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
January 13th, 2010
6:19 pm
“But you dumbass made the same mistake:”
Yep, remedial English really helped you out!
“Nice punctuation! Don’t correct grammar on a blog!”
Elaborate please.
UGA Alumn
January 13th, 2010
6:19 pm
You own a bigger house in Birmingham or Mobile? Which is it? Either way it’s like being the skinnest kid at fat camp!
Ed
January 13th, 2010
6:20 pm
“No, I’m still smiling from Bama’s 13th national title.”
Sure you are (wink).
Smile at this, Nerd: 30-24
georgiagirl
January 13th, 2010
6:20 pm
FOOL
UGA Alumn
January 13th, 2010
6:20 pm
Yep: Alabama slang for yes?
1980
January 13th, 2010
6:20 pm
“You own a bigger house in Birmingham or Mobile? Which is it? Either way it’s like being the skinnest kid at fat camp!”
You really are not bright are you?
I was making a point which, obviously, you missed by a mile.
Oh, and I’m sure you know all about being fat.
Al
January 13th, 2010
6:21 pm
This is a preposterous article. South Carolina was atrocious and will be no better. Filling the Georgia DC position is important but not from a program confidence standpoint. Richt is the type of coach that a program wants and Georgia realizes this. How did this article get past an editorial eye? I understand journalist write stupid things here and there, but usually an editor can weed these things out.
1980
January 13th, 2010
6:22 pm
“Smile at this, Nerd: 30-24″
Ok, smile at this.
Auburn holding a 53-52-8 lead over Georgia all-time.
Yep, I’m smiling!
Mike Hunt
January 13th, 2010
6:23 pm
HIRE CHARLIE WEIS AS OFF COOR…MOVE OFF COOR TO DEF!
bulldog74
January 13th, 2010
6:23 pm
Come on Mark, you been comparing Coach Richt with the love of your life, Pugnacious Paul trying to make Paul out to be a better Head Coach than Coach Richt…Everything Coach Richt does is criticized, and everything Pugnacious does is praised, even getting his a$$ kicked 2 out of 3 to end the year…It was HIS offense that the wheels ran off of, but the DC got the blame….that will always be the way it is at Tech with Paul….Now you try to make Coach Richt seem inferior to the OLE BALL Coach…Boy, you really reaching….This is the worst case of slanted sports reporting that I have ever seen…Why you on Coach Richt…Is it the Christian thing? Did he spurn you at some point…Got to be some reason you on the man like this….Go ahead and be a man and tell us what it is and lay off the anti-Richt koolade…As much as you have tried to turn the BULLDOG NATION against CMR, it ain’t working…..You got Willie fired, now you working on Coach Richt….
Ed
January 13th, 2010
6:24 pm
“Auburn holding a 53-52-8 lead over Georgia all-time.
Yep, I’m smiling!”
So now you are an Auburn fan? I love it! You can’t keep your story straight.
mike addington
January 13th, 2010
6:24 pm
South Carolina had some great defensive players the last few years. eric norwood was one of the best college players I’ve seen. As seen in the Tennessee/Alabama game, during which The Mountain didn’t so much block the field goals as just get in the way of the ball, it only takes a couple or three plays sometimes to make the difference. SC has some good players, and Spurrier has been getting better and better players every year. Mark, you might just be right about south carolina. Georgia with Richt looks to be going downhill fast–that boy is just a plain out slow learner. No program can stay on top forever and who else in the SEC east but USC has a chance to take advantage of the unstable situation that is the SEC east? I’ll put my dough with yours, Bradley.
1980
January 13th, 2010
6:24 pm
“So now you are an Auburn fan? I love it! You can’t keep your story straight.”
Are you really that retarded?
UGA Alumn
January 13th, 2010
6:24 pm
What Alabama Grad would use Auburns record? Your obviously not who you say you are but we already knew that!
1957
January 13th, 2010
6:25 pm
1980 – are you 10 or 11 years old?
1980
January 13th, 2010
6:25 pm
Ed, if you were bright, which you are not, you’d have read where I said that my parents went to Auburn and I went to Alabama.
Make sense, Ed?
1980
January 13th, 2010
6:26 pm
“What Alabama Grad would use Auburns record? Your obviously not who you say you are but we already knew that!”
Because Ed threw up the UGA/Auburn score from last year.
1980
January 13th, 2010
6:26 pm
“are you 10 or 11 years old?”
Well, your mom says I’m old enough…………..
Shoosh, don’t tell…
Ed
January 13th, 2010
6:27 pm
“Are you really that retarded?”
Objection, assumes facts not in evidence, Counselor.
Are you an Alabama fan that enjoys bragging about Auburn’s career W-L record over another conference school? If that’s the case you are unlike any Alabama fan I’ve ever come across.
Just admit who you really are, Nerd.
30-24.
1980
January 13th, 2010
6:27 pm
UGA Alumn, judging from your reading comprehension, or should I say lack of, I’m going to take a guess and say that you graduated at the very bottom of your class.
True Bama Fan
January 13th, 2010
6:29 pm
1980- We will not claim somebody who says he is a fan of both Bama and Auburn and I am sure Auburn wouldn’t claim you either. Go find a new team.
Snoop Dawg
January 13th, 2010
6:29 pm
Preacha Man’s the real problem, idiot Dawg Nation folks… Drink dat Koolaid…
Mark Bradley
January 13th, 2010
6:29 pm
Famous last words, Mike A. But thanks for the vote of confidence.
