12/18/10
Lose to UCF in the Liberty Bowl and Georgia will have their first losing season in a quarter century. So why would a team in this position deserve to see the light of a Top 25 ranking for next year before the '10 season is even complete? Well, when a team breaks in a freshman quarterback and the top player on offense (A.J. Green) is missing for much of the first half of the season, a losing record becomes a realistic probability. And a reality it was as Georgia started out dropping four of the first five games. Although the status of A.J. Green’s collegiate playing days is up in the air as he could opt for the NFL, Aaron Murray's status is not. The youngster has made some great strides behind center as many expected, erasing the early season slump to finish with a 24-to-6 TD-to-INT ratio. The running game has not flourished yet despite having two studs (Washaun Ealy and Caleb King) taking handoffs. They will get another crack at it and there is plenty of experience on the offensive line returning. The defense has its share of issues. With nine starters set to return, including All-American honoree Justin Houston at linebacker, plenty of optimism exists for getting better this spring and summer. The kicking game is best the SEC has to offer with Walsh and Butler. This is a young football team that went through a few growing pains. Their growth towards the better side of the win column to close out the regular season gives this coaching staff a chance to take something positive through the winter. Make no mistake; the heat on head coach Mark Richt is blistering. He will do better next fall, but how much better will he need to be to keep his job? Getting back into a weakened SEC East Division race has to be the first measuring stick. The prospects for accomplishing such a task look much better than they did a year ago.