Do you take the better team or the better program in the SEC Championship game?

[pokernut9999]

They had 5 common opponents , not much difference

GEORGIA

florida atlantic 56-20
miss 37-10
mizz 41-20
tenn 51-44
auburn 38-0

ALABAMA
FLA ATLANTIC 40-7
MISS 33-14
MIZZ 42-10
TENN 44-13
AUBURN 49-0 <!-- Point Me Log -->

<!-- End Point Me Log --><!-- --> Edit Post Reply Reply With Quote <!-- SBR Controls --><!-- Post Nominations --><!-- / Post Nominations --><!-- Point me -->

[pokernut9999]

Tennessee game Ga offense gave up 3 td's in ist half on turnovers , otherwise games were pretty equal

[BettingWizard]

you're getting 7.5, who cares who the coach is?

[t-wizzle]

you're getting 7.5, who cares who the coach is?

These guys just don't get it do they?

[texhooper]

They had 5 common opponents , not much difference

GEORGIA

florida atlantic 56-20
miss 37-10
mizz 41-20
tenn 51-44
auburn 38-0

ALABAMA
FLA ATLANTIC 40-7
MISS 33-14
MIZZ 42-10
TENN 44-13
AUBURN 49-0 <!-- Point Me Log -->

<!-- End Point Me Log --><!-- --> Edit Post Reply Reply With Quote <!-- SBR Controls --><!-- Post Nominations --><!-- / Post Nominations --><!-- Point me -->

yeah, except for the part where georgia allowed 44 points to tennessee at home and bama held them to 13 on the road. tennessee was pretty damn close to sending that one to overtime too.

alabama has played one bad quarter and made 2 bad mistakes all year pretty much. they all came in the same game. it's really, really hard to bet against them in this spot.

[texhooper]

have they really played bad in any bowl or champ with him as coach? Big dick nick will have them ready as always... let's see if Georgia can do anything against a ggood defense... Shyt against Carolina... and needed 6 turnovers against Florida

yes, they failed to cover 9 against florida in the 08 sec championship game and in their subsequent bcs bowl, which i believe was the sugar bowl, they got absolutely destroyed by the mwc utah utes.

[suicidekings]

yeah, except for the part where georgia allowed 44 points to tennessee at home and bama held them to 13 on the road. tennessee was pretty damn close to sending that one to overtime too.

alabama has played one bad quarter and made 2 bad mistakes all year pretty much. they all came in the same game. it's really, really hard to bet against them in this spot.

Georgia's second quarter against Tennessee probably qualifies as their worst of the year, losing 2 fumbles and allowing 3 TDs in 5 minutes. Their first quarter against SC they gave up 21 points on an interception and a punt returned for a TD. Two bad quarters that were low points in an otherwise excellent season. You really think Alabama's mistakes are excusable while Georgia's are damning? I don't see how you can claim the margin between these teams is that significant...

[texhooper]

sk add the kentucky game in there and you have 5 bad quarters for georgia. obviously georgia has had a great year but you look at the body of work and to me it's just not as impressive.

[suicidekings]

sk add the kentucky game in there and you have 5 bad quarters for georgia. obviously georgia has had a great year but you look at the body of work and to me it's just not as impressive.

That's how I feel about Alabama's season. Michigan and Arkansas turned out to be much weaker than expected, and Mississippi State is a complete fraud, as has been demonstrated by how they've handled their heavily back-loaded schedule following a soft first half. Their two biggest games of the season were LSU and TAMU, going 1-1 in two close games.

I'm not saying Alabama isn't a solid team, but -7.5? Absolutely not.

[Boscoe]

Love fading a public dog like uga.

[suicidekings]

Love fading a public dog like uga.

How relevant do you think those numbers are to who wins the game when we're talking about an Alabama team that almost always has the line slanted towards them? On a Tuesday before the bulk of the action has come in on the game?

[ebbearsfb1]

yes, they failed to cover 9 against florida in the 08 sec championship game and in their subsequent bcs bowl, which i believe was the sugar bowl, they got absolutely destroyed by the mwc utah utes.

would hardly say they played bad against florida,
they were winning going into the 4th quarter.

just cause they didnt cover 9 doesnt mean they played poorly... florida scored with less than 3 left for bama not to cover by 2 points.


and the game against utah was pretty expected, most teams who lose a game like that florida game, almost always come out dead against a team who has more motivation in a bowl game..


so 1 game in the past 4 years and like i said to coin what happened years ago really has no effect on the game saturday.

