Saturday, August 21, 2010

The Writers have no Allegiance to UGA.

Many people are making a big deal out of the Dawgs' Preseason #23 ranking.

"WHOA WHOA...Hold up, Dukes! Where have you been for the past few months?"

It was summer, nothing was happening. Get over it.

Now, as I was saying, Many people are making a big deal out of the Dawgs' Preseason #23 ranking. They're using that ranking to suggest that Georgia Tech is now somehow a better football program than Georgia. They're using that ranking to say Richt should be on the hotseat. They're using that ranking to say the wheels have really fallen off with talent level and ability at UGA.

These people are idiots.

College football is a "what have you done lately" entity. The answer, in UGA terms, is "not much." Georgia hasn't won the SEC since 2005. We haven't won a national title since 1980. We haven't beaten Florida since 2007, and before that, 2004, and before that, 1997. Soooo....what are UGA fans expecting? Do you expect that the national writers have been reading all the UGA blogsites and are in a fervor about the "potential" of this year's team?

No.

They are voting for proven teams. UGA has shown a decline in performance over the past two years. After a lofty #1 ranking before 2008, UGA lost 8 of its next 26 contests. That's a 69% winning percentage. Think that's gonna rank you very high? Nope.

You and I know that this team is going to show addition by subtraction. The defense will be better. How do we know this? Well, could you imagine it being any WORSE? The defense is taking on a "playmaker" mentailty - and I'm all for that. I want those guys to turn it up, and turn it loose. Will that result in a few burns? Most likely. But, in the long run, I think it will result in a far greater overall defensive performance.

The QB play will have to be better. Murray has an armory of weapons around him. He has a great offensive line. He has solid running backs. And, he has a coach who is going to let the game come to HIM instead of forcing him to go out and win games.

Of course, this is all information that has been trumpeted around for the whole summer. This is what every UGA-Red-Blooded blogger has told you. This is not news. Still, some of you seem to believe that the writers-at-large should agree with this. They shouldn't. It's not their job to believe in the potential. It's their job to believe in results.

Then, after the results are in, and the Dawgs are on top in the SEC, it's their job to pretend they were with the us the whole time.


Go Dawgs.

6 comments:

Ally said...

Excellent. No other word better describes that post. Just excellent.

Go Dawgs!!

Unknown said...

This sounds like another Mark Richt apology.Mark Richt finished out of the top 25 last year.(7-5 regular season)
This is the second time this has happened since 2000.

Georgia's preseason ranking in the AP the past decade, along with its final ranking:

2001: NR .... 22
2002: 8 ..... 3
2003: 11 .... 7
2004: 3 ..... 7
2005: 13 .... 10
2006: 15 .... 23
2007: 13 .... 2
2008: 1 ..... 13
2009: 13 .... NR
2010: 23 .... ?
If he finishes outside the top 25 again for the second straight year he should be terminated.

Could Will Muschamp or Kirby Smart do any worse?

BuLLdawg said...

They're using ranking to suggest that Georgia tek is now somehow a better football program than Georgia.

College football is a "what have you done lately" entity. The answer, in UGA terms, is "not much."

Not won SEC since 2005

Not won NC since 1980

Not won over FL since 07, before that 04 before that 1997

Writers are voting for proven teams

UGA has shown a decline in performance over the last 2 years

After # 1 ranking preseason 2008, UGA has Lost 8 of the next 26

69 % Win Percentage is NOT GOOD enough to be a highly ranked team

QB play will have to be better

Yes, I would have to agree, it has not been much fun Ben Dukes

We also Lost 6 of the previous 26 before the last 2 years you so aptly describe, in the 2 years before that.

We are in decline the last 4 years for the # 11 program all-time in 1-A wins to find 18 teams who we have not done better than.

We face a tough schedule the season after this 2010 season, the 2011 season and face it losing 15 seniors and 4-5 juniors - nearly all the starters we lose after this season.

Of course, it doesn't help that we # 1 Fulmer Cup and 1-3 vs 4 sorry vols teams the last 4 years

We are # 3 in Fulmer Cup All-Time now which started after the 2005 season, as well.

We have a LOSING RECORD at Sanford Stadium the last 4 years vs SEC East teams, and there was NOT 1 single highly considered team among any of the games.

I'm hoping for a 12-2 this season, and fully expect a significant drop-off in 2011.

Anonymous said...

"These people are idiots."

No truer statement has been written.

ThePetis said...

"It was summer, nothing was happening. Get over it."

I do not appreciate your attitude, sir!

Ben Dukes said...

I'm not Mark Richt, so I couldn't offer a Mark Richt apology.

As for this being the second time since 2000 that UGA finished outside the top 25, this is the ONLY time a Richt-coached team has finished outside the top 25. The one in 2000 was coached by Jim Donnan, and not a single reader of this blog felt the sting of that season as much as I did.

Also, Mark Richt's teams have (in 9 seasons) finished in the top 10 5 times. That means he's finished in the top ten more times than he hasn't, and only once out of the top 25.

Could Kirby Smart do worse? Are you asking for a personal assessment from a guy who played while he was a coach at UGA..or are you asking for the assessment of him based on his prowess as a DC?

Will Muschamp will not leave Texas. Forget about it.

As for predicting 2011 before a single 2010 game has been played, that's just idiotic.