We've looked all over the country at the different conferences, and previewed the upcoming year in college football. But any true Dawg only wants to know one thing:
How will the 2010 Dawgs perform on the field?
Well, here is my prediction for the 2010 Georgia Bulldogs.
Obviously Georgia will open their season with a win against ULL on Saturday. There is just too much talent on Georgia's sideline for this to be a game in the fourth quarter.
I do think Georgia will experience a setback in Columbus. Asking a red-shirt freshman to lead a team on the road in the SEC with no experience is just unrealistic. South Carolina always plays Georgia tough, and I think the Gamecocks will get the best of the Dawgs. If Georgia wins, it will be a defensive battle where either a defensive touchdown or a special teams touchdown will be the difference.
After a loss at South Carolina, the magic starts to happen. Georgia will beat Arkansas at home, then go on the road to beat Mississippi State and Colorado. Georgia will come back home and beat both Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
The hot Dawgs will win a close game in Lexington, and set up a top 10 battle with Florida in Jacksonville. Georgia will win in Jacksonville for the first time since the magical 2007 season.
After beating Idaho State by as many points as Georgia decides to score, Georgia will travel to Auburn.
Now let's be clear. When you think about this team going 10-2 this year, you would take that to the bank right now. However, in mid-November, having only one loss and being in the discussion for the national title, Dawg fans will have their hearts broken on the Plains when Georgia comes up a little short against Auburn.
After a bye week, Georgia will continue to "Run this state" by beating Tech for the second straight year.
By beating Florida in Jacksonville, Georgia will earn a spot in the SEC title game where they will meat Alabama.
The Tide will prevail and probably take their talent to the National Title Game, while the Dawgs will return the the Sugar Bowl for the 3rd time in the Richt Era.
Aaron Murry will be fine, AJ Green will be heading towards the NFL, and all of the critics who want Mark Richt fired will have to go back to being die-hard Richt fans.
Let's get ready for the ride!
GO DAWGS!!!!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
SEC Preview 2010
SEC Preview 2010
West:
The SEC west features the overwhelming number one team in the nation. The defending National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide bring back their quarterback, running back, and maybe most importantly, their coach. Nick Saban has done amazing things at Alabama. He took an underachieving program to the top of the rankings. Bama has lost only two games in the last two years, and should be right back in the title hunt this year.
The question in the West is what are the teams behind Alabama going to do. Auburn should be better this year. SEC fans will know the name Cameron Newton. The ex-Florida Gator could win the starting quarterback job out of fall practice, but one way or another, Newton will see the field this year on the plains.
Arkansas has the offensive talent to challenge Alabama in the league. The Tide have to travel to Fayetteville to play the Hogs, so Arkansas will have their chance to unseat the Kings of the West. My guess is that Arkansas will underachieve this year. Ryan Mallet doesn’t have the mental makeup to last a long, hard season in the SEC. Not to mention, Bobby Petrino has be getting a little antsy. He hasn’t run out on a team in almost two years…
LSU will be looking for a new coach after this season. Les Miles won a title just a few years ago, but those were Nick Saban’s players, and Tiger fans have seen a lot of talent translate into nothing on the field. LSU will lose in Atlanta in the Chick-fil-A kickoff game, and Miles will be on his way out from there. Funny thing is, North Carolina, who LSU will lose to in Atlanta, will be where LSU turns for a new coach. I expect Heals coach Butch Davis to be the front-runner for LSU.
Bad year for Mississippi. First an oil spill and then a long fall for Rebels and Bogus Bulldogs alike. If I had to pick one to stink a little less, I’ll take the Bogus Bulldogs.
East:
Never in the history of the SEC have we seen a season like we will see this fall. Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee will all have new quarterbacks and new defensive coordinators. Tennessee also has a new head coach. Florida’s head coach was retired for about 20 minutes, and Georgia will feature a 3-4 defense.
The obvious first impression for any prognosticator would be that South Carolina should be in position to win the East this year. They have an experienced quarterback, stability within the coaching staff, they play three of their four hardest games of the year at home, and they have a very solid defense. So South Carolina will play in the Dome in early December right?
Wrong.
There is one indisputable fact that South Carolina has going against it. They are South Carolina. They will find some way to screw it up. The only thing South Carolina has done since Spurrier got there is ruin Georgia’s season in 2007 as well as Florida’s season in 2005. Both of those teams would have played in the SEC title game if it weren’t for a loss to the Gamecocks, and Georgia might have had a shot at the National title in 2007. Funny thing is, in 2005 South Carolina finished the season 7-5 and they were a game worse in 2007 when they finished 6-6.
So, with the lame cocks out of the picture, we are left to speculate which of the Big 3 rebuilding programs can make it to Atlanta. Tennessee is out. There talent level has dropped off after losing Eric Berry on defense, and Bryce Brown has left the program.
So, it’s down to Georgia and Florida. By the time we make it to Jacksonville, we will know what these two teams are. The winner of the game in Jacksonville should play Alabama in Atlanta. My heart says Georgia, but my head says Florida.
West:
The SEC west features the overwhelming number one team in the nation. The defending National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide bring back their quarterback, running back, and maybe most importantly, their coach. Nick Saban has done amazing things at Alabama. He took an underachieving program to the top of the rankings. Bama has lost only two games in the last two years, and should be right back in the title hunt this year.
The question in the West is what are the teams behind Alabama going to do. Auburn should be better this year. SEC fans will know the name Cameron Newton. The ex-Florida Gator could win the starting quarterback job out of fall practice, but one way or another, Newton will see the field this year on the plains.
