Bulldog Nation wonders: Where do we go from here?
Was Georgia's humiliation by South Carolina more than just one loss? (Bob Andres / AJC)
So, how do the Georgia Bulldogs and their fans bounce back from the debacle in Columbia?
Saturday night, Mark Richt started making his case for shrugging off this disappointment and looking ahead when he said that “whether you lose by 28 or lose in overtime, it counts as one loss.”
True. But sometimes a loss is more than just a loss. This one hurt in a lot more ways than just the won-loss record. Richt’s team looked so bad that even the happy-talk ESPN announcers ripped into them for their disappointing showing in the nationally televised contest. I’ve no idea whether that sort of thing hurts in recruiting, but you’ve got to figure it’s certainly not helpful.
Plus, the manner in which the Dawgs lost and the fact that they once again failed when faced with a ranked opponent has left the UGA fan base pretty demoralized.
That malaise lasting the rest of this season and translating into more empty seats is a distinct possibility.
Richt is right that there are games still to be played and history has shown the Gamecocks are prone to stumble down the stretch. So they certainly could wind up losing two and opening the door for the Dawgs to return to the SEC Championship game if Georgia wins out (though at this point the SEC East playing out exactly the same way as last year seems to defy the odds).
And, of course, that would still be contingent on Georgia beating Florida, which at this juncture looks like a much bigger challenge than was envisioned six weeks ago.
Still, even if the Bulldogs somehow manage to make their way to Atlanta again, the prospect of facing the collegiate buzzsaw known as Alabama brings up visions of last year’s meeting with LSU. There’s a been there, done that feeling to that scenario.
Sure, a season with 10 or 11 wins is definitely preferable to what we went through in 2009-10, but if you’re not realistically playing for a championship, what galvanizes the fan base? What does Georgia have left to play for, if the Gamecocks win out? Finally beating Florida two years in a row for the first time in more than two decades?
It’s not like a win over anyone else on the schedule is going to excite Georgia fans (though losing to one of them probably would mark this as a train wreck of a season in its own right). If Georgia loses to Florida, say, and finishes 10-2, the result would likely be another non-BCS New Year’s Day bowl in Florida. I can hear the collective yawn from the Bulldog Nation now.
But hold on. What if Georgia does regroup, the offensive line improves, Todd Grantham’s defense finally decides to try living up to its offseason hype, and the Dawgs finally blow the Jacksonville jinx to smithereens and beat the Gators? Remember 2007? The Dawgs didn’t make it to the SEC championship, but they finished the season as one of the nation’s hottest teams, got a Sugar Bowl bid and wound up as the No. 2 team in the nation. I remember most Bulldog fans being pretty satisfied with that season. Who doesn’t like a postseason trip to New Orleans?
At least one analyst, CBSsports.com’s Jerry Palm, sees the makings of a similar story this year. Palm has South Carolina winning the SEC East, falling to the Crimson Tide in Atlanta and winding up in that SEC Championship loser’s purgatory known as the Capitol One Bowl.
As for the Dawgs, he sees them beating Florida and finishing the season 11-1. With Alabama playing in the BCS title game, Palm forecasts the Sugar Bowl would take a one-loss Top 10 Georgia team as its SEC replacement to face the Big East champion.
That might sound unfair to Steve Spurrier and Gamecocks fans, but as Palm notes: “Bowls, the BCS games in particular, have a history of passing over teams that lost their league championship game if there is any other decent choice. Bowls fear that those fans, who just traveled to a neutral site game at the beginning of December and went home disappointed, might not venture out in as high of numbers a month later. 11-1 Georgia would qualify as a decent choice. In fact, the Bulldogs might even automatically qualify under BCS rules if they finish in the top 4 of the standings.”
No, it’s not the sort of championship the Bulldog Nation hungers for, but as football seasons go, such an outcome would be not too shabby.
So, yes, as Richt noted, the sun did come up Sunday, the Bulldogs “do still have an awful lot to play for” … and Georgia fans still have a team to cheer on to better days.
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407 comments Add your comment
Want Change Dawg Nation?
October 9th, 2012
4:49 pm
Stay off the Kool Aid….. That goes for you too Derek…..
Want Change Dawg Nation?
October 9th, 2012
4:50 pm
Enter your comments here
Swamp Thing
October 9th, 2012
5:30 pm
Bill – “Bulldog Nation Wonders Where Do We Go From Here? You spin this so well – but just like last year Bill, you get to drive the bus, put it in reverse – and back all the way to ATL..It worked last year, but not this year..
DONNAN OF A NEW ERA
October 9th, 2012
5:34 pm
Georgia’s chickens came home to roost.
