Are Dawgs a legitimate preseason Top 10 team?
And now begins Mark Richt’s 2012 challenge: Managing high expectations for his team.
ESPN’s “College Football Live” has released its preseason poll, and five SEC teams are in the Top 10, including Georgia at No. 6. USC is tops, with LSU No. 2 and Alabama No. 3, Oregon No. 4 and Oklahoma No. 5. Behind Georgia in the Top 10 are Florida State, South Carolina, Arkansas (the voting took place before the fall of Bobby Petrino) and Michigan.
ESPN SEC blogger Chris Low thinks “Georgia seems a little high at No. 6. I think the Bulldogs will be very good, and they’re my pick to win the Eastern Division this season. But I don’t know that they’re the sixth best team in the country. To me, Georgia and South Carolina are just about dead even. Both teams should be nasty on defense again, and both teams have experienced go-to players on offense. At the end of the day, the Bulldogs have the best chance to get to Atlanta because they have the easier schedule and don’t have to play Alabama, Arkansas or LSU.”
I tend to agree with Low. Taking into account that all preseason polls are basically guessing games and nothing more, I think Georgia certainly has the potential to repeat as SEC East champ and be a Top 10 team but I’m not sure they should be ranked that high at this point.
What do you think? Do you see the 2012 Dawgs as a Top 10 team? Does “College Football Live” have it about right or is that too optimistic at this point?
Got something on your mind concerning UGA athletics or a question for the Junkyard Blawg? Send it to junkyardblawg@gmail.com.
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410 comments Add your comment
Alphare
May 1st, 2012
12:37 pm
beanster,
“The likelihood of BSU even playing UGA this year is about the same as the likelihood of a Tech win versus UGA this year. Somewhere between slim and none.”
I just know some fans would jump at my lines. I actually mean in a bowl game.
Top Row Dawg
May 1st, 2012
12:37 pm
Hell yes. Georgia should start every season in top ten.
#11 all time division 1 wins
#5 all time bowl wins
#13 total games played
#12 all time points scored
#9 stadium size
#2 all time strength schedule
Eight 10 win seasons in last 11 years.
ARdawg
May 1st, 2012
12:38 pm
GT Bob
Yes I disagree with you but, please answer me this, who would your place all but LSU with? Who are the more worthy or expected teams. FTR, I’ve never seen a preseason poll with any validity or that was even remotely close at seasons end
DIT
May 1st, 2012
12:40 pm
No doubt Bama lost a lot of awesome players, but they are loaded. AGreed, LSU vs Bama will be another great game this coming fall AND as we found out it does not mean the loser of that game will be out of the NC hunt.
Cdpridg
May 1st, 2012
12:40 pm
It is like this…if the offensive line plays well and a ground game is established then the Dawgs will be top 10 or even top 5. If not…more like 15 to 20th caliber team.
Bama Mike
May 1st, 2012
12:41 pm
Around 15. They manner in which they ended the season leaves doubts. At 6 should they go and lose at Missouri then the screaming of ” over-rated ” will begin and they drop out of the top 20
Alphare
May 1st, 2012
12:42 pm
Top Row Dawg,
you didn’t list UGA’s NC wins. Is it intentional?
SSIgator
May 1st, 2012
12:42 pm
Top Row Dawg
May 1st, 2012
12:37 pm
Hell yes. Georgia should start every season in top ten
____________________________________________
Serious or sarcasm? Hard to tell.
ARdawg
May 1st, 2012
12:43 pm
GT Bob
I think Bama should be there by default. Yes they lost some but they are still loaded. LSU will take a tumble this year. Maybe not too far but no NCG. I don’t see USC in the top spot at the end of the year but because of the weak PAC 12, they have a more favorable schedule than UGA. Arkansas is a top 10, Carolina should be top 10. UGA, FSU, Oklahoma not top ten but could finish there
jarvis
May 1st, 2012
12:45 pm
Who cares? If you don’t finish 1st…you don’t finish 1st.
The Championship game will put an end to all of this ranking crap.
