So what happens to UGA's running game?

[Volznut]

Their OL was a question mark coming in. Now they have lost their talented back Crowell - dismissed from team

You look at their depth chart and they have Ken Malcombe, a soph who is pretty average, and Keith Marshall, a talented freshman, but I don't know that he;'s the type of impact guy Crowell was.

Georgia's going to have a good defense - they'll need it IMO

[BanditVol]

So maybe we have a shot.

But we will know about our team long before uga.

This does open up the East a bit more.  Going in, I had uga as the favorite with USC the second choice, and us and uf as the other possibilities.  Uga loses some of their luster at this point.

[Volznut]

So maybe we have a shot.

But we will know about our team long before uga.

This does open up the East a bit more.  Going in, I had uga as the favorite with USC the second choice, and us and uf as the other possibilities.  Uga loses some of their luster at this point.

UGA still has the easiest schedule of the entire SEC

[BanditVol]

UGA still has the easiest schedule of the entire SEC

It can't be that much easier than ours, but bammer is a pretty big difference I guess.

[Black Diamond Vol]

It can't be that much easier than ours, but bammer is a pretty big difference I guess.

They miss all three of the strongest teams in the West (and the entire SEC) for the second year in a row.  Once can be chalked up to an odd scheduling quirk, as that schedule was made years in advance.  But this year's league schedule was only put together late last year, after aTm and Mizzou came aboard.  So whomever put it together knew that UGA had just completed probably the easiest SEC slate since the league expanded in '92 (and won the division because of it), and made a conscious decision to give them the same schedule again.  It's almost criminal.

[Jedi Master]

Their OL was a question mark coming in. Now they have lost their talented back Crowell - dismissed from team

You look at their depth chart and they have Ken Malcombe, a soph who is pretty average, and Keith Marshall, a talented freshman, but I don't know that he;'s the type of impact guy Crowell was.

Georgia's going to have a good defense - they'll need it IMO

It will be RB by committee.  We actually have another frosh RB, Todd Gurley, who is expected to play a lot.  We also have sr Richard Samuel, who had a couple of big games last year (including the W over UF).   At this point the RB position looks to be more stable than last season, given that Crowell, Carlton Thomas and Malcombe all missed significant portions of the season with injuries and suspensions.  UGA's run game will be fine.

Regarding our schedule, none of our rivals complained when we had a tough schedule a few years ago, so I'm not apologizing when we cycle into an easy schedule. 

[Inspector Vol]

They miss all three of the strongest teams in the West (and the entire SEC) for the second year in a row.  Once can be chalked up to an odd scheduling quirk, as that schedule was made years in advance.  But this year's league schedule was only put together late last year, after aTm and Mizzou came aboard.  So whomever put it together knew that UGA had just completed probably the easiest SEC slate since the league expanded in '92 (and won the division because of it), and made a conscious decision to give them the same schedule again.  It's almost criminal.

Things like that and bama's lack of holding calls I assume when we get back to the top means we will get some favorable treatment as well.  

[Volznut]

It will be RB by committee.  We actually have another frosh RB, Todd Gurley, who is expected to play a lot.  We also have sr Richard Samuel, who had a couple of big games last year (including the W over UF).   At this point the RB position looks to be more stable than last season, given that Crowell, Carlton Thomas and Malcombe all missed significant portions of the season with injuries and suspensions.  UGA's run game will be fine.

Regarding our schedule, none of our rivals complained when we had a tough schedule a few years ago, so I'm not apologizing when we cycle into an easy schedule. 

Dude, dismissing Crowell's loss is silly. He had 850 yards last year and was clearly your big play RB. Gurley and Marshall are good, but they're not Crowell type talents.

[BigOrange Maniac]

UGA's run game may very well be okay this year, but I suspect that one would have a difficult time finding a single Dawg fan who didn't pucker when he heard of Crowell's latest screwup.

[droner]

UGA's run game may very well be okay this year, but I suspect that one would have a difficult time finding a single Dawg fan who didn't pucker when he heard of Crowell's latest screwup.

They puckered, but I think they saw it coming. UGA fans I've talked to here were saying as early as the end of last season that Crowell wouln't make it.

[SouthwestFloridaGator]

Keith Marshall looks like a big time player to me. I think he'll step in nicely, although he doesn't have the power that Crowell had. The losses on the OL will take more of a toll on UGA than the loss of Crowell.

[Ridge Runner]

They miss all three of the strongest teams in the West (and the entire SEC) for the second year in a row.  Once can be chalked up to an odd scheduling quirk, as that schedule was made years in advance.  But this year's league schedule was only put together late last year, after aTm and Mizzou came aboard.  So whomever put it together knew that UGA had just completed probably the easiest SEC slate since the league expanded in '92 (and won the division because of it), and made a conscious decision to give them the same schedule again.  It's almost criminal.

If you look at UGA's schedule last year they played Auburn (permanent opponent), MSU (second year they played them in the rotation) and Ole Miss (first year they played them in the rotation). They were due to drop MSU and pick up Bama with Ole Miss in for their second year. With Mizzou joining and forcing an extra division game, it seems the SEC just allowed UGA to play out their two year series against Ole Miss and delay picking up Bama for a year. Unusual? Yes, but everyone knew things would be a little off-kilter with the addition of new teams. "Almost criminal"? Nah, unless you like conspiracy theories.

We got a big break ourselves. We should have been in the second year of playing Arkansas, but somehow got to drop them and pick up MSU instead.

[BanditVol]

We got a big break ourselves. We should have been in the second year of playing Arkansas, but somehow got to drop them and pick up MSU instead.

Very true and we should be grateful.

Though in retrospect, with their coach self-destructing, I would almost love to have a shot at Arkanasas on our own home field after last year's debacle.  Almost.   

[Black Diamond Vol]

Actually, MSU was set to rotate on our schedule anyway in place of LSU.  We're losing Arkansas to play new Eastern opponent Mizzou. 

I won't deny that our schedule is about as easy as it's ever been.  But I'd certainly trade ours for UGA's. 

[BanditVol]

Actually, MSU was set to rotate on our schedule anyway in place of LSU.  We're losing Arkansas to play new Eastern opponent Mizzou. 

I won't deny that our schedule is about as easy as it's ever been.  But I'd certainly trade ours for UGA's. 

Right.  But they could have moved MSU later and kept Arkie, so it could have been much worse.  As it stands, the only real difference in our schedules is that we play MSU and bammer in place of Ole Miss and Auburn.  It's true that bammer should be much better than Auburn this year, and that Ole Miss is probably the weakest team in the conference (going into the season), so yeah there is a bit of a difference but we still have a pretty easy schedule.

And don't forget....the dawgs have to play US and we get to play THEM.   

[PirateVOL]

Right.  But they could have moved MSU later and kept Arkie, so it could have been much worse.  As it stands, the only real difference in our schedules is that we play MSU and bammer in place of Ole Miss and Auburn.  It's true that bammer should be much better than Auburn this year, and that Ole Miss is probably the weakest team in the conference (going into the season), so yeah there is a bit of a difference but we still have a pretty easy schedule.

And don't forget....the dawgs have to play US and we get to play THEM.   

Keeping the hawgs would have screwed the schedule up with the (new to the SEC) tigers coming to twon this year.  We had to have an away West team and it was the cow girls bells turn to rotate in. 
With the new schedule in play now we will get to an away West (other than bamer) location once every 11 years