ATLANTA, GEORGIA – DECEMBER 31: Head coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs is seen during the fourth quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 31, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
The No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs cruised to a 2-0 season start as they attempt to win an unprecedented third consecutive national championship. They’ll have to get past Spencer Rattler and the South Carolina Gamecocks, the Bulldogs stiffest competition yet this season.
Advertisement
Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart has held the upper hand against the Gamecocks, with a 6-1 record as proof. Both teams are now dealing with injuries, the Bulldogs have been without its top receiver, Junior Ladd McConkey. The Gamecocks have had limited use of star wide receiver Antwane “Juice” Wells, who has been dogged by a lower body injury.
The Gamecocks are 1-1 this season and hope to deliver the mighty Bulldogs their first loss of the 2023 NCAA college football season as SEC play begins for both teams this weekend.
Nike college shoe release 2023: Our favorite picks
One person who will definitely be tuning in to Saturday’s SEC game is former Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett, who brought home two national championships to Athens during his tenure as Georgia’s starting QB. Now Matthew Stafford’s backup on the Los Angeles Rams, Bennett was just placed on the reserve list for Sunday’s home game against the San Francisco 49ers for an undisclosed reason that Rams coach Sean McVay said was “bigger than football.”
Note: CBS Essentials and Paramount+ are both subsidiaries of Paramount.
Advertisement
How to watch the Georgia vs. South Carolina NCAA college football game
The South Carolina Gamecocks take the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday, Sept. 16 at 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. PT). You can watch the game live on CBS.
Stream the game on Paramount+
Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
CBS is included in many cable TV packages. Don’t have a cable TV package? It’s never been easier to cut the cable TV cord and still watch all the SEC conference games and NCAA football games this season.
If you don’t have a cable TV package that includes CBS, one of the easiest ways to catch all live NFL games broadcast on CBS is through a subscription to Paramount+. The streamer offers access to all NFL games locally and nationally televised on CBS on all its subscription tiers. In addition, you can watch top-tier soccer like the Champions League live and SEC college football games as well, plus popular shows such as “Survivor” and “NCIS.”
Advertisement
Paramount+ costs $5.99 for the Essential tier (or $60 annually), and $11.99 per month (or $120 annually) for the ad-free Showtime tier that includes your local CBS station. Paramount+ currently offers a one-week free trial.
Get Paramount+ as part of Walmart+
The Walmart+ shopping subscription service includes access to the Paramount+ Essentials tier (with live NFL games such as this one), a $60 per year value. Walmart+ subscribers also get discounts on gasoline at Mobil and Exxon stations, access to special members-only deals (including early access to Black Friday pricing), same-day home delivery from your local store and more.
Walmart+ costs $98 per year. Tap the button below to learn all the benefits of Walmart+, and to start your 30-day free trial.
Why we like Walmart+:
Walmart+ members get access to this game through the Paramount+ streaming service.
You can get groceries delivered to your home quickly without paying Instacart-like markups.
Early access to Walmart’s Black Friday deals reduces holiday shopping stress.
You can make returns from home — Walmart will pick them up for you. (Restrictions apply; must be present for pickup.)
Stream the Gamecocks vs. Bulldogs game on Sling TV
Advertisement
Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The South Carolina Gamecocks take the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday, Sept. 16 at 3:30 p.m. ET. You can watch the game on CBS.
CBS is included in many cable TV packages. Don’t have a cable TV package? One of the most cost-effective ways to get the channel is through a subscription to Sling TV. The streamer offers access to NFL Network, local NBC, Fox and ABC affiliates (where available) and ESPN with its Orange + Blue Tier plan. Also worth noting: Sling TV comes with 50 hours of cloud-based DVR recording space included, perfect for recording all the season’s top NFL and college football matchups.
That plan normally costs $60 per month, but the streamer is currently offering a 50% off promotion for your first month, so you’ll pay just $30. You can learn more by tapping the button below.
Top features of Sling TV Orange + Blue tier:
Advertisement
There are 46 channels to watch in total, including local NBC, FOX and ABC affiliates (where available).
You get access to most local NFL games and nationally broadcast games at the lowest price.
All subscription tiers include 50 hours of cloud-based DVR storage.
Sling TV has a new offering for the 2023 NCAA college football season and 2023 NFL Season called Sports Extra. The new package is designed for NFL and college football fans, with access to NFL Redzone, ESPN, NFL, SEC, ACC, PAC 12, Big10 and Longhorn Networks.
