Georgia now knows the dates and its opponents for its 2021 schedule, as the SEC released the conference-wide slate for the upcoming season.

The Bulldogs will once again be playing eight conference games, as the SEC shifted away from the 10-game conference model it used during the 2020 season.

Georgia’s full schedule can be seen below, along with an analysis of the Georgia football 2021 schedule.

Georgia football 2021 schedule, dates and games

  • Sept. 4: Clemson, Charlotte
  • Sept. 11: UAB, Athens, Ga.,
  • Sept 18: South Carolina, Athens, Ga.,
  • Sept. 25: at Vanderbilt, Nashville
  • Oct. 2: Arkansas, Athens, Ga.,
  • Oct. 9: at Auburn, Auburn, Ala.
  • Oct. 16: Kentucky, Athens, Ga.,
  • Oct. 23: Off
  • Oct. 30: Florida, Jacksonville, Fla.,
  • Nov. 6: Missouri, Athens, Ga.,
  • Nov. 13: At Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn.,
  • Nov. 20: Charleston Southern, Athens, Ga.,
  • Nov. 27: at Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Ga.,
/Dawgnation)

It all starts with Clemson for Georgia football

The 2021 schedule brings back non-conference games. And for Georgia, that means a season-opening game against the Clemson Tigers.

This game had been previously scheduled and will be played in Charlotte on Sept. 4. It figures to be one of the most anticipated games of the 2021 season, with both teams figuring to start the year in the top-5 of the rankings.

Clemson is one of four non-conference games on Georgia’s 2021 schedule, as the Bulldogs also play UAB, Charleston Southern and Georgia Tech. While Georgia and Georgia Tech did not play in 2020 due to the pandemic, the two teams will play in Atlanta during the 2021 season.

New coaches, who dis

There are four new SEC coaches this season, with Shane Beamer at South Carolina, Clark Lea at Vanderbilt, Bryan Harsin at Auburn and Josh Heupel at Tennessee.

Georgia will see all four of those coaches in 2021, with the latter three being road contests for Georgia and Kirby Smart.

Beamer’s first SEC game as a coach will be against Georgia and Smart on Sept. 18. It is the SEC-opener for both teams. Beamer was a member of Smart’s staff during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

The last time South Carolina played in Athens, the Gamecocks came away with a stunning upset of the Bulldogs.

Off week

Georgia’s off week this season is scheduled to fall on Oct. 23, the week before the Florida game. This past season, the off week was after the Alabama game and before the Kentucky contest, as it had to be moved around to accommodate other SEC programs.

Florida is the only team on Georgia’s schedule that has an off week before facing the Bulldogs.

Alabama though wasn’t quite as lucky, as three foes on its schedule have an off week to prepare for the Crimson Tide. The only other SEC program that has multiple opponents with an off week beforehand is Kentucky.

Backloaded SEC East slate

Rarely has the Florida game been the actual clincher for Georgia in the SEC East, and that will likely the case again in 2021 when the two teams meet on Oct. 30.

The two squads are likely to be the favorites to win the SEC East in 2021, but they’ll have some competition. The Bulldogs play Missouri the week after the Florida game.

Georgia then takes on Tennessee on Nov. 13. Traditionally that game has been played earlier in the season, but with the switch of that game, the Bulldogs’ final SEC game will come against the Volunteers.

The Bulldogs draw Auburn and Arkansas from the SEC West this season. Georgia and Auburn play on Oct. 9 while Georgia welcomes Arkansas Sam Pittman to Sanford Stadium on Oct. 2.

Georgia beat both of those teams to start the 2020 season. As of this writing, that is also a better draw than what Florida got, as the Gators play LSU and Alabama this season. That could be a factor in determining who wins the SEC East.

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