1980
January 13th, 2010
6:30 pm
“Are you an Alabama fan that enjoys bragging about Auburn’s career W-L record over another conference school? If that’s the case you are unlike any Alabama fan I’ve ever come across.”
Again, read before you make an ass out of yourself.
Capisce?
Ed
January 13th, 2010
6:31 pm
“Ed, if you were bright, which you are not, you’d have read where I said that my parents went to Auburn and I went to Alabama.
Make sense, Ed?”
So, that makes you and Alabama/Auburn fan. Or someone who loves all things Alabama. Got it.
Auburn has a 4-game losing streak to Georgia. That explains the animosity.
But I’m not buying it. You reek of Tech. There’s too much sore loser coming through.
1980
January 13th, 2010
6:31 pm
“Go find a new team.”
I bet you majored in stupidity.
UGA Alumn
January 13th, 2010
6:31 pm
I’m going to make the assumption, based on the sheer number of comments by you on this blog, that you are a very sad, pimply faced virgin! I’m have better things to do! Later! Sic em’ Dawgs!
1957
January 13th, 2010
6:32 pm
You are pretty tough hiding behind a computer.
Mark Bradley is crazy DUMB
January 13th, 2010
6:33 pm
Please Please you can not belive that being turned down by three well known DC’s makes UGA’s next DC a bad hire! Mark you now look like a UGA hater. Have you really turned into a true Yellow Jacket? Do you also blame mark Richt for global warming and the high cost of gas? If UGA gets turned down by one more DC do we need to just forget our Fottball progam and send all of our students to GT? Please Mark blame yourself for Kirby Smart not returning to UGA. he told me he remembered you covered GT and UGA foorball so he decided to stay at ALABAMA!
Ed
January 13th, 2010
6:33 pm
“Again, read before you make an ass out of yourself.”
I will, if you will agree to take your own advice, Counselor.
By the way, what kind of law do you practice?
UGA Alumn
January 13th, 2010
6:36 pm
I failed out of Georgia Perimeter College and UGA was the only school that would accept me.
Ed
January 13th, 2010
6:37 pm
“Nice, someone, I assume Ed or UGA Non-Alum, stole my blog handle.”
It wasn’t me. I’m just Ed, and I’m waiting to hear what type of law you practice.
1957
January 13th, 2010
6:37 pm
I stand corrected, I really am a dumbass.
1980
January 13th, 2010
6:39 pm
Stop picking on me! I am a lawyer and I will put you in jail!
CJ Dawg
January 13th, 2010
6:39 pm
UGA has, by a MILE, the classiest football coach in not only the SEC, but perhaps the nation. If any real dawgfan thinks CMR is on any sort of hot seat is crazy. We need this man to lead our team as long as he can physically. We have a chance at something special here. CMR is in the mold of Bowden, Paterno and Robinson. These men defined the institutions that they represented. We have that man in place. We will find a DC and our team WILL return to top form. If I had a son, I would want him to be around a man as solid as Mark Richt. Football is measured to often by wins and losses, but the calculation of influence over a young mans life in a positive way has to be more important. UGA….sign CMR to a lifetime contract.
GR82BAG8R
January 13th, 2010
6:40 pm
Georgia’s last two games showed what they can do in the face of adversity. Richt needs to challenge his players and coach them up to the level that he saw when he recruited them. He would like nothing better than to beat Spurrier again, since Darth Visor beat him so often at FSU. I say Georiga beats USC this year….
Ed
January 13th, 2010
6:45 pm
Cue the chirping crickets.
Didn’t think so, 1980. You’re not a lawyer. Get off my blog, dork.
1980 + 1 = 1981
January 13th, 2010
6:46 pm
I practice all kinds of law Ed!
dawg 4 u
January 13th, 2010
6:46 pm
Coach Kiffin was right when he said AFTER the Uga game that as long as he was the UT coach that his team would never lose to UGA. Let’s face it, as soon as Pete Carroll took the Seattle job, Kiffin was sure he was getting out of Knoxville. He would never have stayed more than 3 years anyway.
JDawg
January 13th, 2010
6:46 pm
Have you not heard of the Chicken Curse Mark? Flat out not gonna happen.
Gen Neyland
January 13th, 2010
6:49 pm
Maak, whats goin on heah is just plain oldfashioned communism.
Gen Neyland
January 13th, 2010
6:50 pm
and the ole General knows it when he sees it.
Mark Bradley
January 13th, 2010
6:51 pm
Due to the screen name hijacking and the level of discourse, I’ve deleted the most recent posts regarding “1980″ and flagged the commenters. This stuff is too juvenile for mass consumption.
Mark Bradley
January 13th, 2010
6:51 pm
I have heard of the Chicken Curse, JDawg. And ordinarily I’m the world’s biggest South Carolina skeptic.
Gen Neyland
January 13th, 2010
6:55 pm
ah am etenally grateful ah didnt live to see this day of infamy
Bud
January 13th, 2010
6:55 pm
Maybe O J Simpson will stab Lane Kiffin to death.
dawg it
January 13th, 2010
6:56 pm
we are a nervous bunch and we do bitch a lot. I guess us getting on here and showing our a$$’s has not helped much. We have a great coach. Lets not be part of his undoing!
Gen Neyland
January 13th, 2010
6:57 pm
ah told you it was gettin a little cantakerous on this heah blog
Bud
January 13th, 2010
6:57 pm
I already heard OJ and Mrs. Kiffin had a little thing going on.
willie martinez
January 13th, 2010
6:58 pm
somebody claiming to be you again?