If Georgia finishes higher than a 21st in the rankings next season, Aaron Murray will have a lot to do with it.
It seems to be a race every year which media outlet can get its college football preseason rankings out first — kind of like which department store decorates for Christmas first.
Well, a site called NationalChamps.net has established the new standard: It just came out with its 2011 rankings, and we haven’t even made it out of recruiting. Or the bowl season. Or December.
Georgia fans — you’ll neither be thrilled nor surprised. Georgia Tech fans — get ready to rumble.
The No. 1 ranked team on NationalChamps.net’s rankings is Oklahoma, followed by Alabama, LSU and then the two BCS title game opponents, Oregon and Auburn (is Cam Newton coming back or something?).
The Dogs are ranked 21st, which seems about right given the uncertainty on defense and the offensive line and the likely departure of A.J. Green to the NFL.
Then there’s Georgia Tech, which didn’t make the site’s top 25 — or even the top 50.
The only fan base probably more upset is USC’s. The Trojans checked in at No. 43, just behind Air Force, Kentucky and Northwestern. Enjoy, Lane Kiffin.
Preseason rankings mean little even in August. So you can imagine how little weight they carry nine and a half months before kickoff. But they do say something about perception. In this case, the perception is that the Dogs have something to prove and the Jackets’ 6-6 record this season is far closer to reality than the ACC title they won last year.
Do you agree? I’m heading out to Athens Tuesday morning to chat with Mark Richt, so I figured this would be a nice warm-up to a college football column later. What are your early — really early — thoughts on next season?
Below are NationalChamp.net’s rankings, including links to brief analysis.
♦
2011 Top 25
Click on each team for breakdown
1. Oklahoma
2. Alabama
3. Louisiana State
4. Oregon
5. Auburn
6. Ohio State
7. Arkansas
8. Missouri
9. Stanford
10. Texas A&M
11. Oklahoma State
12. Michigan State
13. Wisconsin
14. Boise State
15. Nebraska
16. Virginia Tech
17. TCU
18. Florida State
19. South Carolina
20. Notre Dame
21. Georgia
22. Connecticut
23. Mississippi State
24. Michigan
25. Tulsa
Teams 26-50 depth charts included
26. West Virginia
27. Arizona State
28. Florida
29. Utah
30. Penn State
31. Texas
32. Maryland
33. Miami FL
34. Clemson
35. Pittsburgh
36. SMU
37. Tennessee
38. Miami OH
39. North Carolina State
40. Air Force
41. Kentucky
42. Northwestern
43. Southern California
44. Navy
45. Baylor
46. San Diego State
47. Iowa
48. Boston College
49. Southern Miss
50. Brigham Young
♦
Want to win an iPad? I’m told you can still enter the “Sack Schultz Bowl Contest” even though the bowl season has started. Just pick more winners than anybody else and you win! Click here for more info or go to ajc.com/go/sack-schultz to enter.
♦
489 comments Add your comment
oakwood dawg
December 20th, 2010
10:33 pm
Hey, where are you gaytor fans,jerks that you are! Of course, these rankings are presumptuous to say the least. But your lack of voice makes me think you are very skeptical to say the least. Could next year be a bad one for the mighty gators coached by what is (supposedly a great gaytor lover) but none the less a great dawg player? Come on– lets hear it from you mouthy gaytors. My 2 favorite teams i.e. UGA and whoever plays the gaytors.
daroosta
December 20th, 2010
10:35 pm
dumb polls- There will be coaching and player changes before next season. Way too soon to tell. Let’s enjoy the finish to this season before we look ahead.
DawginOH
December 20th, 2010
10:38 pm
Silly as a December poll is, it’s this kind of stuff that makes college football so great.
StraightJacket
December 20th, 2010
10:45 pm
These kind of exercises might actually be useful if the originator would (1) Study the Rosters / depth charts and (2) Look at the schedules. To have GT outside the top 7 of the ACC for 2011 is just evidence that somebody just “mailed it in” and didn’t bother with research.
