College football 2010: Georgia wins nine, Tech loses four
Washaun Ealey's Bulldogs will again run this state. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
It’s time — actually, it’s a week past due — for our annual Memorial Day college football predictions, and I begin with a word in my defense: I actually got a few things right the last time around. I said Georgia Tech would go 10-2 and win the ACC, which it did. I said Georgia would lose four games, inducing many among you to cast aspersions; the Bulldogs actually lost five games. Against that cheery backdrop, we begin:
• Georgia will go 9-3 but will finish third in the SEC East. Todd Grantham represents an upgrade. Given time, Aaron Murray will represent an upgrade. Thing is, the Bulldogs’ second game is in Columbia, and that seems a bridge too far. (More precisely, a bridge too soon.) The guess is that Georgia will be rolling come November, but that Sept. 11 loss — and one the next week against Arkansas in Athens — will keep the Bulldogs from a true breakthrough.
• Georgia’s true breakthrough? That comes in 2011.
• South Carolina will likewise lose three SEC games. It will shade Georgia in the East standings on the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Gamecocks will lose to Auburn, Alabama and Florida.
• Florida will go 11-1 because of a remarkably kind schedule. The Gators play four road games: Two against teams (Tennessee and Florida State) with new coaches and one against Vanderbilt. The Gators will lose in Tuscaloosa on Oct. 2, but they’ll see Alabama again.
• Florida will beat Alabama for the SEC title. Just one of my dumb hunches. Like the one that told me Texas would beat the Tide for the BCS crown. And the Longhorns would have except for Mack Brown’s SHOVEL PASS! (Don’t get me started.) (Alas, too late.)
• Don’t get me wrong: Alabama will be outstanding. But I recall the 2008 BCS titlist going undefeated in the regular season and losing beneath the Georgia Dome. I don’t believe the Tide in 2010 will be any better than the Gators were in 2009. And I do believe it’s tough to go through the SEC unbeaten twice in succession.
• Florida will beat a Big Ten representative for the BCS title. I’m tempted to pick the Big Ten rep, but I’ve seen that game before. I know how it ends.
• The Big Ten rep will not be Ohio State. It will be Iowa. Ask Paul Johnson about the Hawkeyes.
• Tim Tebow will win the Heisman Trophy. Whoops. Force of habit. Case Keenum — Houston QB — will win the Heisman Trophy.
• Boise State will go 11-1 but will be remembered for the “1,” not the “11.” The Broncos play Virginia Tech in Washington D.C. on Sept. 6. That’s a Labor Day “L.”
• The ACC Coastal will be the nation’s toughest division. There’s not a great team therein, but there are four good ones. Miami will be the disappointment. North Carolina will be the surprise. Virginia Tech will win the division. And Georgia Tech …
• … will finish third. I yield to no one in my esteem for Joshua Nesbitt, who had a busy offseason. (He had surgery and added two vowels to his first name.) But I cannot believe a team that bid adieu to four NFL draftees early will be quite as good. (Didn’t Georgia suffer a bit without Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno?) The Jackets will lose three road conference games: At North Carolina, at Clemson, at Virginia Tech.
• Florida State will win the ACC Atlantic. By default.
• Under Derek Dooley, Tennessee will win its final four games. The Vols will, however, lose six of their first eight.
• Southern Cal will finish fifth in the Pac-10. Lane Kiffin: Money for nothing and quips for free.
• Georgia will beat Georgia Tech. A.J. Green will catch the winning touchdown pass from Murray with 41 seconds remaining. The score will be 27-24. Paul Johnson will suppress the urge to punch somebody in the face.
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668 comments Add your comment
Doc
June 4th, 2010
1:12 pm
Miami will beat Tech, NC, Ohio State and VT
tgc198
June 4th, 2010
1:14 pm
Mark, this is off subject but you really need to read your colleague Maureen Downey’s article on the Braves today. It is an absolutely piece of trash designed simply to gain attention for this no-name “journalist” by smearing the always-classy Braves organization. You guys at the AJC should not have this worthless article even on your website.
http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2010/06/04/braves-players-strike-out-in-chance-to-be-role-models/
Dr.Phil
June 4th, 2010
1:19 pm
Tech will lose five games and the slobbering love affair will be over!
