PMGN Archive: 2018
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The 2018 Georgia Bulldogs entered the year with championship expectations, fresh off an SEC title and a heartbreaking loss in the National Championship the season before. Ranked No. 3 in the preseason polls, Kirby Smart’s third Georgia team looked the part early, rolling through the first half of the season with six straight wins by wide margins.
Mid-October brought the first stumble, a road loss in Baton Rouge to LSU. Georgia responded with conviction, posting decisive victories over No. 9 Florida in Jacksonville and No. 11 Kentucky in Lexington to lock up the SEC East for the second straight year. That set the stage for another showdown with Alabama in Atlanta.
In the SEC Championship Game, Georgia once again outplayed Alabama for three quarters only to see the Tide rally late, a cruel mirror image of the previous January’s title game. The loss left Georgia just outside the playoff field at No. 5 in the final CFP rankings. Instead, the Dawgs headed to the Sugar Bowl, where they fell to Texas in a disappointing 28–21 upset.
The season ended at 11–3. Though short of the ultimate goal, the 2018 team cemented Georgia’s place among college football’s elite under Kirby Smart, with back-to-back SEC East crowns and a roster brimming with future NFL talent.