Site says Georgia No. 21, Tech unranked going into 2011
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
♦
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489 comments Add your comment
HAROLD
December 21st, 2010
11:08 am
AS LONG AS GEORGIA IS RANKED RPE-SEAOSN HIGHER THAN FLORIDA, THAT’S ALL THAT COUNTS. SEC EAST IS A 2 MAN RACE, GEORGIA & FLORIDA OVER LAST 8 SEASONS.
Tosh.No
December 21st, 2010
11:10 am
Agreed It’s a shame… lots of internet tough guys on here. They love to run their mouths, but not one of them will ever actually do anything. I mean except run their mouths more.
wesleywhatwhat
December 21st, 2010
11:11 am
harold, sec is a 2 man race? uga and fla?
i seem to recall south carolina winning the sec east recently while beating fla and uga.
what year was that again????
RambleOn84
December 21st, 2010
11:12 am
Tech’s pass defense this year was pretty decent (our run defense was what killed us), but don’t let facts get in the way of a good story.
wesleywhatwhat
December 21st, 2010
11:12 am
tosh.no, speaking of tough guys running their mouths – who was it that was talking about guys penis sizes a few minutes ago?
not that there’s anything wrong with that, if that’s what floats your boat. just kinda telling about what’s on your mind, isn’t it? football players and other guy’s penises. kind of a gross combination, but to each his own, i suppose.
JB
December 21st, 2010
11:13 am
Life lesson #4 for Tech Alum…………….Talk to a woman about something other than pounds per Square foot load capacity…….She might think that is Sexual or something….. And she’ll find that strange coming from a Tech Guy…..
Magnolia, Tx Dawg
December 21st, 2010
11:13 am
Forget the polls. Get better coaches and win more SEC games.
moronariffic....
December 21st, 2010
11:14 am
Enter your comments here
Dash
December 21st, 2010
11:14 am
Murray is ranked BELOW #80 QB in passing accuracy:
a) against winning teams
b) in the 4th quarter
c) on 3rd downs
d) in 1st quarter
e) in the red zone
Murray is why UGA stunk in 2010. wthout him, UGA beats Florida, Colorado, South Carolina, Arkansas, Miss St.
wesleywhatwhat
December 21st, 2010
11:14 am
jb, most of the guys i know from gt do just fine thanks. i know i do. but then again, this is a football blog, right? your ugly *ss wife has no place here.
moronariffic....
December 21st, 2010
11:15 am
bunch of morons putting up a preseason poll in december…… just trying to get some press and get traffic to their site. looks like it worked.
GT
December 21st, 2010
11:15 am
If Newton was coming back Auburn would be number one again, I hear SEC schools that were once offering him money to come are now offering him money to leave. Newton is what Green was suppose to be or the backs at Alabama, game changers. The only players that fit that description besides Newton are Russel of LSU and Latimore at USC. Where does Alabama keep coming up with all this political mustard. How can next year’s team be better than this year’s team, which really is not that good is it?. We saw how good Texas was this year without their quarterback, the same one that was knocked out early in the NC, last year, making it a cakewalk for Alabama and probably a dozen other teams that year. Jones in gone. Why the gravity on A.J. Green, best one handed catch I have ever seen in a loss to Colorado, so highlighted. The idea is to look good or to be good, which means winning… at least making a difference enough to beat Colorado. This after we hear the world would be so different with Green back and poor Georgia had been cheated out of its birthrights by the NCAA. Man catch with dirty money in his pocket,so far, much more than has been proven against Newton. The real sad thing is if I were the Georgia supporter that put up that money, I would be for getting it back, Green was not that good, if winning and losing means anything in Athens anymore. Perception is what Richt is forming in your mind this afternoon. Instead of going to see Tech’s Johnson or even mentioning Spurrier who has a fairly good shot at things next year and certainly a better perception than Richt. Jeff you are heading for another brainwashing. This will lead to more disappointment by the state of Georgia, but obviously Athens makes a better den for the press than it does for it’s football now days. Georgia is the home of local journalism, the key to college football propaganda, so it knows how to feed the flock. The first plank in that is to make it as easy for reporters as possible, which is getting harder and harder as your brothers complain about the brands of beer and food in the hospitality booths. The problem with all this is you have to play the games. Predictable embarrassments occur every year as the press belch in the background from too rich of food. If Newton would decide to come back one more year, breaking this country club of the southern press wide open, now that would some real entertainment. Like I said the SEC is probably subsidizing his pay to get him out of there.