[texhooper]

i agree, 4 years ago doesn't matter a whole lot now, but you did bring up the "have they ever" thing, so i was obliging.

[ebbearsfb1]

i agree, 4 years ago doesn't matter a whole lot now, but you did bring up the "have they ever" thing, so i was obliging.

and as far as bad game as a whole ..

they played one bad quarter vs utah, but it was enough to cost them that game.

heads were still in the sec championship game.

just like this year, lsu then a&m game


moral of the story: your not gonna out coach Saban Saturday

[Big Bear]

you disagreeing prob just confirms he is correct...what they have done has nothing to do with how much talent they have..

No coin is great fade material pal

[Big Bear]

People said Clemson was talented too lol.

Oh yeah they are explosive alright.

Georgia might look good against the cupcake teams but wait til they step in the ring with the big boys.

[You mad bro]

alabama -13.5 + 350 .... book it

[2daBank]

No coin is great fade material pal

yes and you are capper of the year

both teams played 2 real teams and split...uga beat fla dont care if fla turned it over 20 times they still beat them, not like bama dominated lsu either...yea uga got trucked by scary but bama got lit up by A&M....what decent passer has bama stopped?

[Big Bear]

yes and you are capper of the year

both teams played 2 real teams and split...uga beat fla dont care if fla turned it over 20 times they still beat them, not like bama dominated lsu either...yea uga got trucked by scary but bama got lit up by A&M....what decent passer has bama stopped?

If you have been following my picks you would see that i'm on fire

[thefastship]

Bama has trouble with mobile QB'S. Murray is not a mobile qb. He does not extend plays. That is the only reason Texas a&m jumped out in the first quarter in that game. I have watched that game multiple times already. His third down conversions killed bama. Bama was set up in the right scheme....recievers were covered like a blanket....but texas a&m extended the play and made magic happen.

The questions is simply...does GA have the tools to make bama respect the running game? Does the O Line of GA give Murray enough time to throw downfield? If the answer is yes...GA has a chance . If bama creates pressure and shuts down UGA's running game, bama rolls this game easy.


The wild card is the Special teams of GA. Ga has a great return game. In a low scoring game, starting field possission by Ga could be a factor.

6 pt tease to bama -1 and the under. Cash your ticket. I can see this game being scoreless at the end of the first qurater. Bama will gameplan long drives and keep Murray off the field and the bama defense off the field. When it comes to executing the gameplan installed during the practice week... saban is in a differant leauge than Richt. Keep in mind, when Richt beat florida....he was playing for his job. I live in atlanta...trust me...he was.

[Big Bear]

Georgia will be wearing their black jerseys. They got their ass whooped the last time they wore those against BAMA.

[No coincidences]

Georgia will be wearing their black jerseys. They got their ass whooped the last time they wore those against BAMA.

Well then that settles it. Bama in a rout.

[Big Bear]

just a little tid bit.

i will not be betting this game. just enjoying the discussion.

the way i see both teams played 2 quality teams each this year and they both went 1-1.

Bama
played @LSU and won in a close game
played @home vs Texas A&M and lost a close game

Georgia
Played @ South Carolina and lost 35-7
played Florida in a neutral spot and won a close game. They also benefited by 6 Florida careless turnovers.

In my opinion if the SEC had a playoff neither one of these teams would be playing in the championship.

South Carolina and Texas A&M are the best 2 teams in this conference at this point in the season.

[lyon804]

Bama has trouble with mobile QB'S. Murray is not a mobile qb. He does not extend plays. That is the only reason Texas a&m jumped out in the first quarter in that game. I have watched that game multiple times already. His third down conversions killed bama. Bama was set up in the right scheme....recievers were covered like a blanket....but texas a&m extended the play and made magic happen.

The questions is simply...does GA have the tools to make bama respect the running game? Does the O Line of GA give Murray enough time to throw downfield? If the answer is yes...GA has a chance . If bama creates pressure and shuts down UGA's running game, bama rolls this game easy.


