Bradley’s Buzz: For 2010, SI has Tech 8th, UGA 22nd
Will Georgia again outrun the Yellow Jackets in 2010? (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
You’ll never guess who’s No. 1 in SI.com’s college football power rankings for 2010. Actually, you will. Alabama is the easy choice, same as Florida was easy in preseason 2009. (And who was preseason No. 1 in 2008? Why, Georgia.) But the top spot isn’t why we’re here. It’s to focus on the locals, both of which appear in Andy Staples’ Top 25.
Georgia Tech is No. 8. Georgia is No. 22. I’d say that’s too high for the former, about right for the latter.
I reserve the right to amend my opinion in light of developments — if, say, either one finds a defensive coordinator, or if Herschel Walker forgoes his MMA dreams to reclaim that fourth year of collegiate eligibility — but I’d say, as of Jan. 14, 2010, that Tech will dip slightly in 2010 and Georgia will rise a bit.
My take on Tech: It won’t be bad on offense — quoth Paul Johnson: “I’d be stunned if our B-back doesn’t gain 1,000 yards next season” — but Demaryius Thomas is the irreplaceable part, not Jonathan Dwyer. Given the nature of his offense, Johnson isn’t apt to find another receiver half as good as Bay-Bay. (Johnson inherited Thomas, it must be noted, from Chan Gailey.)
The defense will surely benefit from a new coordinator, but not many defenses can lose its two most gifted players and spike upward in production. Through these long-range lenses, I can see Tech winning nine games next season and finishing second to Virginia Tech in the ACC Coastal.
One word of caution, however: The Coastal is going to be tough. Three other teams are included in Mr. Staples’ rankings: Virginia Tech at No. 9, Miami at No. 14 and North Carolina at No. 18. And the Jackets must play two of the three on the road.
As for Georgia: I could see the Bulldogs winning nine games if things break right. The offense could be terrific if Georgia finds a quarterback. One note: The past two times Mark Richt has entered a season with a new quarterback, his teams have finished 9-4 and 8-5. And I’m thinking Aaron Murray (or Logan Grey, or Zach Mettenberger) won’t quite have the impact Matthew Stafford did at the end of 2006.
Loading ...The defense lost a big-timer in Rennie Curran, but Marcus Dowtin should fill that tackling-machine role. At issue is how fast the new coordinator, assuming Georgia finds one, can make a difference. My guess: Soon, but not overnight.
Mr. Staples has only one SEC team rated above Georgia in the SEC East: Florida is No. 11. Only two SEC West teams are in the Top 25 — LSU is the other, at No. 23 — and Georgia doesn’t play either. If Richt can find the right quarterback and the right coordinator, the door is open. But I, as suggested in yesterday’s post that was loved by one and all, see South Carolina as the team primed to give the Gators the hardest run.
Oh, and if you’re wondering which team will win at Sanford Stadium on Nov. 27, here’s your final score:
Georgia 27, Tech 24.
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584 comments Add your comment
UglyOldDog
January 14th, 2010
6:38 pm
MB tx 4 that……Nerd Central @ North Ave when I went to school it was Women, Beer and football, but then again I’ve seen ya’lls women…woof
ANQUAN
January 14th, 2010
6:39 pm
WHAT SORT OF NAME IS THIS?
DawginLex
January 14th, 2010
6:39 pm
Unfortunately for Tech, Nesbitt was the best passer on campus too.
Mark Bradley
January 14th, 2010
6:39 pm
The Thrashers are leaving?
Really?
January 14th, 2010
6:41 pm
Mr. Bradley- “At issue is how fast the new coordinator, assuming Georgia finds one” So do you really believe UGA will just end up never hiring a D coordinator or is this just another one of your shots at the Dawgs?
Thrashers leaving!
January 14th, 2010
6:41 pm
Yes,the lack of attendance killed their future here! Also,it is estimated that as few as 5000 viewers tune in to some of the telecasts! 5000! It is too bad the team never reached out to the Afro-American people!
Mark Bradley
January 14th, 2010
6:43 pm
That’s another one of my harmless little jokes, Really? Funny, huh?
StraightJacket
January 14th, 2010
6:43 pm
TRUTH: “but Demaryius Thomas is the irreplaceable part, not Jonathan Dwyer. Given the nature of his offense, Johnson isn’t apt to find another receiver half as good as Bay-Bay.”
Yes, Stephen Hill has great hands, size, and athletic ability, but unless he spends 24 / 7 in the weight room, he will LACK Bay-Bay’s strength by a mile … and that difference will be noticeable.
FICTION: “The defense will surely benefit from a new coordinator, but not many defenses can lose its two most gifted players and spike upward in production.”