RambleOn84
December 21st, 2010
11:15 am
But let’s ignore the facts for a moment (since you’re good at that anyway); let’s say that Tech’s pass defense really was the shortcoming this year. How exactly do you figure that Johnson’s teams will “never” be good at defending the pass?
Is it because you listen to that dunderhead Davey Pollack, who stated that Tech would never be good on defense because they only defend the “triple option?”
I’ll let you in on a little secret: if Davey was a good football mind, he wouldn’t be doing drive-time sports talk.
Great player, but a total idiot.
Jess
December 21st, 2010
11:17 am
Pop Quiz:
How many winning teams did Murray beat in 2010?
Answer:
0
RambleOn84
December 21st, 2010
11:18 am
But back to reality:
Tech’s secondary is the best unit on defense looking forward, as we have a lot of young talent there. I am still worried about our run D for next year.
Hopefully TJ Barnes is ready to step up and Lanier will be healthy and live up to the hype.
Tosh.No
December 21st, 2010
11:18 am
Oh, thats funny wesley. Maybe you should get back to work though, those fries don’t cook themselves.
Dumbest post of the day award...
December 21st, 2010
11:19 am
Goes to HAROLD at 11:08
RambleOn84
December 21st, 2010
11:19 am
I’m annoyed by all the haters on either side of the aisle.
Both UGA and Tech struggled this year, but I think both have reason to be cautiously optimistic for next year.
wesleywhatwhat
December 21st, 2010
11:19 am
rambleon84, yeah the GT D line needs plenty of improvement. single biggest weakness in 2010.
are barnes and lanier the answer?
Tosh.No
December 21st, 2010
11:22 am
Techs defense can only get better ramble on, Groh is a good coach. But I do see the point in that its going to be tough to get better at defending the pass if they don’t see it everyday in practice. Same as how your offense is so effective, cause teams you play don’t see the option every day in practice. You guys playing air force should be a pretty decent game, just because both of you practice against that all the time.
RambleOn84
December 21st, 2010
11:24 am
Barnes has plenty of size, but I’m not sure he has the toughness or stamina to stay on the field.
I sincerely hope he is a major focus of the coaching staff this offseason. Walls is a hard worker, but he does not have the size to be a nose guard in this defense.
As for Lanier, I have barely seen him because of the injuries. I also hope he is working (and being worked) very hard.
We don’t get many big D-line prospects at Tech, so we need the ones we do get to pan out.
I am also looking forward to seeing Shawn Green and Denzel McCoy…both were highly rated (for Tech at least).
DawginLex
December 21st, 2010
11:24 am
2 best QB’s in the SEC East are on the same team in 2011?
Murray and Lemay?
QB controversy?
How will daddy Lemay like it if Murray is the starter?
Does Lemay have the character that DJ Shockley had to ride the pine and wait his turn and then become SEC offensive player of the year and lead his team to the SEC title in 2005?
Lemay is already practicing with UGA.
UGA just got a lot better.
WDE
December 21st, 2010
11:26 am
I don’t know if this is just because I watched him most in the Auburn games, but I think Lattimore is extremely overrated. He’s a decent back, but I wouldn’t put him near Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson, etc… (and I’m an Auburn fan).
And holy crap UGA fans, quit your b!tch!n about Cam Newton. You guys complain about your QB getting hit and your defense getting lit up while the rest of the SEC’s players are receiving national awards and respect.
I’ve always hated Georgia, but used to I couldn’t argue with some of the stars you produced, and your fanbase had a cocky swagger about it that is annoying but enviable. Now, the majority of you are a bunch of sissies like the Tech fans you love to hate on. Whining about things you can’t control, blaming this that and the other.
Grow a pair and man up, the rest of the SEC is tired of your b****ing.
crazy blank Mf's
December 21st, 2010
11:26 am
5 STARS EQUALS ZERO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 30 YEARS, I REPEAT, 5 STARS EQUALS ZERO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 30 YEARS and ONLY 6 WINS THIS PAST SEASON AND THAT WAS WITHOUT ALABAMA OR LSU ON THE SCHEDULE, YOU BUNCH OF WUSSIES…GOD HOW YOU PEOPLE LIVE IN A DREAM WORLD
RambleOn84
December 21st, 2010
11:26 am
Tosh.No,
I’ll try to be nice since you’re attempting to be civil, but you didn’t get the sarcasm in my post.
Tech’s starting defense does NOT practice against our offense.
They get a scout team offense to simulate the other team, just like every other school in the nation.
