Who’ll grab hold of the SEC East – UGA or South Carolina?
Will Isaiah Crowell and Georgia leave South Carolina in the dust? (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
For the first 10 years of the SEC East’s existence, Florida usually won. When it didn’t, Tennessee did. Then Mark Richt arrived at Georgia — and, not incidentally, Ron Zook took over in Gainesville — and the Bulldogs won the division three times in four seasons. Then the Gators, under new and better management, won three times in four years. And then, in 2010, something strange happened: The East was taken by none of the above.
South Carolina finally broke through, and two weeks into the 2011 season the Gamecocks were poised to consolidate that gain. They’d beaten Georgia in Athens. The Gamecocks had four of the more talented players — Marcus Lattimore, Alshon Jeffery, Melvin Ingram and Jadeveon Clowney — in the nation’s most talented league. But Carolina lost at home to Auburn and booted wayfaring quarterback Stephen Garcia from the squad for good and lost Lattimore to a knee injury and then lost at Arkansas. Georgia won the East for the first time since 2005, and today the Bulldogs stand where South Carolina did a year ago.
Georgia is a good young team coming off a lousy ending. Just as South Carolina did in 2010, the Bulldogs were routed in the SEC title game and contrived to lose their bowl. The 2011 Gamecocks, by way of contrast, finished by thrashing Clemson, which would win the ACC, and then Nebraska to wind up 11-2 to Georgia’s 10-4. And the Bulldogs must go to Columbia next season.
In sum, the SEC East remains in heavy flux. South Carolina has cause to believe it was the division’s best team, but was undone by luck and scheduling. Georgia can point to its 10 wins and its 15 returning starters as proof that its rise was no trick of the light. And then there are the others.
Various recruiting rankings indicate that Florida, which had to win its bowl to finish above .500, is poised to sign the top class among SEC East programs. Tennessee finished 5-7 and won only one conference game and could well be seeking a new coach soon. In Year 2 under James Franklin, Vanderbilt figures to do more than simply scare some of the big boys. About all Kentucky accomplished in Year 2 under Joker Phillips was to beat Tennessee for the first time since 1984. And this fall Big 12 expatriate Missouri, flouting geography, opens play as a member of the SEC East.
Most projections for 2012 show Georgia and South Carolina in the preseason top 10, and whichever one takes the East this year — it’s hard to envision anyone else rising past both — can lay claim to being the class of the SEC’s lesser division. (SEC West zealots may consider this the equivalent of being the world’s strongest weakling, but you can’t win the conference unless you play in Atlanta on the first Saturday in December, can you?)
Once again, all schedules aren’t created equal. Georgia, which managed not to play any of the West’s Big Three in the 2011 regular season, will miss them again. South Carolina has to play LSU in Baton Rouge and Arkansas in Columbia, which means the Gamecocks could again beat Georgia and still lose the East.
Loading ...In a division laden with uncertainty, signing day can have an outsize impact. The Gamecocks won the East in 2010 because Lattimore chose them over Auburn. Georgia won in 2011 largely because freshmen Isaiah Crowell and Malcolm Mitchell became playmakers. This year the Bulldogs have gained commitments from running backs Keith Marshall and Todd Gurley, making the matter of Crowell’s durability less significant. South Carolina’s top commitment is receiver Shaq Roland, who should slide into the spot vacated by Jeffery.
Looking toward autumn, it’s a close call between the two, but the pick here is Georgia. The Bulldogs have the kinder schedule and figure to have more good players returning, and South Carolina’s best player will be coming off knee surgery. That said, seizing control of a division — even if it is only the SEC East, as opposed to the West — requires a level of consistent excellence above and beyond what was required to break through once.
South Carolina knows this all too well. The Gamecocks were a better team in 2011 than in 2010 but didn’t play for the conference title. They missed their chance to stamp themselves as the post-Urban Meyer power in the SEC East. Now it’s Georgia turn to try.
By Mark Bradley
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530 comments Add your comment
JB
January 25th, 2012
6:32 pm
I really like Muschamp…..Because he a UGA alum, and I wish him well all but our game……………………But that said, it’ll surprise me if he takes Florida where they want to go. All great coach’s have to grow into a job….but he picked one Hell of a place to cut his teeth……And if he loses to Dawgs again this year…..and he could, he’ll have a tough time recovering. As a observer from a distance, his game day “talent” looks iffy.
