Is swing from pessimism to optimism justified for 2011 Dogs?
Will Aaron Murray make great strides in his second season as starter? (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)
Maybe it’s the Dream Team, maybe it’s just the natural swinging of the pendulum, but some of the national media pessimism about Mark Richt’s program is starting to lift, just a little.
Take College Football News’ Brian Harbach, who earlier picked Georgia to finish ninth in the SEC in the coming season.
Now Harbach is taking another look and writes: “The more I pay attention to what Mark Richt has done this offseason, the more intrigued I become with their chances to jump up from a year of disappointment to an SEC East title.”
Harbach acknowledges that Georgia’s decline from preseason No. 1 over the past three seasons has been “clouding the perception of the program,” but putting that aside, he says, “there are more than a few reasons to be excited about UGA’s opportunity this fall and it is only fair to look at the other side of the coin to see the full picture of this Georgia team.”
One big factor in thinking the Dogs might bounce back, Harbach says, is the schedule. While a lot of folks think opening with what likely will be two Top 10 teams in Boise State and South Carolina looks pretty daunting, Harbach says “the SEC isn’t a mediocre ACC team and this isn’t some meaningless bowl game” so “you won’t see me picking Boise to beat Georgia in Georgia.”
He goes on to note that the Dogs play the Gamecocks at home and get “what most feel are the three worst teams in the SEC West (Auburn, MSU and Ole Miss).” Plus Florida has changed coaches “and Kentucky/Vanderbilt are still in the East. That looks like a pretty manageable SEC slate of games.”
Beyond the schedule, Harbach notes Aaron Murray will be back at quarterback “and while the term Sophomore Slump does exist, most players make the most improvement in their second year. Having Aaron Murray as the returning starter and in his third season at UGA is a huge plus for the Dawgs.”
Harbach takes a remarkably positive view of the Dogs on the other side of the ball, saying “the Georgia defense was actually pretty good last year … with a brand new scheme UGA had the fourth rated total defense and the fifth rated scoring defense in the SEC.” He thinks the “secondary should be very strong” and overall feels “one huge advantage Richt has going into this season is that he doesn’t need to worry about the defense.”
The offense needs attention, Harbach says, “but for some reason I am more confident about the offensive line than in past seasons” thanks to the departure of Stacy Searels, who “just wasn’t getting the job done.”
Harbach isn’t yet ready to revise his preseason estimation of where the Dogs will finish, but says, “The SEC East is wide open, any of four teams can win the division and it shouldn’t surprise anyone if any of the four do win it. When you actually break down the Georgia team it isn’t out of the question to see them having a big year.”
Overall, a pretty fair assessment of Richt’s team, though I’m not sure I’m quite as sold on the Dogs’ secondary as Harbach is.
So what do you think? Was Harbach closer to the mark picking the Dogs ninth in the conference, or is this newfound optimism justified?
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576 comments Add your comment
Seltzer
February 16th, 2011
10:35 am
Sorry, that’s Jail, not Kail, though you probably want to stay out of that as well…….
attn auburn fans
February 16th, 2011
10:50 am
why don’t you go post on the Opelika paper’s website?
NICKKEITH
February 16th, 2011
10:58 am
Could any of you that feel that CMR needs to go..tell me who we would even want to get as a Coach?…yes he has had a couple bad seasons but what in the heck did we have before CMR???…5-6 6-5 or just maybe we would get blessed and had have 8-4 season!..I mean u either get a nice guy or a jerk that may do something dumb and embrass the program!…kids doing stupid stuff is one thing but we dont want toget a new coach and think a hot head is the answer!
chazzo
February 16th, 2011
11:38 am
Rabid Dawg make a good point. Contrary to popular belief, the O did put up points on some big time schools. Contrary to popular belief, the D was much improved. The losses really came down to conditioning and time management. There is no excuse for the Liberty Bowl. But, the losses during the season were not blow outs. Bad mouth it all you may want, but there was improvement over 2009 in a lot of areas despite the record. I am optimistic that there will be continued improvement.
