GEORGIA
Heading into November of 2016, Georgia was a 4-4 team with a first-year coach. The Bulldogs were coming off a 24-10 loss to Florida, which went on to win its second consecutive SEC East title that year. The “this is why you don’t fire someone like Mark Richt to hire someone with zero head coaching experience” column wrote itself. The Bulldogs were a team just struggling to reach mediocrity in the ever-obtainable East, much less rise above it.
And then it all changed.
Rodrigo Blankenship nailed a game-winning field goal to beat Kentucky on the road a week later, and Georgia closed SEC play with a win against No. 8 Auburn to reach a 4-4 end-of-season mark against the conference.
Sure, the Georgia Tech loss to close the regular season stung, but that Florida loss marked an important rock bottom that Georgia has been climbing out of ever since.
The past 2 years, the Bulldogs owned the East in a way that I’m not even sure people realize.
Obviously the stat everyone knows is 12-0. That is, Georgia went 12-0 against East foes the past 2 years. What you might not know is that all of those games were won by at least 14 points with an average margin of victory of 25.3 points per contest. The East team that’s been the closest to them on average over the past 2 seasons — smallest margin of defeat — was South Carolina at -19.
But wait, there’s more!
Mizzou is the only East team the past 2 years to hit 28 points in a single game against Georgia. In fact, non-Mizzou East teams averaged 12 points per game against Georgia in the past 2 seasons.
Just 1 more stat. I promise.
Georgia played 720 minutes of football against East opponents the past 2 years, and trailed for just 9 minutes and 38 seconds. That’s 1.3% of the time Georgia was on the field.
OK. You get it.
What Kirby Smart has done during that time can’t be overstated, no matter how much the naysayers want to continue to point to his in-game decision-making against Alabama.
But, as is often the case in this sport, this becomes a “what have you done for me lately” business. If and when the East winning streak ends (it’s now at 13 games dating to 2016 at Kentucky), the headlines won’t be about Smart’s lack of experience. It’ll be about how he’s losing control of the division. You know, depending on who that loss comes to (Florida and Tennessee would make the most sense for that narrative to pick up steam).
Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
We don’t know when that time will come because frankly, nobody has been close. Jeremy Pruitt got emotional because Tennessee was within 12 in the final minutes of that game last year (that’s not a knock on Pruitt or the Vols, but just a sign of the times).
What we do know is that no SEC team in the 21st century — not even Alabama — dominated its division like this in a 3-year stretch. Nick Saban is the only SEC coach to have 3 consecutive SEC Championship appearances in the 21st century (Alabama also had a 3-year conference title appearance streak from 1992-94 and Florida did it from 1992-96). Here were Alabama’s numbers against the West from 2014-16:
- West record — 16-2
- Longest win streak during stretch — 11
- Average margin of victory — 15.3
- West titles — 3
- Wins vs. top-25 West teams — 12
(It’s worth noting that Alabama’s current 3-year run actually had an average margin of victory of 25 points, but I used that example because of the 3 consecutive division titles.)
Yes, I realize that last stat is important. From 2014-16, Alabama averaged 4 wins against division foes that were ranked at the time compared to just 1.5 for Georgia from 2017-18. That’s why I didn’t do a side-by-side comparison because it’s not fair considering it’s totally different competition.
But while the West has undoubtedly been significantly better during the Playoff era, let’s also not forget that Georgia beat 3 East opponents who were ranked last year, and all of those wins were away from home by at least 3 scores.
And we’re talking about the ability dominate opponents you see on an annual basis. Doing that at Georgia’s rate is absurd, even if the division hasn’t been the nation’s best the past 2 years.
Speaking of sustaining that rate, is there an end in sight to this?
Like, who’s going to be the first East team to lose by fewer than 14 points? Who can actually hold a lead against Georgia for more than 7 minutes? Who will reach 30 points? And can anyone from the East, dare I say, actually beat the Bulldogs?
This year’s matchup with Florida seems like the obvious pick for that all to happen, but even that would be taking a big next step. Let’s not forget that as great of a Year 1 as it was for Dan Mullen, the Gators were a mere 3-3 against the East. And one of those losses was the blowout against Georgia, which was playing at its absolute worst coming into Jacksonville.
Kentucky, which had its best season in 4 decades, got to face Georgia at home coming off the Florida game and it still didn’t matter. Mizzou also got Georgia at home with the SEC’s all-time single-season touchdown pass leader in Drew Lock, but that wasn’t nearly enough. And I don’t need to remind anyone of what happened in South Carolina after all that preseason upset hype.
Georgia won’t face any of those teams on the road in 2019, which feels like the most likely setting for this to happen. An 86-27 advantage against Vanderbilt during that stretch doesn’t make Nashville a scary destination for Smart’s squad. Is Tennessee ready to make that next step up and give the home fans a long overdue thriller? It’s not impossible, but I’m by no means holding my breath in the 5-7 Vols taking down Georgia in Year 2 of the Pruitt era. Not yet at least.
