2012 Preseason Top 10 Countdown

                     The next team in my Preseason Top 10 for 2012 is the University of Georgia.

 
  Checking in at #9. It has been reasonably quiet for Georgia this off-season, and that's a good thing.  Georgia, this time last year, had concerns at runningback, injuries, and all kinds of questions surrounding Mark Richt's job security.
  Good news: No major injuries to talk about, Runningback position is looking bright, and Mark Richt's seat is just a little above room temperature.
  Coming off a solid season, Georgia will try to make it back to the SEC Title Game where they were out-lasted by LSU. I say outlasted because after one half of football, Georgia was still hanging around. LSU had the depth. Georgia ran out of steam.....and maybe a little outmatched. A few more studs and some depth and that game would have gone down to the wire.
  What to expect. Still a young team but very experienced. Murray threw for over 3000 yds with 35 td passes and Isaiah Crowell rushed for 800+ yds last season (ESPN Stat Reports). Those kind of numbers build confidence for the offense. Consistency is what Richt is looking for on the offensive side of the ball. The defense didn't have a bad season. They ranked 23rd in the country in points allowed. There were times when the defense was on the field too much. Anytime the defense has to come back out on the field three and four times because the offense has had a three and out a few times in a row, they are going to wear down. Looking at their schedule, they have to be happy. Georgia clearly has one of the easiest SEC schedules I have seen in a long time. No Alabama. No LSU. No Arkansas. And I don't want to hearabout Auburn. They were the modern day "one hit wonders" of college football. Who is left to play? Oh yeah, I forgot about the east. The SEC East is down and that leaves the door wide open for Georgia to not only win the SEC East but possibly be the dominant team in their division. Florida is still nothing but question marks. South Carolina will be the biggest threat but even the Gamecocks don't look to be all that scary. Sure, South Carolina stole one from Georgia in 2011, but the keyword was "stole." South Carolina knows it was a steal and believe me, the Bulldogs know it and can't stand it. Can't write off the possible upset alert from Vanderbilt this year, but I still don't see Georgia losing more than one game in conference. Tennessee is another question mark and nobody can truly say Tennessee is a threat. If Georgia plays to what they are capable, then you are looking at the SEC East Champs and a for sure top 10 finish in 2012.

  What if Georgia doesn't live up the expectations? I promise you this, Mark Richt cannot survive a mediocre season this year. He won the Georgia faithfull back last year.....or most of them I think. But you can't follow up last season with a seven or eight win season.....especially with the schedule they have. That is why I still the think the seat warmers are still on in Georgia.....they may not be set on high but they are still on for Mark Richt.
 
  The Final Run Down. Georgia wins the SEC East. Then play a close game with whoever wins the SEC West (as I have Alabama and LSU in my top 5, I can't spoil it now)....but still come up short in the SEC Title game. And we talk about what a great job Mark Richt is doing to bring Georgia back.

Next in my Preseason Top 10 for 2012 is #8 West Virginia.....remember that team that threw up a crazy amount of points in a BCS Bowl?