I don’t know how great Paul Myerberg thinks the SEC will be this season, but it sure looks like he expects the league to be exciting.
Fun, hunh?
- Bloviation for the Dawgnation
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Quote Of The Day
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“We remember the Sugar Bowl, I think it my junior year of high school, we let Alabama beat us twice,” Brinson said of a team that also lost to the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship game. “We’re not letting Alabama beat us twice. In the Sugar Bowl in 2018, they… thought they should have been in the playoffs and lost to Texas.” -- AB-H, 12/27/23
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Get The Picture · Bloviation for the Dawgnation
Get The Picture 
2 out of conference losses? They are predicting a loss to GT?
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Yeah, I have to assume they mean OOC Ls – Ga Tech & ND, SEC Ls – UF & Barn?
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I can see some preseason talking head making the argument for Auburn with 2 QBs that can win in the SEC rather than 1 that played out the stretch injured. UF (haven’t shown that UGA can win and again possible stability at QB), ND media darling as always, but GT?
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Can’t be UF – he has them with the same record as us, but apparently we win the tie breaker, i.e., head to head game.
Fortunately, it doesn’t matter because we have to/get to play the games. Just hope the team plays to their ability. If they do that, we’ll be fine. I know I will be happy.
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My guess is the every-other-year house of horrors in Knoxville.
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WHUT!!…8 wins?? That is 80% of 10…..BAH!!!… who is he fooling, 15 & 0 FWIS.
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So UGA loses to ND and Trek (or Appy for one of those) but beats Florida. Huh.
Also: Bama beats FSU but loses a conference game? To whom? LSU at home? An average Auburn team?
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I swear we just can’t get the Vandy monkey off our back…
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So losses to both ND and Tech. Ouch
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That would ignite hot seat talk. I’m not buying the tech loss.
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The tech loss alone would start up the hot seat talk. No coach at UGA has survived 3 consecutive losses to tech since Wally Butts, and that’s when tech was worth a damn.
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Exactly and Butts had 2 teams that deserved national titles.
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Yeah, but what has he done for us lately?
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Where did anyone say that he has done anything for us lately?
BTW that it hasn’t happened lately is exactly the point.
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Loosen up dude, pretty sure it was all tongue in cheek….I mean, you do know he is dead, right??
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And how far back do you have to go to find a new UGA coach who started out with a losing streak to Tech?
(Not to mention it’s in Atlanta, where UGA has not lost to Tech this century (and only once, under questionable circumstances, in a quarter century).
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Johnny Griffith is the answer
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A clear reminder not to homer hires.
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The last 2 homer hires have not been home runs (Griffith and Goff) 🙂
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Well at least Kirby’s last name don’t begin with a G.
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*millenium
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They also had Tech at 6-6 (4-4), so two OOC losses for them. Tech plays Tennessee, Jacksonville State, @UCF, and UGA. Unless they’re picking Tech to lose to UCF but beat us, they might be giving us the Tech win and an OOC loss against Appy State.
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I gotta find some intel on ND. For a 4-win team, that’s best win was edging out Miami, they sure are seeming to make a huge jump in performance for 2017.
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Did they resign Ron Powlus or did the ghost of Beano Cook possess every single prognosticator in the country?
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Haven’t you been paying attention? …
ND is the best 4-8 team in the country. Many of their losses were close.
The game is in Ireland…err, South Bend.
They have Jesus on their side.
CMR left us no talent. Especially on the OL.
KS plans to impose our will by repeatedly running our smallest RB into the teeth of their DL…even on 4th downs.
…and last but not least, we expect to get their best shot! You know, because of the 1980 Sugar Bowl and all.
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ND lost a ton of close games to good teams. So while 4-8 is terrible, it could easily have been 7-5. Again, ND isn’t elite or anything, but neither is UGA, so I 100% expect it to be a very close game in SB and right now I’d make ND the slight favorite.
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I know we’ve all said “win the East!” as a marker for what’s a “successful” season this year, but going 8-4 with losses to ND & Tech but winning the East means the only good win in all likelihood is against Florida. Sorry, but as savory as that win will be, that is NOT a good season, IMO. It means also losing 2 out of 3 between UT, Auburn & SC.
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I see 7-5. The OL is going to be like a box of chocolate, we won’t know from week to week how they’ll perform. I wouldn’t count on the FR, no matter how big or how many stars, to be able to handle the grown men they’ll be facing.
Combine that w/ unknown QB play & coaches who haven’t proven they’re ready for the SEC & it makes this year another year the liquor barons love – lots of misery & drinking.
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A season like that results in the return of the hot seat meme.
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EE, I tend to agree with Atlasshrugged on the OL, QB and coaches. A 7-5 or 8-4 season would be about right for this unproven group. While I would certainly understand the frustration of fans if 4-5 losses plays out, we have to give Kirby more than 2 years to overcome the massive shortcomings he walked into, both from a personnel and cultural standpoint. I believe that the 3rd year will be the tell-all regarding this staff. It is possible that Kirby will not develop into a quality head coach in Athens.