How significant are basketball rankings? You never hear somone saying….Pitt shouldn’t be a preseason #6…they feel more like a #11. No one cares, and FINALLY football is heading the same direction.
dont get it
May 1st, 2012
12:45 pm
you give Spurrier or Saban our guys and yes, top 5 team easy. But with a “soft” and frankly not so bright HC, no, not even top 15.
DIT
May 1st, 2012
12:46 pm
Again, being against the rankings before the 6th game of the season. Being that it may, I wish the so-called “experts” would just go ahead and switch UGA’s spot with UF.
Until UGA lines up and plays 60 minutes of football AND gets a strong running game, I just don’t see a top 10 finish.
George Stein
May 1st, 2012
12:49 pm
Somewhere between 10 and 15 is probably fair.
The biggest question y’all have is where the improvements will come from. I mean, the defense probably won’t be much better than last year because there isn’t much improvement that can be made. How much more can Murray really improve? The only place for real improvement is in the running game, and that’s where the questions are.
dont get it
May 1st, 2012
12:52 pm
I’ll be happy if we just beat Uf two years straight. Hasnt happened since the FREAKIN 80’s! Thats a joke!
ARdawg
May 1st, 2012
12:54 pm
George Stein
Murray has much room for improvement and IMHO will be the difference maker, good or bad in the year. He had lessons learned last year. This year could make him a boom or a bust
Deport
May 1st, 2012
12:54 pm
I dont understand the thin line statements. We have more players and depth this year than last. Yes we lost 3 starters but they had no body to back them up last year. This year we atleast have 2 players per position who can come in a play. So lets give our OL a chance. Remember in the past when everyone doubts our line they step up and is one of the best in the country. And the years they are suppose to be the best they get injured or dont play well as a unit. Lets Just Wait And See!
DIT
May 1st, 2012
12:54 pm
Just throwing this out there to all the Dawg people. If, and I mean a big IF(one can dream), CMR wins a NC within the next 3 years who will be the next person that gets the verbal abuse at UGA?
ARdawg
May 1st, 2012
12:55 pm
If we get more of the same from Murray, we’ll lose 3, maybe 4 games again
DIT
May 1st, 2012
12:56 pm
@Deport
There are more bodies, I believe the problem is the lack of experience they bring. The SEC is a tough place to play unexperienced. My guess, that’s where the concern is.
DIT
May 1st, 2012
12:57 pm
Sorry, that should have been inexperienced. Got ahead of myself
GTBob
May 1st, 2012
12:58 pm
ARdawg, I will give you Alabama. I think top 3 might be high but they will more then likely be in the top 10 somewhere. Arkansas, and South Carolina I just don’t see. You basically have to have 2 losses or less to be in the top 10. That pretty much means that Arkansas without Petrino will have to only lose to Alabama and LSU. That will be tough with A&M, Auburn, and South Carolina also on the schedule. As for Carolina, they will lose to LSU. Therefore they can only lose one more game. I just don’t see it when UGA, Arkansas, Florida, Clemson, and Missouri are on the schedule.
George Stein
May 1st, 2012
12:58 pm
I guess that’s my point, ARdawg. I think Murray is already pretty good, and to the extent he has some flaws, there isn’t much that he can do about them. At some point, the guys in front of him have to block and the guys behind him have to run. Those are things he can’t help them with.
RxDawg
May 1st, 2012
1:00 pm
“are the dawgs a legit top 10 team?”
If we can fix our running game, we are a legit top 5 team.
KeepDreaming
May 1st, 2012
1:00 pm
Georgia should be ranked #1 in my mind every year, so where’s the story here?
Art
May 1st, 2012
1:02 pm
Dawgs O_line is pathetic and will start the year with several suspensions in their secondary. They will lose conference games to Missouri, S-Carolina and the Gators. They will not win the SEC East.
AltamahaDawg
May 1st, 2012
1:02 pm
Even if we do beat UF this year, we will have fans who claim it doesn’t count, since UF is not a NC caliber team right now.