Rick James
January 25th, 2012
6:33 pm
@PullokaVille
South Carolina is loosing Jeffrey and Ingram and as of right now you dont have Lattimore.Nobody is ranking them in a preseason top 5.
rockrooster
January 25th, 2012
6:34 pm
how many yards did marcus lattimore run for against georgia the last two years? usc will be much better next season, and uga will go down for the third year in a row. there’s a new sheriff in the sec east. get use to it dawg! you’ll be looking for a new coach this time next year.
JB
January 25th, 2012
6:34 pm
Mizziou,SC,AU,Fla on the road is easy?
Destin Dawg
January 25th, 2012
6:34 pm
Dooley at Tenn. and Crazy Will Muschamp at Floriduh will be on the HOT SEAT after losing records next year !! Go Dawgs !! SEC champs 2012 !
USCGAMECOCKBOY
January 25th, 2012
6:35 pm
GOOO USC FIGHTING GAMECOCKS !!!!!!!!
JB
January 25th, 2012
6:37 pm
Chickens will be plucked,cleaned,battered and deep fried this year…..The only damn good thing to do for a chicken.
Dawgs eat chickens
January 25th, 2012
6:38 pm
I will say this Lattimore is a damn good RB. Hoping Marshall or Gurley will make the same kind of impact for UGA. Crowell has to potential to be a great back if he can toughen up and get his head on straight. Oh and that Picklejuice guy and most of the SC fans posting on here (prob the same person) are on crack or LSD.
JB
January 25th, 2012
6:39 pm
They laid off the guy at Carolina that polishes the trophies . He had nothing to do.
Beast from the East
January 25th, 2012
6:40 pm
http://twitter.com/#!/ZachAbolverdi/statuses/162314353729740800
Buck Belue saying JHC coming to the Gators?
bitter QB
January 25th, 2012
6:41 pm
UGA will have a great program—-or great “D”—-lead by grantham and a great defence coaching staff.
————————then there is turn over murray????????????????????
————————enough said—————another—–10-4—-thanks too 17 int’s and 8 fumbles
——————————all coming in 2012—————same QB and same results
JB
January 25th, 2012
6:42 pm
Who is JHC Beast….Clemons
Beast from the East
January 25th, 2012
6:44 pm
JB,
Yeah, that’s the one. From everything I’ve heard he’s UGA bound. I think he’s going to be a really good one wherever he lands.
GTBob
January 25th, 2012
6:45 pm
RED ZONE DEFENSE
(SC is #1 AGAINST RANKED TEAMS, gEORGIA IS last)
I thought this sounded crazy but UGA really was ranked 116th in the country in Red Zone Defense. Only 4 teams in the country were worse then them. I didn’t realize they were that bad.
Fuzzie
January 25th, 2012
6:51 pm
Georgia almost lost to 4 different, unranked teams. Won the Fla game by 4 points, won the Vandy game by 5 points, and won the Tennesee and Kentucky games by a touchdown. These were 4 really bad teams. Georgia almost lost to all 4 of them. With Georgia’s 3 Offen Lineman going pro, look for 6 close game to teams wiht losing records in 2012, and Georgia losing at least 4 of 6.
Fuzzie
January 25th, 2012
6:54 pm
Generally, teams who barely win 4 game sor more, go on to win less games the next year. So look for Georgia to win somewhere in the neightborhhood of 6-8 games.
BullDogMike
January 25th, 2012
6:55 pm
USC , I hope y’all are not planning on having dawgs hand you another game this coming season. Won’t be any of this three turnovers=three scores,plus a fake punt for another TD. Without that happening, you would have been blown out. Even Spurrier knew how lucky you were.. Enjoy !
JB
January 25th, 2012
7:00 pm
Fuzzie…..As long as we’re talking about close games, don’t forget our only claim to fame. Scoring on Florida in 1980 from 85 yards out with a minute to go….and went on to win the NC…….My point is your point makes no sense. Let’s evaluate every close game for every team from the past. It doesn’t mean crap.
