Pigskin pickin’: Tech wins its division; UGA takes the SEC title
The Honey Badger had his way last season. But that was then. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
Georgia will go 11-1 and win the SEC East. Then it will beat LSU for the SEC championship. And then … well, what destination traditionally awaits the SEC champion? (Hint: It ain’t beautiful downtown Shreveport.)
With that, we commence our annual long-range look at college football, which is guaranteed to please absolutely no one. If I pick your team to do less well than you think it should, you’ll be miffed; if I pick your team to do better, you’ll gripe about the Bradley Jinx. Which didn’t, I should note, seem to trouble Georgia overmuch last season: The Bulldogs, as predicted, did take the East. And this year, for better or worse, I foresee better.
Georgia Tech will upset Virginia Tech on Labor Day night and will win the ACC Coastal Division. I can’t really believe I’m making this call. (Perhaps you share the feeling.) But before you succumb to an outbreak of whooping scoff, check the Jackets’ schedule. They’ll play only one road game — that at Clemson — between Sept. 4 and Nov. 2, and their final three ACC games are against Maryland (2-10 last season), North Carolina (new coach plus a bowl ban) and Duke (still Duke).
One game doesn’t usually a season make — you’ll recall Georgia losing to Boise State — but history does note that the Tech-Tech winner has become Coastal champ every year there has been a Coastal. History also notes that Virginia Tech doesn’t always start quickly. History also notes that Paul Johnson is pretty good as an underdog. I’m thinking he coaches the heck out of that game and his team goes 9-3 (losses to Miami, Clemson and Georgia) and wins the division on a tiebreaker. I’m also thinking nobody else will agree — except maybe Paul Johnson.
Georgia Tech's Tevin Washington against the Hokies last year. That didn't end so well, either. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
LSU will lose a regular-season game but win the SEC West. Maybe the loss will come at Auburn, or at Florida, or even at Texas A&M. Just for the heck of it, let’s go with the new-to-the SEC Aggies. I do not, however, believe LSU will lose against Alabama on Nov. 3 or Arkansas on Nov. 24. The men of Miles will rise up for those Titanic tilts. (I also don’t think Bama will be quite as good as advertised, and I can’t see John L. Smith lifting Arkansas to great heights.)
Once again, South Carolina will beat Georgia but lose the SEC East. Because the Gamecocks will lose at LSU on Oct. 13 and at Florida the next week. (The Gators will start to get well this season. They’ll go 9-3.) Another 10-win season will leave South Carolina frozen out of the SEC title game — mostly because of the imbalance in SEC scheduling. Steve Spurrier is right: Somebody does need to do something about that.
Speaking of significant openers … Tennessee cannot lose to North Carolina State on Aug. 31. Derek Dooley’s Vols could be positioned for a rebound — provided they beat the Wolfpack in Game 1 of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff. And State, which was 8-5 last season even after letting Russell Wilson leave for Wisconsin, won’t be easy. But this is a must game for the Vols, and I’m thinking they’ll take it. Besides, the SEC always beats the ACC, right?
Hold that thought. I like Clemson over Auburn the next night in the same building. Cam Newton: Gone awhile. Gus Malzahn: Gone to Arkansas State. Auburn’s 2010 national championship will soon be rendered one of those how-did-that-happen comets if Gene Chizik doesn’t think of something fast, and I’m not sure G-Chiz is about to make us say, “Gee whiz!” The schedule’s not that bad; I just don’t see Auburn being that good. Eight wins, tops.
Florida State will win the ACC because somebody has to. League loyalists point to the good coaches entering the conference — Mike London of Virginia, Al Golden of Miami, Larry Fedora of North Carolina — as reason to believe. Honesty compels me to confess that I’ve rarely seen the ACC appear less imposing. (So why am I picking Clemson over Auburn? Because I’m stupid, that’s why.)
