Attention, Georgia Bulldog Nation: All Eyes on These Matchups

(Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)

It's getting oh-so-close.

Trust me, the two months between now and the first college football kickoff of '09 will fly by. I mean, weren't we just gushing over spring game performances?

Be ready this year; be that guy that everyone turns to before the game for realistic predictions and things to watch. Be that guy who knows what's up and isn't just mouthing off.

Here, I'll even help you UGA football aficionados out. My five specific in-game matchups to watch throughout the season are as follows:

Joe Cox v. the Expectations

Occurring Sept. 5, 2009, UGA @ OK State

"Aw, c'mon, John, give me some real duels to watch. No more of this metaphorical garbage..."

Did I about capture your sentiments?

But in all seriousness, this first week will be plenty telling. After all, when it comes to quarterback performance, just how much is mental? Can you even quantify confidence or fan support?

In his starting debut, Cox gets an opportunity to light up an awful (ranked 90th last season) defense that returns a largely shaky secondary.

Sure, all four Cowboy defensive backs are now seniors, but none of these guys got significant time in the '07 matchup with the Dawgs in Athens and have certainly seen very little of Joe.

But that's not all saying this game will be an easy win. It's an opportunity for our new signal-caller to make some big plays and get the campaign off to a great start, not a guarantee.

The unthinkable could happen. Joe could come out looking like the guy who's never started a game.

And whether or not it's fair, he'll be heavily scrutinized on every play and, in large part, judged by this game.

The Bulldog Secondary v. Dez Bryant

Occurring Sept. 5, 2009, UGA @ OK State

The UGA D has plenty of tough receivers on its docket, but once again, what happens in the first week will very much set the tone for the rest of the year.

Good thing the defensive backs get...oh, wait. They get Dez Bryant here.

Dude who caught for darn near 1,500 yards last season and 19 TD. Ugh.

I refuse to count my guys out, though. Dawg CB Prince Miller remains quite an athlete, in my mind very capable of keeping up with Dez off the line for at least 15 yards.

And who knows, maybe safeties Bryan Evans and Reshad Jones have learned to wrap up rather than politely nudge when trying to contain a play?

I'll admit, the outlook here is not great, but don't jump to any tragic conclusions. I loved Asher Allen, but his loss is being made out as some sort of massive blow; expect lightning-quick Brandon Boykin to help plenty, and John Knox to do wonders when he's in.

Caleb King and Richard Samuel v. the Tennessee Front Seven

Occurring Oct. 10, 2009, UGA @ Tennessee

Up to this fateful Saturday, the Bulldog offense will not have faced a great defense. No, we never exactly bulldoze the Gamecocks, and the Sun Devils are fine stoppers, but neither South Carolina or ASU gets close to touching the Vols on this side of the ball.

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