There’s a great preseason deal on Sling TV Sports Extra going on right now: You can get five months of Sling TV Orange + Blue + Sports Extra for $274. That works out to just $55 per month, an even better price than subscribing to just the $60 per month Orange + Blue plan. It’s the most cost effective way to stream most NFL games this year.
You can learn more about Sling TV and Sports Extra by tapping the button below.
More ways to watch the Week 3 South Carolina vs. Georgia game : FuboTV
You can also catch Saturday’s SEC action on FuboTV. FuboTV is a sports-centric streaming service that offers access to this game, plus almost every NFL game of the season. Packages include CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN, NFL Network, NFL RedZone and more, so you’ll be able to watch more than just today’s games.
To watch college football without cable, start a seven-day free trial of Fubo. You can begin watching immediately on your TV, phone, tablet or computer.
In addition to college football, FuboTV offers the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer games. FuboTV starts at $75 per month for the Pro tier (includes NFL Network); the $100 per month Ultimate tier includes NFL RedZone.
Advertisement
Top features of FuboTV:
The Pro tier includes 169 channels, including NFL Network; the Ultimate tier includes 289 channels, including NFL RedZone.
FuboTV includes all the channels you’ll need to watch live sports, including CBS (not available through Sling TV).
All tiers come with 1,000 hours of DVR recording.
Stream college football games on Hulu + Live TV
You can watch this college football game with Hulu + Live TV. The bundle features access to 90 channels, including both Fox and FS1. Unlimited DVR storage is also included. Watch every game on every network with Hulu + Live TV, plus you can personalize your viewing experience and Hulu will offer curated recommendations based on the teams and playmakers you follow.
Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+ for $70 per month.
Amazon
If you’re cutting the cord between yourself and your cable company, you’re not alone, but you are in luck. You can still watch college football on TV with the assist of affordable indoor antenna, which pulls in local over-the-air HD channels such as CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox and PBS. Here’s the kicker: There’s no monthly charge.
Advertisement
First-floor apartment dwellers, or anyone living in partially blocked-off area (those near mountains, for example), a digital TV antenna may not pick up a good signal – or any signal at all. But for many homes, a digital TV antenna provides a seriously inexpensive way to watch college football without paying a staggering monthly fee. ndoor TV antennas can also provide some much-needed TV backup if a storm knocks out your cable (or your cable company gets in a squabble with a network).
This amplified HDTV antenna, claims to have a 50-mile range and offers 36 channels. It’s rated 4.0 stars by Amazon reviewers.
Said one Amazon customer, “When the price of this antenna dropped to $50 it was competitively priced with what you would find on the shelves at your local Radio Shack. If you’re considering this product, you’re probably already questioning your cable television bill and are looking around for a cheap way to get the Big 3 plus Fox and PBS. This antenna delivered that for us right out of the box.”
More teams to follow during the 2023 college football season
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Advertisement
The Georgia Bulldogs want to run it back. The Georgia Bulldogs became just the fifth program to win back-to-back national championships when they beat the Alabama Crimson Tide 33-18 in 2022. Since 1936, no college team has won three-in-a-row. The Bulldogs are hoping to change all that. Head coach Kirby Smart has focused on leadership skills for his players, stating the team’s biggest opponent is “complacency.”
Can Deion Sanders make the Colorado Buffaloes great? Coach Prime made headlines during the offseason. Only ten scholarship players from the Buffaloes’ 2022-season roster remain on the team after Sanders took advantage of transfer portal rules to revamp the team’s roster. Prime’s in his first season as the Buffaloes coach and he’ll hope to work the same magic on the Buffaloes program as he did in his successful three years at Jackson State. But the lights of the Pac-12 shine brighter than they do in the FCS and Sanders will have to rise to the occasion. Good news for Sanders, the Buffs finished 1-11 last season. There’s only one way to go but up.
Important dates for the 2023 college football season:
The 13-week 2023 college football season runs from Aug. 27 through Dec. 9.
Two semifinal games, the Rose Bowl Game and the Allstate Sugar Bowl, are scheduled for New Year’s Day (Monday, January 1, 2024).
The College Football Playoff National Championship is scheduled for Monday, January 8, 2024 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
How will all the college football shake ups shake out?
