last week, according to the Macon Telegraph. “There’s nothing going on there other than a rotation of those three guys for two spots. So those three guys are playing what we all consider to be winning football. And they’re battling it out.”

If Gaillard and Sims prove they can start at the guard positions, Wynn will slide over and play left tackle. The coaches believe Wynn is better suited to play left guard, however, and would like to see graduate transfer Tyler Catalina claim the left tackle position for himself.

Having six men still in the mix isn’t a bad thing. If all players are playing well, which the coaching staff believes is the case, then that just creates flexibility for the unit.

Weaknesses

1. Defensive line: If a rotation along the offensive line is a positive, then the same should be considered a weakness for the defensive line. Although it was never a dominant group under Mark Richt, it could be a glaring problem for Smart until he is able to address it on the recruiting trail.

The only returning player with upside is sophomore defensive tackle Trent Thompson, the No. 1 overall recruit from 2015. Outside of Thompson, injuries and suspensions have thinned out the depth chart.

Junior tackle John Atkins has been dealing with injuries but has begun practicing. Sophomore defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter had a couple of run-ins with the police this offseason and will be suspended to start the season.

This leaves a very young group left. Sophomore Michael Barnett should see time at defensive end, and freshmen Michail Carter, David Marshall and Julien Rochester could be in the mix as well.

2. Wide receiver: Outside of sophomore Terry Godwin and senior Reggie Davis, there aren’t many known entities at this position.

Isaiah McKenzie is still a tantalizing player because of his agility in the open field, but he’s been more of a complementary piece than a strong contributor. It’s possible that players emerge during the course of the season, but at this point, there hasn’t been much positive news around the position.

Sophomores Jayson Stanley and Michael Chigbu could end up being solid contributors, and freshman Riley Ridley, brother of Alabama star Calvin Ridley, is a player to watch as the season progresses.

3. Special teams: Gone are Marshall Morgan and Collin Barber, two mainstays at kicker and punter over the past four seasons. There hasn’t been much news from the coaching staff regarding those two positions, but there is competition in place.

At kicker, three players are battling. Rodrigo Blankenship, William Ham and Mitchell Wasson are being evaluated by special teams coordinator Shane Beamer, but it would be disconcerting to see this competition go deep into the season.

Brice Ramsey showed his ability as a punter last season and could resume that role if he doesn’t win the starting quarterback job. Freshman Marshall Long appears to be the future at the position, however. A former Virginia Tech commit, Long flipped to Georgia shortly after Beamer joined the Bulldogs’ staff.

William McFadden covers the University of Georgia for Saturday Down South. For news on everything happening between the hedges, follow him on Twitter @willmcfadden.