Mark Richt on Hot Seat after Early Success of Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, Les Miles

Say it ain't so, Dawg. I read today that there are a few members of the Bulldog Nation who are getting fed up with the conservative nature of the Mark Richt era. They are tired of losing to Florida and are fed up with just being 10-2 every year.

The problem seems to be that other coaches in the SEC have found success early and often.

Urban Meyer, Florida's uber coach from Utah via Bowling Green, has taken his spread offense to Gator Country, and in just four short years he has managed to win two SEC Championships, two National Championships, has a winning percentage of .830, and boasts a Heisman winner to boot.

Not bad for a guy who most thought would sink in the SEC if he brought the spread to the conference.

I can picture Meyer sitting in his office with some Kool Moe Dee shades on saying, "How ya like me now?" 

No doubt about it, it's got to be good to be a Gator right about now. You have to color yourself a tad envious when you look at the sheer depth of their accomplishments.

As much as it pains me to say it, they have been pretty dang impressive.

Then there's Les Miles. He came from the doom and gloom of the then unpopular Oklahoma State program to the spotlight of the SEC. 

As of right now, he has two SEC Championships and a National Championship, which he won in just his third year as head coach. His winning percentage in that span is .792.

Again, not bad.

Of course, many would say that a Les Miles-coached team is more what we saw in last year's product than in the years prior.

After all, he did have Saban's players to run that offense.

That may be true, but he still had to coach those players. I don't think that makes his accomplishments any less positive in the eyes of the LSU faithful.

On the other hand, though, I do know quite a few fans in the Dawg nation who feel that LSU's National Championship trophy should be in the Butts-Mehre building in Athens, GA right now and not in Baton Rouge (more on that later).

Which leads me to Nick Saban.

He decided to ditch the NFL to return to the SEC West and coach at Alabama. At the time he took over the program, the Tide wasn't exactly doing big things. The year prior to his arrival, the Tide went 6-7 and lost to Oklahoma State in the Independence Bowl.

However, in just his second year, Saban took Alabama to a 12-0 record and a shot at the SEC Championship. They eventually lost that game and the Sugar Bowl, but most would tell you that the Tide overachieved last season and should not have been in the BCS conversation at all.

So, any fan of the Dawgs has to be thinking, where is our crystal trophy? Why haven't we gained another SEC Championship since 2005? We've certainly been good enough.

Florida is good, yes, but Tim Tebow hasn't always been there, and Ron Zook wasn't that great of a coach that we shouldn't have taken more than the one game we managed to win during his tenure.

I hear ya. I don't disagree with that notion one bit.

But here's the thing—who else out there could be a better coach than Mark Richt?

He arrived at Georgia in 2001 with little to no fanfare. There were a few who wondered who the heck this guy was and how he was going to fare any better than Jim Donnan. We wanted a big name, and Richt did not initially make the splash that many wanted to see.

However, in his eight years at the helm, Richt has two SEC Championships, five AP top 10 Finishes, three BCS bowl appearances (2-1), and five top 10 recruiting classes.

I think that's pretty darn good for a team that was barely in the regional conversation in the years prior to his arrival.

Further, I think he had a pretty good shot at a National Championship in both 2002 and 2007.

We were robbed in 2007. LSU should not have had another opportunity to play in the title game after being beaten by both Arkansas and Kentucky. No one can convince me differently of that.

Furthermore, for the people who chime in and say that if you don't win your conference, you shouldn't have a shot at playing in the big game—well, I have one answer for them: Oklahoma.

In 2002, it was Miami and Ohio State. The game turned out to be one for the ages, but Georgia finished behind Miami and had to settle for a Sugar Bowl. If we had taken care of Florida that year, I believe we could have been in that game.

Some might say that by mention of that last fact, I am proving the point of the naysayers. That's their knock on Richt—they say he cannot get us over the hump. He's too conservative. Too nice.

The Dawgs need nasty.

Again, I feel your pain.

However, I say to you if Richt continues to keep us consistent, if he continues to keep us playing at a top 10 level, we will have our chance. We will win a National Championship during his tenure. 

Consider these great coaches:

Bobby Bowden took 17 years to win his first title at FSU.

Joe Paterno was coaching 16 years before he got his.

I'm not saying I want to wait another 10 years for us to hoist that crystal football, but I am saying that Richt is the man for this team until there is someone else out there who proves to be infinitely better.

The sheer number of blue-chip recruits who have chosen Georgia because of the class and even keel of Richt's staff and coaching philosophy speaks volumes for what he means to this program.

Give him a little more time. He'll get us there. I'm a believer.

Are you?