Why Georgia Is Sitting Back and Watching Everybody Else Slug It out

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

When the Bulldogs take the field on Saturday against Vanderbilt, it will be the start of the seven-game SEC stretch which will include trips to South Carolina, Auburn, Kentucky and Jacksonville for the Florida game.

That will be a daunting task for the Bulldogs, especially the Florida and the South Carolina games. But if they play their game and don’t make any costly mistakes, they should be able to come out of those games unscathed.

As for the other top teams in the country, they will have at least two games that will determine their national championship fate, which could leave the door wide open for the Bulldogs to move up in the polls and be make run at the crystal ball.

That is why Georgia is sitting back and letting everyone else slug it out. However, here are some more reasons why the Bulldogs are letting this happen.

The Schedule

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

Georgia’s schedule is favorable, which has been talked about well before the season began. South Carolina is its toughest road game and while Vanderbilt does present a challenge, the Bulldogs' toughest home game will likely be against Tennessee, which kicks off next Saturday.

The Bulldogs play Ole Miss, Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech at home. Georgia will likely be favored in every game except South Carolina.

Does that mean they will win every game with ease? No, but they have the talent and the experience to go undefeated, which would be a first in head coach Mark Richt’s career.

The Other Top Teams

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

In the AP Poll, Oregon and Florida State are the No. 3 and No. 4 teams, respectively. They don’t have to face each other, but they do have some tough games moving forward.

The Ducks will face No. 22 Arizona this Saturday, which is a team that is much improved under Rich Rodriguez. Then they have to face USC as well as Stanford down the road.

The Seminoles have a huge game against No. 10 Clemson on Saturday. They also have to travel to Virginia Tech in early November and they have the annual battle with Florida at the end of the season.

It will be interesting to see how both teams do on Saturday, especially FSU. If the Seminoles were to lose to Clemson, the Bulldogs would move up with a win against Vandy.

November 3, 2012

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

That is the date everyone has marked on their calendars because that is when Alabama and LSU take the field.

It’s almost a given that both teams will come into the contest undefeated. However, LSU does have to face South Carolina as well as Florida before the Crimson Tide.

Regardless, it should be a very competitive game.

If Georgia is undefeated at that time, it will be sure to follow that game as much as it can because a loss by either team would bump the Bulldogs up in the rankings.

The SEC East

Mary Ann Chastain/Getty Images

The SEC East is starting to look better when it comes to quality of play from all the teams. It looks like Georgia, Florida and South Carolina are the favorites to win the title.

South Carolina has a gauntlet of a schedule. On Saturday, the Gamecocks play Missouri at home before they face the Bulldogs, Florida and LSU. Not to mention they play against Clemson at the end of the year.

The Gators will face the Gamecocks before they entertain the Bulldogs. Then they will have to deal with Florida State in the final game of the season.

It will be interesting to see how the race will end but based on the schedules for all three teams, the Bulldogs are the favorite to win the division.

What Needs to Be Done

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The real question is: "Can the Bulldogs really sit back and relax?"

Playing in the SEC, a team can never relax. However, they do have a favorable schedule, which gives them the edge over the other teams in the SEC East as well as the other top four teams in the country. But they have to do some things before they can truly be the team that they want to be.

They have to start fast and avoid letting teams hang around in the late first half like they have in the first three games.

They also have to tighten things up on defense. They were able to do some good things against Missouri in the second half, but the defensive line has to be more assertive and the secondary has to make bigger plays.

Aaron Murray has to play big for the rest of the year. The running game also has to be on point. but if Murray plays poorly, the Bulldogs will be a world of trouble.

It should be fun to see how everything pans out and it begins on Saturday as the Bulldogs try to win seven straight SEC games.