DawgInaTruck
May 1st, 2012
1:03 pm
10-15 seems more accurate pre-season to me.
I do believe it is appropriate to have high expectations for this team but I also believe it is appropriate for them to earn a more lofty ranking with consistent performance as the season elapses.
dont get it
May 1st, 2012
1:05 pm
RX dawg – I think thats more of an OL question and yes, its a good question. I dont worry about the backs. Even if IC doesnt come through for us I think the two freshmen will be good and I still think BOO is better than most think. He just couldnt get to 100% due to injuries last year.
Texas Dawg
May 1st, 2012
1:07 pm
I hate to say it but based off what UGA has did against LSU and MSU that ranking is wayyyyyyyyy to high…………when we start beating some good teams thne I’ll say justified….love my dogs but way to high!
SouthGaDawg
May 1st, 2012
1:07 pm
With our schedule we should be preseason #1. Only one or two threats on the whole thing….only thing holding us back is Richt. We are the football version of UNC basketball when they had Jordan. The saying back then was that only one person in the nation could hold Michael Jordan under 20 points per game…his coach.
DawgInaTruck
May 1st, 2012
1:08 pm
Altamaha, some will make excuses no matter who we beat but one final fact remains: If you win it, you win it. At this level results are all that matter. We don’t get a pass for a close call against Michigan State in the bowl game, for example, we didn’t win it. If we beat UF (or anybody for that matter) it counts in the standings and the haters can hate on. The records count, the naysayers don’t.
dont get it
May 1st, 2012
1:08 pm
yes we know AltamahaDawg – your fine losing to UF every year. you have made that perfectly clear in the past. By the way Richt is still holding a spot for you on his staff. Do you even think about the fact that we almost lost to the worst UF team in atleast 15 years last year? Face it Richt pee pees in his pants when its time to go to jax!
dawgfan
May 1st, 2012
1:13 pm
The running game wasn’t the only problem last year. There were also too many special teams lapses and way too many points given up in big games. I’m a big fan of what Grantham has done for the defense but there is still a long way to go. I think our D is a little overrated at the moment. They need to prove they can bail us out when the chips are down, something they didn’t do last year.
We are way overrated at #6. Of course, this is the same poll that has USC at #1 and OU and FSU in the top 10 so I’m not surprised.
Thanks.
LawDawg
May 1st, 2012
1:14 pm
GTBob: “I am really starting to think that ESPN overrates UGA and FSU every year so that we all have something to laugh at at the end of the season.”
Well, to be fair, we get a nice hardy chuckle as your team flails like a high school JV squad against UGA at the end of every regular season.
AltamahaDawg
May 1st, 2012
1:18 pm
TN, UF, AU will be a lot better than some of you guys are giving them credit for right now. We will see about Mo. Although a lot of folks already seem to thinkn they are going to be tough. And SC of cource. Ky, Vandy, Tech are still a major conference teams. I would bet when the smoke clears, this ends up being a much higher rated strength of schedule than you want to believe right now.
JK
May 1st, 2012
1:24 pm
The Dawgs should not start the season ranked 6th but should be at least 6th when the final polls come out.
Dawg Haus
May 1st, 2012
1:24 pm
If the Dawgs can limit costly turnovers and goof-ups on special teams in 2012, this will be an outstanding team. I don’t think they deserve to be ranked at #6 to start the season, but they could end up there by the midpoint.
Dawg Haus
May 1st, 2012
1:26 pm
I agree, Altamaha. There’s no such thing as a weak schedule in the SEC. Florida is going to be a lot better than some of the blog experts think and that’s a hill that CMR still needs to prove he can climb. I think Georgia will win the East, but it won’t be easy.
Fan
May 1st, 2012
1:27 pm
@ Art and anyone else commenting on the suspensions –
Neither Ogletree nor Rambo have been suspended yet. The SB incident was nearly two months ago, and the only comments about suspensions came from Rambo’s HS coach. Richt hasn’t given any official word on the subject. Branden Smith hasn’t been suspended either. Yes, there is a lot of speculation out there, and those three may well face varying levels of suspensions, but, as of now, they cleared to play. Only Sanders Commings has been suspended in the defensive backfield. Stop perpetuating the rumors and inserting conjecture. It’s all hearsay until Richt makes a final decision.