Arkansas has the offensive talent to challenge Alabama in the league. The Tide have to travel to Fayetteville to play the Hogs, so Arkansas will have their chance to unseat the Kings of the West. My guess is that Arkansas will underachieve this year. Ryan Mallet doesn’t have the mental makeup to last a long, hard season in the SEC. Not to mention, Bobby Petrino has be getting a little antsy. He hasn’t run out on a team in almost two years…
LSU will be looking for a new coach after this season. Les Miles won a title just a few years ago, but those were Nick Saban’s players, and Tiger fans have seen a lot of talent translate into nothing on the field. LSU will lose in Atlanta in the Chick-fil-A kickoff game, and Miles will be on his way out from there. Funny thing is, North Carolina, who LSU will lose to in Atlanta, will be where LSU turns for a new coach. I expect Heals coach Butch Davis to be the front-runner for LSU.
Bad year for Mississippi. First an oil spill and then a long fall for Rebels and Bogus Bulldogs alike. If I had to pick one to stink a little less, I’ll take the Bogus Bulldogs.
East:
Never in the history of the SEC have we seen a season like we will see this fall. Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee will all have new quarterbacks and new defensive coordinators. Tennessee also has a new head coach. Florida’s head coach was retired for about 20 minutes, and Georgia will feature a 3-4 defense.
The obvious first impression for any prognosticator would be that South Carolina should be in position to win the East this year. They have an experienced quarterback, stability within the coaching staff, they play three of their four hardest games of the year at home, and they have a very solid defense. So South Carolina will play in the Dome in early December right?
Wrong.
There is one indisputable fact that South Carolina has going against it. They are South Carolina. They will find some way to screw it up. The only thing South Carolina has done since Spurrier got there is ruin Georgia’s season in 2007 as well as Florida’s season in 2005. Both of those teams would have played in the SEC title game if it weren’t for a loss to the Gamecocks, and Georgia might have had a shot at the National title in 2007. Funny thing is, in 2005 South Carolina finished the season 7-5 and they were a game worse in 2007 when they finished 6-6.
So, with the lame cocks out of the picture, we are left to speculate which of the Big 3 rebuilding programs can make it to Atlanta. Tennessee is out. There talent level has dropped off after losing Eric Berry on defense, and Bryce Brown has left the program.
So, it’s down to Georgia and Florida. By the time we make it to Jacksonville, we will know what these two teams are. The winner of the game in Jacksonville should play Alabama in Atlanta. My heart says Georgia, but my head says Florida.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
A Look around the country
National Preview:
ACC:
The theme at the beginning of the 2010 season for the ACC will be welcoming the new.
Jimbo Fisher is the new head coach at Florida State. He is charged with returning the ‘Noles to the level of national importance they seemed to own during the 90’s under Bobby Bowden.
There are new expectations at North Carolina. Butch Davis has the Tar Heals garnering some National attention with a defense that will feature multiple first round NFL draft picks and an offense that can’t possibly be as bad as they were last year.
There is a new defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech. Despite winning the ACC last year, Paul Johnson was not happy with his defense, so he brought in Al Groh to be his new coordinator. Early prediction: Al Groh will be the best thing to happen to Georgia Tech since Reggie Ball graduated.
At the end of the season however, it will be all about the old. The same old teams will be in contention in ACC. It is quite possible that the four best teams in this league all play in the same division. Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Miami, and North Carolina will have fun beating each other’s brains in throughout the year, and by rule, one of these teams will make it to Jacksonville (or whatever parking lot they are having the ACC title game in this year). My pick is Virginia Tech. I feel sorry for Frank Beamer. His team could compete for a national title, but the schedule is just too tough. Virginia Tech will have to settle for beating the crap out of one of the also-rans in the ACC Atlantic Division, I’ll take Florida State for no reason what-so-ever.
Big 10:
The Big 11 as it stands now and the future Big 12, which for some unknown reason will still be called the Big 10 next year, will enter its final season before big changes come to this numerical oddity of a conference. The only conference I hate more than the ACC is the Big 10. However, they may be able to manage some decent football this year.
Ohio State is clearly the favorite, but Wisconsin and Iowa should both have a say. Penn State is probably good for an upset of one of the Big 3 at the top of the conference, and Michigan will be looking to hire another coach very soon. Luckily for them, Les Miles will probably be available after this season.
At the end of the day it breaks down like this. If Ohio State loses a game, they better hope there isn’t a 1 or 2 loss SEC Champion out there because they might be settling for Roses rather than playing for crystal come January.
Big 12:
The Big 12, which will be the Big 10 after this season (no word yet if they will have a name that make sense in 2011) will once again come down to Texas and Oklahoma.
Texas flirted with every other conference in America during the summer, but it is still the best team in this conference.
If you are looking for a team that is going to come out of nowhere, keep looking past Texas A&M. All the national guys are picking A&M to be a contender this season, which means they aren’t coming out of nowhere. Besides, we have heard this song before in the Big 12. Remember Oklahoma State last year? They were better, but they still couldn’t crack the Texas/Oklahoma strangle hold on this conference.
Honestly, the thing I’m looking forward to the most in the Big 12 is to see how Tommy Tuberville does at Texas Tech.
Big East:
Do they still play football?
PAC 10:
Top to bottom the Pac 10 should be the second best conference in America this season. Defending champion Oregon should be favorite again, and they should be getting a lot of national attention.
However, there is that semi-pro team that plays in Los Angeles that seems to be making the news a bit these days. USC can’t go to a bowl game this year, they have a coach that would be the National Champion of BS if such a thing existed, and still they will be the center of the Pac 10 universe.
Even if they win the conference the number 2 team would play in the Rose Bowl, so unless they are playing one of the actual contenders in this conference, or unless I want to make fun of them, this blog will be a USC-free zone for the next two seasons.
