Unless it beats the Gators, UGA will be a 10-2 underachiever
"Wait just a doggone minute! Isn't that the signal for the infield fly?" (AJC photo by Bob Andres)
At the absolute worst, Georgia figures to finish its regular season 10-2. Just last year, a 10-2 regular season yielded an SEC East title and bought Mark Richt a contract extension and was taken as a sign that Georgia football was on the ascent. To go 10-2 again, assuming this 10-2 includes a loss to Florida and the absence of another division title, would be taken as an abject reversal.
Here’s where the Bulldogs’ bunny schedule serves as both boon and burden. Georgia still must play Kentucky, Ole Miss, Auburn and Georgia Tech; the aggregate record of those teams is 7-16. The Bulldogs also will face Georgia Southern, which plays at a lesser level. If Georgia beats those five but loses to Florida, it will be described, oddly but accurately, as a 10-2 underachiever.
When the Bulldogs were going 8-5 in 2009 and 6-7 the next season, the question became: Would they ever win big again? They’ve since gone 15-5, which would seem to offer an answer, but in light of the drubbing administered by South Carolina we note there can be a difference between Winning Big and Winning Big Games. Georgia has come to occupy the space between.
Its last victory over a Top 10 team came when it defeated No. 7 Georgia Tech on Nov. 28, 2009. The Bulldogs last beat an SEC team ranked in the Top 10 on Oct. 27, 2007 (No. 9 Florida in the Gator Stomp game). Their last victory over anybody in the top five came against No. 5 Auburn on Nov. 11, 2006. Since Oct. 30, 2008, Georgia is 4-13 against ranked opposition, and three of those times the Bulldogs were the higher-ranked team.
Coming off their 2011 turnaround, these Bulldogs figured to have much working for them: A fourth-year junior at quarterback, nine defensive starters who are either seniors or juniors and, above all, the softest of schedules. But when you play so few games against opponents of comparable worth and you lose them all, that schedule turns against you. It makes you seem a team that is, as Lou Holtz once said, living a lie.
It would one be one thing if the Bulldogs were capable of no more, if the only thing enabling them to be ranked at all was the canny maximization of modest resources. But you cannot recruit at such an exalted level and then claim personnel bankruptcy. There aren’t 10 more talented teams in the land. So why, when it comes time to step up in class, does Georgia invariably flunk?
We cannot help but look to the coach. It’s his program. He hired these high-salaried assistants, recruited these star-spangled players. And isn’t as if Richt has never won a Big Game: From 2002 through Jan. 1, 2008, Georgia was 22-10 against ranked opponents. It is 6-14 since. It has become the classic bully: It terrorizes the small fry but turns tail when the big boys show up.
After winning the East last year, the Bulldogs faced No. 1 LSU and lost 42-10. After rising to No. 5 in the land this season, they played South Carolina in Columbia and lost 35-7. That’s a 60-point spread in prove-it games, and the latter loss was truly alarming. Georgia wasn’t ready to handle a team like LSU last season, but 1o months later it was even less prepared for what the Gamecocks unleashed. Isn’t experience supposed to be a teaching tool?
Maybe it can still be one. This year isn’t over. If Georgia can beat Florida, there’s a chance the Bulldogs can again win the East. South Carolina would have to lose twice, but its next two games are against LSU and Florida on the road. Even so, the sight of the Gators again on the rise is surely disquieting: Of the four times Georgia has won the SEC East, three came in Year 1 after a Florida coaching change, and the fourth was in Ron Zook’s final season. This is Year 2 for Will Muschamp, and Florida just climbed to No. 4 in the Associated Press poll.
Having lost three in a row to South Carolina, Georgia has already fallen behind the Gamecocks in both standings and hierarchy. If Florida jumps back ahead of the Bulldogs, the Richt renaissance will have been the briefest of moments. His program will be in danger of falling into the hole from which he once rescued it: That time in the ’90s when Florida and Tennessee owned the division and Georgia, under Ray Goff and Jim Donnan, was relegated to third place.
