Bulldog Nation Attitude Check: Gamecocks or Gators? And back in black?

Taking the temperature of UGA fandom on a couple of issues …

For years, it’s been a given that the conference game that Dawgs fans most obsess over is Florida in Jacksonville. But with the rise of the Gamecocks program under Steve Spurrier and the intensifying of the battle for the SEC East, it’s a more complicated picture now.

Both Florida and South Carolina are SEC East teams, so technically the two games are equally important (though past experience has shown only beating one of them is absolutely necessary in order for Georgia to win the division).

Looking at the 2012 season, though, which would be worse? Losing to South Carolina for a third consecutive year or once again failing to beat the Gators in back-to-back years?

In other words, which do you want more, a win over South Carolina or a win over Florida?

Considering the scheduling scenario again favors Georgia in that South Carolina must face two tough teams from the West (LSU and Arkansas) that the Dawgs don’t have to play, it’s not unlikely that UGA again could lose to Carolina and still take the East (leading to another offseason of whining from Spurrier).

Meanwhile, there’s no denying that winning two years in a row over Florida would go a long way toward putting an end to Georgia players having the so-called “Jacksonville Jinx” in the back of their minds.

So, yeah, I still want a win over Florida more. How about you?

IS IT TIME TO GO BACK IN BLACK?

There's no denying the black jerseys look good and players love them. (Elissa Eubanks / AJC)

Remember back when everyone was so pumped over the possibility of Georgia wearing black jerseys? How Sanford Stadium erupted when the team changed jerseys after warming up and ran out onto the field in black to meet Auburn in 2007? And when the Dawgs again wore black later that season while trashing media darling Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl, the fans loved it.

Then came the Alabama game the next year. Another fan Black-out and … uh-oh, this time Georgia lost. And suddenly the cries of anguish rang throughout the Bulldog Nation: No more black jerseys!

Of course, the Dawgs didn’t lose to Alabama because they were wearing black, but that didn’t matter to the fragile fan psyche. And it didn’t help matters when Mark Richt, grasping at straws to try and motivate a leaderless team in a season from hell, went off the deep end in 2009 with black pants and (gulp) black helmets against Florida. The Grambling look probably wouldn’t have gone down well even if Georgia had won, which they didn’t. No more “fake juice,” the fans cried.

However, the Leather Helmet Blog this week opined that it’s finally time for the Dawgs to wear the black jerseys again. Wrote blogger Michael Booker: “Unfortunately, a large majority of Dawg fans associate failure with the black jerseys. I, however, remember the good times more than the bad. They look good, the kids love them, and it is 100% an official color of the university. I wish they would become more of a mainstay, and be part of the rotation frequently enough that many of the negative Nancy’s won’t freak out at the thought of them. I will always support red as the main color of the program, and feel at least 80% of all home games are played in the classic red jerseys. However, it should not be so out of the ordinary to enjoy the other color once in a while.”

I agree that the black jerseys looked terrific, and there’s no denying the players love them. But reintroducing them in another high-stakes game against a major opponent probably isn’t the way to go.

Rather, I’d like to see the Dawgs wear them this year for a not-so-crucial home game like, maybe, homecoming. Then, ultimately, I like the idea broached here a few months back in the Junkyard Mail: Georgia wearing black when Auburn plays in Athens.

So what do you think, should the black jerseys be revived this season, and if so when?

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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— Bill King, Junkyard Blawg