Arizona, Washington, Stanford, and Oregon State should all have a say in the Pac 10 this year, but at the end of the day, the Ducks might be a national title contender.
Notre Dame:
Notre Dame and A-TRAK’s have two things in common: they were both great in the 70’s and neither are coming back.
Good luck Chip Kelly. In four years you will be able to join Bob Davie, Ty Willingham, and Charlie Weis in the group of men who couldn’t resurrect this buzzard of a program.
Prediction for the Future: The top two candidates for the Notre Dame heading coaching job in 2014 will be Urban Meyer and Pete Carroll.
In all seriousness, there are a handful of teams that could play for the National title in January. Although I won’t give you a Top 10 or Top 25 until these teams play a few games, here are my contenders, pretenders, and programs to keep an eye on.
Contenders:
Alabama
Ohio State
Texas
Oklahoma
Florida
Virginia Tech
Oregon
Iowa
Miami
Pretenders:
Boise State
TCU
BYU
North Carolina
Nebraska
Keep an Eye On:
Georgia
Arizona
Washington
Texas Tech
Clemson
Auburn
Close Both Eyes and run away:
Teams from Mississippi
Teams from Michigan
Teams from Los Angeles
The Big East
Tomorrow: SEC Preview!
ACC:
The theme at the beginning of the 2010 season for the ACC will be welcoming the new.
Jimbo Fisher is the new head coach at Florida State. He is charged with returning the ‘Noles to the level of national importance they seemed to own during the 90’s under Bobby Bowden.
There are new expectations at North Carolina. Butch Davis has the Tar Heals garnering some National attention with a defense that will feature multiple first round NFL draft picks and an offense that can’t possibly be as bad as they were last year.
There is a new defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech. Despite winning the ACC last year, Paul Johnson was not happy with his defense, so he brought in Al Groh to be his new coordinator. Early prediction: Al Groh will be the best thing to happen to Georgia Tech since Reggie Ball graduated.
At the end of the season however, it will be all about the old. The same old teams will be in contention in ACC. It is quite possible that the four best teams in this league all play in the same division. Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Miami, and North Carolina will have fun beating each other’s brains in throughout the year, and by rule, one of these teams will make it to Jacksonville (or whatever parking lot they are having the ACC title game in this year). My pick is Virginia Tech. I feel sorry for Frank Beamer. His team could compete for a national title, but the schedule is just too tough. Virginia Tech will have to settle for beating the crap out of one of the also-rans in the ACC Atlantic Division, I’ll take Florida State for no reason what-so-ever.
Big 10:
The Big 11 as it stands now and the future Big 12, which for some unknown reason will still be called the Big 10 next year, will enter its final season before big changes come to this numerical oddity of a conference. The only conference I hate more than the ACC is the Big 10. However, they may be able to manage some decent football this year.
Ohio State is clearly the favorite, but Wisconsin and Iowa should both have a say. Penn State is probably good for an upset of one of the Big 3 at the top of the conference, and Michigan will be looking to hire another coach very soon. Luckily for them, Les Miles will probably be available after this season.
At the end of the day it breaks down like this. If Ohio State loses a game, they better hope there isn’t a 1 or 2 loss SEC Champion out there because they might be settling for Roses rather than playing for crystal come January.
Big 12:
The Big 12, which will be the Big 10 after this season (no word yet if they will have a name that make sense in 2011) will once again come down to Texas and Oklahoma.
Texas flirted with every other conference in America during the summer, but it is still the best team in this conference.
If you are looking for a team that is going to come out of nowhere, keep looking past Texas A&M. All the national guys are picking A&M to be a contender this season, which means they aren’t coming out of nowhere. Besides, we have heard this song before in the Big 12. Remember Oklahoma State last year? They were better, but they still couldn’t crack the Texas/Oklahoma strangle hold on this conference.
Honestly, the thing I’m looking forward to the most in the Big 12 is to see how Tommy Tuberville does at Texas Tech.
Big East:
Do they still play football?
PAC 10:
Top to bottom the Pac 10 should be the second best conference in America this season. Defending champion Oregon should be favorite again, and they should be getting a lot of national attention.
However, there is that semi-pro team that plays in Los Angeles that seems to be making the news a bit these days. USC can’t go to a bowl game this year, they have a coach that would be the National Champion of BS if such a thing existed, and still they will be the center of the Pac 10 universe.
Even if they win the conference the number 2 team would play in the Rose Bowl, so unless they are playing one of the actual contenders in this conference, or unless I want to make fun of them, this blog will be a USC-free zone for the next two seasons.
Arizona, Washington, Stanford, and Oregon State should all have a say in the Pac 10 this year, but at the end of the day, the Ducks might be a national title contender.
Notre Dame:
Notre Dame and A-TRAK’s have two things in common: they were both great in the 70’s and neither are coming back.
Good luck Chip Kelly. In four years you will be able to join Bob Davie, Ty Willingham, and Charlie Weis in the group of men who couldn’t resurrect this buzzard of a program.
Prediction for the Future: The top two candidates for the Notre Dame heading coaching job in 2014 will be Urban Meyer and Pete Carroll.
In all seriousness, there are a handful of teams that could play for the National title in January. Although I won’t give you a Top 10 or Top 25 until these teams play a few games, here are my contenders, pretenders, and programs to keep an eye on.
