Georgia-Kentucky: Dawgs Must Prove Turnaround in Lexington

It's been a feel-good couple of weeks for Georgia football fans. A couple of sun-shining home games resulted in the destruction of the state of Tennessee, with Georgia defeating the Vols 41-14 and Vanderbilt 43-0.

This Georgia team has recently looked even better than the team we expected coming into the year, mainly because of the efficiency of Aaron Murray and the production of receivers not named A.J.

However, Georgia's real test of improvement will come this weekend when they travel to Lexington to face Kentucky.

So far, Georgia has three wins and four losses. All three wins were blowout victories at home over inferior opponents. I don't think too many people are high on the likes of Louisiana, Tennessee and Vanderbilt's football programs.

This is not to say that Georgia isn't a legitimate team. They lean much closer to their dominant foes, such as Arkansas and South Carolina, than they lean towards their lesser opponents.

What Georgia has failed to do is win a close game—as well as win a road game—versus a tough opponent.

Their losses have come to the tune of 17-6, 31-24, 24-12 and 29-27. Three of those were road games.

Right now things are looking up for Georgia. Fans are beginning to gain hope that the Dawgs could actually win the Eastern Division.

But, if Georgia loses another close one, on the road in Lexington, the madness and drama that stemmed from their four-game losing streak will come right back. And no matter what, it likely will not leave for the rest of the season, even if Georgia defeats one of the big three down the road (Florida, Auburn or Georgia Tech).

But if Georgia can go on the road and beat Kentucky, or better yet demolish them, then a three-game winning streak in the SEC East could give Mark Richt and company the respect they need as they hit the meat of their schedule.

It would make a loss against a Florida, an Auburn or a Georgia Tech more respected.

Basically, this Kentucky game is a turning point game for this football program. We think Georgia is improving, but we won't know for sure until they can win a road game.

And this weekend's contest will be the perfect exam.

Kentucky isn't supposed to be a top program like Georgia, however their recent win over South Carolina definitely boosts their confidence and their national perception.

Their recruiting has always been on a lower level than the rest. But the Cats seemed to be stacked with talent. Randall Cobb, for example, gave Georgia tons of problems in their last trip to Kentucky.

And, in the past five seasons, Kentucky has been nowhere near a pushover when they play the Dawgs. Now that they have beaten South Carolina, the team that beat Alabama, the Wildcats have to be feeling great about themselves.

And, just as I said in my preseason article, this game is the biggest trap game on Georgia's schedule (although I was expecting Georgia to have one loss going into it, so things are a tad different).

Georgia may still have to beat two of the big three coming down the stretch, but the fact of the matter is this Kentucky game may have become the biggest game left on the schedule.

Yes, the road game at Auburn should be a huge deal. The game versus Georgia Tech will be a chance for UGA to prove they still "run this state". And there is no doubt the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party will be a saving game to see who's going to be the SEC East favorite in the coming years.

But, a loss versus either of these schools, in isolation, seems respectable.

A loss versus Kentucky will shift the mood of the Bulldog community right back into the sewer it floated in for the first five weeks of the season.

Not to make anyone nervous—Kentucky has a good team. They play with a chip on their shoulder. A team, playing with that chip despite just beating the likes of South Carolina, is a very dangerous opponent.

The home victories recently were nice, but the wounds of Georgia football will not be healed until Georgia can win an SEC road game.

It's sink or swim time for Georgia, and it comes at 7 p.m. this Saturday.