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.

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

LogoGrass_652173aWant 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.

Follow me on Twitter @JeffSchultzAJC and Facebook.com/JeffSchultzAJC

489 comments Add your comment

ARdawg

December 21st, 2010
11:53 am

Murray is the real deal. If he stays healthy, some defenses will be in trouble

DawginLex

December 21st, 2010
11:59 am

Richt reported that Lemay is practicing

Ramblin Man

December 21st, 2010
12:16 pm

Shultz wins todays most hits award and gets a free meal at the fast food joint of his liking.

Dawg fans do you see Murray as the starter next year or is Lemay the new man? Just wondering what you think since we are skipping ahead to September now.

WDE

December 21st, 2010
12:17 pm

Haha I love the way DawginLex is talking about a particular 18 year old as if he’s the savior of the UGA program.

1eyedJack

December 21st, 2010
12:21 pm

Lemay could turn into a fine wide receiver.

Dawg H8R

December 21st, 2010
12:28 pm

Dash=Dumb Ass

dawg in lex,among others,seems like a dumb ass as well.DJ Shocklee impressed you with his ability to take cash in place of playing time.He should’ve transferred to Morehouse,Clark or Morris Brown. But perhaps the lack of GEORGIA PEACHES(you know what I mean) and the lack of ole boy money made this REAL option unrealistic.

Let me leave this foolery alone. SC=SEC EAST CHAMPS, again. Deal with it Dawgs.

DR

December 21st, 2010
12:29 pm

They have BC in the top 50 and not Tech? I don’t think the guys that made this list have ever watched a college football game.

Joey

December 21st, 2010
12:34 pm

gomdawg, not gonna argue with you on Murray. If he stays healthy, he will go down as one of the best ever at UGA.

But AJ was the main reason we scored a lot of points in that 5 of our last 7 run. Whether or not he was catching passes, he was drawing double coverage. A safety had to account for AJ, which gave our other WRs single coverage, and even helped our (mostly pitiful) running game.

Hopefully somebody (Brown, King, Wooten?) steps up in ‘11 and becomes a big-time playmaker at receiver, to compliment Orsen Charles, who is gonna be a great one.

Joey

December 21st, 2010
12:37 pm

“Haha I love the way DawginLex is talking about a particular 18 year old as if he’s the savior of the UGA program.”
*************************
Wasn’t a certain 21 year old “the savior of Auburn?”

Dawg H8R

December 21st, 2010
12:44 pm

Joey
Wasn’t a certain 21 year old “the savior of Auburn?”

No one at jawja compares to Cam Newton.Nor Stephen Garcia. Nor Alshon Jeffrey. Nor Marcus Lattimore. Nor Tori Gurley. Nor Ace Sanders.
This year jawja fulfilled their potential,they went 6-6. I blame a piss poor GT defense(once again) with allowing the Dirty Buttsniffers another win in a lackluster series. You guys keep answering questions that you’re unqualified to answer.

The Truth

December 21st, 2010
12:54 pm

Looks like the nerds are out of luck now that Gailey’s recruits are finishing up…..now the real laughing at the high school offense will only increase…..

Joey

December 21st, 2010
12:55 pm

I pretty sure that nobody in the country “compares” with Cam, as nobody compared with Teabow a few years back, H8R.

The ‘certain 18 year” in question isn’t even at UGA yet, so who can say who he compares with?

My point was that one player can actually be a savior.

RambleOn84

December 21st, 2010
12:59 pm

“The Truth,”
Gailey’s recruits are still at Tech…most are riding the bench because they’re NOT GOOD ENOUGH to start over the freshmen and sophomores Johnson has brought in.

Gailey had ONE good class, and even that class was mostly filler. Four stars in Nesbitt, D. Morgan, Morgan Burnett, and Dwyer…the rest were mostly mediocre…like all of Gailey’s other recruits.

Johnson has brought in, on average, much better players than Gailey ever did (outside of that ONE year Gailey had).

