Rankings prove Georgia has lost benefit of doubt
Georgia's Mark Richt doesn't have to wonder what it's going to take to pass Georgia Tech and Paul Johnson: win. (AJC photo)
(Last update: 2:10 p.m.)
In two weeks, this becomes less about perception than reality.
Games start, the season unfolds, myths get busted, the guy on the bar stool who never said a word before suddenly says I told you so, a Big 12 coach locks a player in the broom closet and eventually we get to January and scream about the BCS. It’s college football’s circle of life.
But for now, it is about perceptions, and this much has become clear: Pollsters believe Georgia Tech has passed Georgia on the football field.
This is what consecutive years of failed expectations and a five-loss season will do to a program.
When last season ended in Shreveport, the Bulldogs were not ranked in the final Associated Press poll for the first time since 1996. That also left them behind the Jackets (13th) for the first time since 2000.
When this season begins, Georgia will trail Tech in the preseason polls for the first time since 2001, which is the year Mark Richt was hired. The AP’s preseason rankings were released Saturday. They’re similar to the coaches’ poll that came out two weeks ago, which had Tech ranked 17th and Georgia 21st. The gap in the AP poll is a bit wider: The Jackets are 16th and the Dogs are No. 23.
It’s worth nothing that the AP is no longer part of the BCS formula, having pulled out after the 2004 season because of the illogical selection process, to say nothing of the fact orchestrating a No. 1 vs. No. 2 game and rendering all other bowls relatively insignificant is just a bad idea. But the AP still is the most watched preseason and in-season poll, and it fuels what many previously believed:
Georgia has lost the benefit of the doubt.
This bit of reality won’t go over well in Athens. Richt inherited a program that hadn’t won an SEC championship since 1982. He proceeded to win two in his first five seasons. Then Georgia finished strong in 2007 to end the year at No. 2. Such cachet tends to carry over in polls from year to year.
But a preseason No. 1 ranking in 2008 turned out to be only a gateway to lopsided losses to Alabama and Florida, and a home upset by Georgia Tech (in coach Paul Johnson’s first season). Then came last year’s tumble to 8-5. Richt began to feel some heat for really the first time in his tenure. The Dogs now are at a prove-it stage. At Tech, most assume the arrow is pointed up. In Georgia, few are assuming anything.
The Jackets are 20-7 in Johnson’s first two seasons and went 11-3 with an ACC championship last season. They lost four stars (Demaryius Thomas, Jonathan Dwyer, Derrick Morgan, Morgan Burnett) to the NFL draft. But perceptions remain that they’re better than Georgia. Why?
“We won more games than they did last year,” Johnson logically concluded Saturday morning, when asked about the recent coaches’ poll.
Asked if he cared about perceptions, he gave the expected response: “Not really. I just worry about what I perceive and what actually happens. I’m more worried about what happens at the end of the year. Being ranked before somebody at the beginning might be nice, but I’d rather be ranked in front of them at the end.”
Since the non-ranking in 2001, the Dogs have ranked No. 8, 11, 3, 13, 15, 13, 1 and 13 in the preseason under Richt. At 23, they’re now closer to the “others receiving votes” category with Connecticut, Temple and Middle Tennessee State.
“I am thankful we are ranked,” Richt said Saturday when asked about the AP poll. He added, “I hope we play well enough to move up. That’s the plan.”
That’s the way to play this. Richt raised the expectation level at Georgia. This shows how missteps in consecutive seasons can significantly alter public opinion. Georgia finished out of the rankings four consecutive seasons (1993-96), but when it finished 10th in 1997, the Dogs suddenly were back in the preseason rankings in 1998 (19th) for the first time in five years.
It figured there would be a hangover after last season. The preseason rankings might be cause for debate, but that’s what rankings are all about. There’s no reason for Georgia to scream. In two weeks, the games start, and the Dogs will have a chance to change perceptions.
