The final round of blogger discussion wraps up at College Football Zealots with this.
I won’t say there’s a complete consensus on opinion there, but there’s a lot of “Atlanta, or bust” sentiment expressed. And I think that’s right.
Thanks to Kevin for giving us an outlet.
Get The Picture 
They say the key to a strong team starts with the core players in the middle. With new starters at QB and center plus a lot of new faces starting/playing on the DL, I’m not as optimistic this year as I was last year about the team’s chances of making it to Atlanta. The schedule is favorable from the standpoint that we have a couple of tune up games before our first big test (USCjr), which is at home and we get most of our big games (Bama, Mizzou, Kentucky) at home, which certainly helps. I think we beat UF this year, but must avoid losing 1-2 of those gimme games and find a way to win 4 of the 5 games against big SEC rivals, which will be tough.
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With respect to Greg Poole, Dyshon Sims may be in the running to play center, but Isiah Wynn and Hunter Long are the guys getting the reps.
Can we beat Bama twice?
Next year in Jerusalem (metaphorically speaking)
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The talent is there…it’s all about attitude…Killer Instinct…avoiding a costly letdown.
Beat the hell out of everyone.
If this team will play balls-to-the wall every single week…with the attitude that they are better than the opponent and want to destroy any doubt about it, then yes, they’ll be SECE champs and very probably SEC champs.
On the other hand…play with reserve and caution and we’ll be disappointed once again.
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+1 Also add in there need some dangerous deep threats, establish the running game, stop the big play, dominate the line of scrimmage, ait it out more, and take care of the football.
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I think we should do more than win the East to classify this season as “successful”, but here’s an interesting reality…if we beat both Bama and Auburn in the regular season, there’s a great chance we’re facing one of them again in the SECCG. Winning twice against the same opponent is damn tough. So oddly, as the West goes, so go the Dawgs?
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So if we go undefeated in the regular season and lose a close one to the winner of the west (even if it is a team we already beat)…then the season is not successful?
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Would it be better to win the East while losing to the eventual West champion and then beat them in Atlanta?
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I’m good with that.
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My thinking is like Mac’s below. Winning the East seems to be a minimum goal this year…anything less (barring unusual circumstances…I’m looking at you 2013) will feel like we underachieved, even with this schedule.
Let me turn around your hypothetical: 12 – 0 and get blown-out by a 2 loss SEC West team in the SECCG…how would you feel about that?
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…how would you feel about that?
Admittedly a less-than-successful feeling. You opened the door to many hypotheticals with ‘more than win the east to classify as successful.’ I simple showed one scenario that would qualify as successful (in many fan’s eyes). A 12-0 and one point loss to an undefeated west team would fit into a ‘successful’ season to most fan’s. I would say if we lost multiple games in the east and tied with multiple other east teams (not sure how many is possible in this hypo) but went to the SECC by way of tie breaker…and won the SECC then went on to lose a Bowl/playoff game…that would not feel too successful either.
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I think you are “successful” anytime you get to Atlanta for the SECCG, but you have had a great year if you win the SEC title. Winning the East when you are the favorite isn’t as much an achievement as when you are one of 3-4 considered a candidate in the East so I agree it isn’t as high a bar this season. The good thing is I feel we can compete with anyone from the West if we get to the game, just have to get it done. Based on what we have seen/heard, I would say we are about 85% to get to Atlanta, and maybe 50/50 to win the title game.
Your point about winning twice is fair but we could lose to either team from the West during the season. still win the East, and then the weight of winning twice falls on them. I also wouldn’t concede the West to either Bama or Auburn, they will begin the season ranked higher but I wouldn’t be surprised to see 2 loss team (2-3 of them) tie for the West this year, it looks very competitive over there with no clear favorite to me. I feel Arkansas and A&M could contend, and would not discount LSU, who rarely has a strong QB anyway.. So I give anyone but the two Mississippi schools a decent shot, and even those two could play a role by providing an upset or two. Cannot wait to see this play out.
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When I look at the areas Chi-TD mention up top I wonder about getting to Atlanta…but then look at the rest of the East. We have as good or better chance of getting there as any.