WDE
January 25th, 2012
7:01 pm
@Fuzzie you might be forgetting the important point they were wins bad teams lose close games….declare your team or STFU..
JB
January 25th, 2012
7:03 pm
Fuzzie, I hate to shave your little world, but Dawgs win at least 10 again next year. You are either ill informed or just hate Dawgs. either way, we could care less.
jjjjjj
January 25th, 2012
7:06 pm
How can you write off Florida? Jesus Christ.
Missing Dawg
January 25th, 2012
7:16 pm
Crowell is more likely to leave Georgia in a cloud of smoke.
The Factor
January 25th, 2012
7:19 pm
Not to shabby for all you pinheads:
Over the last 11 seasons here is how thinks have stacked up:
Most Wins:
1) LSU 115
Bama 77 (have won 98 but had to vacate 21 for NCAA violations)
2) UGA 106
3) UF 105
4) Aub 101
5) Ark (T) 86
5) UT (T) 86
7) SC 80
9) OleM 62
10) KY 59
11) Miss St 50
12) Vandy 39
Against our rivals:
Ga Tech 10-1
Vandy 10-1
Aub 7-4
SC 7-4
UT 7-4
OleM 5-0
Ark 5-1
Bama 3-1
Miss St 3-1
LSU 3-4
UF 3-8
# times Ended the Season Ranked: UGA 9, LSU 9, UF 7, Bama 6, Aub 6, UT 5, SC 3, OleM 3, Ark 2, MissSt 1
Go Tech
January 25th, 2012
7:21 pm
the puppies have such a soft schedule they will have an inflated won/loss record; it will be like a mirage. Dog fans will fall for the mirage of course, but then when they finally have to play a quality team, they will just get embarassed again. Of course for Tech fans it just be as much fun to watch them fall on their butts as it was last season. (hey dog fans—remember LSU?)
………….South Carolina will be the better team.
WDE
January 25th, 2012
7:25 pm
@Go Tech your our bit*ch and you always will be …we clear?
The Factor
January 25th, 2012
7:26 pm
@Go Tech,
We have a team that is relevant on the college landscape, you don’t. And, you are a pinhead.
East Repeat
January 25th, 2012
7:27 pm
DawginLex- Just read your post on front page. Man, SC vs UGA for National Championship is my wet dream. I get goose bumps thinking about it and have never even considered the possibility. Very far fetched as both teams must be national caliber to get that done. Fantastic thought!
East Repeat
January 25th, 2012
7:32 pm
BullDogMike- If the dawgs gave us the win in 2011, that means 2011 was the year to beat SC in Athens, and somehow the dawgs (murray) blew it. 2012 is in Columbia and SC will earn the win, or who knows, maybe SC will give it to UGA? I would much rather play at home, though.
Surprise
January 25th, 2012
7:48 pm
SURPRISE–MB picked UGA
Big BOYS
January 25th, 2012
7:52 pm
AM is 0-9 against quality ranked teams. SC is the only pre season ranked team. UGA will go 11-1, lose to SC and win the east and back into another championship game. Easy Schedule AGAIN! Play with the Big Boys of the West and you would be 8-4.
Griffin from Griffin
January 25th, 2012
7:52 pm
The thing is here, UGA is doing great with the commits they have, but we cannot even sign a complete class of 25. As much as we complain about Alabama oversigning, we should at least be able to find 25 players that are worth signing.
INFO
January 25th, 2012
7:53 pm
The Factor– Number of NC– ZERO
INFO
January 25th, 2012
7:54 pm
Enter your comments here
Brainiac(Dawg for life)(CMR fan for life)
January 25th, 2012
7:57 pm
@Shug:
IC is/was a playmaker. He had several games with over 100 yds. rushing with a very underperforming OL and was named SEC Freshman of The Year. He also had nagging injuries the last half of the season. Hopefully he will not be forced to play when injured with the additional RB’s coming in. He was also suspended as you will be quick to point out BUT that does not detract from IC being a playmaker.
Biggest myth in SEC
January 25th, 2012
7:58 pm
That S Carolina sells out all of its games and that Columbia is a tough place to play.
