The Georgia football team has won the last two national championships. They’ll enter the 2023 season favored to do so again, as Georgia is the No. 1 ranked team in both the AP and Coaches Polls.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a team as talented as Georgia is a national title contender. They’re one of the few teams capable of winning it all this season.

The ceiling for this team is a national championship, which would be an unprecedented third consecutive national title.

“We’re not worried about a three-peat. That’s not what we’re focused on,” wide receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint said. “We just worry about winning today and attacking the day today. I know everybody wants to talk about the three-peat, but that’s not what we focus on. We just focus on ourselves and getting better.”

In a recent article previewing the upcoming season, ESPN gave a floor and ceiling for each team ranked in the top 25. Georgia’s ceiling was once again winning the national championship.

The floor though? Two losses, according to Mark Schlabach.

“Maybe Georgia slips up against Ole Miss at home and then falls at Tennessee on Nov. 18. Probably not,” Schlabach wrote. “Losing at Tennessee and then falling to Alabama or LSU in the SEC championship is probably a more plausible scenario. If Georgia finishes unbeaten in the regular season and falls in the SEC championship game, will it get the benefit of doubt from the CFP selection committee? Or will its nonconference schedule keep it out of another playoff?”

Georgia was set to play Oklahoma this season but the game was canceled at the behest of the SEC. Georgia’s non-conference schedule composes of UT-Martin, Ball State, UAB and Georgia Tech.

The Bulldogs also don’t have the most difficult SEC schedule, as Tennessee and Ole Miss were the only teams on Georgia’s schedule to be ranked in the Preseason AP Top 25.

Schlabach added that if Georgia were to underachieve, it would be due to a less productive running game and Carson Beck struggling. Beck hasn’t been named the starter but he is the presumptive favorite following a strong spring practice. He’s also the only quarterback on the roster to have completed a pass in a game.

Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton will continue to push Beck and Smart isn’t going to name a starter anytime soon. But there’s a strong internal belief in what Beck brings to the table.

“He’s been doing everything right. He’s been doing the little things right. He’s been real focused,” Rosemy-Jacksaint said of Beck. “He’s been in the playbook. We all have trust in him of if he starts, he starts and that he’s going to execute at a high level. Whoever starts at that — whoever’s in at quarterback — we believe in them to execute at a high level and lead us to victory.”

The Bulldogs will hold another scrimmage this Saturday, which will go a long way in shaking out who starts for Georgia. Not just at quarterback but at left tackle, cornerback and other unsettled positions.

Georgia opens the 2023 season on Sept. 2 when it hosts UT-Martin. The game is set for a 6 p.m. start time.