Charlie from Chelsea
June 4th, 2010
1:21 pm
N. Saban – please go away your embarrassing yourself.
dawgfan
June 4th, 2010
1:22 pm
I have a solid as a rock prediction for the 2010 season:
Techies will cry about something.
If we’re lucky maybe they’ll pitch one of those hissy fits where they throw things on the field like a spoiled child. (See, 2007 BC game and 2008 Chicken Bowl.). That’s always good for a laugh.
Georgia Tech is a joke.
JoeMac
June 4th, 2010
1:23 pm
Jammer—– IN HIGH SCHOOL. REMEMBER THAT. In high school Joe Cox had awesome stats, but when he got to Athens…
JoeMac
June 4th, 2010
1:27 pm
dawgfan… they did last season too, but it was ORANGES. What have you had the chance to pitch lately???
JacketSteve
June 4th, 2010
1:28 pm
Why is it that EVERY year someone talks about how dangerous South Carolina is? They NEVER live up to the hype and a victory over them rarely boosts strength of schedule. It sounds a lot like the hype for UNC. Both teams are always a chic pick as a darkhorse and never come through. Uga and GT win these games.
And Clemson? Are you kidding? They played Tech close last year because our defense was horrible and they had all-world CJ Spiller. Their QB will sign big bucks for baseball and be gone. They won’t be anywhere near what they were last year. If we can split with VT and Miami we will be back in the ACC title game and beat FSU for the third time in a row to return to the Orange Bowl.
Willis
June 4th, 2010
1:31 pm
Hey dawgfan, the joke is in Athens. How many UGA players have already been arrested this year, and it’s still several months before the season begins.
Can you spell “bail bondsman”?
hammerhead
June 4th, 2010
1:31 pm
<<– thinks N. Saban is funny.
PTC DAWG
June 4th, 2010
1:32 pm
I agree with most of your comments Mark but I think UGA has a good shot @ winning 10 but finish second in SEC east instead of third. I don’t like Florida for BCS title because the odds say that the SEC has been dominant in BCS CHampionships lately and we are due for some sort of let down….it inevitably happens. Plus I think the departure of Stong and Tebow will affect this team more than is expected.
hammerhead
June 4th, 2010
1:33 pm
<<– Also thinks Charlie from Chelsea has a difficult time with you're and your…
Dink
June 4th, 2010
1:35 pm
Mark:
I can honestly say that the N. Saban poster is the lamest I have ever seen here (that is saying a lot). Good post, have a good weekend and…
Go Dawgs!
Joey
June 4th, 2010
1:37 pm
RB, which part of my post is inacurate?
Is it not true that Jones’ missed tackle resulted in a long run for a touchdown?
Did UGA lose by 3 points?
Is Mark Richt record vs Tech 9-1?
My suggestion is no different than Tech fans’ endlessly asserting a dropped pass by Thomas last season cost Tech the game.
Charlie from Chelsea
June 4th, 2010
1:39 pm
hammerhead – douche nozzle UGAg fan
GoldenDawg
June 4th, 2010
1:39 pm
What happens if Clemson losses there QB to MLB? Do you not remember what Uconns secondary did to South Carolina? I can’t see Tech or UGA lossing these 2 games.
I watched all of the spring games and everybody raved about Florida and Bama’s offense. The problem I saw was that the defense for both of them was not nearly as good as last year and still needs to fill those holes.
I think a lot of people will be surprised by UGA’s secondary. I have seen Aaron Murray play a couple of times and the things I did notice about him is that he can take care of the ball and that he deals with preasure well. Best case UGA could go 12-0 with the schedule they have and worst case would be 9-3.
Tech best case would be 10-2 and worse case would be would be 7-5. How come I don’t here anybody asking if tech will be able to stop anyone?
