Georgia coach Kirby Smart speaks with Georgia wide receiver Zachariah Branch (1) during the first half of a NCAA college football game against Kentucky in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, October 4, 2025. Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Georgia still has massive question marks despite high spot in ESPN rankings

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Oct 6, 2025 11:52 PM ET

Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs have to at least feel good about getting back on the winning track.

A week after losing to the Alabama Crimson Tide at home and in front of over 90,000 screaming SEC fanatics, Smart's team found a way to bounce back against Kentucky.

The Bulldogs came into the game ranked No. 12 in the AP Top 25, and after the 35-14 win over the Wildcats, they now find themselves back in the Top 10. They're also back in, according to the ESPN Power Rankings, but there's not an air of confidence surrounding the analysis of this team at the moment.

Specifically, there are question marks about the offensive line moving forward. They didn't give up a sack against Kentucky, which is great, but this is a unit that is banged up and is missing consistency.

"For the Bulldogs to reach their full potential, they're going to have to get healthy on the offensive line," Mark Schlabach wrote. "Georgia was already missing starting tackle Earnest Greene III, who sat out for the third straight game with a back injury. Then left tackle Monroe Freeling went down with a leg injury on the second play from scrimmage against Kentucky and didn't return. Sophomore Bo Hughley stepped in at left tackle. Georgia used a different starting lineup on the line in each of its five games and needs to find continuity up front."

Georgia Bulldogs dealing with concerning injuries on the offensive line

It's not like the Bulldogs weren't impressive against the Wildcats. They put up 428 yards of total offense, and on defense, they forced a fumble, an interception and held Kentucky to just 3-of-11 on third downs.

Kentucky is 2-3 overall and 0-3 in SEC play, though, and there are real questions as to whether or not Mark Stoops should still be employed in Lexington.

In the meantime, Georgia looks ahead to a schedule that still features No. 4 Ole Miss, Texas and No. 13 Georgia Tech. That's not even to mention scrappy teams in Auburn (on the road) and Florida.

The concern here is not about how UGA played against Kentucky. The concern here is that in a conference that is known for its physicality and toughness at the line of scrimmage, the Bulldogs just started two true freshmen (guard Dontrell Glover and tackle Juan Gaston) on the offensive line for the first time since 2008.

That works against Kentucky, but does it work against Ole Miss in a few weeks? Does it work in the College Football Playoff?

The answer to those questions is "likely not", so unless the Bulldogs get healthy and get a chance to develop some consistency on that offensive line, there's a good chance they'll get popped once or twice more this season.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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