Pollack, despite being a heck of a player, was not smart enough to realize this and was very embarrassed when someone called him out on it.
If the 1st team defense only practiced against the 1st team offense, we would be in a lot of trouble obviously.
crazy blank Mf's
December 21st, 2010
11:27 am
I LIKE TO TYPE IN CAPS LOCK ALL THE TIME AND AM A GREAT BIG LOSER! I AM STILL A VIRGIN!
wesleywhatwhat
December 21st, 2010
11:28 am
dawginlex, u really think lemay is better than brantley and garcia as a true freshman? i don’t see it.
i also don’t see anyone taking murray’s starting spot as long as he’s healthy. papa lemay isn’t gonna be happy when his kid is on the bench for the next 2 years, minimum. does that affect team chemistry?
Sven Ottke
December 21st, 2010
11:29 am
Georgia is losing it’s best player in Greene, Caleb King is/will be gone due to grades, the OL and DL will take hits. Heck the Def got lit up by Tech with a backup QB and 1/3 of it’s starting OL out. Tech won’t miss a beat on O and the D will is losing 4 starters but has a ton of quality depth back and will have another year of the 3-4 under their belt. These will flip.
ARdawg
December 21st, 2010
11:29 am
I do understand you Nerds being worried about Murry next year. That is logical because he’ll be leading the Bulldog team that spanks your collective azzes next year. But, why do you hate him so? It’s not like you had a chance to recruit him. He’s just a kid with some very impressive freshman numbers that happened to be on the worse UGA team in decades but, he still beat GT, didn’t he?
wesleywhatwhat
December 21st, 2010
11:30 am
really? people still think the scout team that goes against georgia tech’s 1st unit defense in practice runs the spread option like the 1st team offense?
why do people who don’t follow football take the time to comment on a football post?
Tosh.No
December 21st, 2010
11:30 am
Oh I got your point, I know that there are scout teams, but its not like you have a pro style QB running that scout team, so its still harder to prepare for.
RambleOn84
December 21st, 2010
11:31 am
And for the people saying Tech should now “Fear the Turtle,” I disagree. Mike Leach would probably put in a good offense capable of upsetting a lot of people IF he gets hired there.
But he hasn’t been hired yet.
Secondly, they are in the other division so we only play them a few times a decade, unless of course we meet them in the Championship game.
But if our team is good enough to make it to the Championship game (beating VPI&SU, Miami, and UNC along the way), I won’t be too worried about Maryland.
Tosh.No
December 21st, 2010
11:31 am
We were thinking the same think wesley… maybe try talking about football instead of running your pathectic mouth. Ok?
RambleOn84
December 21st, 2010
11:32 am
Tosh.No,
Even coaches can throw good balls when they’re not getting hit. Our defense has plenty of good practice against the pass.
William C Smith
December 21st, 2010
11:33 am
Picking the rankings at this time is completely outlandish. You have a better chance of winning the lottery. There is one player out there who could change the entire season. No one knows what team he is on. He could be on any team from Washington to Miami. In the last two seasons we have had Suh and Newton. Maybe he will be on the team you cheer for.
gomdawg
December 21st, 2010
11:35 am
Joey, AJ Green is good but if you think he’s the reason we won 5 of the last 7 games. I took team work and we got recievers coming back next year that will do just fine with the QB we got.
Mike Durham and Kris Bennett ...what??? %$$#@
December 21st, 2010
11:36 am
One other UGA comment …………..red shirt frosh in 2011 receiver Mike Bennett ( Alpharetta ) will be another Kris Durham. Both tall, tough and SURE HANDED leader types. He will fill in very, very nicely at flanker, as Kris Durham ( UGA’s REAL Most Valubale Player ) has graduated. Bennett is Durham’s clone. GT will dread seeing another Durham type and so will many SEC squads, as DURHAM hurt them all. Green? He did nothing for UGA. TG and GH that he is gone.
Really, the only missing piece for UGA in 2011 is AJ Green and he did nothing for UGA in his entire 2.4 yrs.era and so with the 4 or 5 or 6 kids that are now on campus with plenty of experience AND two or three all world incoming wide receiver kids …………………..UGA will be fine. Afterall, AJ’s 2010 stats will not be tough to improve on with him missing half the year. He missed about2 or 3 games in 09 too. Who needs him??
AJ Green will soon be forgotten in UGA lore. Good riddance.
