Like the swallows returning to Capistrano, you can count on every Tom, Dick and college football pundit to crank out a way too early 2021 top ten list. Here are a few I’ve seen.
- Joel Klatt (who spent much of the 2020 season knocking the Dawgs): 1st
- Erick Smith: 2nd
- Brett McMurphy: 3rd
- 247Sports: 4th
- Stewart Mandel: 4th
- Mark Schlabach: 4th
- Matt Murschel: 5th
And, just for yucks, here are the first odds I’ve seen posted for 2021, from Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill:
I would assume those odds reflect Georgia having to run through Alabama and Clemson in the regular season just to get to the CFP, which certainly makes sense.
Anyway, those are some seriously high expectations for this next Georgia team, which, for all the strength it will show on offense, is going to have to perform a serious rebuild of its secondary. It’s a good thing passing offenses aren’t that big a deal in college football these days… oh, wait.
So, what do you think? Is this team up for the challenge?
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UPDATE: One more, from Jon Wilner.
1. Georgia: Assuming good health, quarterback JT Daniels makes the Bulldogs complete — they have five consecutive top-three recruiting classes — and fulfills his destiny 3,000 miles from home. It’s time, finally, for Georgia to break through.
Get The Picture 
I think they will be.
In other news, PAC-12, we hardly knew ye. Do they even play football in the west?
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Kirby could find some help in the secondary through the portal or train up the existing talent. Certainly need to show some improvement.
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That was good, Russ!
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Yea, I am really hoping for an amazing DB somewhere someone. But if they were amazing they wouldnt be in the portal most likely.
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Mo Smith, JR Reed. They’re out there and Kirby know how to find em.
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Secondary is the group I worry the least about because it’s where Kirby seems to do his best coaching and evaluating. Opening against Clemson will have it’s ugly breakdowns in coverage, but I think by December they will be a strong group.
Anyone who takes Florida at +2500 is sniffing glue. We saw what the offense looked like with out Pitts and Toney in the Bowl game, and now they have to the place Trask. Plus Grantham is still there and the OL is still meh. They could easily get to 10 wins but they won’t be anywhere close to making the playoffs.
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IDK. The Dabo’s didn’t look too good against ND without Trevor. I think we’ll be OK.
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DBs have it easy when the QB is under pressure………
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This is where my head went watching last night. Though I believe Bama has/had tremendous athletes in the secondary, if you have a strong front 7, they merely need to keep pace with the WR and if all else fails, take the PI if they find themselves beat to save a TD and fight at least 1 more down.
The 2 caveats I can think of, however, is that your 2nd level needs to have a thumper, an LB that can cover in space, and a good Star/Rover that can cover and blitz. Not saying that’s not a lot to ask, but seems like a positive formula in today’s game.
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I’m beginning to wonder if it matters if you have any talent in the secondary. Just put as many bodies in there as you can and put the talent on the line and at LB to pressure the qb and stop the run.
This is not a serious suggestion, but it does make me wonder.
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We need a truly dominant player to step up on defense. We’ve got plenty of talent and depth but we need that one Roquan/Pollack level guy to step up. An unblockable DT. A corner who can shut down ANY receiver. That one defender offenses must avoid at all cost.
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Jalen Carter
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How’s this for a hedge, put 100 bucks on each of these teams.
Bama +300
Clemson +400
Ohio State +750
Oklahoma +750
If Bama wins the title, you only lose $100. If Clemson wins the title you are dead even. If Ohio State wins the title you gain $450. If Oklahoma wins the title you gain $450. If Georgia wins the title you lose $400 but are the happiest you’ve been in your life.
Nobody else will win the title so you’ll never lose the $400 without going home with a Dawgs national championship.
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Correction, its actually a better bet than I even thought. If Bama wins you break even. If Clemson wins you gain $100
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Might as well throw $100 at A&M just to be safe.
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I’m not sold on A&M for 2021. They will be breaking in a brand new QB to replace a so-so guy who couldn’t be knocked off.
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Bowl bump plus returning QB who can sling it. That definitely will puff expectations all off-season.
The offense will need to be spectacular. And I’m not sure the offensive line will be up to the task. That’s the position group I wonder about the most.
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The total rebuild of the secondary is a concern to be sure, especially with Clemson on the schedule first.
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The talent is there.
It’s all about the leadership.
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Rat poison…
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I disagree – all these guys know they have talent and came to UGA to win it all. I truly don’t expect any of them to just toss their helmet onto the field.
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Dawgs always have an Achilles heal. Always a player short. This year it will be the secondary. Will be absolutely terrible there. Bad enough to cost a couple of games.
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Jump! Jump! Jump!
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You want the over at 3? Regular season of course..
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CFB is now just Wimbledon. You have to hold serve. Pressure by offense and hope your DL/pass rush can break serve just once. Sad but true. We might have the offense to pull it off, we certainly have the OC, but we need a true speed guy to develop at WR.
