In a good food for thought piece — or, perhaps more accurately, topic for blog conversation — Seth Emerson ranks Georgia’s 2019 regular season opponents by degree of difficulty ($$) as follows:
- @Auburn
- Florida
- Notre Dame
- Texas A&M
- Missouri
- @Tennessee
- South Carolina
- Kentucky
- @Georgia Tech
- @Vanderbilt
- Arkansas State
- Murray State
One thing that jumps out at me is how kind the road schedule is this year. Georgia only faces one formidable team this season in front of a stadium full of hostile fans. The rest of the real challenges are in Athens or neutral site Jacksonville.
The other thing that jumps out at me is ranking Georgia Tech ahead of Vanderbilt. I know he attributes that to timing, but if things play out that way in reality, Kirby ought to be ashamed.
Your thoughts?
Get The Picture 
Piss on tech. Seth is just wrong.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Based on what you’ve been showing us from the tech side, Vanderbilt should be ashamed. Or offended.
LikeLike
Arkansas St should feel slighted as well by being behind GTU.
LikeLike
4 of the top 5 in a row in November…that’s what has me nervous.
LikeLike
Kentucky being snubbed again. I think they’re a tougher out than Tennessee. Don’t think it’s that close, either.
LikeLike
They lost a lot of seniors off the defense that carried them last year, and they were somewhat fortunate to go 10-3. I think they’re at best a 4-4 conference team next year, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they’re 0-3 in the league heading to Arkansas. That said, the only thing to recommend the Tennessee game over theirs is that it’s on the road.
LikeLike
I get that – but Kentucky has been better than Tennessee for several years now. They’ve played us tougher than Tennessee as well. People keep mailing in their Tennessee predictions, presenting them as better than they are based on nothing more than “cuz Tennessee” and it’s irksome. God help us if they manage to win 7 games this year because apparently everyone is just pining away for a chance to pencil them in as division winners.
Also – Mark Stoops > Jeremy Pruitt. Fight me.
LikeLike
On the last, probably. I’m not crazy about Mark Stoops as a coach, but Pruitt doesn’t seem cut out to be a head coach to me.
LikeLike
Well, Colin Cowherd says UT will be in the Playoff so…………
LikeLike
I think Seth nailed it despite tech/Vandy.
LikeLike
I think people are under selling Tennessee and over selling Florida. I expect the Tennessee game to be a rough road game, especially coming off the high from crushing ND.
LikeLike
Definitely overselling Florida. We will crush them. Kirby will make sure of it. I’d put them at #4 below ND and A&M. Tennessee will be a little rough but we have a week off between ND and the Vowels.
LikeLike
I think people are underselling Tennessee…
HOW??? There are literally zero reasons to expect Tennessee will be markedly better than they were last year. The talent hasn’t improved, they don’t have staff continuity (new OC and DC), I will die on this hill.
LikeLiked by 1 person
He’s got Tennessee listed as a tougher game than Kentucky, South Carolina and Vanderbilt – all teams that finished ahead of Tennessee last year (Vandy has a 3-game winning streak against them) and you think they’re being undersold? I just don’t get this sunshine pumping.
LikeLike
eyeroll
LikeLike
At a glance, Clemson’s toughest opponent is our #4 and their second toughest is our #7- is that about right? And both are middle of the pack SEC.
Stand tall, ACC.
LikeLike
Just scrolled down and saw this covered, so (cue Miss Emily Litella): never mind.
LikeLike
Tech will be historically bad. They should be last or second to last on that list. Their coaches were literally asking questions like “If you ever played XYZ in high school, raise your hand” during spring practice. Kirby is going to beat them so bad that they will ask to end the series with us.
LikeLiked by 2 people
My question for Tech people: is what has changed from 2007 to now that will allow them to better recruit top football players? The years from 1990 to the end of the Chan Gailey era had some highs (1998-2000) but there were significant lows that were unprecedented in the history of the school i.e. Bill Lewis, 51-7 in 2002, the 7-year losing streak to UGA. I just don’t see how “404” and associating with the Waffle House is going to miraculously change anything and the preexisting conditions that lead to the TO being a choice will still be there for them. I also do not see the school ever becoming a fixture for top 15 recruiting classes. I can’t wait for the Saturday after Thanksgiving for the next few years.
