Expectations

Ok. Another season is here and the Dawgs are getting a ton of hype. I was just wondering what the expectations are from you guys. I'm trying to keep reserved but it's hard.

This season we quite possibly have one of the best teams I've ever seen. We do have to face the fact that our schedule is a monster. 6 of the 12 teams on our schedule are ranked (2 in the top 10). We play in Colombia, at Tempe, in Death Valley and on the Plains this season. I would love nothing more that for the Dawgs to run the table, but realistically I expect the Dawgs to drop one maybe even two depending on injurys etc. Personally I would like to see an SEC title and/or a BCS bid. I guess at the end of the day I would be satisfied with a 10-2 season and/or an SEC title. What do you guys think? Am I a pessimist or what?

I just keep thinking about the '93 season. We were 10-2 the previous year and got some media attention and then went 5-6. Granted that was under Goff but everytime we get praised in the off-season I think back to '93 and what a disaster that was. I think that season scarred me for life.

I think the road to the national championship runs through Jacksonville this year. Whoever wins the Cocktail Party will be in the championship game. If we can make it to the Florida game undefeated, we'll have a real shot at going all the way. I think the title game is going to be Southern Cal vs the SEC champion. Ohio State won't be back in the title game for a 3rd consecutive year because they have to play the Trojans and they will lose. The only reason they made it the past two years is because they had a weak non-conference schedule and played a Big 10 that was down.

UGAChemDawg wrote:

I think the road to the national championship runs through Jacksonville this year. Whoever wins the Cocktail Party will be in the championship game. If we can make it to the Florida game undefeated, we'll have a real shot at going all the way. I think the title game is going to be Southern Cal vs the SEC champion. Ohio State won't be back in the title game for a 3rd consecutive year because they have to play the Trojans and they will lose. The only reason they made it the past two years is because they had a weak non-conference schedule and played a Big 10 that was down.

Yep.

What he said.

We have to take them one at a time. Don't look past Ga. Southern.

UGAChemDawg wrote:

Ohio State won't be back in the title game for a 3rd consecutive year because they have to play the Trojans and they will lose. The only reason they made it the past two years is because they had a weak non-conference schedule and played a Big 10 that was down.

I wouldn't write them off in that game just yet. Mark Sanchez just dislocated his knee and is questionable for the first few games. His first start last year, against Stanford, was a disaster. And the 2006 Buckeyes went down to Austin and beat the defending national champions in their own house en route to an undefeated regular season. I'm actually (I can't believe this) picking Ohio State in this game. I'll agree that Ohio State backed their way into the 2007 NC game, but in '06 they truly earned it. Unless you have a schedule like 2007 Hawai'i did, going undefeated is an accomplishment unto itself.

Georgia Southern. Then CMU. Then the rest of the schedule, folks. In my optimistic glee I also predicted that the Cocktail Party winner would win the MNC. The problem with that is that we have to play our schedule. There's a reason we've never played Florida when both of us are undefeated. It's damn near impossible. I would say that we have an excellent shot at getting to the Florida game undefeated except that we have to beat LSU. I would say that we have an excellent shot at getting to Baton Rouge undefeated except that we have to beat Tennessee. I would say that we have an excellent shot at getting to the UT game undefeated except that we have to beat SCarolina. It's a big nasty bastard of a bear-beast of a schedule, folks. I think we can navigate it undefeated, but I also think we can trip up BADLY like we did in '93 or '06, or even slightly like we did in '04 and play our way not only out of Miami, but out of Atlanta again. One game at a time, keep the energy up, and rest in February. Don't rest 'till February!!!

As tough as our schedule is, I STILL say that it sets up well for us. We WILL kick USC and UT's butts because of the motivation factor from losing last year(and we're off before the UT game....BIG). We \"should\" be able to get really up for ASU because we want to prove someting to the Pac 10. Alabama will be physical but we are at home and have a little \"too much\" for them to beat us.

Now, I hate to say this but my BIGGEST worry is LSU/UF. Believe we will beat LSU at their house but am worried that we can beat UF the next week because they will have had an off week while we are playing LSU. That's HUGE my friends.....very BIG. I'm just hoping that we just have TOO much talent for UF regardless of having a very physical game the week before. If I see a loss, it would be that one and it KILLS me to even THINK that (actually makes me nauseated when I think of a possible loss to UF when I know we are the better team). I live in gator country and the last 9 months have been GLORIOUS!! The rest of the schedule will be a \"take care of business\" situation. We should win them if we stay focused and believe we will because they will be seeing THAT light at the end of the tunnel.

That's my take (and my one worry).