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
bamaguy
October 9th, 2012
3:00 pm
We hope UGA gives Richt a lifetime contract. We have enough to worry about with LSU and South Carolina and now Florida coming back.
Layinlow
October 9th, 2012
3:05 pm
JB, i think there is a place in coaching for mark richt but not in the sec. If he went to an ACC school like nc st or unc and won 8 or 9 games every year and played in a bowl those fans would be happy. Plus he would be able to recruit some really good players that those schools would not have had a shot at before richt. I used to live in Raleigh and it would be a great fit for richt and his family.
Dawggie
October 9th, 2012
3:06 pm
Yep, Woody and Bo didn’t count their wins over Indiana, Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue. Bear’s records don’t count wins over Vandy, Tulane or Mississippi State. No, sir. Barry Switzer never padded his victory totals with Kansas, Iowa State or Kansas State. Nope.
One way to find out
October 9th, 2012
3:08 pm
Richt and UGA need to go their separate ways. Let’s see what Richt can do somewhere else, and let’s see what interest the UGA job gets on the open market.
Derek
October 9th, 2012
3:08 pm
ATHENS – Mike Gottfried says Georgia fans should be careful what they wish for with regard to offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. The long time college football analyst predicts Bobo likely will be leaving the Bulldogs sooner than they think — and it won’t be under the circumstances they might expect.
“They won’t have him long,” said Gottfried, a sportscaster and former head coach at Pittsburgh and three other college programs. “He will be a head coach real soon. Coach Bobo is a great human being and a great coach and he’s going to be a great head coach some day, without any doubt.”
Just one of many examples. Bobo is in demand: http://blogs.ajc.com/uga-sports-blog/2012/04/12/perception-of-bobo-varies-greatly-between-fans-coaches/
Derek
October 9th, 2012
3:13 pm
Just one of many columns touting Bobo…just do a Google search. Bobo is a hot coach in waiting…So glad that AD does not listen to the writers and responders of this blog. Everything I hear is that Richt has long term security at GA–so cuss all you want. Richt is our guy. I for one am glad.
We’re talking 10 years of creating QBs at the University of Georgia.
Bobo gave us Matthew Stafford and David Greene, and now he’s giving us Aaron Murray.
His resume with quarterbacks has been undeniably impressive, but it’s his work in other areas that’s starting to get recognized. When A.J. Green served his suspension in 2010, there were multiple receivers stepping up their game to produce offense.
Then we saw a whole new group do it again this past season when Green chose the NFL and Kris Durham graduated.
Last season, when the roster unexpectedly thinned at running back, Bobo had true freshman Isaiah Crowell ready to carry the team’s rush attack on his back.
Successfully overcoming these kinds of challenges with a winning record will open teams’ eyes to Bobo’s potential, essentially earning him a head coaching opportunity sooner rather than later.
Gary
October 9th, 2012
3:14 pm
Funny how we went all summer discussing the weaknesses of the current georgia team. The O-line has some young players. No depth on the oline. The defense was supposed to be improved but the suspensions and lack of depth might hurt. Some still questioned Murray’s decision making in panic situations. So we were 5 games into the season having played not so good Mizzu or Vandy, and a slightly improved but still loosing Tennessee who pushed the dogs to the limit. (if their QB had been more accurate we would have lost that game) Yet somehow folks now think that 10 and 2 is bad.
News flash. SC is good. Maybe very good. Maybe NC game good. Those monsters on Defense 6′ 7 and 6′ 8 giants killed us. Lattimore is the best running back in the SEC and he owns our defense. They got a pretty damn good QB. They have the best coach in college football (Sorry Saban, if Spurrier was at Bama you would not have lost to LSU last year in the regular season).
Second Flash – Florida has talent. They have lots of it. They recruit better players and it is clicking. Still think LSU had weaknesses that people seemed to ignore, but that was still a good win for Florida. Georgia will struggle with Florida and loose again. 10 & 2…
Then we will play another good team in our bowl game and Loose again. 10 & 3. Basically Georgia is good enough to beat the teams they are supposed too, but not good enough to beat a solid top 25 team. I have defended Richt for years. I am hoping he will make the decision to call it quits behind closed doors and allow Georgia to find a coach who can take the team to the next level. He is no longer the man to do it. If you could not see that Saturday night, you did not want to see it.
We are loosing key recruits to other schools. We have a huge program with ample cash and should be able to compete for the east. When Tennessee gets better next year we will be FOURTH in the east.
Time for new blood. If McGarrity is not alreading searching for a replacement he should be fired as well.
JB
October 9th, 2012
3:21 pm
THE big difference in interest in the Georgia job say over the Mississippi schools, Tenn. schools, S.Carolina schools is the D1 talent in Georgia. If…big If Richt could keep the best 20 players home in this state EVERY year, even he and Bobo couldn’t screw it up. There would be interest.. I didn’t mention Fla or Ala because no school there WOULD ever hire Richt.
