My hopes for the Mark Richt era...

I was looking over some numbers and history today and forumlated a set of what I consider to be reasonable expectations for the Mark Richt era at the University of Georgia. Of course, like every other Dawg fan, I would like to see us win SEC and national championships every year. Realistically though, these are my hopes for what CMR will accomplish by the end of his tenure here:

1.) Overtake the Tennessee series and surpass Tennessee as the team with second most SEC championships. Catching Alabama in all-time accomplishments isn't something that will happen in the next 50 years simply because they're way ahead of everybody else in SEC titles and national titles. However, we are right on Tennessee's tail and can surpass them as the solid number 2 all-time program in the conference, behind Bama, by leading the series against them and having more SEC titles than they do. As it stand now, the series is at 15-19-2. So, either another streak like we had against them the beginning of this decade or being consistently a better program than they are (which we have been ever since CMR got here) over the next decade or so should even things up. For SEC titles, we have 12 and they have 13, so this will hopefully be tied up this year and surpassed the next.

2.) Overtake the Auburn series. This is actually the stat that upsets me the most. Things have really gotten out of hand in this one. It's 49-53-8 right now and, as close and evenly matched as this rivalry has been over the decades, it might take a quarter-century to close that 4 game gap. If we average 6-4 against them each decade, it will take 20 years. I think this is actually going to be the toughest task. It will probably be harder than overtaking UT.

3.) Run the Georgia Tech streak to 15+ This seems like a tall order but when you think about it, it's entirely possible.

4.) Beat Florida on a regular basis. Don't let them gain anymore ground on us than they already have since 1990. This series is about damage control more than anything else. We are well ahead of them in series wins and all-time accomplishments, but we need to keep it that way. This will be the toughest team to establish year in and year out surpremacy against, simply because they have so much going for them. The FSU and Miami programs are on the brink of collapse, so expect Urban Myer to have the state of Florida on a lock down in terms of recruiting. Once that program no longer has any serious in-state competitors, which it won't after Bowden retires and Miami falls apart, I feel sorry for the rest of the college football world. We need to keep our heads above water with this one and at least match them in accomplishments for the rest of the Urban Myer era. If they beat us, we need to beat them. If they win an SEC championship, we need to turn around and win one ourselves the next year. The Tebow-Stafford rivlary will be the greatest quarterback rivalry this country has seen since Manning-Weurfell, but hopefully not as one-sided.

5.) At least 2 more national championships and 1 more Heisman trophy winner. It is time for us to step it up a notch and take our place among the Ohio States and Nebraskas of the world with 4 or 5 national championships instead of the Floridas and FSUs with 2.

One thing that may discourage us all -- though Richt has NOT had as much trouble beating Auburn as Dooley had, and though winning the SEC is more likely for us now that there's a championship game instead of simple overall conference wins being the criterion -- is the history of \"championship\" UGA coaches with quick SEC victories. Vince won two early -- in '66(splitting with 'Bama) and '68 -- and then didn't win another SEC championship for eight years: a split crown with Kentucky in 1976. It was another four years before the Herschel run, and then he never won another. Of course, Alabama was a power then, winning every SEC championship between '76 and '80.

Wally Butts won early, winning his first SEC crown in '42 and then two more in rapid succession (a split with UT in '46 and a win in '48). Then he didn't win another won until 1959, his last year coaching the Dawgs.

If Richt follows the record -- and again, with a championship game and 'Bama not a power, the playing field is different -- don't look for another SEC title until roughly 2011.

It does seem as if Meyer has Florida on lockdown, however...

HOWEVER: I don't think Miami is going to fall apart. Randy Sanders will have that machine back up and running again. The Larry Coker thing is going to prove to have been an anomaly. Just look: Schnellenberger, Johnson, Davis, right in a row. Then Coker, who despite his ineptitude won an NC his first year and took OSU to overtime in losing a second NC game. Miami will begin recruiting away from Florida soon.

HOWEVER: Don't discount the rising stock of the Big East. Silly as it sounds, South Florida is a growing program, and there just might be a few football recruits out there who would rather live in Miami than a stinking swamp.

HOWEVER: Don't you EVER discount the recruiting clout Richt has in the Devil's country. CMR is a Miami alum, was drafted by the Dolphins and was the secret to Bowden's success at Free Shoes during the '90s. Richt can recruit away from Meyer.

The Auburn series: we could even out the series if Auburn would just make up its mind to get to the game the same year we do! Then again, if David Greene sees Reggie Brown in the back of the end zone in 2004, we would have played them twice that year... Honestly, as much as I both anticipate and fear the Rivalry every year, I'd love us to play twice a year a couple of times, if only so that we can surpass the UNC-UVA rivalry (currently known as the South's Oldest Rivalry) and take the \"Deep\" caveat out of the title of the game. Because seriously, who gives a damn about the UNC-UVA game?

Tennessee: I'm always shocked when I see the 15-19-2 stat, because it's hard for me to believe after 17 years of divisional play that we've only played the Vols 36 times in history. Right now, though I hate Florida, loathe Tech and just love to stomp down Auburn, Tennessee is the team I look forward to punishing and embarrassing every year. You might think it's because my mother went there and I have to hear about it for a week after the game if we lose, but really it's because I was at the 2004 game and my stomach tried to jump out of my body and slap David Greene for not checking down to his secondary receiver.

The Nation: As most of you know, I don't believe in the National Championship. That said, I think the SEC champ should play in the big game EVERY YEAR, even if that champ has two losses. The SEC is simply the best conference in the nation, as we have proven with our 3-0 record in the National Championship game since the inception of the BCS. It's only fitting that the first BCS champ (Tennessee) and the first winner of the fictional BCS National Championship Game (Florida) should both come from the SEC. Say what you want about the USC dynasty, but I saw LSU twice in 2003, and if you put the 2003 Tigers against the '03 Trojans, LSU wins the AP championship too. NO OTHER CONFERENCE IS UNDEFEATED, AS WE ARE, IN THE NC GAME SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE BCS. Therefore I decree that CMR has already won us two national championships, in 2002 and 2005. Okay, maybe not '05. But come on, our '02 team would have run roughshod over both Miami and OSU.

Oh, and Stafford WILL win the Heisman...

OK Chem dawg I can buy into that list.

I want to add another wish to the list. Starting in about the mid 90s I was tracking our winds all time. We are currently 11th all time at 702 wins. I want to get into the top 10 in my lifetime. We were making good progress on #10 until they hired that jackass Pete Carroll. Yes, USC is #10 with 743 wins. We are 41 games back. In the mid 90s we were about 50-60 games behind. We were only 37 games back in 2004 but have lost ground. We need to get our stuff together and also focus our negative energy on USC.

Who's with me?

EVERYBODY, kentdaddy. Also UGAChemDawg, I would put the UF accomplishment NUMBER 1 on my list.

I agree wlayton. We need to right the ship and get back to the once every seven thing with the gators.

gators in my opinion are \"public enemy #1\", hands down !!