This looked to be the season Richt and his Bulldogs consolidated their hold on the division, and they might yet. But anything less than an East title would rekindle all those questions about Richt. There’s no way Georgia would move to fire a coach who wins 10 games two years running; there’s also no way the second 10-2 would feel half as good as the first.
At some point Georgia has to answer the question, “Yeah, but who did you beat?” And that answer cannot continue to be, “Well, there was that Tech game back in ‘09 …”
By Mark Bradley
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987 comments Add your comment
JB
October 8th, 2012
8:50 pm
Our only real hope is for Mark and his lovely wife to go do mission work full time. That’s their passion, and God bless them.
Eddie Haskel
October 8th, 2012
8:50 pm
Georgia should tank the Florida game and win the rest. This will avoid a beat down by the team from Bama.
Mobile Dawg
October 8th, 2012
8:51 pm
Good point JB, but I wasn’t going to be the one to bring it up.
JB
October 8th, 2012
8:51 pm
After Saturday, I want to see Carolina play Bama, just say’n
Mobile Dawg
October 8th, 2012
8:54 pm
I’d rather see Muschamp beat the Ole Ball Coach, then take his beating. If Spurrier had a little more class he wouldn’t be so hard to like.
LakeDawg
October 8th, 2012
8:54 pm
“I will support the new coach if the 1st 3 years look someone like this
5-7
6-6
8-4
Year 4 should have 10 wins with a victory over FL somewhere in that and at least 400 to 600 avg record against FL
Year 4 and beyond should have a 500 record against the top 10 and 700 against the top 25
Thats not to hard with the talent that is in this state”
======================================================================
Amen
T-Dawg
October 8th, 2012
8:54 pm
When this team wins, it’s because we have superior talent. However, when we go up against teams that have similar talent, we get get destroyed. Now, stop and think. What does this mean? If you don’t come to the conclusion that coaching is the problem then the entire Univeristy of Georgia school system has failed. This program will never meet the expectations of its fan base (win a national title) until Mark Richt is gone. He deserves to finish out the year but mcgarity needs to be looking right away. Hiring an unproven head coach is the wrong answer. Kirby Smart is not what this program needs. There are way too many issues when you hire a coordinator as a Head coach and we just don’t need that.
lol
October 8th, 2012
8:55 pm
why don’t we fire mark richt then maybe we will win at fl.
JB
October 8th, 2012
8:55 pm
Mobile, it was be a national story if Richt was fired,,,,,and not for the good of UGA. They would focus on how good he is for the game and how he’s won 80% of his regular season games the last two years……and those Hillbilly’s fired him…..PR disaster in the waiting.
Glory Between the Hedges
October 8th, 2012
8:55 pm
JB I am.a huge supporter of Obama and am not of Richt so your logic is flawed. Obama gets results and Richt does not.
CHIKEN FRIED
October 8th, 2012
8:56 pm
To solve part of this problem you dawg fans just don’t look at the polls until about mid oct. That way you won’t have any false expectations. By the way how’s that DREAM TEAM 1 and 2 workin out??
Glory Between the Hedges
October 8th, 2012
8:58 pm
Who screened these calls!!! Pathetic!!
Techster
October 8th, 2012
8:58 pm
Dog fans: Can’t help it. I’m still laughing about the way the chickens manhandled your dogs. I had about as much fun watching that game as in 2011 when LSU annihilated your puppies.
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha……..yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk
JB
October 8th, 2012
8:59 pm
Obama gets results. Sorry, I can’t buy that….and I’m not a racist, just a realist.
Ghost of Sinwich
October 8th, 2012
8:59 pm
These Bulldogs need to strap, it up and want it as bad as Florida. This team has all the talent, in the world. The question now is do they have the want to, discipline, and desire.
I told you so
October 8th, 2012
8:59 pm
Yes, its true a 10-2 finish is the bare minimum of adequacy, given the embarrassingly-fluff schedule.
72 Dawg
October 8th, 2012
9:00 pm
Enter your comments here
JB
October 8th, 2012
9:00 pm
Techster………..10 of 11…..soon to be 11 of 12. MTSU…..really?
