Raising Expectations

41-0.

That was fun.

Despite what Gary Danielson tried to say on the broadcast, the game was never in question. From start tonfinish Georgia dominated a Tennessee team that just got their coach fired, if not today, then by a he end of the season. Tennessee isn't great. Mississippi State isn't great. But that doesn't take away from the two performances that Georgia has given us the past two weeks.

Heading into October, Georgia is 5-0, with games against Vanderbilt and Missouri coming up next. Those should be easy wins, which should set up a defacto SEC East title game in Jacksonville. The Gators lost their starting QB yesterday for the remainder of the season, so they will turn back to Filepe Franks, who has already been benched this season.

Georgia will now be favored in 6 of their last 7 games, with the only exception being when the Dawgs travel to Auburn. Georgia should win the East, and anything less than 11-1 would be a huge disappointment.

So now we will see how Georgia handles expectations.

The Dawgs are going to be double digit favorites the next two weeks, and even the most conservative Georgia fan has to recognize that the expectations have changed for this team this year.

Now I know how you are feeling. You aren't quite ready to let yourself be vulnerable again. We have been hurt too many times in the past. Let's be honest, it's only been 8 months since most of us had our hearts ripped out in the Super Bowl. But here is the advice I have for Georgia fans.

Embrace the expectations.

This is what we wanted. We wanted Kirby to come in and make us contenders. Here we are, in year 2, and we are contenders.

At the beginning of the season, I said the minimum expectations for this season was 10-2 with losses to Florida and Auburn. Now those expectations have changed. The new minimum is 11-1 with the lose coming on the road at Auburn. Even with a loss to the Tigers, which isn't to say that Georgia can't win that game, Georgia would be playing in Atlanta against Alabama for the SEC title. A win against the best program in the nation would put Georgia in the playoff.

Guys, this is a great thing.

I don't believe Georgia is quite ready to take that last step this season, but it could happen. One thing I do know is that if the Dawgs can get to Atlanta I am really excited to see how this team stacks up against the standard of the SEC.

This isn't 2012. This isn't a one-off peak season with a ton of seniors that will lead to a rebuild. This is only the beginning. Kirby has changed this program in just 20 months. He has brought in elite talent at every position to provide depth, but most importantly, he has developed the talent that was already here so guys don't have their best seasons as freshman and sophomores.

Don't be nervous to be excited. Don't be hesitant to be confident. Embrace the expectations.

Georgia is the favorite in the SEC East.

Georgia is a Top 5 team.

Georgia is one great Saturday afternoon in December from playing in the College Football Playoff.

Raise the bar and attack the day!

Glory, glory!