Oddsmaker likes Dawgs to win SEC East … and BCS!
Georgia's schedule has the Dawgs in early conversations about the BCS championship. (Associated Press)
So far, Mark Richt’s 2012 Dawgs are having a terrific silly season, that time of summer when all teams are undefeated and fans and prognosticators alike can go crazy with predictions.
Here’s a headline on the handicapping site Beyond the Bets sure to quicken a UGA fan’s pulse a beat or two: Who will win 2013 BCS national title? Our pick: the Georgia Bulldogs, currently a 19/1 long shot
At 19-to-1, Georgia has the seventh-best odds to win the national championship. Here are the reasons why BTB likes the Dawgs to do so: 1. They’re good. 2. Schedule 3. They can afford to lose a game.
Under the first reason, the site notes that quarterback Aaron Murray heads up a bunch of returning starters, the passing game should be among the nation’s best and “Georgia should finally have a running game to complement it.” Also, the defense, which returns 20 of 22 players on its depth chart, “will again be dominant and could be the best in the conference.”
They do note that “the offensive line will be the major concern, as the Bulldogs must replace both tackles and add depth along the interior. Nonetheless, they should have no trouble improving upon last year’s 10-win season.”
One of the main reasons why, BTB says, is the schedule, with Georgia again avoiding Alabama, LSU and Arkansas during the regular season. Says BTB: “Georgia will play seven games at home, four on the road and one — the annual matchup against Florida on Oct. 27 — at a neutral field. That’s as manageable a schedule as any you’ll find, particularly when you consider that they’ll be favored in three of the four road games — at Kentucky, Missouri and Auburn.”
BTB notes that the toughest game on Georgia’s schedule will come against South Carolina, which is the only game in which the Las Vegas oddsmakers haven’t installed the Dogs as a point-spread favorite. (The Gamecocks are favored by 3.)
But that brings us to their third reason: “Georgia is one of the few teams in the country that has the potential to lose a game and still appear in the national championship. Assuming the Bulldogs open the season in the top 10 as expected, they’ll likely rise as high as fifth or sixth prior to their big swing game against South Carolina on Oct. 6. If the Bulldogs lose, they’ll have two full months to climb back into the top 5 of the polls and should still have a chance to earn a second straight SEC East crown. With a win over LSU or Alabama in the SEC championship, Georgia will be in position to play for the national title.”
To bolster their case for the Dawgs, the BTB folks cite Saturday Down South, which has picked Georgia as “the safe bet” to again win the SEC East, with South Carolina and Florida as “sucker bets” to do so, noting that “The Bulldogs are one of the most talented teams in the country. I put them on the same talent level as LSU and even slightly ahead of Alabama.”
SDS also cites the talent level and the schedule, saying, “This is a huge year for Richt’s legacy, and I think Georgia puts it together and wins the East — and maybe more — in what could be a special year for Georgia football.”
Is that enough to get you pumped up for fall, or do you think the oddsmakers are underestimating Georgia’s task in rebuilding the offensive line and repairing its dismal special teams play? How do you feel about the upcoming season?
Got something you want to discuss concerning UGA athletics or a question for the Junkyard Blawg? Send it to junkyardblawg@gmail.com.
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282 comments Add your comment
Duncan Hines has the best Brownie Mix
June 6th, 2012
12:29 pm
We have not done jack Sh#t and we hear about crap like this.I suggest every Dawg to shut up because the odds are we will make fools of ourselves by the end of the season! As the old saying goes”action speaks louder than words” Also,do not smoke or mix the funny stuff .
AltamahaDawg
June 6th, 2012
12:30 pm
Got to have a little thicker skin than to worry about what those new breed bama fans think.
Columbus Dawg
June 6th, 2012
12:46 pm
Not the same group of guys as 2008. The current players know full well that they looked like a bunch of idiots in the SEC Game, and the bowl. Receivers will catch the ball this time, and giving games away will be a distant memory. The Georgia Bulldogs have excellent leadership in 2012, from JJ on D to TK and Richard Samuel on O. That is correct, RS will be a big leader of this team this season, you could tell what RS is looking for by his little surprise entry in the spring game. He is pumped, and he and others will have this offense pumped and ready to run the ball. Everyone will be pleasantly surprised at the progress of Murray, and IC will be on fire. Take it to the bank boys, the Dawgs are back with a lot to prove. Don’t think for a moment that they don’t see all the bragging and putdowns by the likes of Bama fans and LSU fans. Would hate to be a D.A. Bama or LSU fan after the confetti falls in the GEORGIA DOME in early December 2012!
