How much patience will the Bulldog Nation show this season?
How hot will Mark Richt's seat get if the Dogs open with two losses? (Associated Press)
Much of the preseason talk about the Georgia Bulldogs has centered on the high-stakes nature of the first two games against Boise State and South Carolina and how much this ratchets up the temperature under Mark Richt’s seat.
Winning both games would be huge and would probably make the Dogs the early-season Cinderella of the national polls and media pundits, but not too many folks are predicting that.
Most fans I’ve talked to would be pretty satisfied to come out of those opening two games with a split, especially if the win was over the Gamecocks, giving Georgia an edge in the SEC East.
But what if the Dogs lose to both highly ranked opponents?
I’ve lost track of how many observers from outside the Bulldog Nation have put forth the idea that if Georgia starts out the season 0-2 that Richt’s fate will be sealed. I’ve even seen predictions that losing the two opening games would mean he wouldn’t last out the season.
I don’t think that’s the case, however.
Starting out 0-2 would not make fans and alumni happy (especially if the games are not close), but I don’t believe it would be cause for writing off the season. After all, as Richt pointed out Monday night at the Bulldog Club gathering at the Cobb Galleria, Georgia opens with what appears likely to be “the two best teams we play all year.”
Oh, I’m sure the “fire Richt now” crowd would be much in evidence on the blogs and discussion boards, but I think the majority of UGA’s supporters would recognize the high difficulty factor in those two opening games and the fact that, at 0-2, Georgia still could have a pretty terrific season.
But if Richt’s Dogs go 1-4 again, like last year, that would be another matter entirely.
That would mean losses to both Mississippi schools, including Ole Miss, which is expected to be the SEC West’s celllar dweller. At that point, the wheels might well come off the bandwagon and Greg McGarity would be under a lot of pressure to do something about it.
I really don’t think it’s likely to come to that, though. I will be surprised if the Dogs don’t go to Knoxville with a winning record.
How about you? Would 0-2 have you on the ledge, or do you think Richt can “withstand all the stuff that will come,” as he put it, if the Dogs lose to both the Broncos and the Gamecocks?
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433 comments Add your comment
WDE
July 26th, 2011
3:35 pm
@Pete you must be either entertained or just plain dumb, we the Bull Dog nation aren’t going away, we will be filling the Dome on the 3rd. Just do us a favor make sure that bunch of All-Americans you think so highly of decide to show up…and tell Mr.Moore to buckle his chin strap.
Joe is the horse that the team rides to ATL on
July 26th, 2011
3:36 pm
13-1 Nevada…..ok….WOW…..a boise team thinking about a National Championship…losing to NEVADA is a bit different that a team in a meaningless bowl game that was more focused on recruiting…..Give Nevada our schedule last year…..for that matter- give it to boise…..maybe…maybe 500 at best….
High Country
July 26th, 2011
3:39 pm
All serious Dawg fans agree that Mark Richt has to be fired, the sooner the better. Otherwise, sports writers will be asking the same questions this time a year from now.
Richt represents mediocrity. Saban, Miles, Spurrier, and Chizik represent excellence and championships. Richt simply isn’t in their class, nor will he ever be. Richt would have to be incredibly lucky to win the division, and the odds against him winning the SEC championship would be at least 50:1.
Those are the simple facts, and there’s no amount of enthusiasm or cheerleading or Top 5 recruiting classes that can get around it.
As they say in poker, “Read ‘em and weep.”
Pete... The Dumb@$$
July 26th, 2011
3:40 pm
Here you go Pete:
04- 1 Ranked teams
05- 3
06- 1
07- 1
08- 3
09- 2
10- 3
Thats an average of 2 a year and you wonder why think your an idiot hahahahaha
Joe the Boise Horse
July 26th, 2011
3:40 pm
Joe….what do we have to do for you to ignore all of us and leave the blog????
Pete is the horse that Boise rides to ATL for the bronco beatdown
July 26th, 2011
3:41 pm
Enter your comments here
Pete
July 26th, 2011
3:41 pm
How about uga start with UCF’s schedule……………LOL!
If they can do well in that, we’ll start thinking about uga as a decent team. Until then, quit making excuses, were your coaches recruiting in all the games they went to? Or, just the 6 they lost? LOL!