Consider that my way of saying this feels like it’ll continue through 2019 and into 2020. Georgia’s reign over the East could last until Jake Fromm is replaced (it’d be an unbelievable accomplishment if he went a perfect 18-0 vs. the division).
Of course there’s always the chance that Georgia has a bad week against an East foe. It seems like we’ve been saying that since the middle of the 2017 season.
It won’t be surprising if we’re still saying that in the middle of the 2020 season.
Go Dawgs – The Beast of the East.
It’s all about recruiting. The jimmys and the joes.
You don’t mention how Georgia isn’t just lapping its East foes there, we’re finishing the race with 50 laps to go on our division rivals.
In fact, the way Kirby is dominating the other coaches in recruiting is far beyond what Bama has ever done in the West. Take this year in which Georgia has 22 5-star players on the roster, and the entire rest of the division has 2 or 3, depending on the service. Florida has zero, and has just lost 3 of their best 4-star players in the recruting class that was supposedly “closing the gap” on Georgia.
Let’s talk about THAT lie, Connor. One that was oft repeated here. Before Sideshow Dan’s 2019 recruiting class collapsed, all we heard was the lie that he had “closed the gap” on Georgia.
To actually have even begun the process of “closing the gap,” Florida, or Tennessee, needs to actually finish ABOVE the Dawgs in the composite recruiting score. Neither of them came close in 2019. Georgia finished 2. Florida’s 2019 class is now barely hanging on in the top-25. Tennessee was top-15. They don’t have the jimmys and joes. As long as Kirby is in Athens, they are unlikely to ever have better players and the depth of those better players, that Georgia has.
And at the end of the day, Connor, that is the reason why Georgia’s dominance will continue in the East. Will we continue to go undefeated? Unlikely. But even if Florida gets lucky in the 2020 Cocktail Party (they ain’t winning this year, Sideshow Dan’s big clown mouth assured that) or Tennessee wins this year, it’s not a sign of anything. Was Ole Miss beating Bama twice ever a sign of anything? Nope. So take a Georgia loss in the East with the same grain of salt.
You hit the nail on the head, Corch. Recruiting is the lifeblood of a college football program. Sure, having great coaching is very important too but, you don’t reach the level of dominance Georgia has by just out coaching the other teams. Most of the time it comes down to the Jimmy’s and Joe’s not X’s and O’s.
Football is a game of matchups. And if overall, your players are more talented & better than who they are matched up with, then 9 times out of 10 your team will come out on top. So how do you make sure that your players are better than the opposition’s? By recruiting elite talent and coaching them up.
The narrative we all saw earlier this year about how Florida is closing the gap with Georgia, was nothing but off-season fluff invented by the media for one reason… Clicks. The media has to produce “hot takes” during the off-season in order to keep their numbers up. So they’ll take the most random point of views to make people curious about about a fabricated storyline. That curiosity translates into clicks on articles, views of videos, and time spent listening on the radio.
I say all that with the understanding of how the “closing the gap” narrative was developed. The one thing that you got wrong, Corch, was that FU/Tenn doesn’t need to finish above the Dawgs in composite recruiting score in order to close the talent level gap. It’s simple math that can show how this is possible. Say Georgia ranks 3rd, 1st, 2nd, and 1st in a four year span of recruiting. That means their average rank would be 1.75. Now FU ranked 15th, 12th, 17th, and 10th, which brings their average to 13.5. That gives us a gap of 11.75. The following (5th) year Georgia ranks 1st while FU “closes the gap” with the 6th ranked group of recruits. So, Georgia’s 4 year average is now 1.25 and FU’s is 11.25, which gives us a gap of 10. So FU technically “closed the gap” by 1.75 even though they didn’t finish above Georgia in the rankings.
Basically what it comes down to is that there’s only one way to go once you reach the top. And if your opponent hasn’t been at the same level as you but they do begin to increase their level then “the gap” does decrease.
The ultimate problem with FU’s “closing the gap” narrative, is that while they might technically be closing the talent gap, they will never have better talent than the Dawgs until FU consistently ranks ABOVE the Dawgs in the recruiting rankings for at least a 3 year stretch (it might actually take a 4 year).
So I’m ok with FU patting themselves on the back and saying that the talent gap is closing. That’s because of the fact that Georgia still has more talented team. And because football is a game of Jimmy’s and Joe’s, the more talented Dawgs will beat up on the improving Gaturds regularly. I enjoy beating a FU team that believes they’re a good team more than a crappy one that has lost 4 or 5 times before the end of October.
Still jobless? There is some good employment out there if you look hard enough. I’ll do my best to negotiate the rent with your mom, but she’s one tough cookie.