The other 3 positions on the DL next year will be SO MUCH better than this year that they will offset the loss of D. Morgan. Experience, talent, strength, and depth improvements will make the DL a net plus … even WITH Morgan’s loss. Same at Safety: Cooper Taylor and D. Reese will both come back healthy, and Jemea Thomas probably could have played more THIS year as well. Given the quality returning at corner (Tarrant, Reid, et al) to HELP the safeties, Morgan Burnett’s loss won’t hurt the team in a “net loss” way either.
And you can overstate the importance of a new D.C.
Special teams should be better, if only that all of the specialists / return guys are back.
So, … Tech will be better. The away schedule is tougher, but overall a wash. We finished # 13 this year; given the factors above, and what other teams will be losing, a pre-season ranking of # 8 sounds about right ….. -SJ
JB
January 14th, 2010
6:44 pm
And he STILL can’t throw the ball in the ocean.
HBTD!!!
Marky Mark Bradley
January 14th, 2010
6:44 pm
Well Nerd Central why don’t you make like St. Simon’s and just not post? And you may be good at math, but we are good at everything that matters (I don’t see a journalism school there – among other things like fans at football games – and last time I checked journalism is still relevant, hence both of us posting on AJC.com). And we beat you in football. And we beat you at basketball. 30-24, go make me a sandwich. Nerd.
Technophobia
January 14th, 2010
6:45 pm
I agree Mark, Nesbitt was Tech’s version of Tebow this year. Except for the crying. Thomas will be hard to replace and we’ll have to run some different routes than just chucking it downfield. As much as I think of Dwyer, RB is the one place that Tech always seem to have somebody pretty good and Allen is very good. As for the D, the losses are big but I don’t think we utilized our talent all that well last year. Hopefully, a new DC will make up for their losses and then some.
Los Angeles Falcons
January 14th, 2010
6:45 pm
LA is hoping to get one of 3 teams,so we still have a chance to keep them.LA is talking to Falcons,Jaguars and Chargers.
StraightJacket
January 14th, 2010
6:45 pm
Correct typo: “And you can NOT overstate the importance of a new D.C.”
Mark Bradley
January 14th, 2010
6:46 pm
Yes, South Carolina lost to UConn. But Alabama lost to Utah in the Sugar Bowl in January 2009 and it didn’t seem to have a lasting impact on the Crimson Tide.
FalconUGAFan
January 14th, 2010
6:46 pm
Seem about right. GT might be a tad generous with the ranking, but both teams have much to prove. We shall see who is up to the task.
Bremen Dawg
January 14th, 2010
6:47 pm
I wonder what Tech would be ranked if they had to play in another conference. I guessing they wouldn’t be ranked at all. 0-2 vs non conference opp. the last 3 games.
UglyOldDog
January 14th, 2010
6:47 pm
MB UT shoulda gone after Peterson of Boise instead of Cutcliff
Los Angeles Falcons
January 14th, 2010
6:47 pm
The biggest worry,to me,is that the Chargers want to stay in San Diego,and would actually benefit from a team being in LA! Also,The Jaguars are getting a new stadium. WE ARE LOCING THE THRASHERS AND FALCONS IN THE SAME YEAR!
Really?
January 14th, 2010
6:47 pm
Hysterical!
Ponte Vedra Dawg
January 14th, 2010
6:48 pm
Mark, I think your prognostication on UGA and Tech will bear out. However, I’m still not convinced South Carolina will make the splash you are predicting. It will be an interesting year in both conferences. I think FSU is going to have a solid year. Nice Article!
Bremen Dawg
January 14th, 2010
6:48 pm
Hey, I’m Mark Bradley. South Carolina is the next team that is going to rise up and take over the East.
I’m just saying…
Los Angeles Falcons
January 14th, 2010
6:50 pm
I am going to miss the Falcons.It seems to have all started with the Thrashers! Darn it!
Technophobia
January 14th, 2010
6:50 pm
Clearly, SI thinks that the ACC coastal will be much better than the SEC east in 2010.
Jackets2010
January 14th, 2010
6:50 pm
Mark as a personal favor, I am going to start refering to you as Bark Madly so these Dawg fans will see the light maybe that you are not in our corner more than their’s.
Mark Bradley
January 14th, 2010
6:51 pm
Thanks, Jackets2010. That’s kind of you.
2011 MASTES Rumor
January 14th, 2010
6:52 pm
OMG. Starting in 2011,The Masters will be played at Riviera,in Los Angeles!
Mark Bradley
January 14th, 2010
6:52 pm
Yeah, Ponte Vedra Dawg, I’m probably wrong about South Carolina. I’m probably wrong about everything.
Mark Bradley
January 14th, 2010
6:52 pm
I think Cutcliffe is the same choice. And I think UT needed safe.