The wild card is the Special teams of GA. Ga has a great return game. In a low scoring game, starting field possission by Ga could be a factor.

6 pt tease to bama -1 and the under. Cash your ticket. I can see this game being scoreless at the end of the first qurater. Bama will gameplan long drives and keep Murray off the field and the bama defense off the field. When it comes to executing the gameplan installed during the practice week... saban is in a differant leauge than Richt. Keep in mind, when Richt beat florida....he was playing for his job. I live in atlanta...trust me...he was.

You made many valid points. But I don't get the Mark Richt hate. The guy is 117-39 overall and 67-29 in conference with 6 Eastern division titles and 2 conference championships in 12 years. That is success. It might not be Nick Saban, but who in the hell is Georgia going to bring in to beat that?? Georgia decision makers and fans need to be careful what they wish for. He gets too much blame for not winning the "big game". Such a crock of shit.


You know Alabama had a coach that won a championship in 1992 went 70-16 overall and 43-12 in conference and that was not good enough. Fans all said he was too boring because Alabama just won with defense ran the ball up the middle 3 times and punted. Once they ran him off things fell of the tracks. Many lean years and several coaches later before Alabama got Saban. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Georgia would be monumental morons for firing Richt.

[Goat Milk]

You made many valid points. But I don't get the Mark Richt hate. The guy is 117-39 overall and 67-29 in conference with 6 Eastern division titles and 2 conference championships in 12 years. That is success. It might not be Nick Saban, but who in the hell is Georgia going to bring in to beat that?? Georgia decision makers and fans need to be careful what they wish for. He gets too much blame for not winning the "big game". Such a crock of shit.


You know Alabama had a coach that won a championship in 1992 went 70-16 overall and 43-12 in conference and that was not good enough. Fans all said he was too boring because Alabama just won with defense ran the ball up the middle 3 times and punted. Once they ran him off things fell of the tracks. Many lean years and several coaches later before Alabama got Saban. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Georgia would be monumental morons for firing Richt.

who will win alabama or georgia

[No coincidences]

You made many valid points. But I don't get the Mark Richt hate. The guy is 117-39 overall and 67-29 in conference with 6 Eastern division titles and 2 conference championships in 12 years. That is success. It might not be Nick Saban, but who in the hell is Georgia going to bring in to beat that?? Georgia decision makers and fans need to be careful what they wish for. He gets too much blame for not winning the "big game". Such a crock of shit.


You know Alabama had a coach that won a championship in 1992 went 70-16 overall and 43-12 in conference and that was not good enough. Fans all said he was too boring because Alabama just won with defense ran the ball up the middle 3 times and punted. Once they ran him off things fell of the tracks. Many lean years and several coaches later before Alabama got Saban. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Georgia would be monumental morons for firing Richt.

Richt's criticism is relative. I'm not saying he's a bad coach, per se, but given the elite expectations of his program and the elite talent they have on a yearly basis, he's certainly come up short when it matters most.

[t-wizzle]

I don't think Georgia is wearing those shitty black jerseys.

[lyon804]

Richt's criticism is relative. I'm not saying he's a bad coach, per se, but given the elite expectations of his program and the elite talent they have on a yearly basis, he's certainly come up short when it matters most.

Elite expectations are everywhere in the SEC. What elite talent? Yes they have very good talent, but is there roster deeper than Alabama,LSU, or Florida on a year to year basis? Or even South Carolina and now add Tex A&M to the list. The SEC is a monster league and Georgia has a place at the table along with the above mentioned super powers of the league. The East division of the SEC has been weakest of the SEC in recent years. Coaches can prepare there "elite" talent but at the end of the day the players have to go out and execute and win the game. It could be argued Saban and Les Miles are overrated. But they are highly successful and so is Richt. Richt obviously lacking a championship mainly due to the stronger West of the SEC. Not really taking up for the guy because I am not even a Georgia fan but many act like the guy is a loser. He is not Gene Chizik or Derek Dooley. Alabama,LSU, and Florida have been sucking the talent dry in the southeast part of the US for 5 yrs or more. I know for sure that Alabama gets the first 25 picks they want every year and the rest of the coaches are still recruting the rest. Imagine in your fanstsy football league you got the first 25 picks? Alabama does. They are rarely turned away by anybody they want and usually when they are it is because that player elected to stay in state. Alabama badly wanted Jadeveon Clowney and he elected to stay in South Carolina. Alabama doesn't miss many they want. They have been plucking them out of Florida left and right lately and not just the panhandle which is like lower Alabama, but Orlando and now even Miami. Even Les Miles is starting to lose players out of his back yard to Alabama. Sorry for the rant, but the truth is Mark Richt has done a really god job. It's not like he is coming up short with a roster like Saban enjoys year after year.

