This is what reading Steele yesterday will bring ‘ya:
- Looking at Georgia’s schedule, from where I sit, the most formidable quarterback the Dawgs are likely to face this season is… Georgia Tech’s Justin Thomas. That’s both a little different and a little scary.
- And while we’re on the topic of schedules, I know Tennessee is the trendy pick and Georgia the safe one to win the SEC East, but if things come down to scheduling – which is a nice way of saying Georgia spits the bit once more – how can you not choose Missouri to win the division again? Really, if the Tigers upset the Dawgs on October 17, it’s hard to believe they won’t get to pack for Atlanta for the third straight year.
Your thoughts?
Get The Picture 
I guess it depends on if Arkansas is a trendy pick or has actually made progress. The rest of the schedule is just damn easy. It’s almost like they wanted a feel good story for one of the newbies………….sigh
LikeLike
If Mizzou beats the Dawgs in Columbia they will win the East even if they lose to Arkansas.
LikeLike
If they beat the Dawgs in Columbia, it will be 2016.
LikeLike
The road team has won each game, and the game is in Athens this yr. Just saying.
LikeLike
As long as it’s not a noon start, Georgia will be ready.
LikeLike
Hell, I thought they were playing in Columbia, SC.
LikeLike
Having Ark & Tenn that late in the season is as big of a break as anything. I think Mizzou get pummeled in those games if they were in the first few games of the season. They each have UK 07 or SCU 07 written all over them. UK and SCU both cracked the top 10 in 07 only to do about faces and end up losing several games each (if memory servers correctly, SCU ended up 6-6). Ark & Tenn may very well be riding high and both dominate Mizzou. Then again, chances are they will have both mailed it in by then. Both of those teams passed the point of moral victories last year.
LikeLike
I’ve been saying that Mizzou is the team to beat in the East ever since the 2015 schedule came out.
LikeLike
Mayor, Me Too.
LikeLike
I would think Dobbs and Johnson would have something to say about that QB competition before all is said and done. We play Auburn at the end, and Johnson should be pretty comfortable by then, as long as Duke hasn’t….wait, who am I kidding? Auburn doesn’t know how to suspend anyone for a game.
Either way, we have 3 tough games, and two more we could lose. MO has 4 tough games and two more it could lose. I hope we don’t have to depend on Bert again.
LikeLike
+1 on Dobbs
LikeLike
Yeah, I came here specifically to cast my vote for Dobbs as the best quarterback on the schedule, but Johnson at Auburn is close.
LikeLike
Mizzou’s schedule shapes up very nicely, though closing at ARK will most likely be a loss. UGA’s QB situation is too murky for me to predict a 7-1 SEC run. I think 6-2 is more realistic and if one loss is to Mizzou or Tenn that could be what either needs to leap frog UGA.
I will say I’m a bit skeptical of Tenn’s QB. Not saying he won’t be a solid QB, but I’m not sure how much better than solid he’ll be. I think a lot of people are forgetting the teams Tenn beat to close 4-1 last year.
LikeLike
With you 100% on Dobbs. The back end of the UT schedule has always been awful and he was awful against Missouri. He might be better, but he’s going to have to prove it early and against much better teams than he saw in the last four games of 2014.
LikeLike
If UGA isn’t in Atlanta in December it will be a major disappointment and another shitting the bed moment for Richt. The schedule lends itself to this and as Steele said the best QB UGA faces this year isn’t even in the conference which will have no impact on getting into the SEC championship game.
The defense should be better and all the QBs have to do (if they turn out to just be awful which I don’t believe will happen) is hand the ball off to the riches in the backfield. I just hope Schotty doesn’t overthink the offense.
LikeLike
Yeah! Alabama and Auburn from the SEC West and at Tennessee in the East the week AFTER Alabama. Schedule looks great!
LikeLike
When has TN or Auburn given UGA really any trouble in the last 7 or so years? Secondly, since Saban has arrived, UGA and Bama have only played each other twice and have split the series.
UGA shouldn’t lose to a fledgling UT or Auburn squad. Nor should it lose to a quarterback less Bama squad that is so thin at RB they are one injury away from playing walking at that position.
LikeLike
I stand corrected on Bama/UGA series. Wasn’t thinking of the 2012 SEC Championship game. I was thinking regular season only.
LikeLike
UT – Neyland Stadium – 2013. Asked and answered.
LikeLike
We would have beaten UT easily in 2013 if not for the huge number of injuries in that game. We were down to third string running backs and receivers.
Before anyone says anything about the turf at Neyland, UT played on the same turf we did.
LikeLike
Uh, Tennessee has come close to beating Georgia the last two years.