In 2012, GT will be MUCH better, but the schedule has TOUGH road games. In 2013, for the FIRST TIME under Coach Johnson, GT will FINALLY HAVE BALANCED CLASSES, complete with some experienced upperclassmen, redshirted linemen who will have some time both in the weight room AND the system. AND … a schedule with at least 7 home games (Maybe
and with the EASY games on the road.
It took Visor Boy at South Carolina this long to turn around the culture there. By 2013, in about the same amount of time, CPJ will FINALLY have a “program” in place and working. Last year’s Championship was gravy.
2011? Tech should be somewhere close to the Top 25; fighting again with VPI&SU for the Coastal Division.
Chuck Uga
December 20th, 2010
10:50 pm
Jeff,
That is very nice that UGA is 21st. Hard for that not to happen with the schedule in 2011. I am predicting 8-4 and a “fence-sitting” AD in angst over whether to replace Mark Richt. Honestly, I think he will after he realizes that victories over New Mexico St, Coastal Carolina and Vandy are givens while the rest of the schedule yields a record of 5-4. To all of you kool-aid drinkers, I im in Section 128 with season tickets that I’ve had for ten straight years. Mark Richt is finished as far as championship contention is concerned. He does not have the staff to contend. He just hasn’t realized it yet. Sadly, UGA will not play in the Dome again for the SEC Title for at least 5-6 more years, and both Florida and Tennessee will have won SEC Titles (again) by then. UGA is mediocre at best among the SEC teams, well below UF, Bama, LSU and now Auburn (although they will struggle in 2011). Tennessee is catching up quickly and will soon pass UGA. Derek will have winning record against UGA just like Richt has had against UT. It is ashamed to sit back and watch a very backwards (and “backwoods”) administration languish in mediocrity while being oblivious to it. UGA losing Green, Boykin and Houston is going to kill any chance of contending in 2011, and the initial blow-out loss to Boise State will probably wake up McGarity to my points made above. Happy holidays.
D A Double U G
December 20th, 2010
10:52 pm
Staight Jacket…..
No
Whopper Dawg
December 20th, 2010
11:01 pm
If you put Miss St and FLA above the Dawgs, that would be about right, eighth to ninth in the SEC sounds about right.
tenn.DAWG
December 20th, 2010
11:13 pm
Why would any Dawg fan think that less than nines wins would be acceptable.Based on instate talent,UGA should be in the hunt,only Texas A&M and FSU have comparable instate talent but with more competition,uf,miami,s.fla.,texas,baylor,tt,etc.
Festus
December 20th, 2010
11:18 pm
auburn at #5? No way… not with all the talent they are losing.
scottbravesfan
December 20th, 2010
11:21 pm
Who cares? Both programs are mediocre.
Hunker Down
December 20th, 2010
11:23 pm
I have FSU better than 18. Dawgs sound about right to me. Murray will only get better but I agree OL departures, aj and the defense needs to get better.
CaliDawg
December 20th, 2010
11:29 pm
Maryland boots out RF and pays him $2M to look towards a guy like Mike Leach? WOW! Sounds more like a punchline. I don’t want to hear ANY more talk about the ACC and their so-called students first, athletes second.
Roll Tide with Pride!!!
December 20th, 2010
11:49 pm
FUNNY!!!!!!
I think UGA #21 is way too high.
Probably around 45 or 50 more accurate.
Losing Green, Houston, Boling – your O -Line will be mediocre or worse next year than this year.
WR corp – no AJ – is not even average by SEC standards
Defense? what defense.
Next year is Richts last year – good thing Colorado is not on your schedule!!!
HA!
Gen Neyland
December 20th, 2010
11:49 pm
The pollsters have been enamored with UGA for years. Part of me has to wonder if they’ll ever get over them and another part says, Maybe so. Will 2011 be the year the pollsters and UGA won’t get left at the altar or the year CMR hits the bricks..? What a quagmire.