Zeeeeee Nachos
June 4th, 2010
1:41 pm
ATTN: CHRIS
Richt has absolutely dominated Alabama……?
Must I remind you of the infamous Black Out, douche bag?
Nantu
June 4th, 2010
1:43 pm
Two words for dawg fans who are fed up with losing the big ones: Charlie Strong.
Don’t think for a minute that Strong wouldn’t leave Louisville in a flash to be head coach in the SEC. Just show him the money.
If you’e satisfied to be 8-4 or thereabouts and be mugged by the Gators every year, then keep Richt and stop complaining when you end up in places like Shreveport.
Ted M
June 4th, 2010
1:46 pm
Mark your college football predictions sure generate a lot of posts. Kudos
BuffsVolsFan
June 4th, 2010
1:46 pm
Watch out when you uga fans come to Boulder. The altitude will affect your beloved bulldogs more than you think. Just ask Oklahoma
tom
June 4th, 2010
1:47 pm
So the Tigers at Auburn are not worthy of a line or two. I did not like their late game collaspe against Alabama, however they pushed Alabama to the limit.
LLOYD CHRISTMAS
June 4th, 2010
1:47 pm
I’m with Doc on the Canes
GStateBen
June 4th, 2010
1:47 pm
And how many does Georgia State win? Atlanta’s team needs a prediction.
Charlie from Chelsea
June 4th, 2010
1:49 pm
Chris you a PRIME example of why EVERYONE HATES UGA fans.
Delusional, arrogant, trash talking slime of the earth
Thirty Points to your Twenty-Four Points
June 4th, 2010
1:53 pm
{{{{{30-24}}}}}
Just a reminder
8-1
60-39-5
We Run This State
Ted M
June 4th, 2010
1:54 pm
I wonder about GT offensive line. If the play well the sky is the limit. An extra year to learn CPJ’s offensive alone will be a big plus. If the defense plays better, they sucked last year, GT could flat out dominate time of possession like no other team in history.
Thirty Points to your Twenty-Four Points
June 4th, 2010
1:55 pm
“Everyone Hates Georgia Fans”………….
false statement.
Georgia Tech simply wastes too much time hating UGA, that they forget to buy tickets to their own Thursday Night Football Games.
Du Shay
June 4th, 2010
2:00 pm
dawgfan – I have two words to describe you boy: Mo Ron. No git back in the basement and shutit. Knew I shouldntna left that damn door open again.
N. Saban
June 4th, 2010
2:02 pm
Charlie from Chelsea………………….go look in the mirror if you want to see an embarrassing moment. Roll Tide baby……Just back from a 20 minute Botox session and I look as young as Mark Richt the day he took a Greyhound to Athens to be head coach of those puppies.
Taking the old lady to that hell hole tough as nails Rib place tonight on the Southside …..to be seen of course
( me, not her) and give a big shout out to all you Tide fans. Then going over and get the Jag washed. Probably go to bed about 8. Friday night in Bammer. Can’t beat it.
Ted M
June 4th, 2010
2:02 pm
George State’s schedule
* Sept. 2 Shorter (Thursday)
* Sept. 18 Jacksonville State
* Sept. 25 at Campbell
* Oct. 2 Morehead State
* Oct. 9 Savannah State
* Oct. 16 North Carolina Central
* Oct. 23 at Old Dominion
* Oct. 30 at South Alabama
* Nov. 13 Lambuth
* Nov. 20 at Alabama
When you first look at that you think they can win a lot but then, oh yeah, its their first year.
Mark, how many games does Bill Curry expect to win this year? What are his expectations for his first year?
ormewood
June 4th, 2010
2:02 pm
FYI, the last time Tech played in Chapel Hill two years ago, UNC was coming off a bye week, same as this year. Result: 28-7, UNC. Tech had zero snaps that game inside the red zone. Just sayin.
Seth
June 4th, 2010
2:02 pm
Ga suffered because they had a lousy qb last year. Tech has their qb back. They go 10-2 again and win the acc.