LikeLike
Also, hooray for Georgia getting a win over Saban at Alabama. It was Saban’s first year playing with Mike Shula’s players. And Georgia was taken to overtime.
LikeLike
Yeah. One play.
LikeLike
If we don’t have at least a decent passing game, handing off to the running backs will not work. We don’t have to be able to throw 30 yds downfield, but we better be able to hit some 10-20 yd plays if we want to keep the defense a little bit honest.
LikeLike
generally, a true statement. but..
https://blutarsky.wordpress.com/2015/08/11/the-further-adventures-of-run-the-damned-ball/
and while i couldn’t find a chubb YAC stat i can offer up a personal view from last year in that it’s: a fucking lot.
so while it would be helpful to ‘keep em honest’ – i don’t think it’s as necessary as usual.
LikeLike
Mizzou relied heavily on their DL last year/getting to the QB. That is no more. Further, WRs are a complete question mark. Is Mauk and that OL good enough to compensate? I think not.
LikeLike
Mizzou should be able to run the ball well. And the defensive back seven is quite good.
That being said, I don’t think the Tigers match up real well with Georgia in one big department, stopping the run.
As long as this game isn’t tight in the fourth quarter, giving Mauk an opportunity to pull one out of his ass, I like Georgia’s chances.
LikeLike
So many are disregarding the “facts” about Dobbs, and Johnson at AU, for that matter. Let me know when EITHER of them has won anything of consequence.
LikeLike
I’d agree on Thonas, but Dobbs & Johnson have the potential to prove to be the best we play by that time. Regardless, I’m firmly in the camp that we have little room for error. If you’re going to lose 1-2, it better be to west teams. We MUST sweep the east to be sure. My opinion.
LikeLike
If Richt sweeps the east for the first time in his career we’re back in Atlanta. There isn’t a team in the division good enOugh to have a Georgia loss be it’s only blemish. Also I know they have an easy schedule but i don’t see Missouri being good enough to join the elite company of team’s who’ve won their sec division 3 years in a row.
LikeLike
Forgot to switch my handle back.
LikeLike
Charlotte, I didn’t have you pegged as a sock puppet. 🙂
LikeLike
Senator – random aside and my apologies in advance for bringing “The Discussion” again, but I found this article at Grantland.com about Arsenal’s 0-2 opening to its 2015-2016 campaign in the Premier League to be incredibly interesting and it made me realize that we Georgia fans are not alone in this world. I know that many folks here couldn’t care less about futbol, but it’s amazing how sports are universal in this world.
LikeLike
*potential 0-2 start. Should edit this to reflect that they won this weekend and started the season 1-1.
LikeLike
Easy to sub Georgia for Arsenal in that article. So familliar. Great catch. Great article.
LikeLike
It goes back even further than Georgia and/or Arsenal because the French aristocracy never saw the Rococo nightmare coming either when the guillotine replaced swinging on the gallows pole
Rococo, Realism, Romanticism
Rococo gave way to the austere neoclassical style late in the 18th century and disappeared completely after the French Revolution in 1789
LikeLike
Missouri has now played three seasons in the SEC and they’ve only managed to beat one team with a winning conference record in those three years. Yet they’ve played in the SECCG in two of those seasons.
I fully expect them to go 3-5 and still somehow miraculously find their way to Atlanta this year. They make zero sense whatsoever.
LikeLike
Obviously – that speaks to the overall downness of the East over the last three years, but it’s that simple fact that makes it so difficult for me to get a read on Missouri for this year.
Their 2013 team was a legitimately good team (I believe they finished 5th in overall S&P ratings that year), but still went 1-2 against teams with a winning conference record that year (including the SECCG against Auburn). Gary Pinkel deserves all the credit in the world for getting the train back on the tracks after getting mud-stomped by Georgia last year, but he probably should send Leonard Floyd and the rest of the Georgia defense a Christmas card for refusing to play any semblance of run defense against Florida.
I’ve decided that you doubt Gary Pinkel at your own peril, but I do think the schedule could be the deciding factor in the East this year. However, should Georgia sweep the East and get left out because of losses to Auburn and Alabama, I bet you Mark Richt won’t openly bitch about it like a little girl unlike an annoying, visor-wearing fella that I won’t name.
LikeLike
oh yeah, we beat Mizzou handily, only to beat ourselves in a few other games as well. Tigers make 3 sece games in a row. I’m out (dropping the mic)
LikeLike
Am I the only one wondering when the SEC’s welcome mat to Mizz wil end and they will have to play either Bama, Auburn, or LSU?
LikeLike
I believe Mizzou will make It 3 In A row. Schedule, schedule, schedule,.
LikeLike