Don't Worry, Be Scrappy: Georgia Bulldogs Fans Have Lots to Bark Home About

From what I have seen, all local sports writers in Atlanta have lost faith in the Georgia Bulldogs, including the coaches and players (either that or they are just indulging in the fact their local Jackets are actually giving Georgia a run as the best program in the land).

When I look at the big picture, the Bulldogs seem just as primed for a title run as ever before. Stafford and Moreno were big names, but they were not the only things this team had.

Joe Cox was destined to take over after David Greene and D.J. Shockley's departure until Matthew Stafford arrived.

Caleb King was the big name on campus before we had even heard of Knowshon Moreno (or, by all means, knew how to spell it).

And the most blessed word in the Bulldog language holds true to the current state—health. Injuries plagued the team last season, and it still won 10 games.

But for some reason, pundits find it so easy to claim Georgia is underachieving and Mark Richt is on the hot seat. Really?

As an honest Dawg fan, let's look back for a second. We have one national championship in the modern era. One. So, who are we really kidding?

Do we want a national title run to be in the horizon every fall? Yes. Should we run to the hills when we lose three games a year? No.

Georgia has been a force and a consistent AP Top 25 team since 2002, and Richt is one of the winningest coaches in football.

We should be bowing down to Mark Richt. He brought Georgia football back to the "glory" that everyone deliriously insists actually exists.

Having the best college football player ever for two years was really the only root to that success, let's face it.

Am I really bashing Georgia football as a faithful fan? Nope. But I do want people to take some time and look at the big picture. Look at the talent, look at the past trends, and realize that we should be grateful to claim fanhood to such a stud of a program.

Everyone wet their pants last year because we went 10-3. Yeah, it was a little ugly, but 10 wins are still 10 wins.

Never mind the fact that Florida, one of the most dominating teams of the decade, shares a division with us. Never mind the fact that Georgia had to play at LSU and Alabama.

The SEC is the most densely powerful conference in the land, so it is really difficult to come out alive.

I mean, look at it. LSU, Florida, Alabama, and Georgia (and I guess you can add Tennessee) all expect to come out of the conference unscathed.

USC has to worry about Cal and Oregon...maybe.

Ohio State has to worry about...well, USC for now...and then Penn State.

Virginia Tech has to look in the mirror and realize, "Whoa, you know...just because we are No. 1 in the ACC doesn't mean we are that good."

I'm not only jumping in the SEC bandwagon, I'm hauling it! You have between three and five top-five caliber teams in the SEC every year, and they get to play each other out of the national title race.

So really, the SEC championship is a toss-up. Georgia fans should aspire for an SEC crown and dream of national titles, but the reality is this: Winning the conference title every year like USC and Ohio State just is not a rational concept.

It cannot happen. The days of conference domination are over.

So, let's look at this year as the year of the underdog. Florida is the most hyped team in recent memory. Georgia is supposed to fall off the map after losing two players to the NFL (Asher Allen couldn't intercept a beach ball if it was dropped into the stadium from an airplane).

If Georgia goes 8-4 this season, big whoop. We play one of the toughest schedules in the nation. If Georgia pulls a 2002/2005 and wins the SEC Championship, hooray!

As long as Richt and staff are bringing in the recruits and coaching them up as well as they have, Georgia is set to be a consistent power for another 10 years.

How many programs can claim to the recent glory of Georgia's? Maybe a handful.

My point is, Bulldog nation, our history comes in a tiny package...maybe even a Ziploc bag.

We had the '40s, the '60s, and the early '80s. The real time in Georgia football that will stick out in history next: the 2000s. Let us embrace this winning program and realize that the "glory" of Georgia football does not dictate Richt's standing, or the coaches', or the program's.

The "glory" of Georgia football is happening right now. So, when you sit down to watch the Bulldogs run Oklahoma State into the ground on Saturday, make sure you give an honest handshake to Mark Richt through the television and say, "thank you."