Still, no job. I feel your pain brother. It must suck to feel good inferior. We’re all good over in Gainesville. Call someone close to you if you need. help
I think the winning streak over the East continues through 2019 but most likely comes to an end in 2020. Nothing lasts forever.
Also, Georgia fans are known ’round these parts to comment on articles designated for other teams (much to those fanbases’ chagrin). Well, even though this article is primarily about UGA, it really concerns the entire East division. I personally would be interested in hearing fans of other teams give their take on all of this.
Boxster My very unbiased opinion (wink wink) is UGA has certainly been dominant the last two years and should this season as well. I don’t see anyone toppling that team this year. In fact I think this is the beat team you guys have had in the Kirby era. I think this will be your best chance to win a NC. Having said that I also think the east has been historically bad the last decade or more. When Mizzou won the east (I know they will crucify me for saying it) the east was the worst it has been since going to the two divisions. It wasn’t that good when UGA wont it the last two years but UGA had much better teams than Mizzou did. Last season was the beginning of getting back to a high degree of quality in the east but it still wasnt that good. The east may actually take another step backward this year, barring some surprises, before really stepping up in 2020. UT is building but isn’t close yet. Florida has enough talent to beat you on a given day where you don’t bring your “A” game but I wouldn’t bet on that happening. SC, Mizzou could pull off an upset if UGA plays their absolute worst and they play their absolute best which is also highly doubtful. UT at home is probably not happening. Just such a large disparity in quality players and depth. Ky – nope, Vandy – nope. I agree with you that UGA probably loses their next east game in 2020. Whether or not that slows down the train remains to be seen. But the only way the train slows down is by both UT and florida being really good again. Florida is close. UT is still a couple years away.
Florida isn’t close though. The talent gap between Georgia and Florida is vast, and even before Sideshow Dan’s 2019 class fell apart over the last week, it actually GREW with this last recruiting class, which I know wasn’t the lie that was reported here and elsewhere, but what was the actual truth.
As long as Kirby is in Athens, can you honestly see Florida or Tennessee surpassing Georgia in depth of talent? Yes, they’ll get enough 4-star recruits to have good starters, but they won’t ever have near the depth we have, and it’s through depth of talent that Bama has been able to dominate. There’s never “reloading.” There’s just “loading.” THAT is what Kirby has built, and what Florida and Tennessee have no hope of ever building. Florida, because Sideshow Dan is a clown. Tennessee because they don’t have the in-state recruiting resources that Georgia and Florida has.
Florida can compete with Georgia, they just need a better coach. For example, if a recruiter of Pruitt’s prowess were in Gainesville, I’d be far more worried about Florida catching up to Georgia. It’s funny. Sideshow Dan took the Florida job when he was a much better fit for the Tennessee job. If he had taken the Tennessee job, Pruitt might have wound up in Gainesville, and if that were so, Kirby might actually have two true division rivals within a year or two. As it is now, they’re both wasted where they are.
well we will just have to disagree. Kirby has done a great job recruiting. Georgia has much more players to choose from. No argument there. Florida has tons of local talent to recruit from as well and the gators will get their share. Mullen will either do well or not and move on. These last few days of issues are not nearly as bad as you, some of your co-horts and the media make them out to be. There isn’t much else to talk about so it got a lot of attention. On this site most of that attention was from you and some other select UGA fans. Shocking I know. UT has never had a large in-state recruiting base to draw from but we managed to be an SEC heavyweight for many years. If you think UGA will dominate the east from now on you are just not being realistic. Enjoy the ride. You are king of the hill now and probably will be for a little while. But it will come to an end sooner than you think.
Corch, I think your view of “Sideshow” Dan may be biased, maybe just ever so slightly. Recruiting, no. But game day,on field coaching, Mullen trumps Kirby. Sorry to say it but it’s true. A coach that can manufacture points by play calling doesn’t have to rely on depth to win. It catches up when there is better talent and a better coach. With all that said, the UF game is a toss up, and UT is still a year or two away. I think UK takes a small step back. Vandy, next. SC, entertaining through 2(but never in doubt), then uga pulls away. Same with Mizzou.
Even if UF or UT can pull an upset you can’t say the UGA reign is over unless they both do, and for consecutive years.
But you still gotta get through Bama! (Wink)
Yeah blitzer, I think you all claiming Sideshow Dan is that much better than Kirby as an “on field” coach are biased.
I mean, there are so many Floridiots who’ve bought into this idea that Sideshow Dan will dominate Kirby because he called a fake punt that didn’t work.
Sideshow Dan has more experience as Kirby as a head coach, but you realize how stupid this point of view is? You’re literally saying that Kirby won’t learn from any mistakes and won’t grow into the job. He’s just now a 4th year head coach.
This is the dumbest of all hot takes. But sure. Keep believing it, because it’s the only thing fans in the SEC can believe as Kirby continues to make his Death Star more impenatrable.