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I agree … a head coach needs 3 years to prove whether he can handle the job. That’s why I say the hot seat talk will be in full force if we go 7-5 or 8-4 because year 3 will be make or break.
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An average Coaching Staff would have taken what they had on the Team last year and won more games than This Coaching Staff did. When are WE as fans it the DAWGS going to put blame for the SHORT comings on the Bad coaching Job that we had last year. Bad Defense. Bad offense. Bad Special Team Play. And yet some try to put all the Blame on the previous Staff. Wake up People we were sold a bill of goods for at BEST an average COACHING Staff. When they take OWNERSHIP of the PROGRAM we will get BETTER. Not Before. Just my thinking.
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Aubrey, you are correct. There were major issues with the current coaching staff last season…the offense was not good in 2016, the defense was nonexistent in the red zone and special teams were truly special for all the wrong reasons. The staff and lack of talent are to be blamed. This season should gives fans a better idea of what this staff will be. I think that it is completely fair to say that Richt left the program with less talent on the roster compared to what he initially walked into.
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Outside of the OL (which is a big issue, no doubt) Kirby has plenty of talent to win the East this year. I think 8-4 would very much be a disappointment, with 7-5 leaning toward catastrophe.
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Part of the “process”….gonna get worse before it gets better, “voluntary rebuild”……Smart & crew got this.
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Voluntary rebuild? Richt was looking at replacing the OC and DC and hadn’t built an OL in a decade.
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Ain’t that something (OC, probably- DC, who knows)…& just to think, we were STILL getting 10 wins per year out of him. Just think what we will get when Kirby & crew kicks in…..
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Richt needed to go. Smart may or may not be a good hire but that doesn’t change the 1st statement.
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You do not know that (1st statement” – DC?) . “Hadn’t built OL in a decade”?? ….stretching it a bit, ya think? How did we get all those points in ’14 (school record)?? As far as “1st statements” go, thinks mine is a little closer to the truth than yours.
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No I don’t Richtophiles always hanging on to just in that 1 year.
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*just short
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LOL! ….”Richtophiles”(me)??..As opposed to a “Richtohater” (you)?? A little presumptuous aren’t we?? I really hate to mess up “Otto’s World”, but I am for whoever coaches the dawgs, but I am a dawg 1st (team) …don’t really GAS who the coach is, just win baby. So far, it looks like we got worse on both sides of the ball, just looking for improvement from the prior staff….I ain’t seen it & not confident I will.
Not blaming Kirby and staff (they are still learning), just mystified by those who decided this. Don’t take it personal….on second thought, it is okay if you do…maybe “Richtophiles” help you cope & get thru the day 😀
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https://uga.rivals.com/news/by-the-numbers-offensive-line-on-right-track
Improvement
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“Of the eight most recently hired coaches in the SEC, five had offensive backgrounds and three had defensive backgrounds. The five offensive-minded head coaches have combined to go 169-98. That’s a winning percentage of .632. However, the defensive-minded head coaches have only gone 36-61. That’s just a .371 winning percentage. The reason for this disparity is obvious. College football has evolved to be about innovative offenses, which means offensive minds are simply more valuable than defensive minds.
Still won 40 games the past 4 years …despite not having “an OL in a decade”
* .740 win percent not a bad win percent for a 15 year college coach. 5 times SEC eastern champ, 2 times SEC champ. I want to get better, not worse….I am not confident we have the right staff….do you??
https://www.seccountry.com/sec/uga-should-think-twice-about-hiring-alabama-dc-kirby-smart
GO DAWGS!!
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Posting that Smart is or is not the correct hire does not prove that keeping Richt would have prevented voluntary rebuild.
Most would agree Schott was a failure, and many I believe including the Senator had Pruit out the door due to burned bridges. Richt was also continually holding himself back with undersigning.
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This is just some dudes guesswork, let the season play out.
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True, Kdawg. Anybody can put a bullshit chart like this together in just a little while..knowining nothing of schedules but just considering reputations and past performances. It looks nice, but it’s very Barnhartish.
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Apparently this clown hasn’t heard that the seniors have really pulled together this off-season and the voluntary drills at Spec Towns track have been off the chain. Plus we’ve got a ton of gym rats and coaches on the field coming back.
Jerk.
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This would make for an excellent exercise in fan expectations. It seems most fans are “win the East or bust” with how they view the season. In this scenario that would fit the bill, but 8-4 with losses to ND and GT would be super, super disappointing in my opinion. 10-2 and not winning the East but beating ND and GT or 8-4 and winning the east but losing to both? Which do you prefer?
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I’m not in the win the East or bust camp but not buying 2 out of conference losses. I could see 3 SEC losses and ND from a pessimistic talking head but not 2 and 2. My own pick has been 3 SEC losses 2nd in the East. I would not be calling for hot seat talk but rather putting the program as on schedule not ahead or behind.