OldFan
June 6th, 2012
12:52 pm
I got all this, but I think they are underestimating the O-line, special teams, and kicking game challenges. No team excels in all aspects of the game. The things UGA has done well will be done even better this year. The real question remaining is how much will they improve in the things they haven’t done well. I think that question hasn’t been answered yet.
Old Dawg
June 6th, 2012
12:54 pm
To all the haters: we’ll see.
Whiznot
June 6th, 2012
12:55 pm
I will watch and cry as Bobo throws up all over himself like he always does.
Still@theKool-aidBAR
June 6th, 2012
12:57 pm
Of Course they Do…….Everybody can read the SCHEDULE so UGa should make it to the BCS MNC game. BUT Uga will not win games against Good Competition.
Still@theKool-aidBAR
June 6th, 2012
1:01 pm
Where did you get the picture of the Waterford Crystal Football? Did you drive down to Techwood Dr and Bobby Dodd Way and go in the Edge Center?
Still@theKool-aidBAR
June 6th, 2012
1:03 pm
This Could Be The YEAR……until it becomes……….Wait Til NEXT Year as usual.
Charlie Hayes
June 6th, 2012
1:05 pm
This will all depend on the play of the special teams. The past few years UGA’s special teams have been lack luster (not talking about the long legged punts from Butler or FG’s from Walsh). I am talking about blocking punts, making sound tackles on kickoffs, kicking away from dangerous return guys (i.e. Honeybadger) and etc. Under Warren B. the Dawgs were sound on special teams. When he left for the NFL we became soft, out of place and poor decisions were made. Why? I would like to see CMR step up and take over the special teams. Let Bobo call the plays and CMR take on a role like Urban Meyer did at UF. During Meyer’s time at UF they had the best special teams a coach could want and it helped them win some big games to get to the National Champ game. The D is solid, the O has too many weapons if we can execute, but the special teams need to be 10x better than in 2011 to make 2012 a special year. Go Dawgs.
here we go again.........
June 6th, 2012
1:10 pm
you people should seriously consider moving to chicago during the summer time.
that way you can sit next to cub fans in wrigley field and expound for days on how great your teams are.
to win a national championship….mark richt has to beat someone who is good. he aint done that in a few years. and now….it’s all gonna change because it is 2012 and well, we are THE GREATEST.
sorry folks. CMR lost all respect from me during the tailspin that was the 2008 season.
and those of you who like to justify what happened in ‘08 by saying “look at who we lost to..”
uh…let me do a little parsing of that sentance “look….we lost….” you either win or you dont.
we are just like the cub fans can give 5 million excuses as to why they haven’t won in 100 years….
McDawg
June 6th, 2012
1:11 pm
how many trap games do we have 3? 4 if you include UF
Charlie Hayes
June 6th, 2012
1:13 pm
@ here we go again…….
What do you suggest we do then? You are full of negative comments and doubt. But, what is your suggestion to win a National Champ? Do you want to go back to the Goff and Donnan days where we didn’t even play for SEC championships? CMR has put UGA in a great position to take advantage of a weak schedule to be crowned king. We just need a little luck like all the other teams get when they are crowned king…..
7576DAWG
June 6th, 2012
1:14 pm
It always amazes me how accurate the betting services are, so there is reason to be optimistic.
I don’t think the special teams will have near the negative impact as it had in 2011. By moving the kick off up 5 yards most of the kick off’s will land in the end zone. It will be hard for a coach not to down it when they know they will start at the 25 yard line. The field goal kicker , Marshall Morgan is very accurate inside the 50 and will be more dependable than Walsh. But, the the biggest improvement will be the attitude of Crowell. If he had not missed a few games because of being hurt or discipline he would have easily rushed for more than 1000 yards. He is stronger now, has a much better team attitude and will be pushed by Marshall and Gurley.
Charlie Hayes
June 6th, 2012
1:15 pm
@ McDawg….I agree with your 4. Missouri, South Carolina, Florida and Auburn….
reality
June 6th, 2012
1:17 pm
Here we go again with another pre-season national championship….more like 8-4.
gbal
June 6th, 2012
1:17 pm
I am excited about all the great press and expectations of these sportswriters; MBradley made the same prediction as well. But i just dont have the confidence yet. Not so concerned about the DB’s the first few games but the OL….. I just didnt think we were good there last year and I dont see us improving that much going into next. Hope I am wrong… D wins games but the OL is very critical. As special teams.
george
June 6th, 2012
1:18 pm
@charlie. add the two Tn schools to that list.