LikeLike
Since the losers at StinkTalk have closed their message board, you can’t ask that bunch of geniuses a reasonable question like this.
LikeLike
Dude, I do think the administration at Fech will end the series before they lose the claim to the Drought. It may even take an act of the General Assembly and the Governor to make sure that doesn’t happen.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Another 51-7 would be refreshing…
LikeLike
The list sucks. And just when I thought Seth was separating himself from the pack.
– Aubie our toughest game?! They lost to utk last year, and breaking in a new starting QB.
– utk lost to 3 teams ranked behind them.
– All last year’s scu love has been shifted to fu. By mid-October that’ll change.
– gtu better than Vandy?! Damn Seth. I’d expect this from somebody who is completely ignorant when it comes to cfb.
LikeLike
Kirby Smart hasn’t coached UGA to a road win over an SEC West opponent yet.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yeah, because when it is the West, and it is on the road…yada yada. I’ll admit that Kirby layed an egg in Baton Rouge, but Auburn in 2017 was a buzz saw at that time, and Ole Miss in 2016 was just flat out better than us. This meme about West road losses ends this year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ole Miss went 5-7 in 2016 and Georgia scored the second fewest points against them (Wofford scored 13 to Georgia’s 14). That game was the worst coaching job of Smart’s tenure so far (yes, including the Vandy game).
LikeLike
That game was Kirby’s “Were gonna win my way or we can get our ass kicked, I don’t care” game. Repeatedly ran into the back of an innefective wall of offensive and defensive linemen.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just looked back at the play-by-play breakdown, and that doesn’t really hold up. The running game was modestly effective, but they didn’t lean on it when they were losing the game in the first half. Eason was terrible (or the combination of he and the receivers were), and the defense played its absolute worst game of the season.
LikeLike
That may well be true, but my point was made in the context of questioning whether the Auburn game is the toughest on the schedule. Historically under Smart, there’s a reason to say that’s the case.
LikeLike
Happy thoughts people!
Kirby gets the road funk off this year, right? That can’t last forever, can it?
LikeLike
Damn right, Cowdog! Kirby and the Dawgs will beat the barn like it’s an in-state game.
LikeLike
We won the fricken Rose Bowl. Is that far enough west for ya? Oh wait, it wasn’t an sec team, not regular season, blah, blah, blah.
Let’s put all the b.s. aside. I say Dawgs roll over Aubie in 2019 and I’ll take that bet right now.
LikeLike
Notre Dame, ATM and Mizzou are all better than FU. Also South Carolina is better than UT.
LikeLike
Glad that I read to the bottom of comments before posting again because you posted exactly my guess as to relative strengths of opponents. Cannot believe that Mizzou is being ignored (experienced great QB from Clem and a good O-line) and FU is rated above them. Guess some people think Frank’s last games of the season make him better than Bryant, but my opinion varies greatly from those guesses.
LikeLike
I’m really going to laugh when Mizzou lays another 50-burger on the Gators this year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Vandy would beat GT 20 out of 20 times.
LikeLike
I’m thinking SC should be ahead of TN and Vandy should be ahead of Tech.
LikeLike
Auburn will be tough, fo sho. I dread it because of the 2017 game. Seth blew it on the vowels prediction. No way they will be that good.
LikeLike
As long as little nicky is THE bammer hc…we willlll ALWAYS have them on the UGA schedule, either in december or other wise…i get the crowd at the cutest little cow pasture can be loud, that is week 12 in the sec and will have just played @ lsu 2 weeks prior with ol miss as “a bite your ass game”… the tigles with possibly 3 losses, which might make it a night affair and not the coveted 3 thirty position…shit happens in CFB, should UGA be in that 0 loss category by then, the coaches/staff should be making their dollar$ keeping UGA humble and ready
LikeLike
Muschamp said this is his best team at Carolina! I know their defense should be good! I think they are better than Tennessee! We will see.
LikeLike
if u go with toughest games- usually that is atmosphere and matchups and the timing and East race standings ie importance of the game as well as WHEN the game is played, coaching, depth and key injuries weather can play a factor. Right now on paper Seth’s, pretty close but considering we play FLA off a bye, then a quasi trap game vs MIZZOU, and then @ Auburn, then Texas AM after that deep into NovemberI think the list will cerainly change. If we beat FLA but still have work to do which could put all 3 remaining east games at the top
LikeLike