Georgia Football: Burning Questions for the Bulldogs as Season Winds Down

The Georgia Bulldogs are in a very unique position. If they win out, make it to the SEC Championship and win that game, they have the resume to be one of the four teams in the College Football Playoff.

However, because of the losses to Florida and South Carolina, that could very well keep them out of the final four also.

The only thing the Bulldogs can do is win, and the rest will take care of itself. Even if they don’t reach the SEC Championship, the Bulldogs still have a lot to play for, such as beating Georgia Tech for the sixth straight year and earning 10 wins for the third time in four seasons.

In any case, there are some burning questions for the Bulldogs that need to be answered as the season winds down.

Can Hutson Mason Carry the Offense If Needed?

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

Regardless of what most fans think of Hutson Mason, he has done a great job being a leader on offense.

Defenses are going to be zeroed in on Nick Chubb, so Mason will have to step up his game a little more moving forward. He’s not considered the best quarterback in the SEC, but he's accurate with the football, he doesn’t make mistakes and he's improved each time he’s stepped on the field.

If the Bulldogs do reach the SEC title game, Mason will have to be a guy that can carry an offense.

Based on the way he’s played all year, there is no reason he can’t take that next step. 

Does Nick Chubb Need Less Carries to Be More Effective?

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Nick Chubb has proved the running game is not hurting with the loss of Todd Gurley, but have the coaches put too much of a workload on the freshman?

In the first five games, before Gurley was suspended, Chubb only had 31 carries. In the four games while Gurley was suspended, Chubb carried the ball 102 times, 38 of which came in the Missouri game.

Chubb only carried the ball 13 times against Kentucky and 19 times last week against Auburn, but that was because he had Gurley and Sony Michel to help split the carries.

Now that Gurley is out for the year, Chubb and Michel will be the one-two punch the rest of the way, which will help. No matter how tough Chubb is, there needs to be another change-of-pace back that can spell him. 

Is Sony Michel Healthy Enough to Help the Rushing Attack?

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Speaking of Michel, he will need to be what Keith Marshall was in 2012.

Michel has been fighting injuries all season long, but he should be ready to go for the rest of the year.

When healthy, Michel has been a dangerous back, averaging 7.4 yards per carry and four touchdowns in five games. While Chubb provides the power, Michel brings the speed, and both will be needed if the Bulldogs want to make a run at the College Football Playoff.

The key to all this is Michel not having any setbacks. With the Bulldogs playing Charleston Southern on Saturday, like Chubb, Michel should not play the entire game with a Georgia Tech team looking for its 10th win of the year on the horizon. 

Has the Defense Turned the Corner?

USA TODAY Sports

The defense had its best performance of the season last week, holding Auburn—a team that averages 35 points a game—to only seven points that came on the opening drive of the game.

Is this group becoming an elite unit?

Judging from the games against Florida and even Kentucky, the Bulldogs defense still has some issues that need to be fixed. However, this is a better group than last season.

The one big thing they are doing better than anyone in the SEC in creating turnovers. The Bulldogs are plus-16 in turnover margin, which has helped them be much better on defense. However, they will need to do the same thing against Georgia Tech and whoever they play in the postseason. 

If the Bulldogs Win Out, Will They Reach the College Football Playoff?

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

Because Georgia is ranked in the Top 10 in the College Football Playoff rankings, they have a shot of making it to the actual playoff. However, several things will have to happen, and the first is the Bulldogs winning their next two games and Missouri losing one of its last two games.

Also, they will need to win the SEC title and need teams like Ohio State, Baylor, TCU and UCLA to falter.

The Bulldogs need to beat Charleston Southern and Georgia Tech and hope they get to play in the Georgia Dome for the SEC title.

If they win that, their body of work should prove that they should at least be a team the committee talks about as one of the final four teams in the College Football Playoff.