Preseason ranking no shocker: ‘We’re still Georgia’
Georgia's ranking "shocked" Ben Jones, but it shouldn't have. (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)
Some folks inside and outside the Bulldog Nation were surprised when the USA Today coaches preseason poll was released Thursday and Georgia was ranked a respectable No. 22 despite coming off a 6-7 season and a horrendous bowl game.
Even the Dogs’ Ben Jones admitted he was “shocked” at Georgia being ranked in the preseason for the 10th consecutive year.
And Abry Jones said he “didn’t think we would be that high since we didn’t do well last year.”
Tavarres King, on the other hand, said, “I’m not shocked that we’re ranked. We’re still Georgia, and I think everybody knows that.”
I think King probably nailed it right there. Despite coming off a bad season and having a lot of question marks, UGA and Mark Richt have enough residual respect to be considered among the nation’s 25 best teams without having played a down yet.
And while preseason rankings don’t mean a whole lot, as Richt said, “I think it’s a good sign for the program. It’s a good sign of respect if coaches feel like Georgia is a Top 25 team.”
Of course, last year the coaches also thought Georgia was a Top 25 team. In fact, the Dogs were ranked a notch higher in last year’s preseason poll, at 21, and briefly made it up to No. 19 before falling out of the ranking for good after the South Carolina game.
And the No. 22 preseason ranking is the lowest of Richt’s tenure since his first year, when Georgia couldn’t quite crack the Top 25.
Still, being ranked at all is encouraging, even if it might be a result of the coaches (or whoever filled out the poll for them) simply listing Georgia out of force of habit.
At the very least, it bolsters the confidence of the Georgia players as they prepare to meet the No. 7-ranked Boise State Broncos.
And another factor is that while Georgia at times looked terrible last year, they also were thisclose to winning some of those games they lost. As Jones put it: “I think people believe in us. They’re not counting us out, because we lost a lot of games by three and seven points. If we would have made the play in the fourth quarter, we would have been the team that’s 10-3 instead of going 6-7.”
Now they just have to see if they can make those fourth-quarter plays this year. If Joe Tereshinski has anything to say about it, I’m betting they will more often than not.
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271 comments Add your comment
DawgInaTruck
August 5th, 2011
3:27 pm
We know of someone who is proud to be a Star Wars nerd, though.
Nothing Could Be Finer
August 5th, 2011
3:27 pm
Smokewagon is a good name for Ga’s defense after the Lattimore Show – Part Deux smokes them again.
War Darn Dawg
August 5th, 2011
3:29 pm
I hear you Trip, but the problem is that Mark Richt is our coach, not Nick Saban.
Saban’s first year at Alabama must have been a fluke, no way he should go 6-6 and lose to a directional school, new defense or not. I think there must have been some serious chemistry problems and some weeding out that had to take place to get that ship righted. It didn’t take him long.
Richt’s been on the job for 10 years now, and has taken a different trajectory. I don’t see year 11 being that great just because we’re in the 2nd year of a new defense. But heck maybe they’ll prove me wrong.
WDE
August 5th, 2011
3:31 pm
@Aubie-won-knobi awwww don’t go away mad….heck don’t go away at all stick around we can use you and murray county mystic for comic relief.
GeoffDawg
August 5th, 2011
3:31 pm
DawgInaTruck, it’s hard to deny the Florida dominance of the series the last couple of decades so you might as well be upfront about it.
For the life of me, I can’t uderstand why somebody that has a recent past of Chan Gailey and Reggie Ball while coming off a losing season claim they overachieve.
bamaguy
August 5th, 2011
3:32 pm
The fan base of every SEC school should hope UGA kicks those “It is absurd to play of blue grass” guys. There will be time to fight among ourselves later.
Besides, if UGA beats Boise, and you play UGA later in the year, it is better for your team that UGA beats Boise because of the BCS rankings.
GeoffDawg
August 5th, 2011
3:32 pm
I sure as heck am not going to say that Georgia is an overachieving program right now. I can say though that based on the history under Mark Richt, we have a legitimate shot of getting back to that elite level in a hurry.
Aubie-won-knobi
August 5th, 2011
3:36 pm
@DawgInTruck: Of course our local papers carry on-line access. The AJC is not an ATHENS paper. It’s an ATLANTA paper. It just happens that the ATLANTA Journal is down the road from ATHENS. Mr. College Football does not represent Dawgs – he represents ALL SEC teams in the AJC. Our local newspapers have AWESOME local blogs that cater to our own fan base if that’s all we care to read about. But as informed football fans, the AJC is the best place for all SEC teams to see what OTHER fan bases are saying and thinking.
GeoffDawg
August 5th, 2011
3:38 pm
murray county mystic – As soon as Clemson wins a conference title and finishes within shouting distance of the top ten, you can make that comparison. There’s also a reason why SEC teams are given the benefit of the doubt over ACC teams. It’s called quality.
DawgInaTruck
August 5th, 2011
3:40 pm
If you spend all of your time on another team’s blog either yours sucks or you have some real social frustrations to work out IF you know what I mean.
