Overreacting pundit accuses fans of overreacting. Film at 11.

Georgia and Georgia Tech are both 3-0.  If you’re Jeff Schultz, that can only mean one thing:  Dawg fans have begun making too much of a big deal about their team.

It’s building in Athens because, well, it always builds in Athens after a win. Jacob Eason makes a big throw to win an SEC game on the road and suddenly the overwhelming thought among Georgia fans is, “If he can do that at Missouri, he can do it at Ole Miss. And he can do it against Tennessee. And Florida! And New England!”

The door is open on North Ave but there’s a little more caution among that fan base because, well, duh. But Georgia Tech is 3-0 and the offense was impressive against Vanderbilt, and even though Vanderbilt isn’t nearly Clemson, even if half of the Clemson players had their arms and legs duct-taped together, the Paul Johnson-Dabo Swinney history tilts in Tech’s favor and there’s just enough there to make you think, “Hmmm.”

This week won’t define the season for either Georgia or Georgia Tech. But it will tell us a lot about the potential of each program this season in their respective conference races.

And, yes, it’s debatable which program is sitting in a better position today (as Bulldogs fans read that sentence and spontaneously combust).

Anything’s debatable, Jeff… well, maybe not the quality of Tech’s recruiting.  But I digress.

The man should really spend some time reading the comments section here at GTP.

This week, in moronic punditry

Mark Bradley being Mark Bradley aside, anyone who uses last Saturday’s squeaker against Nicholls to justify questioning Georgia’s talent level doesn’t know nearly as much about college football as he’d like to make us believe he does.

We may be witnessing the dawn of a new era.

See if you can catch the almost breathtaking admission in Bruce Feldman’s latest Heisman rankings.

Nick Chubb, UGA, RB

He was fantastic in his return, burning UNC for 222 rushing yards and capping it with a 55-yard TD run in the fourth quarter as he carried the Dawgs to a comeback win over a good team. Every time Chubb has been able to play a full game in his college career, he’s come up huge. You can’t say that about any other RB in college football.

See it?  No?  Okay, try again.

He was fantastic in his return, burning UNC for 222 rushing yards and capping it with a 55-yard TD run in the fourth quarter as he carried the Dawgs to a comeback win over a good team. Every time Chubb has been able to play a full game in his college career, he’s come up huge. You can’t say that about any other RB in college football.  [Emphasis added.]

Georgia gets a win and the opponent isn’t Dawgraded.  What’s the world coming to, I ask you?

If you’re Mark Bradley, it’s not too early to start setting up Kirby Smart.

You gotta love this Trump-esque conclusion about Georgia’s 2016 expectations:

Back to Georgia: Even with a new coach, this cannot be seen as a classic Rebuilding Season. There’s too much talent on hand, and the schedule is too inviting. Maybe that’s why Kirby Smart seems wrapped extra tight — if he doesn’t break double figures in Year 1, it will be viewed in some circles (Las Vegas included) as a disappointment.

Mind you, Bradley’s not saying he’d be disappointed (although he’s picking Georgia to win 10 games in the regular season), just that “some circles” would be disappointed.

Maybe one day Bradley will concede that Smart’s almost as good a head coach as the genius… er, sorry… meant to say he’ll note in some circles that’s the perception.

Moving to Montana

Stewart Mandel forecasts a lukewarm debut for Kirby Smart.

SEC East No. 3: Georgia (7-5, 4-4 SEC)

New coach Kirby Smart will likely be relying on a true freshman QB (Jacob Eason), not an ideal scenario in the SEC.

I could be wrong, but I don’t think that’ll go over too well.

Mr. Conventional Wisdom shares some advice.

Most of today’s column, inspired by the Maurice Smith transfer situation, is fairly inoffensive and even, by Barnhart’s standards at least, challenging, as far as Greg Sankey goes.

But then he has to go and end it with this:

Here’s one final point: It is not good for the SEC to have a narrative out there that two of its coaches – Nick Saban and Kirby Smart – are having some kind of turf war of mentor vs. pupil. I know the talk-radio fans find it highly entertaining. But it is bad for the SEC.

Mike Slive had to intercede in 2009 between Urban Meyer and Lane Kiffin when those two boys were getting a little too frisky in public. I would suggest that Sankey put in a call to Saban and Smart with the simplest of messages: “This ends now.”

What, pray tell, is “this”, exactly?  Neither coach has called the other out in public by name, or questioned the other’s transfer practices.  (To a large extent, that’s because with regard to non-graduate transfers, they’re both the same.)

The edgiest things have gotten between the two is that Smart has come out for allowing graduates to transfer freely, but even there, he’s avoided direct criticism of Saban about the Black transfer from Alabama or the Pappanastos transfer to Alabama, both of which are easy targets.  If that’s as bad as it gets, then perhaps Mr. CV should offer a brief smack down of Bert for  publicly backing Saban’s approach.

To compare what’s gone on in this case with the sniping we saw between Corch and Junior is, frankly, a bit insulting to both Saban and Smart, about whom the worst anyone can say is that when it comes to each other, they’re competitive.  In my book, that’s a long way from outright contempt.

Then again, you can’t be conventional if you can’t wallow in a little “both sides do it” when you think it’s needed.  I’m sure the parties involved will give Barnhart’s advice the attention it deserves.

Who could have figured?

I’m sorry to pick on poor ol’ Dean Legge, who’s just trying to earn a living, but really, I don’t need an insider’s account to know that Georgia’s biggest concern going into the season is this:

In talking with a slew of folks over the weekend, the No. 1 problem heading into the 2016 season is depth. More than anything else, quarterback play included, depth is the top concern of those most in the know.

“If you look at all of the starters you can really be a pretty good team,” said one insider. “Honestly, and I might be biased, but I think No. 16 is about right to start the season. But I’m telling you right now, we are on the precipice of being in serious danger of losing a few games if someone gets hurt. The offensive line isn’t super deep; obviously you don’t yet know your starting quarterback; the running backs – don’t get me started. That could be a real mess. We just are not deep enough anywhere. Maybe at linebacker.”

That’s just the sentiments of one insider. In my calls around to folks this weekend to check on their thoughts on the Saturday practice, that was repeatedly stated – UGA’s depth is a real concern.

This is not exactly a dark secret to anyone who can read a depth chart or recall the story of Georgia’s recent recruiting classes.  Although I think I’ll go out on a limb here and say there isn’t a depth problem at tight end.  Consider that insight on the house.