SEC Headlines 10/9/2012 – Tennessee – Just another SEC Sites site
October 9th, 2012
3:22 pm
[...] 2. The bar is high at Georgia. Would a loss to Florida make them 10-2 underachievers? [...]
JB
October 9th, 2012
3:22 pm
Giving Bobo credit for Stafford and Greene is a bit of a stretch.
Gary
October 9th, 2012
3:22 pm
Bamaguy, not sure why you would be worried about LSU.
ARdawg
October 9th, 2012
3:24 pm
We have Kentucky coming up. “Win it for Bennett”
Layinlow
October 9th, 2012
3:30 pm
Derek, either you’re related to bobo or he’s a family friend. Or the third option is your sitting around smoking weeed and messin with all of us. I don’t know which unless your completely delusional after forgetting to take your meds.
bugsquacher
October 9th, 2012
3:31 pm
Bradley…..damn good article….hope the UGA upper admin echelon is reading this…..
we are living the lie…. the stats speak for themselves
Derek
October 9th, 2012
3:31 pm
Top programs across the land would hire Richt in a New York second. Come on guys…know something about football before you speak
OnTheMoney
October 9th, 2012
3:40 pm
What top 20 programs would hire Richt. He’s a nice guy but only Mack Brown at Texas has done less with top tier talent!!!!
What’s worse is the Gators R BACK and we aren’t!!! Facts R facts.
Sturday night on national was an embarrassing moment for almost all DAWG alums and how long r we going to make excuses for MR? We play weakest SOS in the SEC this year and should have made hay and we didn’t! I hope for the best but my $$$$ says the Gators stomp us and we will be 0-2 against the only quality teams we play…….
OnTheMoney
October 9th, 2012
3:42 pm
Enter your comments here
Stiffneck
October 9th, 2012
3:43 pm
This team has already underachieved this season. Saturday’s meltdown takes UGA out of the race in the East. The Gators will beat us. The defense is grossly over-rated. The offensive line can’t handle simple blocking assignments against quality a D. No way the Dawgs represent the East – nor should they.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 9th, 2012
3:45 pm
Bobo a hot coach in waiting
lol
tell me why he is still the OC at UGA
gdawginkalamazoo
October 9th, 2012
3:46 pm
I am not so disappointed that we lost to SC because they always play us tough. I am really disappointed/frustrated that we were not in the least bit competitive in the match up. If we had lost by a FG or TD even it would have hurt but I would have known that our team got off the bus to play. They stayed on the bus.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 9th, 2012
3:46 pm
Derek
You’re right
Top programs in the MAC
Ol' Dog Who Knows Better
October 9th, 2012
4:04 pm
I was in school pre-Dooley. but we were al behind the team. We would have thought Nirvana would have been a Mark Ritcht, He’s ours and will be for a long time, so we all need to get behind and stay behind the team. Get some positive energy going. It is not so bad now. It was, and could be, a lot worse.
ARdawg
October 9th, 2012
4:13 pm
Ol’Dog
It’s already been a lot worse. It was pretty bad as I walked away from the Liberty Bowl in the rain. We’ve had it bad. It’s been so long since it was good that nobody remembers “good”. No, we are now mired in the mediocrity of Richt coaching. Great guy yadda, yadda, yadda. As zoodawg just stated, losing isn’t a big deal, it’s showing up and staying on the bus as happened last Sat. No plan, no preparation, no effort. “They’ve heard how good we are” approach doesn’t cut it.
If the Bulldog Nation is content with going forward and losing to the competitive teams every year and padding a win/loss record on lesser teams then I’ll have to deal with it. But, I won’t like it and I won’t shut up about it.
vesaversa
October 9th, 2012
4:37 pm
It was a stupid move on the part of the UGA to give Mark Richt a new contract extension he should be fired .
Derek
October 9th, 2012
4:51 pm
ARdawg, we are content with Richt as our coach my friend. You are reacting to some disapppointments over the past few years–but see the big picture. Richt is far beyond Dooley in excellence and not only will he build championship teams again in the future–all of the guys who come from his program are better men as a result. Yes, we are content with Richt and anyone who knows Richt knows that he is competitive to the core and he is working hard to win games. Face it–he is the coach for a long long time. And try to think big picture–thats a good thing.
IKnowRight?
October 9th, 2012
5:08 pm
Not trolling, but it seemed that dawg followers didn’t care that much about winning against the big boys as long as CMR had a good winning percentage. I remember so much of “CMR is a good Christian man” Well, who’s to say that other big time winning coaches are not good Christian men? Ya’ll dogged Saban big time when he took the job at Bama. Now, you keep talmbout Saban this and Alabama that. Hell, I even heard one of you suggest Bobby Patrino for your coach. Now, ya’ll sound like you don’t care if you had the devil himself, as long as you win and win big. What happen to “first and foremost, he’s a good Christian man”? Damn, I’m just saying. What Do You Want?