And saying depth of talent doesn’t matter and it can be outcoached is also stupid and not at all the reality we see in CFB on a week to week basis.
Corch here’s the thing. If you put Kirby as head coach of MSU in 2009 when Mullen took them over after a 4 win season, do you really believe he wins 9 games in year 2 and takes them to #1 in the country a few years later competing in the SEC West when it was at its all time best? Do you really believe he has the same recruiting success he’s having now? I highly doubt it. He dropped into one of the most ready to win, easiest to recruit to programs in the country. No way in hell he wins 10 games with the Gator disaster Mullen took over. I mean he was handed a dominant roster at UGA and all he could do was win 8 games. There’s not too many people outside of Athens that would agree with your assessment of Mullen. You just look like you have no clue about college football. Whether you like to believe it or not, Mullen’s one of the best tacticians in the game. He may not be as good of a recruiter as Smart, but he gets more out of the talent he has than most college coaches. If you think UGA is going to dominate forever simply because of talent, then you’re in for a rude awakening. Just curious, do you really believe the Clemson teams that beat Bama had more talent than them? I think the recruiting rankings would say otherwise. Boxster, UGA has to replace a lot of offense from last season, if they’re able to do that then should have another successful season. Whether they go undefeated again is anyone’s guess. They really only have to worry about UF, AU, and A&M.
Joe Marks-You are comparing a first time HC’s very first year to a guy who has been a HC for nearly a decade and are trying to say that it is comparable. It’s not and I hate both of your programs.
UGA obviously wasn’t a dominant program or else there’d be no reason for them to bring Smart in.
There is a balance between player talent and coaching talent, if you will. Where that lies, I dunno.
Mullen is good, but he’s also been head coaching for about a decade longer than Kirby. People seem to forget that Kirby has literally been coaching for only 3 seasons. 3. He’s got so much more to learn and experience, and based on the results so far, I’m optimistic for the future Kirby Smart.
“UGA has to replace a lot of offense from last season, if they’re able to do that then should have another successful season. Whether they go undefeated again is anyone’s guess. They really only have to worry about UF, AU, and A&M.”
Joe, I totally agree.
Was the East really down in 2018 tho? Winning record for the West tells me it couldn’t have been as bad as you’re making it out to be (I’ll agree 2017 was a pretty bad to mediocre year). What division was better?
SEC West? Argument could be made, but as states before the East had a winning record and every west team not named Bama/TAMU had at least one east loss with Arkansas, Ole Miss, Auburn, and Miss State all going winless vs the East.
B10 East? Florida has a win over Michigan, Kentucky beats Penn State, and UGA very likely would have beaten Ohio State.
B10 West? Either ACC or PAC division? That’s laughable.
I’m not even sure UGA gets an East loss in 2020. Florida is a definite possibility. Tennessee will be improved but has to come to Athens. Playing in Willy B could be tough but still a long shot. Kentucky, Vandy, and Mizzou will also be long shots. Bama and/or Auburn could be our only losses that year.
yeah it was closer last year but one season out of how many being down, like 6 or more, just isn’t “back” to me. I wasn’t knocking how good UGA was. Tried to make that clear. UGA was still a very good team in not great division. Flo and Ky had some big wins but also some bad losses. The only reason I picked 2020 is I am assuming Fromm goes pro along with some others and a new QB can be tricky. Even with all the talent he will be surrounded by. I would much rather have you guys in Knoxville next year. Winning in your stadium will be very difficult. Have to wait and see how we do this year and what next seasons class looks like. Our biggest problem next year will be depth. Im not as hung up on the stars as Corch is. They certainly can make a difference but not sure a team with 3-4 5 stars starting and a bunch of 4 stars with a few 3 stars cant hang with a team with 7-8 or more 5 stars with a bunch more 4 stars. We have had more than our fair share of 5 stars who didn’t pan out. A lot of that was due to the coaching, or lack thereof, by the butch jones debacle. But the NFL is littered with 3 and 4 stars that outplayed their 5 star counterparts. In college it means more because you can win more on sheer talent rather than the coaching involved in the NFL.
It’s really hard to tell if you post this outlandish stuff to try to get reactions from other fan bases, or if you are just really that ignorant. Probably a lot of both!!
No other team has done so little with so much as uga. Kirby is Mark Richt version 2.0
CDM is doing more with 3 & 4 stars than Smart has done with all of his 5 stars.
To hear you talk, you would think that uga was back to back national champions when in fact you really haven’t won anything. Ohh wait, that SEC championship in ’17 by the skin of your teeth. My bad.
Florida was in the football wilderness for 8 years, we acknowledge that. Those days are over. You call CDM “Sideshow Dan”, but you do it with a nervous laugh. You know he gets far more out of his players than smart does, and you know that the recruiting gap really is closing. You hang your hat on one bad apple from the ’19 class and one homesick kid. Oh, that and some decommitts from kids that are finishing up their sophomore year in HS.
