Glass-half-full dept.: How UGA might still win the SEC East
"Over? Nothing's over until we SAY it's over! Who's with me?" (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
Having spent the week hammering Mark Richt and Georgia, doing everything from crunching numbers to imagining the worst that could happen, it seems only fair to offer a corresponding best-case-scenario. Here goes:
The Bulldogs could win the SEC East.
I know, I know. They haven’t yet won a conference game, and they surely won’t be favored to beat either Florida or Auburn. (And Kentucky looks like a toss-up.) But it’s conceivable Georgia could finish 5-3 in the SEC, and that might — might, I said — enable them to take the division. Here’s how it would work:
Step 1: Georgia wins out. (Duh.)
Step 2: South Carolina, which has already beaten Georgia and lost to Auburn, loses to Alabama on Saturday, to Arkansas on Nov. 6 and to Florida the week after.
Step 3: Florida, which has lost to Alabama, loses to LSU on Saturday and to Georgia on Oct. 30.
That would leave Georgia and Florida at 5-3 in league play, with Georgia holding the tiebreaker because of its head-to-head victory, and South Carolina at 4-4. (At this early date there seems no sense in discussing how a three-way tie might be broken. Nor does there seem a need to assume any of the above will lose to Vanderbilt.)
Among the things Georgia had going for it this season was this basic bit of logistics: It wasn’t scheduled to play Alabama, and both Florida and South Carolina were. That still holds. And Georgia does get the three Eastern lesser lights — Tennessee, Vandy and Kentucky — in a row. (So does South Carolina, but two of those games are on the road. The Bulldogs get both the Vols and Commodores in Athens.)
There’s a chance Georgia could go to Jacksonville at 3-3 in league play, and if you get to 3-3 there’s at least a mathematical possibility of finishing 5-3. And 5-3 might just win the division, provided South Carolina finishes 4-4. Which could yet happen.
Understand: I didn’t pick Georgia to win the East — I picked UGA third, behind Florida and being shaded for second by South Carolina — and I’m not picking it now. But if I’m going to imagine the horror that might be unleashed if the Bulldogs lose to Derek Dooley’s team, I might as well be even-handed. As lousy as this season has been, there’s still a chance something really good could come of it.
A chance, I said. A chance.
(Oh, and if Georgia loses Saturday, forget I mentioned this.)
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647 comments Add your comment
cs
October 7th, 2010
3:55 pm
Andy
October 7th, 2010
3:33 pm
You mean you’d like to see the Ga QB disabled by the Alabama linemen and linebackers. You cant throw to AJ Green etc when you are lying in a pool of your own blood and a leg bone sticking through your thigh.
SEC Powerhouse?
October 7th, 2010
3:57 pm
Wow… this shows you how far the entire SEC has fallen. This actually seems possible. For this UGA team to be SEC East champs would be an embarrassment for the SEC. UGA’s schedule is ridiculously easy this year. (What a bad time to have a “down” year!). The West has a great time in Alabama and then three fair teams in Arkansas, Auburn and LSU, but I wouldn’t fear any of them (except Alabama). This isn’t the year to be talking about how good the SEC is … (nor the ACC or Big East though)
still a dawg lover
October 7th, 2010
3:57 pm
GO DAWGS!!! LETS JUST DO IT!!!
dagadawgs
October 7th, 2010
3:57 pm
You should be fired on the spot for this article.
boots
October 7th, 2010
4:04 pm
Pass the bong, Mark.
Go Dawgs!
October 7th, 2010
4:06 pm
Mark, surely you can come up with something better to write about than this, right? How about putting together a column about how I haven’t met Elisha Cuthbert yet, but if I happened to walk by her and say the right witty pick-up line, she and I could fall in love and get married and have a million babies. That’s just about as likely as Georgia winning the SEC East. I don’t understand how you can write a column about how Richt’s the problem at UGA and then two days later still cling to this idea of UGA winning out, an idea that you’ve been clinging to ever since the second of the four losses. Go find a Braves story to write, this is ridiculous. Georgia’s not going to win out. They’re going to lose to Florida, and they’ll likely lose at Kentucky and at Auburn, too. Stick to non-fiction.
Corninmypooh
October 7th, 2010
4:15 pm
Mark -
You’re correct. Mathmatically we’re still in it, put the red sea is going to have to part for it to come true. Stranger things have happened.
The good news is Mark Richt knows the heat is under his fanny and is making as many adjustments he can make to get this team back on their feet in a position to win. Personally, I think we’re going to beat the Vols on Saturday in spite of the fact we haven’t been able to fight our way out of a paper bag this year.
