Who gains from the SEC’s turmoil? Alas, not UGA
The SEC East is in flux in a way nobody could have envisioned on Christmas Eve. Urban Meyer resigned and recanted and is said to be relaxing. Tennessee has no coach. Kentucky has a new coach. Vanderbilt … OK, there’s the one constant.
With so much in motion, the moment seems ripe for a stable program to make a bold move upward in 2010. That program would not seem to be Georgia.
Having searched for six weeks, the Bulldogs don’t have a defensive coordinator or a defensive staff. They’ll enter next season with a new quarterback, the result of having left Aaron Murray to redshirt. (A wise choice in most years, but not necessarily in the worst season under this head coach.) Worse still, there’s a growing feeling across the South that Mark Richt is a year away from feeling the big heat.
From MrSEC.com, usually a clearinghouse of conference links, came this post-Kirby-Smart post from John Pennington, its headline reading: “Smart Stays; Richt In Trouble.” Pennington’s argument isn’t that Richt should be in trouble but that, having been spurned three times now by coordinating candidates, he’s being perceived as “inept.”
Short of landing Bill Belichick, it will be nigh-impossible for Georgia to emerge from this protracted search with a coordinator who will satisfy the majority of Dog-lovers. And it does seem troubling that three men who worked in the South and have coached against Georgia — Bud Foster of Virginia Tech, John Chavis of LSU and Alabama’s Kirby Smart, who’s a Bulldog born and bred — saw greater opportunity in the current positions than anything awaiting them in Athens.
Is Georgia now radioactive? Is Richt viewed in the industry as damaged goods? Is there a way for the coach who once moved from strength to strength to overcome this onset of weakness?
Sure. There’s a way. Just win, baby. (That’s Al Davis’ signature quote. The second-most famous Al Davis utterance: “Lane Kiffin is a flat-out liar.”) But I don’t see Georgia as poised to win big even in an SEC East that’s without Tebow, without Kiffin and perhaps without Meyer. Indeed, if you’re looking for the program harboring realistic expectations of a 2010 breakthrough, look first to the one that has never won anything of consequence.
South Carolina.
It has a head coach, which puts it ahead of Tennessee and perhaps Florida, and he has a national championship in his portfolio. It has a defensive coordinator, which puts it ahead of Georgia, and Ellis Johnson is a fine one. Its quarterback is returning, along with 15 other starters on offense and defense. And it plays Georgia in Columbia on Sept. 11.
No, the Gamecocks weren’t much good in 2009: They finished 7-6 and looked awful in losing the Papajohns.com Bowl to Connecticut. But the new season is another day, and long-suffering Gamecock fans get geeked up for every next season as a matter of course. This time they might actually have cause.
Not many Georgia fans seem similarly enthused, at least not at the moment. The coordinator search won’t go on forever, but it has left a mark on the Bulldog psyche. Georgia fans are like most: They can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to come coach their team. But they’ve just seen three men choose to remain in place despite the lure of big money at UGA.
Loading ...We learned in 2005, when he won the SEC in his first season without David Greene and David Pollack and Brian VanGorder, not to dismiss Mark Richt. We saw it again this season when he took his worst team and beat Georgia Tech’s best aggregation in a decade. That said, the prevailing wind now seems to be blowing against him.
He’s 14-8 over the past 22 games. (And that’s with victories in the final two of 2009.) He can wind up making a good hire and it won’t be seen as such. Some of the UGA fans who once swore by Richt have taken up a different brand of swearing. As Pennington suggested, Richt is no longer the fresh prince of the SEC but an elder and somewhat diminished statesman.
Five years ago I wouldn’t have thought Richt and Georgia incapable of anything. Now, heaven help me, I see South Carolina as the program on the rise. South Carolina, of all teams.
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785 comments Add your comment
1980 = Bandwagon
January 13th, 2010
5:51 pm
You want to compare jobs, SAT scores, GPA and salary?
Sure lets hear it? Whatcha got?
1970
January 13th, 2010
5:52 pm
1980
Thanks for the japes. They made my day!.
1980
January 13th, 2010
5:53 pm
“3 out of the last 4, Gump. I’ll take that any time. Enjoy your National Title, it sure does look fine on the end cap next to the doritos at Wal-Mart. Only in Alabama. HAHA”
Yeah, like JAWJAW isn’t crawling with Wal Marts.
