Are Dawg fans’ BCS title hopes for 2011 realistic?
When will Mark Richt get to hoist one of these crystal babies like Nick Saban? Or will he? (Associated Press)
It’s that time of year between signing day and the beginning of spring practice when college football fans look ahead with optimism. That certainly applies in the Bulldog Nation, where many, if not most, fans appear to have concluded that the 2010 season will see an improvement in the Dogs’ on-field performance. A frequent refrain I’m hearing is that 10 wins, at least counting the bowl if not in the regular season, doesn’t seem out of reach, even with all the questions surrounding this team.
And if you then look ahead to 2011, with a year of experience at QB and the new defensive scheme established and battle-tested and a fairly advantageous schedule, well, the sky seems to be the limit in many fans’ estimation.
Yes, just three months after the debacle that was the game against Kentucky, some Dogs fans are daring to think BCS national championship in 2011. We’re nothing if not resilient. (Or deluded, I’m sure Bama and Florida fans will say.)
One of those true believer Dawg fans recently raised the issue with Olin Buchanan, Rivals.com college football senior writer, asking him when he saw Georgia winning another national championship. “I’m hoping 2011 is our year,” the fan added.
After retracing Georgia’s history winning national titles and having some years where a catch or two might have provided the opportunity for another, Buchanan didn’t exactly give the fan the answer he was hoping for.
“Most championship teams have strong defenses and reliable, experienced quarterbacks,” he noted. “This past season, Georgia had neither. Junior Logan Gray and redshirt freshmen Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger will compete to be this fall’s starting quarterback. We’ll have to see if one emerges as a reliable passer. Meanwhile, coordinator Todd Grantham was brought in to bolster a defensive unit that was the third-most generous in the SEC last season. Can he rebuild that unit back to usual SEC standards? Again, we’ll see.”
Loading ...So how do you feel about Georgia’s prospects? Is a 10-win season this year the minimum you would find acceptable? Do you really think the Dogs, probably minus A.J. Green, can surpass Florida and Alabama out of the SEC and become a BCS championship contender in 2011? If not then, when? On the latter point, feel free to vote in the poll and share your thoughts in the comments.
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613 comments Add your comment
SEC FANATIC
February 22nd, 2010
5:40 am
Hey, at least you got a lot of people to comment! Looks like about 90% negative though.
BuLLdawg
February 22nd, 2010
5:47 am
QUOTE
Old Coach
February 21st, 2010 10:12 am
“BuLLdawg”
“As soon as I saw the title of the blog my first thoughts were about you, until YOU solve all of the problems that occur with a SEC football team”
END
Old Coach, I am not solving any problems. I just point out the obvious.
1.In 9 years we have BEAT no Top 10 Final AP Poll team OUTSIDE The SEC.
2.In 9 years we have BEAT 3 SEC Top 10 Final AP Poll teams out of 11 games.
3.In 9 years we have beat Florida & the vols the same year NEVER.
4.In 14-game seasons nowadays, we won more than 11, once.
5.We are 4th in SEC wins/losses the last 4 years now.
6.In 9 years we have LOST 8 games teams NOT RANKED Top 25 Final AP Poll
7.In 9 years we are 17 wins 19 LOSSES teams RANKED Top 25 Final AP Poll
8.In 9 years we are 3 wins 8 LOSSES teams RANKED Top 10 Final AP Poll
9.In his 9th year, he had no QB ready, no Offense, wasted talent playing favorites
10.In his 10th year, he could sign NO Offensive Recruit in this ENTIRE STATE.
If that sounds like I am solving the problems of This UGA Bulldogs’ Football Program to you Old Coach, then you have FAILED to read the ENTIRE 1st 3 pages of this blog here, that EVERY ONE of the posts says that Bill King is OUT OF HIS MIND.