[thefastship]

Please take the time and read this article...this is why half of the state wanted him fired...

he debacle in Columbia once again brought out the "underachiever" tag for Mark Richt's Bulldogs. Do the statistics back that up?<SCRIPT> var postToFacebookFeed = function() ** var url = encodeURIComponent('http://atlanta.sbnation.com/2012/10/17/3514548/mark-vs-the-benchmarks'); window.open('https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u='+url, '', 'height=279,width=575'); ** </SCRIPT>Share on Facebook
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Look: If it were only about career wins and losses, we'd be treating questions about Mark Richt's job security the same way we treat questions about Obama's birth certificate or whether Neil Armstrong really walked on the moon. You don't fire a guy with a 111-39 record and two SEC titles, someone with a winning percentage even higher than Vince Dooley's. It just isn't done.
But it's not only about career wins and losses, it's about the way those wins and losses come about, and against which teams they happen. In the article I wrote in the immediate aftermath of Georgia's disastrous loss to South Carolina, I lamented that Richt's Georgia teams seemed to have settled into a pattern: at least one humiliating blowout a year at the hands of a team against which we should've been competitive, no wins against truly elite teams, not much to get excited about in the postseason.
Is Georgia's recent record in that regard really that much worse than the programs we think of as "elite," though? Is Richt really lagging that far behind the nation's best? To find that out, I dug through the last four and a half season's worth of stats and records for Georgia and an assortment of benchmarks. I began with Alabama, Florida, LSU and South Carolina, the current leaders in each of the SEC's divisions, and then threw in some high-profile teams from around the country — Oregon, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Southern California and Texas. The last three of those are particularly meaningful, as they've been perceived as "underachieving" in recent seasons despite being the flagship football programs in their respective states, with more than enough money and resources to build what should be juggernaut, national-title-caliber teams — exactly the position Georgia finds itself in now. And, just for good measure, I threw in Georgia Tech, both as the Dawgs' main in-state rival and an example of what UGA fans definitely don't want their program to turn into.
OVERALL WINNING PERCENTAGE, 2008-PRESENT

Alabama	54-6	0.900
Oregon	50-9	0.847
Florida	47-13	0.783
LSU	47-13	0.783
Ohio State	46-13	0.780
Oklahoma	46-13	0.780
Southern California	44-13	0.772
Texas	42-16	0.724
South Carolina	40-20	0.667
Georgia	39-20	0.661
Georgia Tech	36-23	0.610

WINNING PERCENTAGE VS. RANKED TEAMS

Alabama	19-5	0.792
Oregon	14-6	0.700
Oklahoma	17-9	0.654
LSU	17-10	0.630
Ohio State	12-8	0.600
Southern California	9-6	0.600
Florida	10-10	0.500
Georgia Tech	7-8	0.467
South Carolina	8-12	0.400
Texas	8-12	0.400
Georgia	6-14	0.300

