Dawgs winning the East: Pie in the sky or realistic?
Catching up on my Bulldogs reading after a few days off and away from the blogosphere, I came across the roundtable discussion of UGA football posted at College Football Zealots.
We’ve actually already dealt here in the Blawg with several of the questions posted, including which game is more critical for Georgia to win: Boise State or South Carolina? (To recap: While the Boise game is an opportunity for Mark Richt’s program to get back on the national radar, the South Carolina game a week later looms much bigger for the Dogs in terms of their SEC East hopes.)
But the last question in the roundtable is something I’ve actually been pondering lately as I play out in my head just how likely the more optimistic scenarios are for the 2011 Dogs.
The question: Athlon Sports has rated the Dawgs at #14 and Phil Steele has them at #9 in their pre-season polls. Both have Georgia winning the SEC East and playing in the Capital One Bowl. What needs to happen for Georgia to live up to these lofty expectations?
Well, in terms of wins and losses, obviously, beating South Carolina would be a big step in that direction. You can draw up various scenarios in which Georgia could win the SEC East after losing to the Gamecocks (all of which would require the Dogs to win in Jacksonville), but that definitely would be doing it the hard way.
Are the elements in place for such a season? That’s tougher to gauge. Aaron Murray certainly looks like the class of the conference when it comes to quarterback, the schedule is pretty favorable once you get past those first two games, and Isaiah Crowell has a lot of folks excited. But he still has to run behind a questionable offensive line. And while the arrival of John Jenkins should make Georgia’s defense tougher up front, the secondary still has me worried. And then there are the questions about who steps up at wide receiver to replace A.J. Green and Kris Durham.
Plus, of course, whether the team is going to be able to rise to the occasion in the fourth quarter in big games, something that all too often hasn’t happened recently.
A little luck wouldn’t hurt, either.
So what do you think has to happen for Georgia to live up to those “lofty expectations”? Is this pie-in-the-sky thinking, or do Richt’s 2011 Dogs really have what it takes to be a contender?
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370 comments Add your comment
JB
June 14th, 2011
3:04 pm
Greg………the “real successful” Tech Grads don’t spend a lot of time on these blogs.
Greg
June 14th, 2011
3:06 pm
SSIGator, do tell what years you actually played for Florida, tough guy? Oh, that’s right, you were the locker room fluff boy.
That Guy!
June 14th, 2011
3:10 pm
Small Joe- try again! He posted prior to that one. Learn to read guy!
Troll Power Ratings
June 14th, 2011
3:13 pm
Trolls, trolls, trolls, come on guys, we expect more. Your material is old and stale. I can understand Gators and War Plain Eagles giving us well-earned grief, but TECH? Really?
Beast from the East
June 14th, 2011
3:14 pm
“Beast, God help Muschamp if ya’ll lose to us this year……They will forget about that “growing up near the shadow” of the swamp fairy tale.”
Nah,
We’ll give him a pass his first year. But starting in 2012 we will hold him accountable for the standard that was set by SOS starting in 1990. I really do think he’ll be successful at UF. He’s got the passion and he’s surrounded himself with top notch assistant coaches. Time will tell.
Really?
June 14th, 2011
3:14 pm
Big Joe, when nobody blocks it is tough to get rid of the ball. But you are a coach so you should know that.
SSIgator
June 14th, 2011
3:16 pm
Greg -
Don’t believe I ever said I played for UF. I did not know you had to be a former player to have an opinion. Thanks for the heads up.
Mrs Richt
June 14th, 2011
3:18 pm
Who on the staff takes over if Mark doesn’t last the year?
JB
June 14th, 2011
3:19 pm
Beast, gotta ask, who do ya’ll hold accountable for the 75 years before SOS?
Bama fan
June 14th, 2011
3:20 pm
I had to tune in to get my daily dose of SSIgator and see how he’s gonna dog the dogs today. It always cracks me up.
GTBob
June 14th, 2011
3:20 pm
Greg, when you are trying to make a point maybe you should actually look things up and not make your own incorrect assumptions. Then you won’t look like a moron when someone calls you out on it.
Beast from the East
June 14th, 2011
3:21 pm
JB,
Dooley!
Bama fan
June 14th, 2011
3:21 pm
And btw dawg fans I’m neutral in this dawgs/gators thing. I don’t have a dog in this fight so to speak. Its just funny to watch SSIgator torment the dawg fans every day.
JB
June 14th, 2011
3:22 pm
Great answer Beast……..you are a sport!!!!!!
SSIgator
June 14th, 2011
3:23 pm
Beast from the East -
Hey, we gave the Zooker three years of 8-5 seasons before we canned him. However, even he went 2-1 vs UGA. Too bad he pre-dated the KoolAid machine formula that Richt uses today. Nah, even the Gator fans base wouldn’t drink that. Richt should patent that stuff.