Trey
February 16th, 2011
11:55 am
Dunno guys, three years straight of less wins, 2008’s decline wasn’t that bad from 10 to 9 wins, but then again in 2009 from 9 wins to just 8 wins, then again in 2010 you drop from 8 wins all the way down to 6 wins. Yes, the program is in constant decline and Richt doesn’t know how to turn it around or he would have already. Looking at a 5-7 season tops, look at the 3 year trend.
5150 UOAD
February 16th, 2011
12:15 pm
DID any of you DAWGS see the English Bulldogs or the American Bulldogs on A&E’s coverage of the Westminster Dog Show?
suwanee dawg
February 16th, 2011
12:33 pm
OL is a major concern, but hope springs enternal. Go Dawgs! Feb – August is more exiciting than the season.
Auburn fan
February 16th, 2011
1:44 pm
“Funny, I hadn’t seen any Auburn fans in here until they won the championship.”
Funny, I haven’t seen a UGA championship in over 30 years.
Auburn fan
February 16th, 2011
1:45 pm
“tell me about your QB situation.”
Trotter. He’s good.
“He accounted for 64% of your offense last year. How much did those 3, 5 star recruits account for?’
Well, Dyer broke Bo Jacksons freshman rushing record and won the MVP in the national title.
Auburn fan
February 16th, 2011
1:47 pm
AdMan
Are you as bad at making ads as you are with predictions?
“.you Auburn fans keep patting yourselves on the back and looking at yourselves in the mirror cause it’s gonna be a long year on the Plains this year….a long year!’
Trust me, little girl, we’ll be just fine. You should worry about teams like Colorado and UCF and let the big boys worry about the LSU’s and Alabamas.
K!
Auburn fan
February 16th, 2011
1:48 pm
“why don’t you go post on the Opelika paper’s website?’
Because it’s more fun to argue and irritate people like you. Also, Auburn was mentioned in the column so we have every right to be here.
woebegong
February 16th, 2011
2:07 pm
Auburn Man
Think he would have gotten that many yards if the other teams weren’t more concerned with what Cam was going to do? Let’s see how he does this year,OK?
Auburn fan
February 16th, 2011
2:20 pm
“Think he would have gotten that many yards if the other teams weren’t more concerned with what Cam was going to do?”
Who cares? He did and last season is over with.
“Let’s see how he does this year,OK?”
He’ll be fine.
Trey
February 16th, 2011
2:24 pm
Auburn fan,
What about your d-line?
Greg
February 16th, 2011
2:24 pm
Auburn Fan-
How is your QB situation looking?
Mike
February 16th, 2011
2:25 pm
Hey Auburn Fan,
What’s the status at running back>
Auburn fan
February 16th, 2011
2:26 pm
“What about your d-line?’
What about it?
Auburn fan
February 16th, 2011
2:26 pm
“How is your QB situation looking?’
Trotter, Frazier, Moseley.
Greg
February 16th, 2011
2:29 pm
wHAT ARE THE PLUSES AND MINUSES OF EACH qb?
Trey
February 16th, 2011
2:30 pm
yeah, you know, you lost Fairley, so how will your d-line shape up, who’s gonna be there, who are the impact guys?
how2fish
February 16th, 2011
2:30 pm
I wonder if it is even possible to give less of a crap about anything Auburn than I do at this particular point in time?? Auburn…….yawn….
Auburn fan
February 16th, 2011
2:31 pm
“What’s the status at running back>
Dyer, Bray, Mason, Mccalleb.
Mike
February 16th, 2011
2:31 pm
Auburn fan–like to get your thoughts on your rb situation–who do Auburn fans feel like will be the starting guys?
Auburn fan
February 16th, 2011
2:32 pm
“you know, you lost Fairley, so how will your d-line shape up, who’s gonna be there, who are the impact guys?’
We did? Gee, I had no idea. Not sure who will step up just like I didnt know who was gonna step up last year.
Auburn fan
February 16th, 2011
2:33 pm
“I wonder if it is even possible to give less of a crap about anything Auburn than I do at this particular point in time?? Auburn…….yawn….’
You must care since you posted something about Auburn.
