Georgia Football: Way Too Early Game-by-Game Schedule Predictions for 2013

Looking ahead is something that college football fans and experts always like to do, especially when it’s the offseason.

The 2013 season is more than six months away, but that doesn’t mean predictions for the 2013 season will be put on hold.

The annual preview magazines hit newsstands normally in late June, but some websites such as nationalchamps.net have their early preseason rankings and have the Georgia Bulldogs ranked fourth behind Alabama, Stanford and Oregon.

Can the Bulldogs make a run at the national title this upcoming season? It will be a tougher road, but with the offensive playmakers they have coming back, anything is possible.

Here's the Bulldogs’ way too early game-by-game schedule predictions for the 2013 season.

August 31: At Clemson

The Bulldogs get the ball rolling early as they take on Clemson at Death Valley.

It will be a battle of the best quarterbacks in the country as Georgia’s Aaron Murray will go head-to-head with Clemson’s Tajh Boyd.

This game has the makings of being a shootout because of the talent of both offenses, but led by linebacker Jordan Jenkins and defensive end Garrison Smith, the Bulldogs defense will make some game-changing plays which will lead to them squeaking past the Tigers.

Prediction: Georgia 35, Clemson 28

September 7: Vs. South Carolina

In Week 2, the Bulldogs will have their home opener against a team that has given them fits the last three years.

South Carolina has beaten the Bulldogs three consecutive times, and thanks to defensive end Jadaveon Clowney, the Gamecocks have a chance to take the SEC East crown away from the Bulldogs in 2013.

But this is a game that the Bulldog players and coaches have marked on their calendars ever since the schedule came out.

The Bulldogs are tired of losing to Steve Spurrier’s bunch and would love to hurt the Gamecocks' chances of winning the SEC East with an early conference loss.

This game will be a lot like 2011 where there were haymakers were thrown by both teams until the very end.

But this time around, Murray will make one more play than South Carolina QB Connor Shaw which will lead to another close win for the Bulldogs.

Prediction: Georgia 28, South Carolina 27

September 21: Vs. North Texas

After the South Carolina game, the Bulldogs will have a bye week and will then host the North Texas Mean Green.

There is no doubt the Bulldogs will win this game, but this will be a game to fix some things they did wrong in the last two weeks and get them ready for a big test next week when they face LSU.

By no means will the Bulldogs overlook the Mean Green, but the talent level between North Texas and Georgia is night and day, and this game should be over by halftime.

Prediction: Georgia 45, North Texas 10

September 28: Vs. LSU

It doesn’t get any better than this as LSU and Georgia face off for the first time since the 2011 SEC Championship Game.

The defense for the Tigers will be as strong as ever despite only returning four starters. But the offense will be a question mark as they had the second-worst passing attack in the SEC last year.

By this time, the Bulldogs defense will be more stable than the first two weeks of the season and it should be able to limit the running game of LSU and force quarterback Zach Mettenberger to make some mistakes.

Georgia is not going to blow the Tigers out of the water, but the Bulldogs should be able to do enough on offense and defense to improve their record to 4-0.

Prediction: Georgia 21, LSU 15

October 5: At Tennessee

After a long homestand, the Bulldogs will have their second road game in early October as they face the Tennessee Volunteers.

With a new head coach in Butch Jones as well as a new quarterback, the Vols will be in rebuilding mode in 2013 and odds are it will be a long season for the boys in orange.

The Vols will keep it close early, but the Bulldogs have too much depth and it will show in the second half.

Prediction: Georgia 30, Tennessee 14

October 12: Vs. Missouri

The Missouri Tigers’ first year in the SEC was a rocky one to say the least as they finished with a 2-6 conference record.

The Tigers will be solid on offense as they will have seven returning starters. But the defense will be a question mark all season long, and Georgia should be able to take advantage of it, especially with game being played in Athens.

The Tigers kept it close last year but ran out of gas towards the end of the game. This time, the Bulldogs will start strong and finish stronger.

Prediction: Georgia 40, Missouri 17

Ocotber 19: At Vanderbilt

The last time Georgia played Vanderbilt at Nashville, it took a Drew Butler game-saving tackle to not only defeat the Commodores, but also help Georgia go to the SEC title game.

Vandy had its best season in nearly 100 years, winning its last seven games and finishing with a 9-4 record.

Head coach James Franklin has this team believing it can win every time it steps on the field, and with one of the top 30 recruiting classes in the country this year, Vandy is a team that is trending upward.

However, the 'Dores are not at the level Georgia is yet. This game will come down to the wire, and the Bulldogs will get a late field goal to win the game.

Prediction: Georgia 25, Vanderbilt 22

November 2: Vs. Florida (in Jacksonville)

It’s early November and that means it’s the Georgia-Florida contest in Jacksonville.

Last’s year’s matchup was ugly as both teams committed numerous turnovers.

Georgia did come up with the win, and that propelled the Bulldogs to the SEC title game.

This year’s game will more likely determine the SEC East champion and it will be a game that will be about defense.

By this time of the season, the Bulldogs defense will be much improved from the start of the season, but Florida will be much strong, especially in the secondary.

So far Georgia has not had a slip-up. This could be the game where it happens.

Prediciton: Florida 28, Georgia 21

November 9: Vs. Appalachian State

After a tough battle with the Gators, the Bulldogs will come back home to face Appalachian State.

This will be a game like North Texas where the Bulldogs will start fast and make sure that Appalachian State has no chance of making it a game.

App State is one of the better programs in the FCS, and just like what Georgia Southern did to the Bulldogs last year, they will make it a game in the first quarter.

But Georgia will settle down quickly and come away with an easy win.

Prediction: Georgia 48, Appalachian State 7

November 16: At Auburn

The Auburn Tigers will be starting from scratch in 2013 as they have a new head coach in Gus Malzahn and a new defensive coordinator in Ellis Johnson.

They also have a new assistant head coach in Rodney Garner who is the former assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator of the Bulldogs.

With Malzahn and Johnson at the helm, the Tigers will be much improved on both sides of the ball and will win more than three games.

However, Georgia normally plays well against the Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium, and with a Tigers defense trying to find itself, Murray and company should be able to light up the scoreboard just like last year.

Prediction: Georgia 35, Auburn 20

November 23: Vs. Kentucky

The final home game for the Bulldogs will be against the Kentucky Wildcats, and the Bulldogs are hoping to put a better showing than last year.

They did beat the Wildcats last season, but looked ugly doing so.

New head coach Mark Stoops has never coached in the SEC, so by this time of the year he will have found out how different of a ballgame it is compared to places he has coached like Arizona and Florida State.

The defense for the Wildcats will be better and they have some solid pieces on offense. But they are two years away from where they want to be, and Georgia should have no problems taking care of the Wildcats.

Prediction: Georgia 30, Kentucky 18

November 30: At Georgia Tech

Mark Richt has had Georgia Tech’s number since 2001 and it should be no different this year.

With Vad Lee taking over at quarterback full-time for the Yellow Jackets, the offense will be more dynamic than it was with Tevin Washington.

But there are still question marks with the defense despite having a new defensive coordinator in Ted Roof.

Tech will be more than ready for this game and give Georgia everything it has. But the Bulldogs will be gearing up for another shot at the SEC title and will finish the regular season strong with a big win at the Flats.

Prediction: Georgia 27, Georgia Tech 17