Beast from the East
June 14th, 2011
3:23 pm
Breaking news!
Fulmer Cup update came out today……..Can ANYONE stop the barn? Looks like UGA has no shot of back-to-back titles. Alas, it just wasn’t meant to be……….
JDawg1785
June 14th, 2011
3:25 pm
Sounds like they’re on a roll, Beast! A force to be reckoned with for years to come.
Beast from the East
June 14th, 2011
3:26 pm
JB,
I thought you would appreciate that.
JB
June 14th, 2011
3:26 pm
Yup, Breaking in a house, Armed and robbing old folks a little more serious than breaking curfew or not paying parking ticket. Go War Eagle
WDE
June 14th, 2011
3:27 pm
@Beast from the East what in your HO is the Gators biggest strength and biggest cause for concern this season? Both UGA and the Gators have a ton of question marks going into the season what do you think are yours.
SSIgator
June 14th, 2011
3:28 pm
Bama fan -
Welcome to the Tuesday version of “Mr. Richt’s Neighborhood”. “It’s a beatiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Won’t you be mine, Won’t you be my neighbor” Hey, there is Mr. Richt now with his red cardigan sweater on.
JB
June 14th, 2011
3:31 pm
Hey Gator, we know it’s not Weis in a cardigan, they stop at 6X I think.
Beast from the East
June 14th, 2011
3:32 pm
COLUMBUS, OH (AP) After signing with agent Drew Rosenhaus, Terrelle Pryor ended speculation on his future today.
“I know y’all been waiting, but I’ve decided,” the former Ohio State quarterback said pulling an Ohio State cap from underneath a table and placing it on his head. “I’m going to sign with THE Ohio State University and bring back the Big Ten title to C-bus, y’all.”
Pryor appeared relieved as agent Rosenhaus described the lucrative terms of Pryor’s contract with reporters. Pryor will sign a one-year deal with the Buckeyes with a guaranteed salary of just $23,000 in total cash value. The real value in the contract will come from a series of incentives and marketing deals valued at anywhere from $0-$40,000.
From EDSBS. Where’s Buckeye? LOL!!!!!!
JB
June 14th, 2011
3:35 pm
SSI/Bama fan….. As a HEAD coach, do you know what Richt’s record is going up against Saban? ( LSU & Bama)
Just curious.
Beast from the East
June 14th, 2011
3:35 pm
WDE,
In my humble opnion I think our strength will be the “D”. The d-line will be stout. Our weakness is in the passing game. Need some WR’s to step up and who knows how Brantley will do with a shot to play in a more conventional offense. He CANNOT be any worse than last year…..can he? Lord, I hope not!
bamaguy
June 14th, 2011
3:35 pm
I think Georgia has a legitimate shot at the East. Not a legitimate shot at the title, mind you, but a legitimate shot at the East. Florida is in a rebuilding year with a new head coach which is always tough, and USC, well you never know about them especially with the love/hate quarterback. On the other hand they do have Darth VIsor as head coach and he owned UGA for years and has now built yet another SEC contender from scratch.
Whoever emerges from the West will cake walk over the East winner just like Auburn did last year.
SSIgator
June 14th, 2011
3:36 pm
JB -
The rule is this: If there is only one turkey drumstick left on the training table, let Charlie have it. It is not worth being beaten with it.
JB
June 14th, 2011
3:38 pm
Amen SSI
'CaneDawg....
June 14th, 2011
3:39 pm
Look, Georgia won’t win championships until it gets back to its roots. Right now the offense is pass first oriented and it’s been shown repeatedly the playcalling is questionable. With the loss of WE3 at RB, the Dawgs clearly lack the depth required to run the ball successfully in the SEC. If true freshman IC could have beat out veteran WE3, there would be much more confidence and respect for the running game by opponents. But now IC has no real competition at the position and will be given the position and if he does not perform beyond his years there won’t be a serious running game at UGa. To the kool-aid guzzling goons who say the running game got better when WE3 left are just plain lying to themselves and don’t know too much about the importance of a real running game. Even the Evil Genius, Spurrier pounded UGa with the run last season and went on to win the SEC East. A pass first, pass happy attack at UGa is not the traditional Georgia way. I guess that’s why the only all-American candidates for the Dawgs this year are the punter and placekicker. To win the SEC East, Georgia must get back to running the ball but it will require a change in philosophy, which will ultimately require a coaching change. To the kool-aid drinking Marxists, ten years of uneven results is long enough. A pathetic 2-8 record versus Florida is unacceptable and if the current coaching staff doesn’t know how to win in Jacksonville then I WANT them to lose again this year so they can be relieved of their failing duties. Former Buckeye coach John Cooper won most of his games at the OSU, but went a pathetic 2-10 versus Michigan. He had to go and the OSU now dominates its series with Michigan now. Damn right I’m a Hater, because I Hate seeing the Dawgs lose big games year after year. I want the Dawgs to win and if heads have to roll for UGa to win consistently, then………SO BE IT !!!