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688 comments Add your comment
Rodney Dangerfield
August 22nd, 2010
11:17 pm
What is wrong with you people? Every single week is do or die in the SEC! We have to run the gauntlet of SC, Miss St, Ark, Tenn, Vandy, and Kentucky!
Fair and Balanced
August 22nd, 2010
11:31 pm
Pre-season talk…… just talk. Reality hits in September. Go Dawgs!
Uhh... Alright..
August 23rd, 2010
1:17 am
Its funny how tech fans refer to Georgia as UGAy seeing as there are definitely quadruple the amount of pretty women in Athens as there is up there in “the hive”. But i guess as long as they still have their computers and themselves, then they dont really have to worry about going out and finding girls. The only way those “techies” get the red panties is from buying them themselves afterall
Hairy Dawg
August 23rd, 2010
1:55 am
These pointy heading Yechies win one flulkey game in a decade and they smacking talk like nothinbhg elses. We setting them staright this year with another unloading of whooping can. Then we smacking some more with talking. We gots the Christain coaches and Willie hit road. With talents we dominates states and SEC now to. And that makes Dawgs best teams for winning and being Big Dawgs!
Go Dawgs!
12-2
August 23rd, 2010
4:36 am
how2fish, why sir say things you don’t know ?
Alabama does NOT have better record the last 10 years you say than Georgia does. Alabama DOES have a better record since Nick Saban got there than Coach Richt has in the same timeframe, here.
And, it is NOT 10 years than anyone other than you has ever discussed.
2001-2009
9 years of very poor coaching staff hired by Coach Richt
how2fish, sir, you LEFT OUT LSU.
LSU has MORE wins than Georgia over the last 10 years.
Florida has MORE wins than Georgia over the last 10 years.
They BOTH have 2 National Championships. (There I said something about NC)
Alabama also has a National Championship with Nick Saban.
12-2
August 23rd, 2010
4:37 am
By the way, no one says Les Miles, Nick Saban or Urban Meyer is a great guy, a nice guy, a Christian – or ANY OTHER EXCUSE.
They have ALL been BETTER than Coach Richt.
So have a HOST of others such as Jim Tressel, Mack Brown, Bob Stoops, Pete Carroll, Urban Meyer, Les Miles, Nick Sabin, hell even the current head coach at Boise damn State Chris Peterson who has Won 2 Paul Bear Bryant National Coach of the Year Awards for WINNING not for being a nice guy, and NONE of these guys finds 18 teams they do NOT have more wins than over the last 4 years, either.
Do NOT give me this B.S. that Coach Richt is the # 3 best coach in America, or the # 7.
Do NOT try to tell me that Coach Richt is BETTER than Florida’s 2 coaches at 2-7, Ron Zook he was 1-3 and Urban Meyer now 1-4. Coach Richt has NOTHING but gimmicks against Florida. Nothing.
Do not even begin to compare Coach Richt to some list that does not include Nick Saban.
Do not tell me I cannot compare Coach Richt’s 27 losses to previous eras and then you compare him on wins with previous eras NONE of which were in fact 14-game seasons as Coach Richt could have faced 7 of his 9 years here to-date.
Do not even try to compare Nick Saban at Alabama to Coach Richt here over the same timeframe as you have attempted above.
12-2
August 23rd, 2010
4:38 am
Do not try to tell me that LSU Florida and now Alabama have not passed us by in our own conference.
Do not FLUFF OVER our 10-10 vs SEC East the last 4 years when there was only 1 opponnent in all those, 1.
Do not begin to FLUFF OVER the OFF FIELD ISSUES that dog this program.
Because every time you do, I have the easy comeback that there are 18 teams whom Coach Richt does NOT have more wins than over the last 4 years.
I don’t accept or settle for 18 teams having a better record than us over the last 4 years. And, not just because Jim Donnan’s last 4 years found only 11 teams who were better. Because I compare Coach Richt to the other coaches TODAY. He had a ton of talent and was the first to point that out a day or 2 before the February 2001 Signing Date, when Vince Dooley finally forced him to show up.