The Truth

December 21st, 2010
12:59 pm

How are the nerds underdogs to Air Force? Must be all the 4 and 5 star recruits that Air Force has…..that always seems to be the excuse for the nerds losing each year.

Dawg H8R

December 21st, 2010
1:01 pm

Joey
Ain’t no savior coming to jawja. Stop waiting for Him. You guys should be waiting on your next coach!

The Truth

December 21st, 2010
1:02 pm

Who will the nerds promote as their Heisman canidate for 2011? By the way, how many votes did Nesbitt end up with? Didn’t he finish second in the Davey O’Brien voting? LMAO….

RambleOn84

December 21st, 2010
1:02 pm

Gailey brought in mostly 2-star talent EVERY YEAR, and his total disregard of offensive line recruiting left us in TERRIBLE position this past year…the fact that Johnson won as many games as he did (and was competitive in the rest, save for Miami) despite Gailey’s mostly awful recruits is a testament to Johnson’s coaching ability.

Dawg H8R

December 21st, 2010
1:04 pm

Tech fans: I’m assuming the NERD comments were meant to be insults.
Sure beats INBRED REDNECKS.

RambleOn84

December 21st, 2010
1:04 pm

“The Truth,”
Grow up. Tech sucked in 2010, we get it. UGA wasn’t exactly great though…you might be better served worrying about your own program.

Joey

December 21st, 2010
1:04 pm

You can see the future? How about some lotto numbers.

RambleOn84

December 21st, 2010
1:05 pm

People who come on here just to spew hate about rivals are pretty pathetic.

Get a life.

Let’s talk football, not engage in member measuring.

HINT: if all you have to do is talk bad about other people, you’re probably not doing too well in that department.

Joey

December 21st, 2010
1:08 pm

Very true, RambleOn84 . . .

The Truth

December 21st, 2010
1:16 pm

Oh no….nerds is quite the compliment. You guys/gals are super smart and that’s all that matters.

The Truth

December 21st, 2010
1:17 pm

Inbred redneck…..is that a term only reserved for southern white males?

The Truth

December 21st, 2010
1:19 pm

RambleOn84….seems like the same RambleOn who used to spew hate and vile all over other blogs….my what a wicked web we weave…..

David

December 21st, 2010
1:19 pm

There is a big difference between paper and playing on the football field. Usually, the paper ends up losing. As for I a UGA person, what we were picked 23th on paper this year. They do not see the same thing I saw this year, and I was at every game this year. Until we prove that we can play Georgia Football the way it should be played, then I would not rank us until we win the National Championship.

The Truth

December 21st, 2010
1:20 pm

Sure was fun when your team was winning though wasn’t it RambleOn? Well the clock struck midnight and……well you know the rest of the story.

RambleOn84

December 21st, 2010
1:20 pm

“The Truth,”
It is a truly small man who justifies his own misdeeds by pointing out those of others.

David

December 21st, 2010
1:21 pm

Am I am not a UGA fan but a poser…..it sure is fun though.

RambleOn84

December 21st, 2010
1:22 pm

Anyone can use any name they want on this silly message board…not sure who you are referring to, but it wasn’t me.

Again, pointing out that others do the same is a very childish excuse for boorish behavior.

The Truth

December 21st, 2010
1:22 pm

How did you know I was an Asian boy?

The Truth

December 21st, 2010
1:23 pm

Ok….I have been outed….I once went to DragonCon to see what all the fun was….I am now a lifetime member…..where can I get my 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, and 4 Cokes so that I am officially in the club?

RambleOn84

December 21st, 2010
1:25 pm

What are you even talking about, “The Truth?”

I always suspect that people who make jackasses of themselves here have mental issues, and I believe you’ve just confirmed that.

The Truth

December 21st, 2010
1:26 pm

Oh come now, Ramble. Silly rabbit tricks are for kids. See you at the tickle pile next fall.

