C&F's predictions for the Georgia Bulldogs.
Finish: 2nd, SEC East
General: I'm giving a lot of credit to Mark Richt because, quite frankly, he's Mark Richt. This has nothing to do with the cliche that Richt does well when expectations are low -- Year2 has pretty well blown that notion up, or at least shown that there's no real evidence of it. Instead, it has to do with the fact that Richt has a record of almost always fielding solid teams. And he can get the most out of a young team. That will be critical for a team that lost so much of its offense when Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Morenoheaded to the NFL. This is, in my mind, an optimistic way of looking at Georgia's season. But Richt has earned that.
More specific: But it is a young team, so you can expect an upset somehwere along the line. Arkansas looks like a good bet, but if not there, it could come vs. South Carolina or vs. LSU or even at Tennesseee. I'm really torn on the Georgia Tech game; I think Tech could have a great team this year, but the record of Georgia dominance in recent years makes it hard to pick the Jackets. Even if Georgia drops that one, though, they could easily pick up a win in Stillwater or Fayetteville. Without another SEC upset somewhere, the latter would alter the conference record, but might not change the standings. Not to give anything away, of course.
Game-specific:
9.5 :: at Oklahoma State :: POSSIBLE LOSS
9.12 :: vs. South Carolina :: POSSIBLE WIN
9.19 :: at Arkansas :: POSSIBLE LOSS
9.24 :: vs. Arizona State :: POSSIBLE WIN
10.3 :: vs. LSU :: POSSIBLE WIN
10.10 :: at Tennessee :: PROBABLE WIN
10.17 :: at Vanderbilt :: PROBABLE WIN
10.31 :: vs. Florida :: PROBABLE LOSS
11.7 :: vs. Tennessee Tech :: WIN
11.14 :: vs. Auburn :: PROBABLE WIN
11.21 :: vs. Kentucky :: PROBABLE WIN
11.28 :: at Georgia Tech :: PUSH
Final record: 9-3, 6-2 SEC
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MONDAY: Georgia Looks for Direction
TUESDAY: Dawg Days
WEDNESDAY: The Secret Life of Evil Richt; Does Mark Richt Do Best When Expectations Are Low?; How Deep are the Dawgs?
TODAY: Predictions
FRIDAY: Feedback and Conclusions