In July 2022, UCLA and USC finally agreed on something. The frenemy rivals would both leave the Pac-12 in favor of the Big Ten in 2024. This summer, Colorado announced it would return to the Big 12. Since then, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah have announced an exodus from the Pac-12 to the Big-12 at the end of the 2023 season. Washington and Oregon State are also ditching the Pac-12 for the Big 10 at the same time.
The school shuffling won’t affect the 2023 season much, but expect journalists to talk about it to no end. With the Pac-12 currently down to just four teams for the 2024 season, the demise of the Pac-12 is sure to be one of the biggest stories of the season.
We’re also looking forward to these stories during the 2023 NCAA college football season
The Alabama Crimson Tide came into the 2023 season ranked No. 4. Saban and company are working hard to land back on top. The Tide’s Week 2 upset loss to the Texas Longhorns didn’t help. Ohio State has arguably one of the best receiver rooms in college football led by the dazzling Marvin Harrison Jr. The Buckeyes started the season at No.3 and have slipped to No. 6, passing by Florida State who now sits at No. 3.
ATHENS — Carson Beck sat at a table in Miami a little more than a year ago, talking about why he opted to return for another season at Georgia. There had been rumors and stories about money being the main factor, and it’s not to say it wasn’t a consideration. But as he sat there, Beck pointed to a simple reason: He wanted to play.
“I waited three years, didn’t play, and obviously, I’ve gotten the opportunity to play this season, and it’s fun,” Beck said days before Georgia finished its season with a win in the Orange Bowl. “It’s a lot more fun to be on the field than not being on the field. So knowing I get another opportunity to come back and play another year at the University of Georgia, it’s going to be a lot of fun and enjoyable.”
Fun and enjoyable? Maybe off the field. Maybe at times on the field. But in the end, Beck’s fifth season at Georgia, what all assumed was his last in college before going to the NFL, left plenty wanting. This week, Beck made a cold-blooded business decision: He deleted his Instagram post from two weeks ago declaring for the NFL draft, and his camp confirmed to multiple outlets, including The Athletic, that he would be entering the transfer portal.
Coming back to college. But not coming back to Georgia. It’s quite the plot twist, and if it holds, it puts Beck and Georgia on opposite ends of a big 2025 storyline.
Advertisement
For Beck, this would be betting on himself. It comes with risks, as elbow surgery leaves him unlikely to do much at spring practice for another program, and he would have to get to know his new teammates and coaches in meeting rooms before doing much on the field. But it’s a risk he’s exploring.
For Georgia, the optics may be bad, but it’s more about timing: Georgia always assumed Beck was turning pro, as did Beck. By the time he decided one more year in college may be worth it — whether it was what he was hearing from NFL teams or what he thought he could get on the transfer market — Georgia had moved on. It had allocated name, image and likeness resources elsewhere, had seen Gunner Stockton throw the ball pretty well in the Sugar Bowl, and ultimately was not willing to come close to what Beck could earn from a team more desperate for a quarterback.
Gunner Stockton, left, made his first start for Kirby Smart and Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. (Perry McIntyre / ISI Photos / Getty Images)
That’s not to sugarcoat this news for Georgia. Undoubtedly, it creates more pressure on the team, the offense and three people in particular:
• Stockton, who has to play well enough, not necessarily in the stat department but in the wins. This assumes he’s the starter, rather than Ryan Puglisi or a transfer not currently in the portal. Stockton looked capable in throwing the ball against Notre Dame and good in running against Texas, and coaches and teammates love his intangibles. But his game management needs to improve, and he will now be compared to what Beck does or would have done.
GO DEEPER
Georgia’s Carson Beck enters transfer portal
Advertisement
• Mike Bobo, who is in a prove-it year as the offensive coordinator and play caller. He had a great first year back at Georgia in 2023, guiding the nation’s fifth-ranked offense, being a finalist for the Broyles Award and coaching Beck into consideration for the Heisman Trophy and the No. 1 overall pick. But this season was definitely a step back for the entire offense, mostly the running game, and Beck’s regression is something Bobo wears, fair or not.
• And finally Kirby Smart, whose judgment on picking the right quarterback and coordinator will be monitored. These were questions pre-2021 for Smart, who seemed to quiet everyone with how Stetson Bennett turned out and by letting Todd Monken do his thing with the offense. By earning two national championships, Smart earned credibility. That won’t stop the criticism if next year’s offense is a dud.