Beast from the East
June 14th, 2011
3:42 pm
Cane Dawg,
Care to tell us how you really feel? LOL!
JB
June 14th, 2011
3:45 pm
Richt 3-1 vs Bama(2-0 in Denny) and 3-3 vs LSU…..The last three years the Dawgs have not been competitive..
JB
June 14th, 2011
3:47 pm
Cane………..We start out 0-2, that rant will seem mild.
WDE
June 14th, 2011
3:49 pm
@Beast from the East thanks I think all the talk of our secondary woes are a little overblown. IF our pass rush improves I think we will be decent. My biggest concern is OL and the fact that we start out of the gate with BIG games. If we had a couple of “tune up” games early I’d feel much better about how the OL performs they will face tough opponents with no game experience as a unit. But you put your money down and you takes your chances. Can’t wait to tee it up !
JB
June 14th, 2011
3:50 pm
Beast, many feel like Cane does……..A lot of Dawg fans are looking for the nail in the coffin this year. They never see us winning BIG with Richt.
SSIgator
June 14th, 2011
3:51 pm
‘CaneDawg….
A very in-depth, thoughtful and accurate post. However, you are WAY outside the mainstream thinking on this “Crazy Train” that poses as a UGA football blog. You have not been indoctrinated yet. Have a glass of this refreshing liquid and repeat after me – Richt is a really nice guy, Richt is a really nice guy. Richt is a . . . .
JB
June 14th, 2011
3:51 pm
WDE. Tennessee won 6 games last year with all true freshman OL, no depth or no supporting cast, just say’n.
bamaguy
June 14th, 2011
3:55 pm
No SEC East team has won the championship since Georgia in 2005 (with two conference losses). No East team has won the SEC Championship with a perfect conference record since Tennessee in 1998. And neither of those teams won the National Championship.
So we all hope RIcht stays at Georgia until he is as old as Joe Paterno.
bamaguy
June 14th, 2011
3:56 pm
Wait, Tennessee did win the NC in 1998 (I am getting old).
bham dawg
June 14th, 2011
3:58 pm
@bamagay: lsu won the sec and national championship with 2 losses
Beast from the East
June 14th, 2011
3:59 pm
“No SEC East team has won the championship since Georgia in 2005″
bamaguy,
Ummmmm, how about UF in 2006 and 2008?
bamaguy
June 14th, 2011
4:00 pm
LSU is a West team. I was addressing the lack of balance in the two divisions.
JB
June 14th, 2011
4:01 pm
bamaguy….dream on….your worst nightmare may be around the corner….Richt gone….UGA has the second most money in the NCAA…and this state is LOADEDDDDDDDD year after year with studs. The right guy here would make it painful for all foe’s.
bamaguy
June 14th, 2011
4:01 pm
Ok my mind is gone today (and it’s too early for a beer). Florida is in the West. Heck, Florids IS the west.
WDE
June 14th, 2011
4:01 pm
JB noted, I’m more worried about the OL overall its in the first 2 games I’m most worried about they are so important to the program. I think the OL will be pretty good but it might take them a game or two to get the timing etc down and well we don’t have a lot of time they really need to be in mid season form from the opening whistle.
bham dawg
June 14th, 2011
4:03 pm
bamagay: the east was much better the west for most of the decade
JB
June 14th, 2011
4:05 pm
WDE…. If you guys get 4 new starters to jell to SEC ball after two games, you better give that OL coach a raise and a long term contract.
Bubbatavious
June 14th, 2011
4:06 pm
Im tired of these clowns not getting it done in Athens. Yes Mark Richt is a clown. The last straw for me was the 4th and an inchworm decision against that mikey mouse Central Florida team.
JB
June 14th, 2011
4:08 pm
Bubba………He has 12 games to get unclowned.
JB
June 14th, 2011
4:09 pm
You are correct about the East. Richt has some great teams……..and was still chasing Florida.
Floyd
June 14th, 2011
4:10 pm
Not to state the obvious, but SOUTH CAROLINA won the East last year. Let me repeat that again…SOUTH CAROLINA. People, if that can happen, nothing is out of the question. Hell has aleady frozen over. When compared to that, how does Georgia winning it seem the least bit of a stretch?