Go Dogs. College is forever.
wesleywhatwhat
December 21st, 2010
11:36 am
ardawg, i don’t know of any gt fans that hate murray. personally, i think he’s a good qb for uga and will be the bulldogs best player next year.
actually, if i was a uga fan, that last part would worry me quite a bit. they’re losing a lot of playmakers of a 6-6 team. i don’t see how that team can be any better than 7-6 or 8-5.
so will 3 seasons of 8-5, 7-6 (assuming george a’leary has forgotten how to beat the bulldogs), and 8-5 be enough for rich to keep his job?
fla fans certainly hope so.
ARdawg
December 21st, 2010
11:37 am
Relax Nerds. Leach had 2 decent years and 1 good year at Texas Tech. All of those came in down years in a mediocre conference. ACC seems to be mediocre every year and Leach will not make a difference. Paul Manboobs Johnson made a bigger tilt in the ACC than Leach will. The dude’s all mouth and no substance. He will continue to lead the conference in mediocrity and abysmal. You guys in the ACC are use to that
Tosh.No
December 21st, 2010
11:38 am
I’m not saying you don’t get good practice against it, but its still the scout teams. Those guys are on the scout team for a reason, so its going to take your coach a little longer to get them prepared for that type of play calling. Its like with Georgia. We can put someone back there to simulate the option, but they are not talented at running the option, they are a different style of player, and so you get the jist of that style, but not the full story.
DawginLex
December 21st, 2010
11:39 am
Lemay is going to be very good. Starting to practice early with the team is going to get him ready early.
Brantley is a non factor IMO. Garcia doesn’t perform well under pressure. Murray and Lemay will be better than both of them and Murray already is.
Lemay’s response to his playing time will absolutely affect team chemistry and could be a distraction. Shockley will always be at the top of my list for DGD because of how he handled himself. He basically ignored his own father and stayed the course and won a SEC title because of his character.
cluett peabody
December 21st, 2010
11:41 am
Can’t comment now as I am working on my ranking list for 2014. I already hacked out the list for 2013, 2012 and 2011 earlier. Now where did I put that hat to draw out the names???
Joshua Barlowe
December 21st, 2010
11:42 am
I’m so glad thUGA fans represent themselves so well.
Schultz, do so real reporting: I want a prediction on how many arrests the Dogs will have by kickoff next year?
ARdawg
December 21st, 2010
11:44 am
Wesley
If UGA actually had play makers in 2010 we wouldn’t be 6-6. Murray was the brightest star on the team, that includes Green. Murray was expected to make a lot of mistakes but voila’, the mistakes came from the veteran upperclassmen and the experience. I’ll tell you wesley, our hatred for each other aside, UGA could field all 1st year starters next year and still out perform this bunch we fielded this year.
Unluckily for the opponents that won’t be the case. IMO, our defense was as bad as Slick Willies, if there’s improvement there (a big IF) UGA will have at least a 9 win season next year. Georgia still has some offense to deal with. A team simply cannot give up 30-40 points a game and expect to win many
Paul in RDU
December 21st, 2010
11:45 am
DawginLex – How can LeMay be practicing with UGA when he can’t be a registered student until after 12/31?
Tosh.No
December 21st, 2010
11:46 am
Same to you Joshua, you’re a real class act. Maybe you should take a grammer class sometime buddy. How about “do so real” shutting up and get a life.
wesleywhatwhat
December 21st, 2010
11:48 am
idk, i think next year’s uga team will miss aj green and justin houston quite a bit.
sure other guys can step up/will have to step up, but losing talent is always hard to recover from. guess we’ll see how the young guys play.
same thing gt went through this year. in most cases, the young guys were overwhelmed and the seniors weren’t good enough.
ARdawg
December 21st, 2010
11:50 am
Garcia was “okay” as a freshman but nothing more than that. Brantley wasn’t didly squat as a Frosh. I said that then and I say he won’t be as a Jr. either. Sure he looked pretty good mopping up behind Tebow and it was easy to herald him as the second coming. I said then he’s got nothing and he proved it this past season. Trust me, he won’t be any better next year if he even wins the starting spot.
No comparison between those two and Murray and the “yet to be seen” Lemay
Tosh.No
December 21st, 2010
11:51 am
Not as bad as tech is going to miss Nesbitt. Our guys may stick around too, what with the lockout looming in the NFL.
InsectInside
December 21st, 2010
11:53 am
D A Double U G “…can’t make it up”, huh? Can you make up that no-credit in Recreational Studies?
Is it cold in the line at the pay-day loan store? No….wait…that would imply you have a job.