On the Field and Off the Field Coach Richt has NOT GOTTEN THE JOB DONE over the last 4 years.
2010 he BETTER get the job done. 12-2 No Excuses.
12-2
August 23rd, 2010
6:04 am
No Respect! quote above :
August 22nd, 2010 10:21 pm
“UGA is getting no respect from the dawg-hating media. Richt and the dawgs will remember that when they start with an early blowout of South carolina, rout tennessee, beat florida by 10 and then take tech apart in athens. Dawgs: 11-1—-mark it down! This dawg team is loaded and on a mission.”
11-1 ? What the hell is that ?
It is a 14-game season and you wanna-be Christians ALWAYS stop SHORT of The SEC Championship Game we have NOT even BEEN to since 2005 and before we beat ANOTHER NOBODY team in our bowl game as we have done EVERY YEAR beating ZERO Top 10 Final AP Poll teams in ANY BOWL GAME all 9 years of this regime. You list us beating Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia tek. Never mind who you think we lose to No Respect!, after Florida, Where are the ONLY 2 IMPORTANT GAMES of the whole entire SEASON ?
I love how everyone disregards the last 4 years upon which this ranking as # 6 in The SEC is based, and ACTS LIKE the last 2 games of the Year on the National Stage against Top 10 Final AP Poll teams are also NOT PART OF THEIR DISCUSSION, ever.
Excuse me : That, is the whole entire point.
JD
August 23rd, 2010
6:24 am
If we lined up Gtu and UGA game 1 – the winner is UGA. That is all the analysis you need regarding the polls.
12-2
August 23rd, 2010
6:27 am
3 years Josh Nesbitt averages 4 yards per carry
3 years Josh Nesbitt averages 44 percent completion rate
3 years Josh Nesbitt averages 72 yards a game passing
3 years Josh Nesbitt 13 TD passes & 12 interceptions total
# 116 Passing Offense Georgia tek last year
# 75 Total Offense Josh Nesbitt last year
And, with ZERO HEISMAN TROPHY EVER, Georgia tek fans (both of you) come running in here DAILY to tell that Josh Nesbitt is winning the Heisman Trophy
JD
August 23rd, 2010
6:30 am
Gtu are a bunch of fluffers anyway.
12-2
August 23rd, 2010
6:30 am
Oh that’s just great JD
Come running in here to tell us that Georgia tek who has not won a Major Bowl Game since 1955 is not as good a football program as UGA
I live to be better than Georgia tek
yeah, right
dawg85
August 23rd, 2010
7:40 am
Personally, I’d like to see preseason polls done away away with and no polls done until five or so games into the season. As for the Dawgs, that’s why they play the games in real life so we shall see. I’m optimistic.
reality
August 23rd, 2010
7:45 am
Go ahead UGA fans, keep obsessing about GT. You are going to be very upset in November when Tech beats UGA in Athens.
GTSux
August 23rd, 2010
8:10 am
Real creative there, “Scorekeeper” At least one of those 8 wins was against Tech.
Make sure you KEEP THAT SCORE
Blackberry Cobbler
August 23rd, 2010
8:26 am
Jeff– Let’s be accurate here. The only real test of whether Tech has passed UGA or not is on the field one-on-one. The last time I checked, Tech won in 2008 (after what 8 or 9 years of losing) then UGA won last year. I don’t think Tech is anywhere close to being better than UGA and we’ll prove that in November.
Indydawg...
August 23rd, 2010
8:33 am
Another hate Georgia article?
No, not from the AJC.
Weak.
Tech is a joke. After going 8-5 last year, UGA is still more relevant in the state that a team that won the ACC. If Tech’s tradition is that much of a big deal, why the hell are AJC writers having to put UGA in every friggin article?
Weak.
Frank Lee
August 23rd, 2010
8:52 am
The memory of that “big” bowl win over Hawaii is beginning to fade. Meanwhile, recent blowouts at Tennessee and losses to Kentucky and Vanderbilt are more fresh in national media’s memory…Hawaii??
