Around the Dawghouse will bring you daily updates from what people and publications are saying about Georgia, from inside and outside of Athens. 

Kirby Smart praises Deebo Samuel

It’s hard for Deebo Samuel to be underrated given the accolades and attention he gets. Despite only playing three games last season due to injury, the South Carolina wide receiver was voted First Team All-SEC by both the media and the coaches.

But apparently that isn’t enough acclaim in the eyes of coach Kirby Smart. To him, Samuel isn’t just one of the best players in the SEC. He’s one of the best in the country.

“He’s probably the most underrated player in all of college football. I don’t know that everyone in the country knows what the SEC knows about Deebo Samuel. The guy is phenomenal,” Smart said at his Monday press conference. “Even two years ago he gave us fits in that game and then you turn around and say he has a tough injury he has to deal with, but before he had that injury he had some of the most electric kickoff returns in the country.”

In the Gamecocks week 1 win against Coastal Carolina, Samuel caught 7 passes for 56 yards and a touchdown. In addition to to receiver, Samuel also returns kicks for the Gamecocks. South Carolina won its week 1 contest against Coastal Carolina 49-15.

Georgia will have talented options to throw at Samuel, as Deandre Baker is one of the top cornerbacks in the country and freshman Tyson Campbell impressed in his debut on Saturday.

ESPN analysts dump Georgia out of playoff in week 1

Nothing says week 1 overreactions like new College Football Playoff rankings, even before week 1 is officially over.

Andrea Adelson, Edward Aschoff, Chris Low and Adam Rittenberg of ESPN all produced their updated playoff rankings and no analyst had Georgia in their top four. Each analyst had Alabama and Clemson, and three of them had Notre Dame who took down Michigan. Low, interestingly enough, had both Alabama and Auburn in his playoff.

It’s too early to really worry about where Georgia fits into the College Football Playoff landscape. If the Bulldogs keep winning their games, and they have the talent to do so, Georgia will find itself in the College Football Playoff discussion. It’s a lot easier to be impressive when you beat Washington or Michigan than say Austin Peay.

Georgia will have a chance to improve its resume on Saturday when it takes on a South Carolina team that will likely be ranked when the new AP Poll is released on Tuesday.

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