ROLL M F Tide!!
Stay off the Kool Aid
October 9th, 2012
5:08 pm
That goes for you Derek. we aint content with Richt
Valyboy32
October 9th, 2012
5:16 pm
The SEC is a cut throat physical league you
cant haveboth sides of our line play women privates this team will never win with this coach! If you want a good christain take your asses to your local church!! Its crazy how these delusional people at uga and some fans rather be middle of pack!! If feel that way move to kentucky or ole miss speaking of ole miss i hope they beat uga and nikimdeche gloat all the way to clemson!!! The best group of athletes this state has ever seen and none are coming this way or jumping ship!! Keep drinking the GOOD CHRISTAIN KOOLAID we’ll never win crap!
ARdawg
October 9th, 2012
5:18 pm
Derek
“Big Picture” prepares a team for big games. This has not been a staple at Georgia in the last 6 years, maybe longer. Richt has no “Big Picture”. Few would disagree that the Georgia teams has had loads of talent, year in and year out. Talent, recruiting, a team full of the best athletes the South East has to offer. Georgia has it’s pick of quality athletes. Richt has done an excellent job of getting those kids to enroll. The problem is his coaching. What exactly his problem with coaching is, I don’t know. That’s for McGarity to figure out or do something different.
Richt can’t get the wagon over the hump. If you are okay with never fielding a team with no aspirations of championships then, you love everything just as it is now. Most fans of most universities want to see their teams no only excel but, win on the field of play as well as in lif and the classroom. THAT also makes a university, a high caliber university
Watkinsville Dawg
October 9th, 2012
5:21 pm
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a 9-3 or 10-2 season if your goal is to have a good record and beat most of the teams on your schedule, including several cupcakes. But if your stated goal is to win the SEC, then the BCS championship, the record itself doesn’t matter. Mark Richt’s very flawed coaching system has led only to mediocrity and irrelevance both regionally and nationally.
Richt has had more than enough time to produce a winning team that achieves its goals, and with a downward trend the last few years, it’s clear that he’s never going to win the big one. Nothing is going to change for the better until Richt and his staff are replaced with someone who knows how to win big and will produce championship teams.
GODAWGS82
October 9th, 2012
5:23 pm
You guys seem to ignore the fact the UGA does NOT pick its own schedule yearly.
And UGA was supposed to play Alabama this year. The SEC took that game away and put Missouri on the schedule. Next year, UGA picks up Alabama and LSU….so quit complaining about the soft schedule. You play who you are scheduled to play.
Valyboy32
October 9th, 2012
5:26 pm
Im glad roll tide get on this blog because the folks over in alabama know what it takes to win ! Roll tide gloat your ass off because these people in charge at uga are some of the backwards hardheaded people in the history of college football! They let history repeat itself over an over an over!!
FRED
October 9th, 2012
5:26 pm
Are you serious this coach CMR beat Florida? Have you seen Florida play yet this year? I will bet you my home Florida beats this coach of ours by minium of 14 pts.
ARdawg
October 9th, 2012
5:29 pm
The display last Saturday in Columbia was disgraceful and representative of the heights or lows that Richt aspires his team. Disgraceful. SC played excellent, they have quality athletes and a *sic* quality coach who prepares his team for big wins and rising to the occasion.
Pound for pound, Georgia’s athletes are better, more experienced. There is no reason why Richt would take a bus load of talented players into that stadium and get hammered the way we did if he was all the coach you proclaim. The guy just doesn’t have it. How many more displays such as this do you have to witness before the rose colored glasses come off?
Perry
October 9th, 2012
5:37 pm
ARdawg and Watkinsville Dawg hit the nail on the head. And that’s exactly why Richt has to go, and the sooner the better.
ga gator
October 9th, 2012
5:40 pm
Gators need to take care of business this week before thinking about Carolina or UGA. UF’s margin for victory is very small with the lack of passing game we have and cannot afford to look ahead in any game. That being said the way they controlled both lines of scrimmage saturday has every player buying into what Muschamp is selling.
Perry
October 9th, 2012
5:46 pm
GODAWGS82: “You guys seem to ignore the fact the UGA does NOT pick its own schedule yearly.”
You’re only partly correct. UGA (McGarity and Richt) do pick all of the cupcake weak sisters of the poor teams the dawgs play every year. And they schedule more of these crap teams than any team that has goals of winning the BCS does. Even if UGA goes 12-0, the strength of schedule will keep them out of the BCS championship. Sorry, folks, you can’t have it both ways, like Richt wants it.
