Alabama Football: SEC teams under the most pressure

Two Alabama football rivals under pressure

Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia is always under pressure. They’re easily the best team in the SEC East, and they are always at the top of the recruiting rankings, but they haven’t won a national title in 40 years. So, what adds to the pressure this season?

First and foremost, their typical rivals are on the decline. Florida will be a solid team, but the key contributors from last year’s game-breaking offense are all gone. Auburn is also in the middle of a rebuild, and the Bulldogs get to avoid Alabama football in the regular season.

Also, Georgia has an answer at quarterback. The Bulldogs have botched the position for the past few years by choosing Jake Fromm over Jacob Eason and Justin Fields and then adding Jamie Newman to the roster only to immediately replace him. This is now JT Daniels’ team, and he should carry the UGA offense.

For Georgia, it is also now or never. They have to beat Clemson to start the year, but their schedule eases up after that. They’ll have a better team this year than they will in the foreseeable future, so they need to finally come out on top.

LSU Tigers

LSU won the title two years ago, but they learned how hard it was to remain at the top of the mountain. It’s one thing to build a great team, but it’s exponentially tougher to build a dynasty. They lost almost every starter from the 2019 squad, and it was clear that they needed a year to rebound.

LSU is now seen as one of the best teams in the SEC West. They’ll have one of the best corner duos in college football, and they retain more players from last year’s team.

The Tigers may be overrated this year, and that adds pressure. Fans expect LSU to compete for an SEC title, so what if LSU can’t do that? With their schedule, 8-4 is more likely than 12-0. Ed Orgeron needs another great season to prove that he is more than a one-hit-wonder, and that adds pressure.

Alabama football will face two of these three teams, and those games will determine if these teams will live up to the hype.