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Arian Smith.
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That is a great analogy!
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3000 miles. Is the natty in Boston?
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Indianapolis
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That would be our luck, make the game and get to go to Indy in Jan.
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I’ll take it. Layer up. Anyway – someone is taking the long way to go 3000 miles from Santa Ana to Athens (or Indy).
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Having an elite offense is pretty much a requirement to compete for a national title, and while the secondary is a question mark, there are enough pieces and talent returning on defense to think it will be quasi-elite itself. The schedule sets up pretty well if they can manage to get past Clemson, as their west opponents stink, the SEC East isn’t any good outside of Florida, and there are no other out of conference threats. Even if they lose to Clemson, they should be back in a position where beating whoever (probably Bama) in the SEC title game puts them in the playoff. It’s not like beating Alabama is easy, so we’ll see if they can manage it.
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I really want this next year to be our year, but I can’t get too lost in the internet stuff regarding recruiting classes, expected results a year from now, etc. While this year did not end with the team in Atlanta it was still historically for Georgia a really great season. We finished again in the top 10 and won a “premier” bowl game.
The problem we have is that we are measured against the greatest dynasty in sports since the Yankees of Mantle, Berra and Whitey Ford. Like most of you I follow this shit too closely and would have assumed in 2012 or so that by now Saban would have lost it or moved on elsewhere. Instead, we as Georgia fans get to see our best 4-5 year run (save Herschel’s years) be pretty much meaningless because of what is happening in Tuscaloosa. Ohio State is pretty much the Bama of the Big 10 but as we saw last night the Bama of the Big 10 can’t stay with actual Bama for more than a quarter or so.
I have faith in Kirby and as I said above want it to be next year or the year after or some point in the near future but finishing in the Top 10 while unsatisfying to some is something we’ve done each of the past 4 years and only did 8 times from 1984 to 2017.
Go Dawgs!
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I was at UGA 80-83 and these last four years are probably the best since then. That Kirby is a fairly green HC and recruiting at such a high level while continually upgrading his coordinators inspires confidence in the future. Of course the Dawgs won’t win the NC, SEC or even the East every year. Shit man, we’re gonna get boat-raced occasionally. It happens to the best programs. But I’m delighted with the state of the program.. Most teams are enviously looking up to us and the other teams are warily looking over their shoulders at us.
Go Dawgs!
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Heck Rickus, Florida won’t be any good either.
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Heh. I was talking relatively. They’re probably an 8 or 9 win team in a division with a bunch of .500 candidates…or worse.
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I think the secondary is certainly a concern.
I think just as concerning though is that O-Line. JT took a beating against Cincy.
I know some of that is attributable to his propensity to look downfield, but some of it was just piss-poor protection.
May need to talk JT into taking some of those short throws to athletes in space like Bama did last night.
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I think the OL problems in the Peach were largely because Luke made wholesale changes to the line with only a few practices to get any chemistry. For the season, they did okay (not great, but really good at times). Given the talent, I expect the line to be pretty good at a minimum next season since we’ll have all off season and spring to work on a couple of combinations.
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Don’t get the love for Clemson or Ohio State. Ohio State swabbed the deck with Clemson but looked average against ‘Bama (I’ll grant that they had a lot of injuries…their starting RB injured on first play last night..that was tough). But Georgia, with SB at QB gave Bama a better game.
I think UGA and UF were better than Clemson and ND and anOSU at the end of the season. But that’s what a human based, biased selection process gets you. The “right” teams in and not the best teams in. Even with these projections, I think the Dawgs are under the radar in the sense that they’re not just going to be good, but very, very, very good.
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My Prognostication:
A motivated and talented UGA team runs the table to the SEC championship game with signature wins against Clemson and Fl. They beat a very good Alabama team to win the SEC.
In the playoffs, UGA loses to either Clemson or Alabama, both of which still get an invite. That’s the most UGA thing ever….
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Much like your wife or girlfriend was probably sitting next to you on the couch and scrolling through Amazon while you were watching the national title game last night, Kirby was on his phone scrolling through the transfer portal shopping for DBs last night. Probably didn’t see a single play in the 4th quarter.
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This is the year! This is it!
Dios Mio.
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We won’t close distance with Bama any more than that hapless OSU linebacker could keep pace with Devonta Smith.
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I think they will because of the mindset of those returning.
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Not too worried about our secondary. We have some talented guys back there and Kirby will coach them up. I think our offense is finally there with JT. I think Luke will get the OL set given a somewhat normal spring (or at leas a spring that we know how to handle with COVID).
The Clemson game is a toss up (but I like our chances), but win or lose, it won’t affect the rest of our season. We should cruise into the SECCG. Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess. I’m hoping Bama is back so we can beat the best. Just hope we don’t have to beat them twice.
