SI has Tech No. 12 and UGA No. 15, and I say, “Close”
Two good Jackets: Josh Nesbitt dodges Derrick Morgan. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
A year ago Sports Illustrated, like pretty much everyone else, ranked Georgia No. 1. This year the venerable magazine has the Bulldogs No. 15, three spots behind Georgia Tech. And I saw that yesterday and said to myself, “That’s pretty darn close.”
The USA Today coaches’ poll was released last week, and it surprised me. Georgia was No. 13, two places ahead of the Jackets. And that, you should know, made me go, “Hmmm.”
Flying home from the Capital One Bowl, I did a back-of-the-envelope estimate and guessed, without Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno, Georgia would be ranked No. 21 to Tech’s No. 9, but I realize now I might have been suffering from jet lag. (Yeah, I know. Orlando’s in the same time zone. But it’s only excuse I can find.) I probably had Tech a tad too high and definitely had Georgia too low.
Were I doing the same computations today, I’d put Tech No. 10 — I think this is a Top 10 team that will win the ACC and play in the Orange Bowl – and Georgia No. 15. I think the Bulldogs will lose four games, each to a team SI ranks above them, but no more. So that’d be, in my mind, a good 8-4 season. (I know from the tenor of your response many among you don’t feel there’s any such thing.)
I also agree with SI’s choice for No. 2 — Texas. (In fact, I see Texas, which was also No. 2 in the coaches’ poll, beating Florida in the BCS title game.) I think the magazine has Virginia Tech and Ole Miss way too high at Nos. 5 and 6, respectively, and Alabama a bit elevated at No. 8, but other than that I have no real disagreement. But I do have a mathematical quibble:
Loading ...SI has both Tech and Georgia finishing 9-3 and second in their respective divisions. (Tech to Virginia Tech, Georgia to guess who.) The magazine also has Georgia going 5-3 in SEC play, which would mean finishing unbeaten against non-conference opponents. Which would mean beating Tech. But if Tech and Georgia both go 9-3 and the Bulldogs win at Bobby Dodd Stadium, shouldn’t they be ranked higher?
The magazine also has Oklahoma State, which it ranks No. 7 in the land, going unbeaten in non-conference play. Both things cannot happen. Either Georgia or OSU must lose Sept. 5 in Stillwater. And with that I’ll step aside, mindful always of what Agent Mulder once told his winsome partner:
“Nobody likes a math geek, Scully.”
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304 comments Add your comment
Tech to the BCS
August 13th, 2009
10:33 pm
Tech wins the ACC this year—easy. Georgia game? LOL!! Tech wins by 15-20, with no problem. Tech may lose only 1 or 2 games this year—their offense will be loaded with the best RB in america!
Tech sucks
August 13th, 2009
11:02 pm
lol at all the idiots who voted for Tech. You can’t be serious. They wouldn’t be the 7th best team in the SEC.
Tech sucks
August 13th, 2009
11:03 pm
Tech wins the ACC? hahahaha. That is hilarious. Just like Tech was going to beat LSU right? Tech will lose 4 games this year easy.
DawgFan
August 13th, 2009
11:47 pm
anotherdawg, honestly, I do think Techs D will be better than ours. They return 8 starters on D. I know that their Dline will not be better than ours or atleast it appears that way on paper since they are replacing 3 of the 4 starting Dlinemen, but their back 7 imo are much better than ours. That is just my opinion. As for LSU lighting them up, hell, LSU lit us up too. That was just one of the games where our offense outscored them and Techs O did not, but the fact is that LSU lit them and us up.
To the other guy, yes, AJ Green is back and he was our best wr last year, however, I am not counting on a True Freshman or Michael Moore to take the double teams off of AJ. I am also not counting on our rb’s, although good, to replace our #12 RB, and I damn sure am not counting on Joe Cox to be better than our #1 qb. I could be wrong, but I honestly think this will be a down year for us in terms of playmakers/inexperience and that doesn’t go well with a tough ass schedule, but that is JUST MY TAKE. If you guys disagree, I respect your opinions. I hope I am wrong, but I feel it is not me who will be disappointed
DawgFan
August 13th, 2009
11:47 pm
Techsucks, you do realize that Tech beat us don’t you?