PTCDAWG
December 20th, 2010
11:52 pm
CMR learned his lesson this year. They will go 1 against 1 all spring and all fall. they will be ready to play from the start and will finish. Look for a much tougher Dawg in 2011 and one that will make us think we are watching the “old Junk Yard” in action. Don’t be surprise if we are undefeated heading to Jax!
Go Dawgs!!!
chazzo
December 20th, 2010
11:53 pm
What a load of hooey.
UGA REALLY STANDS FOR JOE DIRT
December 20th, 2010
11:54 pm
@ Terry Funk
I assume you are a UGA fan and i see you love the high school offense comment. Do i dare say…what about that UGA highschool DEFENSE? 32 1st downs for GT! 32?? 91 plays on offense? 2 weeks to prepare and you gave up 32 1st downs and over 500 yards? 2 WEEKS TO PREPARE TO GET STEAM ROLLED YET AGAIN? 750K FOR THAT? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! I bet if their was a recruiting service for trolling, you would be #1 in the state!
You guys say 9 of 10 and i say 8 STRAIGHT! Notice there is no OF in the longest losing streak in the series?! You have more wins in the series yes, but i say (4-2) and that is the holy grail in college football…NATIONAL TITLES! That is the common goal that these kids try to achieve during a season correct? I’m sure that (4-2) will not change in our lifetime and even if uga won every game vs GT for years to come, i wouldn’t trade a bucket of crap to have less national titles than my rival!
8 STRAIGHT LOSSES FOR UGA!!!!!!!!
(4-2) in the words of some UGA BLOWHARDS…..IT HURTS DOESN’T IT? BWAAAAAAHHHH
We Hit and Run This State
December 20th, 2010
11:59 pm
HS offense? What part of 411 and 512 do you toolboxes not understand? I mean, for goodness sake, even when everyone in the stadium knows we’re diving up the middle over and over again, you still can’t stop it? Really? You’re still enough of a tool to talk HS offense instead of just picking up your jock and heading for the bus?
What a dbag…
corey
December 21st, 2010
12:04 am
haters go home……in other news xzavier dickson is closing in on a decision, he should announce in the next two weeks.
Lee
December 21st, 2010
12:05 am
After the season the Dawgs have had, I will take #21. However, it is WAY too early for ‘11 rankings considering we haven’t entered into signing day yet. Murray is a great QB who will be more poised and confident next season. I just don’t know how the Dawgs will look on either side of the ball. Unless there is a NFL lockout, I don’t see Green or Houston coming back. If Newton leaves AU, then a #5 ranking is FAR too generous. Look what happened to Florida’s generous preseason ranking after losing Tebow. The Dawgs should not have had a 6-6 season this year, they fielded a better team than that. Here’s hoping that they win more than they lose in ‘11.
UGA REALLY STANDS FOR JOE DIRT
December 21st, 2010
12:11 am
How could i forget terry? Your JV defense gave up over 500 yards with a BACKUP QB who had only started 2 games at GT in his life!
8 STRAIGHT!
(4-2)
UGAY= Red Panty sniffers!
Top 10 classes in recruiting= Shreveport and memphis which is a bigger dump than shreveport!
I would like to comment on the rankings. Auburn will lose 4-5 games next year and is no way even a top 20 team in 2011. Stanford is decent but the pac 10 is garbage. LSU is the luckiest team in america and they are not a top 5 team. They won’t finish in the top 10 next year. UGAY is about right, maybe #25 but if they lose to boise then it will be another long season in athens. Murray is solid but who does he have worth a crap around him on either side of the ball that is a legit weapon? Boykin may go pro. Durham is gone and who is murray gonna throw too? Everyone knows that their TE is their only real threat and will take him away. Load the box and cover the TE. UGAY will win 6 or 7 i think in 2011. Their defense is every bit as terrible as ours! GT has a much favorable schedule as we have all the tough games at home except miami. We don’t play FSU and we have UGAY at home as well. I like how the schedule sets up for us. We will be young at QB but that won’t stop us from rolling up massive yards and points as long as we HOLD ONTO THE BALL! Our offensive line will be better as should our defensive line. The defense is at rock bottom so it can only go up! Jackets will win more games than UGAY next year. We could see another 45-42 type game if both teams suck on defense again in atlanta. UGAY can not stop our offense no matter if jerry lewis was the QB.