The stats don't lie: Over the last four-plus seasons, the Georgia Bulldogs have had a worse record than South Carolina. That's less embarrassing than it might be given the fact that the Gamecocks have actually been a pretty good team over the past few years, but it's emblematic of how Richt's Dawgs are in the process of getting passed by South Carolina in the SEC East — something that would've been unthinkable not that long ago. And like it or not, Georgia's winning percentage at the moment is closer to Paul Johnson's Georgia Tech teams than it is to elite SEC squads like Alabama, LSU or Florida.
The numbers get worse if you're just talking about ranked teams. Georgia has won less than a third of its games against ranked opponents since 2008, even worse than Tech's record and substantially worse than Alabama's or LSU's. In case you were curious, Georgia's six wins came against Vanderbilt (No. 22) and LSU (no. 11) in 2008, who would finish a combined 15-11; Michigan State (No. 19) in the 2009 Capital One Bowl; Georgia Tech (No. 7) in 2009; and Auburn (No. 24) and Georgia Tech (No. 25) last season. Not exactly a murderer's row, then.
Incidentally, it was interesting to see that Oklahoma's record against ranked teams has actually been among the nation's best, in spite of the nickname "Big Game Bob" having been applied sarcastically to Bob Stoops ever since his high-profile BCS-bowl flops in 2006 and '07. If anyone's been blowing big games in the Big XII, it's Mack Brown, which has a lot to do with why once adoring Longhorn fans are now writing articles like this.
WINNING PERCENTAGE VS. THE SPREAD

Alabama	41-22-0	0.651
Florida	40-22-0	0.645
Ohio State	36-25-1	0.590
Oklahoma	33-26-1	0.559
Oregon	34-27-1	0.557
South Carolina	31-28-3	0.525
Georgia Tech	27-30-2	0.474
Texas	28-32-0	0.467
Southern California	27-31-1	0.466
LSU	26-30-1	0.464
Georgia	26-33-2	0.441

First, a caveat: The point spread doesn't represent what Vegas thinks will happen. It represents what Vegas thinks the bettors think will happen. So it's not really all that useful for anything other than a gauge of popular opinion — but that said, Georgia hasn't lived up to said opinion as well as its competitors have (though the gap is somewhat narrower than it is with their absolute winning percentage).
LOSSES BY MORE THAN ONE TOUCHDOWN (> 8 points)

Alabama	3
Ohio State	3
Southern California	5
Oregon	6
LSU	6
Oklahoma	6
Florida	8
Texas	9
Georgia	11
South Carolina	12
Georgia Tech	12

LOSSES BY MORE THAN TWO TOUCHDOWNS (> 16 points)

Alabama	0
Oregon	1
Ohio State	2
Oklahoma	2
LSU	3
Southern California	5
Florida	6
Georgia	6
Georgia Tech	6
Texas	6
South Carolina	7

The sample sizes are smaller here, so Georgia being down near the bottom of these lists isn't quite as bad as it looks. Still, 11 multiple-score losses for Georgia versus six for LSU and only three for Alabama, averaged out over the last four and a half years, means Georgia's taking one or two blowout losses per season that the top teams in the conference don't. And you don't have to be Nick Saban or Les Miles (or Chip Kelly or Urban Meyer, for that matter) to know that's not the recipe for staying in the national championship hunt.
BLOWN SECOND-HALF LEADS

Oregon	1
Florida	3
Texas	3
LSU	4
Ohio State	5
Alabama	6
Oklahoma	6
South Carolina	8
Southern California	8
Georgia	8
Georgia Tech	9

Here too, Georgia is letting at least one game get away from them every season that Florida, Texas and LSU aren't. Granted, it's nice to have a second-half lead to blow, and Georgia's had more than a few. But holding on to those leads is one of the things separating elite squads from the merely OK. How much would the average Georgia fan give for a do-over of the third quarter against Georgia Tech in 2008? Or even that first drive against LSU in the second half of the conference title game last year?
There are a number of conclusions you can draw from all this, not all of them bad. For one thing, depending on the criteria you use, Georgia isn't that far behind, say, Texas or Florida. If Georgia has been underachieving, it hasn't been doing so to any worse a degree than a lot of upper-level programs underachieve from time to time.
But it's the sense that things are stuck in place and not appreciably improving that bothers me and a growing number of Georgia fans. A week ago, after the Dawgs had lost to South Carolina for a third straight year, I said it looked like the Gamecocks had truly passed us in the SEC East, and the numbers bear that out — since 2008, South Carolina has been winning more than we have whether you're talking about ranked teams, point spreads or overall victories. If Florida remains a juggernaut, and the Dawgs have put Tennessee firmly behind them only to get dusted off by South Carolina, then Georgia is only running in place and not making any real progress toward the goal of re-establishing control of the East Division.
To me, though, the most unnerving fact is this: In just about every category, Georgia is closer to Georgia Tech than Alabama, Florida or LSU. Once upon a time that might've been good enough for the majority of Bulldog Nation, but it isn't anymore. We like to crow "We run this state" after beating the Yellow Jackets on what has become a more or less annual basis, and that perception of in-state dominance is hardly insignificant in a state that produces as much talent as the Peach State does. The problem is we're not just competing with the Jackets for those recruits. We're competing with the Tide, the Gators and the Bayou Bengals, and frequently with the Seminoles and the Tigers of Auburn and Clemson as well. If Georgia can't break free of "good but not great" status, the top high-school players in this state will start getting the impression that they've got better chances of competing for SEC and national titles elsewhere. For all the excellent recruiting classes he's brought to Athens, that's an impression Richt hasn't done much to dispel.
None of this is meant to be an indication that the situation in Athens is hopeless. The gap between Georgia and the nation's elite teams is definitely there, but it's not insurmountably huge. The question is how committed the fans, coaches and university administration are to crossing it. If winning nine or ten games a season, beating Georgia Tech annually and going to a so-so Jan. 1 bowl is good enough, then the Dawgs are right where they need to be. If Georgia as a program has a right to aspire to something higher than that, though, it's clear Mark Richt's job is far from finished.