Once more for emphasis: There is a chance Beck still turns pro. He may not like his transfer options, and this is not considered a strong draft for quarterbacks. But the fact that Beck is even exploring his college options creates pressure for his now-former team. If things go downhill, there will be a time when the world wonders why Georgia didn’t do everything in its power to bring Beck back.
There’s also plenty of reason for hope. Georgia just signed two transfer receivers, Zachariah Branch for the slot and Noah Thomas for the outside “X” spot, with Dillon Bell returning for his senior year and moving to his more natural position. Tight end Oscar Delp returning to the team with Lawson Luckie would be big, along with rising sophomore Jaden Reddell and 6-foot-7 freshman Elyiss Williams.
GO DEEPER
Georgia picks up highly touted transfer duo Zachariah and Zion Branch from USC
Advertisement
The bigger concerns are the offensive line and the running game. The blocking wasn’t good this year, and now the line is losing four starters, including all three interior linemen. There are some good players with some experience coming behind them, but it’s largely a reset on the line, which doesn’t usually bode well.
GO DEEPER
Inside the transfer portal and NFL draft decisions for Georgia
But a reason for optimism: Tailback Trevor Etienne returning, if he does, would mean a dynamic tandem with Nate Frazier, and Etienne passing on the NFL — where he’s projected as a mid-round pick — would be a vote of confidence in the blocking he expects next year.
On paper, this could be a good offense. But a lot has to go well. Hope is not a plan. There was always going to be immense pressure on the Georgia offense next year. Now its starting quarterback from the past two years appears to have ratcheted it up.
(Top photo: David J. Griffin / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday declared a state of emergency in Georgia in preparation for the winter storm expected to hit the state on Friday.
The declaration activates the state operations center and mobilizes resources among state agencies including the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Georgia Department of Public Safety. It also includes prohibitions on price gouging during the storm and temporarily increases height, weight and length limits for commercial vehicles transporting essential supplies.
“The Georgia Department of Transportation, along with the Department of Public Safety, began treating roads early this morning to prepare for the approaching winter storm, and I’m asking all Georgians to help them do their jobs by limiting travel as much as possible in the coming days,” Kemp said in a statement.
“Hazardous conditions, including ice and snow, can develop quickly and make travel very dangerous,” he added. “Plan ahead and stay tuned to updates from state and local officials to ensure you and your loved ones remain safe while our first responders continue to work tirelessly throughout this weather event.”
Advertisement
The state of emergency is in effect through Jan. 14.
The latest forecast from the National Weather Service in Atlanta predicts a mix of rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow moving into Georgia by sunrise Friday and continuing to push east across the northern part of the state — including metro Atlanta — throughout the day.
North Georgia is forecast to see one to three inches of snow, with higher amounts likely in the North Georgia mountains. NWS predicts a mix of precipitation types in Atlanta and southwards, with snow in the morning transitioning to sleet and freezing rain.
The area is under a winter storm watch from 7 a.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday.
:: Natalie Dale, Spokesperson, Georgia department of Transportation
“Brine is that mixture of water and salt. So the brine goes straight from these tanks into those tankers. And then you also have a system of pipes here where from the brine production unit outside — so where we’re churning up that granular salt and water, it feeds into the tanks.”
“We sit in a very precarious place here in Metro Atlanta. And a lot of what we get is ice which is very different. It is hard, if not impossible, to plow sheets of ice. It is easier to plow that big, fluffy snow that you do get in the North. So we have to develop a winter weather plan that is specific to southern winters which are very different than northern winters.”
GDOT’s MAU manages the state’s largest brine operation, producing and storing hundreds of thousands of gallons of brine to treat roads before and during winter storms.
This operation is crucial for preventing ice buildup on major highways, such as Interstates 75, 85, I-20, and 285, which are prioritized for treatment during storms.
Advertisement
GDOT spokesperson Natalie Dale says Georgia’s primary challenge during winter weather is ice, not snow.
“We sit in a very precarious place here in Metro Atlanta. And a lot of what we get is ice,” Dale said. “It is hard, if not impossible, to plow sheets of ice. It’s easier to plow the big, fluffy snow you get up north.”
Starting at midnight, GDOT crews and vehicles will begin brining roads as snow and ice are expected to impact the region on Friday.
