Breaking Down Georgia's Spot in the BCS Rankings

The first BCS rankings of 2012 have been released, and the Georgia Bulldogs are still in the mix, despite suffering a tough loss to South Carolina.

Before the loss to the Gamecocks, the Bulldogs were on a roll, winning 15 consecutive regular-season games and scoring over 40 points in their first five games of the season.

But what could hurt the Bulldogs in the long run are the offensive line and a defense that has struggled getting opponents off the field.

So where do the Bulldogs stand in the first BCS rankings and what do they need to do in order to reach the top of the mountain? Click though to find out how the Bulldogs can be national champs.

How They Got to This Point

The Bulldogs started the season at No. 6 in the AP and the Coaches Poll. They started the season with a 45-23 win against Buffalo. After that, the Bulldogs took care of Missouri, Florida Atlantic and Vanderbilt.

The Bulldogs entered the game against Tennessee at No. 5 in the AP Poll, and almost dropped out of the Top Five after barely getting by the Vols, 51-44.

Their struggles on defense would come back to bite them the next week as they fell to South Carolina 35-7, and that would drop the Bulldogs to No. 14 in the AP Poll and No. 12 in the Coaches Poll.

The Bulldogs did not have a game this weekend, but they still moved up one spot in the AP Poll and still stay at No. 12 in the Coaches Poll.

Best Win

So far, the best win for the Bulldogs would have to be against Vanderbilt because they played well on both sides of the ball.

That was a game where the offense racked up 567 yards on offense and kept the Commodores in the end zone, which is the only time the Bulldogs have done that this season.

The game against Missouri was also a good win because the Tigers came out with a lot of emotion and made the Bulldogs fight for the win. But when it comes to having a complete game against an SEC opponent, the Bulldogs taking care of Vandy is their most significant win against a weak schedule.

BCS Ranking

The Bulldogs come make their BCS debut at No. 11, which is not a surprise to anyone.

The Bulldogs have .4980 points, which puts them right behind USC who has .5959 and right in front of Mississippi State who has .4846.

If the Bulldogs defeated South Carolina, they would have finished in the Top Three. But the loss did hurt them a little bit and have to work their way back. That won’t be an easy thing because they have another huge game later in October when they face Florida, who comes in at No. 2 in the BCS rankings.

Too High or Too Low

As it was mentioned earlier, No. 11 is not a surprise to fans because of where Georgia stood in the Coaches and AP Poll. So the Bulldogs are right where they need to be based on their body of work.

The Bulldogs can’t go above USC, Oklahoma and Oregon State because they are playing better football right now. Mississippi State could be above the Bulldogs because they have a better overall and SEC record, but Mississippi State’s quality of opponents is not as strong as Georgia’s.

So the Bulldogs aren’t too high or too low when it comes to the BCS rankings. They are right where they should be.

Remaining Schedule

The rest of the schedule sets up nice for the Bulldogs and they could win out if they execute. Here’s how it looks:

Oct. 20 @ Kentucky

Oct. 27 vs. Florida (Jacksonville)

Nov. 3 vs. Ole Miss

Nov. 10 @ Auburn

Nov. 17 vs. Georgia Southern

Nov. 24 vs. Georgia Tech

If Georgia can win the next four games, it will have a shot of winning the SEC East title. If it wins all its remaining games, it will have a very good shot of being of at-large team if it doesn’t clinch the East.

Potential Pitfall

There is only one game where the Bulldogs will have a potential pitfall, and anyone who is a Bulldogs fan knows which game that is.

Florida has improved vastly from last year, and the Gators will give the Bulldogs fits on offense and defense. Then add the fact that the Bulldogs have only beaten the Gators three times the last eight years, and this game is always nerve-racking the Bulldog Nation.

Yes, the Bulldogs won the game last year in dramatic fashion and nearly all the players that took part in that game are back. But there’s something about Jacksonville that makes the Bulldogs not play up to their level.

Intangibles

The Bulldogs have a ton of offensive skill players that can make big plays when their number is called. That has made Aaron Murray’s life a lot easier, and because of the playmakers he has on the outside, he’s on pace to have a career year.

Despite the defense not playing as well as it did last year, the Bulldogs have some talented defensive players led by linebackers Jarvis Jones and Alec Ogletree.

Mark Richt has been criticized over the last few years because of his team's play in big games, but he has won a lot of games and has led the Bulldogs to two SEC titles and five SEC East titles since his arrival in 2001.

Analysis

It’s going to be interesting to see the Bulldogs moving forward.

If they go 6-0 or 5-1 the rest of the way, they could play in a BCS or New Year’s Day bowl. The expectations are higher for this team, but having back-to-back 10-win seasons is nothing to be ashamed of.

What Georgia needs to do is win its next four SEC games and pull for Florida beating South Carolina. If that happens, then the Bulldogs will be back in the SEC title game and they will have a shot at the Sugar Bowl.

Bowl Projection

When the smoke clears in terms of the 2012 season, Georgia will be playing in the Outback Bowl and most likely taking on Michigan.

The Bulldogs will win at least five of the next six games, but the Florida game will be a huge challenge and could set them back. And even if they beat Florida to go 6-0 in the second half of the year, there is no guarantee they will reach the SEC title game because they don’t control their own destiny.

Is going to the Outback Bowl as disappointment? To an extent, but if the Bulldogs win 10 games heading into the Outback Bowl, it’s a lot better than where this team was in 2009 and 2010.