A very short handed UF team was within 6 with 8 1/2 minutes to go. I look forward to this years WLOCP. We may not win it, but it is FAR from a sure thing for uga…
I know it’s been a VERY long time since dog fans have had anything to be happy about. Enjoy it, you’re on borrowed time…
GatorMania, you bash another poster for posting outlandish stuff and then you do the same. Jsut curious what Dan Mullen has done at Florida that Kirby hasn’t done at UGA yet? Neither have won a NC, but Kirby has one the east 2x (Dan-0), Kirby has one the SEC once (Dan-0), he made it to the NC game (Dan hasn’t). I just cant think of anything that Dan has done that Kirby hasn’t.
GatorMania. what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
Winning the 2017 SEC championship 28-7 isn’t “by the skin of their teeth”. And labeling Smart as Richt 2.0, when Smart is only entering his 4th season as a head coach, is a take that will age very poorly. Also, the claim “CDM is doing more with 3 & 4 stars than Smart has done with all of his 5 stars” is demonstrably false, so far at least, since CDM has yet to win a division or conference and Smart has done both.
GatorMania is clearly in denial….
@VolsAreTrash. few things Dan’s done at UF that Kirby hasn’t at UGA:
1. Go undefeated in post-season.
2. Rise in rankings from pre-season to post-season.
3. Pay for a hair cut instead having his cousin just cut around the bowl.
@UFGator 2017? I think that was a pretty significant rise in rankings from preseason to post. Try again.
@UFGATOR92
1: I mean his first season but bowls as post season? Post season is playoffs and onward but sure.
2: We didn’t start at 2 in the 2017-18 season.
3: True true
Voltrashcan, there’s really only one comparison you can make between Kirby and Mullen at this point and that’s the success each of them had in their first seasons with their respective programs, since Mullen has only been at UF for 1 season. Smart was handed a far more loaded roster with future first rounders littered all over. He took a team that won 10 games the year before and only won 8 finishing the season unranked. Yeah he had a true freshman starting at Qb, but is there any Dawg fan out there that wouldn’t have taken a freshman Eason over the Franks that Mullen inherited? Mullen took over a broken program culturally that won 4 games, and proceeded to win 10 games dismantling Michigan in a New Year’s six bowl and finishing with a #6 or 7 ranking depending on which poll you’re looking at. You can’t take 3 years of Smart’s accomplishments and compare them to one season for Mullen. If we were just looking at each of their first seasons, one would walk away from that comparison saying Mullen will have more success going forward. I hate to break it to everyone, but I don’t believe for a second that Smart would’ve had the same successful first season at UF that Mullen did. He didn’t even do it at Georgia with better talent.
Joe Marks, your remarks obviously come from a rival fan’s perspective.
You say Kirby “took a team that won 10 games the year before and only won 8 finishing the season unranked.”
It’s kind of hard to take the same team into the next season. With players graduating and going Pro, and transfers…
No, Kirby’s first team did not win 10 games the year before.
Freshman QB. You act like Eason was a dynamic player as a true freshman. He was not.
If Mullen is clearly a better coach, and your comments suggest he is, how did Kirby Smart go toe to toe with Alabama in back to back games? And he did it with far less talent and depth.
Does that make Mullen a better coach than Nick Saban?
So you’re bragging about a close loss Tim?… #moralvictoryU
Fuzzy, that’s a very solid take, I agree
People tend to forget Mullen got about 10 players back off suspension from the previous season when Florida went 4-8. Other than that the games will be played this fall
That’s a very good point. You’re right, that’s not taken into account often.
Certainly possible but highly improbable. Y’all should sweep the east.
In 2019, Missouri, USC and KY are home games. UT will have to make more than a next step to beat UGA in 2019. UF at the WLOCP can always surprise, but the talent gap is wider now than it was the last two years. UGA has two open dates in the five weeks before UF, and after all the talk from Mullen, I just don’t see how Smart isn’t dialed in.
I think most overlook the fact that Kirby Smart has only been at Georgia for three years. This will essentially be the first team that he has built.
Mark Richt recruited well and a high percentage of those players have contributed to the roster. Kirby Smart is recruiting on another level. An elite level, and arguably as good if not better than Alabama over the last three years.
It’s still a little too soon (one more recruiting class) for Smart to have quite as much Junior-Senior depth and leadership but it’s going to be better than in any of Smart’s previous years. We assume that Florida and Tennessee, maybe Missouri are improving teams but like Mullen said, even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes.
Can Georgia sustain that level of dominance? Time will tell, but so far the talent gap is at least as good for Georgia, and it may even be getting better…
Cry Havoc, and let slip the Dawgs of War.
The Beast of the East has been awakened. Locking down all the Georgia Boys and selecting a privileged few from the other states will prove to be college football’s most successful formula.