DawgFan
August 13th, 2009
11:49 pm
Mark Bradley, I have Tech as losing 3 DLinemen on Defense and 1 WR on offense and that they bring back 18 starters. Who else are the losing?
You said they return only 16. I am not calling you out..You follow this more than me. I am just curious as to who I am forgetting.
Thnx
Mark Bradley
August 13th, 2009
11:52 pm
DawgFan, I misremembered. Tech is returning 17 starters — nine on offense, eight on defense. This from Sports Illustrated’s preview, which I’m still thumbing through.
DawgFan
August 14th, 2009
12:15 am
How anyone couldn’t think they will be even better returning that much in year 2 of that system is beyond me.
DawgFan
August 14th, 2009
12:15 am
and thanks for the reply
pdawg
August 14th, 2009
1:35 am
I am glad we have to step on the field and play all the games….say all you want about who beats who and what not and make all the analysis you want…we still have to step on the field and play the game. I dont care what you all say that georgia is loosing four games and stuff cos guess what WE HAVE NOT LOST FOUR GAMES. We will see what happens when we step on the field. If all that they are saying and all the preseason rankings are so valid and through then we should anoint Florida as national champions and start the next season and make our picks and what not…CRAZY ISNT IT? Boise state was supposed to come to athens and beat us….even central michigan was supposed to beat us how??????? and now oklahoma st. is supposed to beat us and tech. is supposed to beat us cos they are going to be even better…huh is georgia going to be worse????? I guess so. We will see!!!!!!!
macrotech
August 14th, 2009
1:54 am
GT, 428 yards rushing USUALLY means that you don’t need to pass…..it did when we played in athens last season! In the end, the stat that matters most is the final score. By the way, not that it matters that much….Tech is working on that passing game…. preseason polls are lame and only benefit the blogs! Let the games BEGIN!!! GO TECH!!!
Big time?? Not
August 14th, 2009
6:07 am
Four tickets, four hot dogs, four cokes
SatchelBuzz
August 14th, 2009
8:15 am
Four tickets, four hot dogs, four cokes—-and an arse-whipping in your front yard Big Time. Deal with it,..embrace it,….cause it’s not going away.
Joe
August 14th, 2009
8:17 am
Well of course Bradley- anyone that would dare say something good about UGA would make you go hmmmmm. Anyone that would put the Jackette’s ahead of UGA would make you shout for joy. Just reinforces what a idiot you are in the world of sports. Think the coaches might have seen last year as it really was…..UGA throws game away because they cant/didnt tackle in the second half- NOT anything that the Jackettes did and wa-la LSU destroys them in the bowl because they…..Tackle!
William Casey
August 14th, 2009
8:44 am
Why don’t you guys man up and use your real names in your posts? I’m guessing that you never called a play in a real game in your life. Your opinons carry no weight.