[lyon804]

I understand the stats and it is alarming, but there are only so many LSU's and Alabama's in a conference. Better yet you fire Richt and who do you hire to get the desired reults? Who makes them into the SEC Power of Alabama? You gonna pry Saban away from Alabama? I am afraid the guy is being judged too harshly in the microwave society we live in now. We all want it now damnit!! I can guarantee you many programs would die to have Georgia's success. Go ahead and fire Richt, that's what I would do..

[lyon804]

Funny thing is this is so irrelevant if they win Saturday. That would make them most likely National Champions and then he would be extended and given a raise. Ha!

[Sam Odom]

SEC champ gm MEANS MORE to Richt & Ga than to Ala & Saban in the long view

Ala & Saban will continue along as before and this yr in the end will be chalked-up as a rebuilding yr after winning a Nat championship and will be ranked in the TOP 5 next yr

with Richt & Ga it is an whole different story

[suicidekings]

Please take the time and read this article...this is why half of the state wanted him fired...

This article examines the past 4 seasons only, including the '09 & '10 seasons which were the worst statistical seasons in his tenure, but ignores everything that happened before 2008. Six SEC East wins and two SEC Championships in 12 years is impressive considering the SEC is the most competitive division in college football.

The way the statistics were selected isn't telling the whole story, so yes... the numbers are in fact lying.

[Big Bear]

Georgia sucks, great article

[thefastship]

2 sec championships in over a decade is not that impressive imo when you are supposed to be one of the top 5 SEC teams. (in the weaker of the two divisons)
They have an inside track to recruiting in the state of GA. The drop off when Moreno and AJ left was tremendous. Some would say he fails at recruiting.
Richt has fired numerous coordinators and is publicaly on record stating he didnt want to fire them after severly underperforming. They are one of the most penalized teams in the SEC and the players are in the Atlanta Journal constantly due to arrests.
I personally dont see the end game where they fire him unless someone is waiting in the wings...however.. I do not see them winning a National Title unless they do it this year. This is it. So if georgia fans are content with being the runner up on a steady basis, they need to change the attitude. Case in point.. Urban Meyer at Ohio State. They will be in the national hunt every year until he leaves that school.

1.If georgia wins this game here is the formula.... win the battle for field position with the help of the stud freshman returner they have .
2.They need to exploit bamas weakness on the deep ball and the slot when the initial play breaks down.
3. Do not beat themselves with penalties and turnovers.
4. Stop bamas rushing attack.
If bama creates a steady pass rush, can sustain drives by running the ball, and executes special teams properly, this is a 2 score game when the clock wears out.`If bama wins the turnver battle, and can rush on Ga... this is not even a discussion. Keep in mind that the three key areas needed for bama to win this game, they lead Georgia in stat wise. penalties, Rushing yards per game, and Pts allowed
Ga allows 17 pts per game, Bama 9. In my opinion Bama has had a harder slate than GA. Better stats VS Better teams.