The Georgia Bulldogs are always going to have a tough schedule, but folks may be underrating the difficulty of this early matchup.
The Georgia Bulldogs are preparing to head into what they hope is an extremely successful season here in a few months when toe meets leather over at Sanford Stadium.
Though the Bulldogs should not be challenged much over the two weeks against Tennessee State and Western Kentucky, they will hit the ground running right after that with a road game against the Arkansas Razorbacks to kick off SEC play.
Life in this conference is never going to be easy and Georgia does have a particularly brutal schedule this year in the first season of nine SEC games, but there is one matchup in particular which could sneak up on them.
While many look to a trip to Tuscaloosa in early October as the first seismic showdown of the season, it actually comes weeks earlier when the Oklahoma Sooners come to town for their first SEC tilt against the Bulldogs.
Oklahoma Presents Massive Early Test for Georgia
Should Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs be able to get through an Arkansas team attempting to start a new era of their own this year, the Sooners arrive in week four for what should really be the first significant trial of the season.
Because the game is at home and obviously Oklahoma does not have the built up reputation as an SEC power yet to this point, it does feel like some fans have overlooked this game as a potential hiccup, but they certainly should not.
Brent Venables has made a habit of harassing opposing quarterbacks no matter the venue, and look no further than his road victory over Alabama last season as an example.
This is going to be an absolutely nasty defense once again, and if quarterback John Mateer can get back to his form from before he got hurt last year, the Sooners are strong enough to be a national title contender.
How Georgia Can Handle Oklahoma Early On
As stated above, just how strong the Sooners are going to be this season likely depends a whole lot on Mateer. While he looked like a Heisman candidate before his midseason surgery, the gunslinger never got back to that level and Oklahoma’s offense struggled as a result.
If Smart’s defensive front can put some pressure on Mateer and make him look the second half of 2025 version of himself early on, it has the potential to be a long night for the Sooners. Should Mateer be able to make some plays though and that nasty pass rush for Oklahoma gives Stockton trouble early, an upset is far from out of the question.
Regardless, it should be a phenomenal first home SEC game in Athens and a nice early measuring stick for the Bulldogs.