Haters Gonna' Hate: UGA a 10 seed in NCAAT

I will admit, I don't know too much about the NCAA tournament selection process.  But I did find it strange how the "experts" and media types were going back and forth on Georgia.  Almost every prognosticator seemed to say UGA would either be one of the last four teams in, or one of the last four out.  But it turns out that none of them were correct, and Georgia ends up as a 10 seed, facing 7th seeded Washington in Charlotte on Friday.

I'm surprised, but only because I've been hearing bad things so frequently the last few days about this.  I don't care whether it's deserved or not; I'm just happy to see the Dawgs earning a spot in the big tournament for once.

Georgia Football: What's the Level of Excitement?

It usually seems like the first day of spring football practice is big news.  This year, the coverage appears to be lacking, and so does the interest.  Granted, usually the basketball team isn't actually in contention for the NCAA tournament, and there is a 2 week hiatus between the first practice and the next.  But is it possible that there's a lower excitement level in general toward Georgia football at the moment?  Did a 6-7 season bring a feeling of cautiousness, perhaps even nervousness, about the coming year in Georgia football?

I started thinking about the type of season that produces the most excitement from a college football fan base, and that would have to be a nearly undefeated season, with a win in a BCS bowl, and returning stars.  In other words, 2008 was the optimal year for excitement in UGA football.  They were coming off an 11-2 season, a blowout win in the Sugar Bowl, and returning huge names in Stafford and Moreno.  Add to that the recruiting hype of a player like AJ Green, a #1 pre-season ranking, and the cover of Sports Illustrated, and you have about the maximum excitement level attainable.

A down year can bring excitement too: the excitement for change, improvements, and (obviously) doing better than the year before.  I got that feeling after 2009's 8-5 year, which was followed by a QB battle in the spring and the implementation of a new defense.  It wasn't the excitement of going into 2008, but it was still decent.  But is there a point where the losses become too many, and it's difficult for fans to feel the usual self-induced hype of a coming season?

We might have reached that point.  There's still anticipation, a growing star at quarterback, new recruits, and plenty of improving to do.  But the general feeling for now might be a cautious optimism.  Great things can happen in 2011, but we'll have to wait and see.

Georgia Loses to Alabama, but it Isn't Over Yet

Because the fact of the matter is, no one knows where UGA is going to go.  I've heard plenty of prognosticators say that even with a loss to Alabama, Georgia should still be in the NCAA Tournament.  That may be so, and perhaps as long as there aren't any huge bubble busters coming in the next two days, UGA should be in.  

I find it most relaxing to just sit back, think positively, and wait to see what happens.  As a Georgia fan, the easiest route is to be angry over a very frustrating loss, throw your hands up, and scream about how, "Well now we've done it!  We're going to the NIT!  And we deserve it with how we played!"  But a frustrating loss doesn't change that Georgia has a very good résumé, won the "must win" game against Auburn, and gave up a big lead to lose in overtime against the Tide.  

I have no idea what the committee will do and how things will shake out, but I'm not going to worry too much about it.  Before Thursday's game against Auburn, the general consensus I heard was, "Georgia really needs to win this game to feel good about the NCAA tournament, but if they lose, they still have a decent shot."  Then after handily taking care of Auburn, I heard about the Alabama game, "Georgia really needs to win this game to feel good about the NCAA tournament, but if they lose, they should still have a good shot to get in."  Which tells me that it's all up in the air, and we'll see how it shakes out.  That's all we can do.

Should UGA Hold Open Tryouts?

Of course it isn't necessary.  Georgia has no problem filling up the roster with highly rated athletes and hand picked walk-ons to fill any gaps.

But Vanderbilt is in a different situation, and they've decided to now make possible the dreams of most college-aged sports fans.  They held a football walk-on tryout on February 15, and 17 students showed up to see if they have what it takes.  

I know it makes no sense at a program like UGA, but imagine how awesome it would be for the 30,000 or so students (minus about 60% females) to have a chance to wear the silver britches.  Even if none of them made the cut, it would still make a great reality show.  Make it happen, Mr. McGarity, and I will produce the reality show for free.  Title ideas?