I am MORE of a Bulldog Football Fan than you Old Coach because while you SIT THERE HAPPY about Coach Richt’s “coaching staff” especially on Offense where we have been so miserable and where we have only coaches coaching a position they did not play themselves back when they played football, with NO NFL experience and all the wasted talent and all the penalties, and all the fumbles and all the interceptions, I and all the rest of us Bulldog fans on this blog you can go read for yourself, actually honestly KNOW that Georgia is NOT beating the vols and Florida this year or next year. We never have. We are NOT RELEVANT on the national stage and it is the national stage Bill King is proposing that for the 1st time in the Coach Richt Era of NINCOMPOOP “coaching staff” that Coach Richt is going to BEAT a Top 10 Final AP Poll team in ANY bowl game and win the national championship.
You just don’t like it that I quantify why we will NOT win the BCS NC this year. Next year, after we lose 14 seniors and 5 juniors including AJ Green, all Starters, we absolutely are NOT winning the BCS NC.
You think you are a fan because you say we will.
DISNEYdawgs.com
BuLLdawg
February 22nd, 2010
6:08 am
UGAalum2004
February 21st, 2010 10:27 am
Aaron Murray they say is 6 feet tall 198 lbs. He looks shorter and smaller to me. He has had injuries, as a result, BOTH of the last 2 years. They say he is fast, but 4.7 in the 40 yard dash is not fast. Since he cannot throw the football like Zach Mettenberger, they say that Aaron Murray’s passes are “catchable.”
3 Freshmen Quarterbacks is what we have since both Coach Richt and Mike Bobo have asked 5th year in this system Logan Gray to move to wide receiver.
How did the Recruits in this great state of Georgia respond to all this ?
NOT ONE.
That’s how they responded. We got no one on Offense this month in recruiting.
What does that tell you ?
Given all the great recruits Todd Grantham got this year on Defense, it tells me that the kids in this state are NOT BUYING INTO THIS FAILED OFFENSE.
Penalties, not able to line up and execute any play.
Fumbles, not able to teach anyone how to hold on to the ball.
Interceptions, once again this year NO QB READY to take over.
.
.
.
Adding a wrinkle…
February 21st, 2010 10:58 am
.
Why not say that Coach Richt LACKS the KILLER INSTINCT and that he has on Offensive NO COACHES like he JUST HIRED on DEFENSE.
Why not say that Coach Richt has promoted by the Peter Principle to UGA Bulldogs’ Football Program, the Jacksonville State Quarterbacks’ coach of 1 year to take over what God Himself said is Coach Richt’s Calling in Life here on Earth. We are now predictable.
We are now NO FUN on Offense.
And, none of the recruits in this state want ANY PART OF IT.
So, disregard the 14 SENIORS and 5 JUNIORS, ALL STARTERS we lose after this season, and since the 3 Quarterbacks are all FRESHMEN, let’s say before the season even starts, WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR.
Beat Florida and Tennessee vols just once Coach Richt, 1 time in 10 years now and counting.
BuLLdawg
February 22nd, 2010
6:38 am
It’s 14-game seaons we play Jeff, and we will win 9-4 or 10-3 at best EVERY YEAR. We have had more than 11 wins, once. This is Year 10 of the Coach Richt Era.
9-4 is 5 games SHORT.
10-3 is 4 games SHORT.
That is to be expected when
Coach Richt 10th year now has NEVER beat both Florida & beat vols the same year.
Jeff
February 21st, 2010
11:36 am
Here we go again……seems ike I have heard this song and dance before. Yes I am a diehard Dawg fan but I have come to realize that we will never get to the next level. For us, its always next year with a bunch of excuses….we are Dance champions, penalty champions, smack talk champions, turnover champions….i wish I could beleive it but face the facts…..I love UGA and will always root for them but I dont have expectaions past going 10-2 some years…maybe an 11-1 some years…
BuLLdawg
February 22nd, 2010
6:50 am
by atl-xmen
February 21st, 2010 12:00 pm
“with richt here at uga i feel uga will always have a shot of winning it all. he wins 10-11 games a year,most of those years will lead to a sec title which now since 2005, leads to a nationla title.”
.
