Ed Aschoff has a prediction worth bookmarking:
Midway through the season, Georgia will spend four straight games away from Athens. The trip starts at Missouri and squeezes in that annual game in Jacksonville, Fla., against rival Florida. Add a trip to Arkansas and Kentucky, and the Dawgs will be world travelers. Expect Georgia to split that road trip.
Is that what we should expect? If so, which schools beat the Dawgs in that stretch?
Get The Picture 
He always underestimates UGA and overestimated FL.
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3…2…1…we have ignition and liftoff for Mayor of Dawgtown…
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Aschoff is a FL troll. 3 of those 4 teams look to be pretty shitty. A split would be a big disappointment. 3-1 might be a fair expectation.
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With a new DC, new QB and the usual dreck at O-line, should we expect more than 8-5?
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That wasn’t what I asked, but I’m just curious if that’s a knee-jerk question, or if you’ve taken the time to analyze Georgia’s opponents before reaching that conclusion.
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Clemson, SoCar, Florida and Auburn all have similar talent. Mizzou has a bit less, but it’s on the road and they can play. Then you have the typical UGA derp game where they play terrible for no real reason. I see a typical 9-3 or 8-4 season. The secondary is a dumpster fire and the offense will rely too heavily on Gurley. I would love to be wrong, though. Perhaps we can be this year’s Auburn and run the table in a bunch of close games.
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My thought (and probably Ed’s) is that you don’t have to analyze the opponents. You only need to analyze Richt’s shitty coaching the last few years and know he will not have the team prepared in half these games.
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Hey, thanks for stopping by…
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I have looked at the schedule, which on face value looks manageable. The first two games worry me (Clemson and USC) due mainly to a new defense, suspensions, poor O-line and breaking in a new QB. I look for teams to load up on the run and force Mason to beat them. With a shakey O-line this could prove to be a mountainous task. So I see a loss to both Carolina schools. Then comes an improved UT squad (according to the experts), Vandy and Mizzou. I see the Dawgs falling to one of those 3, most likely Tennessee. The Vols are going to beat someone they shouldn’t. Next up will be Florida (awful but always a battle), Auburn and GT. A loss to Auburn would not, nor should not, surprise us. Neither should a loss to Florida. 8-5 or 9-4 seems about right as of now given what the Dawgs have to work with. Now an improved O-line, or a major step up by the D, or less screw ups from ST’s could change that. I just don’t see it.
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I see. Georgia, with its shaky o-line, will get taken by a Tennessee team that has to replace its entire offensive line.
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I gave 8-5 or 9-4. Should the Dawgs fall to the Vols? No. But this team has a ton of question marks. A loss to Tennessee would not surprise me, nor would a win. The question is, “What the the reaction be to another subpar season?”.
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I get that the team has question marks. I’m wondering if you realize the same could be said for almost every team on Georgia’s schedule to which you predict a loss.
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Where do you see this team finishing? Apparently you don’t see the same things that I do.
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Obviously. Aschoff is predicting 2 losses to Missouri, Florida, Arkansas, and Kentucky. Arkansas and Kentucky combined for zero wins against conference teams last year. Both should be better than that, for whatever that’s worth. But either of those teams upsetting us, assuming most of our team can make it off the bus, would be huge.
That means that, realistically, Aschoff is predicting we lose to Missouri and Florida. Florida hopes to be better than they were last year. But they were awful last year. And they lack proven playmakers. UGA is hoping Gurley and Marshall can get healthy and stay healthy. Florida is hoping that a 4-star recruit can finally do something good on the field. Those two situations are very different. Also, Georgia is now in Florida’s heads. Florida’s seniors desperately want to leave school having beaten UGA at least once during their careers. So, Florida is the one worrying about a streak in the series. Yes, we could lose, but UGA will be favored in that game.
The most likely loss is, therefore, Missouri. Missouri has a new QB, but he performed well last year standing in for Franklin. Missouri has depth on the line. But, they’ve lost key playmakers as well. Replacing Green-Beckham, Ealy, and Sam is a daunting task. Also, both prospective offensive tackles played at different spots last year. And UGA fans know that, sometimes, a guard moving to tackle doesn’t work out that well.
So, 3 wins, with a Missouri loss, is probably the most likely outcome. But, I think 4 wins is more likely than 2. Unless Richt just fails to prepare his players’ ACLs again this year.
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+1
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The real danger for the 2014 team is losing both of the first 2 games. If that happens I can see a 4 loss regular season or even worse. However, if the Dawgs win BOTH of the first 2 games, this could be the best season for Georgia since 2002. Why do we always have to bet the ranch right out of the gate?
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Who knows who might be hurt or gone by that stretch but if we have close to a full squad 4-0.
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I agree. If the Dawgs are at full power, 4-0.
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At Missouri is obviously the toughest game. We’ve got a bit of momentum against Florida but that’s always a tough game. Arkansas and Kentucky look like shit but if you don’t think we’re capable of losing one of those games on the road then you haven’t been watching Georgia football the past 7 years. Predicting a 2-2 stretch rings a bit of pulling against the Dawgs but seems very possible.
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Muzzle lost their best receiver and has a new quarterback.
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Mizzou not muzzle although the loss of Dorial Green-Beckham might muzzle them.
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Deep thoughts from Ed Aschoff
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They also ‘squeeze’ in a bye week in the ‘road trip.’
I don’t love the Arky game on the back end of 6 straight and coming off the trip to Mizzou…the other game I don’t like is AU after Jax and at KY. I wish they had Troy or someone before SoCar and could have pushed AU, Mizzou or Tennessee after a bye. (And burned a game for a suspension)
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By the time we find out that Ark is as bad as we think and that Mauk may be better than we thought or that no one has knocked out FU’s QB (it would be to our advantage if he was still upright to go) and that there is no more resurrected Pillsbury Dough Boy at Kentucky this year, then I can answer that question.
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Ed didn’t quite read the schedule. We’re at Mizzou and Arky, then we’ve got 2 weeks to get ready for UF. After UF, we’re at Kentucky.
Of those games, Mizzou scares me the most. We play UT & Vandy during the 2 weeks before we play Mizzou, but Mizzou will be coming off a bye week. Our best chance for survival would be to drop 35 on Vandy in Q1, then put the second team in and send Hutson & Herrera to start watching film.
As far as Arky & Kentucky goes, … eh. Arky can’t throw, so they’ll be running into the strongest part of our D. Kentucky might get crazy, but Hutson can run a two-minute drill (all game long, if need be).
And I believe I speak for all of us when I say that we simply have to win that UF game.
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Good point Fletch. It’s really not accurate to look at this as 4 straight road games when there’s a bye week right in the middle.
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It is a fair to point out this is an unusual stretch for any CFB team but way too early to project how we come out of that. That particular time of year is when most teams are dealing with significant injuries/nicks so who knows? Playing the game he has offered up, and as a fan, with many qualifiers, I would think 2 wins would be the very bottom of my expectations for UGA. So 3-1 is more likely and the ultimate being a sweep.
When you look at the number of questions we have about UGA, then see a comparable number for each of those teams, the number of possible variables is off the charts. I would rate Mizzou as my biggest concern of those 4 based on what I see/know/project now.
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Ass-hof??? Knows football? Who knew?
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3-1 with a loss to Missouri.
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