Hairy Dawg
August 23rd, 2010
9:01 am
Pestky buggy nerds cant do the passing in the high schooler offenses and then they cannt be passing Dawgs nether. That why Dawgs run state and always best for dominates in SEC with talents and speed. No need for chumps comments to be smacking talk cuase Dawgs is best because winning with playing of the SEC to champs.
Jason
August 23rd, 2010
9:03 am
Pre-season rankings, Jeff? Have you lost your bloody mind? Job in doubt, Jeff?
joe
August 23rd, 2010
9:21 am
Nobody outside the state of GA recognizes UGA as a college football “power”, but in this state, homers think the dogs are better than sex.
Hairy Dawg
August 23rd, 2010
9:23 am
Dawgs winning cause Coach Richt is more Chritsians and good coaching. Someone needs blaming any loosing on Adams-Evans for no supporting of all recruiting of players that play with SEC speed and talents. With Evans out McG goning to man up and straihten school boy Adams out to get all talent from state and dominatring SEC and national for wins.
Evansdawg
August 23rd, 2010
9:27 am
The Dawgs beat the ACC champ Tech Wannabees. I don’t care if Tech is undefeated and UGA has 4 or 5 losses….UGA still beats Tech head to head. The Dawgs ran all over them last year. Pathetic, really. A team that travels through the SEC is more tested, an rugged than a team that travels through a schedule of the weak ACC. Put last year’s wannabees in the SEC and they have 4 to 5 losses easy.
Patagonia Dawg
August 23rd, 2010
9:35 am
Jeffrey, this article blows. Let’s not forget we beat GT last year in Atlanta after losing 5 games previously in the season. How does that make you feel?! We are the 2009 ACC Champs, but ofcourse that’s not saying much.
memphisdawg
August 23rd, 2010
9:39 am
OK hack. It couldn’t be that Johnson has done a good job of improving Tech. I am a Georgia grad and I would bet the farm that the Dawgs FINISH ahead of Tech in the end, but give credit where credit is due. Johnson was a great hire. And stop trying to stir crap up for the sake of stirring crap up. Try actually writing something substantial. Teach us something for a change. Hack
Snoop Dawg
August 23rd, 2010
9:48 am
I’m pulling for Da Preacha Man this year to lead the Dawgs to a memorable season. If he does not, however, we have to let him go–period. The trend is not good…
UGA Student
August 23rd, 2010
9:49 am
First off, I believe Hairy is a GT fan posting to try and make a toungue-in-cheek point about UGA fans. C’mon guys, everyone has idiotic fans.
Does UGA deserve the National Respect that its been enjoying in recent years? Probably not. Richt took far too long to take care of an obvious coaching deficiency on defense. But that issue has been resolved. Am I saying this is going to instantly vault us back up to Top 5 Nationally? Only time will tell, but I doubt it. We’ll have the ability, but I don’t believe Richt has the hunger for it.
Having said that, GT has a long way to go before they have caught up to where UGA currently is (after a couple of bad seasons). Good luck Tech. I honestly mean that.. I’d love to see the UGA/GT game have national implications every year. But don’t pretend that you’ve become more nationally relevant than UGA. Thats an amusingly bad misconception.
Buford Dawg
August 23rd, 2010
9:50 am
Yes, it’s all just speculation at this point with preseason polls, but… So many variables factor in to a truly successful SEC season for the Dawgs.
#1 The defense – the 3-4 must hit the ground running and finally stop some teams. I hope this new DC is the real deal and the players grasp the system quickly. The last DC made me want to run out in traffic.
#2 Aaron Murray stays healthy because there is no depth at QB. I was a Mettenberger fan – sad to see that story transpire.
#3 The OL stays healthy – can pass block and live up to expectations. There have been big things expected before with the OL and injuries and unexpectedly poor play resulted.