.
14 game seasons and you ASPIRE to win 10. How stupid is that ? Aim higher. We lose 14 seniors after this season, all starters, and 5 Juniors after this year, all starters including AJ Green. Speaking of 2005, the last 4 years since shows UGA in 4th place in The SEC in wins/losses in SEC games only.
.
.
by AltamahaDawg :
February 21st, 2010 12:01 pm
“what “facts” would those be jeff?”
.
DISNEYdawgs,com
BuLLdawg
February 22nd, 2010
6:59 am
QUOTE
by bruce mac
February 21st, 2010 1:46 pm
“Jelly, we all know you hate CMR but you do not use facts, you use your own disdain and constantly show your lack of knowledge. But you are young, you will see the errors of your way when you get older.”
END quote
.
.
i DAMN SURE use FACTS bruce mac.
Try saying that to ME ?
DECLINE IN UGA BULLDOGS’ FOOTBALL OVER THE LAST 4 YEARS
.
.
29-06 Florida vs SEC teams the entire last 4 years
23-11 Alabama vs SEC teams the entire last 4 years
21-12 LSU vs SEC teams the entire last 4 years
20-12 GA vs SEC teams the entire last 4 years
BuLLdawg
February 22nd, 2010
7:02 am
bruce mac
See UGA in 4th in The SEC last 4 years now ?
See that ?
By the way, ALL those OTHER SEC TEAMS we are “BETTER THAN” in The SEC, have WON THE BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS all 4 years.
You know ?
What you bruce mac are in here talking about trying to tell jellybeandawg how great Coach Richt is, in a blog about him winning the BCS NC.
OrlG8r
February 22nd, 2010
7:12 am
I thought the lowly dogs won the NC every year,,, :~)
papadawg
February 22nd, 2010
7:21 am
I don’t know about the Dawgs winning a Championship soon but they will go to another BCS Bowl before the Jackets do
Floundering Fox Hounds Batman!
February 22nd, 2010
7:28 am
Did ya here that loud thud? Baseball teams falls out of the top twenty five this past weekend. Football team and Championships???? UGA fans are delusional as Gamechickens when it comes to football. Hears will be broken in Columbia this year….
Mark
February 22nd, 2010
8:21 am
You idiots say this EVERY year.
jkmckay
February 22nd, 2010
8:25 am
LOL! Delusional disorder, previously called paranoid disorder, is a type of serious mental illness called a “psychosis” in which a person cannot tell what is real from what is imagined.
Ponce DeLeon
February 22nd, 2010
8:33 am
I don’t get it; every year UGA fans think this is going to be the year. We’re going to kick some a$$ in Jax, beat Auburn, beat Tech (well that does happen), win the SEC East and then win the NC. Every freakin year. Then when the suntan boy doesn’t deliver, he’s the greatest; fire willie. So he fires willie, loses the top recruit in Georgia and when he spurns UGA he becomes too stupid to get into UGA anyway and now you guys say wait until the year after next. DO YOU Hear yourselves? You people are delusional at best!
Starring Kam Fong as Chin Ho
February 22nd, 2010
8:49 am
Glad to see DuLLdawg is still with us. He brings such a cheerful and upbeat style to these blogs. I miss him when his medications are working as they should. Bill, is it OK to just look forward to 2010 before we leap into 2011? Right now I don’t give a tinkers d#&m about 2011. I’m not going to wish away an entire year just so I can act like I believe that next year or the next or the next will be better. All years are great when you are a Georgia Bulldog
Ponce DeLeon
February 22nd, 2010
8:53 am
Starring Kam Fong as Chin Ho, even years spent in Shreveport?
gator mike
February 22nd, 2010
9:11 am
Interesting hypothesis! Let’s see how it all plays out over the next 2 years because Auburn, BAMA, LSU, Arky and UF will also be in the SEC Championship Hunt with UGA.
It should be fun to watch.
Ponce DeLeon
February 22nd, 2010
9:14 am
gator mike, if you include UGA then you might as well include everyone in the conference.