Pete... The Dumb@$$
July 26th, 2011
3:43 pm
Are you seriously trying to defend Nevada and say they are a good team???? They played the same crappy talent as you.
You say you have all these All americans, but in reality they are only there bc u play no one so it is easy for someone to look good.
There is a reason why every Hawaii QB resets the passing marks….. BC the WAC is god awful.
Wonder why they dont give MWC or WAC a BCS birth….. BC they are both god awful.
You must be on drugs kid
Pete "the idiot from Boise"
July 26th, 2011
3:44 pm
Hey Pete…refresh us again on your strengh of schedule……from what I can tell, your claim to fame is a win over the ACC and a loss to a WOW 13-1 Nevada…from that powerhouse conference …what? hmmm….
topdawg
July 26th, 2011
3:45 pm
“Chizik represents excellence and championships”HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. WOW. anyone who believes Chizik represents anything close to excellence would have to either be 1) an Auburn fan or 2)Just plain stupid. That’s a pretty legitimate list of coaches minus the imcompetent cheat listed at the end.
SkokieDog
July 26th, 2011
3:45 pm
Rita Lin has a point, and it doesn’t only apply to Ivy League schools. Northwestern’s enthusiastic coach, Pat Fitzgerald, recruits STUDENT-athletes: guys who are intelligent enough not only to be admitted but who actually complete their degrees. Oh, and in the recent past, the Wildcats’ win-loss record is similar to that of the Dogs. I know, it helps that Northwestern plays in the Big Ten rather than in the SEC. My point is that this young coach recruits intelligent players with sufficient talent to be competitive in their league, and these players tend to be good citizens too, avoiding arrest, and (mentioned this earlier) EARN THEIR DEGREES.
Pete... The Dumb@$$
July 26th, 2011
3:45 pm
Hey when you play more than 2 barely ranked teams a year let us know and maybe then we will consider you for the big game….. but every time you do play more than 2 you guys seem to I dont know….. lose a lot
dmr
July 26th, 2011
3:45 pm
0 – 2 start this season should mean very little. Richt has shown a propensity to bounce back from most situations. If you lose and/or how you lose are equally important in my book. Bobo is controlling the offense. I think this year is just as big for him as it is for Richt, if not bigger. If 3rd and long results in a draw play run by Carlton Thomas, you can imagine where the anger will be.
I think this team could well go 9 – 3; 10 – 2 with some good luck and bounces and getting off the field on 3rd and long.
Many will find this crazy, but I think Richt has through the 2012 season (look at that schedule) to really make strides toward a Conference and National Title.
The offensive line will be an issue ONLY because of depth. If we play COFFIN CORNER on special teams and our defense is as improved as I expect, this team can be very dangerous.
GO DAWGS!
Pete "the idiot from Boise"
July 26th, 2011
3:47 pm
Pete- tell us what happened the last time you played UGA??? hmmmm? we dont need to chit chat about other teams….lets talk head to head games……..remind me again….was it a close game in Athens? What is Boise’s record against UGA?????????? SEC????????????? Nuff said bimbo!
WDE
July 26th, 2011
3:48 pm
@High Country no not all UGA fans think CMR should be fired…now troll on..
SkokieDog
July 26th, 2011
3:49 pm
dmr: I agree that coach Richt will be given through the 2012 season to make strides, but if the Dogs begin the 2011 season 0-2, there is no way they win nine games this year.
Pete...the score please.....
July 26th, 2011
3:49 pm
Dawg got your tongue?
Pete
July 26th, 2011
3:50 pm
Look how easy it is too make this trashy dumb georgia fan so mad! LOL!
Weak minds are so ez to control. Hey call me when uga doesn’t drop 6 games. uga is irrelevant.
Pete... The Dumb@$$
July 26th, 2011
3:50 pm
That doesnt mean anything to Pete bc we lost to UCF hahahaha.
Pete only cares about what happened last year not a few years ago.
Pete thinks bc they go undefeated that means they are good w/o any reference to the HS teams they beat along the way.
Pete must suck to be you hahahahahahaha
Pete... The Dumb@$$
July 26th, 2011
3:52 pm
Mad?????? hahahahahahahahahahahaha
Have you not seen us laughing in your face the entire time you moron.
