Georgia football’s 2021 schedule is set. New season opens with Clemson showdown

Georgia’s 2021 schedule is set, at least for now.

The SEC released next season’s conference schedule Wednesday afternoon. After playing a 10-game conference-only schedule in 2020, the league returns to an eight-game league slate in 2021.

Georgia opens the season against Clemson in Charlotte, North Carolina on Sept. 4. The Bulldogs own the all-time series with a record of 42-18-4, including a 45-21 victory in the teams’ last meeting in 2014.

The Bulldogs open the league slate at home against South Carolina and new head coach Shane Beamer on Sept. 18. The Gamecocks pulled a stunning upset on their last visit to Sanford Stadium in 2019, so Georgia will be looking for some revenge to kick off conference play.

Following a road trip to Vanderbilt, Georgia returns home to host Arkansas. This is the second-straight season featuring a matchup with Sam Pittman and the Razorbacks, with Georgia winning 37-10 in the 2020 season opener.

Georgia will then face its second first-year head coach in Auburn’s Bryan Harsin. The visit to the Plains is followed by a home date with Kentucky heading into the bye week.

This three-game stretch will be critical to Georgia’s success in 2021. Arkansas and Kentucky are a pair of physical tests that are sandwiched around an always-heated rivalry matchup with Auburn. Making it through this run 3-0 will give the Bulldogs a huge boost heading into the season’s final stretch.

The open week Oct. 23 leads into the Bulldogs’ date with Florida in Jacksonville. The Gators snapped Georgia’s three-game winning streak in the series last season, which led to Georgia not appearing in the SEC Championship Game for the first time since 2016.

League play rounds out with a home game with Missouri on Nov. 6 and a road trip to Knoxville to face Tennessee on Nov. 13. New Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel will be the third first-year coach Georgia will face in 2021.

Georgia’s schedule is then rounded out with non-conference dates with Charleston Southern on Nov. 20 and Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Nov. 27.

Georgia Bulldogs 2021 football schedule

Kickoff times and TV networks to be determined later

Sept. 4: vs. Clemson (in Charlotte)

Sept. 11: vs. UAB

Sept. 18: vs. South Carolina

Sept. 25: at Vanderbilt

Oct. 2: vs. Arkansas

Oct. 9: at Auburn

Oct. 16: vs. Kentucky

Oct. 23: OPEN

Oct. 30: vs. Florida (in Jacksonville)

Nov. 6: vs. Missouri

Nov. 13: at Tennessee

Nov. 20: vs. Charleston Southern

Nov. 27: at Georgia Tech

This story was originally published January 27, 2021 at 2:35 PM with the headline "Georgia football’s 2021 schedule is set. New season opens with Clemson showdown."