Are Dawg fans’ BCS title hopes for 2011 realistic?

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.”

His conclusion? “The good news for Georgia is that the program isn’t in crisis. Certainly, Georgia expects more than the eight wins it posted this past season, but that at least is a respectable showing. Still, there are too many questions at this time to project the Bulldogs as serious national championship contenders in two years.”

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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