Georgia Football: Game-by-Game Predictions for 2013

Spring football has come to an end, and the Georgia Bulldogs got a lot of things accomplished.

However, there is still a ton of work that needs to be done between now and the start of the 2013 season.

With the fans getting a chance to get an early look at the 2013 Bulldogs during the G-Day game, they have a better outlook of how the season is going to go for Mark Richt and company.

Two months ago, I did a piece on game-by-game predictions for the Bulldogs this upcoming season.

Now that the Bulldogs had a chance to go through the spring drills and play in front of fans, this would be a good time to do an updated game-by-game prediction piece for the 2013 Bulldogs.

Let’s dive right in.

August 31: at Clemson

I had Clemson losing to the Bulldogs in the original piece by a close margin.

I still felt this will be a close game, and there will be a lot of points scored by both offenses, but now that there has been time to think about it, this is a game that does not bode well for Georgia.

After a successful 2012 season for the Tigers, the expectations in Death Valley are high and they need to start their season on the right foot with a win against the Bulldogs.

Aaron Murray will keep the Bulldogs in the game, but the new-look defense will have a breakdown late in the game which will prove to be the difference.

PREDICTION: Clemson 35, Georgia 28

September 7: vs. South Carolina

This game won’t be the blowout it was last year.

In fact, I think the Bulldogs come out and jump on the Gamecocks. But with the help of quarterback Connor Shaw and defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina will roar back in the game and take the lead late.

Murray, who has not yet beaten South Carolina as a starter, will lead a late game-winning drive, and the Bulldogs will get their first win of the season.

PREDICTION: Georgia 28, South Carolina 27

September 21: vs. North Texas

The Bulldogs will get a “break” when they take on the North Texas Mean Green in the third game of the year.

This will be a game where the Bulldogs will try some different things as well as clean up some things before they get ready for LSU the following week.

The Mean Green will keep it close in the first quarter, but the talent and depth for the Bulldogs will prove to be too much which will lead to an easy win for UGA.

PREDICTION: Georgia 48, North Texas 13

September 28: vs. LSU

This is a huge game for the Bulldogs as they try to establish themselves as one of the top teams in the country.

The defense for LSU will be its usual self, but will they have enough on offense to beat the Bulldogs in Athens?

The Bulldogs defense should be more improved at this stage of the year, and they should be able to get to Zach Mettenberger on a consistent basis if defensive coordinator Todd Grantham can come up with some creative blitz packages.

I can see someone like Tray Matthews or Josh Harvey-Clemons having a huge game to help carry the Bulldogs to a win.

I do think the Bulldogs leave Sanford Stadium with a win, but it will be the defense that does the dirty work this time.

PREDICTION: Georgia 24, LSU 14

October 5: at Tennessee

The Vols should be and will be better this upcoming season, but they still have a long road ahead of them before they can compete for the SEC East.

Head coach Butch Jones will get the kids to play his style of football in no time, but with a new offensive and defensive scheme, Tennessee is in rebuilding mode.

Georgia should be able to get off to a strong start and finish even stronger as they are the more complete team.

PREDICTION: Georgia 35, Tennessee 13

October 12: vs. Missouri

Georgia was able to take down Missouri in the Tigers' first-ever SEC game, thanks to Jarvis Jones causing havoc on quarterback James Franklin.

The Tigers will be more improved this season with seven returning starters on offense. But the defense has some question marks, and Murray, Keith Marshall and Todd Gurley should be able to make some big plays in this sixth game of the season.

This will not be as close of a game as it was last year. The Bulldogs will start fast and play to keep away from the Tigers in the second half.

PREDICTION: Georgia 42, Missouri 17

October 19: at Vanderbilt

Believe it or not, this might be the toughest game the Bulldogs will play all season long.

After a 9-4 season by Vandy, they are looking to build on that momentum and are looking to be a dark horse to win the SEC East.

With one of the top recruiting classes in the country (per 247Sports), the Commodores will be an improved team and win a few games that they aren’t expected to win.

They would love to beat Georgia in Nashville, but the Bulldogs will be able to make one more play and squeak out a win.

PREDICTION: Georgia 28, Vanderbilt 25

November 2: vs. Florida (in Jacksonville)

In my predictions piece I did in February, I had the Bulldogs losing to the Gators because the Bulldogs did not have a slip-up game, yet.

I still think the Bulldogs lose to the Gators because, at this point of the season, the Bulldogs have yet to lose a SEC contest, and Florida is looking on revenge for what happened last year.

This game will be better played by both teams this year as there were nine turnovers from both teams in 2012.

The Florida offense will be much improved, but the defense will be the reason they win the game.

Aaron Murray will have his chance to win it at the end, but he and rest of the Bulldogs will come up short.

PREDICTION: Florida 25, Georgia 21

November 9: vs. Appalachian State

The Bulldogs will get back on the winning track the following week when they face Appalachian State.

This will not be like the North Texas game because App. State will be a more formidable opponent.

But the Bulldogs are more deep and more talented than the team from North Carolina and should be able to break away from the Mountaineers in the second half.

The one thing that fans and coaches can hope for is no major injures because the Bulldogs have three more critical games after this.

PREDICTION: Georgia 45, Appalachian State 7

November 16: at Auburn

It’s a new look for the Auburn Tigers as new head coach Gus Malzahn takes over.

Because of Malzahn’s creativity on offense, and the fact they added former UGA assistant Rodney Garner to help bolster the defense, the Tigers will be a much better team in 2013.

However, Georgia tends to play well at Jordan-Hare Stadium, especially Aaron Murray, who threw for 208 yards and three touchdowns last year.

Expect the same results from Murray and the Bulldogs will rack up its eighth win of the year.

PREDICTION: Georgia 38, Auburn 21

November 23: vs. Kentucky

When Georgia played Kentucky last year, it was probably one of the ugliest wins in Bulldogs history which led to Shawn Williams calling players out.

With a new head coach in Mark Stoops, the Wildcats will have a different look to them but still have some solid pieces on both sides of the ball.

This is a game where the Bulldogs will pounce on the Wildcats and never look back. Kentucky has always played Georgia tough, but at this point of the season, the Bulldogs will have found their stride on offense and defense, which should lead to an easy win.

PREDICTION: Georgia 35, Kentucky 9

November 30: at Georgia Tech

The final game of the season will be against Georgia Tech, and it should be a very interesting one to say the least.

Quarterback Vad Lee is expected to lead the Yellow Jackets to new heights while new defensive coordinator Ted Roof is looking to improve a defense that gave up a ton of big plays.

The Yellow Jackets will play hard and give Georgia fits throughout the game, but the offense for the Bulldogs will be too much for the Jackets which will lead to another win over Tech for Mark Richt and his crew.

PREDICTION: Georgia 30, Georgia Tech 16