Dawgs Primed For National Title? « MrSEC.com
February 22nd, 2010
9:22 am
[...] title. Really?Bill King, who runs the Junkyard Blawg for The AJC, posted a story on Friday asking fans to give their thoughts on a Rivals.com writer who thinks the Dawgs might be primed for a national title the year after [...]
Since Vince
February 22nd, 2010
9:23 am
What needs to be realistic is for CMR to start winning games with authority instead of holding on for nail bitters against teams like Vandy, SC and Kentucky. Stop getting blown out by Florida and Tennessee which has been another problem for UGA. Its the fact and quit making excuses dawg fans and homer blog writers!
How2fish
February 22nd, 2010
9:25 am
God save us from Bulldawg and the crazies that think that we are actually that close to a NC team..folks unproven QB and a new defense? Please what are you smoking? We could and should be better on D next year..how much better remains to be seen..and QB play will be a huge factor..honestly if we end up with the same record as last year but are more competitive against UF and UT I’ll see it as progress. But I see 9 wins as doable and 10 would be great but damn it will be a stretch….
ga gator
February 22nd, 2010
9:29 am
How2fish, I still predict 10-2.
robodawg
February 22nd, 2010
9:34 am
When do I see us winning it? Impossible to predict. When will we be a legitimate contender (among several other contenders)? HOPEFULLY 2011. We’ll see how the QB and defense pan out.
We want to at least be an SEC contender in 2011 and 2012. Win the SEC first, and then you’ve always got a chance at the BCS. Thing is, in 2011 Florida and Bama will still probably have more talent and depth than we do. LSU will probably match us in talent. We’re going to have to catch some breaks somewhere. But it can happen. It happened for LSU.
Since Vince
February 22nd, 2010
9:39 am
Im not so sure about the 3 – 4 defense anyway. UGA played the 3 – 4 defense in 94 under the swamp fox Marion Campbell which was the worst UGA defense of all time. Marion Campbell and dawgs fans were excited back then but again when the season finaly started as usual it went bust for UGA and the swamp fox was gone after one season.
Starring Kam Fong as Chin Ho
February 22nd, 2010
9:45 am
Ponce DeLeon, admittedly, some years are better than others, but yes all years are great when you’re on the right side of the dirt
no more swimming and bowling
February 22nd, 2010
9:53 am
Dawgs need to get out in the harsh weather and man up and quit whinning about not having an indoor practice facility before thinking about championships. Jusk ask South Carolina what cold weather will do to you in a bowl game.
How2fish
February 22nd, 2010
10:05 am
ga gator…”from your lips to the ears of God”. However until we can control our penalties and start winning the turnover battles..I’m holding my breath.
CatsFly
February 22nd, 2010
10:17 am
A better question, are the chances that the hoops dawgs will make the NIT realistic?
How2fish
February 22nd, 2010
10:34 am
no more swimming and bowling..if you watched that game the weather had less to do win SC’s loss , than being outcoached and outplayed did.I love the Man Up statement..funny how when we get old enough to blog and too old to play..everyone currently playing is never quite as tough as we were…lol
Stallionganglia
February 22nd, 2010
10:40 am
Win the SEC East, first.
Win the overall SEC Championship, second.
Then start thinking about a MNC.
All progress runs through Gainesville, as much as it pains me to say it.
Scott
February 22nd, 2010
10:44 am
Georgia will never get passed Alabama, LSU or Florida, just to name a few because even though they recruit well, alot of the signees either can’t stay in school academically or wind up in trouble or even jail.
Richt will NEVER be the coach that the above school’s have.
Georgia needs to get use to the fact that they will always have “good years”, but will never get over the hump into elite status.