Contenders:
Alabama
Ohio State
Texas
Oklahoma
Florida
Virginia Tech
Oregon
Iowa
Miami
Pretenders:
Boise State
TCU
BYU
North Carolina
Nebraska
Keep an Eye On:
Georgia
Arizona
Washington
Texas Tech
Clemson
Auburn
Close Both Eyes and run away:
Teams from Mississippi
Teams from Michigan
Teams from Los Angeles
The Big East
Tomorrow: SEC Preview!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
5 Rules for Enjoying the New Fooball Season
For any college football fan, each season seems to go by way too fast. It seems that August lasts for 6 months, and before you know it, it is New Year’s Day. However, there are a few things that every fan should remember when heading into a new college football season. All you need to know are these five rules:
1. Preseason Polls are crap.
There is nothing less scientific than preseason polls. The preseason poll is almost always based on last year’s team, which obviously has nothing to do with this year’s team, even if there are a lot of returning starters. The other factors that go into making a preseason poll is media hype. ESPN creates some teams to be better than they are because they need good stories. They want to hype every team to boost ratings. If there was any justice in the world, there would be no official preseason polls.
Think about this, in 2004, the Auburn Tigers went undefeated in the toughest conference in America. However, they were shut out of the National Championship game because all season long they had been ranked behind both USC and Oklahoma. Why were they ranked there? Because in the preseason poll they were ranked #17, while USC and Oklahoma were ranked #1 and #2 respectively. Auburn was ranked 7 spots lower than the Florida Gators who ended up going 7-5 in 2004. Obviously Oklahoma and USC were good teams, but Auburn was too, and the preseason poll was the only reason they never got a shot at playing USC for the national championship.
2. Have reasonable expectations for your team, you’ll live longer.
Here is a news flash: only one team can win a National Championship each year. So programs like USC, Ohio St., Florida, Alabama, Texas, LSU, Georgia, Miami, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame who expect their team to be playing for a title each and every year are bound to be disappointed more times than not. Winning a national championship is very difficult, and most of the time, talent is not enough to get a ring (more on that in a bit).
You have to be aware of who your team is, in order to accurately judge the season as it plays out. Georgia fans should not expect to win a National Championship in 2010. This doesn’t mean that there is no way Georgia could win, but to expect a red-shirt freshman to lead you to a title is simply ridiculous. A great season in Athens this year would be 10-2. That means that 2 times during the season, Georgia is going to lose. That means, after Georgia loses a game, there is no reason for any fan to talk about Mark Richt being fired, Mike Bobo being fired, or benching Aaron Murray. Write it down on a piece of paper and stick it to your refrigerator: 10-2. Look at it after Georgia loses its first game, and don’t be one of those fans who end up looking stupid at the end of the year.
3. One loss is ok for a National Title Contender.
For those teams who come into a season with a reasonable expectation to contend for a title, one loss will most likely not mean the end of your January dreams. Sure, there have been a few exceptions, most heartbreakingly Georgia in 2002, but for the most part, a one loss team will still be in the picture come November, especially a one loss SEC team.
Now, as with any rule, there are a couple of exceptions. If you are a non-BCS team, you have no chance if you aren’t undefeated, if you lose your last game of the season, you will not play for the title, and if you are Ohio State you better win all of your games because you have given us enough bad games in January.
4. Two losses is not ok for a National Title Contender.
Just as one loss doesn’t eliminate you from contention, two losses does. Of course there are exceptions, LSU in 2007 being the only exception thus far. However, I can see another exception perhaps happening this year. Let’s say Alabama loses to Florida in the regular season loses another game before the beginning of November. Then they get hot and beat Auburn to finish the year. They roll over the Gators in the SEC championship and finish the season 11-2. They could get in ahead of a one loss Ohio State team, and perhaps ahead of an undefeated Boise State, TCU, or Utah team. However, their #1 preseason ranking is the only reason they might be able to pull this off.
5. Injuries, luck, and upsets will usually decide the championship.
For all of these categories, we will focus only on Georgia.
Injuries. In 2005, Georgia was playing about as good as any team in the country. Until DJ Shockley got hurt against Arkansas on Homecoming and ended up missing the Florida game. Georgia loses to Florida and then loses to Auburn 2 weeks later by a single point when Shockley returns. Without the injury, maybe those two wins get Georgia into the title conversation. The win over #3 LSU in the SEC title game would have given Georgia a very convincing argument.
Luck. Let’s look back at 2002. Many fans remember this as the rebirth of Georgia football. SEC Champs and Sugar Bowl Champs. But remember the season. Georgia is a heroic play by David Pollack away from losing to South Carolina, and there was that tiny little miracle on the Plains in Auburn where Michael Johnson wrote his name in Georgia’s history books. In more recent years, both Florida and Alabama have benefited from blocked field goals at the end of games to keep their title hopes alive, and both eventually took home the hardware. Ohio State got a bad call against Miami in 2002 in the title game to keep their hopes alive. While Colorado got 5 downs against Michigan in 1990 to share a title with the bumble bees from Atlanta. As is true in all walks of life, sometimes it is better to be lucky than good.
Upsets. Each year we look down the schedule and find the game we think our team can win, and the ones our team might lose. More often than not, you will select a win that will become a loss when the season is played out. Upsets are a huge part of College Football each and every year. Georgia was upset twice in 2007 (South Carolina and Tennessee). LSU was upset twice that very same year (Kentucky and Arkansas). Ole Miss clipped Florida in 2008. Florida broke Bulldog hearts in 2002. Georgia shocked LSU in 2005 in the Dome. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself on the schedule because nothing is a guarantee.
All of these rules lead us to the biggest rule about College Football. Enjoy the ride. It will be January very soon.
1. Preseason Polls are crap.
There is nothing less scientific than preseason polls. The preseason poll is almost always based on last year’s team, which obviously has nothing to do with this year’s team, even if there are a lot of returning starters. The other factors that go into making a preseason poll is media hype. ESPN creates some teams to be better than they are because they need good stories. They want to hype every team to boost ratings. If there was any justice in the world, there would be no official preseason polls.
