Georgia St Panthers 2024 College Football Preview
Posted June 20, 2024
2023 Recap
Record – 7-6
ATS – 7-6
Things were looking great for the Panthers after a hot start (6-1) in which they disposed of Coastal Carolina, Marshall, and Louisiana. Georgia St then took an unexpected detour into TURD TOWN and lost the next five (!) games in a row. Four of those games featured losing margins of 17,28,28, and 42. That’s some serious STANK. The Panthers dusted that losing skid off in impressive fashion in December as they destroyed Utah St by a score of 45-22 in the Idaho Potato Bowl to finish at 7-6.
There’s a new sheriff in town as Dell McGee comes over from Georgia. Let’s dive in and see what he has to work with in 2024.
Georgia St Panthers 2024 Outlook
OFFENSE
The Panthers had a lethal ground attack LY (#25 FBS) thanks to the hard work of star RB Marcus Carroll (1,350, 13 TD) and electric dual-threat QB Darren Grainger (736, 10 TD). There are some yuuuge holes to fill on offense as Grainger (20-7 TD to INT) will no longer be the trigger man, and the Panthers have to replace Carroll and #1 WR Robert Lewis (877, 7 TD). It’s a FOOL’S ERRAND to think you’re gonna replace Grainger’s multi-dimensional production but the Panthers got a pair of decent QBs thru the portal in Zach Gibson (Georgia Tech) and the once highly-touted Christian Veilleux (Pitt). Hopefully, one (or both) of these guys can do a decent job. Georgia St stocked the RB room with transfers that can support what they hope is a legit #1 RB in Freddie Brock who rushed for an eye-popping 276 yards in the Potato Bowl. The Panthers lose two of their top-three WR targets but Tailique Williams (615, 6 TD) is a good piece to build around. Maybe someone will emerge during fall camp? Can WR Cadarrius Thompson take a big step forward? The OL will be undergoing a rebuilding process as they only retain one starter from LY’s unit.
DEFENSE
The pass defense was a HOT MESS last year (#125 pass efficiency D; last Sun Belt) as the Panthers yielded 65% completions at 8.3 YPA whilst sporting a 30-11 TD to INT ratio. They were decent vs the run (#50) but it didn’t really matter that much when opposing QBs were having so much fun. New DC Kevin Sherrer has six returning starters to work with and there are some talented specimens on the roster. MLB Justin Abraham (#2 tackles, 8 TFL LY) is a great piece to man the middle of the defense, DT Henry Bryant and LB Kevin Swint combined for 7 sacks and 13.5 TFL LY, and CB Gavin Pringle picked off four passes in 2023. There’s a lot of work to do on this side of the football but there’s potential for improvement, particularly vs the pass.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Panthers struggled on special teams LY but at least they’ve got some continuity in the kicking game, and recall that PK Liam Rickman connected on 9/12 FG attempts (1-2 from 40+) and 41/42 XPs LY.
Schedule Analysis
Overall – The non-conference schedule isn’t too bad as they’ve got a legit shot to go 2-2 in those games. Unfortunately, the set of FUN BELT assignments is brutal as they draw Texas St from the West and have four heinous road tests (Marshall, App St, James Madison, Texas St).
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – at Connecticut (Nov 1)
This will be the Panthers’ 3rd consecutive road game and they’ve gotta travel to the middle of nowhere for this event. Also note that it’s a difficult sandwich spot between Sun Belt foes (Appalachian St, James Madison).
Season Win Total
Market consensus June 20
Over 4.5 -115
Under 4.5 -115
MEGALOCKS says:
Lean: Under
They’ll probably pull an upset at some point but they’re guaranteed to get smoked in at least five games.
NOTE – “Lean” implies this is how we’d invest in this market if forced to make a choice. We’ll notify subscribers in our Season Win Total blog post of any season win totals that have made our investment card.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
Georgia St has been a very respectable Group of Five program over the last seven years posting a winning record five times and making a bowl game on each of those occasions (4-1).
The Panthers are just 8-15-3 ATS (35%) as a home underdog over the L10Y.
Atlanta was recently named “Most Corrupt City on Earth” by trusted media outlets **.
** FACT CHECK: Very possible.
MEGALOCKS Forecast:
“Prediction?
Yes, prediction.
Pain.”
<Clubber Lang, Rocky III>
The Panthers have some talented bodies sprinkled throughout the roster but this definitely appears to be a rebuilding year for Georgia St. They lost a ton of production on offense and will be rolling with a first year head coach. And the schedule doesn’t do them any favors. We’ll call for three or four wins in this important building block campaign. In any event, good luck, Panthers!