Around the Bowl, Down the Hole, Roll Tide Roll
October 9th, 2012
5:41 pm
I’m done with Richt and his staff. My wife and I are ‘94 Grads and we are sick of this. Same thing year after year. Embarassment on the national stage. It’s not like we even compete, you know, close games, we could tolerate that more. But, no, we get crushed. A loss is not a loss. We need new leadership now.
Gators to Go
October 9th, 2012
5:51 pm
Florida 42, Georgia 24
Hang on to something, you know it’s coming.
Burma Shave
October 9th, 2012
5:56 pm
Jarvis Jones says carpe diem
But you know he can’t spell
Just like all the other dawgs
His ignorance will tell
BURMA SHAVE
Real Dawg Fan
October 9th, 2012
7:05 pm
All you dreamers….Richt is here to stay. No way the AD fires one of the winningnest and most liked coaches in football. There would be riots in Athens. Richt is beloved by true fans, by the administration. He is a great coach. Not perfect but great. I predict that Bobo will be the HC at a strong program within 3 years. Responders to this blog never read national sports news–I don’t guess. Bobo is respected throughout college football as a fine OC. Now I believe that Richt should call the plays and Bobo should focus primarily on the QB’s. Richt is a great mind on offense–the decline of FL State happened when Richt left. Talk about money–you would see it leave the program by the millions if Richt were fired. Greg is happy with Richt and the University is happy with a great coach who would never be caught on a motorcycle with a pretty blonde. Let Auburn have Petrino (as rumor has it Petrino is headed to Auburn when GC is fired) I will take Richt every day of the week. GA wins out, wins the SEC, wins the bowl and Richt is crowned coach for life.
—————————————————————————————————————–
Thank you- these fools on here have no idea how far CMR has brought this program, they obv. weren’t watching us under Donnan and Goff.
Majority of Fans are VERY GRATEFUL for his service.
They seem to want to rotate new coaches in every 3-4 years like every other program. I’ll take consistent contenders.
JB
October 9th, 2012
7:09 pm
Hard to tell if Richt is still “all in”. Emotionless during the beat down. Smiling with Sprurrier after beat down. Only major comment…. ” We all lose together”………..Status quo during the game with game plan. Not sure I want to go to war with him. Thanksgiving dinner and church, yes.
Border dweller
October 9th, 2012
7:11 pm
If you don’t like the product, quit buying tickets.
JB
October 9th, 2012
7:15 pm
Border, Richt is a State employee….We have elections every four years to get rid of non performers, just say’n
JB
October 9th, 2012
7:17 pm
It’s my understanding that with 10+ years with the state, he will have access to state health insurance the rest of his life.
In Case You Forgot...
October 9th, 2012
7:31 pm
UCF 10 UGA 6
fildawg
October 9th, 2012
7:34 pm
Certainly Dan Mullen can be convinced to leave Starkville
Eaassyy
October 9th, 2012
7:51 pm
Dumfounded by the overall lack of preparedness for last week’s game. Defense made Shaw look like freaking RGIII. He is good but not that good. How many defensive players will get drafted (high) this year? How bad will defense be next year?
Offense was twice as underprepared. Richt and Bobo act shocked their All World 6′8 Defensive Ends whipped our mediocre offensive line. Big shocker there. No game planning around these guys? How about run right at them. No misdirection. No roll outs. They literally blew up every play and offense never adjusted. I understand getting whipped up front but make an adjustment and throw a screen, throw slants, throw outs in the flats, do quick drops, MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO WHERE THEY ARE WHIPPING YOU. MR AND MBOBO JUST MAKE EXCUSES.
Big Ron
October 9th, 2012
7:54 pm
At the end of the day it’s just a game. They did what they could and came up short. There will be other games. Hang in there Bull dog, some of us still stand with you in the good and the bad . Go Dogs
Eaassyy
October 9th, 2012
7:59 pm
They didn’t do $#it. Tech would have put up more of a fight and probably gave up less points. They flat out crapped the bed and were as unprepared for a game as I have ever seen at high collegiate level.
DawgInLex
October 9th, 2012
8:12 pm
HUH????
You really have zero business giving football advice “ma’am”.
Fair n Balanced
October 9th, 2012
8:43 pm
We won’t beat FL. All arguments are useless. We just won’t beat FL.
SSIgator
October 9th, 2012
9:04 pm
Big Ron -
“They did what they could and came up short.”
__________________
Seriously? And you have been following college football for how long? My goodness man, even my wife could tell that St. Markus Rectumus is in so far over his head at this point, he does not have a clue which end is up. Came up short (as in almost shut out 35-0) – thanks for the laugh.
The Bottom line is.......................
October 9th, 2012
9:35 pm
This is the first time I have seen DawginLex on here since predicting a UGA victory. Was it that embarassing Lex Ol buddy?