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If we don’t win the east then we better look good in losing it, i.e. meaning that we’re not losing games because of coaching. Kirby & staff have to show significant improvement this season or I’m gonna have to jump on the popular negative bandwagon on here.
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I expect much of the fan base to be that way in ’18. I also expect UF and Auburn to be better than the bulk of UGA fans think they will be, and many UGA fans still view Ole and MSU the same as they did 20 years ago.
Also if we should know anything about B-M by now it is that they will not move quickly on firing majority of their head coaches.
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Do you really think 8-4 or 7-5 is acceptable? I don’t especially after everything that was promised by the change. A season like that will tell me that the head coach is likely in over his head, he will have to make staff changes at year’s end, and recruiting will take a hit … that’s hot seat territory whether it’s fair or not.
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I had also rather give Smart extra time than go down Tennessee’s path of making the wrong hires and then not being a poor position to hire a new head coach. I think Smart is better than SOD but will not say that with 100% certainty after 1 year. If B-M ever makes a hire as bad as Kiffen, I may forever turn in my red and black. I still believe UT’s error was not in letting Fulmer go but the hires they made after, especially Lane. Dooley on paper seemed to be a decent but not home run hire.
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SOD was a terrible hire (17-20 at Louisiana Tech) … YMMV
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Say what you will but SOD knew more about the German Invasion of Poland and Knoxville than any other SEC coach. Except maybe Lane
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Yes I agree that Smart needs time to change the culture of the program. I just think he needs to give those of us who TRULY wants him to succeed some hope that he can get the job done.
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I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t want the team (coaches and players) to be successful even if it makes the AD look good. I want to see improvement … I have a feeling that improvement comes first and foremost from the QB position. I think we’ll see that and be happy with the result.
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Starting your head coaching career going 0-for-2 vs GT is unacceptable.
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Any season that includes a loss to tech is a catastrophe.
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That was my thought. 8-4? UNACCEPTABLE! But what if 8-4 actually wins the division? Does that make it okay? I think it depends heavily on the championship game. If we go 8-4, win the division and get steamrolled in the championship game I think that is still unacceptable. But what if we go 8-4, win the division and look very good in the championship while losing a tough, tight game? Is that good enough? Maybe. Especially if we are talking about an Alabama team that’s playing well. However, we thought being “this close” to beating a good Alabama team was enough a few years back and it turned out not to be true. So, I’m ambivalent.
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Even in a best case scenario, I expect to look about like Florida has against Bama assuming Bama stays where they have been. It will take multiple seasons or a failed coordinator hire by Saban (which their OC is an unknown) to close that gap.
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Oh no. Help. The sky’s falling.
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It appears the national media is of the mind that UGA will be considered mediocre until proven otherwise. Fine with me.
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That mindset is well deserved.
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We earned it the old fashioned way
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It appears that someone threw a spiffy looking chart together while eating their cereal and toast. It’s a lazy, not thought out predictions chart I talked to an old Dawg (not comfy giving out his name, but it’s a great one) this morning in Newnan. He tells me this team is going to have a very good season..just watch…and he smiles knowingly.
I’ve never posted “innuendo” and disguised it as a “unnamed inside source” before..and I’m not now. This guy should know as well as anyone CAN know. He’s a happy camper.
He said to tell Skeptic to get on the train, (OK, I did make that up. This guy doesn’t read blogs)
I’ll buy his snake oil over Myerberg’s .
I’m betting Dawgs win out in the non-con schedule and sweep the east. If Georgia has two conference losses they will be to the Barn and Mississippi State..both worthy opponents. That will put Georgia in ATL .
If Auburn is good enough to take down UGA this year, they very well may be undefeated going into the Iron Bowl. If so, they could be higher ranked than Alabama if ‘Bama should stumble against FSU, LSU or both. Since they get LSU in the shadow of Dreamland, I doubt they lose that one. But the Iron Bowl is in Auburn and if Auburn is higher ranked going into that war against ‘Bama the Dawgs could be playing them twice. Sooner or later Bama’s going to loosen that grip on ATL.
Not predicting that this year, but just saying it could happen.
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LAWD…..I can only hope, just need to see it first. No real history with the current staff to make me feel confident either way. All I have is hope 😀.
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Unless he’s also scouted all of Georgia’s opponents this offseason, he can’t know much.
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True..”This guy should know ans well as anyone CAN know” covers my ass though.
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“I’m betting Dawgs…sweep the east.”
Because we’ve done that so many times before 🙂
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DIF, I remember you used that same snarky remark when JFK said we were going to put a man on the Moon.
The East has never been so ripe for the broom…What a lot of us do, about this time every year, is break out the Kool Aide. After all, it’s only 6 games. Georgia should be favored in all except maybe Florida. Still I admit it’s a daunting task. Another thing I’ll bet on.. If Georgia does sweep the East, you and Bluto will develop amnesia.
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This has been a fun read, thanks bluto
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