The Dawgs are marching towards their manifest destiny – to conquer and rule all that is college football. The ruins of the SECE are only the beginning.
To the naysayers – enjoy being able to say “1980” will you can. General Maximus Smart is coming, and he is bringing hell with him.
Great post.
confusing gladiator and Tombstone but ok…
You think UT can take Vandy this year?
Why Gladiator?? Ever heard of Julius Caesar (Shakespeare)
Yeah that Caesar fellow.. likes to wear robes and drink wine… Not a bad idea actually.
I do expect to beat Vandy this year. But I also expected to beat them the last three years and every year before that. We will see. Should be time to turn the corner on them and SC.
UGA is still somewhere in the 3-5 range for best current college football program. Maybe you make it to the top someday, maybe not. The latter seems more accurate, although Kirby has the tools to do it.
What Is lil nicky – 68 or 69? Remember GOAT today, gone tomorrow.
Have you ever compared the career trajectories/waypoints of Kirby and lil nicky – as a player, asst coach and 3rd year HC?
.
.
Kirby is so far ahead of lil nicky, it’s not even close
Kirby if currently following the career trajectory of Mark Richt if you really want to do a comparison.
Bamatard
Ate you serious? If so that is a very ignorant statement.
Do you know what the terms trajectory and way point mean? Do you understand context?
I guess you missed my point. Bama is at the top and sure Saban wont be around in another 5-10 years, so maybe UGA passes them at some point (you’ll probably have to keep waiting). You still have Clemson, who is ahead of you right now and only getting stronger. The other two, OU and Ohio State will always be good and at the top. As much as UGA fans like to beat their chest that they are one of college football’s perennial powers, its just not true.
Kirby has so far followed the Mark Richt handbook to coaching at UGA… His trajectory has been almost identical to Richts from the start at UGA.
Not in recruiting, though, especially on the LOS, and that came back to bite Richt very badly in his later years with the dismal mediocrity of UGA’s offensive and defensive lines.
bamatime bamatard
“UGA dumba$$….17Tide just posted it above’
What are you like 17tide bamatard’s bytch???
Do you know what I meant by challenging you to quote the statement, verbatim???
can you think and act for yourself???
Your dumba$$ can’t even post your reply in the right place… I got you so flustered by proving you talk out your a$$ constantly that you’re stumbling over yourself trying to type… LMAO. You stupid fu$&…
17Tide. Kirby is just getting started, it’s only been 3 seasons. Many of those players were from Richt’s recruiting classes, which averaged a ranking of No.9 over the three years before Kirby came to Georgia. Kirby came in and had to completely rebuild the Offensive and Defensive lines, which were anything but top 10 material.
Kirby’s last three classes were No,3, 1 and 2. Logic suggest better days are going to come for Georgia. Kirby is still a rookie HC and his knowledge in that role is not going to degrade, or stand still. He will be a better coach with the experience. The talent and depth for this season will be better than in any of Kirby’s previous seasons, and after the 2020 class he will have as much talent and depth as any team to include Alabama.
Basing Kirby’s and his teams capabilities on his first three seasons is shortsighted.
UGA actually regressed from Kirby’s second to third season even though Kirby had more of his recruits in the program…
UGA signed two of the top 10 recruits from the state of Georgia last year according to 247 Recruiting…. I’m not sure that’s considered locking down the state…
Well we signed Webb and Picking out of alabamastan.
Webb was #1 in Alabamastan, was picking #2?
Next point
Pickens
so your counter argument is to point out something that doesn’t even relate. gotcha.
And I quote: “Locking down all the Georgia Boys”. 2 out of the top 10 doesn’t seem like “locking” them down.
Maybe you’ll address the point made, but most likely you’ll make a derogatory comment towards the state of Alabama and its’ people like you always do.
I never said Bama locked down the state. That being said using 247 composite again, Bama brought in 4 of the top ten from the state which is closer to “locking it down” then UGA did… Like many UGA fans on SDS you made a false statement and tried to pass it off as a fact.
Bamatime Bamatard
You stated “Like many UGA fans on SDS you made a false statement and tried to pass it off as a fact.”
In your next post (if you’re woman enough) quote the false statement I made verbatim.
UGA dumba$$…. 17Tide just posted it above..
17Tide bamatard
Play attention and maybe you’ll learn something
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Let’s start with FACTS (according to the recruit-nick world)
KIryb’s first recruiting class (not counting the one he inherited from Richt) was the #1 class and set the modern record for 5-stars. The class that ended bama’s string of #1 classes.
Kirby’s second class was the #2 class with one of the recruiting service rating it as #1. But I’ll cede that bama signed the better top-to-bottom class.
The bulk of recruits in both these classes are GEORGIA BOYS, SO YES, Kirby is LOCKING DOWN the State of Georgia.