T'ville DAWG
October 9th, 2012
9:37 pm
One thing, GET Jay Rome involved even if you have to line him up in a slot position.
dale
October 9th, 2012
10:22 pm
It’s like watching Mike Tyson’s last comeback attempts. You lose to champions, but you can still beat the tomato cans. Then…
The Diesel
October 9th, 2012
10:35 pm
I am sure Greg and the Alumni love Richt,but they are content with 9 to 10 win seasons and Outback Bowl or lesser bowls.How in the hell can a fan be happy with that performance or lack thereof Sat.night.Spurrier has gotten into Richt’s head.Team totally flat and unprepared.Time for a house cleaning.Hey Richt theres always the ministry,which is not a thing in the world wrong with.Bring in Gruden or Smart and let them have Total control of the program…..
That70sGAdawg
October 9th, 2012
10:35 pm
The last 6 National Champ’s from the SEC, but not us. It’s been 32 YEARS people since we won one!! I think 11 years is enough time…
Pago Pago DAWG
October 9th, 2012
11:04 pm
Muschamp turned UF around in less than 2 years and will pass UGA. Now this is sad…
Dawg gone
October 9th, 2012
11:08 pm
Thank goodness “Where we go from here” is Kentucky (BIG WIN), Auburn (BIGGER WIN), Florida (Win-able), Ga. Southern (OBSCENELY BIG WIN), and then the annual Bee-Slaughter Athens. CMR may not be able to win the big ones, but he sure can schedule the little ones, can’t he?
tdaw
October 9th, 2012
11:12 pm
The lost to SC is probley the worst lost in CMR era… I’ve been a season ticket holder for years and i have never been so dissapointed . the coaches didn’t have our guys ready to play! we looked totally unprepaired for the biggest game of the year! I wonder what CSS could do with a team with as much talent as georgia has?
Dawg gone
October 9th, 2012
11:15 pm
Richt can redeem himself and this team with a win in Jacksonville and by finishing with only one loss. Losing to USC was not disgraceful in itself, but the way in which we lost was. Our inability to win big games when we play in the most challenging conference in the country is absurd. The fact that we could still end up in the Dome for the SEC championship game is absurd, for that matter, and yet it is not only possible, it is likely. IF we don’t win out, THEN let’s put Richt’s job back on the table for discussion.
Dawg gone
October 9th, 2012
11:21 pm
11-1 will most likely mean another SEC Championship appearance (assuming USC stumbles) and another five years for Richt, who will be ready to retire by then anyway. Anything less, and we need to consider our options. Richt’s abysmal record against ranked opponents (in a conference which regularly has the most ranked opponents) can no longer be overlooked. The cowardly bloggers and naysayers who have been calling for CMR’s head for years will, like the blind squirrel and the broken clock, finally be on target if this team does not play well in the Dome in Atlanta in December.
smart dawg
October 9th, 2012
11:24 pm
Lets get Kirby Smart before someone else does
Dawg gone it.
October 9th, 2012
11:31 pm
Ticket sales, merchandise sales, and alumni donations are the only things that will get the AD’s attention. It’s simple mathematics. The SEC television money is going to be good whether we play like Vandy or play like Bama. So belly-ache all you want about Richt, he’s not going anywhere.
tdaw
October 9th, 2012
11:32 pm
Our season will be decided this weekend and were not even playing.
Dawg gone it.
October 9th, 2012
11:32 pm
Oh, I forgot. Sometimes a state trooper and a pair of red panties will get the AD’s attention also, right before they get him a pink slip.
Dawg gone it.
October 9th, 2012
11:33 pm
Geaux Tigers.
smart dawg
October 9th, 2012
11:41 pm
dawg gone it. your probley right but with all the funds uga has we should be playing for sec titles and national championships every year.
RED DOG 77
October 10th, 2012
12:27 am
Those who don’t support coach Mark Richt and these Georgia BULLDOGS should get their heads examined…………..Look back at the twenty years before coach Richt came to Georgia, wanna go back there?………..I didn’t think so. The problem is most college football lovers don’t know the first thing about the “grand ‘ol game”…………….educate yourselves first, then begin your critical rant…………The game of college football is a funny game, it’s not the NFL, it’s college students playing a game that adults get way too emotional about………….it also requires a little “lady luck” to get to the top if you are not Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, or one or two others………….Chill-out folks and enjoy your GEORGIA BULLDOGS…………..and mabe throw-up a prayer for Aaron Murray and his family, and the next chance you get…………….Thank Coach Mark Richt for the last 11 plus years, he’s done a great job, and deserves credit………………….Regards to all……………RED
randawg
October 10th, 2012
2:54 am
What happened to fire in Todd Grantham’s belly? It seems to me that since they put a leash on Grantham the fire the team so desperately needs has been dampened. One thing brought to Georgia was fiery passion. Didn’t we all feel that? Wasn’t it infectious? I like CMR, but fiery he ain’t.
