How do you define success?
Granted, if this UGA team wins the National Championship, everyone on this board will jump on the CMR/Bobo/Grantham bandwagon, and I wouldn't blame you at all. But what if they fall short? How short can they fall and you still feel like it was a successful season?
And what about LSU fans last year? They were optimistic that their team was going to win it all. Look what happened. And how would you like to be a Florida fan? Oklahoma? Boise State (face facts - that was the best shot they may EVER get at a National Championship). Want to ridicule ME for expecting a better result this year than last? Then the only team you aren't ridiculing is Alabama, because they are the only team in the nation that met the new "standard expectation", out of all 120 teams playing.
Here is something interesting. Most here on the board are not Mark Bradley fans, least of all ME. So last year I kept a copy of his preseason predictions, thinking he would make a fool of himself, as he usually does. Here is what he said:
"Six months ago I wouldn’t have imagined this pick, but here it is: Georgia will go 10-2 and win the SEC East. And how’s that for a snappy beginning to our annual long-range look at college football?
What changed my mind about Georgia? The Dream Team. I’m not the biggest believer in recruiting rankings, but this class rekindled a fire that, after 8-5 followed by 6-7, was down to embers."
What's the idiot saying this year?
"Georgia will go 11-1 and win the SEC East. Then it will beat LSU for the SEC championship. And then … well, what destination traditionally awaits the SEC champion? (Hint: It ain’t beautiful downtown Shreveport.)
With that, we commence our annual long-range look at college football, which is guaranteed to please absolutely no one. If I pick your team to do less well than you think it should, you’ll be miffed; if I pick your team to do better, you’ll gripe about the Bradley Jinx. Which didn’t, I should note, seem to trouble Georgia overmuch last season: The Bulldogs, as predicted, did take the East. And this year, for better or worse, I foresee better."
Bradley is an idiot, and so is Vegas. Me too. But don't get into the business of saying a person SHOULD NOT BE OPTIMISTIC about his/her teams chances of having a great season. If you do, then do it for all but ONE team. And be RIGHT about which team it is, every single year. Ridicule Texas fans. Ridicule Oklahoma fans. Ridicule Boise State fans. Ridicule LSU fans. Ridicule 119 teams fans.
BTW, the comments Eubanks made about Grantham and Aaron Murray were NOT saying that Georgia has its best shot at the MNC since Erk. He was taking shot at our "delusions of grandeur", that finally we have all the pieces in place, just like when Erk was still here. He was saying "no, UGA, you do NOT have the pieces in place". He was taking shot at all of us who genuinely believe that our program is a WINNING program, and that it's just POSSIBLE that this year COULD be worth watching. Forget him. But thanks for posting it, Buc.
[Just a quick edit here: to anyone who thinks UGA will disappoint this year - call Todd Grantham and ask him what HE predicts for this year. I think he will disagree with you . . . what do YOU think he'll say?]