Southern Cal will go undefeated behind their boy genius coach and will play Georgia for the BCS title in Miami. I’m not going to make a pick on this one yet — I’ve done enough damage for one day, don’t you think? — except to say this: Lane Kiffin absolutely owns Mark Richt. (OK, so they’ve only met once.)
Kidding aside, I really do think Georgia has the makings of a championship team. Great defense. Good quarterback. Lots of running backs. I have the same concerns as you about the offensive line, but no team is without blemish. And the schedule — no Alabama, no Arkansas, no LSU, not even a Boise State — looks mightily inviting. Not to heap pressure on anyone, but you have to wonder: If Richt doesn’t play for the BCS title with this team, will he ever?
Lane Kiffin at work against Georgia: Oct. 10, 2009. His team won by 26. (AP photo)
By Mark Bradley
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624 comments Add your comment
Buzz2011
June 1st, 2012
5:19 am
GT will br ACC Champs!! Dawgs, well are they in the same conference as Alabama and LSU? Thought so, they will win nothing and indeed lose to Tennessee.
freelancewriter
June 1st, 2012
5:29 am
Who edited this? You’ve certainly done a job “less well” than expected.
Techies are running the NCAA nation Championship
June 1st, 2012
6:43 am
Yes, with Tech bing on it’s second Major Probation Georgia Tech is winning this century’s’ Probation National Championship! Go Tech Go! cheaters to the end!
News: Sefolosha sparks Thunder to 102-82 win over Spurs – Atlanta Journal Constitution | News Aggregator for you
June 1st, 2012
6:47 am
[...] Pigskin pickin’: Tech wins its division; UGA takes the SEC title [...]
East Repeat
June 1st, 2012
6:47 am
Southcarolina will again be the best team in the East (3 yrs in a row with wins over UGA). If SC can beat the West teams, onto Atl. SC will have a good team- if Lattimore comes back strong (Heisman type strong) we can be SEC Chanmps. More likely than UGA being SEC champs. Will CMR get fired after SC beats UGA for the 3rd straigh time. This ain’t your Dad’s SC team.
Sefolosha sparks Thunder to 102-82 win over Spurs – Atlanta Journal Constitution | The Time of Press
June 1st, 2012
6:50 am
[...] Pigskin pickin’: Tech wins its division; UGA takes the SEC title [...]
East Repeat
June 1st, 2012
6:51 am
Bradley was right on one point- Kiffin is a boy but not a genius! I think if UGA did paly Southern Cal for title I would be rooting for Bulldogs. Kiffin is the worlds biggest POS. Actually tied with Obama for that title.
Whiskey Breath
June 1st, 2012
7:44 am
So Mark , your boss Jeff told you to go back to being a homer? Boy that didn’t take very long.
So Ga get’s the kicks the crap out of everybody? Big shock!
Just out of curosity, what year did you sell yourself to the devil?
By the way, I knew the old Mark, he would have had no respect for the current Mark.
You dissapoint me man, you know better.
JB
June 1st, 2012
8:04 am
IF…………..( big If) the Dawgs D plays most of the season like they did in the first half against LSU last year, it’ll be bad news for all we play. A year older, stronger,wiser and in the system. Other coach’s in the SEC, not ours, are quoted in these pre season rags that Dawgs will have the best D in the conference.
NW DAWG
June 1st, 2012
8:20 am
I just hope the Dawgs have kicking and punting game ready, cause it will play a big part.
Morning Reads for Friday, June 1, 2012 — Peach Pundit
June 1st, 2012
8:29 am
[...] Mark Bradley, Prognosticator. [...]
gt4ever
June 1st, 2012
8:29 am
Bradley, you must have the best job in the world…. UGA and GT’s schedule set them both up for success. I think UGA has the best chance to be 11 – 1, but they still have to prove it by beating somebody that is good…. Time will tell.. My jackets probably have the easiest schedule in the country! Period… If we can get by VT the first game, and play a little defense during the year, the ACC championship is reachable. But hey, then we play in the bowl and get beat by a real football team.. In either case, I can’t wait for football to start…. Go Jackets!
bamaguy
June 1st, 2012
8:33 am
I think UGA will make it to the SEC Championship game, but I don’t see them beating LSU (just like I don’t see Alabama beating LSU in Baton Rouge ). After coming so close last year then being embarrassed in the National Championship game, the Bengal Tigers will be on fire.
