After showing yet again that they are the best team in the state of Georgia, the Georgia Bulldogs will prepare for the Crimson Tide of Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.
I will have plenty to say in the coming week about the game with Alabama, but I think it is only right to take a moment to look back on the 2012 regular season.
Make no mistake, this was one of the greatest regular seasons in the history of the program. For only the fourth time in school history, Georgia has won 11 games in the regular season. It is the second time in the Richt era that Georgia has won 11 games in the regular season, the other being in 2002.
Georgia beat all of their historic rivals. Georgia beat Tennessee, Florida, Auburn, and Georgia Tech. It would be a mistake for Georgia fans to forget that the reason Mark Richt was hired in Athens. Jim Donnan had the program at a certain level, but he couldn't get this team over the hump against Georgia's rivals.
Georgia's season started out with what seemed like a huge win against Missouri. At the time, the Missouri game was thought to be a chance for this team to slip up on the road. Many national pundits picked Missouri to win that game because it was their first game in the league. Georgia, thanks to Jarvis Jones, set Missouri on the road to a rough first season in the league.
After some concerning performances against lesser competition came the revenge game against James Franklin and his Vanderbilt Commodores Georgia thumped Vandy in a game that was as dominant as you can be.
The Tennessee game was the best of times and the worst of times, but at the end of the day, it was a victory.
Then came the biggest disappointment of the season. South Carolina played a great game, and Georgia failed to respond to the challenge as they were embarrassed 35-7 in Columbia. Before that game, Spurrier said that Georgia was South Carolina's biggest rival although he knew that South Carolina wasn't Georgia's biggest rival. I think that is exactly how both teams played.
Georgia sleepwalked through the Kentucky game, but again won.
The season came down to one game. Georgia v. Florida in Jacksonville. At the time, Florida was ranked #2 in the country and could clinch a spot in the SEC title game with a win. Georgia, however, still controlled their own destiny thanks to two South Carolina losses. Shawn Williams made news by calling out the defense before the game, and the entire team responded. It wasn't the prettiest win in school history, but it looked pretty good from Georgia's sideline when the game was over.
All of a sudden, Georgia was back in control. Georgia turned away a tough Ole Miss team on Homecoming. Then, the Dawgs headed to the Plains to destroy Auburn to clinch a spot in the SEC title game for the second consecutive season. Wins over Georgia Southern and Tech finished out a campaign that all the Bulldog Nation can be proud of.
I sincerly hope that Coach Richt will finally be given his due for what he has accomplished in Athens. He is our coach, and he should be our coach for the foreseeable future. No more of this hot seat garbage. Mark Richt is the best coach Georgia has ever had, and he should be treated as such.
Now comes the biggest game for Georgia in 30 years. Make no mistake, Alabama is a great team and it will take a great effort from the Dawgs to win. However, after the seasons that we had in 2009 and 2010, its nice to be back at the top of the SEC.
For two years, Georgia has been criticized for their schedule and their has been an asterisk next to their success because they have not played Alabama. Well, bring on the Tide and shut up the critics!
GO DAWGS!!!!!
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