A Few Pre Season Thoughts & Scheduling

Hopefully headed to practice on Wednesday.  Very interested to get a scouting report on the QBs, of course.  The counselor and I were talking the other night about the math of football.  Long story short, I believe in schedule math.  

We don’t play a 2^nd Power 5 team this year.  Since the addition of the 12^th game in 2006, that has only happened one year:  2012.  We rolled to 11-1 and had what I think was maybe Richt’s best team.  What we don’t know is how much the rest of another cupcake helps and how much getting valuable playing time for back-ups makes a difference.  For instance, if you were to ask people who was better last year between UGA, Ole Miss and Miss. St., you’d get a mixed bag or responses, especially since Ole Miss had that marquee win, and Miss. St. rolled for several weeks at #1 (still can’t believe that).

Ole Miss went 9-3 and lost their bowl game.  Along with their upset Alabama, Arkansas beat them 30-0.  They finished 9-4

MSU went 10-2 and lost their bowl game, finishing 10-3.

UGA went 9-3 and won their bowl game, finishing 10-3.

Ole Miss played Boise St., Memphis, Lafayette, and PC.

MSU played Southern Miss, UAB, South Alabama, and UT-Martin – 4 guaranteed wins.

UGA played Clemson, Troy, Charleston Southern and GA Tech.

The million dollar question is “How much does a game like Clemson take out of your preparation and effort for a game that ‘really’ counts?”  You waste playcalls, energy and film study.  And you spend emotional energy that you just don’t need to beat UT-Martin.  Miss. State’s schedule was embarrassing.  What does all this mean…

We’re going to win the SEC in 2015.  And we won’t have to beat Bama twice to do it.  They won’t be there.  They play Wisconsin to open (a decent team), and that might cost them down the road.  They play UGA and UT.  LSU plays Florida & South Carolina (and, strangely, a trip to the Carrier Dome to play the ‘Cuse).  I think if they find a QB, we play the Bengals in ATL.

Mark Richt gets something very rare this year:  3 guaranteed wins.  I believe that fact will be very good to him, just like it was in 2012.