I am voting Pete for the retard of the year
Pete... The Dumb@$$
July 26th, 2011
3:53 pm
Pete let me know when you guys decide to play against real temas. Then maybe just maybe boise will be relevant.
Not Red and Black but just a Redneck
July 26th, 2011
3:54 pm
How much Patience will UGA fans have this year?
Taking a line from one of the greatest movies of all time…Animal House…….
ZERO POINT ZERO…….Richt is on “Double Secret Probation”
SSIgator
July 26th, 2011
3:55 pm
dmr -
“Richt has shown a propensity to bounce back from most situations”
No, it is actually go backwards. 10-3 to 8-5 to 6-7. Belly up to the bar boys. It’s happy hour and bartender Richt is serving up 2 for 1 specials on his new KoolAid formula. This is the high octane version. One glass and you forget all reality.
Atlanta87
July 26th, 2011
3:55 pm
@ topdawg do you have proof Chizik cheated? If so I’m sure the NCAA would love to have a phone conversation with you, or was your cell phone that had texts on it of Cam asking for money destroyed by water? Until then, please be quiet. Chizik has one more National Championship Ring then Saint Richt.
funny...
July 26th, 2011
3:56 pm
Pete, you’re like congress, you sure can call out the problems of the otherside but offer no concrete evidence to back your claims.
What has Boise ever won? Ever? Can they claim 2 Natty’s with a share in at least 4 others?
As it sits today you have nothing but conjecture and a weak schedule.
WDE
July 26th, 2011
3:58 pm
@Pete the day you control my mind or anything else has not dawned…no take you Smurf self out of here……..by the way you still haven’t beat us or any SEC team…don’t look for that to change this year.
funny...
July 26th, 2011
3:58 pm
Actually Boise is less relevant than Georgia. Boise goes 11-1, 12-0 – where’s your Natty. LOL
Pete... The Dumb@$$
July 26th, 2011
3:58 pm
o and Pete those 14 ranked teams you have played since 04…… youre only 7-7 hahahahaha and some of those ranked teams were Fresno and Nevada hahahahahah what a joke.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
July 26th, 2011
3:58 pm
Pete is a Tech fan acting like a Boise fan because Tech fans have lost all credibility. Now they resort to acting like fans of other schools. Now Boise fan can talk smack after the last matchup. I think the “Z Man” is still looking for his jock strap after getting tossed around like a rag doll in Athens. Expect Moore of the same to your Heisman hopefull.
funny...
July 26th, 2011
3:58 pm
Petey, if Georgia is so irrelevant, then why are you posting here?
funny...
July 26th, 2011
4:00 pm
You Richt apologists are so blind.
Not Red and Black but just a Redneck
July 26th, 2011
4:01 pm
The season has not even started and the implosion is beginning with The UGA fans…
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
July 26th, 2011
4:01 pm
Pete
Seriously, Athens a trashy town that no one wants to live in.
I remind you that Athens was voted #1 as a place to retire
I remind you that Athens was voted #1 college town
Boise Idaho lol, has the automobile made it to Boise yet or are you guys still riding horses and walking to your high school size stadium
Oh, by the way what was the score of the last meeting with UGA, in which your Boise St team was picked to win that one as well. Please remind us hero
How Bout Them Dawgs
July 26th, 2011
4:03 pm
No one is blind except the people calling for him to be fired.
He rebuilt this program and made it into a power house (minus last year). We have our D in place and comfortable with the new system.
Great QB, Great TE, and potenially great WR’s and RB’s. The axe should fall squarely on Bobo if we dont have a huge turn around this year.
Hey Pete......
July 26th, 2011
4:03 pm
Peter….what was the score last time Boise played UGA.???? What is the record vs SEC…? You are suce the Boise expert…figured you would know that just off the top of yore head
DawginLex
July 26th, 2011
4:05 pm
Pete
How do you expect to be taken seriously when you spew about UGA won’t stay within 3 TD’s of Boise?
Every single person in the country involved with college football says this will be a tightly fought game.
Zabransky lost the game in 2005?
Pick and choose much?
Same guy beat Oklahoma yet somehow or another he had a bad day in Athens?