Uga goes 8-4 and plays in the chiken bowl.
jarvis
June 4th, 2010
2:03 pm
Damnit ormewood, didn’t you hear Ted M?
They are going to have the best time of posession in the history of college football.
Don’t crap on his bold factless predictions.
Ted M
June 4th, 2010
2:03 pm
Will Saban have mercy on Curry?
N. Saban
June 4th, 2010
2:06 pm
No. I won’t
jarvis
June 4th, 2010
2:06 pm
Saban will have his starters sitting by the half….but there’s only so much you can do.
Aside from punting on first down, I’m not sure he can call the dogs off completely.
Ted M
June 4th, 2010
2:07 pm
Jarvis that was funny. There were a couple of if’s in there but it is a possibility.
N. Saban
June 4th, 2010
2:08 pm
Mark,…….Dink needs to go……….The only opinion that matters on here is yours and mine…Right ?
Stinger
June 4th, 2010
2:11 pm
No way the dawgs and certainly the Canes will ever beat the Jackets this year. Jackets will stomp both of them.
Mark Spray tan Richt
June 4th, 2010
2:15 pm
No way we beat the Jackets Mark. Don’t put any more pressure on me than I already have. We were so lucky to beat them last year. I will never happen two years in a row. Go Dawgs.
N. Saban
June 4th, 2010
2:21 pm
This Sept. 18th game against Duke is beginning to worry me…..How do I get these guys out of bed for a noon game. Will people watching that time of day know us ?…….Darline, Get Paul Johnson on the phone………I need some advice……….Humm….. Botox looks good…………
Johnson on line 4 Mr. Saban………………………Good
macrotech
June 4th, 2010
2:21 pm
I don’t have a problem with this years predictions….with the exception of Tech losing to Clemson….without Spiller, they should be a good team, but we should be able to handle them. We beat them twice last year WITH Spiller.
M. Richt
June 4th, 2010
2:22 pm
Anyone know of a cheap tanning salon around here?
What about some buy one get one free Propecia?
Anyone……?
M. Richt
June 4th, 2010
2:28 pm
Krap……just had another player arrested. Guess it seems about right since its been about a week since our last arrest.
If these players keep this up there will be no Black Out this year. I know the opposing team hates those bc we look so scary coming out in all black.
Anyone got a pecia? Think I need to double dose. Looking a little bare on top.
Pago Pago Trojan
June 4th, 2010
2:29 pm
Great, here we go again…”wait’ll next year”!
DawgInDC
June 4th, 2010
2:30 pm
Bradley, you are nuts man.Lay off the moonshine. There is no way flarda will win it all. Holy cow, your prognostications are getting more ridiculous by the year. Me thinks you are just trying to sell papers
Ted M
June 4th, 2010
2:30 pm
So it seems a bunch of people are jealous of Richt’s tan. Isn’t he out in the sun all day coaching football. I wonder about football coaches that don’t have tans… they must be prima donna’s.
N. Saban
June 4th, 2010
2:34 pm
M Richt………why don’t you come up to my place over the Fourth at Lake Burton. Vince will be there and Les Miles ( I told him not to wear that dumb white hat)……Kirby ” I’m not allowed to speak” Smart will be there to ride us around in my boat ” Elephant Dung 1″……… We’ll tan up and eat some ribs and talk recruiting and have a big Ole time…
N. Saban
June 4th, 2010
2:34 pm
I concede.
M. Richt owns me. I have been a douche bag all day. Now its time to get back to work.
Please dont forget to bring your Shrek glasses back to McDonalds today. We are doing a recall on them. Look for me at our location in Winder. I will be accepting glasses all night and working the milkshake section. That UGA degree really paid off.
M. RIcht
June 4th, 2010
2:38 pm
Hey N. Saban,
I sure would love to but I have to go bail another THUGA player out of jail.
Are you sure Kirby will be able to come?
I know he is awfully busy nowadays polishing that National Championship ring he got at Bama.
Stop by and see him next December on the way back to Shreveport.