Charlie Hayes
June 6th, 2012
1:18 pm
1- Missouri – Big time game. Can UGA hold it together for 4 quarters or will there be choking?
2- South Carolina – Self destruction. This was the case in 2011. Turnovers and poor decisions costs us the game.
3- Florida – Muschamp has something to prove. UF will have it out for UGA as revenge. Always a close game.
4- Auburn – Van Gorder and Wet Willie. They will be out to prove that the VG D can stop the Dawgs.
Charlie Hayes
June 6th, 2012
1:22 pm
@ George- Vandy will not be an issue at home. Our D still has some revenge for James Franklin and Vandy will get whipped in Athens.
UT is a concern with the QB and WR’s….They will test our pass D for sure. With Dooley’s back against the wall this will be a tough game, but I wouldnt consider it a trap game.
Still@theKool-aidBAR
June 6th, 2012
1:31 pm
I think every Big Time College team has 8-9 TRAP games!
You cannot count the Cupcakes.
GTBob
June 6th, 2012
1:36 pm
A team that is 0-9 in their last 9 games against teams that finished ranked, is now going to win the BCS title. Yeah, good luck with that one. All the UGA fans should place significant money on UGA to win it if they actually believe this nonsense.
CHDawg
June 6th, 2012
1:52 pm
I think the best thing the O line has going for it is who they have to block in practice. Our second string D’s front 7 could start for many schools. They should have the O in much better playing shape than prior years. Anything could happen on injuries and discipline issues, but I agree the Dawgs should be very tough to beat this year.
chilidawg
June 6th, 2012
1:53 pm
Why don’t we just skip all the drama and beat Carolina as well?
bubba4dawgs
June 6th, 2012
1:54 pm
Line up haters, dig your holes beneath the rocks and get ready to jump in. Richt and coaches don’t like the way the season ended last year, lost to LSU and rubbed it in with loss to Mich. State! They won’t let that happen again…..the reason Richt went after more players after a weak season recruiting for 2012. He’s looking for the long run and has to if he’s going to compete with Ala. and LSU. Like I said, Haters, get ready to wipe the egg off your faces!! GO DAWGS!!
bucket
June 6th, 2012
1:57 pm
All those with “UGA Obsession Syndrome” sure spend a lot of time on the JUNKYARD BLAWG obsessing about a team that has no chance to win the MNC!!! lol
CHDawg
June 6th, 2012
2:02 pm
One other intangible: our backs were against the wall last year when we came back off of a couple of tough losses, winning ten in a row. You remember the mood after SC. They won the first half against LSU, and then got on roller skates. They finished with a tough loss to a very strong MSU team. IMO, this bunch has that edge you see in winning teams. They are going to find a way to win. They have grown a lot since last year; the difference will be profound, I believe.
CHDawg
June 6th, 2012
2:04 pm
bucket, UGA Obsession Syndrome would be the rival fans who live on this blog….well, like you! It is pretty normal for SEC football fans to talk about the game with their fellow fans.
dbc
June 6th, 2012
2:06 pm
Unfortunately, to get to the MNC game, it’s not that you win but how you win. Style points do count. Richt and Bobo’s penchant to sit on a 10 point lead rather than keep the foot on the gas will prevent any of these dreams from coming true. Most logical UGA fans know it — it’s incredible to me that the coaches can’t see it and don’t do anything about it.
Kyle
June 6th, 2012
2:06 pm
Yea, he’s done a great job of that over the last 10 years…. Oh, wait…
Still@theKool-aidBAR
June 6th, 2012
2:11 pm
CHDawg……….well said. IF we didn’t then the Advertisers would not be here and we would have to PAY for this Fun & Abuse. LOL
bucket
June 6th, 2012
2:14 pm
CHDawg – not sure what your point is, but I am all Dawg! Because I am a Dawg fan I don’t apologize for being here. I was making fun of all the trolls who spend precious time pulling against UGA. I have no problem with rival fans stopping by the Junkyard Blawg if they have valid points to make or want to have a serious discussion about UGA football. But I have no patience with Tech, Gator, Bama, SCU, AU, etc trolls who just drop in to puke on the screen.
Cdpridg
June 6th, 2012
2:20 pm
Getem Dawgs! 24/7365! Going to be another great season for the Dawgs!!
Dawg Haus
June 6th, 2012
2:21 pm
Interesting perspective, although I disagree with the Dawgs being able to lose a game. Mathematically speaking, I’m sure that’s entirely possible, but if anyone’s going to take this team seriously, they have to run the table. Go Dawgs!