I love how UGA fans call other people hillbillies yet they are sitting in the capital state of the hillbillies.
Larry "Bone Head" Munson
January 13th, 2010
5:53 pm
Where am I?
What day is this?
I think I need to get someone to change this diaper.
RealDawg
January 13th, 2010
5:53 pm
Richt has done nothing wrong. It is the media (and more so agents) stirring up and fueling this cycle. It is not uncommon in the real world to go through numurous candidates to get the best fit for a high profile (pay) position.
Richt has said little. It is the other schools and agents that are doing all the talking. His process is a normal search process from what I can tell.
STOP this crap about Richt being in trouble. I am DAMN happy to have him after looking at the crap Kiffin and Meyer pulled.
1980
January 13th, 2010
5:54 pm
“After years of hiding behind his/her mother’s skirt, 1980 now hides behind his computer. What you say can only have real validity when you say these things to a group of UGA fans and ex-players face-to-face. Until then, you are just the little mouse that roared.”
Um, you are as well, dumb ass.
1980
January 13th, 2010
5:55 pm
“ou want to compare jobs, SAT scores, GPA and salary?
Sure lets hear it? Whatcha got?”
Lawyer
1350
Six figures….plus
Yeah Right
January 13th, 2010
5:55 pm
Keep in mind this article is written by the same guy that talked about GT as a national championship contender this season. LOL
A No Lose Plan for Richt
January 13th, 2010
5:55 pm
More than likely, Richt will get 2 Defensive superstars like a Grantham and a Sunseri, that way, if one bolts, he’s got a back up DC. Other combos are Travis Jones and Brian Van Gorder.
RealDawg
January 13th, 2010
5:56 pm
1980 – Anybody that thinks Alabama is not more backwoods than Georgia is dillusional. Besides, the smart Alabama grads were from Georgia in the first place.
1980
January 13th, 2010
5:56 pm
UGA Alumn, I urinated on the hedges.
Whatcha gone do bout it?
Reality Check
January 13th, 2010
5:56 pm
Mark,
Keep up drudging the bottom, that is the only style of writing that gets any kind of response. The team that just got beat by the 5th place team in the Big East is in a better spot than Georgia. Really? Hopefully soon you will go the way of Terrance and someone finally closes down the Atlanta coupon distributor, er I mean joke of a newspaper.
Tailback U
January 13th, 2010
5:57 pm
Mark
One more comment here, the more you explain yourself the less sense
it makes. If you think this SC can finisf third in the east then
you don’t know as much about CFB as I thought. Even this year
as many problems as Georgia had , on the rare day when they took
proper care of the football the football they were far away better
than anyone in the east other than FL. and TN. I know Georgia
will have a frosh QB I have to believe that CMR will keep enough
of a cap on his game to manage it well. You have got to admit that
Cox pretty much single handedly gave away the Kentucky game.
I think CMR trusted Cox too much because of his senior status.
Don’t get me wrong I am not predicting the Dawgs win the east but
the are still a far better team than SC at this point and a more
likely team to compete with the Gators than anyone else in the east.
1980
January 13th, 2010
5:57 pm
“Anybody that thinks Alabama is not more backwoods than Georgia is dillusional. Besides, the smart Alabama grads were from Georgia in the first place.”
No, Alabama and Georgia are about even. At least Alabama didn’t give America the gift of Jimmy Carter and Cynthia McKinny.
And no, a lot of smart people came out of Alabama.
Without-a-clue
January 13th, 2010
5:59 pm
Anyone else in here hear a little squeaking sound? Maybe we should call Orkin.
1980
January 13th, 2010
6:00 pm
Meant to say, Larry MuNson.
81Dawg
January 13th, 2010
6:02 pm
Mark, you really have lost your mind if you think SC will ever win anything. No way they are on the rise over UGA, even with the turmoil on our staff.
sliderule
January 13th, 2010
6:03 pm
1980
You’re wasting your talents here. Come over to a GT board.
Without-a-clue
January 13th, 2010
6:04 pm
I tire of attempting to match wits with someone who is totally unarmed. Good day.
Gen Neyland
January 13th, 2010
6:04 pm
ah say, ah say Maak. this here thang you call a blog is gettin nastia and nastia. is thea no boundarees on waat these folks can utta?
