Dogs could benefit from schedule in 2010
Georgia's schedule finally breaks Mark Richt's way. (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)
Over the past two seasons, as the Dogs were trying to survive absolutely killer schedules, I kept looking ahead at the 2010 and 2011 schedules and thinking that if Mark Richt could solve his defensive problems and find a quarterback, he’d be looking at a definite window of opportunity.
The rotation of SEC West teams that the Dogs face definitely turns advantageous this season (no Bama or LSU) and the most challenging opponent on the nonconference schedule looks to be our in-state rival.
CollegeFootballNews.com is thinking along the same lines. In doing their roundup of the SEC composite schedule for 2010, they see Georgia’s “realistic best case record” as 11-1, the “worst case” record as 7-5 and peg the Dogs’ “likely finish” at 10-2.
Their summary paints a pretty optimistic scenario: “Georgia won’t be the best team in the SEC, but it has the schedule to look that way. Any SEC East team worth its salt would take this slate in a heartbeat. There’s no Alabama or LSU to deal with, Florida, as always, is at a neutral site, Tennessee is a home game, and the road games are at South Carolina, Mississippi State, Kentucky, and Auburn. Throw in a home date against Vanderbilt and anything less than a New Year’s Day bowl appearance will be a mega-disappointment. Even the nonconference schedule works out well with the Georgia Tech game at home and the one tough road trip at Colorado. On the negative side, the game against the Buffs is coming off a road trip to Mississippi State for the only back-to-back road games of the year, and the week off doesn’t come until late November.”
One caveat: CFN also predicted a 10-2 finish for the Dogs in 2009.
And, of course, that neutral site for the Florida game hasn’t proved very helpful for the Dogs in recent years. Plus, under Richt the Dogs actually play better on the road than at home. But a return to New Year’s Day certainly does seem within this team’s grasp. Let’s face it, if they hadn’t blown it against Kentucky last year, they still probably would have played on Jan. 1.
So what do you think? Will anything less than the Outback or Capitol One be a “mega-disappointment” this season? Or is CFN underestimating the rebuilding Richt faces this year?
SUCCESS AT THE CHARITY STRIPE
The men’s basketball Bulldogs aren’t there yet, but the team definitely has improved since Mark Fox came to town, especially in one aspect of the game: free throws.
The Athens Banner-Herald takes a look at that improvement, which sees the dogs leading the SEC by making 72.7 percent from the free-throw line heading into tonight’s game in Knoxville. That’s up from the 63.8 percent they shot last season (which ranked 297th in the nation out of 330 Division I teams) and is on pace to be the team’s best percentage from the foul line since 2001-02, when the Bulldogs converted 73.7 percent of the time, the ABH says. Under Dennis Felton, Georgia never shot better than 67.9 percent.
Travis Leslie, for example, has improved from shooting 57.5 percent last season to 76.1 percent this year. The other Dogs have also improved.
Trey Thompkins, who leads the conference by making 85.7 of his free throws, tells the ABH, that the key to the turnaround is “we just shoot millions and millions of free throws. Once we’re done doing all the grinding in practice, we step up to the free-throw line and knock down free throws. You can’t leave unless you knock them down.”
I’ve never understood basketball coaches who don’t emphasize practicing free throws. It’s like a football coach who ignores the kicking game. Too many games are won or lost at the line.
This is just one more reason for Dogs basketball fans to be pleased with the Fox hire.
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518 comments Add your comment
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
6:11 pm
UGA has never won a national title.
82Dawg
February 17th, 2010
6:16 pm
Damn, I guess I was really drunk…could have sworn UGA beat ND in the Sugar Bowl to win the NC. If they didn’t win who did? Thanks Patrick you have ruined my day.
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
6:18 pm
82Dawg
patrick gives UGA fans a really bad name.
patrick M Sulley
February 17th, 2010
6:18 pm
UGA beat ND to win the Sugar bowl. The AP voted UGA a NC. They didnt win it.
82Dawg
February 17th, 2010
6:19 pm
Balldawgs …There is one at every school just like him. Always living in the past.
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
6:20 pm
“The AP voted UGA a NC. They didnt win it.”
patrick has just been deemed “dumbest person in the world” by me. And she WON that award.
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
6:21 pm
Did anyone else watch the documentary on Lance Bass last night?
One Word—–F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
6:21 pm
82Dawg
Yeah, but what is interesting is the fact that patrick has stated before that UGA got left out of the 2007 national title game……….
That TOTALLY contradicts her point. Besides, if UGA didn’t win it then why do they have a trophy sitting in their athletic department?
Why does it say 1980 National Champions?
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
6:22 pm
patrick M Sulley
Stop stealing and posting gay comments about yourself.
thwg
February 17th, 2010
6:23 pm
I did!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2 snaps in a circle girlfriend
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
6:24 pm
“patrick M Sulley
Stop stealing and posting gay comments about yourself.”