Buzzzzzzz
June 6th, 2012
2:29 pm
Folks, don’t forget…
GEORGIA TECH RUNS THIS STATE!
Cdpridg
June 6th, 2012
2:31 pm
Buzzz…laughable…tech runs this state about like that jalopy of a car making it on to 75…..take a afternoon nap…nerd
Patsy
June 6th, 2012
2:32 pm
The prognosticator in question certainly knows how to sell his publication, seeing as how UGA fans probably spend more on sports rags having to do with SEC football than anyone else. But, guess what? He’s wrong for 2 reasons:
1) UGA coaches have not shown the ability to instill discipline in their players
2) You can’t coach intelligence, no matter what level your talent is.
The best example of that is Aaron Murray’s inability to avoid bad decisions in big games.
Nobody’s going to win a football NC at UGA anytime soon.
Allison.Derek'swife
June 6th, 2012
2:34 pm
My HUBBY will make Barbra Proud this year and beat the Dwags.
A person SMART enough to know......
June 6th, 2012
2:37 pm
Allison Derek’s wife……will you be The Water Girl for the VOLS?
Dancing on high with the incomparable Ballina Sisters!
June 6th, 2012
2:38 pm
Oh no, lots of Kool-Aid being swilled by the mangy leg humpers.
But it’ll be the same outcome as usual, since UGA’s 3rd rate slimeball coaches are still there.
Fred from Araby
June 6th, 2012
2:40 pm
A few comments about UGA:
1. Four different SEC teams have won the last six BCS championships.
2. UGA was not one of those teams.
3. During that period, UGA did not win the SEC championship.
4. Red panties.
In other words, UGA has sunk into total irrelevancy both regionally and nationally.
So why is UGA paying Mark Richt millions of dollars a year?
what?
June 6th, 2012
2:41 pm
these reasons make no sense. First you say that they have the advantage of not playing the big 3 in the West, which you must feel would be a loss somewhere, then say they just need to win the SECCG, which will most likely be against one of those 3. Are they good enough or not to beat them?
AltamahaDawg
June 6th, 2012
2:43 pm
I think Belin was a pretty good hire, and could have been a good ST co-ordinator, but he was only here one year, so Not sure how much we can say HE was the difference. Dawgs did improve statistically during his year, so that’s fair. Probabaly some other factor involved though.
I wouldnt care to see Richt taking on the Meyer’s model. I have never been convinced that he was all that well served in doing that, and there were years under him, that they were no better than anyone else. It’s also fair to say in his best years, he had the horses to be pretty good on ST, no matter who was running it. I guess the point was that somebody needed to do it, so he did. Personally I don’t think thats a good role for a HC. If you look at all the coaches over the past few years with the top teams they all do it slightly differently. For Meyer, that was his way.
CHDawg
June 6th, 2012
2:44 pm
Oops. Sorry bucket, I missed the sarcasm. Kool aid, I realize that you experience better football talk being on a Dawg blog as an enemy, than being on a Tech or Gator blog as a good guy! You are welcome to talk trash and keep the blood pressure meds flowing in GA if that makes you happy.
bucket
June 6th, 2012
2:46 pm
No worries CHDawg.
A person SMART enough to know......
June 6th, 2012
2:55 pm
CHDawg I have plenty of good blogging on the TeCH blogs, but I do chat on different team blogs. the Best is the Saints blog and it is getting better with all the crap that is going on there. LOL
clint
June 6th, 2012
2:55 pm
dbc,
if UGA goes undefeated and wins the SECCG then they will be playing for the National Championship. I don’t care if they win every game by 1 point. At this point any SEC champ that is undefeated will be playing for the national championship. SEC has earned that right.
With that being said I’m not sure UGA will go undefeated. Yes they are returning a bunch of starters and are oozing with talent, but the team with the best players doesn’t always win the game. I’m not sold they have the mental focus to rise up against better teams. After all it didn’t happen once in 2011 where the rose up to win a game. You could make the case for just the opposite that UGA actually found ways to lose (see USC and MichSt). That has to change for there to be any talk of a MNC.
Cdpridg
June 6th, 2012
2:55 pm
What?….when you refer to the big 3…..what teams constitute…a big 3?
Funny
June 6th, 2012
3:04 pm
The Dawgs claim the most preseason championships and Bama claims the most postseason.
DawginLex
June 6th, 2012
3:12 pm
I have high hopes and expectations for my Dawgs in 2012 but predicting a BCS title in June is nuts for anyone, even Bama, USC and LSU.
We are in the conversation which is nice. Being in the conversation in early December would be MUCH better.
I am ready to win something. We all are.