Nothing Could Be Finer
August 5th, 2011
3:42 pm
Clempson will not win a conference title.
LOL
WDE
August 5th, 2011
3:43 pm
@Aubie-won-knobi newsflash Tony Barnhart aka Mr.College Football is not in the AJC anymore…try him at http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball ..
Aubie-won-knobi
August 5th, 2011
3:45 pm
@Dawg: Who is spending ALL their time on another team’s blog? Since when did the AJC become the DAWG blawg? My Auburn paper has WAAAY better coverage of our team than your paper has of yours. Go check it out and then let’s talk about envy. By the way, please stop driveling on my leg and go find a tire.
DawgInaTruck
August 5th, 2011
3:47 pm
Geoff:
For the life of me, I can’t uderstand why somebody that has a recent past of Chan Gailey and Reggie Ball while coming off a losing season claim they overachieve.
Great point dude. Its also appropriate to note that their latest “savior” already has a losing streak and a losing record to us. Of course, their coaches always do.
Aubie-won-knobi
August 5th, 2011
3:49 pm
@WDE…I realize he’s gone but Jeff Schultz does a pretty good job covering SEC as a whole.
Dawg_Central
August 5th, 2011
3:49 pm
What happened the last time Boise came to play UGA…..Boise had a QB with a concussion……UGA has way too much speed for Boise on that turf…..UGA 35 Boise 17
WDE
August 5th, 2011
3:50 pm
@Aubie-won-knobi sorry but Dawg is not dribbling on your leg by accident he is pis**** on you a purpose….
WDE
August 5th, 2011
3:51 pm
@Aubie-won-knobi yes Jeff does a good job but I know Mr. College Football and he is no Mr.College Football…LOL.
Crimson Delight
August 5th, 2011
3:52 pm
I have to agree with Aubie. I go to Bham News for Bama and Auburn blogs which are excellent. But when I want to see what other fans (Gators, Dawgs, Vols) are saying, I visit the AJC.
Crimson Delight
August 5th, 2011
3:53 pm
WDE……you are an ass.
Smokewagon
August 5th, 2011
3:55 pm
Finer- You’re on a roll today but that will end abruptly in Sept. Enjoy Athens.
DawgInaTruck
August 5th, 2011
3:55 pm
I’m not sure how to “drivel” on someone’s leg since that word means nonsense. The AJC is not a blog it is a newspaper. It hosts a blog for UGA football. Seems simple in print-kind of thought you could make the distinction on your own.
Don’t have time for an Auburn blog. This one is good and I’m married to a hot chick with a sense of humor When I got home from work the day the Damon Evans story broke, she greeted me in a pair of red panties.
Me: Good blog for my own team and a hot wife. You: Kind of gettin’ worried about ya dude!
WDE
August 5th, 2011
3:56 pm
@Crimson Delight come back when your bunch 1) can hold a 24 point halftime lead vs your arch rival and 2) finish higher than 4th in the West….. have a great day.
Aubie-won-knobi
August 5th, 2011
3:57 pm
Mark Bradley is the other guy who draws in a good mix. And why are you hijacking the “WDE” handle? The REAL WDE will surely be flattered that you so desire to be him. War Damn Eagle!
WDE
August 5th, 2011
3:59 pm
@Aubie-won-knobi Mark is good also and WDE are my initials I promise they pre-date that silly War Damn Eagle cry….and this blog for that matter.
Trip
August 5th, 2011
4:03 pm
Saban’s win % his first 10 years wasn’t as good as Richt’s (still isn’t). Saban’s had a bunch of bad seasons, Richt’s only had 1 bad season in 24 years as a coach. Saban’s really only had a few top 10 finishes, Richt’s had like 20, 6 top 10 finishes at Georgia is more than Saban’s career.
WashingtonDC_Duck
August 5th, 2011
4:06 pm
Go Ducks!
Good luck Dogs whooping Boise State.
DawgInaTruck
August 5th, 2011
4:14 pm
Whoa Trip! You have actual facts to back up your post?! You know you are talking way over the heads of some of these ‘fans’. Whatcha doin’ man?!
SSIgator
August 5th, 2011
4:14 pm
“UGA and Mark Richt have enough residual respect”
From being 6-7? Respect? How about laughing stock.
NOTHING WOULD BE FINER THAN YOU GETTING A LIFE
August 5th, 2011
4:15 pm
Man,
You are on this blog all the time dude. You sure are obsessed with such a meaningless program. It actually seems you are quite addicted to the Georgia football program. You need to get a life. Go get a girlfriend, go bike riding, the mall, do something constructive with your life.
Hairy Perry
August 5th, 2011
4:18 pm
Dogs 45-28 over BS
Trip
August 5th, 2011
4:21 pm
Richt’s the winningest active coach in the SEC. #10 on win % overall at .738.
Saban, Spurrier, Miles, all down the list UNDER Richt.
Not too bad to be the #1 Top Dawg in the Nation’s Toughest Conference.
Richt has also been able to do it at 1 place.