Think about this, in 2004, the Auburn Tigers went undefeated in the toughest conference in America. However, they were shut out of the National Championship game because all season long they had been ranked behind both USC and Oklahoma. Why were they ranked there? Because in the preseason poll they were ranked #17, while USC and Oklahoma were ranked #1 and #2 respectively. Auburn was ranked 7 spots lower than the Florida Gators who ended up going 7-5 in 2004. Obviously Oklahoma and USC were good teams, but Auburn was too, and the preseason poll was the only reason they never got a shot at playing USC for the national championship.
2. Have reasonable expectations for your team, you’ll live longer.
Here is a news flash: only one team can win a National Championship each year. So programs like USC, Ohio St., Florida, Alabama, Texas, LSU, Georgia, Miami, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame who expect their team to be playing for a title each and every year are bound to be disappointed more times than not. Winning a national championship is very difficult, and most of the time, talent is not enough to get a ring (more on that in a bit).
You have to be aware of who your team is, in order to accurately judge the season as it plays out. Georgia fans should not expect to win a National Championship in 2010. This doesn’t mean that there is no way Georgia could win, but to expect a red-shirt freshman to lead you to a title is simply ridiculous. A great season in Athens this year would be 10-2. That means that 2 times during the season, Georgia is going to lose. That means, after Georgia loses a game, there is no reason for any fan to talk about Mark Richt being fired, Mike Bobo being fired, or benching Aaron Murray. Write it down on a piece of paper and stick it to your refrigerator: 10-2. Look at it after Georgia loses its first game, and don’t be one of those fans who end up looking stupid at the end of the year.
3. One loss is ok for a National Title Contender.
For those teams who come into a season with a reasonable expectation to contend for a title, one loss will most likely not mean the end of your January dreams. Sure, there have been a few exceptions, most heartbreakingly Georgia in 2002, but for the most part, a one loss team will still be in the picture come November, especially a one loss SEC team.
Now, as with any rule, there are a couple of exceptions. If you are a non-BCS team, you have no chance if you aren’t undefeated, if you lose your last game of the season, you will not play for the title, and if you are Ohio State you better win all of your games because you have given us enough bad games in January.
4. Two losses is not ok for a National Title Contender.
Just as one loss doesn’t eliminate you from contention, two losses does. Of course there are exceptions, LSU in 2007 being the only exception thus far. However, I can see another exception perhaps happening this year. Let’s say Alabama loses to Florida in the regular season loses another game before the beginning of November. Then they get hot and beat Auburn to finish the year. They roll over the Gators in the SEC championship and finish the season 11-2. They could get in ahead of a one loss Ohio State team, and perhaps ahead of an undefeated Boise State, TCU, or Utah team. However, their #1 preseason ranking is the only reason they might be able to pull this off.
5. Injuries, luck, and upsets will usually decide the championship.
For all of these categories, we will focus only on Georgia.
Injuries. In 2005, Georgia was playing about as good as any team in the country. Until DJ Shockley got hurt against Arkansas on Homecoming and ended up missing the Florida game. Georgia loses to Florida and then loses to Auburn 2 weeks later by a single point when Shockley returns. Without the injury, maybe those two wins get Georgia into the title conversation. The win over #3 LSU in the SEC title game would have given Georgia a very convincing argument.
Luck. Let’s look back at 2002. Many fans remember this as the rebirth of Georgia football. SEC Champs and Sugar Bowl Champs. But remember the season. Georgia is a heroic play by David Pollack away from losing to South Carolina, and there was that tiny little miracle on the Plains in Auburn where Michael Johnson wrote his name in Georgia’s history books. In more recent years, both Florida and Alabama have benefited from blocked field goals at the end of games to keep their title hopes alive, and both eventually took home the hardware. Ohio State got a bad call against Miami in 2002 in the title game to keep their hopes alive. While Colorado got 5 downs against Michigan in 1990 to share a title with the bumble bees from Atlanta. As is true in all walks of life, sometimes it is better to be lucky than good.
Upsets. Each year we look down the schedule and find the game we think our team can win, and the ones our team might lose. More often than not, you will select a win that will become a loss when the season is played out. Upsets are a huge part of College Football each and every year. Georgia was upset twice in 2007 (South Carolina and Tennessee). LSU was upset twice that very same year (Kentucky and Arkansas). Ole Miss clipped Florida in 2008. Florida broke Bulldog hearts in 2002. Georgia shocked LSU in 2005 in the Dome. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself on the schedule because nothing is a guarantee.
All of these rules lead us to the biggest rule about College Football. Enjoy the ride. It will be January very soon.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Get to Know the 2010 Georgia Bulldogs
Each year, there is a great deal of turnover for every college football team. The same is true for the 2010 Bulldogs. Gone are familiar names like Joe Cox, Rennie Curran, and Willie Martinez. New names sure to be familiar very soon like Aaron Murry, Alec Ogletree, and Todd Grantham have arrived in Athens. Here is an early look at the 2010 Bulldogs broken down by position.
Offensive Overview:
The Dawgs return 10 of 11 starters on offense in 2010. However, most of the talk preseason will focus on the 1 starter that is new to the bunch. Aaron Murray has been complimented by coaches, teammates, and the media, however, none of that will matter on September 11 when Murray takes his first road snap in Columbia, South Carolina. AJ Green will be the offensive star, in what will likely be his last season in Athens. The offensive line should be great with all upper classmen in the starting lineup. There is talent all over the field for the Dawgs, but talent alone doesn’t win games.