Rationale
June 1st, 2012
8:37 am
Unless Murray improves, none of the positive predictions for UGA will come to pass.
gt4ever
June 1st, 2012
8:38 am
@Rationale
Murray was one of the BEST QB’s in the nation…. How do you make that kind of comment…
Gator Mike
June 1st, 2012
8:40 am
Interesting projections here. I am convinced that the Gators will be much better this year, but only time will tell. I will not make any predictions. It is nice to be under the radar.
If UGA gets to the BCS Title Game, I will pull for them.
Good luck to all. Go Gators!
JB
June 1st, 2012
8:43 am
bamaguy, I agree…..Dawgs will be better this year….but LSU looks unreal. I think dawgs have the players, after 11 years, Mark has lost his touch of getting these guys ready to play a great team.
We’ve got the ole deer in headlights with good football teams. He and Bobo also “nut up” and shut down what’s working for some reason. Take the SECCG vs LSU last year. We were moving the ball on LSU in the first half with some success…..And they come out in the second half with a walk on RB and the 10 th worst rated OL in the conference and think they are going to run the ball on the best defense in the country. WTF? I guess we thought we were going to sneak up on them ….LOL
John
June 1st, 2012
8:44 am
I honestly believe UGA loses to Missouri at the beginning of the season. How good was UGA’s defense last season when they played good teams. It was average and not nearly as dominating as people are making them out to be. They can win the east but there is a big disparity between UGA and Bama/LSU. Alot of this is their mental makeup.
tigerfan
June 1st, 2012
9:02 am
Duh ya think LSU would go unbeaten with that schedule the the puppies have? Sorry but the road to the BCS goes thru Tigertown….
JB
June 1st, 2012
9:06 am
tigerfan…………..I think all level headed rational people would agree. Give LSU better QB play than last year, and you’ve got an almost unbeatable football team. One thing I like about Miles, he’ll just tell you he’s got a better team than last year. He won’t kick the dirt and say aw shucks.
Mark Richt's meltdown
June 1st, 2012
9:25 am
LOL…UGA winning the SEC with a rebuilt OL and MR coaching. What a joke. They will get to the game, then get run out of the stadium again
Gene Chizik
June 1st, 2012
9:26 am
But we’re “young” again soooooo …. wait till next year
Dogs > south carolina
June 1st, 2012
9:26 am
sc is overrated—grantham’s D will shut down spurrier’s finesse offense this year in a huge win. No team on Ga’s schedule can match their talent. Mark this down: Ga beats alabama for the SEC title and plays usc or oregon for the bcs title — Ga should win that game.
gt4ever
June 1st, 2012
9:30 am
and here come the loonies ….. UGA winning the BCS title again.. Oh wait, they have NEVER one the BCS title… You really have to love these UGA fans..
2011champs
June 1st, 2012
9:36 am
This is a more unbelievable pick than last season when you said the Braves would make the playoffs and I told you that they would choke and the Cardinals would be the wildcard team. UGA will underachieve yet again and go at best 9-3, and the East will be won by one of the teams from Columbia. Mark it down, Mark, and next time you need some advise, just call.
Smoke & Mirrors ... again
June 1st, 2012
9:38 am
UGA played 4 teams in 2011 that were CONSISTENTLY good. (Boise, SC, LSU, MSU), and went 0-4.
The Dawgs played 2 teams that were INCONSISTENTLY good (AU & GT), and went 2-0
The rest of UGA’s schedule was down right atrocious. UT & UF had, I think, their worst seasons in 50+ years! UGA went 8-0 in these games.