#4 Mark Richt… This is such a quandry for me… I like the guy. When you look at the numbers (wins/losses/consecutive this and that) on paper it looks all rosy. Truth is, I don’t think he’ll ever win a NC at UGA. He just doesn’t have “It”. Whatever “It” is… I’ll eat my words if proven wrong. He went to the CEO style coaching – made really poor choices for coordinators and things have gone downhill ever since. I still think Bobo should have been canned with all the rest at the end of last season, but I guess that was too much for the program to bear all in one year.
#5 The discipline problem… the arrests off the field and the trash undisciplined play on the field. I am hoping this new DC stops that crap, at least on the defensive side of the ball. The stuff off the field, I don’t know if that is a result of the quality of players being recruited or lax discipline by the coaching staff or both… Kids will be kids, but good grief.
#6 Injuries… you just never know…could be AJ Green again…could be Ealey or Murray…could be the LT on the OL. UGA seems snake bit with injuries.
All that being said…Go Dawgs!
Dawg_Central
August 23rd, 2010
9:55 am
Jeff Schultz has lost “benefit of doubt” with this article. How many Schools have won like UGA since 2000???? UGA owns Ga. Tech on the field….thats a fact….and playing in the SEC is tough and Richt has won, Paul Johnson shouldn’t be mentioned in the same breath with Mark Richt…..so Jeff get it right, what happens on the field and the post-season is what counts……UGA going for 10 out of 11 against Tech……I bet Tech fans don’t have any doubt….GO Dawgs!!!
Dawg_Central
August 23rd, 2010
10:00 am
Buford_Dawg……why don’t you put your application in for head coach??? you seem to have the answers!! Another example of a guy who probably never even played two hand touch in the back yard……Go Dawgs…for real!!!!
dap01
August 23rd, 2010
10:04 am
The conclusion in this article is not exactly derived from actual facts, it is more like the conclusion of a serious Tech fan.
Come on Jeff, be objective.
The jokester
August 23rd, 2010
10:21 am
Georgia football. hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah. The joke of the year
SHANKIT
August 23rd, 2010
10:22 am
Hairy Dawg – Please learn to spell Christian, not Christain.
YOu Muslim.
GA BOY
August 23rd, 2010
10:23 am
This is hilarious. Its obvious that Jeff got a BJ from a 200 Lb Tech girl (probably homecoming queen) in exchange for this story. This is terrible. I would expect more from a guy who writes for the AJC. Oh well, these are the same people that hired that goon Terrence Moore. UGA runs this state and always will.
Remember, Georgia plays in the SEC, Tech plays in the ACC. Let them switch places and Georgia wins 5 straight ACC titles while GT finishes 4th in the East year after year.
9 out of 10. Until Tech pulls off 2 or 3 in a row vs Ga, could you all please STFU.
Maybe you guys are smoking the same crap that killed that baseball player at Tech.
Yerwifesa Dawg
August 23rd, 2010
10:25 am
Hey, congrats, BuLLdawg, for changing your handle. I knew if I skipped to the night posts, I’d find ya.
Yerwifesa Dawg
August 23rd, 2010
10:27 am
Hey, I hear Sarah Palin’s a Moose-lim.
Furman Bishop
August 23rd, 2010
10:33 am
The truth always hurts. No matter, if they lose 6 games this season, the Richt lovers and the “averages 10 a year” crowd will be out there in full force defending the man and his mediocraty to the last dollar of his 3 million salary. Too bad for UGA fans.
Dawgfan6291
August 23rd, 2010
10:34 am
Jeff,
1) Yes Tech has passed Georgia. That is the reason the Dawg beat Tech last year (30-24), That is the reason Georgia won its bowl game, that is the reason Georgia is 60 and 39 vs the bugs and that is why Georgia has beat Tech 9 times in 10 years. With those numbers no way would i take Georgia over the bugs. No way. (get the sarcasm yet? or do i need to add more)
2) stick to Baseball, Most of your Braves stuff is good, but You and Mark both suck at NCAA football. My guess is you guys know that the Dawg fans out number the bugs so you put the Dawgs down to get more readers and more people to tell you your a dumba$$.