Quarterback:
Barring injury, Aaron Murray (#11) will be the Georgia Quarterback for the entire 2010 season and beyond. The red-shirt freshman from Plant High School in Florida was highly recruited out of high school, and will make his first start against Louisiana-Lafayette between the hedges.
While many teams in the SEC East will have new starting quarterbacks, Georgia will have the most uncertain quarterback depth chart as the backup quarterback looks to be true freshman Hutson Mason (#14). Junior Logan Gray will only practice at wide receiver for the Dawgs according to Offensive Coordinator, Mike Bobo.
Don’t confuse yourself with pre-season hype. A freshman quarterback in the SEC is going to make mistakes. There will be a learning curve for Murray, and the most the Dawgs can hope for from their young signal caller is that he improve week to week. With early season trips to South Carolina, Mississippi State, and Colorado, Dawg fans should know by October how good Aaron Murray can be.
Running Back:
After their performance against Georgia Tech last season, many Georgia fans are excited about the running back combination of Washaun Ealey (#3) and Caleb King (#4), and they should be. However, keep last season in perspective. Georgia running backs had only 2 100-yard games last season, and they both came against Georgia Tech. Overall, the running game wasn’t great last year, and most of the offense’s problems originated with the inability to consistently run the ball. You have to run the ball in the SEC, and that is even more true when you consider the freshman quarterback. Ealey and King will have to carry the offense early in the season, if they can’t, Georgia will be out of the SEC East race before the end of September.
Wide Receiver:
It seems impossible that with the best receiver in Georgia history lining up for the Dawgs, there would be questions at that position. However, there are huge questions for Georgia behind AJ Green (#8). Green had 808 yards last season, which is only 15 yards less than the next three Georgia receivers had, combined! Of that group, Michael Moore was a senior.
Tavarres King(#12) will be the starting wide out opposite of Green, but Rantavious Wooten (#17) will also see considerable playing time. 5th year senior Kris Durham (#16) will bring experience and steady hands to the slot receiver position after missing all of last year with an injury. Israel Troup (#28) and Marlon Brown (#15) were highly recruited but haven’t performed on the field yet.
The most important thing for receivers will be catching the ball this year. Georgia fans will remember the struggles that the Georgia receivers had when Matt Stafford was a freshman. If the receivers can help Murray out by having sure hands, it will help the young quarterback with his confidence.
Tight End:
As the season wore on in 2009, Orson Charles (#7) seemed to be the best tight end on Georgia’s roster. With his former high school quarterback (Aaron Murray) now starting for Georgia, expect Charles to improve even more in 2010.
Behind Charles, Georgia has two very capable backups. Aron White (#81) and Bruce Figgins (#89) will both contribute this season, but if Georgia is going to have a real playmaker at tight end, it will be Charles.
Full Back:
Perhaps more than any other team in the SEC, Georgia uses the full back as a key position in their offense. Shawn Chapas (#49) will return as the starter with back up Fred Munzenmaier (#48) providing an important safety net. Chapas doesn’t run the ball as much as past full backs have, however, he is an excellent blocker.
Offensive Line:
While the line is the last position I have chosen to talk about for the offense, I believe the line will be the number one position to watch this season. If the offensive line plays the way it can, there is no reason to believe that Georgia can’t contend in the SEC East. A good line can make good runners great, and a talented quarterback look a lot better than he is right now. Anchored by Ben Jones (#61) at center, the line features upperclassmen with a lot of experience. Add the return of Trinton Sturdivant (#77) after 2 straight years of not playing because of injury, and there is the talent on the line to be one of the best units in the country.
Key Offensive Player for 2010:
This is obvious. While AJ Green is the best offensive player Georgia has, the first and last chapter of the 2010 book on the Georgia offense will be Aaron Murray. His ability to limit mistakes early in the season and progress throughout the year will dictate how far this team can go in the SEC East.
Defensive Overview:
The biggest question on defense is how quickly can new Georgia Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham teach these old dogs new tricks. Grantham was hired well after the recruiting class had all but been put together, so these Dogs were recruited to play in Georgia’s traditional 4-3 defense. Georgia fans will become more familiar with Grantham’s 3-4 look as the season goes on, but bigger than where players lineup is Grantham’s overall philosophy. Grantham promises that Georgia’s defense is going to be more aggressive this season, and the 3-4 look should allow for more options for blitzes.
Defensive Line:
How Georgia performs on the defensive line will set the tone for how effective the 3-4 defense will be in 2010. The problem on the line will be the crucial position of nose tackle. With only 1 defensive tackle, instead of the 2 you would typically see in a 4-3, it is crucial that the nose tackle be an impact player that can occupy two offensive linemen. Conceptually, if the nose tackle can occupy the center and one of the offensive guards, then the defensive ends can go one on one with 2 of the other offensive linemen, while a blitzing linebacker (or two), has only one man to beat to get to the quarterback. Got it? Good.
So all of that said, Georgia has no prototypical nose tackle. The perfect nose tackle has been on display the last two seasons at Alabama. “Mount” Cody anchored the line for the Tide weighing in at about 350 pounds. Georgia will send out DeAngelo Tyson(#94) who is listed currently at 295. That is a huge difference. At end, the leaders after spring practice were Abry Jones(#93) and Demarcus Dobbs(#58).
Linebackers:
In the 3-4, the linebackers are the stars. Think guys like Lawrence Taylor for the Giants in the 1980’s, Derrick Brooks of the Tampa Bay Bucs in the 1990’s, and Shaun Merriman of the San Diego Chargers in the 2000’s. On almost every play, at least one linebacker will be blitzing, and that blitzer can come from any of the 4 linebacker positions. No doubt, Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham will have options and the ability to keep opposing offensive lines off balance. With 4 positions, close to 10 linebackers may see action in any one game, but the main guys to keep an eye on are Christian Robinson (#45), Marcus Dowtin (#38), Akeem Dent (#51), Cornelius Washington(#83), Darryl Gamble(#50), and maybe even former running back Richard Samuel (#22).