W’ERE STILL GEORGIA.
http://www.coacheshotseat.com/WinningestActiveCoachesIA.htm
DawgInaTruck
August 5th, 2011
4:21 pm
Evey time ‘Finer disappears for a while I get this disturbing image of what must be going on in his Mom’s basement.
DawgInaTruck
August 5th, 2011
4:23 pm
Yes we are Trip, yes we are. It kills some of our neighbors but its the truth. Facts ever lie and liars never figure.
DawgInaTruck
August 5th, 2011
4:24 pm
Oops-Facts NEVER lie.
Hairy Perry
August 5th, 2011
4:25 pm
SSI Gator,
Hey man, nothing wrong with being a gator fan, great team but you need to consider hanging out with Mr. nothing, you guys have to be the biggest nobody’s on the block. Think about it your on a UGA blog day in and day out trolling. It’s sad that you don’t see how pathetic it is. I don’t hang out on Tech’s blog bashing thier program all day because I really don’t care enough and I have a life. You guys need to do some serious thinking about your futures.
DawgInaTruck
August 5th, 2011
4:30 pm
I agree Hairy. I know Tech has a blog at AJC but why would I go there? I know nothing about their program and don’t care to. They will come up on the schedule at Thanksgiving and I’ll worry about them then.
It says a lot about the fans of each team. We are obsessed with all things UGA, good or bad, and so are they.
Nothing Could Be Finer
August 5th, 2011
4:30 pm
We’re Still Georgia
Lattimore is still Lattimore
Expect the same on September 10 at 4:30 P.M.
Hairy Perry
August 5th, 2011
4:33 pm
Dogs 35 Gators 14 bank on it
Hairy Perry
August 5th, 2011
4:35 pm
It’s pretty clear dog in a truck and by the South Carolina SUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCKKKKKSSSSS!
Lowcountry Bulldawg
August 5th, 2011
4:36 pm
Murray County mystic must be a Napier because no one else in Chatsworth could spot Clemson on a map much less know what state they are in.
Hairy Perry
August 5th, 2011
4:36 pm
Good night dogs! I have a life to live!
bdawg
August 5th, 2011
4:42 pm
Boise has never beaten a BCS conference by 50. You guys need to cool it. If they do win it’s usually by 6 points or fewer. This game will be no different.
DawgInaTruck
August 5th, 2011
4:42 pm
Expect what, for Garcia AND his coach to be drunk again?
DawgInaTruck
August 5th, 2011
4:54 pm
Yo Aubie, from MSN Sports:
Apparently, the Lee County, Alabama Sheriff’s department came up with an elaborate way to catch up with over a dozen deadbeat parents. Tell them to show up at a location in Opelika and claim tickets to this years Auburn/Alabama game.
After all, what self-respecting Alabamian could resist that?
Operation “Iron Snare” didn’t round up all the suspects Deputies were looking for, but it got quite a few. They mailed out over 140 letters for people with at least 5-figures of unpaid child support.
We’ll try and refrain from the multiple jokes that we can make over this story. It’s not the first of its kind, we’ve read of it working in New York with Yankees tickets too.
It just goes to prove, in the state of Alabama, they’ll do anything, often without thinking about it…in order to get tickets to their version of a “Holy War”.
You must be some kind of proud dude.
Spokesman for the SEC East
August 5th, 2011
4:57 pm
Enter your comments here
Spokesman for the SEC East
August 5th, 2011
4:58 pm
I wish all the Richt haters would shut up and quit bad mouthing him. We should be wishing for him to get a lifetime contract like his daddy did at Free Shoes U.
VA DAWG
August 5th, 2011
4:58 pm
Welcome aboard Mr. Pyke, can’t wait to see him play between the hedges! GO DAWGS!
Trip
August 5th, 2011
5:01 pm
Saban had three 6 wins easons, and one 7 win seasons, in his 1st 10 years, four top 10 finishes, 1 top 5 finish.
Richt had 1 6 win season, 0 7 win seasons, in his 1st 10 years, six top 10 finishes, 2 top 5 finishes.
DawgInaTruck
August 5th, 2011
5:11 pm
And for Mr. Buckeye, also from MSN Sports:
Two days after several Ohio State freshmen proudly displayed wristbands supporting deposed Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel, the university has taken them away and refunded the players’ money.
”We don’t know that yet, but that’s what compliance is looking into,” Emig said.
Since Ohio State goes before the NCAA’s committee on infractions on Aug. 12, it might also appear that the school remains firmly behind a coach who was forced out on May 30. Tressel was pressured to resign when it was revealed he knew some of his players had broken NCAA rules but did not report it for more than nine months.
”There was a concern that maybe this isn’t a thing that should have been done,” Emig said of the wristbands, which were worn by several freshmen at a news conference on Wednesday.
He added that Ohio State decided to take a ”cautionary” approach after the wristbands, which were sold by an Ohio State staffer, were mentioned prominently in several media reports. After turning in their wristbands, players’ $15 was refunded.
Emig said interim head coach Luke Fickell was unaware that a staffer had sold the wristbands.
Do the OSU coaches keep their heads constantly buried in the sand? Or up somewhere else?