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Now let’s turn to your little comment “… UGA signed two of the top 10 recruits …”
You make a great point in that statement that I’m sure you failed to realize, you draw your list from rivals, not KIRBY SMART.
Can you state what Kirby’s Top-10 list for the State of Georgia was? (let me help you – no you can’t)
Of the Top-10 in Georgia that Kirby identified/prioritized can you tell me how many Kirby signed? (again – no you can’t)
So, who knows, maybe Kirby signed 6,7,8,9 of the Top-10 in Georgia that he wanted. You don’t know and I don’t know but again Kirby is killing it with recruiting and the bulk of his signees are Georgia Boys.
By any stretch of logic Kirby is signing 70%-90% of the kids from the State of Georgia that HE WANTS.
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Why did I mention Kirby going into alabama and getting the State’s #1 recruit and 5-star Pickens????? I did so to illustrate the points I just made.
Kirby did want 5-star receiver Hasslewood but Oklahoma signed him. So what did Kirby do – he signed 4/5-star Blaylock from Georgia and 5-star Pickens from Alabama.
That is LOCKING DOWN THE STATE OF GEORGIA, then some.
17Tide bamatard
Lesson II
Why did I mention Kirby going into Alabama and getting the State’s #1 recruit 5-star Clay Webb????? Again I did so to illustrate to the thinking people of this World, sorry you didn’t get it.
The State of Georgia’s #1 O-lineman was Morris out of Greyson HS, a 5-star OT. UGA advised Morris they saw him as a hybrid guard/tackle and Morris stated he only wanted to play OT. Neither UGA nor Morris showed much interest in each other throughout the recruiting cycle. Morris signed with UT.
So what did Kirby do – Kirby signed 4/5-star OT Truss, Rhode Island’s overall #1 recruit. Then Kirby signed 5-star Webb, Alabama’s overall #1 recruit. Then Kirby signed 4-star McClendon, the State of Georgia’s #2 O-Lineman.
That is LOCKING DOWN THE STATE OF GEORGIA, then some.
bamatime bamatard
“UGA dumba$$….17Tide just posted it above’
What are you like 17tide bamatard’s bytch???
Do you know what I meant by challenging you to quote the statement, verbatim???
can you think and act for yourself??
LMAO… You followed up your false statement with some more off the wall bull$hit…
Yes I used 247 composite as it lists the recruits from the state in order of the rating.. No matter how you try to spin it Smart is not locking down the state of Georgia and just signed two of the top ten recruits….
You made a false statement and got called on it then cried like a little b!tch because no matter how you try to spin it, you’re just wrong…
It’ll take one of the other east teams to recruit at a stronger level, for Auburn and the other West team to beat UGA, and a bad game from UGA for a team to win the East over UGA
Ryan Hillinski will 100% be the best QB in the division come 2020. We all know that last year’s upset hype was premature, but he could be the best chance for anyone in the east to truly take control of the division away from UGA.
Check out this guy here. He misspelled CARSON BECK. Silly Sakerlina fan.
Little bit bold but I’d take it :P
For the Gators who keep insisting that UGA’s 19-point win in last year’s Cocktail Party implies some kind of parity with the Dawgs, bear in mind that the Citadel was tied with Bama at halftime too. Every time the Gators got close and began to feel they could stay on the field with the Dawgs, BOOM – UGA strikes again and sucks the wind right out of those Florida sails. It was almost like UGA was toying with the Gators – letting it get close only to pull the rug out again. That makes about as much sense as the We-Got-This chatter coming out of Gainesville this year about the 2019 WLOCP. The Vols gave us a much better game, as did Mizzou. If a 19-point loss to the Dawgs is the best bullet in your gun, you might as well disarm.
Ok so let me get this straight. Ga has widened the gap with all their 5* talent? And Florida has no talent? Explain to me then why with the ball at the 1 yard line and 6 tries that a bunch of 5 stars couldn’t punch the ball in against a team with no talent
Because Chaney called the same play 6 out of those 7 times, and no matter how good you are, you can’t do that.
Also, no one is saying Florida has no talent. They have starter talent, mostly on defense (their o-line has been decimated, and their QB is sketchy at best). They have zero depth of talent. That is where games are won. When your second guys up are just as good as their starters. That’s where Kirby has Georgia positioned.
Where did I say UF has no talent? Mullen has plenty of talent – just nowhere near on par with the Dawgs. Bill Elliott’s Blue Chip Ratio statistics haven’t come out yet for 2019, but UGA will doubtless be a solid no. 2 nationally behind Bama with 6, 3, 1, and 2 finishes the last 4 years.
I referred to your own fans’ commenting on a solid belief that the Gators have UGA on the run due to last year’s game, and that this year’s contest is, at worst, a coin-flip. That’s who my comments are addressed to.
And you really want to compare teams based on one series? Really???