AltamahaDawg
May 1st, 2012
1:28 pm
We’ll gee, thanks for telling me my opinion. Now really hammer it home and quote me ever saying I was fine with losing to UF every year, since I have made that perfectly clear. I’ve been going to Jville something like 30 yrs in a row, with a few exceptions, and nobody hates losing more than me .I just don’t say its the only thing that matters, then flip flop and say it doesnt count when it suits my agenda.
I was very happy to win last year. You were not I am gathering.
Change your name one more time and try it again.
The Most Interesting Man Alive
May 1st, 2012
1:29 pm
Difficult to determine this year;
Starting off on the road with key DB’s out, totally new OL including the hardest to replace in Ben Jones and then Murray is still Murray and Bobo is still Bobo. That being said the rest of the schedule sets up nice. The only loss I see as probable is at USC with possible losses to an improved UF and Tennessee teams. Vandy is a potential roadblock with a very good coach and QB combination. All of that said I predict 10-2 with SC also going 10-2 and winning the head to head. UGA finishes up ranked either 12th or 24th depending on the Bowl game.
Here we go again
May 1st, 2012
1:29 pm
Same ol’ story year after year. Big Projections, little results.
Dirty Dawg
May 1st, 2012
1:29 pm
I say why the hell not? What’s wrong with thinking positively about the potential for big things? Sure, I know that if you go in with low expectations you won’t be as disappointed if you don’t succeed. In fact I’ve made a habit of that strategy, but since I’m probably not gonna see as many UGA seasons as I already have, again I say – why the hell not go all in? Let’s expect the defense to be as good as advertised…let’s expect the O-line, and the running game, and the passing game, and the special teams, and the coaching, and the fans, to all be as good as we’d like to be…OK?
GTBob
May 1st, 2012
1:30 pm
Well, to be fair, we get a nice hardy chuckle as your team flails like a high school JV squad against UGA at the end of every regular season.
You should watch us play Miami then. Even I have to laugh during that game.
Realist
May 1st, 2012
1:31 pm
You are, without a doubt, the worst opinionated columnist in the entire country. As a UGA alumni, I have never agreed with any of your points. The only group you appeal to are 70 year old people that like the Georgia brand, and no nothing about sports. I’m sure you didn’t say anyting about King’s battery charge because you supported him in college, support him now, and support his coach, who never punished him properly. Like King, you fall asleep at the wheel when writting these columns.
realistic fan
May 1st, 2012
1:31 pm
GT BOB: Quit knocking Georgia’s schedule. We don’t pick our SEC opponets and would you consider Duke, NC ST , Weak Forest, Virginia, not to mention Middle Tennessee, Jax State and all your other patsys easier than Georgia’s schedule? I think most would.
AltamahaDawg
May 1st, 2012
1:33 pm
dawgfan , all good points, of which I agree.
However, although the running game was not the only problem last year, It was the only one that really mattered.
UGA fan...not fanatic
May 1st, 2012
1:33 pm
no way UGA top ten. 12 to 15. ?? in secondary, ?? on OL, ?? with special teams. Scatch 12 to 15, make it 15 to 20.
The Most Interesting Man Alive
May 1st, 2012
1:33 pm
dont get it, that would be the worst UF team since before the Evil Genius turned things around at Florida. They also played with a QB who was barely on 1 leg and it still took a late TD to win by 4 points. I bet Richt is scared to death of the #6 ranking and would prefer it to be around 22-24.
441North
May 1st, 2012
1:38 pm
Bill, not seein’ no. 6. The way we finished the Outback bowl and our record against BSU, SC and LSU last year tells me we should be around 15. Also too many questions about our OL, and Murray needs to be accurate and to hold on to the ball for 60 whole minutes.