Greg
February 16th, 2011
2:33 pm
What kind of defense will you guys be running in 2011?
Auburn fan
February 16th, 2011
2:34 pm
“Auburn fan–like to get your thoughts on your rb situation–who do Auburn fans feel like will be the starting guys?”
Dyer, Bray, Mason, Mccalleb.
Dyer and Mccalleb are both awesome and will carry the load. Bray and Mason are both 4 star running backs. Should be fun to watch.
Mike
February 16th, 2011
2:34 pm
Auburn has a tough schedule, don’t see em winning more than 8.
Auburn fan
February 16th, 2011
2:34 pm
“What kind of defense will you guys be running in 2011?’
One that makes other teams cry? I don’t know dude. Ask Chizik.
Auburn fan
February 16th, 2011
2:35 pm
“Auburn has a tough schedule, don’t see em winning more than 8.’
Then again, most every team in the SEC is rebuilding this year. Bama, LSU, Arkansas etc…
Also, if Auburn’s defense gets better then we will do just fine.
Trey
February 16th, 2011
2:35 pm
Who does Auburn expect will start at D-Line?
Mike
February 16th, 2011
2:36 pm
Georgia doesn’t play LSU or Alabama.
Auburn fan
February 16th, 2011
2:37 pm
“Who does Auburn expect will start at D-Line?”
Not sure just yet.
Mike
February 16th, 2011
2:37 pm
Georgia doesn’t play Arkansas either.
WIN WITH RICHT
February 16th, 2011
2:37 pm
Awbarn Fan
When does your probation start?
Auburn fan
February 16th, 2011
2:37 pm
“Georgia doesn’t play LSU or Alabama.”
Yeah, they have a really easy schedule this year. They only play 3 good teams.
Trey
February 16th, 2011
2:38 pm
Ok, pick your fav 5 D-Lineman.
Auburn fan
February 16th, 2011
2:38 pm
“When does your probation start?”
Never.
Trey
February 16th, 2011
2:39 pm
Florida gets Bama, LSU, Georgia in same month.
Auburn fan
February 16th, 2011
2:40 pm
“Ok, pick your fav 5 D-Lineman.’
My 5 favorite D-linemen are Reggie White, Bruce Smith, Clay Matthews, Mean” Joe Greene and Warren Sapp.
WIN WITH RICHT
February 16th, 2011
2:40 pm
Awbarn Fan
Which team has been served with the most subpoenas, Awbarn or Bammer?
Mike
February 16th, 2011
2:41 pm
Georgia’s schedule isn’t easy, Florida, Boise, South Carolina, Auburn and MSU.
Auburn fan
February 16th, 2011
2:41 pm
“Florida gets Bama, LSU, Georgia in same month.’
They’ll lose to Bama and LSU but easily beat UGA. CMR is incapable of beating any Florida team.
Trey
February 16th, 2011
2:41 pm
Your fav 5 at Auburn this year
Auburn fan
February 16th, 2011
2:41 pm
“Which team has been served with the most subpoenas, Awbarn or Bammer?’
Since 1981, Bama has been on probation 3 times. Auburn once. Alabama is on probation until 2012.
Next stupid question.
Auburn fan
February 16th, 2011
2:42 pm
“Your fav 5 at Auburn this year’
Don’t have any favorites yet.
Auburn fan
February 16th, 2011
2:43 pm
“Florida, Boise, South Carolina, Auburn and MSU.’
Yeah, but you dawg fans are saying Auburn will suck. MSU won’t be that good this year, FL is going to struggle and Boise won’t have the same players as last year. USC will find a way to lose.
Fire Mark Richt
February 16th, 2011
2:44 pm
As is the case for most seasons, I don’t see any reason why Georgia can’t contend for an SEC Championship. The talent is there.
WIN WITH RICHT
February 16th, 2011
2:45 pm
Awbarn Fan
Do Awbarn players include their under the table payoffs and payola on their income tax returns?
Auburn fan
February 16th, 2011
2:46 pm
“Do Awbarn players include their under the table payoffs and payola on their income tax returns?
Does CMR get to write off the bail money he provides when UGA players get arrested every year?