Georgia Football: Why the Bulldogs Won't Win the SEC East

Sunday morning the Bulldog Nation woke up believing they could actually win the SEC East. Thanks to a little help from Kentucky and Mississippi State, Georgia is tied for second in their division.

A few weeks ago, everyone had written Georgia off. Now there is a chance for them to go to the Georgia Dome representing the East—however a couple things will need to happen in their favor.

First, they must win out. Not an easy task. Second, they’ll need South Carolina to lose two more SEC games. Possible, yes. Realistic, no.

The Gamecocks very well could lose to Arkansas on Oct. 30 and to Florida on Nov. 13. They have been known to choke at the worst times. Or best if you happen to despise them.

Having to win out puts an immense amount of pressure on Georgia. Had the Bulldogs just beaten South Carolina, Arkansas or even Mississippi State like they should have, they would be in great position to take the East. However, Georgia was just awful through September.

Now they must win out to have a fighting chance.

But can Georgia actually do it? Winning on the road in Lexington won’t be easy. The Wildcats just hung 31 on the Gamecocks. Georgia couldn’t even score a touchdown against South Carolina. Not to mention the Bulldogs have lost all three road games this year.

Then there’s attempting to win in Jacksonville, something Georgia has struggled with the past 20 years. The Bulldogs have beaten the Gators three times in the past two decades.

If somehow they win their next two games they have to win on the road again in what seems to be the toughest place to play this season. Jordan-Hare Stadium will be a hostile environment for Georgia. And Cam Newton will be ready to end Georgia’s four game win streak over Auburn.

The mission that lies ahead will not be simple. Georgia put themselves in this position and now must work with what’s been given to them. They’ll pray for some help from other teams, but that won’t matter if you can’t win.

Winning out is something Georgia won’t be able to do.

They have struggled in every road game this season. Look for them to come out slow and struggle offensively in Lexington.

Georgia’s offense came alive the last two games scoring 40 plus points in each game. That won’t happen again but the confidence these past two wins have given Georgia will come along for the ride to Lexington. Somehow some way Georgia will find a way to win this ugly drawn out brutal battle.

But then they have to go to Jacksonville and try to beat a Gator team fresh off a bye. And if you believe Georgia has any chance against an Urban Meyer squad that just lost three in a row, had a week off to cope and prepare for the game they love to win the most, you are blind.

You are blind to real life and stuck in some fantasy la la land.

“Well Georgia lost four in a row, Florida can too!” True, but there’s a difference between Georgia and Florida, and that is coaching.

Urban Meyer has two weeks to prepare for Georgia. His team just lost three in a row for the first time since the late '80s. There is no way he lets it get to four.

Stats will tell you Georgia is better than Florida right now. Georgia is 41 overall in passing and 64 overall in rushing yards. Florida is 84 and 75 in those respected categories. But stats will also tell you that Florida has dominated Georgia for the last two decades.

And in a down year for both teams, having the mental advantage definitely helps.

If somehow they manage to keep the win streak going and beat the Gators (and maybe Urban cries again) they travel to Jordan-Hare stadium in mid November. Auburn will most likely still be undefeated and looking for revenge for the past four years.

Newton will still be among the Heisman talk and has proven he does nothing but win. Currently Auburn is sixth overall in scoring, averaging 40 points a game. If Georgia wants to have any chance in this game, they’ll need to be prepared for another shoot out. Because Newton is a beast of a man and it will be very difficult for Georgia to stop him.

Somehow Auburn only has four away games this season. And because they play Georgia at home this year it won’t matter that their defense is atrocious. If you think Georgia had a difficult time against a crazy Gamecock stadium, just wait till they step inside Jordan-Hare. It’s an intimidating place to play.

Georgia has a chance to win the SEC East. There is no denying that.

 But they won’t seize their opportunity because they are not a better football team than Florida or Auburn. Winning out is too hard of a goal for the Bulldogs to accomplish.