According to the rankings put out by noted sports computer geek Jeff Sagarin — which don’t really matter but there aren’t many rankings left that include teams that have lost to Vanderbilt — Georgia ranks 52nd in the nation. That’s behind Iowa, Kansas State, North Carolina State, Texas Tech, Northwestern, a 2-5 Oregon team, a 2-5 Notre Dame team, Temple, Toledo and, yes, Georgia Tech (47th).
This is not where most expected Georgia would be seven games into the first season under Kirby Smart, long-time understudy to college football Zeus, Nick Saban. But while things are a bit of a mess and the SEC East hopes are all but officially kaput, that doesn't mean Smart can't change the talking points for this year.
It starts this week. Georgia plays Florida. This isn’t a great Florida team. The Gators are 6-1, but that they’ve played only one ranked team, Tennessee, and lost. Their five wins: Massachusetts, Kentucky, North Texas, Vanderbilt, Missouri.
But this is a program that has defined Georgia’s failures. The Gators have dominated the series since 1990 (20-6). They left massive grease stains on the resumes of the Dogs’ past three head coaches.
Ray Goff: 1-6.
Jim Donnan: 1-4.
Mark Richt: 5-10.
Richt lost his last two Florida games to Will Muschamp (who would be fired two weeks later) and last season with a botched game plan built around starting Faton Bauta at quarterback (effectively sealing his firing, despite winning the next four games).
Smart was asked this week if this rivalry game carries more significance than others on Georgia’s schedule.
“Absolutely not,” he said.
Come on.
I get it. Smart wants Georgia to play to a standard every week, whether the opponent is Florida or Nicholls State (just to use an example). SEC games are more important than non-conference games. East opponents are more important than West opponents. In Smart's view, Vanderbilt is more important than Auburn because of the impact on the division race.
Technically, he is correct. But perceptions of a program and a head coach don’t swing on, “I beat Vanderbilt.”
Florida is one of those talking-point games. "Georgia beats Florida" wouldn't make everybody forget Vandy or Nicholls State or the 45-0 hole in Oxford but it would send at least a modest message of hope and give an increasingly jaded fan base something to cling to moving forward.
“It’s Florida hate week,” offensive tackle Greg Pyke said. “As a senior, you want to leave your legacy as playing for the team that beat Florida down in Jacksonville.”
Pyke said Smart “treats every SEC opponent the same” in terms of preparation.
He’s not completely buying it.
“It’s Florida. It is a little bit different.”
Linebacker Davin Bellamy said he first realized the Florida game was big on, “Dec. 27, 1994. When I was born.”
No, seriously.
“I’m just trying to make the point that if you’re in Georgia, this game has been big for the longest time,” said Bellamy, who grew up in Chamblee.
His earliest strong memory of the rivalry came in 2007, when the Georgia bench emptied after an early touchdown and “they did that Soulja Boy dance in the end zone. I liked that. I loved the confidence that was displayed. I knew Georgia didn’t do that a lot. So for them to do that, there must be some history behind it.”
In theory, Georgia could win out and finish 9-3. But at this point, that’s theory courtesy of The Brothers Grimm. But it wouldn’t be accurate to say Georgia has nothing to play for, even at 2-3 in the SEC.
“At the end of the day we still have that ‘G’ on our helmet,” Bellamy said. “You still have your last name on your back. You’ve still got the family that you build with your coaches and players, who nobody wants to give up on. You never want to go out there on Saturday and take it for granted.”
It’s safe to assume that nobody is taking anything for granted at this point of the season, especially against Florida. If Smart wants to alter perceptions about where the Dogs might be headed, it starts in Jacksonville.
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