macrotech
December 21st, 2010
2:02 am
Tough to take a preseason poll seriously when the bowl games haven’t been played….not ever worth debating. Whatever. Merry Christmas to all that celebrated it!
Real talk
December 21st, 2010
3:02 am
Rick… If it weren’t for a couple of sloppy plays in the past 10 years… Y’all nerds might have won 2..but guess what…??? Ya’ll didn’t!! Y’all suck Rick.. Who cares if y’all ran all over us… You lost, and will keep losing with your pathetic offense and lousy recruiting. Good luck Rick.. Y’all are damn sure going to need it! We own you!!!9-1… 42-34
Real talk
December 21st, 2010
3:10 am
Roll tide with pride..go watch the iron bowl again.. Then come back and bash our program….There is plenty of things all of us can say about Alabama, but we are not going too…
Fig Newton
December 21st, 2010
3:49 am
If George O’Leary’s UCF team spanks the Dawgs in Memphis,
UGA returns to Athens with a 6-7 record.
BoWeevil
December 21st, 2010
4:45 am
Caleb King has legal woes again, and has failed 3 of his 4 courses this semester – along with posting 430 yards rushing this entire season and 8 yards receiving this entire season for a Grand Total of 2 Touchdowns – which matches his Arrest Record for Mark Richt with 2 as well. Mark Richt made a huge big deal about it when Caleb King barely Qualified for college; instead, he is Mark Richt’s number 11 football player Arrested in 2010 and now brings MORE BAD NEWS for Bulldogs’ Fans with BAD PRESS on-going about Caleb King being declared ineligible to play in the bowl game. He can now try to get his eligibility back by the Fall next season, or Declare for the NFL Draft and be undrafted but given a chance by some team for -0- dollars. Hailed as better than Knowshon Moreno when Mark Richt recruited him and nationally at one point named by several publications as the Top Tailback in the Nation, he had to leave Parkview because of Grades which Caleb lied about at the time, the became the top football player in the state of Georgia 2006 and now 5 years later, a total BUST.
Washaun Ealey also has had academic issues and our Savior Crowell said he is concerned about the history of ruining running backs here at Georgia in our pass-happy offense, which only runs the ball when we are killing the other team with passing.
Caleb King, thanks a lot, Caleb King.
Big time?? Not
December 21st, 2010
5:21 am
Four tickets, four hot dogs, four cokes
BIG TIME ? NOT
December 21st, 2010
5:32 am
3-5 in the SEC
WITH A CHANCE TO GO 6-7 OVERALL.
Read This
December 21st, 2010
5:34 am
According to a poll I saw, the AJC isn’t in the top 50 newspapers. I think I saw where the Blue Ridge Observer was ranked ahead of it.
Yellow Fuzz
December 21st, 2010
5:39 am
Are these the same guys that ranked georgia 3rd this preseason?
Stinger 2
December 21st, 2010
6:08 am
No. 1 This preseason ranking is totally meaningless.
No. 2 The comments between UGA and GT fans are fine for those people who have nothing important to do.
No. 3 I am a GT fan but not a fan of CPJ. I do not think
his program will ever rise above break even seasons again.
BoWeevil
December 21st, 2010
6:40 am
Paul Johnson cannot recruit, at all.
He also LOST to our worst football team in 14 years, as a direct result
Dawgbreath
December 21st, 2010
6:53 am
Sorry but USCe will be way better than 19. They are going to be loaded. Sigh.
mike
December 21st, 2010
6:54 am
So how did national champs .net predictions from last year look now???
