2011 college Heat Check: Georgia got hot; Tech got warm
Tech's Stephen Hill feels the hot breath of the Bulldog D. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
We’re nearing the end — news flash! — of the calendar year, and our weekly Heat Check takes on broader scope. We review the year just past, and we look toward 2012 and we tick off folks in the process. Got that? Here we go.
Georgia Bulldogs: They rose from 6-7 to the top of the SEC East, winning 10 consecutive games in the process. Then they lost by 32 points to LSU. The debate will rage until next September whether Georgia got really good again or just benefited from a bunny schedule. The view here is that it did both. (The two aren’t mutually exclusive.) But it’s true that the Bulldogs lost to the three best teams they played, and it wouldn’t hurt to beat Michigan State in the Outback Bowl. 2011 Heat Index: A hot season removed Mark Richt from the ol’ hot seat. 2012 Hotness Outlook: Should be a preseason Top 10 pick and the favorite to win the East.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: They rose from 6-7 to 8-4, but losing four of the final six games took the edge off the turnaround. That said, Tech did beat a team that is gracing a BCS bowl, and it is scheduled to return just about everyone of consequence. But the schedule will be tougher next season: Virginia Tech, Clemson and Georgia must all be faced on the road. 2011 Heat Index: The one-season slide was arrested, which was the main objective. 2012 Hotness Outlook: A better team facing a worse schedule should produce a similar record, give or take a game.
Georgia State Panthers: The brightness of a 6-5 inaugural season faded to the reality of a 3-8 followup. And next year GSU opens conference play in the Colonial Athletic Association, which could deliver another slice of reality. 2011 Heat Index: What have you done for us lately, Bill Curry? 2012 Hotness Outlook: More chills could be forthcoming.
Georgia basketball: The Bulldogs qualified for the NCAA tournament as an at-large team for the first time since 2002 but lost to Washington once there. The whole season had a similar mixed feel — Georgia was good enough again to take seriously but managed to lose most every serious game. And then Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie left early for the NBA. The 2011-2012 Bulldogs are 6-5, having won two in a row after losing four straight, and one of those four losses came against Georgia Tech at Stegeman Coliseum. 2011 Heat Index: Making the Big Dance was nice, but the season could have been nicer. 2012 Hotness Outlook: A chilly winter awaits.
Georgia Tech basketball: The Jackets had another losing season, prompting the buyout of Paul Hewitt and the advent of Brian Gregory. With limited talent, the new man has done OK. As noted above, Gregory beat Georgia in Athens, something Hewitt never managed. Tech should be 9-4 headed into the New Year, which figures to start with a thud — first Alabama, then Duke. 2011 Heat Index: An upgrade at coach constitutes a warming trend. 2012 Hotness Outlook: ACC play will prove no day at the beach.
Georgia State basketball: Fired Rod Barnes and hired Ron Hunter, who has led the Panthers to a school-record-equaling eight consecutive victories against nobody you’ve heard of. Which, in the grand rebuilding scheme, beats losing eight in a row to Name Brands. 2011 Heat Index: It’s getting a bit warm in the walk-up gym, if you get my drift. 2012 Heat Index: If Hunter can get close to .500 in CAA play, he should be the league’s coach of the year.
Kennesaw State basketball: Fired Tony Ingle and hired Lewis Preston, who comes with nice credentials. But this is a tough job, and Preston’s first season began with a 44-point loss at Wisconsin and has continued apace. The Owls are 2-8, having lost six in a row. But they are ranked 63 spots ahead of Georgia State in ESPN Insider’s RPI, for what that’s worth. 2011 Heat Index: Think Antarctica. 2012 Hotness Outlook: Think Saskatchewan. Which is warmer than Antarctica, is it not?
By Mark Bradley
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495 comments Add your comment
Sean
December 21st, 2011
1:29 pm
Julio is so much better than AJ….actually weighs over 200 pounds and is a lot faster. Neither one of them, however, are even in the same league as Calvin.
Reality
December 21st, 2011
1:29 pm
Spike…no doubt Julio is better than AJ…always was…
Scraping Teeth
December 21st, 2011
1:30 pm
SSIgator: = LSU fan. Change your handle little boy
Reality
December 21st, 2011
1:31 pm
Spike…Calvin can even make a QB as bad as Stafford look good…
True Dawg Fan
December 21st, 2011
1:31 pm
Reality
December 21st, 2011
1:25 pm
True Dawg Fan .. Don’t even pretend that UGA is in the same league with BAMA….man, you crack me up!!! I would say that you aren’t too bright, but that goes without saying…
ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
O yea I forgot Bama played such a great schedule this year and really earned a rematch in the NC game. Man must have been hard to beat up on Kent State and company. Give me a friggen break.
Bama has an awful offense and a stellar D. And I mean awful, no passing game all you have is Richardson. Aint gunna work against LSU hahahaha. Enjoy getting beat again.
True Dawg Fan
December 21st, 2011
1:33 pm
SSIgator
December 21st, 2011
1:26 pm
True Dawg Fan -
“we can compete with anyone”
Actually, there are times when UGA has shown flashes of doing just that. Too bad they cannot sustain it for the full sixty minutes of a game. Big difference between “compete with anyone” and being able to beat them. Don’t worry though. Rumor has it that the UGA AD is going to make Richt re-read his “Cutting Edge Football” book since he did not understand all of it on his first try.
Keep sounding dumb if you want to. Its just something for us all to laugh at when you post.
Scraping Teeth
December 21st, 2011
1:33 pm
Julio and AJ are =. Your are comparing apples to apples genius
GStateBen
December 21st, 2011
1:34 pm
So Rhode Island isn’t a name opponent? We beat them by 32 points at home.
You making the trek to the ‘walk up gym’ as we face Georgia Southern for 9 in a row Mark?
Reality
December 21st, 2011
1:35 pm
Ok True Dawg Fan….I concede your point. UGA should be playing for the NC…Isn’t that what the Dog fans think every year? You smokin some good sh*t!!!
Sean
December 21st, 2011
1:35 pm
No one in league compares to Calvin…a mediocre quarterback throwing to him and he is 2nd in league in yards, 3rd in receptions, and LEADS the league in touchdowns.(All of this with a mediocre QB, triple coverage almost every game, and hardly any other threats at all on the offensive side of the ball) So dont even try and say he isnt the best…youll only look stupid.
True Dawg Fan
December 21st, 2011
1:36 pm
Reality
December 21st, 2011
1:31 pm
Spike…Calvin can even make a QB as bad as Stafford look good…
Now your true retardedness comes out. Stafford will be one of the best Qbs in the league in a few short years. Guy has a cannon and can hit anything all over the field.
And as for Juilo, in college he was no where near AJ green in numbers not even close, he didnt have a QB to throw to him and dropped balls all day long. AJ was the premier WR in college football. He is a stud in the pros too. Give him a few seasons to beef up and some DBs are in trouble.
Now that Julio actually has a QB to throw to him he can use his full potential. As long as he can stop the drops he will be fine.
Scraping Teeth
December 21st, 2011
1:37 pm
LSU 35
Bama 17
True Dawg Fan
December 21st, 2011
1:37 pm
GStateBen
December 21st, 2011
1:34 pm
So Rhode Island isn’t a name opponent? We beat them by 32 points at home.
You making the trek to the ‘walk up gym’ as we face Georgia Southern for 9 in a row Mark?
No one cares about GA State. No one care about Tech for that matter so why would anyone care about the crap program beneath the other crap program???
DawgHunt
December 21st, 2011
1:38 pm
GStateBen….shhhh… big boys are talking now…
True Dawg Fan
December 21st, 2011
1:38 pm
Scraping Teeth
December 21st, 2011
1:37 pm
LSU 35
Bama 17
More like LSU 35 Bama 10 with 2 missed FGs
True Dawg Fan
December 21st, 2011
1:40 pm
Reality
December 21st, 2011
1:35 pm
Ok True Dawg Fan….I concede your point. UGA should be playing for the NC…Isn’t that what the Dog fans think every year? You smokin some good sh*t!!!
Did anyone see me say that?? Nope didnt think so. Keep your assumptions to yourself, they make you look dumb.
OK state should be in title game and everyone knows it. ESPN put Bama in title game period. Even Saban doesnt think you deserve it. Just check his quotes from 2007 about how teams that dont win division dont deserve to play for title.
Scraping Teeth
December 21st, 2011
1:40 pm
SEAN: sorry that you are GT fan. Life is diffecult when you try your whole life to convence just one person to become a GT fan and fail. Sorry dude you picked the wrong program. I agree with you Calvin is the best thing to have ever come out of GT. BTW, Matt will go down as one of the greats at his position too.
English
December 21st, 2011
1:41 pm
@ Dawghunt – “Bigboys” is that what you call yourselves? You guys are terribly blind. This conversation sounds like something you’d hear at the kids table. It wouldn’t matter what Bradley put in his subjective column as it turns into football cannibalism. Don’t forget to eat the bone marrow. It’s the juiciest.
DawgHunt
December 21st, 2011
1:41 pm
GStateBen… I just looked at your football results since I did not pay attention to your team at all or even catch wind of your team. You lost to St. Francis? WHO?? Thats a team?
True Dawg Fan
December 21st, 2011
1:41 pm
December 21st, 2011
1:35 pm
No one in league compares to Calvin…a mediocre quarterback throwing to him and he is 2nd in league in yards, 3rd in receptions, and LEADS the league in touchdowns.(All of this with a mediocre QB, triple coverage almost every game, and hardly any other threats at all on the offensive side of the ball) So dont even try and say he isnt the best…youll only look stupid.
Well the only one looking stupid on this topic is you. Stafford mediocre now??? ahahahahaha Get a clue kid. You have nothing. Calvin isnt the best player from GA and never was even thought so as being that. Only delusional retards such as techies would come up with this outlandish statement.
DawgHunt
December 21st, 2011
1:42 pm
English.. exactly… because you sit at the kids table… now SHHHHH!!! You are delusional.
True Dawg Fan
December 21st, 2011
1:42 pm
Scraping Teeth
December 21st, 2011
1:40 pm
SEAN: sorry that you are GT fan. Life is diffecult when you try your whole life to convence just one person to become a GT fan and fail. Sorry dude you picked the wrong program. I agree with you Calvin is the best thing to have ever come out of GT. BTW, Matt will go down as one of the greats at his position too.
Prob not even best out of GT dont forget Keith Brooking went their and he was a BA for a very long time in the NFL.
True Dawg Fan
December 21st, 2011
1:43 pm
there
Sean
December 21st, 2011
1:43 pm
True Dawg Fan why are you trying to argue against Bama. Georgia will never compete with Bama/achieve what they have achieved in the past couple of years? Multiple SEC championship showings, multiple BCS showings, and National Championship. UGA wont ever compete for a National Championship/Win the SEC/Make a BCS bowl for a long long time.
English
December 21st, 2011
1:43 pm
@ True Dawg Fan – Why do you post online. You’d be better served spending time in the mirror admiring your near perfect qualities. Narcissism and denial runs deep at UGA. Drink it up buddy.
True Dawg Fan
December 21st, 2011
1:44 pm
English
December 21st, 2011
1:41 pm
@ Dawghunt – “Bigboys” is that what you call yourselves? You guys are terribly blind. This conversation sounds like something you’d hear at the kids table. It wouldn’t matter what Bradley put in his subjective column as it turns into football cannibalism. Don’t forget to eat the bone marrow. It’s the juiciest.
Run along little boy. No one cares about your third rate programs
RxDawg
December 21st, 2011
1:45 pm
“They rose from 6-7 to the top of the SEC East, winning 10 consecutive games in the process.”
In all fairness, we won 10.5 games in a row =D
DawgHunt
December 21st, 2011
1:45 pm
English: Why do you post online? I guess its to avoid noticing a dumpster fire of an atheltic program you have.
Sean
December 21st, 2011
1:45 pm
True Dawg Fan PLEASE just answer my question. What better football player has come out of Uga then Calvin? And honestly Stafford would be NOTHING without him!
True Dawg Fan
December 21st, 2011
1:46 pm
Sean
December 21st, 2011
1:43 pm
True Dawg Fan why are you trying to argue against Bama. Georgia will never compete with Bama/achieve what they have achieved in the past couple of years? Multiple SEC championship showings, multiple BCS showings, and National Championship. UGA wont ever compete for a National Championship/Win the SEC/Make a BCS bowl for a long long time.
Now you just sound like a lost child. We will be in the SEC championship AGAIN next year, and prob the year after that. Bama on the other hand will be on probation for the free suits prompting Satan to run to Texas and Kirby to bolt to some D2 school to practice HCing. Then Bama is down for 2-3 years min.
No one is scared of little ol Bama. Especially not with that putrid thing they call an offense.
RxDawg
December 21st, 2011
1:46 pm
And no Ga Southern? come on AJC, I’d like to see you guys give more coverage to the 2nd best collegiate football team in the state.
DawgHunt
December 21st, 2011
1:48 pm
RxDawg… Exactly! Why does an 3-8 State get more coverage than GSU? GSU is a good football team and is getting back to what it use to do.
Sean
December 21st, 2011
1:49 pm
All I know is Bama has competed in the REAL part of the SEC, the west and still managed to place nationally better than UGA has the past 4 years. No one cares that youll be in the SEC championship again, youll just lose to an even BETTER LSU team and wind right back where you started. You cant compete the west, that simple.
404
December 21st, 2011
1:49 pm
Mark: Still waiting for your answer to the question posed to you yesterday.
Well, Mark certainly seems to have ALL the requisite answers
to Tech’s challenges.
So, let’s just ask Mark Bradley.
Mark:
Please provide full list of SPECIFIC changes would you recommend
that Tech make to make vast improvements in Tech’s recruiting?
We’ll be eagerly anticipating your answers.
(This ought to be interesting)
English
December 21st, 2011
1:50 pm
@ DawgHunt – I think what’s dilusional is the fact that UGA hasn’t done anything other than recruit individual talent and continues to struggle with the overall team strategy. This style of reporting is arrogantly inarticulate but is written for its targeted consumer. Enjoy your hotdogs and curley fries.
True Dawg Fan
December 21st, 2011
1:50 pm
Sean
December 21st, 2011
1:45 pm
True Dawg Fan PLEASE just answer my question. What better football player has come out of Uga then Calvin? And honestly Stafford would be NOTHING without him!
Well I have answered this dumb question two ways might as well do it a third.
Better players to come out of UGA-
Hines Ward, Champ Bailey, Matthew Stafford (Who is the only reason Calvin has great seasons No QB no receptions, check stats before he was there to now retard), Terrell Davis, Thomas Davis, Boss Bailey, Stinchcomb, Richard Seymour, David Pullack (if not for breaking his neck), Ellerbee in a few years will take over for Rey Lewis, shall I continue???
BiggdawgK
December 21st, 2011
1:51 pm
ssllssgaytoy or whatever
LOL LOL LOL LOL You make every member of Bulldog Nation with your sad desperate comments. The gaytors were horrible this season and there is nothing at all to indicate they will be better any time soon and you know it. You try to sound tough but we all know you are torn up inside about being whipped by Georgia, being lied to and left by urban and fat charlie and countless coaches and players and commits. Your empty life revolves around wearing jorts drinking beer and the gaytors.
At least you can still be drunk shirtless and fashion challenged next year after the ncaa pummels your team with sanctions.
Sean
December 21st, 2011
1:52 pm
Hines Ward is half the size of Calvin, Calvin would have better stats if he had anyone else in the league throwing to him, and no one else on your list has done the things Calvins done in the NFL for 5 seasons.
LawDawg
December 21st, 2011
1:53 pm
True Dawg Fan: Are you stupid? A tougher schedule IS a worse schedule. That is completely consistent.
DawgHunt
December 21st, 2011
1:53 pm
English: You lost to St. Francis and West Alabama. You struggle period.
GTBob
December 21st, 2011
1:54 pm
And its a top tier bowl bc they pick in the top for SEC schools.
Sorry but the Big 10 #4 vs. the SEC #5 is not a top tier bowl. A year from now nobody will even remember who played in this game. The game rarely even sells out.
dawgfan
December 21st, 2011
1:54 pm
“Please provide full list of SPECIFIC changes would you recommend
that Tech make to make vast improvements in Tech’s recruiting?”
Fire your current coach and hire one that does not run an archaic offense that does not prepare players for the next level and does not prepare the defense in practice for the traditional offenses that they will face on gameday.
I’d be concerned if you Techies were smart enough to heed that advice, but you aren’t of course.
LawDawg
December 21st, 2011
1:55 pm
Sean: Matt Stafford was the number one pick but would be nothing without Johnson? I love Megatron but that is just stupid. I would say Champ Bailey, Marcus Stroud, Richard Seymour, Charles Grant, Stinchcomb were all equally good pros and there are a ton of UGA players starting in the league. Even if Johnson is the best player in NFl history, can you even come up with a second GT grad that is an impact player in the league right now?
True Dawg Fan
December 21st, 2011
1:55 pm
Sean
December 21st, 2011
1:49 pm
All I know is Bama has competed in the REAL part of the SEC, the west and still managed to place nationally better than UGA has the past 4 years. No one cares that youll be in the SEC championship again, youll just lose to an even BETTER LSU team and wind right back where you started. You cant compete the west, that simple.
Cant compete with the West??? Give it a rest. LSU is hands down best team in the SEC and is already the NC in everyones eyes (except Bama homers). But like them we are very young and will only get better. Have you seen the talent that we have in young players alone?? My goodness We have 4-5 players on D that could have played and started most other places that got redshirted or limited playing time this year, so only improving there. Our offense with crowell, mitchell, conley, jay rome (redshirted number one HS TE in Country last year, also playing bball), Marshall and Theus coming in, wesley- scott another redshirt WR (Faster than Mitchell) all sophmores or younger.
So I think we will be fine. Hate to have to face UGA these next couple of years.
True Dawg Fan
December 21st, 2011
1:56 pm
404
December 21st, 2011
1:49 pm
Mark: Still waiting for your answer to the question posed to you yesterday.
Well, Mark certainly seems to have ALL the requisite answers
to Tech’s challenges.
So, let’s just ask Mark Bradley.
Mark:
Please provide full list of SPECIFIC changes would you recommend
that Tech make to make vast improvements in Tech’s recruiting?
We’ll be eagerly anticipating your answers.
(This ought to be interesting)
thats not hard, stop recruiting same players wofford does and that will do a world of good.
English
December 21st, 2011
1:57 pm
@ DawgHunt – I don’t deny tha we’ve struggled on the football fieldt. I expect to be better going forward but we’ll see. I’m not going to try and compare GSU to UGA/GT as that’s insane. But we’re a long term project that hopefully will take a good step forward in this offseason. I’m here to discuss basketball. Since Bradley decided to throw it in his article I felt it was fair game. I forgot the board is monitored by football obsessed posters. Go enjoy Coach Fox’s brand of basketball. He’s a real quality coach.
Sean
December 21st, 2011
1:58 pm
Calvin, Demaryius Thomas, Keith Brooking, Morgan Burnett…I can go on.
If both LSU and UGA only improve are we just going to see another 42-10 beatdown? No way these sophmores can make up the 32 points youll need to overcome the tigers, much less Bama or even Arkansas.
True Dawg Fan
December 21st, 2011
1:59 pm
LawDawg
December 21st, 2011
1:53 pm
True Dawg Fan: Are you stupid? A tougher schedule IS a worse schedule. That is completely consistent.
I think you must be stupid ahhahaha. A worse schedule is an easy schedule. Ppl keep saying UGA has an even worse schedule for next year bc it is so easy. Maybe you ought to rethink calling ppl out if you cant even understand something that easy.
True Dawg Fan
December 21st, 2011
2:00 pm
Sean
December 21st, 2011
1:52 pm
Hines Ward is half the size of Calvin, Calvin would have better stats if he had anyone else in the league throwing to him, and no one else on your list has done the things Calvins done in the NFL for 5 seasons.
Hines ward is one of the best recievers in NFL history. You know nothing.
Sean
December 21st, 2011
2:00 pm
And Calvin will be better:)