Several years ago, I began this exercise called, “How They Really Stand.” It’s a completely subjective and occasionally even accurate ranking of Atlanta (and Athens) sports teams, factoring in not merely won-loss records but perceived foundation, direction and possibly the quality of the media buffet. (Not really. Usually.)
I would normally include last year’s ranking in parenthesis, but I can’t seem to locate the 2015 HTRS in the AJC database, so I’m assuming it somehow got eaten by Helga The Computer Gremlin when we had to make space for 57,326 recruiting stories on DawgNation.
You are welcome to disagree with these rankings, no matter how incorrect you are.
1. This Space For Lease: I had this listed first in 2014, so in that sense "This Space For Lease" is the closest thing Atlanta has to a sports dynasty. It also holds a special place in my heart because it has no plans to play in a heavily taxpayer-funded stadium, with or without a Fantasyland bridge in a county that otherwise will spend only $12.37 on green space. On a related note, "This Space For Lease" also is the name given to the vast expanse between Tim Lee's ears.
2. Hawks: They played in the Eastern Conference finals last season. They could make it there again. But they're not nearly as good as they were a year ago, when DeMarre Carroll was filling in the cracks at both ends of the court and Kyle Korver was regularly dropping 3's. They need to either add a piece before the trade deadline or tap into the same mysterious energy source that inexplicably turned Donald Trump into a presidential candidate.
3. Georgia State basketball: Ron Hunter's team, his torn Achilles and most of all his rolling stool put Georgia State athletics on the map. Hunter is on his way to 20-plus wins for the fourth time in five seasons and he has a chance to make a tournament for the third consecutive year (NIT in 2013-14; NCAA in 2014-15, including a first-round upset of Baylor. Hunter is hurt by the fact this season's team is devoid of his sharp-shooting offspring (R.J. plays for the Boston Celtics), but the Panthers have established a mini-tradition, so they're worth keeping an eye on in March.
4. Georgia football: It says something about talent level that for as bad as the Bulldogs have been at quarterback for the past two seasons, they still went 20-6. OK, maybe it mostly says something about the SEC East. The 10 wins last season didn't even earn Georgia a Top 25 finish. Mark Richt lost his job. Enter Kirby Smart, who's coming off another national title at Alabama. He convinced recruit Jacob Eason not to flip, so he's 1-0 off the field as a head coach. The real first test comes against North Carolina in the Georgia Dome on Sept. 3.
5. Falcons: The multiple-personality disorder of this season's team left everybody confused. What to think of Dan Quinn? Matt Ryan? The offensive scheme? The personnel department led by Thomas Dimitroff? The front office now numbers six current or former general managers. Maybe they can add Danny Ferry, Frank Wren and Don Waddell. Nothing against all of that "big picture" brain power, but what's going to happen when the Falcons need an actual, you know, scouting report? Difficult to say which way arrow is pointing until after the roster fixes.
6. Georgia Tech football: Paul Johnson is coming off his worst season (3-9) since he started at Navy (2-10), a point of reference he never planned to revisit. This forced Johnson to self-evaluate like never before and … sorry, I just had this visual of Johnson in the self-help aisle at Barnes and Noble and started laughing. I'm guessing Tech rebounds next season.
7. Kennesaw State football: It was a nice start for Brian Bohannon's fledgling program: 6-5. It's probably worth noting that Bill Curry also went 6-5 in his first season at Georgia State, then 3-8 and 1-10 as the Panthers slowly eliminated games against Fred's Bait and Tackle Shop and the Montessori School. But if the Owls stay parked in FCS for a while, they'll be fine.
8. Atlanta Gladiators (new entry): "Hit somebody!" Miss yelling that, hockey fans? There's a minor-league team that plays in Gwinnett and has a bunch of owners, but none of them are named Levenson or Gearon. So I'm in! The Glads also may make the playoffs. So clearly they have no former Thrashers.
9. Atlanta Dream: I needed a dividing line before the rest.
10. Georgia basketball: Mark Fox's refusal to romance the vermin in AAU basketball is an admirable trait on the recruiting trail. But at some point, he is going to have to do more than an occasional quick exit from the NCAA tournament. The Dogs are only 4-4 in the SEC and they had a humiliating 34-point home loss to Texas A&M. Time is running out for quality wins. It also may be running out for Fox.
11. Georgia State football: The Panthers were 3-29 in their first 32 games under Trent Miles, then won their final four regular-season games to qualify for a bowl. Honest. There's tape and stat sheets and everything. I'm still not sure about the strength of the program or certainly the existence of a sufficient fan base. But the punchlines have stopped, so that's progress.
12. Georgia Tech basketball: The Jackets upset No. 4 Virginia and nearly did the same to Louisville. Sounds better than saying Brian Gregory's ACC record is 21-56 (.272), and his contract buyout after this season is a lot more palatable than it was a year ago.
13. Remnants of Braves: They may have a bottom-five payroll and a bottom-five record. Will they have a bottom-five ticket price? Here's the thing. I get the plan. I get the whole, "We've got all these young arms and prospects!" from the screaming basement-blog contingent. But when a team is coming off a 95-loss season and there is zero — I mean, zero — legitimate reason to think it will win any more games the next season, I'm going to assume doom. Again.
14. Kennesaw State basketball: The Owls hoped Al Skinner, 63 and five years removed from his previous head coaching job at Boston College, could make them respectable. They're 6-16. Some stains don't come out.
(Dropped from rankings: Atlanta Spirit, Cobb County Commission, Kasim Reed, B.J. Upton.)
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