Ray
October 7th, 2010
4:16 pm
Richt to South Carolina is all the buzz on the Columbia blogs. I, for one, hope we do not lose CMR. Spurrier will resign and they have their eyes on CMR and GA recruits. Its time for all fans to rally around our coach.
George
October 7th, 2010
4:21 pm
Romor is running wild on alll the blogs that Richt will be signed to a 25 year deal at Georgia. Meyer and Spurrier will resign after finishing 2nd & 3rd to Richt again.
What?
October 7th, 2010
4:29 pm
Thanks Mark – you actually just gave me a bit of confidence that Tennessee could still win the East. they just have to win out (no problem) and Florida has to lose to LSU and GA. See, now i’m living in the same fantasy world that GA fans live in.
DawginLex
October 7th, 2010
4:30 pm
Winning out and going 8-4 would turn what has been a season of sour tasting milk that has been in the frig too long into a Chocolate DQ Milk Shake with a load of whipped cream on the top.
It would be hilarious reading all the blogs from the haters.
JM
October 7th, 2010
4:31 pm
Georgia finishes 4-8.
Ed
October 7th, 2010
4:31 pm
They won out in 2007 to finish No. 2 in the Nation. Just Saying!
tulevol
October 7th, 2010
4:36 pm
Is it game time yet? UGA by far has the most to lose in this game, heck, even if they win, they can’t be happy. This UT team is the worst in years. Wait, that was last year, and look what happened.
JP
October 7th, 2010
4:39 pm
Mark, I can only assume you posted such a ridiculous article to get a big reaction from people.
Either that, or that glass you’re talking about is only half full because you drank the rest of the 100% proof alcohol in it.
I didn’t even bother to read your column. Why waste my time with crap like that?
George
October 7th, 2010
4:41 pm
Tip your hat to the Georgia coaches for outcoaching Alabama, Florida, LSU when it comes to fumbles lost this year.
Congrats coaches.
Not perfect, but when you’re beating Florida and Alabama, in an area you didn’t do well in last year, you’re doing somethign right.
Char
October 7th, 2010
4:43 pm
Rumors all over net Richt signed to Lifetime contract at Georgia to help recuriting. WOW!!!
DAWG
October 7th, 2010
4:44 pm
Well i have a good shot winning the 52 million dollar lottery, no way Georgia wins the east.
Andy
October 7th, 2010
4:47 pm
Actually, there’s an 80% chance Georgia wins the SEC East.
bjohndawg
October 7th, 2010
4:54 pm
Welcome to the Grand Illusion.
UHH …NO.
Jayson
October 7th, 2010
4:55 pm
Who’s better: Nick Saban or Mark Richt?
Top 10 finishes: Richt has more, 6 in just 9 seasons
Top 5 finishes as an assistant: Richt has 12
Number of Heisman winners coached: Richt has 2 at FSU, A 3rd came in 2nd
Number of National Championship appearances as a coach: Richt has 5
Number of player sin the NFL: Richt has 37, Alabama 25
Number of Captains on NFL teams: Richt’s #1 in the nation
Winning percentage: Richt’s 76%, Saban 70%
Number of years with 6 or 7 losses: Richt 0, Saban has 6
Top 3 finishes in the final polls as head coach: Tied at 2 each
UGAJD
October 7th, 2010
4:56 pm
@ Simon Bar Sinister – Your post: “Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?”
Best post of this thread… and probably best of the week.
Raise!
October 7th, 2010
4:56 pm
Richt said he is “coaching his tail off” and therefore he will want an extra-big raise at the end of the season and a bonus for all that “hard work.”
bjohndawg
October 7th, 2010
4:59 pm
UGAJD…that is a great line from Animal House.
Right now the team has the demeanor of a frat house.
Bushwacker
October 7th, 2010
5:00 pm
Let me get this straight,
Georgia goes 5-3 (8-4 overall), they play Alabama 8-0 (12-0 OVERALL)for the SEC CHAMPIONSHIP, Georgia wins and is the SEC CHAMP with 9-4 record and Alabama finishes at 12-1.
Who gets the better Bowl game, the SEC WINNER or Loser.
Boy I hope that happens, that would really make a mess of the BCS!!!
bigdawgs
October 7th, 2010
5:01 pm
Dawg offense is okay….They’re scoring plenty of points to win games.
The PROBLEM is the 3-4 defense. Doesn’twork at college level. Barely works in Pro. A team cannot give up 30 points a game and expect to win. Same problem Willie Martinez had. Until Dawgs go back to 4-3 and play hard-hitting, solid tacklin defense, they will continue to lose games a la 30-28.
“No more 3-4!”
“No more 3-4!”
“No more 3-4!”
Herschel
October 7th, 2010
5:01 pm
Barbara Dooley and I will be leading the team on to the field on Saturday. We’ll be dressed in a black shirt and red panties. We would like to urge all the Georgia faithful to join us and wear the same thing. Vince is going to stay at home, so I will be taking good care of Barbara…….
