The national media keeps hinting that it’s expecting bigger things from Georgia in Kirby Smart’s second season. Here, from an article about things to watch from spring football, comes this:
UGA is the textbook definition of a sleeping giant. The state produces plenty of blue-chip talent each year, and the SEC East remains a division ripe for the taking. The Bulldogs’ offense has two star running backs returning in Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, and quarterback Jacob Eason has a year of experience under his belt. For all the hype East division foe Tennessee has received lately, Georgia is the program that feels like it’s on the verge of exploding.
Not that the media gets this stuff right most of the time, but I expect the Dawgs to emerge from SEC Media Days as their choice to win the division this season. Which means it’s time to cue the GTP reader poll department.
Get The Picture 
Missouri could easily be the snake in the grass.
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Agree, I don’t think Mizzou should be up with UGA, nor even Florida, but feel they should be higher than Vandy, KY, SC, and maybe TN. I think UGA will be the consensus favorite, but expect Florida to not be far behind since they have been to Atlanta the past two years. Look for TN to be a distant 3rd, their SEC schedule puts them at a disadvantage even before you look at their talent/coaching shortfall. I think they finish lower than 3rd but behind who? The others all look capable of being 3rd or 4th but I cannot determine an order for the last five that I would be confident in.
What worries me most is the favorite in the East rarely lives up to the advance billing. But it is hard to not see UGA getting the nod before, and after Media Days.
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They have been a snake in the grass twice, but this year they aren’t getting any votes when I just checked. Seriously, a few of you think Vandy or Kentucky is more likely?
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I agree with the sentiment but over the last decade they always WANT to pick Georgia, sometimes do, until they think about it. All the logic is sound but then there’s that pesky “but can they do it” question.
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UGA, the forever sleeping giant-in just about everything.
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Yea I think we are pretty much a mummified giant by now.
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Let’s count the areas of likely improvement…OL…QB…RB (Chubb 22 months into recovery + Swift)…Receivers…DL (I think Thompson will return in June)…ILB…OLB…DB…KO…P…FG…Coaching. Seriously…I see improvements in ALL areas…most significantly the OL
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Are you sure the OL will be improved? IDK..but I hope so. If so, it will be welcome news.
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I can appreciate your skepticism here. Seems like we’ve come to expect alternating years of moderate improvement followed by regression. A substantial improvement would be something we have not seen since… hell I don’t know when.
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2011 and especially 2012
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I think it happens because when the bar is “couldn’t push around a I-AA team” it’s almost impossible to get worse.
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Sigh.. What textbook is he referring to? I’d like to read it.
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Alabama gonna win the East, too.
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UGA is the obvious choice if for nothing else ratings. Florida has proven they get there but can’t win the SECCG. UT has turnover and belly flopped last year. UGA has a possible Heisman candidate at RB, a QB hyped as possibly Heisman potential his Jr year. A high profile coaching change etc. UGA will be hyped. I believe UGA is still a year away. UF wins the east and the QB that wins the job doesn’t get disqualified from the team or injured.
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Now I know where my kids get it from. I saw that button next to Vandy and just couldn’t help myself… had to click on it.
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If you believe Vandy will win it, great. But if you did it to be a clown, congratulations.
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Breitbart poll has Vandy winning by 4%.
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^Fake news.
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This is my problem with it…Last year a lot of people expected Georgia to win the East. Oh…Florida wasn’t going to be a problem since they had no offense,…. and we had a lot of cupcakes on the table. Then we lose to Tennessee in the most Georgia Way imaginable Lose to Florida, struggle mightily against cupcakes who were “Only in Athens to get paid for an ass beating” and then the maddening debacle against NATS. ..ALL teams that the Dawgs were “more talented than”. It means little if the coaching isn’t much more than just competent. Last year’s failures seemed to be more about poor game plans and coaching than they did about player talent.
I’m not down on KS and company, but I think their improvement is the largest determining- factor in winning the East, humiliating the cupcakes and putting the NATS’ uprising to rest.
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If I’m not mistaken, UT was the media’s choice last year.
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Yes. and that’s why I typed, “A lot of people”… A lot of us on this blog (esp. on this blog) were thinking the media got it wrong with UT (and they did..since UF won it)..but we were thinking that Georgia had the talent to pull it off…I plead guilty. I thought the Dawgs were going to be a lot better than they were. Honestly..did you think the Dawgs would win it last year? I wonder how many did..even if they wouldn’t say it out loud (or type it on GTP).
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I thought, ‘talent-wise’, that we had a chance to win it last year.
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I never thought we did with a freshman QB and a starting LT from Rhode Island.
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I get that…two very important parts for a good team. I just didn’t think it was bad enough to lose to Vandy and sweat it with Nicholls. Now I’m gun-shy and have little confidence.
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we didnt have to start the 9th best freshman QB though. We had a 10-2 senior starter that we decided to not play.
The LT could have been worked around. If we had enough talent to beat Auburn we had enough talent to beat everyone on the schedule and win the east.
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AU didn’t exactly impress me last year. I expected one more win myself out of the Dawgs…..
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but auburn was better than every team in the east. at least according to s&p+ rankings
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You are right DP. Last season was on the coaches, particularly Kirby, not the players.
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They were, overwhelming favorite…and they lost to Vandy too.
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This poll was about which team the PRESS would pick to win the East. I wish we had a poll asking who WE pick to win the East. Might be a real eye-opener.
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“… their improvement is the largest determining- factor in winning the East…”
Correct. The coaching must improve. The talent has to be directed to be effective.
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We should win the East. Whether we do it or not has more to do with whether the guys wearing the headsets on the sidelines get their act together. That and showing up in Jacksonville with a bad attitude ready to destroy anything in an orange helmet.
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‘At this year’s SEC Media Days, which SEC East team do you predict will be the media’s choice to win the division?’
Why ask average fans?
Only Tony Barnhart’s opinion matters….since his accuracy is always blazing….
If Barnhart and Finebaum had a baby together it would be a rolling black out.
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