Georgia Football: 4 Things Standing in the Way of a SEC Championship
The Georgia Bulldogs will come into the 2015 season as a favorite to win the SEC East. In fact, Steven Lassan of Athlon Sports predicted back in January that the Bulldogs will face Alabama in the SEC Championship Game in December.
The Bulldogs do have the talent to win the SEC for the first time in 10 years. Nick Chubb returns at running back, the outside linebackers (Jordan Jenkins and Leonard Floyd) could be the best in the country, and the offensive line, which was the reason the Bulldogs scored 500 points last year, returns four starters.
But just like any team, the Bulldogs do have some questions marks that will need to be addressed during fall camp. If they don't, it will be another disappointing season for the players, coaches and fans.
Here are four things standing in the way of a SEC Championship for the Bulldogs.
Experience at Quarterback
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One of the first things head coach Mark Richt needs to do during fall camp is find out who will be the starting quarterback.
Brice Ramsey and Faton Bauta have minimal experience while Jacob Park redshirted last season. So whomever the starting quarterback is will have some growing up to do.
Last season, Hutson Mason was the starting quarterback, and it was his first year as the starter. But he was a senior and had seen more in-game action than Ramsey, Bauta and Park combined.
The good thing is whoever is at quarterback will be working with an experienced offensive line and one of the best running backs in the country. But when the time comes for the quarterback to make a play, will Ramsey, Bauta or Park be ready to step up to the plate?
Adjusting to Schottenheimer
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One of the people who will be responsible for making the decision of the new starting quarterback will be new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. And because of him being new, that means the Bulldogs will do things a little differently on offense.
According to Jake Rowe of 247Sports, Schottenheimer has a different terminology, and when talking to wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell about the offense, he said the installation of a play takes about 10 seconds instead of five minutes, like it would with Mike Bobo.
Like Bobo, Schottenheimer likes to run the ball. It was the formula he used when he was the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets, and they were able to reach two AFC Championship Games.
However, what if the Bulldogs have trouble adjusting to what Schottenheimer wants? It’s common for players to have growing pains under a new coordinator at the start of the season, but early mistakes on offense will come to bite the Bulldogs at the end of the season.
Run Defense
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The defense made some strides last season under defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt. But one of the areas that hurt the Bulldogs last year—and what could also hurt them this season—is the run defense.
The Bulldogs ranked eighth in the conference last season, giving up over 150 yards per game. And this was with an experienced front seven. Now that inside linebackers Amarlo Herrera and Ramik Wilson are gone, the run defense could have more issues this season.
The Bulldogs will face teams that like to run the ball like Alabama, Auburn, Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech, so it's key that the front seven is able to shed blocks and wrap up on a consistent basis. Those were the things it didn't do in the three losses last year, and it came back to hurt Georgia in terms of reaching the conference title game.
The SEC West
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If the Bulldogs do win the SEC East title, they will have to face the winner of the SEC West, and that will not be an easy task.
According to the Athlon Sports preview, Alabama is the favorite to win the SEC West again. However, Auburn is not far behind, as it has a new defensive coordinator, former Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp.
The good thing is the Bulldogs will play both Alabama and Auburn during the regular season. But it doesn't mean it will make things easier. And even if the Bulldogs don't play either the Tide or the Tigers, LSU, Ole Miss and Arkansas are just as capable of winning the SEC.
Regardless of who wins the other division, the Bulldogs have to play consistent football in order to even get to the Georgia Dome in December. That has been a problem for them the last few years.