DawgFan
August 14th, 2009
8:52 am
PDawg, YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! With what we lost, we will be worse. Sometimes you have to take a step back and be real with yourself. I am not saying we will lose 5+ games, but I can understand when someone predicts us losing 4 or 5 games. IMHO, the only positions that DON’T have ?’s on our team is the Oline, Dtackle, and MLB. I am not sold on our secondary, outside linebackers, or def ends. Until they prove on the field that they are better from a year ago, I have no reason to believe they will be. It isn’t like they were freshman last year. Had they been, I would expect major improvement. Just look at UF from 07 to 08. They started like 5 freshman so you knew they would get better, but UGA started soph/jr/srs last year. Also, Our oline and Green will be very good, but for anyone to say they “KNOW” our offense will be better after losing our qb, rb, te, wr, and fb…..is delusional to say the least. Yes, we are UGA and we bring in a lot of talent every year, however, there is a such thing as a bust and once again….until Brown, Charles, and the rest of the highly recruited players prove it on the field, there is no reason for me to believe that we will replace Moreno with a better RB, Stafford with a better qb, Mass with a better wr, Southerland with a better FB, and Chandler with a better TE. That is just me being realistic. We all the time tell the Gators that they will take a big step back once Tebow leaves(just one player)….and we all the time tell them that their offense will take a big step back this year after losing Harvin(again just one player)….yet our blinders lead most here to believe that we can lose every skill position with the exception of Green and we will be better. That is absurd. That is pure nonsense. The list goes on. Now, if you want to set yourself up for disaster, think 10-2 or better. I would rather be honest with myself and if they do end up proving me wrong, I’ll be thrilled. If you are proved wrong, you are likely to jump off of a cliff.
macrotech, y’alls offense is scary and to be honest, I think GT needs to pass, but not too much. Everytime they do, it takes away one more oppurtunity to run the option and for a play to break
DawgFan
August 14th, 2009
8:55 am
William Casey….what makes you think your opinion carries any weight?…and how would the screenname change if someone is credible or not? You, sir, are an idiot.
Rosa Parks
August 14th, 2009
8:56 am
I called shotgun!!!!!!!!!
I hope you are reading this Buck…that is for you…hahahahaha
DawgFan
August 14th, 2009
9:01 am
LOL
JaxDawg
August 14th, 2009
9:51 am
Dawg Fan – Here are a few things to consider:
- Stafford & Moreno played behind a patchwork line last year and created a lot of plays because of their talent. We only had 1 two week stretch with the same starting five on the OL, every other week it was a different rotation due to injuries. We get back All-SEC LT Sturdivant, and are 2 deep (close to 3 deep) with O-lineman that have starting experience. Stability on the line will make it easier for the RBs and give Cox time to find open recievers. Give any QB enough time and they will pick a defense apart – see JPW from Bama last yr.
-If you go back and look at the 07 defense, it took off when M.Washington was involved in defense. He was out for the Tenn game when they ran wild on us. Once he returned the defense was very good.
-While DE’s are very important to the pass rush, an effective pass rush/sacks start with the interior linemen. If the DTs aren’t getting a big push up front to help collapse the pocket it makes it harder for the DEs to get involved, as the QB simply steps up in the pocket to avoid the rush. This is the reason we missed J.Owens so much last year. G.Atkins stepped up but didn’t have a strong compliment and faced double teams last year. Now he’s very strong and with J.Owens back they both will be more effective, and teams won’t be able to double team them.
-Overall from top to bottom, this is the most talented & athletic bunch we’ve had at UGA since 2002 and this team may be more talented than that bunch. It is not “delusional” to think we’ll be better this year if you follow the team and know about the young talent, redshirted players, and those returning from injury. Every year it’s the same song and dance – How are we going to replace Pollack, Greene, Shockley, Grant, Bailey (pick one), T.Davis, Stafford, Moreno, etc… and every year we do.
Most prognosticators are lazy and base rankings on how many skill position players are returning or not. Yes we lost Stafford and Moreno, and for the offense to do what it did behind a patchwork line last year is a testament to how good they were, but make no mistake there is a lot of talent behind them. Are Cox, Brown, Samuel, Wooten, King, Troupe,Gray,Thomas, Charles, Lynch, Moore unproven/unknown? Yes. Do they have a ton of talent? Yes. Do we know exactly what we have with them? No. But they were all highly regarded players coming out of high school and seem to be doing very well in practice so far. Will some not live up to hype? Yes. Will some exceed expectations? Yes. Overall we will be fine, and the offense will move the ball behind a strong line, the defense will get more pressure on the QB this year behind a strong line.