Bushwacker
October 7th, 2010
5:02 pm
JASON Honestly, you would not rather have Saban than CMR coaching at Georgia??
Herschel
October 7th, 2010
5:05 pm
Lindsey Scott just called and said he will be wearing his red panties to the game and will run on the field with me and Barbara.
Fundamentally Challenged
October 7th, 2010
5:07 pm
Gonna be a good game says it all.
Herschel
October 7th, 2010
5:08 pm
Those Buffaloes were tough. they only lost to Cal by a score of 55 to 7.
Dog Man
October 7th, 2010
5:12 pm
Bradley write stuff like this to get hits on AJC.com to give proof of his popularity. He’s a bush league hack at best. Don’t read him and you’ll be a better informed sports fan.
Later, Russ
October 7th, 2010
5:15 pm
Alright Mark, where did you hide the ganja..
Gators 17 Dawgs 3
October 7th, 2010
5:19 pm
Bradley,
What are you putting in your koolaid???????????? Something hallucinogenic I would guess. Look, the dawgs should lose 2 of the next 3 games and be 2-6 (1-5 in the SEC) going to Jax. Even if and it’s a hugh IF that your dream comes true, what do you think the Gators will be doing with 2 weeks to get ready to WIN the SEC East.
Nice try, make the fans like you again, but put them down gently, don’t hit a dawg when he’s down. All the dawgs need now are offensive coaches—-if Richt can’t get some good ones, he is toast.
Alabama Jack
October 7th, 2010
5:23 pm
Man that must be righteous weed you have grown and are consuming to even be thinking like this.
Later, Russ
October 7th, 2010
5:24 pm
Roll another one..just like the other one..
Dawg Gonnit
October 7th, 2010
5:28 pm
The glass if half full alright. Half full of Golden Grain and Mark drank the other half..
John Galt
October 7th, 2010
5:30 pm
Of course they will.
mark twain
October 7th, 2010
5:30 pm
MARK IT AINT GONNA HAPPEN, NOW SOMETHING IS UP, GA FAVORED BY 13 OVER UT, AND LSU IS FAVORED BY 6 OVER FLA, SOMEBODY KNOWS SOMETHING WE DO NOT KNOW. WELL IM GONNA BET MY RIVERBOAT ON THESE TWO GAMES, SO IF I LOSE IM GONNA MINE FOR GOLD OUT IN CALIF. IM OFF TO WAGER, LETS GO HUCKELBERRY AND PLACE THE BETS.
Rock The Casbah
October 7th, 2010
5:30 pm
Go Braves!!! Oops, wrong blog
Brian
October 7th, 2010
5:40 pm
Hahaha yeah if you believe that Georgie will win SEC East you are high.
Coach Richtard
October 7th, 2010
5:50 pm
We can win the world cup too! If we just get the right mascot and black uniforms we could win the Super Bowl!
vandyfan
October 7th, 2010
5:50 pm
At this point and the way UGA is playing, UGA should not consider the Vandy game an automatic win. UGA fans better hope that they can beat tenn on Saturday…there is a scenario that UGA only wins 2 games this year….think about it.
dawginduluth
October 7th, 2010
5:53 pm
We just need a smaller glass for this to work, is all.
rincon dawg
October 7th, 2010
5:59 pm
ANDY AND JAYSON
You guys are complete knuckleheads for sticking with a dieing coaching staff. Times have changed and we need to embrace this fact now. CMR is getting out coached and out recruited. Losing are in state recruits is a tell tell sign that the winds of change are upon on us.
WONDER
October 7th, 2010
5:59 pm
503st
He Hate Gator
October 7th, 2010
6:06 pm
I don’t think the school will have to buy out Richt’s contract…he’ll resign before its get to that point…I think he’s already beginning to smell the coffee..
dawg4u
October 7th, 2010
6:07 pm
Maybe it’s time to take the team swimming again. Didn’t that work out pretty good a couple of years ago? I love the saying “coaching ‘em up”, as opposed to “coaching ‘em down” I guess. The key is to beat UT this week. If that happens I think the season will get much better. If not, then it could get as ugly as I have seen it in my lifetime. The low point for me was the 3 straight losses to Tech from ‘98 to 2000 and the last two years under Ray Goff. We haven’t reached that level unless we lose to Tennessee on Sat. IMO.
Yellow Fuzz
October 7th, 2010
6:29 pm
Single white male seeking single white/black male. Prefer cozy evenings at home.
The Nature Boy
October 7th, 2010
6:36 pm
Mark Bradley you’ve become a shock jock…posting blogs to receive numerous hits….