How2fish
February 22nd, 2010
10:54 am
Scott ,CMR is I think 2-2 against Bama and as far as recruiting woes remember , Alabama has appealed a 2009 ruling from the committee that would vacate 21 wins from its 2005-07 seasons over a case involving players’ abuse of free textbooks..your casting rocks in a very big glass house.If they lose the appeal you will need to embrace the horror of what many fans say ..that if Bama doesn’t cheat they don’t win….not that they have cheated under Saban but really casting doubt on any other SEC schools woes with the NCAA for a Bama fan is just dumb.
that game meant nothing to Paul Johnson
February 22nd, 2010
10:56 am
i think Tech will win the National Championship..oops i forgot they play Georgia right after thanksgiving though…scratch that prediction! see ya and your big mouth coach in Athens firefly fans…bring Flagboy too so we can laugh at his nerd ass!
Sam Robards, Dawg Fan
February 22nd, 2010
11:32 am
I think 2011 BCS Titles hopes are totally realistic.
Hell, I think UGA wins the SEC and goes to a BCS bowl in 2010 (which one is up in the air. I wanna see the Spring Game before I make that proclamation).
Yeah, some people will think I’m crazy/delusional/drinking kool-aid/whatever. On offense, we have 10 starters returning, which includes an experienced line, effective running backs and a receiving corps led by the best wide receiver in the country in AJ Green. Yes, we’ll be taking on a new QB*, but as Bama showed, if you have a good running game, your QB doesn’t have to play lights-out all the time to win big. McElroy struggled some mid-way through 2009, but the Bama running game held the team up until he regained himself. UGA’s in the same boat offensively.
Defensively, we’ll be switching to the 3-4. Yes, there’ll be some learning curve there, but I think the fact that our team is younger there will actually help them learn it faster. None of them are really set in the 4-3, so they won’t be getting as mixed up as they would be if they were seniors who’d been running the 4-3 their entire college careers.
Those things, combined with Tennessee’s numerous deficiencies (no o-line, receivers or QB and defensive losses) and Florida’s strange off-the-field problems (Urban Meyer’s “leave of absence,” their numerous DC searches** and very few returners starting) and an easier out-of-conference schedule makes UGA the team to beat in the East, as far as I’m concerned.
*I think Aaron Murray will win the QB position, seconded by Mettenberger, (I wouldn’t complain if the opposite happened: that’s just my opinion) and Gray changes positions to better help the team (if he was that good at QB, he’d have beaten out Cox for the job last year: I just don’t think he has it).
**They got the Arizona Cardinals’ DB coach, if I’m not mistaken. Weren’t those the DBs that gave up nearly half a hundred points to the Green Bay Packers in their first-round playoff game? Yeah, Grantham’s Cowboys got beat by Favre and the Vikings, but look at what the D-Line (Grantham’s boys) did: they sacked Favre 3 or 4 times and held Adrian Petersen (arguably the best RB in the NFL at the moment) to less than 30 yards rushing.
To reiterate, UGA wins the SEC title in 2010 and goes on to a as-of-yet undetermined BCS bowl (I’ll have that prediction following our Spring Game) and has a good chance of repeating in 2011.
CF Smith
February 22nd, 2010
11:46 am
…as realistic as 2008.
CF Smith
February 22nd, 2010
11:49 am
Georgia Bulldogs Football
Pre-season National Champions
1981 1982 2008 2011
CF Smith
February 22nd, 2010
11:50 am
if uga gets a new scoreboard they should put that on the bottom.
jellybeandawg
February 22nd, 2010
11:51 am
Hey Bill DirtyDawg had a great idea. Why don’t you blog about something just about every Dawg fan can agree on and be proud of and that is Mark Fox and the Hoop-Dawgs… They are are a shining example of a group of guys that are being Coached UP and have a bright future.
This is a team that is really improving,wants to play hard,win, & I cant wait to see how good they will be in the coming years. You write all of this nonsense about Tan Man Richt but Coach Fox will win a new championship before Richt will.
Like DirtyDawg said even if you don’t know a lot about Basketball a lack of knowledge sure hasn’t stopped you from blogging about football so give it a shot.
trey
February 22nd, 2010
12:19 pm
If you’re trying to stir up blog discussion, that’s one thing.