Games/championships are won in the trenches, and we have about as much PROVEN talent on both sides of the ball in that dept. as we have ever had.
Call me a Kool-aid drinker if you like, but if you study the roster/depth chart I think you will find things aren’t as bad as the “experts” would have you believe.
Go Dawgs!
Buzz's Cap-ra
August 14th, 2009
11:34 am
Oklanhoma State 41 UGA 21
Arkansas 24 UGA 19
LSU 38 UGA 10
Vanderbilt 17 UGA 16
Florida 55 UGA 13
Georgia Tech 66 UGA 20
6-6
GulagCarpaccio
August 14th, 2009
12:25 pm
I would strongly disagree with Buzz’s Cap-ra’s predictions – I think UGA will lose to Vanderbilty by more than 2 touchdowns, not just by 1 point!!
DawgInHeat
August 14th, 2009
12:30 pm
The dawgs will own Ok State, another overrated team in the overrated Big 12. Nothing compares to SEC speed and size! Georgia 37 Ok State 19—put it in the bank.
southgadawg88
August 14th, 2009
12:52 pm
We have more over all talent than we had available last year period.Folks bash Stafford’s performance on one hand and turn around and lament his leaving on the other.As long as we control the line of scrimmage on both sides we will win a lot of games.
Rumph
August 14th, 2009
12:57 pm
DawgFan:
you are not a TRUE Dawg Fan. You are a yellow-bellied Nerd pretending to be a UGA fan. Fuzzy Cap:
wanna bet any of those games? What a tool !!!!! Jackettes will lose 5 this year and 6 next year and God and Greyhound will be calling for his head. BOOK IT!!!!
Rumph
August 14th, 2009
12:59 pm
I agree Southdawg. These Nerd fans, and others, talk about how bad Stafford and Moreno were and then they say we will be way worse without the 2….sounds like jealousy and ignorance to me.
KJ
August 14th, 2009
1:15 pm
Ugh, are we gonna do this every time a new poll comes out? It’s getting as tiresome and repetitive as Ramble On’s posts.
Also, I wonder how many preseason “top 10″ teams lost their minor bowl game by 5 touchdowns. Can’t be very many.
Trade School Junkie
August 14th, 2009
1:46 pm
Fleabags are so entertaining.
Theyll shout about how GT winning in Athens in 2008 was some kind of “fluke,” but they wouldnt DARE call their 42-30 win vs. Florida in 2007 a “fluke.”
Fleabags call it a “fluke” just because they there was so much bad-tackling by their defense.
Excuse me.
But I didnt see a single defender lay a glove on Roddy Jones on his first TD run.
Didnt see anybody lay a glove on Dwyer when when ran straight thru the middle of your defensive line…UNTOUCHED for 6.
Or, when Jones ripped off 50+ yds UNTOUCHED down to the 19 yd line.
Or, when Lucas Cox dove over…UNTOUCHED for 6.
Remember the quote from the CBS replay….
“These GA defenders are just standing around, looking at each other, like…’What just happened’?”
The fact is: the GT-O made your defense look clueless.
DawginLex
August 14th, 2009
1:47 pm
UGA 36
Okie State 35
UGA 21
SC 10
Clempson 44
GT 41(double OT)
After week 2, UGA ranked 9th in the country, GT unranked.
Chad Ocho Cinco
August 14th, 2009
1:57 pm
“Child..PLEASE!!!”
Buzz’s Cap-ra – So you think GT is 11 pts better than Florida?! LOL!!! Thanks I needed a good laugh today!
Trade School Junkie – Keep thinking UGA’s defense will be worse than last year.
JaxDawg
August 14th, 2009
2:00 pm
DawginLex – I agree the Dawgs will crack the top 10 by week 2, don’t think the OkSt win will be that close. I’m predicting we win 38-24
DawginLex
August 14th, 2009
2:08 pm
It’s gonna be a shootout but Joe and the offense is going to surprise folks. We will get about 450 yards of offense and pull it out at the end. 36-35
WEEK 2: We help send mr obnoxious to the golf course permanently with a 21-10 whipping.
