Georgia is not too enamored with hype
Many preseason rankings have Bulldogs at or near the top.
By ANTONYA ENGLISH
Published July 29, 2004
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - His team loaded with talent and veteran leadership, Georgia coach Mark Richt can somewhat understand why many preseason publications have the Bulldogs as a top contender to win the national championship.
On the other hand he's not quite sure what all the fuss is about. And he's not necessarily ready to buy into the predictions.
But based on the early hype in the world of college football preseason rankings, it's clear Georgia is this year's SEC golden child basking in the national spotlight.
Eight preseason publications have the Bulldogs ranked in the Top 5. Two, including the Sporting News, believe they are No. 1.
"They've got to make somebody No. 1," Richt said, downplaying the attention at Wednesday's SEC Media Days. "I think people look at what you might have done last year, who you're losing, how many returning starters you have, and somewhere in their minds they decide you're one of the top teams."
Based on that, Georgia is a legitimate contender.
The Bulldogs return 19 starters from last season's 11-win team - including Heisman Trophy candidate David Greene and two-time All-America defensive end David Pollack. In the past two seasons Georgia has won 24 games.
At least four returning starters will protect Greene on the offensive line, and the majority of the defense returns from a team that was ranked fourth nationally in total defense (275.92 yards allowed). The unit includes safety Thomas Davis and linebacker Odell Thurman, both All-SEC selections last season.
"We've got experience, and we've got good senior leadership," Greene said. "We don't have a whole lot of seniors, but we've got guys that are three- and four-year starters that have been around the program awhile. They understand it's our last year, and we want to get it done."
The coaches and players seem to have mixed emotions about the hype.
Pollack points out that preseason rankings are wrong "90 percent of the time," which means "90 percent of the weight is off our shoulders." Nothing matters but how you finish the season, he said.
Greene agrees but believes there can be some benefit.
"I think it gets everybody excited about the hype," he said. "It lets everybody know what we can do, what can happen. I think it's good for us."
Richt concurs with Greene but counters with a down side.
"It could be a detriment to you if everybody takes it too seriously," he said. "First of all I think the polls that everybody is going to be the most interested in is the coaches poll and the AP poll, and I doubt we'll be No. 1 in either one of those. So I think the target will be on someone else's back."
The Associated Press poll is released Aug. 14, and Georgia never has been among its preseason Top 5. Its highest preseason ranking was No. 6 in 1967.
None of that means a thing to Pollack.
"Of course I want Georgia to be No. 1, but I want Georgia to play the best they can to the best of their ability," he said. "And if we do that, then everything will take care of itself."
Apparently there are a lot of people out there who think this will be the season Georgia finally exorcises its demons with Florida.
The Gators have defeated Georgia 13 out of the past 14 seasons, including six in a row. In 2002 it was Georgia's only loss.
The boosters haven't let Richt forget that.
But meeting this year's lofty expectations requires more than just beating the Gators, although that would help. Georgia has some issues to address.
Kicker Billy Bennett, the SEC's all-time leading scorer, is gone. Starting linebacker Tony Taylor sustained a knee injury in the spring game and is out for the season. And Georgia's schedule is among the toughest in the nation, including defending co-national champion LSU, Tennessee and Florida.
"I don't know if we're in any better position to win it this year than we were the year before or the year before that," Richt said. "But I think the whole thing comes down to whether or not you win the close ball games. And there will be a lot of close games, I can promise you that. We're as close to the NFL as you can get when it comes to parity and teams that are capable of knocking the other one off."