Behold the incredible mind of Jim Chaney that Tennessee gets to witness this upcoming season.
In all seriousness, though, I have no explanation for that series. UF just wanted it more and went for it harder.
This is the Dawg fan delusional logic in a nutshell. Do you really believe Bama is going into the game against the Citadel with the same intensity UGA is going into the game against UF with both teams ranked in the top 10? Come on man you can’t be that dumb. Yeah UGA is just toying with a huge rival in a game with potential playoff implications. By the way, the Gators were down 6 with the ball and 4 mins left in the 3rd quarter, but yeah it’s the same as Citadel being tied at halftime lol!!! The Vols gave you a better game?? Again with the stupidity. At what point in that game did they actually have the lead let alone even a chance to win? You sir have just won the award for the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen a Dawg fan say. November 2nd can’t get here soon enough.
Maybe you missed the part where I was comparing the “toying” idea to you and your’s belief that these two teams are anywhere near close? Like, balancing ridiculous against ridiculous? Must’ve gone over your head.
With 5 minutes left in the game, UT was much more of a threat to UGA than the Gators were. I actually was feeling a little apprehensive in the 4th quarter against the Vols. At no point during the Cocktail Party did I have the slightest doubt UGA would walk away by at least 2 TDs.
Oh, and by the way, your constant use of “delusional” to characterize Dawg fans’ confidence is a bit misplaced. “Delusional” is a term for losers who think the tide is turning, despite solid evidence to the contrary – like UF walking away from Jax with a big fat L 5 of the last 8 years.
You can use that stat however. I mean in the last twelve years the record is tied 6-6 last 15 Florida holds 8-7 advantage. I mean it can go either way.
It can, but the more current you get, the worse Florida looks. And me, I prefer current. The Gators-own-Dawgs narrative has run it’s course.
Let’s just go with overall record because anyone can focus on a time frame that would be favorable. So Florida says 51-43-2 Dawgs and Georgia says 52-43-2. Either way Dawgs on top.
As of now the only teams I see giving UGA a game this season In the east are SC and maybe Mizz not saying confidently that we could win that game but I do see a gap being closed and under the right circumstances we could win. But we would need some help the ball bouncing our way and what not
So youre saying SC is the second best team in the east? I respectfully disagree. Im telling you with that schedule you guys are going to be lucky to make a bowl.
You aren’t wrong about our strength of schedule, I doubt Tennessee would make it back to 3-9 if they played who we play (favored over Charleston Southern, app state and vandy toss ups.) You can disagree all you want, but we likely would have beat UF if we weren’t banged up and starting walk ons on D, UK lost everyone important, and we beat mizzou with our backup qb last season. I expect to win 7-9 regular season games next season if we don’t lead the SEC in season ending injuries again.
Spot on. And FL earned that win, they saw the weakness and exposed it, great job on their part.
Fuzzy…. We will run straight through the entire east with the exception of UGA the only team that concerns me outside of that is Mizz the only team of concern with a healthy(ish) Defense we go 9-3 with the possibility of upsetting 1 of the big 3 if the ball bouncing our way
Ok man
If you say so.
You must be smarter than every other sports analyst who has made a prediction thus far. You should join ESPN.
Now that’s a hot take
My only Toss up would be A&m. despite the fact that none of you want to believe it muschamp is doing a hell of a job rebuilding this program
SC and FL will be the only teams fighting for GA’s spot and I never counts Stoops and KY out. Ga’s spot should be secured again. TN got blown out their last two games of the season to an overrated (and still is, Mizz) and Vandy while fighting for a bowl game. That is very telling of a team. They lose a lot more on defense than people are talking about, Sapp especially, and their oline can go either way. Mizz was terrible with their second round QB Lock at the helm, now they are handing that offense over to Bryant, who struggled to win with the talent he had around him at Clemson.
Every team has injuries. SC fans were quick to tell me that was no excuse in very recent years. So you don’t get to use it as an excuse for last year or this year. One of the main reasons you need depth is due to injuries. If you don’t have depth you won’t be very good. You have no idea how UT would fare vs that schedule and neither do I. But we don’t have it and I am glad of it. We will likely finally get off the schnide vs you in neyland this year.
There is no reason to believe that TN will beat SC, everything else points the other way. You have yet to explain why you think TN will win, so no one can take you serious. You have no idea how SC is going to fare either but yet here you are attempting to troll.
Billy you and B&G are hilarious!
And Fuzzybolls you are a moron, lol. My wager still stands since you think this is your year.
As does mine but please if you could please point out the holes inside my team I would happily show you where and why you are wrong
It’s actually crazy reading these comments from the UGA “fans” here on SDS. Sites become just a flood of BS comments from trolls. Ya’ll complain about Mullen s*** talking but come on here and sound just as stupid.
@Bamatime its nice to see youre still around.
Who has the beer and popcorn…?