1980
January 13th, 2010
6:04 pm
“You’re wasting your talents here. Come over to a GT board.”
LOL! Nah, this is just too much fun. Yee haw!
1980
January 13th, 2010
6:05 pm
‘I tire of attempting to match wits with someone who is totally unarmed. ”
Huh, I can’t recall one witty thing you’ve said.
CBB1
January 13th, 2010
6:05 pm
I am a UGA grad. I can’t believe you all are going back and forth about who has the most rednecks. EVERY team in the SEC is full of redneck fans and students. Maybe a lot less at Vandy. The whole darn SEC is full of rednecks. That is why I quit going to games both home AND away. Get over it.
Sorry Guy
January 13th, 2010
6:06 pm
1980 – no chance you can be that big of an idiot and be a lawyer. And I know some dumb lawyers.
The real 1980
January 13th, 2010
6:06 pm
Yeah my team wins a NC and I can put on my big boy pants. I was an Auburn fan during the “Three Mike’s” Mike Shula, Mike Dubose, and my personal favorite…Mike Price. Well my mommy is telling me I need to log off my computer and put on my Superman PJ’s. Goodnight from the prettiest trailer park in Alabama.
Sorry Guy
January 13th, 2010
6:08 pm
sliderule – I wouldn’t call ignorance a talent. Anybody can act like an idiot.
UGA Alumn
January 13th, 2010
6:08 pm
Sorry 1980, I had a business call! It was your mom, I told her to quit complaining and get back to work! I’ll compare resumes, GPA, salary, any day of the week. You obviously have to much time on your hands!
Dawg Fan
January 13th, 2010
6:08 pm
Sorry, but I couldn’t read the full article. Sounded too much like sour grapes to me. I can only hope when CMR completes his staff and we get our recruits, the AJC will realize what bush league writers they have.
1980
January 13th, 2010
6:09 pm
“no chance you can be that big of an idiot and be a lawyer. And I know some dumb lawyers.”
I’m sure you do know some dumb lawyers. They’re the ones you call after getting caught driving drunk on your lawnmower.
Sorry to disappoint you Sorry Guy, which by the way is a really stupid name, but alas, I am a lawyer. And a very good one.
sean
January 13th, 2010
6:09 pm
Please everyone please understand that bradley has sold out. He may really not be a dawg hater like he acts like in his blogs. Truth be told the ajc is probably putting pressure on him and schultz about the numner of hits they get. The more hits the more they can charge for adv. I mean the only people that really believe south carilina is the next up and comer is south carilina. They have done nothing to prove or make anyone with brains think otherwise. Again think about how many dawg fans are in atlanta and metro areas. There are more UGA fans in atlanta then tech students. We are a top five brand in the country. If he says something to get us riled up and everyone reads it the ajc wins. On the other hand CMR could not have renewed his subscription.
1980
January 13th, 2010
6:09 pm
“Anybody can act like an idiot.”
Ladies and ladies, I give you……Sorry Guy.
CBB1
January 13th, 2010
6:09 pm
Bradley,
You are an idiot. He is just trying to sell papers-I meant people to go on his blog-no one buys the AJC anymore. I bet you TN and Kentucky both finish ahead of SC next year, along with FL and UGA. SC, please. Spurrier is not in FL anymore and Garcia can’t play QB. They are a joke and it showed against a bad U Conn team.
Scott
January 13th, 2010
6:10 pm
Yeah, a lawyer spending loads of time on a blog reacting to comments.
UGA Alumn
January 13th, 2010
6:10 pm
1980, Are you an Alabama fan, Auburn fan, or Tech fan! My guess is your a 14 year bouncing back and forth between this blog and world of warcraft! I don’t know any Bama Alumns that would be defending Auburn to prove their arguments!
1980
January 13th, 2010
6:11 pm
“I had a business call! It was your mom, I told her to quit complaining and get back to work! I’ll compare resumes, GPA, salary, any day of the week. You obviously have to much time on your hands!”
Huh, I didn’t know my mom graduated from UGA. I guess you two have a lot of fries to fry up. Better get back to the window, UGA grad!