Cornerbacks:
There is a ton of talent at the corner position, but not a lot of experience. Brandon Boykin (#2) will be the returning starter in the secondary, and he will be joined by Vance Cuff (#25). Cuff is a senior, but hasn’t seen much of the field to this point. Brandon Smith (#1) and Sanders Commings (#19) will serve as backups, but each will have a chance to earn a starting job during fall practice.
Last year, we saw almost every quarterback Georgia face have the best game of their season against the Dawgs. With Grantham’s aggressive style of defense, these cornerbacks are going to see a great deal of one on one coverage. The pressure will be on for the corners to really step up this season.
Safety:
There will be two new starting safeties this year, and personally, I’m thrilled. Let’s not live in the past, and move forward optimistically. Bacarri Rambo (#18) saved the game against Auburn last year, and he will lead some unfamiliar names like Nick Williams (#39) and Quintin Banks (#31) as Georgia’s last line of defense. One name that all Georgia fans will know before the end of the season is Alec Ogletree (#9). Ogletree may play linebacker or safety, but no matter where he plays, he has the talent to be one of the best defensive players Georgia has had since Champ Bailey.
Key Defensive Player:
Justin Houston (Linebacker). Houston played well last year at defensive end, but will move to linebacker in the 3-4. Houston has the skill set to be an impact linebacker in the 3-4 defense. Look for Houston to live in the opponent’s backfield.
Special Teams:
While there are many questions for the 2010 Georgia Bulldogs, there are no questions when it comes to the special teams. Georgia features the best punter in the country in Drew Butler and perhaps the best place kicker in the country in Blair Walsh. The only decision for Mark Richt to make is which talented player will return kicks and punts this season. Richt will have to choose from Brandon Boykin, Brandon Smith, Carlton Thomas, and perhaps even AJ Green. A nice problem to have. Georgia’s special teams have been special for the last two season, and I wouldn’t expect any different in 2010.
Overall, Georgia will feature 6 seniors, 8 juniors, 7 sophomores, and 1 very important freshman if projected starters from the spring make it through fall practice. There is plenty of leadership for this team, and especially on offense, plenty of experience. As always in the SEC, execution will be the difference between a trip to Atlanta for the SEC title game or a trip to Nashville, where Music City isn’t so great before New Year’s Day.
Offensive Overview:
The Dawgs return 10 of 11 starters on offense in 2010. However, most of the talk preseason will focus on the 1 starter that is new to the bunch. Aaron Murray has been complimented by coaches, teammates, and the media, however, none of that will matter on September 11 when Murray takes his first road snap in Columbia, South Carolina. AJ Green will be the offensive star, in what will likely be his last season in Athens. The offensive line should be great with all upper classmen in the starting lineup. There is talent all over the field for the Dawgs, but talent alone doesn’t win games.
Quarterback:
Barring injury, Aaron Murray (#11) will be the Georgia Quarterback for the entire 2010 season and beyond. The red-shirt freshman from Plant High School in Florida was highly recruited out of high school, and will make his first start against Louisiana-Lafayette between the hedges.
While many teams in the SEC East will have new starting quarterbacks, Georgia will have the most uncertain quarterback depth chart as the backup quarterback looks to be true freshman Hutson Mason (#14). Junior Logan Gray will only practice at wide receiver for the Dawgs according to Offensive Coordinator, Mike Bobo.
Don’t confuse yourself with pre-season hype. A freshman quarterback in the SEC is going to make mistakes. There will be a learning curve for Murray, and the most the Dawgs can hope for from their young signal caller is that he improve week to week. With early season trips to South Carolina, Mississippi State, and Colorado, Dawg fans should know by October how good Aaron Murray can be.
Running Back:
After their performance against Georgia Tech last season, many Georgia fans are excited about the running back combination of Washaun Ealey (#3) and Caleb King (#4), and they should be. However, keep last season in perspective. Georgia running backs had only 2 100-yard games last season, and they both came against Georgia Tech. Overall, the running game wasn’t great last year, and most of the offense’s problems originated with the inability to consistently run the ball. You have to run the ball in the SEC, and that is even more true when you consider the freshman quarterback. Ealey and King will have to carry the offense early in the season, if they can’t, Georgia will be out of the SEC East race before the end of September.
Wide Receiver:
It seems impossible that with the best receiver in Georgia history lining up for the Dawgs, there would be questions at that position. However, there are huge questions for Georgia behind AJ Green (#8). Green had 808 yards last season, which is only 15 yards less than the next three Georgia receivers had, combined! Of that group, Michael Moore was a senior.
Tavarres King(#12) will be the starting wide out opposite of Green, but Rantavious Wooten (#17) will also see considerable playing time. 5th year senior Kris Durham (#16) will bring experience and steady hands to the slot receiver position after missing all of last year with an injury. Israel Troup (#28) and Marlon Brown (#15) were highly recruited but haven’t performed on the field yet.
The most important thing for receivers will be catching the ball this year. Georgia fans will remember the struggles that the Georgia receivers had when Matt Stafford was a freshman. If the receivers can help Murray out by having sure hands, it will help the young quarterback with his confidence.
Tight End:
As the season wore on in 2009, Orson Charles (#7) seemed to be the best tight end on Georgia’s roster. With his former high school quarterback (Aaron Murray) now starting for Georgia, expect Charles to improve even more in 2010.