Couldn’t have been the other team was better?
LHarding Dawg
July 26th, 2011
4:05 pm
While I’m not to worried about Boise State, South Carolina is another story. IF we lost to both of them, I would be worried, but not enought to give it up for the season. I was at the game where SC beat us 16-12 and we went on to win the SEC east. As that year progressed, we got better and better. Same could happen this year. Personally I believe we have the players and coaches to win both games this year. The game we’ll drop will be one we are picked to win.
topdawg
July 26th, 2011
4:05 pm
@Atlanta87- Yes, for now he does but who knows how long he’ll keep it. I don’t have proof of any texts on my phone that Cam asked for money but I do agree with the overwhelming majority of college football fans nationwide that there is a very good chance that Auburn violated several NCAA rules in his recruitment. At least Coach Saban, Miles, and Spurrier won a NC with what they had.
Hey Pete......
July 26th, 2011
4:06 pm
There are high school stadiums in this state that hold more than Boise Stadium…..
DawginLex
July 26th, 2011
4:08 pm
SSIGator
A living breathing testament as to why you should avoid living in and around Gainesville is bad for your health.
SSIgator
July 26th, 2011
4:11 pm
DawginLex -
Come on my friend, you can do better than that.
DawginLex
July 26th, 2011
4:12 pm
SSi
Every other word from you is koolaid and you are dissing my stuff?
What a joke.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
July 26th, 2011
4:12 pm
Pete
Could you hurry up on the Morse Code people are waiting for a logical response.
I know technology has reached the level of the 1880’s out in Boise so we figured you could tap a little faster with a response
SSIgator
July 26th, 2011
4:18 pm
DawginLex -
Would you prefer LSD instead? It is a mind-altering drug also. When you decide, let me know. I certainly do not want to upset your sensitivities.
How Bout Them Dawgs
July 26th, 2011
4:26 pm
SSIGator- Shouldnt you be worried about who is going to be the QB of your huddle this year????
Either way your going to have another down year. At least we have restacked the talent and have the best QB in SEC.
Let me guess now you state the past 20 years….
Then I state the 20 before that….
Your turn
How Bout Them Dawgs
July 26th, 2011
4:27 pm
also we were experimenting with a new defense last year that severely hurt our season..
whats your excuse for sucking so bad last year?????
How Bout Them Dawgs
July 26th, 2011
4:28 pm
Gators got caught with Tebows package in their mouth and forget to prepare for the season?
How Bout Them Dawgs
July 26th, 2011
4:29 pm
Actually now that I look at you I can see he left some residue on your lip there
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
July 26th, 2011
4:33 pm
Pete
You might ought to start loading your wagon by the end of next week. That should give you 3 weeks to get to Atlanta by horse and wagon.
HardTruth Soldier
July 26th, 2011
4:36 pm
Jeez Bill this is becoming redundant! I mean what do you writers do go back to your files and rewrite the same old story? Didn’t coach Richt just say that he was looking forward to a great season? Doesn’t that tip you off just a little? Look, everybody looked at Aaron Murray and didn’t look at “The Big” picture. Georgia’s tweaked the defense (if that’s what you can call putting 6′4 345 pounds in the middle) and gotten the cancer that was in the backfield outta there. they’ve got to spread the ball out w/ A.J. gone, and I seem to hear the team more upbeat and less worried. I also here about a bigger team, that’s faster, stronger and more conditioned. Boise State, and South Carolina(with that weak 9-5 record) for a championship will both get burned here. Folks if you really know your football, you;ll know that this freshmen class at receiver is big fast and will play instantly, Listen you heard it here first so put this in your file, Georgia will win 3, yes three SEC Titles in a row and barely miss out on number four, Coach Richt’s only problem next year will be how he splits QB time, and not screw it up like the Shockley/Greene debacle. T.j Stripling, yes do ya’ll remember him? The freshmen DE that was getting playing time last year. Picture this him ,Ogletree, and Ray Drew and Jones(if cleared) at the LB’s spots? This is a defense that’s loaded, and ready to play like a champion.Hold on Dawg fans it’s gonna be one helluva ride to the Georgia dome. If you smeeeeeeelll what the Dawgs are cookin.