Brainiac(Dawg for life)(CMR fan for life)
January 25th, 2012
8:02 pm
@East Repeat:
Don’t get carried away. Aladambama will wiggle their way into the NC game just like this year.
KB
January 25th, 2012
8:03 pm
GtBob, LSU was # 106 , pretty misleading stat. I guess they had a bad defense too.Houston ranked #2 in red zone defense #62 in total defense .
In Columbia is a well known MD
January 25th, 2012
8:03 pm
Lattimore’s knee is simply ugly. It was damaged badly and the year befo, he had another knee issue. His knee is NOT the same knee of two season’s ago. Period. His knee will be wrapped and iced and worked on all season and injected with cortisone …………all season and if, ……….if it holds up, he might be able to do what he W-A-S two years ago, braring yet another horrific blow.
His family members, mom, “uncles” and mom’s friends are now and will be telling him “Marcus take care of your golden wheels. SC has already benefitted by your presense, so do nothing to hurt YOUR FUTURE”.
I know this is going on. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, you heard it here first.
KB
January 25th, 2012
8:07 pm
Go Tech, LOL an ACC program calling an SEC schedule soft.
The Factor
January 25th, 2012
8:08 pm
@Big Boys
Proof you did not go to a West school or you would know it rotates year after year. Funny, The East has mostly dominated the conference with the exception of the last 4-5 years since the conf championship started, yet suddenly we have a soft schedules. No apologies here. Many a title have been won when the schedule sets up right.
KB
January 25th, 2012
8:09 pm
Griffin, Georgia will fill its class.
slydog
January 25th, 2012
8:10 pm
Does anybody believe this program will have ONE team finish a season 12-0 under Richt? It’s not a diss, but a serious question. Having the second most wins in the SEC in 11 seasons looks good overall, but what is the perception of the program? That of second tier as opposed to “knockin on the door.” Case in point, who really cares about the 19-1 patriots as opposed to the 14-6 Giants who beat them for all the marbles? Winning the SEC East is not a hard task for Georgia and never has been. Starting the season strong and finishing it the same way has been the issue. If you ask people the most dominant program in the SEC during the decade of 2000-2010, they will probably say Florida or LSU. It’s a perception that isn’t far off. For some reason in the state of Georgia, we will take good seasons over a few really bad ones. Problem is, the ones with really bad seasons sometimes get mad enough, rebound, and win championships (Alabama and Florida?).
slydog
January 25th, 2012
8:13 pm
Why is everybody panicking about Georgia not filling all 25 scholarships? It’s not time to push the panic button.
3-12 Against Ranked Teams
January 25th, 2012
8:15 pm
Enter your comments here
RTR22
January 25th, 2012
8:16 pm
SEC Office has just announced Alabama led all SEC Schools with 36 team members from their NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM, on the 2011 Fall All Academic list. FACT
WHERE IS THE ARTICLE AJC? BLAME IT ON SABAN lol…… Champions on/off the field.
KilroyDawg
January 25th, 2012
8:17 pm
Any news on Cordelle Patterson (sp?) on his college choice or which way he may be leaning?
3-12 Against Ranked Teams
January 25th, 2012
8:17 pm
Slydog…..of course UGA is “second tier”. SEC, 6 straight BCS trophies…..none of them in Athens. Mark Richt and his apologists are “champions” of mediocrity
Danny Wofford
January 25th, 2012
8:17 pm
I can tell you right now on this day that Georgia will not win the East next year. There are three problems; Bobo, Richt and Aaron Murray. Bobo can coach for a half, Richt can take his headset off and rub his head and Murray excels at throwing pick sixes or crucial interceptions. This from a 40 year contributor to the progam……
The Factor
January 25th, 2012
8:17 pm
@slydog
Point well taken. I was on the beach talking to the former D coor of the Cleveland browns (forget his name now) but these sentiments were also echoed by him. He knew UGA as a good team but not as NC contender considering it’s winning %. He was surprised when I started rattleing off some stats.
Falcaints
January 25th, 2012
8:18 pm
Do you just have about 10 I love Ga. columns and just pull them out from time to time. The AJC is the worst “homer” paper in America.