Scorp3 mentions beating Bama twice. Tough to do. I believe we can beat them once. Can we lose the regular season game to Bama and still get to Atlanta? That would need to be the only game we lose. My perception is that in closely matched teams the advantage in the 2nd game goes to the loser of the first. They seem to make the better adjustments. (I’m sure there are stats collected somewhere on that if someone wants to ruin my perception). We could make the necessary adjustments we learned in the first game and be ready for the SECC.
I agree with Ugly on the talent. Just need to focus every game and get it done.
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LSU “03”
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Yea, that year definitely doesn’t apply to my perception…
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support not apply to
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There’s a few things to remember. Stay focused. Give 110%. Just take it one game at a time. There’s no “I” in team. Defense wins championships. Do those 5.
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If nothing else, the rest of the east looks weak again. We should be in Atlanta based on the fact that I cannot pick another team that really looks that much stronger. Provided of course, that injuries don’t become a huge factor and we don’t roll over in games we should win.
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We lost to two East teams last season that needed their victory over us to be bowl eligible.
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And frog hammered the team that won it…and some wondered why it was a frustrating year at best.
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Last year was a turning point. Played 5 ranked teams, won 4. There’s a gonna be a couple of pressure cookers that come down to the wire like the games against Spurrier and Tech did. This is a blue collar team, a sleeper team, all on the same page. You better believe it’s a team to be reckoned with.
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The team feeds off the energy of their fans. At Georgia, we got the greatest fans in the world. This team learned how to win those big games last year. Just want to see a lot of ball-control offense. Pound it out on the ground and milk the clock. You got the revenge factor vs Alabama, Tech, Spurrier, and Florida. You got the X factor in Is McKenzie. It’s gut check time, crunch time. Chubb will set the tone.
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We stopped taking it 1 game at a time against the Gators, and got bitten looking ahead. Lost our focus at the end of the Tech game and got burned. Forgot that defense wins championships against the Gators and the Jackets. Gave 100%, but need 110% against Spurrier and Johnson.
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South Carlina – bonehead play calling, coach’s fault
Florida – team not focused and ready to play, coach’s fault
tech – pooch kick, pathetic call, coach’s fault
There’s a pattern here. Our players will have to save the team from the coaches if we want to win a championship.
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“Save the team from the coaches”? Who recruited the players?
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The coaches have no problem recognizing talent, and not much problem attracting that talent to Georgia. The coaching problems arise during the games.
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If the coaches get the blame for the bad calls (you named a few maybe 1% or less), who gets the credit for all the good calls? You figure the players ignored the coaches and made the call on all the other plays?
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Out of all the plays in a football game, about 5 or 6 plays usually determine the outcome. Having the players ready to be on the winning side of those plays and take advantage of the other team’s mistakes is the coach’s job. When a coach is paid millions of dollars a year to be a football coach, there really shouldn’t be ANY bad calls by the coach. The execution by the players might be a problem or the other team may have a player who makes a great play, but a coach paid millions should never make a bonehead call. This is not high school or rec league football where the coach is either paid a small supplement or is a volunteer. When fans can immediately point out terrible calls, it signals that the coach is not doing a great job. As SC and tech showed us, it only takes a couple of bad plays to lose a game.
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Oh, for heaven’s sake. What, getting paid a lot of money makes one perfect?
You need to quit following sports with highly paid coaches, friend. Because nobody meets your standard.
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At $4million a year, there should not be any calls that even amateurs can see are bad the moment they are made. Not having the best running back in the country on the field with under 5 minutes to play on a rivals 4 yd line is beyond stupid. $4 million a year should at least buy a program out of the “stupid” zone. Pooch kicking to a team that only needs a field goal to tie the game and hasn’t returned a deep kick more than 11 yards the entire game is another dumb as hell call and everyone in the stadium knew it was dumb when it happened. Highly paid coaches may not always make the BEST call, but they shouldn’t make stupid calls.
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You’re repeating yourself. I get your point. It’s just detached from reality.
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And hindsight is 20/20 asshole. Good lord get over yourself. If you are such a football wizard then why the hell are you commenting on some lowly blog instead being paid $4 million a year to go undefeated x infinity with your team of 85 five star recruits?