10 Ws, and a D that looked great in the 8-0 games, good in the 2-0 games, and which gave up 33+ in 0-4 games.
It’ll be a whole lotta the same in 2012, but a little better for UGA since there’s no Boise. UGA’s schedule is, without me doing the research, probably the weakest the Dawgs have had in the modern era.
I’ll be SHOCKED, and that’s all caps, if the Dawgs don’t come out with double-digit Ws in 2012.
IL Jacket
June 1st, 2012
9:39 am
Sounds about right. For Dawg fans, the Setai is a great hotel, the Eden Roc is a good choice if you are a little more budget conscious.
Smoke & Mirrors ... again
June 1st, 2012
9:43 am
John (at 8:44am, June 1st) sees it like myself.
UGA’s D looked good b/c there were so many bad teams on their schedule. Same for 2012 (unless UT, UF, Ole Miss, AU, GT improve).
East Repeat
June 1st, 2012
9:53 am
Hey, Dawgs > SC, you mean that same finesse SC offense that had Lattimore running for 350 yds in the last 2 games with UGA? Yea, lot of finesse. If Lattimore comes back strong, he has a chance to be one of the greatest bulldawg opponents of ALL TIME. Lattimore is the next Herchel, if their is such a thing.
mtl55
June 1st, 2012
10:03 am
Sorry Mark, the dogs are the third best team in the SEC. With our weak schedule we will win the East by default, but both LSU and Bama are in another stratosphere than UGA
South Ga Jacket
June 1st, 2012
10:07 am
You are a great writer, Furman Bishes is laughing at you from heaven.
Morning Reads for Friday, June 1, 2012
June 1st, 2012
10:21 am
[...] Mark Bradley, Prognosticator. [...]
joe
June 1st, 2012
10:25 am
Poppyc0ck…UGA won’t win anything of substance this year, except maybe the shreveport toilet bowl.
RTR22
June 1st, 2012
10:31 am
I love it….We all know how Jawja handles preseason hype and high expectations lol……. CHOKE on that big bone as usually is the case.
Wet Willie, mens golf and ladies softball is on the table……tough but they could pull it off.
Football Guy
June 1st, 2012
10:34 am
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June 1st, 2012
10:35 am
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tiger7_88
June 1st, 2012
10:40 am
Bradley doesn’t see Auburn as being that good.
Wow… what a shocking, totally out-of-character revelation.
jwo3
June 1st, 2012
10:40 am
Geez…with respects, friend, do you even FOLLOW college football & the SEC? UGA? Seriously? They are the perennial fat sister…they’re likeable but never the leading lady. UGA will not survive the SECE, much less endure against the West champion. If UGA had every 5* weapon at their disposal, they’ve still got mediocrity in abundance in Richt/Bobo and many of their team would be under some form of suspension, due to Richt’s lack of discipline. I’m not hatin…it just is what it is! There’s only one game of ultimate signifigance and that’s BAMA/LSwho. Whichever one wins that will take the NC. And BTW, the SECCG will be a warm-up for whichever team wins BAMA/LSwho. If you’re bettin against Saban & BAMA…you’ve got more bravado than brains. Best coach, best coaching staff and best collection of players over the past 5 years….so…what does common sense tell you? It’s not what we lose annually to the NFL that’s the key…it’s what we have waiting in the wings…but you won’t/can’t believe…so just wait & watch…
RTR!
Brave Hokie
June 1st, 2012
10:42 am
Thanks, Mark!
robodawg
June 1st, 2012
10:42 am
I dunno. In the East, Florida will bounce back in the second year of Muschamp’s cleanup efforts. And I still don’t see us having the depth in the trenches to go 4 quarters with Bama or LSU.
I don’t think it’s our year just yet. If we beat our rivals and win the East it will be a successful year.
RollNole
June 1st, 2012
10:46 am
It’s only Year 3 of Jimbo and now FSU has quality depth and a 5th year Senior QB not seen since 2000. It’s taken 2 high quality recruiting classes to finally get the quality and depth that were depleted by Bowden and to prevent the impact of massive inhuries we had last season on the OL, RB and to EJ. It is NOT the same story as the late Bowden years and the truly knowledgable football people understand this. In fact night and day difference.