Behind Charles, Georgia has two very capable backups. Aron White (#81) and Bruce Figgins (#89) will both contribute this season, but if Georgia is going to have a real playmaker at tight end, it will be Charles.
Full Back:
Perhaps more than any other team in the SEC, Georgia uses the full back as a key position in their offense. Shawn Chapas (#49) will return as the starter with back up Fred Munzenmaier (#48) providing an important safety net. Chapas doesn’t run the ball as much as past full backs have, however, he is an excellent blocker.
Offensive Line:
While the line is the last position I have chosen to talk about for the offense, I believe the line will be the number one position to watch this season. If the offensive line plays the way it can, there is no reason to believe that Georgia can’t contend in the SEC East. A good line can make good runners great, and a talented quarterback look a lot better than he is right now. Anchored by Ben Jones (#61) at center, the line features upperclassmen with a lot of experience. Add the return of Trinton Sturdivant (#77) after 2 straight years of not playing because of injury, and there is the talent on the line to be one of the best units in the country.
Key Offensive Player for 2010:
This is obvious. While AJ Green is the best offensive player Georgia has, the first and last chapter of the 2010 book on the Georgia offense will be Aaron Murray. His ability to limit mistakes early in the season and progress throughout the year will dictate how far this team can go in the SEC East.
Defensive Overview:
The biggest question on defense is how quickly can new Georgia Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham teach these old dogs new tricks. Grantham was hired well after the recruiting class had all but been put together, so these Dogs were recruited to play in Georgia’s traditional 4-3 defense. Georgia fans will become more familiar with Grantham’s 3-4 look as the season goes on, but bigger than where players lineup is Grantham’s overall philosophy. Grantham promises that Georgia’s defense is going to be more aggressive this season, and the 3-4 look should allow for more options for blitzes.
Defensive Line:
How Georgia performs on the defensive line will set the tone for how effective the 3-4 defense will be in 2010. The problem on the line will be the crucial position of nose tackle. With only 1 defensive tackle, instead of the 2 you would typically see in a 4-3, it is crucial that the nose tackle be an impact player that can occupy two offensive linemen. Conceptually, if the nose tackle can occupy the center and one of the offensive guards, then the defensive ends can go one on one with 2 of the other offensive linemen, while a blitzing linebacker (or two), has only one man to beat to get to the quarterback. Got it? Good.
So all of that said, Georgia has no prototypical nose tackle. The perfect nose tackle has been on display the last two seasons at Alabama. “Mount” Cody anchored the line for the Tide weighing in at about 350 pounds. Georgia will send out DeAngelo Tyson(#94) who is listed currently at 295. That is a huge difference. At end, the leaders after spring practice were Abry Jones(#93) and Demarcus Dobbs(#58).
Linebackers:
In the 3-4, the linebackers are the stars. Think guys like Lawrence Taylor for the Giants in the 1980’s, Derrick Brooks of the Tampa Bay Bucs in the 1990’s, and Shaun Merriman of the San Diego Chargers in the 2000’s. On almost every play, at least one linebacker will be blitzing, and that blitzer can come from any of the 4 linebacker positions. No doubt, Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham will have options and the ability to keep opposing offensive lines off balance. With 4 positions, close to 10 linebackers may see action in any one game, but the main guys to keep an eye on are Christian Robinson (#45), Marcus Dowtin (#38), Akeem Dent (#51), Cornelius Washington(#83), Darryl Gamble(#50), and maybe even former running back Richard Samuel (#22).
Cornerbacks:
There is a ton of talent at the corner position, but not a lot of experience. Brandon Boykin (#2) will be the returning starter in the secondary, and he will be joined by Vance Cuff (#25). Cuff is a senior, but hasn’t seen much of the field to this point. Brandon Smith (#1) and Sanders Commings (#19) will serve as backups, but each will have a chance to earn a starting job during fall practice.
Last year, we saw almost every quarterback Georgia face have the best game of their season against the Dawgs. With Grantham’s aggressive style of defense, these cornerbacks are going to see a great deal of one on one coverage. The pressure will be on for the corners to really step up this season.
Safety:
There will be two new starting safeties this year, and personally, I’m thrilled. Let’s not live in the past, and move forward optimistically. Bacarri Rambo (#18) saved the game against Auburn last year, and he will lead some unfamiliar names like Nick Williams (#39) and Quintin Banks (#31) as Georgia’s last line of defense. One name that all Georgia fans will know before the end of the season is Alec Ogletree (#9). Ogletree may play linebacker or safety, but no matter where he plays, he has the talent to be one of the best defensive players Georgia has had since Champ Bailey.
Key Defensive Player:
Justin Houston (Linebacker). Houston played well last year at defensive end, but will move to linebacker in the 3-4. Houston has the skill set to be an impact linebacker in the 3-4 defense. Look for Houston to live in the opponent’s backfield.
Special Teams:
While there are many questions for the 2010 Georgia Bulldogs, there are no questions when it comes to the special teams. Georgia features the best punter in the country in Drew Butler and perhaps the best place kicker in the country in Blair Walsh. The only decision for Mark Richt to make is which talented player will return kicks and punts this season. Richt will have to choose from Brandon Boykin, Brandon Smith, Carlton Thomas, and perhaps even AJ Green. A nice problem to have. Georgia’s special teams have been special for the last two season, and I wouldn’t expect any different in 2010.
Overall, Georgia will feature 6 seniors, 8 juniors, 7 sophomores, and 1 very important freshman if projected starters from the spring make it through fall practice. There is plenty of leadership for this team, and especially on offense, plenty of experience. As always in the SEC, execution will be the difference between a trip to Atlanta for the SEC title game or a trip to Nashville, where Music City isn’t so great before New Year’s Day.
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