Did Grantham get an unwritten caution in his contract? What is holding Grantham back? Who can ever forget how Erk Russell’s unbridled passion swept the entire team, the entire Bulldog Nation? We loved that, didn’t we? It won games. The Dawgs never stopped fighting. We have a great team, plenty of talent. The need someone on the sideline to feed them fire for 4 solid quarters. Unleashing Grantham would help, perhaps a lot.
Yellow Fuzz
October 10th, 2012
7:57 am
I told you it was the dog fans
Perry
October 10th, 2012
8:02 am
“It was a catastrophe for Mark Richt’s future at Georgia.”
Not really. This kind of fiasco has been a regular feature of Richt’s tenure as head coach, and he’s still there. It looks like the powers-that-be in Athens are perfectly happy as long as the stadium fills up every week and the dollars keep pouring in. And if anyone there got serious about dumping Richt, there’s the little matter of a buyout, which would cost the athletic department many millions of dollars. Richt is raking in four million a year. To those who think he should do the “right thing” and resign, dream on. Richt is not about to give up the huge paychecks he’s getting.
So we’re stuck with him.
Richard
October 10th, 2012
8:09 am
Real Dawg Fan, you are dreaming. But you are right about one thing, I don’t think they will fire Richt, the admin is too satisfied with the status quo. We could keep Richt and be a “good” team for years to come, but win a National Championship, never.
This is what they “should” do, beef up the lines on both sides, maybe take a hit on the skill positions in the short term but in the long term it would lead to a championship. Its like the guy from CBS said, the SEC is a line of scrimage league (plus defense, which we don’t have.)
Oh yeah, and fire Mark Richt because he will not beef up the lines for whatever reason, also because 4 SEC teams have won a NC since he was here. Two of them twice!
Richard
October 10th, 2012
8:12 am
…or actually 3 SEC teams have won the NC twice since Richts been here!
Richard
October 10th, 2012
8:14 am
It really just comes down to whether UGA wants a NC or not. I don’t think that is a number 1 priority for them and it shows.
PigIron
October 10th, 2012
8:51 am
Georgia doesn’t need more “passion”. Georgia needs more discipline. Georgia doesn’t need to promote another assistant coach and let him do his OJT in Athens. Georgia either needs to man-up and hire a proven head coach, or stop pretending to be a pretender every year and just be happy with your 70% win percentage against the sisters of the poor.
College football fans don’t laugh at UGA fans for losing all of their big games, but for thinking that next week, or next year, will be any different.
One thing that UGA should consider: If you fire this coaching staff, then you’re going to put a lot of very nice folks out of work — because nobody else would hire any of these clowns.
shep
October 10th, 2012
9:12 am
Take heart brave bulldog fans. I was in Athens for all the games during the 1959 season. We handily beat Alabama and Vanderbilt for the first two games of the season. Then we went to S.C. for a rainy night game and lost 14-30 on a bunch of bumblin’ errors. S.C. had won their first three games. S,C, finished 6 & 4 for the year. We did not lose again, beat Missouri in the Orange bowl, and finished 5th in the country.
So, look the hell out. Richt, Garner, Grantham, and Bobo ain’t goin’ no where ’cause they are the best.
PigIron
October 10th, 2012
9:16 am
@shep
You got one thing right.
“Richt, Garner, Grantham, and Bobo ain’t goin’ no where”
That will remain true, even if UGA fires the whole lot of ‘em!
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 10th, 2012
9:37 am
shep
yea they are the best; (best at losing to good teams everytime they play them)
by the way this coaching staff isnt winning out
this is a good article you ought to read
http://cfn.scout.com/2/1227765.html
THE Dixie Redcoat Band
October 10th, 2012
9:38 am
Don’t you people think UK will be Ready for UGA. This is Not a for sure win up there.
crossdawg
October 10th, 2012
9:42 am
The SC loss didn’t bother ol mike adams. He’s takin the money & runnin (good riddance) like cmr is takin the money and stayin.
monty
October 10th, 2012
10:13 am
THis was supposed to be our year and it has fizzled, the team for whatever reason isn’t prepared to stuff anyone down and beat the pants off of them. What has happened to the defense since that 1st half against LSU in which they looked like world beaters? Fluke I guess. I am convinced of one thing that a CMR led staff could be given all 5 star recruits at their positions and Saban,Miles,Muschamp,Dooley.Spurrier, and a few more could have all 4 star recruits on their teams and still beat GA and beat them bad. NUff said.