Trade School Junkie
August 14th, 2009
2:12 pm
“…crack the top 10…”
Sounds more like “Top 10 Crack.”
Dagws get drilled by OKST, and lose an offensive shootout to the Hawgs.
85: Make my Day: just keep thinking the GT-O is just a “gimmick.”
GT racked up more on the doogies than Bama did, in case you forgot.
KJ
August 14th, 2009
2:20 pm
“Theyll shout about how GT winning in Athens in 2008 was some kind of “fluke,” but they wouldnt DARE call their 42-30 win vs. Florida in 2007 a “fluke.”
12 points > 3 points. Hope this helps!
And they would have won by much more than 12, had the Penn Wager$ crew not been on the job.
DawginLex
August 14th, 2009
2:28 pm
KJ,
Not to mention the fact that we at one time owned the series with florida. Tech has never owned anything with us. Also, if we can beat them this year, the series will be split over the last 6 years and we will still maintain the overall series lead. Tech would have to win 20 in a row to make our series even close.
TampaGator
August 14th, 2009
2:29 pm
http://georgiasports.blogspot.com/2006/05/urban-meyers-spread-offense-wheres.html
Any sec fans still think my spread offense wont work in the SEC?
Or do you need another 49 pt beatdown?
Didint think so.
Now, all you pretenders run along now while I finish polishiing my 2 NC rings.
DawginLex
August 14th, 2009
2:37 pm
Tampa,
I thought you were better than that. Why don’t you try and show some bit of class??
Be careful because as has been proven with your former coach, KARMA is a B!tch.
DawginLex
August 14th, 2009
2:38 pm
and another thing Tampa,
do you really think that was the spread offense that beat UGA in 2006 with Leak?
Think not.
no Billy Latsko, no title.
DawgFan
August 14th, 2009
3:06 pm
JaxDawg…it is still a two way street. If you and the rest here believe we will be better even with the departures, the please stop telling Florida fans they will not be as good since they lost Harvin and next year when the lose Tebow because they have actually outrecruited us the past few years. I believe they will miss harvin and Tebow, but I also think we will miss our guys. If you don’t that is fine. I also agree that our DT’s and Oline will be exceptional, but if our ends pose no threat, our DT’s will be doubled and nuetralized imo.
Rumph, just because I don’t drink the koolaid and believe UGA will win a title every year doesn’t make me any less of a fan than you or anyone else on here. I have nothing to prove to you because I actually DID graduate from UGA and you probably did NOT. I have been a fan for quite a while so for you to ? me(and you probably are no older than 30) is laugable to say the least.
South88 and Rumph, I have never said Moreno and Stafford were bad and unless you can prove otherwise, don’t say I did and now am saying we will miss them. They were top 12 picks for a reason so you won’t hear me say anything negative about them and I never have.
Lex, the overall record is played out. The only thing that matters is the last game and the upcoming one.
Also Lex, as for your last post, it was a version of the spread offense yes. And 2008 was definitely the spread so what is your point and the “no Billy Latsko, no title” part….Was he on their team last year?
JaxDawg
August 14th, 2009
3:07 pm
Trade School Junkie – 1st let me say, your team showed a lot of heart coming back to beat the Dawgs last season.
That being said the reason most Dawg fans look at the win as a fluke or a flash in the pan is your 9-4 record could just as easily have been 4-9, 5-8 or 6-7.
3pt wins-
BC
Gardner Webb
FSU
UGA
+ a 4pt win against Clemson.
The only teams your techies won with any kind of domination:
Jacksonville St 41-23
MissSt 38-7
Miami 41-23
And they were dominated by NC & LSU.
So before you go on thinking GT has “arrived” you might want to wait until CPJ has done it for a couple of years in a row. GT was extremely lucky to have a 9-4 record last year.