Ghost of Sinkwich
October 8th, 2012
9:01 pm
dito to sinwich
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 8th, 2012
9:02 pm
Techster
Yea I cant help it either
Im still laughing about Middle Fulton County High coming into historic Bobby Dump stadium and pounding Tech into oblivion
Ghost of Sinkwich
October 8th, 2012
9:02 pm
dito to sinkwich
JB
October 8th, 2012
9:05 pm
Ole fish fry fired Grog though. Me thinks his SSI check was fixing to be affected by his coaching Salary and he had to get out. Thought he was doing a good job holding the last 3 opponents to 40+ just say’n
JB
October 8th, 2012
9:06 pm
sorry, s/b Groh
Mobile Dawg
October 8th, 2012
9:06 pm
JB, there was also “national” disbelief when Saban was hired for 4 Million a year, now it looks like a bargain. No guts, no glory. I think a lot of people “nationally” know that Richt is failing, they just don’t openly say it. I have a business associate who is friends, and related to some in the Dooley family, know Saban well, and the pillow talk doesn’t support Richt’s performance. He’s a good man, and popular, just failing at his “paid occupation”.
Pope UGA XXIII
October 8th, 2012
9:07 pm
Techster needs to go back downstairs in Mommy’s basement and pick his
nose or whatever. Anyone who loses to Middle Tennessee in front of a SRO
crowd of 24,000 (at Grady Stadium anyway) doesn’t need to be in this chat.
I’m not a particularly big fan of Mark Bradley as he deems himself Big Blue’s
P R rep, but in this instance, he is spot on. The record of 10 – 2 is probable, &
it absolutely will NOT be cause for cartwheels up and down Milledge Avenue.
The only way I would have any comfort zone here would be for UGA to run
the table convincingly and wear out a bowl opponent. Neither will happen. The
news today sez that Paul Johnson made a change at defensive coach. Lets see
if our A D has a pair when the season’s over.
JB
October 8th, 2012
9:08 pm
Friends I have at other SEC schools can not believe the sleeping giant sitting in this state waiting to be unleashed.
Techster
October 8th, 2012
9:08 pm
I guess dog fans found out that real top ten teams don’t play phony schedules that include patsies like Florida Atlantic and Buffalo.
CHIKEN FRIED
October 8th, 2012
9:09 pm
Hey FAT TIRE quit pickin on ur little brother. HOW BOUT 3 IN A ROW !!!!!!!
Beast from the East
October 8th, 2012
9:11 pm
October 8th, 2012
9:08 pm
I guess dog fans found out that real top ten teams don’t play phony schedules that include patsies like Florida Atlantic and Buffalo.
Or Middle Tennessee State. Just saying…
JB
October 8th, 2012
9:11 pm
Pope….. If we lose to Florida, if not Richt, MsGarity ought to MAKE him fire Bobo and Grantham and open the check book and bring in some real help. Grantham was oversold, based on results. Average teams are loading up points and yards on us.
CHIKEN FRIED
October 8th, 2012
9:13 pm
JB. Sleepin ? For 32 years !!!!
JB
October 8th, 2012
9:14 pm
Carolina…enjoy…100 years of football….and nothing to show for it….maybe this is the year.
FLA DAWG
October 8th, 2012
9:14 pm
Auburn, Bama, UF and LSU all fired their coaches and all won either The SEC Championship and or BCS Titles within two to four years.
Their fans will not accept anything less than an SECC within two or three years and we should not either. Richt and his crew should have been unloaded three years ago. But McGarity gave them contract extensions and raises.
I think an earlier writer stated that McGarity is really the problem. I agree. Fire him too.
FIRE RICHT – HIRE DEREK DOOLEY
Mobile Dawg
October 8th, 2012
9:15 pm
Just watched Ben Jones make the block that sprung the Texans running back for a 50 yard gain. We put great talent into the NFL every year. We’re a powerhouse of a program for the NFL.
JB
October 8th, 2012
9:16 pm
FLA DAWG…………………..no, Prez Adams IS the problem……and he is on the way out. Adams is a big Richt fan.
Mobile Dawg
October 8th, 2012
9:17 pm
OK FD, why Dooley?