3) I just want to say it again………30-24
GA BOY
August 23rd, 2010
10:37 am
The AJC ranks WAAAYYYY down on the list of top newspapers among major cities in the U.S. The guys who are hired to write for the AJC are like the football players that wanted to play for UGA but end up at Ga Southern. They cant matchup with the big boys so they settle for less.
Buford Dawg
August 23rd, 2010
10:42 am
Dawg_Central – I guess you have problems discerning observations from resolutions. I, in no way, proclaim to have all the answers. For your info, not that it has any bearing on someone’s ability to analyze the sport of football, lettered in basketball, cross country (because we were forced to for conditioning) and football.
The two SEC titles (’02 and ‘05) were great, but watching UF and LSU win two NCs – ‘bama resurrect itself and win one – couple that with two embarrassing losses to UT (last year being one of them) and getting annually owned by UF gets old.
You want to make fun of people for not playing football, I think you took too many shots to the head in practice during Oklahoma drills or something, IF you even laced them up at all…
Yerwifesa Dawg
August 23rd, 2010
10:45 am
I’m talking to YOU, GA BOY.
GA BOY
August 23rd, 2010
10:45 am
what?
GA BOY
August 23rd, 2010
10:47 am
what did you say to me?
Ramblin Wrecker
August 23rd, 2010
10:47 am
To me UGA only has themselves to blame for the lack of benefit of doubt. Instead of letting Aaron Murray play and get his lumps out of the way in 2009, they played Joe Cox. So now they’ll have two tough seasons with an inexperienced QB and will have wasted a great WR (Green). And take it from me, nobody knows what it’s like to waste a great WR like a GT fan (Calvin). Thankfully GT got rid of the people responsible for wasting Calvin Johnson.
For some reason, a recruiting rich program like UGA and Mark Richt (who coached two Heisman winning QB’s at FSU and a #1 NFL pick at QB) inexplicably has a QB gap every 3 or 4 years. Why are they not able to recruit a decent QB to come in and understudy for a couple years and be ready to start as a RS sophomore? Why is it that the season David Green graduates UGA doesn’t get a good QB recruit to understudy a season while DJ Shockley starts? Or the year before Matthew Stafford leaves they didn’t get somebody to understudy a year to be ready when Stafford would go to the NFL early? You can’t tell me they didn’t know Green would graduate and that Shockley only had one season of eligibility left. Or that they didn’t have an inkling that Stafford might leave early for the draft. It just seems that UGA is always a year late in QB recruiting. Maybe they will be better off now, with if Murray is successful, and having Hutson Mason as a true freshman and Christian Lemay following this upcoming recruiting class. But even the current situation is tenuous. First off, what if Murray doesn’t succeed or show signs of potential for growth. Then you have a true freshman behind him in Mason or Logan Gray, which I think everybody agrees would be a disaster. But Mason is most likely to not be able to redshirt, because what if Murray gets his bell rung for a few plays or twists an ankle, Mason will have to play in 2010. And Lemay has already been suspended for 30 days in high school. He could be the next Zach Mettenberger. So UGA seems to continue to struggle with getting their QB ducks in a row.
Yerwifesa Dawg
August 23rd, 2010
10:48 am
Since you can’t figure it out, I said “Your Wife’s A Dawg”.
GA BOY
August 23rd, 2010
10:51 am
what? my wife went to Miami….she is a Hurricane. WTF are you talking about?
Yerwifesa Dawg
August 23rd, 2010
10:52 am
Meet me at the Varsity, Jr. and I’ll explain it. And I’ll buy lunch. What will you be wearing ?
GA BOY
August 23rd, 2010
10:53 am
I dont meet gay dudes. Sorry.
Yerwifesa Dawg
August 23rd, 2010
10:53 am
BTW, you’re making all of us Georgia boys look REALLY bad.
GA BOY
August 23rd, 2010
10:55 am
why?