Columbus Dawg
December 21st, 2010
6:56 am
How come we can’t get a report about the eligibility of UGA’s starting running backs for the 2010 Liberty Bowl?
mike
December 21st, 2010
6:58 am
Here is what they predicted last year.
2010 College Football
Top 25 Preview
1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Boise State
4. Oregon
5. Texas
6. Florida
7. TCU
8. Iowa
9. Nebraska
10. Wisconsin
11. Georgia Tech
12. Southern California
13. Penn State
14. Virginia Tech
15. Miami FL
16. Oklahoma
17. Oregon State
18. Cincinnati
19. North Carolina
20. Arkansas
21. Louisiana State
22. Utah
23. Florida State
24. West Virginia
25. Georgia
Others Receiving Consideration
depth charts included
Arizona
Auburn
Boston College
Brigham Young
California
Clemson
Connecticut
Houston
Michigan
Mississippi
Missouri
Notre Dame
Pittsburgh
South Carolina
South Florida
Stanford
Tennessee
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
UCLA
Washington
Sanford Landfill
December 21st, 2010
7:03 am
Remember when the sites said UGA was #1? How’d that work out?
Spike
December 21st, 2010
7:12 am
These pollsters are not impressed with the Gators. We will see. How many more days to kick off?
Spike
December 21st, 2010
7:22 am
Don’t these guys know how smart CPJ is? They better watch their backs, he might come punch them in the mouth.
Moonpie
December 21st, 2010
7:24 am
Flo-ri-duh #28 Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
AltamahaDawg
December 21st, 2010
7:25 am
JB, surely at this point, you realize that McGarity is not going to fire Mark Richt this year?
skydawg
December 21st, 2010
7:35 am
LMAO…Arkansas at #7 without Mallet? Really? LMAO
papadawg
December 21st, 2010
7:36 am
This is the year things should start going up for the Dawgs. I knew we were in for a couple of down years, just didn’t think we’d lose as many as we did. We now have a QB, the defense showed SOME improvement so Coach Richt it’s time to FINISH THE DRILL
reebok
December 21st, 2010
7:39 am
I’m a Tech fan, and evem I don’t think we are a top 50 team. Of course, I don’t think UGA is a Top 25 team either, but whatever.
stupid
December 21st, 2010
7:49 am
lets wait until bowls and drafts are over PLEASE
buzz me
December 21st, 2010
7:49 am
just another opportunity for Georgia to disappoint
stupid
December 21st, 2010
7:50 am
didnt some paper in FL have the dogs in the top 5 this past preseason? nice
Hal
December 21st, 2010
7:59 am
If Tech’s defense improves we will be much better next year. The offense is not a problem.
Columbus Dawg
December 21st, 2010
8:04 am
Just finished reading the comments made by that selfish p.o.s. A.J. Green about his four game suspension. Richt had better figure out the dicipline end of this thing quick. McGarity says that a diciplinary change is now in effect in Athens. Of course we will see how all that plays out. Richt should have suspended Green for another 4 games for knowingly breaking NCAA rules for selfish reasons. His kind are why things are what they are in Athens. Word is C. King is academically inelligible for the bowl game. Can anyone confirm this? Looks like Richt’s star recruits are biting him in the butt again. He had better get a handle on this quickly if he wants another season after 2011. We need Georgia Bulldogs in Athens to play football for THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, not the self serving types we have had in the last four years. We have one in Aaron Murray, but they seem to be far and few between. Richt had also better start thinking more about UGA than being a farm club for the NFL. Now we will hear from the race card crowd, but this is about character, not race.
Robert
December 21st, 2010
8:05 am
Tech will be much improved in 2011, and again it will beat Ugag, something it could easily have done the past 3 seasons, barring costly injuries and ket turnovers. Just the facts.