The defense should be the best in the country, especially on the DL, according to all the analysts. FSU is 19-7 over the past 2 seasons with 3 straight wins over the SEC and returns 17 starters. watch out for K Benjamin at WR.
The only scary game is VT on the road for a Thursday night. I hope and pray GT wins thieir divison (which they won’t) to see what the defense can do with that offense.
If FSU can avoid the devestating injuries of last season, watch out.
sting_em
June 1st, 2012
10:46 am
If the dawgs win the east, I will root for them over LSU or Bama. Can’t stand either coach. I think they are both scum. They will do anything and push the rules to the limit to win a NC. I think UGA will loose to Mizzou, USC, and either UF, AUB, or GT. Have to say GT because I have hope. GT should win every game other than VT, Clem, and UGA. If they can get 2 out of three, its going to be a good year.
Dawg Tired
June 1st, 2012
10:47 am
Mark – This may all unravel in Columbia … Missouri, not South Carolina. With all the DB’s back in Athens eating cookies, that Missouri game could be a disaster for the Dawgs, who have not shown much spunk in games west of the Mississippi River lately (Colorado and OK State). I’m pretty sure we were actually better than those teams we lost to out there, but we truly looked totally out of sync. Grantham may make for a different outcome – at least I hope so – but without all his DBs against a potent passing attack it will not be easy.
Brave Hokie
June 1st, 2012
10:48 am
Also: just because GT loses in the ‘burg in game #1, does not necessarily mean they lose the Coastal…
VT plays @ UNC, @Klempsun, & @ Miami {and F$U in the ‘burg}… so, lotsa possibility to win outright…
Dawg Tired
June 1st, 2012
10:52 am
I reluctantly fine myself agreeing with jwo3, except for the lack of discipline comment. Our problem is that our own rules for discipline are killing us. We all know college football players are smoking pot regularly – yes, even those in hallowed places like Tuscaloosa. The difference: we suspend ‘em while the other teams play ‘em.
J
June 1st, 2012
11:03 am
HA HA HA HA UGA wins SEC Title And they have to play a Western Division Team to do that! Uh Huh I don’t see where there is more strenght in the East , West is getting Stronger, I say LSU or ARKY takes the title running away,, Sorry East ya need to Buff Up to play with the big boys.
BurlSipes
June 1st, 2012
11:14 am
Arkansas will be okay, John L. Smith notwithstanding. He’s a temporary babysitter and can’t possibly mess up too much, given the relatively good coaching staff who’ll actually be handling most of the day-to-day business.
And South Carolina will probably win 8 or 9 games this year, but definitely not 10.
For one, they’ll receive their yearly beating from the Hogs, just like they always do (regardless of how ‘good’ they’re supposed to be this year–and it doesn’t matter whether we play them in Columbia or Fayetteville. We pretty much own the Ol’ Ball Coach–and he can’t stand it, either
I’d also like to know the last time that Bama was “not as good as advertised”.
I’ll wait for your insightful answer……….I’m pretty sure it was way back during the Mike Shula era sometime……………………..
SoftZoneD
June 1st, 2012
11:14 am
Lane Kiffen don’t really own Mark Richt. I would say that Lane Kiffen owned Willie Martinez, and that lone game against Kiffen and UT in ‘09 was one of the reasons for Willie getting canned. I bet if they played that game again with Grantham calling the shots on D, it would be a totally different story.
Vince Doodley
June 1st, 2012
11:19 am
Dawgies will find a way to wet the bed as usual. Great potential but LSU and Bama are on another planet relatively speaking in terms of depth, talent and experience.
old dog
June 1st, 2012
11:19 am
We’ll be better, but this o-line will not take us to the promised land. If they improve, maybe next year, but they ain’t ready this year…………………..