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A former SEC DB and DB coach having issues at DB. Is it his wide open door policy with players and coaches or is he that difficult to play and coach for? I’ve wondered ever since Mel Tucker left after Kirby railed him on the sideline for an entire season. For a HC who doesn’t have one NC, he’s had quite a bit of turnover in staff and players. Obviously, some of it is success but as Herbstreit pointed out several times last night, Bama has guys who are about winning at Bama. A little continuity would probably help Kirby.
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Tucker took a head coaching job. That’s what happens when you hire good coaches and have success. Your assistants get better jobs.
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Yeah, which coaches were you sad to see leave that left for a lateral move? I can’t think of any. Every coach that left that I hated to lose, left for a promotion. You can’t worry about that.
Chaney, Coley left for lateral moves but I don’t think there were many tears when they left.
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I know Bama will lose guys to the NFL and all that, but watching them this season, it seems like 4th might as well be 25th. It isnt even in the same ball park.
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I’ll say, barring Kellee Ringo turning into a Derek Stingley Jr clone, Bama will have the best defense in the SEC in 2021. Hopefully offense still wins games (and having a legit passing attack ) still beats great defense too.
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Our best case scenario for 2022 is that our monster DL can provide enough QB pressure to force bad throws and get off the field, while our offense scores more TDs than the competition. Our secondary for sure is going to get torched a few times a game. But under the “bludgeon the competition to death with TDs” modern offensive model, I think that’s completely acceptable. I mean SB torched Bama’s secondary a few times, but it didn’t matter.
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*2021. Although technically the next natty is in 2022, so I’ll take the Freudian slip.
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I love that football is a game that brings unbridled joy with victory and simply a slap to our pride with defeat. Because I’m telling you now, if you haven’t suffered real loss you will and it will put this game into perspective.
Saying that, there is a darkness that pervades a portion of Dawgnation. Unrelenting pessimism that goes much deeper than Munsoning. It’s understandable to feel that way after all the shit that’s been dumped on us for the last thirty some odd years.
When it comes to Georgia Football I feel as if I’ve walked out of a dark, damp tunnel and into the bright, shining sunlight. Yeah, I got an umbrella but I’m wearing shades for awhile.
Go Dawgs!
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Sunlight or headlight? 😜
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With odds like that, I guess I’m putting $1000 on the dawgs. I want a car like the senator.
I’m still gonna be a negative Nancy though.
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I have valve stem caps like the Senator…
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Err, some of us like and prefer the ‘80’s and ‘90’s BMW I 6’s. Nothing comes clos.
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Forgot to add, we recruited well in the secondary. Now is there time to shine.
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Their. Whatever
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Best news of the day came out minutes ago. The Masters will have patrons on the grounds in April. That tells me we have a normal spring for football. Glory, Glory!
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Limited number of patrons
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Hey, who were the peeps who told me there’s no way Gunner Stockton would decommit from Sakerlina after Bobo left because they “knew” that Stockton loved Jaybo Shaw (meaning Connor Shaw, the off-field coach at Sakerlina)?
Who was the one who said he had the info about it? That there was NO WAY?
Suck it.
https://247sports.com/college/georgia/board/19/Contents/stockon-decommits-159136076/
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I’m not surprised. I wonder if he rethinks UGA now.
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I’m guessing he goes to Auburn as he has actual ties to Mike Bobo (and not the bullshit ties to Connor (not Jaybo) Shaw others said he did.
But we’ll see. He may want to wait to see how each team performs next year.
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Probably right, but what has Bobo done, for anyone to think he’s a qb whisperer that’ll make sure your kid is a top NFL prospect? Am I missing something here?
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The kid and his family have ties to the Bobo family, and unlike a lot OCs in the SEC, Bobo has a No. 1 QB draft pick on his resume. He runs an NFL-friendly system where QBs much learn and know how to call plays in a huddle, make checks at the line, audible bad plays to good, and read the defense post snap with up to five route reads whereas a spread offense like tOSU runs has 2 maybe 3 reads before they’re designed to run.
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Weird flex but OK.
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No, the weird flex is telling people on any CFB board that you have inside information where you tell everyone that the player in question loves a specific coach you wrongly name and how there’s no way he’ll leave, only to see everything you said proved to be total bullshit.
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Being right in a sea of dummies and haters is ninja-level flex. Throwing it back in their faces is extremely satisfying. Nothing weird about it. Unless you don’t know how to real life flex, computer flex doesn’t count, and it scare you. It is funny though how people (not you) can dish it out but get their feels hurt when it comes back at ya.
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Yeah, same opinion stated earlier here and elsewhere Corch. Heard the same criticism. ‘SC will be fine, Stockton is a lock, things are gonna be fine in Colombia.’ Some people should never prognosticate. They’re just not good at it.
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