The Truth

December 21st, 2010
1:28 pm

How did you know I was also a ‘tard? Hee Haw

The Truth

December 21st, 2010
1:30 pm

Well break is over….upstairs to cook up those wontons…..

The Truth

December 21st, 2010
1:31 pm

Have fun Ramble….I will truly miss you at the tickle pile tonight.

RambleOn84

December 21st, 2010
1:39 pm

I don’t engage in “tickle piles,” but I will defend your right to do so.

DawginLex

December 21st, 2010
1:57 pm

where did I say Lemay was a savior?

I predict he will be a good QB in college.

I was incorrect in saying he was practicing. He attended practice.

WDE and Dawgh8ter need to get a room, together.

Lemay makes Murray and the depth at QB better because Murray has real competition for the job.

Moonpie

December 21st, 2010
2:24 pm

DawginLex,

No way Lemay takes position from Murray? He hasnt played competative football in over a year.

Old Dawg

December 21st, 2010
2:32 pm

Back to the subject of Jeff’s post, I hate predictions like this. Who in their right mind would think up stuff like this. If you read the story, it has Green and Houston on the Dawgs’ roster … how do they know that? And what about bowl game, spring or pre-seasoned injuries? They can completely alter the way a team plays.

And how about a freshman making an impact on special teams, at running back etc … sometimes they can turn an entire program around.

Conjectures like this are written by the insane for the insane.

Moonpie

December 21st, 2010
2:38 pm

Old Dawg,

Insane? Probably so-but they have us blogging about it today uh?.So my questions is-Who is really the insane-them or us?

ARdawg

December 21st, 2010
3:00 pm

Okay Nerds. Get back to your video games and pizza delivery. This is a blog discussion about something you’d know nothing about, football.

Disequal

December 21st, 2010
3:23 pm

Ok so without knowing the outcome of the bowls, seeing which players stay or leave, or finishing the whole recruiting process these rankings came out. Ok fine. But can anyone explain to me how to evaluate a program that doesn’t even have a head coach. Look at #32 and #38. Not to mention the potential #24 and #9 coaching changes (key word: potential). These rankings are crap and anyone who is saying “oh that seems about right” or “this team should be higher” is full of crap.

DIT

December 21st, 2010
4:41 pm

@Ramblin Man

As a dawg I sure hope that LeMay does NOT replace Murrya. In Murray he is a great QB with a great attitude. I have and always have had a bad feeling about Lemay!. I think he will be trouble.

Heck, I’m still in the nightmare of the 2010 season. We stunk it up pretty good. I think at GT with Washington, once he feels more comfortable passing the ball, you guys can be pretty dangerous offensively. However, both our teams fan base cringe at the thought of our defenses. I won’t make any predictions about UGA until after the SC game next year. Those two game will test the defense alright.

GAMECOCK FAN

December 21st, 2010
4:53 pm

how is south carolina number 19? even though we got slaughtered in the SEC championship game, we had an outstanding record. Beat #1 alabama, etc. COME ON!!

ARDawg

December 21st, 2010
5:01 pm

Okay nerds, I mean sir, can I leave work early today to get my Dickey Coveralls cleaned before headed to my other job mopping the floor at the Love Shack.

robinhood1952

December 21st, 2010
5:49 pm

To Hell with Georgia. They didn’t win any more games than Tech yet they are ranked. Go figure. I hate the Dawgs. I hope they never win another game. Ever.

Cardelli

December 21st, 2010
6:20 pm

I think the Dawgs should be ecstatic that they are ranked 21st…………but they’d better enjoy it while they can. Once the 2011 season starts, the Bulldogs will quickly tumble. I don’t see why anyone thinks they will improve much over this year’s performance.

Athens Correctional

December 21st, 2010
6:31 pm

Ranked 21st? In what arrests? That’s too damned low.
Try: WINNER OF FULMER CUP TWO YEARS RUNNING!

THuga…..national chumps!