We are less than three months away from the start of the
2016 college football season, and it will be an historic season in Athens. For
the first time since 2001, Georgia will have a new head coach. No matter what
side of the fence you were on when it came to Mark Richt, the Bulldog Nation
has united behind Kirby Smart.
Smart has said all the right things to start his tenure as
head coach, and his gamble on 93K Day paid off in a big way. The excitement
around the program is palpable, and the anticipation of the coming season will
begin to heat up as the weather does.
There is only one problem with all the hype I have heard
about the coming season. There seems to be a narrative among local media
outlets that the fan base should be patient with Kirby in his first season.
From a certain standpoint, I understand their point. No
Georgia fan should be expecting a national title run in 2016, but more and more
I hear people saying that fans shouldn’t expect Georgia to win the East this
season.
I could not disagree more.
If you go back to 2001, when Mark Richt was hired, Georgia
was a perennial 8-4 team. That was why Richt got the job in the first place. I
remember in the late ‘90s, being excited when Georgia was ranked in the Top 25.
But after the run Georgia went on from 2002-2007, expectations changed.
Georgia, with all the talent in the state, and the advantage that playing in
the SEC offers, was expected to compete year in and year out for titles.
At the end of the day, Richt raising the expectations of the
fan base was ultimately what cost him his job.
So when we come back to the present time, someone is going
to need to explain to me why I shouldn’t expect Georgia to win the East this
year.
Georgia’s schedule is sneaky manageable (we will talk about
that later). Georgia plays in the much easier Eastern division. Georgia is
bringing back a ton of talent on both offense and defense. Georgia has a loaded
backfield with Chubb coming back. Georgia has weapons all over the field
offensively.
The most common reason given for why Georgia fans need to be
patient comes from something Kirby has said over and over in interviews. Kirby
talks constantly about how Georgia has to get bigger and stronger all over the
field but especially on the lines of scrimmage. Of course, he is right, but
those comments have been taken out of context to a point. Georgia has to get
bigger and stronger to compete year in and year out on a national stage.
Georgia’s size and talent is plenty good to compete with the SEC East.
Georgia is more talented than 9 teams on their schedule in
2016. They have as much talent as Florida and Ole Miss. Tennessee is probably a
little more talented, but until Tennessee proves they can win the division, I’m
going to take a wait and see approach with the Vols. So, if Georgia only one
the games against team they have more talent than, it’s a 9-3 season. If they
split against Florida and Ole Miss, it’s a 10-2 season and 6-2 in the division,
which would be good enough for first place. Maybe the win the tie-breaker,
maybe not, but either way, Georgia should be right in the thick of things in
November.
There is plenty of time to break down schedules, introduce
the new players, think about how the coaching change will affect the product on
the field, and of course talk about the quarterback situation. But first and
foremost we all need to be on the same
page.
The coach has changed at Georgia, but the expectations have
not. When Mark Richt took the job in
2001, Georgia wanted to be relevant, and he delivered that along with two SEC
titles. In 2016, Georgia is relevant, and Kirby Smart will be expected to take
the next step, which is to deliver a national title to the Bulldog Nation. Not
in 2016, but soon.
Glory, Glory