In hindsight not giving the ball to Gurley on 1st down was a bad decision, in real time we had just scored on the exact same play AND no one (even you Mr Perfect) could have predicted that Mason would get an intentional grounding call there. I am sure that he was told that if it isn’t there throw it out of the end zone and live to fight another down. What happened there was a one in a million outcome. As far as the pooch kick is concerned, what happens if we kick it away and they get an alley and return it for a TD? Then you are on here bitching about how we should have pooch kicked it and covered the kick. Again, in real time we pooch it, stuff them on a play or two and the game is over.
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If we had not had two fumbles on the goal line against Tech there would never have been a squib kick. Can’t fault the coach for that loss. Let down about Gurley took the wind out of the team against FL plus we lost Andrews. SC phantom holding call. That one is on the refs. Our Coach is a winner.
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The East is weak again this season, Auburn is very beatable, probably more so than even last season, Bama will be a tough game but it is at home and we have the talent to win. There’s no real excuse for not making it to Atlanta, of course there wasn’t any excuse for not making it last year either.
New qb and center and not much depth at WR and interior D line still a concern. Combine those things with our coach’s ability to find a way to lose a game or two we should win, and it could cost us a couple of games. Still, we still need to at least make it to the SEC Championship game.
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With UGA’s draw out of the West, I think we will have to be perfect inside the division to get to the Dome.
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We have to be perfect in the division and win at least one of the West opponents or we’ll be watching another team go to Atlanta. Tenn worries me this year. We haven’t exactly stomped them the past few years when they have been way down.
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I think UT had their chances to beat UGA the last few years, I say we drill them this year..Mizzou will be the team to watch again, favorable draw from the West. All this barring massive injuries.
And to your Coaching comment, it is probably pretty easy to blame a Coach in every loss…by every team.
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Heck with just reaching Atlanta, we need to win the damn thing. Lost in 11 and 12 and of course 2005 was our last championship. Come on fellow Dawgs lets set the bar high. GATA JYD!!!!!!!
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To me personally it always comes down to beating our major rivals. Beat UF, AU, and GT and the season is a successful one. If that gets us to Atlanta and beyond then that’s great, but beating the unholy trinity is paramount.
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We lose to UT but win the rest. We crush the nerds 58-7. We win the SEC East. We beat Arkansas for SEC title.
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I too think UT will be better than predicted..but Georgia handles them. Arkansas wins the West??? That’s a stretttttch, Beaker.
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Arky lost some talent on defense but may have the best offense in the West. I put them equal with Bama and Auburn this year, with A&M and LSU a step behind. Lot of toing and froing in that division, three way tie. I think TN will be better than last year, but not nearly as strong as predicted. I feel Mizzou is runner up in the East with TN third. They have yet to win a meaningful game since Jones took over. lost every big chance. They have OU, Florida, and Arkansas before us, they will be beat up and just don’t have the depth, imo. But they should finish strong as they have their usual finish against weak teams. I see them about 8-4 + or – one game either way.
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I’ll NEVER complain about a year we win the East, or 10 win regular seasons.
Other results, are open for scrutiny.
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SECEast
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Where did Dyshon Sims come from?
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TAMU is a sneaky team in the West…they always seem to be overhyped, but their schedule this year (Vandy and South Carolina from the East…Auburn, Bama, Miss St at home..Arky in a neutral site in Dallas) looks manageable.
If UGA beats Bama and Auburn this year, I think you’re looking a situation where one of those ‘other’ teams like TAMU, Ole Miss, or LSU get into Atlanta. I just doubt the math works out that UGA plays them twice unless UGA loses and the East is truly brutal.
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I will be thrilled if we can simply win the east this year – the field looks even weaker than the last few years. But getting past that…well, we’re breaking in a new offensive coordinator, new center, and new QB. On paper, we were a much better team last year and really blew it in a couple of games.
Too many questions to think this team can put it all together for a championship run. But a 10 win season and watching this new crop of kids grow into G would be a lot of fun.
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Sometimes, while iooking at some of the comments in the middle of this blog, one gets the feeling that hypochondria is a virus.
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