59bulldawg
January 13th, 2010
6:11 pm
Really? Mark I’m beginning to see in your writing what makes so many Georgia fans so mad! I don’t know if you believe half the stuff you put out or just want to incite folks to reply . . . sorta like poking a stick at a dawg. Even without a DC at the moment, it’s hard not to see how the current chaos in Knoxville can benefit the Dawgs.
wolfdawg777
January 13th, 2010
6:11 pm
Income per Capita
Georgia-40,157
Alabama-24,126
Walmart’s per Capita
Alabama 2.37 to 1 vs Georgia
Ed
January 13th, 2010
6:12 pm
1980 – 1350 SAT, lawyer, 6 figures. Wow, why not go for all the marbles? You could have claimed a 1550 SAT, a career as a brain surgeon, and 7 figures. If you’re going to b.s. beyond credibility, why not make it real good?
An Alabama grad…not likely. More like a Tech nerd. Alabama fans are too busy basking in the glory of a national title to spend time on a UGA site. And Bama and Georgia are not natural rivals, other than the fact that they are regional schools in the same conference. But there’s never been bad blood between the fans. You hate UGA way too much to be an Alabama fan.
Still smarting from the 30-24 loss in November, I see.
OK, now tell us how you are really not a Techie. Sell it good.
1980 = Bandwagon
January 13th, 2010
6:12 pm
Guess we will never know if your 6 figure salary beats mine. Enjoy your evening. You bore me..Make sure you get the last word in. It will do your ego good….
sean
January 13th, 2010
6:13 pm
1980 lot class making fun of the elderly.
Sorry Guy
January 13th, 2010
6:13 pm
hmmmmmm…. well let’s see I don’t own a lawnmower. I have a lawn service who handles that for me and I don’t drink and drive. Sorry but you must have me confused with somebody else.
1980
January 13th, 2010
6:13 pm
“Are you an Alabama fan, Auburn fan, or Tech fan!”
I guess you failed remedial English, huh?
“My guess is your a 14 year bouncing back and forth between this blog and world of warcraft! I don’t know any Bama Alumns that would be defending Auburn to prove their arguments!”
Well, if I am a 14 year old, you’d better be really embarrassed as a UGA grad, cause this 14 year old just kicked your a$$ all over the blog.
Besides, I don’t think UGA would graduate a gal who can’t even spell or put a coherent sentence together.
wolfdawg777
January 13th, 2010
6:13 pm
Lots of BCS trophy time for the Walmart Tour.
Mark Bradley
January 13th, 2010
6:14 pm
Not entirely sure how the per-capita income of relative states bears on today’s discussion. But as long as you keep it clean … crunch numbers to your heart’s content.
1980
January 13th, 2010
6:15 pm
“1980 – 1350 SAT, lawyer, 6 figures. Wow, why not go for all the marbles? You could have claimed a 1550 SAT, a career as a brain surgeon, and 7 figures. If you’re going to b.s. beyond credibility, why not make it real good?”
Poor Ed, West Georgia College reject you?
“Still smarting from the 30-24 loss in November, I see.”
No, I’m still smiling from Bama’s 13th national title.
1980
January 13th, 2010
6:16 pm
“well let’s see I don’t own a lawnmower. I have a lawn service who handles that for me and I don’t drink and drive. Sorry but you must have me confused with somebody else.”
I know you don’t own one. The police department impounded it. Lay off the booze huh.
1980
January 13th, 2010
6:17 pm
“Alabama fans are too busy basking in the glory of a national title to spend time on a UGA site. ”
We can multitask. Something you guys are not used to I guess.
UGA Alumn
January 13th, 2010
6:17 pm
I’m sorry I didn’t know this blog post was being graded for grammar! I’ll be more careful! But you dumbass made the same mistake:
“Well, if I am a 14 year old, you’d better be really embarrassed as a UGA grad, cause this 14 year old just kicked your a$$ all over the blog.”
Nice punctuation! Don’t correct grammar on a blog! It’s a losing battle every time!
1980
January 13th, 2010
6:18 pm
“Not entirely sure how the per-capita income of relative states bears on today’s discussion.”
It doesn’t. In fact, I can own a bigger house in Birmingham or Mobile, pay less taxes and make more money in Alabama than I could in Georgia.
SuperB
January 13th, 2010
6:19 pm
I don’t know whom is a bigger pile of crap: Pennington or Bradley? Bradley ought to get a job working for Fox News. Hey Mark– or whatever your name is– I’ll bet you any amount you want that Georgia will finish ahead of South Carolina in the SEC next year. I won’t need to, but I can cover the bet.