But the LAST thing that needs to happen is start the serious talk and build the hype and have the dawg players get their heads in the clouds again about being champions. Remember how they were during the season when they were ranked as #1? They got so caught up in the hype that they forgot to play football at key times when it counted.
That aside….
I think everybody would be smart to wait and see how the new defensive scheme works.
And don’t forget that Boobo is still the OC.
Tyler S
February 22nd, 2010
12:20 pm
I certainly believe that 2011 is our year in Bulldawg Nation. Even if AJ Green isnt on our roster, we have plenty of other weapons. The Defense will be more confortable, and so will the new Quarterback (whoever it is). Georgia is decked out on the offensive side of the ball no doubt, but the defense has to be rock solid the whole 2011 season in order to compete with the South’s finest once again.
Joe
February 22nd, 2010
12:55 pm
Bii….have you got the message yet?????? Maybe you can show this to Damon and the UGA Coaching staff….see where are expectations are at. You get what you pay for…..now you have paid for a DC but probably have created alot of disent on the staff for the other that make quite a bit less. Goo Dawgs…maybe someday we will learn
Dawgs in 2011!!!!
February 22nd, 2010
1:13 pm
The dawgs will win it all in 2011—Richt’s building a machine and with all these new coaches, the UGA D will be the best in the nation!!! Mark it down—Dawgs win the BCS title in 2011—bet the house!!
Call It Like It Is
February 22nd, 2010
1:45 pm
WHAT A JOKE!
Gators win the East again 2010!
Enough Said!
Brewdawg
February 22nd, 2010
1:58 pm
30 – 24
wsewell525
February 22nd, 2010
2:05 pm
It’s funny you bring this up, because I just called it Friday on facebook. We might not be getting the offense recruits, but our Defense is looking great.
What is this talk we have a good program not a great? Are you serious? It’s been great being a Georgia fan the past 10 years, and yes a few bounces here or there, and 1 or 2 victories over Florida and we would be national champions a few times. Just because we’ve had 2 bad years doesn’t disquality our previous 8 good years.
We could have won in 02, 05 if shockley didn’t get hurt before the Florida game, 07 LSU didn’t deserve it. We didn’t but the Seasons were still great to watch and be a fan of.
Leedawg
February 22nd, 2010
2:17 pm
Can we worry about having a respectable defense, a consistent offense, and winning the East before the BCS talk? Come on Bill.
38 Yardline Dawg
February 22nd, 2010
3:01 pm
Good grief. Until the Dawgs figure out a way to beat TN, FL AND AU in the same year…championship talk is stupid at best. I don’t welcome all the other teams’ fans on here calling us delusional, but they’re right at this point.
Old Dawg
February 22nd, 2010
3:04 pm
Bill, I respect the time and effort you put into these blogs but this one is irresponsible. How can anyone predict what will happen in 2011? Any number of things — injuries, grades, bad behavior, assistants leaving for another job etc — can happen to impact players and staff that could alter the course of a season.
I know everyone including myself enjoys reading about the football team, hell, we’re in the South. From a journalistic point of view, wouldn’t it be nice to have a few pieces written about the baseball, golf, track and other teams?
Back to the 2011 post, a lot of the problem we’ve had with fans throughout the country are over-zealous folks who hold onto false hopes of winning every thing every season. History and logic prove that not to be true.
In other words, please stop fueling the flame ignited by out of control fans!
38 Yardline Dawg
February 22nd, 2010
3:05 pm
Also FYI, Saban doesn’t allow this kind of non sense hype gibberish talk anywhere near his team. Furthermore, note how neither FL or AL wore halloween style helmets or used other gimicks for “added juice” in order to win the SEC divisions.
California Tannin' (On Such a Winter's Day)
February 22nd, 2010
3:13 pm
Keep on dreamin’ Bill.
17 of 20
February 22nd, 2010
3:37 pm
Gators win NC in even years. Alabama or LSU win NC in odd years. No place for Georgia.