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 8th, 2012
9:17 pm
Chiken Fried
Dont Choke like Carolina always does
By the way glad to see Carolina finally get its 16th win against UGA it only took you 100 years
LOL
By the way
Will Carolina finally get to 6 bowl victories this year
LOL
What a joke program
FLA DAWG
October 8th, 2012
9:18 pm
Techster,
Yes, they do actually. Bama played W. Ky, FAU and will play W Carolina.
SC played E. Carolina, UAB and will play Wofford.
LSU played N. Tx, W. Ky, Towson.
Shall I go on?
Read a book about college football before you blog something stupid again.
I’m sorry, you go to Tech. You’ll never know anything about college football no matter how much you read.
JB
October 8th, 2012
9:19 pm
If I’m reading between the lines correctly, the new Richt contract with heavy protection for the University was by design by McGarity, who I thinks like most do. It ain’t happening. Richt has 1 or 2 years left max. Nothing in the last 4 years tells me different.
Mobile Dawg
October 8th, 2012
9:19 pm
Hey Flat, if we win in Jacksonville this year you gonna get a new tire?
JB
October 8th, 2012
9:20 pm
Or panties before marriage LOL
JB
October 8th, 2012
9:22 pm
Boy, I hate Sprurrier is 67. Maybe Lou Holtz can get Skip for ya’ll
FLA DAWG
October 8th, 2012
9:22 pm
JB,
You are absolutely right. I had forgotten that guy.
Carrying it a bit further, Derek Dooley would never get a shot at UGA with Adams there since Adams and the Dooleys are not the best of friends from what I understand.
Well, if the old guy leaves soon enough maybe D.D. has a shot.
I think a successful Dooley back at UGA would draw more audience and viewers than anyone can imagine. D.D. has done a damn good job with basic talent and no depth.
Smart UT fans want him to stay. Others (like our Richt lovers) want him to go.
We should offer this guy and begin a real program turnaround.
FIRE RICHT – HIRE DEREK DOOLEY
To Tell the Truth
October 8th, 2012
9:22 pm
The joke program is UGA with Zero NC’s in 30+ years yet beat their chests all the time about having the top recruiting classes every year!!!
FL OWNS them again this year in JAX!!!
FRED
October 8th, 2012
9:23 pm
Beat Florida PLEASE you think SC beat us badley waite till we play Florida all of you will want to fire CMR. This season is over unless you want to watch us beat the worst teams in football.
Charleston Jacket
October 8th, 2012
9:23 pm
Well said Mark. Ugag always plays a soft schedule. Year ‘n year out have visions of championships only to awaken mid season and realize they are once again posers.
What do ya’ll do with all those 5 star players (CSS) Gotta love the ole ball coach.
THWG
JB
October 8th, 2012
9:25 pm
To tell the truth….and I will will, Florida was much like Carolina for 50 years before Sprurrier……..And not to bash, he did a great job at Florida, as did Meyer.
JB
October 8th, 2012
9:26 pm
rather be 2-10 than a yellow jacket.
Mobile Dawg
October 8th, 2012
9:29 pm
UF stood toe to toe with LSU, then beat them at their own game. UF physically beat LSU badly in the second half. Seems all you have to do is come at UGA hard, and we fold. That’s what Lattimore said, “we hit them hard and they didn’t know what to do”. That doesn’t bode well for us in Jacksonville this year.
Layinlow
October 8th, 2012
9:32 pm
Here are the details of richt’s buyout on his contract if he is fired without cause:
Following the season: 2012- 4.8 million
2013- 2.4 million
2014- 1.6 million
2015- 800k
I have to give mcgarity a lot more credit after looking at the details of richt’s contract. Mcgarity did extend it but in doing so he forced richt to accept a smallish buyout compared to most major college coaches contracts. If richt leaves on his own to pursue another job he owes the university of uga zero. Ole mcgarity is a lot smarter than some on here are giving him credit for, he extended richt for recruiting purposes but still has an easy way out if things go bad. So even if they fire richt after this season 4.8 million is very manageable for a program with the big money coffers as uga.