Georgia is elite and, while Trevor Etienne's suspension might slow the Bulldogs a bit, I still expect the Bulldogs to win comfortably. Final score in the range of 30-10 in the Bulldogs' favor, which keeps it Under with some room to spare.

Georgia's last eight opening games have gone Under, and the streak stands to get longer. The Bulldogs are minus their top two projected rushers, with Trevor Etienne suspended and Roderick Robinson injured, leaving them with a possible walk-on starting at RB. Clemson welcomes back eight defensive starters. The Dawgs yielded the fifth fewest points per game (15.7) in FBS a year ago. Scoring likely won't come easy for either side.

The dynastic Bulldogs are again short favorites to win the national title, and they appear to have all the needed elements to support this distinction, behind Heisman favorite Carson Beck and a loaded supporting cast. Clemson dominated the landscape for a decent portion of the past decade but it appears the NIL and transfer portal landscape has set the Tigers one level behind championship contender status.

Clemson starts a new season but comes off a 4-4 ACC record and a 9-4 overall record. They lost 12 players to the portal and only 11 starters return this season. Clemson hopes to have an improved quarterback Cade Klubnik leading the way. I think where Clemson is going to have trouble with is its front seven defense with 6 new starters this year. I think Georgia will find a way to beat them continuously. Georgia's got it all and they got 17 starters back from last year. Every kid wants to play at Georgia. They had 33 new players come in. They are the best of the best and will prove it against Clemson, win by 20.

The thought process isn't overly complicated here. I don't have enough faith in Clemson QB Cade Klubnik to lead the Tigers to enough points to hang around here.

With all spring and summer to prepare for an opening opponent whose style and talent you're very familiar with, should give Clemson some confidence heading into this matchup. Expect them to slow the pace down to make it a trench war and situational football battle to help them cover.

These two teams played three years ago and the game finished 10-3, with the only touchdown being a defensive score. Both defenses are great and while I like Clemson this year, they'll need a few weeks to gel on offense. Bulldogs cruise in Atlanta, essentially a home game for them. Georgia 27, Clemson 10.

Clemson will be a solid team in 2024, but they simply aren't in the same class as Georgia. This will basically be a home game for Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and the Bulldogs looked primed for another CFP run in 2024. Carson Beck is the Heisman Trophy front-runner, and I expect him to shine in the season opener. When it's all said and done, I expect Georgia to win this game by 20+ points.