Ponte Vedra Dawg
January 14th, 2010
6:52 pm
As long as it’s not the Los Angeles Jaguars…
Bremen Dawg
January 14th, 2010
6:53 pm
Hey Jackets2010, you have the other idiot. The one that looks like a Tech grad, Schultz
Ponte Vedra Dawg
January 14th, 2010
6:54 pm
Mark, you may be correct…It’s just hard to picture it when they have never done it. Those late season slides stick in my mind.
FullMetalJacket
January 14th, 2010
6:54 pm
I’ll take that ranking right now, and just skip the season. Tech and UGA both will need to be very, very lucky to be that good…and neither team has a DC yet!
Mark Bradley
January 14th, 2010
6:55 pm
Yes, I know. You’d never have gone broke betting against the Gamecocks.
Thrashers
January 14th, 2010
6:55 pm
The team has called a press conference for 1pm tomorrow to announce the move to Quebec City! I cannot believe it! There was never any support by Atlanta area negroes for hockey!
TXDawg
January 14th, 2010
6:55 pm
Wisconsin Jacket…..6 catches equals a good year for Stephen Hill?? Boy, you guys sure set the bar high at GT.
DawginLex
January 14th, 2010
6:55 pm
I’m concerned you picked UGA to beat Tech in 2010
Wreckmaniac
January 14th, 2010
6:56 pm
LA is actually talking to the dawgs.
The Grinch
January 14th, 2010
6:57 pm
I agree with whoever earlier said Georgia grossly underachieved last year…it was obvious in the Tech game and the Bowl game that they could have been good whenever they felt like it. UGA certainly doesn’t lack talent; they just need whoever they hire to be able to chew some @$$. Richt obviously ain’t that guy, good as he is otherwise. He’s the “Great practice, guys; who wants ice cream?” type and BVG used to counterbalance that. We need it again.
McG
January 14th, 2010
6:57 pm
Mark, Have you seen Stephen Hill? He could easily throw up Bay-Bay numbers.
DAWG named bee killer
January 14th, 2010
6:57 pm
All these tech fans crack me up, do you really think we UGA fans fear anything from tech ? We have spanked that mustard yellow butt in good times and in lean times ( 2009).
We have spanked your butt for decades and will spank it again for decades to come….go forth and win the ACC again, then prepare to be to humbled again by the one and only STATE BIG DAWG: GEORGIA ” bee killing, yellow jacket smacking” BULLDAWGs.
The Grinch
January 14th, 2010
6:58 pm
I mean we need it in a DC, of course; not advocating getting rid of Richt.
Ponte Vedra Dawg
January 14th, 2010
7:00 pm
I’m hoping the Cowboys lose so we can figure out what Grantham is going to do.
Just the Facts.....
January 14th, 2010
7:00 pm
Should have Gotten Charlie Strong, every recruit would have ran back! Oh I forgot the “prime” SEC schools don’t hire Black coaches to head there programs.
East Cobb Hokie
January 14th, 2010
7:01 pm
any inside info on when the Tech/Tech game will be played in Blacksburg?
ESPN/ABC are working with the ACC to replace the Labor Day Monday FSU/Miami game with VT vs. somebody. Likely candidates are Miami or GT.
Wreckmaniac
January 14th, 2010
7:01 pm
Bay-Bay is a tremendous athlete but never got the ball enough to develop into the receiver that he can become. He should move on.
S.I.’s preseason ranking has always been a joke. It means nothing.
Thrashers gone!
January 14th, 2010
7:01 pm
Kiss them goodbye! Too many empty seats.
mmgtfan
January 14th, 2010
7:01 pm
On the blog that Schultz wrote today he said that he would like to se that Falcons draft CJ Spiller. Who would rather see in a Falcon uniform next year Mark? Jerious or Spiller
Asheville Dawg
January 14th, 2010
7:02 pm
Hamilton at UT makes safe pick with Cutcliffe. Let me see Duke just went 5-7, wait those are UT fans jumping off the ‘cliff.
((((((((((((((((((((30-24)))))))))))))))))))))
CarolinaJacket
January 14th, 2010
7:02 pm
Well, StraightJacket stole my thunder. He said exactly what I had planned to say, except for the new young big guys who will be on the d-line and the thing that might be the biggest of all on defence; the linebackers. Jefferson will continue to be a beast, Sylvester was probably the most improved defensive player on the team, and Jackson, who won freshmen awards last year, will be back from his injury. I think the defense will be greatly improved next year. And if Groh, who I originally thought was a great choice, wants to play the prima dona, go elsewhere. There are other good fish in the sea.
TXDawg
January 14th, 2010
7:03 pm
The way the Cowboys have been playing lately, they might not lose until next year some time! I hope Richt has a plan B….oops…I mean plan E, since A, B, and C have already failed.