NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

The Georgia Bulldogs proved a lot of doubters wrong during the 2025 college football season. Yes, Georgia did not win a national championship, but if you have realistic expectations for the Bulldogs, then this was still a pretty satisfying season considering all the pieces Georgia lost to the draft and transfer portal from a season ago.

Georgia went 12-2, won the SEC championship, beat all of their top rivals (again) and found their quarterback. Georgia’s season ended in the same fashion as it did in 2024 with the Bulldogs losing the Sugar Bowl in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. The ending was painful for Georgia fans with the Bulldogs being just one play away from advancing in the College Football Playoff.

There’s plenty of blame to go around for how Georgia’s season ended, but Georgia fans should be happy with how the Dawgs continue to play in the coach Kirby Smart era. Outside of the Smart era, Georgia has finished with a better record than 12-2 just once since 1984. It used to be much tougher to be to UGA fan and we can’t become too spoiled.

5 things to love from Georgia’s 2025 season

SEC championship win

Georgia and coach Kirby Smart exorcised their demons with a dominant 28-7 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC championship. Georgia (and Alabama) was pretty beat up for the game, but still managed to avenge their lone loss of the regular season in a convincing fashion.

Georgia has now won back-to-back SEC championships and three of the last four SEC titles. Imagine telling Bulldogs fans in the later years of the Mark Richt era that winning an SEC championship was a disappointing season.

Gunner Stockton’s toughness

We definitely weren’t questioning Gunner Stockton’s toughness after he took a massive hit in the 2024 SEC championship against Texas and still held on to the ball. However, Stockton showed an impressive lack of fear from the pocket.

Against Mississippi State, he took a massive hit to deliver a touchdown to wide receiver Noah Thomas. In the Sugar Bowl, Stockton held on to the ball until the last second and absorbed huge hits (one of which inexplicably wasn’t targeting or roughing the passer) in Georgia’s Sugar Bowl against Ole Miss.

Stockton may not be the best pure passer in the country, yet his toughness is probably unmatched. We hope he’ll be back for 2026.

Zachariah Branch’s quickness

USC transfer Zachariah Branch was a joy to watch in his lone season in Athens. Branch, who is headed to the NFL, carried Georgia’s passing game and made defenders miss with ease. He finished the year with more than double the receiving yards of Georgia’s second-leading receiver and set UGA’s all-time receptions record.

Branch is the quickest receiver I’ve ever seen play at Georgia. His ability to get separation is rare and we’ll miss watching him on Saturdays between the hedges.

Georgia’s defensive improvement

Georgia’s defense was frustrating to start the season. The Dawgs couldn’t get stops on the road against Tennessee and struggles several times in the first half early in the second. A switch seemed to flip after Georgia’s first meeting against Ole Miss.

The Bulldogs locked down Texas, Alabama and Georgia Tech before having a setback against Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl. Georgia’s pass rush improved a bit from the start of the season, but the Bulldogs’ top source of success came from improved cornerback play. Ellis Robinson made some serious strides throughout the year.

The close wins

Georgia had come from behind wins over Tennessee, Auburn, Florida and Ole Miss (first game) that all were stressful for Georgia fans. The stress turned into a combination of relief and pure bliss in each of those games after Georgia overcame deficits against SEC opponents.

The days of Georgia blowing out almost every opponent with ease appears to be in the rear view mirror, but I’m not complaining about more competitive games (as long as Georgia wins) even if they are more stressful.

Follow UGA Wire on Instagram or Threads for more Georgia football coverage!

This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Why Georgia fans should be optimistic about UGA’s 2025 season

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos