It’s a miracle! Mr. Wrong actually got some things right in 2011
Yay, me! (AJC photo by Ben Gray; whiteboard stylings by Ms. Mandi Albright.)
This year ends in a way few years have ended for this famously erring prognosticator. It ends with me getting to say, “Know what? I actually got some stuff right.”
For once, the annual Accountability Scoreboard isn’t a tale of woe. I picked Georgia to go 10-2 and win the SEC East, which it did. I picked Georgia Tech to finish its regular season 8-4, which it did. I picked LSU to win the SEC, which it did, and finish as the BCS titlist, which it well might. I picked Auburn, which won the last BCS title, to lose five games, and sure enough …
I picked the Hawks to beat the Magic in Round 1, which indeed occurred. Heck, I even picked VCU to crash the Final Four. (OK, now I’m embellishing.)
About the only thing I got close to right in 2010 was picking the Falcons to go 12-4 and win the NFC South. (They actually went 13-3.) This time I was right, sort of, in the grand scheme — I picked the 2011 team to grab a wild card — but had it going 12-4, and the best it can do is 10-6. I even managed to whiff on the outcome of the season’s first five games, which was pretty bad even by my tepid standards. So I’m thinking this probably isn’t the moment to note that I’ve also projected this team to win at least one playoff game.
I also tabbed the Braves as a wild-card team. (I know picking the local club as a wild card is kind of a waffle, but seriously … did anyone think the Braves could trump the Phillies over 162 games?) But I also guessed, way back when, that 91 wins would be the ceiling for the 2011 Braves, and lo and behold they got stuck on 89.
That said … did I see the epic collapse coming? Absolutely not. Even with three games to go, I thought the Braves would make the playoffs. Even with three outs to go in Game No. 162, I still thought they’d qualify. Sometimes I’m hard-headed. This was such a time.
I picked the Hawks over the Magic not because I loved the Hawks, but because I thought Orlando was running on fumes. After Kirk Hinrich was hurt in the Round 1 clincher, I suggested the Hawks would do well to take one game from Chicago in Round 2. They actually took the first game, and also the fourth.
I was 0-for-4 in picking the 2011 Final Four, having gone with Ohio State to win it all. (The Buckeyes were upset by Kentucky in the Sweet 16. Shouldn’t I have learned that the Big Ten can’t handle the SEC in postseason? Or is that just in football?) I also had Georgia toppling North Carolina in the Big Dance, which the Bulldogs might well have done — had they managed to beat Washington in their tournament opener. But I overrated UGA all season, even to the point of thinking it might win the SEC East.
I did, however, have Brian Gregory on my original short list of candidates to replace Paul Hewitt at Georgia Tech. Though, in the sake of full disclosure, I must mention that I’d relegated BG to being “a fallback choice” by the time the search commenced. And I believed Tech’s Iman Shumpert had erred by staying in the NBA draft, thinking he might not get picked at all. (He wound going to the Knicks with the 17th pick of Round 1.)
Back to college football: I missed by saying that Nebraska would win the Big Ten, that Florida State would win the ACC, that Stanford would win the Pac-12 and that Andrew Luck would take the Heisman. I was pretty close on Tennessee going 6-6 (it went 5-7) and Florida going 7-5 (it went 6-6). I was right in saying South Carolina would finish 10-2, wrong in saying it would lose the SEC East to Georgia on a tiebreaker. (It lost straight-up.)
I was right in believing LSU would beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa, wrong in believing the Tigers would lose to Mississippi State in Starkville, wrong in choosing Oklahoma as LSU’s BCS opponent. I did have Virginia Tech winning the ACC Coastal, but I also had Southern Cal going 7-5, and it went 10-2. (Lane Kiffin, genius boy!)
I was right about three of Tech’s four losses. (I had the Jackets losing at North Carolina State and winning at Virginia.) I was wrong on both of Georgia’s losses. (I had the Bulldogs beating Boise State and South Carolina, but losing to Mississippi State and Florida. Yes, I bought the Dan Mullen hype.) I was way wrong about Georgia State: I had the Panthers going 8-3, as opposed to 3-8.
Yes, I know. That’s a lot of being wrong for what I’m claiming as a pretty good year. But viewed alongside my bleak 2010, I feel entitled to strut a bit. And to offer this one long-range prediction:
In 2012 Georgia will go 11-1 in the regular season and will win the SEC championship.
By Mark Bradley
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208 comments Add your comment
bitter thats capitalism
December 30th, 2011
7:16 pm
bradley —–nice———————take over —-RECRUITING===
chris
December 30th, 2011
7:32 pm
Good column Mark I dont think any one including the late Jeanne Dixon would have seen the collapse of the Braves…and to honest there were a few of us scratching our heads about your UGA prediction after the whiffed at 0-2 to start the year…always love your columns and good insight…any prediction on the Braves landing a power hitter and maybe some bullpen help for 2012?
Mark Bradley
December 30th, 2011
8:18 pm
Thanks, Chris. The trouble with power hitters is they’re not easy to find.
Alphare
December 30th, 2011
8:48 pm
That’s a fine bunch of predictions of yours.
If I remember correctly, I predicted 7-5 for UGA. But a few lucky bounces here and there, UGA got a better record.
UGA should not be in the SECCG because SC has a perfect East record of 5-0 while UGA’s is 4-1. In addition, SC and UGA both have a 10-2 record and SC beat UGA head-on and thus holds the tie-breaker against UGA. So, in almost every way you see it, it’s SC that should be in SECCG, not UGA. But a technicality puts UGA in place of SC.
doc
December 30th, 2011
8:49 pm
mark, i demand a recount!
naw, good job as usual.
doc
December 30th, 2011
8:54 pm
teague, finds himself getting sucked into bad fouls or phantom fouls.
JDawg1785
December 30th, 2011
9:08 pm
Mark, congrats on some good calls for 2011! And don’t worry about some of the sillier predictions. I thought FSU would win the national title this year…
JDawg1785
December 30th, 2011
9:18 pm
Alphare, if by “technicality” you mean that USCe lost two conference games while UGA lost only one, then I guess you’re right.
Paul in NH
December 30th, 2011
9:35 pm
Beast from the East Eaten by Dawg
December 30th, 2011
5:55 pm
—
Yikes – that’s one of the most egregious things I have read in a long time. It’s made the GoVols website.
http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2011/dec/30/deanthony-arnett-transfer-saga-could-end-all-losin/
Barbara needs to “pop Derek upside the head”
South Carolina DAWGS
December 30th, 2011
9:47 pm
Welcome back Mark – hope you had a GREAT and Christmas. We MISSED YOU and I mean that. You have developed a LOYAL following whether you believe it or not and I do need your FEEDING CYCLES.
Loved the Munson Article – he would have TOO!!
Skeezix
December 30th, 2011
10:18 pm
Thanks Mark–Tommy Gun Hanson’s status is key.
george
December 31st, 2011
12:10 am
brick as I have asked many times before and have gotten no answers to if you think I am wrong tell me the games auburn would have lost of UGA’s schedule this year. I know the truth hurts.
george
December 31st, 2011
12:14 am
just to refresh your memory. Again PLEASE tell me where I am wrong.
boise-loss
usc-beat (the only reason the pups made it to atlanta)
coastal car-win
ole miss-beat
ms st- beat
tn-toss up
vandy-win
fl-beat
nm st-win
tech-toss up
10-2
Now lets see how the pups would have fared with Auburn’s schedule
utah st-win
ms st-beat
clemson-toss up
fl atl-win
usc-lost
ark-loss
fl-beat
lsu-lost
ole miss-win
bama-loss
bamabitch
December 31st, 2011
1:53 am
george Are you talkin up for the weak ass state of Alabama or are you an Auburn fan, either way both of your schools are nothin without Georgia football players so show some respect or i might have to whip your ass ha ha.
P. Bull Terrier
December 31st, 2011
2:50 am
I’ll take your 11-1 SEC Championship for UGA one step farther. Georgia will be one of several teams with only one loss and will miss out on the BCS Championship game because voters are tired of the SEC winning the National Championship every year. Instead, an 11-1 ACC Champion will get destroyed by 11-1 USC in the BCS Championship game, while UGA plays (and beats) a surprisingly undefeated Bowling Green team in the Sugar Bowl.
Drexel Gal
December 31st, 2011
3:35 am
You can take THIS to the bank for 2012 — Georgia Tech will go 4-8. Remember, you heard it here first.
Jim
December 31st, 2011
5:32 am
A team’s record does not mean much until you look at whom it played. UGA is just a mediocre program based on past performances against upper echelon teams, as the facts prove. 11-1 against mostly lousy teams will be a deceiving record. Getting hammered by a good team in a bowl is likely for these perennial pretenders and will be more of an indication of their relative strength. UGA annually ranks in the top ten nationally in the recruit rankings. Why it does not produce high quality teams is beyond me. I don’t know why these top recruits want to go there. UGA at least does one thing well, i.e., sell itself to young people.
Billyboy
December 31st, 2011
5:34 am
The bottom line is your average. Nothing new and exciting. But if you have 6 wins then you get to go to the “who cares as nobody will be in the stands” bowl. As they say, wait til next year.
Buzz2011
December 31st, 2011
5:36 am
UGA should drop to Michigan State by at least two touchdowns.. The Dawgs aren’t very good and GT was their only win over a winning team..
heeldawg
December 31st, 2011
6:53 am
Mark, you’re mostly right—but I think the Dawgs go 12-0 in the regular season, win the SEC title over LSU and play in the BCS title game. How’s that for prognostication?
North Ga. Dawg
December 31st, 2011
6:53 am
Good articles this year.
RedandBlackDAWG
December 31st, 2011
7:49 am
Buzz2011 @ 5:36,,
GT was a scrimmage for UGA, just like it has been for 10 out of 11 years. GT should think about dropping UGA, since the mantel place where the governors trophy would be in the GT trophy case, has more dirt than Atlanta has thugs.
I am sure, if they could get away with it, UGA would drop the game, but you would have more politicians in state government that graduated GT, crying because the game means so much to them. These are of course the same guys running down this state. Of course, all politicians, no matter their Alma Marta mange to do that.The game has really lost all meaning, other than it is another OCC win for Georgia Dawgs. It does do one thing for you GT bloggers on here. It gives you a chance along with every other GT blogger to complain how it is so hard to get into GT because everybody has to take calculus or precalculus. It is hard to get into the medical programs at UGA but I guess that never crosses your mind. You need to come up with a better excuse this year and for the future, because everybody knows, that there is not a football player on your team that graduates with a degree in any kind of engineering discipline.
You should stay on the GT blogs and hope that eventually,your athletic admin. has enough sense to realize that your gimmick offense, is not surprising a lot of teams anymore. Then maybe you could get some players with skills to come to GT and play. Don’t use the Standard, “GT.s academic standards are too high”. You, and the majority of the bloggers on this blog, all know it does not apply to your athletic teams, anymore more than it would at any college or institute. UGA has had a few down years but are on their way back up. All GT has had for a number of years, is probation’s and excuses from it’s fan base. To be competitive, you will need to quit talking the talk because 1. You don’t have the team to back it up, 2. You are using an antiquated type of offensive scheme and 3. this type of scheme you are using, doesn’t attract the type of athlete that allows you to even compete successfully even in the ACC.
The SEC doesn’t want you in the conference and it has nothing to do with UGA not wanting to compete against you, or any possibility of lost revenue having you in the conference. It has to do with the fact, that Tech. would be a laughing stock and an embarrassment to the entire SEC. You would be so out classed, that most teams would consider you, much like UGA does in all honesty as a requirement, not as a decent opponent. If you had any sense at all, you wouldn’t come onto a blog and spout off about a team negatively, that is far superior to you almost every year. You will not do the sensible thing though, as you and so many of the GT fans really have no pride. Your excuses are old, and quite frankly it just makes you look more embarrassing. Maybe you can beat that mighty Utah team you will face today, but you aren’t even favored to do that at the moment. UGA is favored to beat Michigan State so perhaps you might catch the game on Jan. 2nd, and see how a real team from Georgia plays.
Beast from the East Eaten by Dawg
December 31st, 2011
8:25 am
RedandBlackDAWG,
You gonna try and get that novel published?
RedandBlackDAWG
December 31st, 2011
8:44 am
Beast from the east,
If need be. It is more factual than most of the negative bloggers post on here.
Beast from the East Eaten by Dawg
December 31st, 2011
8:49 am
RedandBlackDawg,
Just busting your chops a little.
Happy New Year!
george
December 31st, 2011
9:04 am
Bamabitch- that might be the dumbest post of all time. The fact that auburn and bama get so many players out of uga reflects two of the best recruiters in the country chiz and saban. The fact that so many uga players go out of state says a lot about uga. And to say alabama is a weak state???? Now I have officially heard it all. The state has won ore national championships in the last 24 months than uga has in the last 50 plus years.
007
December 31st, 2011
9:11 am
Hey george, you sux.
me
December 31st, 2011
9:14 am
you are already wrong about one 2012 prediction:
UGA 14-0 BCS Champions!
Evansdawg
December 31st, 2011
9:59 am
george, your post actually eclipses Bamabitch’s in terms of stupidity. UGA players are not UGA players unless they sign with UGA. “UGA players” do not go out of state. “Georgia high school players” go out of state…but that should not surprise anyone. The State of Georgia is a powerhouse-mill for college football talent. There are enough players in Georgia to go around. UGA does not have a talent problem. It has a vanilla-predictable offense problem. Combined with early attrition, UGA cannot get footing. Mark Richt has done a great job of keeping a lot of talent in-state compared to his two predecessors. …AND Alabama (the state) has less of a high school talent-well than the State of Georgia. Thats a fact….why do you think Saban and company look here so much?
Bammer tards. Its an epidemic.
george
December 31st, 2011
10:07 am
i said GEORGIA players not UGA players.
george
December 31st, 2011
10:09 am
early attrition??????? You mean players getting kicked off the team/suspended.
george
December 31st, 2011
10:10 am
who cares about high school football??I would rather have two of the best college programs in the country and good not great high school football than great football and average football teams.
Gorilla Biscuit
December 31st, 2011
10:27 am
george, would your first name be Curious?
RedandBlackDAWG
December 31st, 2011
10:40 am
Beast from the east,
Happy New year to You as Well,
Lets. hope it is for all of America. Maybe the economy will improve, if the politicians of both parties ever get off of their butts and start doing the job they are paid to do. Damn though, I am 63 almost, and I haven’t seen that happen yet in my life time.
katherine
December 31st, 2011
11:18 am
Congrats Mark and Happy New Year
gcs
December 31st, 2011
11:29 am
Kudos, Mark.
Jim's Mom
December 31st, 2011
12:25 pm
Please overlook Jim’s post (Jim – December 30th, 2011, 11:31 am).
Jim had his lobotomy a few months back, but still manages to sneak into the computer room every week or so.
Please pray for Jim.
Joey
December 31st, 2011
12:32 pm
George is so cute. And smart too!
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=curious+george+photo&view=detail&id=E384858C5B98D47A8AABAD52BC43A6DEB7208AAA&first=0&qpvt=curious+george+photo&FORM=IDFRIR
Sid
December 31st, 2011
2:07 pm
Carnac the Magnificent, the great seer, soothsayer, sage and former financial adviser to the Greek government, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, and Weather Prophet Extraordinary ……………….you dun good, now bring the Falcons home a Superbowl…..no wait, don’t you dare predict it……….lol……!!
Eldawg
December 31st, 2011
5:39 pm
Well done Mark! Keep up the good work.
Mitchell
December 31st, 2011
5:41 pm
I also tabbed the Braves as a wild-card team. (I know picking the local club as a wild card is kind of a waffle, but seriously … did anyone think the Braves could trump the Phillies over 162 games?) But I also guessed, way back when, that 91 wins would be the ceiling for the 2011 Braves, and lo and behold they got stuck on 89.
That said … did I see the epic collapse coming? Absolutely not. Even with three games to go, I thought the Braves would make the playoffs. Even with three outs to go in Game No. 162, I still thought they’d qualify. Sometimes I’m hard-headed. This was such a time.
The fact that Mark Bradley somehow did not see the Braves epic collapse “coming” and not even with three games left to play is all the proof anyone needs that he knows nothing.
They say there’s no clock in baseball but they haven’t watched the Braves.
The only thing that could decide their fate was time. As in, it was only a matter of…
I just love how reasoned analysis and critical thinking is employed when evaluating every team in Atlanta by the AJC, 680 and 790 except for the Braves.
I mean, how could you not see it coming. They were relying on the bullpen all year to win games and never did anything about the offense.
The Braves are like the autistic step-child nobody wants to see get hurt. It is sad.
The end. Happy New Year.
Bobby H
December 31st, 2011
7:26 pm
Lucky Dogs! Will lose to Mich State! Not as bad, however, as Tech losing to Utah. Pitiful. Seven bowl losses in a row for Tech. So much for the weak ACC.
Ted
December 31st, 2011
8:20 pm
Paul Smith has got to GO. Can’t beat Ga., Can’t win a bowl, and can’t get a team ready to play a game. He is an embarrassment to the Tech organization.
Zero bcs titles for UGA
December 31st, 2011
10:12 pm
“In 2012 Georgia will go 11-1 in the regular season and will win the SEC championship”
Now THAT is funny!!!
gary
December 31st, 2011
10:18 pm
huh? uga win the sec. lol what a joke. they won’t even beat missouri. and bama or lsu next year will still be 10 x better than the dogs. they won’t beat sc next year either. then you have all the underclassmen who will jump in the draft.
RedandBlackDAWG
January 1st, 2012
5:37 am
George at 12/31/2011-9:04 AM,
What you wrote on this blog.
“The fact that so many uga players go out of state says a lot about uga.”
What you think you wrote, at 10:07 AM,
“i said GEORGIA players not UGA players.”
Which is it George? You shouldn’t drink so early as it blinds you and messes up your memory. You might wish to check the old grammar rules out a bit also. The first letter (i) of a sentence is usually capitalized.
Buckeye
January 1st, 2012
6:10 am
The dogs won’t even beat Vandy next year.
Nugent, Ted Nugent
January 1st, 2012
6:49 am
Glad to know” Little Stan Kasten” helped you with your article.
Hey, from Owensboro, KY
Objective observer
January 1st, 2012
8:08 am
You are not allowed to get it right.
Had you sensed Tech’s and Georgia’s crummy seasons in 2010 and predicted them exactly, both fan bases would have been furious.
Ted M
January 1st, 2012
9:20 am
Mark – Power up that new ipad. For gods sake you just had a vacation.
lol…I’m kidding.