Whoever wrote this, stop stealing my name.
I want to be free.
I’ve got to be me!!!!!!
are you tired?
February 17th, 2010
6:25 pm
Free, intelligent college football talk @ bcscollegefootballboard.com
moderated and with people fromall conferences.
82Dawg
February 17th, 2010
6:25 pm
Balldawgs …Very true, UGA did not get left out of 07 NCG. We just did not win the game we needed to, to get the chance to go to the SECCG then hopefully the NCG. As my coach always told us can’t rely on someone else to help you. You must take care of your own business. Then let the chips fall.
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
6:28 pm
82Dawg
Yeah, and Bill King needs to ban these idiots who keep stealing and posting gay rhetoric.
Uga beats GT a lot
February 17th, 2010
6:28 pm
Jacksonville isn’t quite a neutral site, but with Tebow and half of his dominant defennse gone UGA’s got a great chance to silence the gators.
What didn't happen...
February 17th, 2010
6:30 pm
Basically what didn’t happen is that they didn’t “give” the NC to UGA…7 wins in a row weren’t over quality teams…got no one to blame but your selves, loosing to South Carolina and Tenn average teams at best, sunk your boat…not even playing in the conference championship game, sunk your boat…heck, you’ll lucky they put you at #2
82Dawg
February 17th, 2010
6:31 pm
Balldawgs …true, it is ashamed that most people can’t take a little jabbing about “their team” they need to learn to let it roll off their backs. Maybe with maturity they will learn how to
82Dawg
February 17th, 2010
6:33 pm
What didn’t happen..I think that is what I was saying. We didn’t win the games we needed to.
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
6:33 pm
82Dawg
I never once trashed Mark Richt. I did call out patricks stupidity though. She and her other trailer trash pal need to go.
82Dawg
February 17th, 2010
6:36 pm
Balldawgs
You can have “trash” living in million dollar homes as well.
patrick M Sulley
February 17th, 2010
6:38 pm
my grandmother could have a poll in her basement and award Vandy a NC and even make a trophy….does not mean Vand y WON a NC. The AP is a poll. It AWARDED teams their idea of who was the NC. PlayoffS make that determination on the field.
patrick M Sulley
February 17th, 2010
6:41 pm
actually, it was more like me calling you out on your stupidity, balldawgs. All you did was critique my grammar. I slammed all of your non sense about winning an AWARDED NC.
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
6:42 pm
“actually, it was more like me calling you out on your stupidity, balldawgs. All you did was critique my grammar. I slammed all of your non sense about winning an AWARDED NC.”
patrick takes the cake for stupidity.
patrick M Sulley
February 17th, 2010
6:43 pm
getting voted into a BCSNC and having a poll VOTE you a NC is not exactly like winning one. The NCAA does not even consider a single D1A NC as legit. It merely cites that a school CLAIMS a NC. Jesus this is too easy.
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
6:45 pm
“All you did was critique my grammar.”
I also corrected your idiotic claims about Bama not winning a national title even though they played and won on national tv and have a trophy sitting at the university.
“I slammed all of your non sense about winning an AWARDED NC.”
No you didn’t. You misspelled simple words that even a fifth grader could spell. You also stole blog names and pretended to be gay.
That leads me to believe that you are a homo.
patrick M Sulley
February 17th, 2010
6:46 pm
I wonder why the NCAA recognizes ALL other NCAA team sports national championships as legit except D1A?
.
Hmmm could it be because they dont sanction them and have nothing to do with the determination?
.
I wonder…could it be that only inbred morons think a opinion poll is a legit NC?
.
I wonder…how can you have 2 legit NCs in one year? LSU/USC? Both are listed on teh NCAA website as having claimed one.
.
Hmmm….but then balldawgs is not the sharpest tool in the shed…hell he aint even the shiniest
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
6:46 pm
“getting voted into a BCSNC and having a poll VOTE you a NC is not exactly like winning one.”
THE BCS DID NOT EXIST IN 1992 YOU F$&*ING MORON!
“It merely cites that a school CLAIMS a NC.”
Then tell that to UGA fans, homo! Tell that to Hershell Walker and Larry Munson.
Tell Vince Dooley that he never won a national title.
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
6:47 pm
“Hmmm….but then balldawgs is not the sharpest tool in the shed…hell he aint even the shiniest”
LOLOLOL
patrick can’t spell and her she is claiming that other people are stupid.