Here we go
October 9th, 2012
6:00 pm
I have read over 900+ comments and feel the pain and heartache from losing to USCe.However please be advised that wanting changes will not happen.CMR will be at UGA for the next 5 years.No changes will be made!! The AD and Athletic Board support CMR and will continue even with 9 and 3 or even 8 and 4 seasons.Now if we have a 7 and 5 or 6 and 6 maybe just maybe support will rise to replace him.My feeling is if it gets that bad,CMR will resign.Starting today I’m going to continue to support the DAWGS as I have since 1972.May not like what the outcome will be,but I do love my University and football team.Go DAWGS!!!
Swooped
October 9th, 2012
6:30 pm
Looks like a bunch of Tech fans, posing as UGA fans, have been posting, or maybe it’s just one person, using a bunch of fake names.
Look, UGA is ranked #10 in the BCS, Tech isn’t, get over it.
Dawg-Gawn
October 9th, 2012
6:49 pm
All of you so called UGA fans with such delusional expectations of grander, of a national championship and want to fire everybody because your own expectations are not in line with reality, might just need to find another hobby… one that you have total control over!
Look in the mirror, you are the one with the problem…. you are the one that is an embarrassment… the only one you can fire, is yourself… that’s how important you are! No one made you watch the SC game, but you, if you are that dissatisfied, quit watching!
Change the only person that you can…. yourself…. your priority is way out of whack and expectations are not in line with reality!
Get a grip on yourselves… get with the team “G” or go root for another team. UGA is trying hard to win out the season and find out what develops from there.
UGA is far from broken… SC was just a unexpected speed bump in the road! Now quit your belly aching, before your wife FIRES your butt!!!
“GET on the Bus or get OFF”
“BELIEVE in the “G”
Cujo
October 9th, 2012
7:11 pm
And if Georgia beats UF (again), you will find a reason why UF is a sorry worthless team then, too. Bet the NAT’s (north avenue turds) would love to win 10 games this season – in the ACC. Talk about a weak schedule? Nothing, and I mean NOTHING would bring a bigger smile on my face than to see UGA win out & USCjr lose to LSU & Florida and have to watch UGA play in the SEC championship game again! Or for both of us to win the rest of the regular season games, then have Bama beat the brakes off of USCjr & UGA go to a BCS bowl.
Gators for Richt
October 9th, 2012
7:21 pm
The problem is UGA is playing too many tough opponents. Now that LSU and Bama are off the schedule, they need to get Florida and USC off too. They could fill those slots with Buffalo and Florida Atlantic. Oh, UGA already plays those teams? Maybe you could play them twice. Have an endzone celebration in one game and make the other one a blackout game – that will bring a national title to Athens!
Ga>Fl
October 9th, 2012
7:41 pm
relax—fla is way overrated and the dogs should beat them by 10 easy. fl beat lsu but lsu isn’t that good this year. Ga’s O will light up fla’s D.
MathewO
October 9th, 2012
7:47 pm
Why are we helping other schools in the SEC? We must have an entire fan base that love being average, time to face it Coach Richt has done well for us, but when UGA was great under him everyone else just plain down sucked then that time frame. We can’t win a bowl game now and we lost to UCF that should have been enough, not to mention Colorado and AZ State… UGA deserves better, esp when you consider SC does not recruit to the same level as UGA. Coach Richt = great offensive coordinator!
ugafan863
October 9th, 2012
8:03 pm
We came out flat against S.Carolina there was no energy what so ever.Im done with that.Florida didnt look so great against LSU which has no offence,Murray always looks good against Florida even we went 6-7 I think better yet know we will beat Florida and go 10-1.Remember Off.Line is young and two young dawgs running the ball.Better days will come trust me and stop all the whining dawg fans.Dawgs 27 that other team 17
ugafan863
October 9th, 2012
8:05 pm
Also we never lost to ARIZONA STATE tell you a dawg fan
Charlie Postelwaite
October 9th, 2012
8:05 pm
It was not too long ago that Steve Spurrier said, that UGA gets the best players out of Georgia, but can’t coach them up.
King Gator
October 9th, 2012
8:25 pm
Gonna be a good one in Jax this year- feeling better about our chances every week. Our OL and DL are really coming together and our DBs are flat out hitters. We’re still a little challenged in the passing game though. Looking forward to it. Go Gators!
Mobile Dawg
October 9th, 2012
8:29 pm
Kinda surprised that we haven’t heard anything from the call in show last night.
Fair n Balanced
October 9th, 2012
8:35 pm
Ga will not beat FL because FL is a better team. Losing to them won’t be a great shame but it marks again that GA is not an elite team. Tell ya what….if we lose 2 games in the reg season…….you have. To make some very serious coaching changes. SERIOUS changes!