Here are a few:
The Next Top Dawg
Mark Richt's: "The Arena"
Georgia Football Idol (with judges Mark Richt, Greg McGarity, and Mike "Big Dawg" Woods)

PS: Follow me on Twitter, because it's all the rage these days (or so I hear).

Why Tomorrow's Game is BIG for Bball Dawgs

The 20-9 (9-6 SEC) Bulldogs will take on Alabama in Tuscaloosa tomorrow at 1:30 PM.  Why is this game big, other than still needing to win to feel comfortably in the NCAA tournament?

The last time Georgia's basketball team won 10+ games in the SEC?  The 2002-03 season, where they went 11-5 in SEC play.

And the last time Georgia won 21 games in regular season play?  The 1996-97* season (21-7 regular season record).

*The 2001-2002 season if you count the win over Georgia Southern.

Oh Hello There Blog World...

Seems I forgot you existed for a while there.

This is just a little note to signify that I'm now remembering you.

Posts to come soon.

Does UGA have to win the East next year to keep Richt?

The AJC's Mark Bradley seems to think so. 

I seem to think he's wrong.

There are plenty possibilities for how the 2011 season could end up, but I can think of a few scenarios that wouldn't involve Georgia winning the SEC East, yet Mark Richt still easily staying as head coach.  So here's a list of some possible outcomes and my predicted results.

GEORGIA 2011 SEASON
1. Georgia goes 14-0 (8-0 SEC).  Obviously, this is what we sort of want here.  Mark Richt could buy himself as long as he wants in Athens with a national championship.

2. Georgia loses 1 game (13-1) Of course if UGA wins the SEC, it would buy Richt a lot more time (years).  But even if Georgia doesn't win the championship game (but gets there) Richt will no longer be on the "hot seat."

3. Georgia loses 1 game (12-1) This would require Georgia's 1 loss to somehow prevent it from winning the SEC East.  Only way this could happen is if Florida, South Carolina, or another East team beats Georgia and goes undefeated, winning the East.  This is extremely unlikely, but it could happen, and it's one scenario where Georgia not winning the East will certainly NOT get Richt kicked out of Athens.

4. Georgia loses 2 games (10-2 regular season).  Once again, even if Georgia doesn't make it to the SEC Championship but only has 2 losses, Richt should be fine.  A 10 win season, no matter how you slice it, can't be bad enough to oust a coach.  Any coach.

5. Georgia loses 3 games (9-3 regular season).  This is where things start to get tricky.  Georgia could win the East with 3 losses, in which case Richt would be fine.  But if not, I still think 9-3 should be enough for Richt, but the only way it could be really, really bad is if Georgia has:
A. 3 losses to rivals (Florida, Tech, Tennessee/Auburn) and gets blown out in these games
B. An embarrassing loss to a cupcake (Coastal Carolina, New Mexico State)

If those things happen, his future could be questionable.

6. Georgia loses 4 games (8-4 regular season).  This is pretty much the tipping point.  With 4 losses, Georgia COULD win the SEC East and go to the championship game, where a win would be a huge success for Richt at UGA (even with 4 losses).  However, if Georgia wins the East but loses the SEC with 4 losses, things could still look bad for Richt.  8-4 with no SEC East title probably won't cut it, and it could be the end of the Richt era, UNLESS things go a very specific way:
A. Georgia beats Florida, but loses very close games to good teams in 2011.  I think it's possible that this could save Richt for another year, but it's very unlikely.

7. Georgia loses 5+ games (7-5, 6-6, and below).  Richt will not be safe with any record with 5+ losses, UNLESS Georgia miraculously wins the SEC with that record (which still is technically possible).


So there you have it.  There are plenty of scenarios where UGA could not win the SEC East but still have a good season.  I think it would be hard to get rid of Coach Richt if he brings a 3+ win improvement from this year (9 wins or more).