GED much?
patrick M Sulley
February 17th, 2010
6:48 pm
you corrected me about ALA winning a NC???? Really???? I must have missed that one. I think in actuallity I correctly noted that ALA was AWARDED one…they didnt win one. They played in a bowl game against Miami and won that game….but it was not a NC game. EPIC FAIL…AGAIN
patrick M Sulley
February 17th, 2010
6:51 pm
AND those were two seperate things I was commenting on moron…getting voted into a BCSNC…. AND….having a poll VOTE you a NC.
thats 2 different things…..one was prior to 1998 (having a poll VOTE you a NC)
and one was AFTER 1998 (getting voted into a BCSNC)
moron
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
6:51 pm
“I must have missed that one.”
That’s because you can’t read.
“I think in actuallity I correctly noted that ALA was AWARDED one…they didnt win one.”
patrick has surpassed all other inbred trailer trash as being the dumbest person in Georgia.
“but it was not a NC game.”
Then why does the University of Alabama have a 1992 National Championship Trophy sitting in a trophy case?
patrick M Sulley
February 17th, 2010
6:52 pm
they have the AP (a poll) NC trophy in their case.
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
6:53 pm
“AND those were two seperate things I was commenting on moron”
Well then, maybe next time you should write like a grown up instead of an illiterate inbred hillbilly.
patrick MORON Sulley
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
6:53 pm
“they have the AP (a poll) NC trophy in their case.”
patrick meet stupid. stupid meet patrick.
patrick M Sulley
February 17th, 2010
6:54 pm
jesus this is easy……….balldawgs must be a masochist. He is loving me slap him araound
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
6:55 pm
“He is loving me slap him araound”
patrick MORON sulley is the result of what happens when monkeys have sex with donkeys.
patrick MORON sulley never finished elementary school.
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
6:56 pm
patrick M Sulley never went to UGA.
patrick M Sulley never graduated high school.
patrick M Sulley lives in a trailer with his donkey mother.
patrick M Sulley can’t spell.
patrick M Sulley makes UGA fans look really stupid.
patrick M Sulley
February 17th, 2010
6:56 pm
an opinion poll for a NC….yep real legit….do you know there are 15 such polls? Should every school that has a number 1 ranking at the end of each poll do what ALA did and claim an opinion poll as their NC?????
.
notice you didnt answer me about…..
1. I wonder why the NCAA recognizes ALL other NCAA team sports national championships as legit except D1A?
2. how can you have 2 legit NCs in one year? LSU/USC? Both are listed on teh NCAA website as having claimed one.
patrick M Sulley
February 17th, 2010
6:58 pm
BALLDAWGS……….EQUALS……..EPIC FAIL. LOL
patrick M Sulley
February 17th, 2010
6:58 pm
Still waiting for the answers…………………should I order pizza while you think?
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
6:59 pm
“Still waiting for the answers…………………should I order pizza while you think?”
Well, you do deliver pizzas.
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
7:01 pm
“Should every school that has a number 1 ranking at the end of each poll do what ALA did and claim an opinion poll as their NC?????”
Alabama was the ONLY number one team in the country.
“notice you didnt answer me about…”
You never asked me that question before, idiot.
“2. how can you have 2 legit NCs in one year? LSU/USC? Both are listed on teh NCAA website as having claimed one.
Because the BCS sucks. As you suck.
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
7:02 pm
“1. I wonder why the NCAA recognizes ALL other NCAA team sports national championships as legit except D1A?”
Because the NCAA hates you patrick.
patrick M Sulley
February 17th, 2010
7:03 pm
in 1992…….spoprtswriters submitted their opinions as to who should be the NC….correct? Yes.
So the 1992 NC is based on opinions….correct? Yes.
Then how is it anything more than an opinion based NC?
I will wait for an answer…..should I order pizza while I wait?
patrick M Sulley
February 17th, 2010
7:06 pm
The NCAA recognizes all NCs in college sports except D1A. Please explain why that is. I will wait…….should I order pizza while I wait? I wonder….do you think its because they are all opinion based ….not merit based? Hmmmmm
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
7:06 pm
“So the 1992 NC is based on opinions….correct? Yes.”
No
“Then how is it anything more than an opinion based NC?”
It’s not. Bama won it outright over Miami.
“I will wait for an answer…..should I order pizza while I wait?”
Again, since you are stupid, go ahead since you work at Domino’s.
patrick M Sulley
February 17th, 2010
7:07 pm
hmmm……….so much for ALA “winning” a NC in 1992. LOL@ balldawgs
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
7:08 pm
“hmmm……….so much for ALA “winning” a NC in 1992. LOL@ balldawgs”
patrick is a colossal idiot.
patrick M Sulley
February 17th, 2010
7:09 pm
The AP decided in 1992 who the NC was….correct?
the AP makes that decision based on submitted opinions of sportswriters….correct?
The NC that ALA was “awarded” by the AP is an opinion based NC. ALA didnt play a NC game….since there was none in 1992….moron
Balldawgs
February 17th, 2010
7:09 pm
patrick M Sulley 7:08 pm
???????????????????????????????????????