Wonder if you would feel so confident if they had gone 6-7 or even 7-6.
Again the lazy prognosticators simply saw 9-4 and didn’t take a closer look.
CMR has a PROVEN track record of producing 10+ win seasons, so it’s easy to expect no less this season.
GT on the other hand still has a lot to prove.
Melinda
August 14th, 2009
3:17 pm
Oh no Mark! You jinxed us (GT)!!
DawgFan
August 14th, 2009
3:17 pm
JaxDawg, think before you post dude. Our 10-3 could have been worse too. We beat bad Auburn and kentucky teams by 4 and South Carolina by a gift fumble late….so using your logic, we could have been 7-6.
Parcells says it best. You are what your record says you are. UGA was a 10-3 team and GT was a 9-4 team. Period. There were a couple of wins that could have been losses, but there were a couple of losses that could have been wins. It is a two way street. The records say what you are
Sting 'em Buzz
August 14th, 2009
3:29 pm
They do have a lot to prove. However, unlike with Chan, they are a threat to UGA now. It will be more difficult to run off 7 in a row against PJ. I’m not going to rub the score of the 2008 game in. I remember oh so well the pain in the 7 games before it.
tj
August 14th, 2009
3:35 pm
this is the SEC, no way UGA loses to those insects, they will not lose to Ohio either..
Mike T.
August 14th, 2009
3:57 pm
Deal with it,..embrace it,….cause it’s not going away
On Nov. 28 it will all be in the rear view mirror. Dawgs get 60th win in Georgia/Tech series!
Trade School Junkie
August 14th, 2009
4:08 pm
The biggest single benefactor to the dawgs in semi-recent history (besides the State of Georgia government) has been the GTAA.
When Pepper Rodgers got fired, GTAA hired Bill Curry. A truly great person, but NO HC experience. The record speaks for itself.
Curry was hired instead of our (then on-staff) QBs Coach…
one Steve Spurrier, who then left for Duke.
Later, after Bobby Ross left, GTAA hired B*** L***. Enough said.
When B*** L*** gets canned, O’Leary is given the nod over Freidgen. HUUUUGE Mistake. Then, after O’Leary leaves, GTAA hired Chan Gailey.
Then, the long-awaited miracle happens.
GTAA cans Braine and hires D-RAD.
The hiring of D-Rad was…THE GAME CHANGER.
D-RAD is a smart businessman and NO BULL SH** guy.
D-RAD painted a bullseye on Gailey at the very start.
Hiring D-RAD led directly to huge positive changes,
including hiring CPJ.
GT is just getting warmed up.
SatchelBuzz
August 14th, 2009
4:22 pm
Will ugag get their 60th win in the series this November? Maybe,…maybe not. I like our chances, but we’ll see. What you Dog supporters are struggling with is admitting that it’s a whole new deal with Coach Johnson on the scene. You can attempt to write 45-42 off as a fluke,…but what you need to be doing is figuring out why you flat quit in the 3rd quarter when you got punched in the mouth. All of the self-induced visions of greatness that uga fans are so quick to espouse at the drop of a hat did you no good when it was time to tee it up last year. Seems like you’d do well to remember. Some of you were correct,…you’re not Furman or Army,……those teams wouldn’t have quit.
Trade School Junkie
August 14th, 2009
4:41 pm
SatchelBuzz:
Amen, brother.
Supersize that order, mutt
August 14th, 2009
5:11 pm
Trade School Junkie, actually I think that Spurrier had left the year before Pepper was fired. I would like to hope that had he still been at Tech, Tech would have hired him. But with Dodd calling the shots as AD, who knows?
MB
August 14th, 2009
7:05 pm
No way am I going to read all the prior comments to see if this has already been said, but this is not journalism. You read an actual article and then wrote a paper on it. This is something that a high school or college student would do (although you thankfully did not use Wikipedia as a reference). More is expected from you Mark!