...

There's nothing more to say than that I'm sick of Mark May and Lou Holtz after the first episode.

Dear ESPN,

You do not have to sell college football. It sells itself--especially when you pick two people who can speak about college football without obvious bias and can convey valid arguments. You can afford to find the best college football analysts. We deserve them. 

                                                                                       -Fans

Week 1.

I can almost smell college football: the greatest of all sports seasons. I can almost feel the excitement that will fill the air when I turn on my TV Thursday night to watch two teams I rarely root for. 

The NCSU/USC game will have more meaning though this year as a fellow graduate of my high school will start at quarterback for the Wolfpack--giving him a 50% chance of taking the first college football snap I see as a college graduate. I hope he does very well, of course, and I hope he wins because I hate Steve Spurrier...ok, not only because I hate Steve Spurrier.

Because of Thursday's game, Saturday will come quicker. I will wake up hungover. There is no denying this fact. I will wake up hungover and I will wake up early (I'm one of those weird males who wakes up early on fall Saturdays the same way children wake up early on Christmas morning). I'll force down some sort of breakfast and I will start the festivities. 

College Gameday, girls in their gameday attire and friends drinking liquor way too early in the day have become staples of college football when I'm in Athens. This year has added something different though. When the tailgates are put on hold as kickoff approaches, fans will enter Sanford Stadium. They will walk in the same entrances and sit on the same metal bleachers. There is something different though and I am going to be there because it isn't something one should take for granted.

The Silver Britches will leave the tunnel for the first time in a long time as the undisputed #1 team in the land. It might last a few hours, a few weeks, or a few months if we're lucky. Either way, seeing the Bulldogs as the #1 team will be added to my list of personal UGA football "I-was-there's". 

All I can say is that this is a wonderful time to be a Bulldog fan. The stellar end to last year left the entire University with a sweet but slightly bitter taste in its mouth. We were better than we could have been but we could have been better than we were. Maybe every year gives us that taste in our mouths...

Unless this truly is the year the drill is finished...

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And another thing...

ESPN.com's Chris Low released his preseason all-SEC team today and only running back Knowshon Moreno made the team. I'm not going to say anything because he's a professional but I'd love to see Stafford, MoMass, Tripp Chandler, Geno, JO, Dannell, Rennie, Asher, Reshad or anyone else step up and prove some of media guys wrong. Or you know what. Even better, I hope a few rings and a crystal football fills the void left by a Chris Low snub.

How I Feel About this #1 "Mess"

I'll start by saying that I completely agree with PWD at Georgia Sports Blog.

Plain and simple, an undefeated season is pretty much ruled improbable. It's the SEC, and especially in this day and age, anything can happen. We saw it last year with App State. They shocked the world. Georgia could shock the world just as much by going undefeated.

I say that because our schedule just plain sucks. Just when you thought playing Florida, Tennessee, Steve Spurrier, and Georgia Tech every year wasn't enough, you've got to slap on a trip out to Arizona State, a meeting with a revamped Alabama, a trip to the Plains, and a descent onto Bourbon Rouge. Tack on a Central Michigan squad, led by a poor-man's Tim Tebow in a Dan LeFevour, and you've got arguably the hardest schedule in the country.

He ain't Superman, but the dude can play.

All doubts aside, this team has the potential to do it. If Stafford can respond to all the hype, if Knowshon and Caleb can form a thunder-and-lightning type tandem, if the receivers can respond to all the doubt, if A.J. Green and/or Tavarres King make an impact beyond expectations, if the defense continues to grow with a great combination of speed, athleticism, and power, and Richt leads the team like we all know and believe he can, it can work. It can happen. From here on out, however, all those aforementioned scenarios have to play out to perfection. The question has moved from the potential to the will of this team. We know the talent is there. It just has to blend together methodically and thoroughly. Mohamed Massaquoi, Matthew Stafford, and Asher Allen are three guys among a handfull that I have faith in for leadership both on and off the field.

13-0 sounds mighty nice, almost too mighty. If this team can finish 12-1, it shouldn't have any problems getting a spot in Miami. I'm optimistic for 12-1. I'd be disappointed with 11-2 or 10-2, so there is a fine line where my expectations are drawn. I don't see a repeat of LSU happening for Georgia, especially with the influence of media darlings these days, which I feel we are not a part of.

It's time for the boys to let their play do the talking. Give 'em hell, you sons of bitches.

Go Dawgs!

What We Really Don't Want to See in 2008

With the high temperatures of August come the wonders of a new season of college football. And with those wonders come expectations of what to see, which we have already previewed, and what not to see.

These lists can be extensive. They can be demeaning. They can be very biased. Here at DawgsOnTop, we frankly don't even care what you think.

So, to follow up our What to See, here is our list of Top 10 What Not to See in 2008...:


10) An empty seat in Sanford Stadium

We are preseason #1. Unless there is a death in your family or someone offers you $2,000 for your ticket, your seat better not be empty. I take that back... your seat better be empty, but the area immediately in front of it better be occupied by a loud, rambunctious, drunk, and standing Dawg fan. Yes, Mr. Adams, drunk. Noise people, noise.

9) More Big-10 love

Yes, I saw that OMGZ!#@ Michigan totally beat Florida n their bowl game!!! Ohio State was in da 'Ship!!

I don't care. Florida wasn't that good, especially their defense. Ohio State got waxed for the second straight year. It seemed like all of last season, the "experts" believed the Big-10 was a challenging foe for the SEC, maybe even better. But we all know true football isn't played up north.

8) A healthy season for Percy Harvin

He hasn't had one yet, and he is more important to his team than ever. He is that type of guy that can change the game in a matter of seconds, and we can only expect more in his third year. Hopefully those expectations will fall short... That being said, we don't want to see an unhealthy season for any of the Dawgs. (Note: this is all in good fun. Kind of.)

7) Any more arrests

I swear, the whole team should be locked away in the states if one more athlete gets arrested for having a BAC of .183. All jokes aside, the team does need to stay out of trouble and the media's spotlight.

6) Mark May

"With my top 5, I have Georgia at #4 and as my team that is most at risk for a disappointing season. On the outside looking in, I see Pittsburgh making a strong push for a Top 25 spot and in contention for the Big East."

Anything else, Mr. May?

5) A loss to an overwhelmingly under underdog.

As much as I love a great upset, I hate them. Especially when my team is on the receiving end. App State's victory over Michigan was priceless. Losing to Vandy again at home is not.

4) A "darkhorse" Heisman Trophy candidate

There are darkhorses, and there are "darkhorses." Noel Devine, Jeremy Maclin, A.J. Green... those are darkhorses. I don't care if DeSean Jackson returned 2 punts for touchdowns. I really don't care how many touchdowns Colt Brennan threw in OT to beat Louisiana Tech or San Diego State. And I know this shouln't be a factor, but I do care that Tim Tebow only won 9 games. Just a thought...

3) A deserving team shut out of the BCS National Championship game

I hate to say it, but the '07 Dawgs team was a South Carolina game away from the title game. Did we deserve it? No, probably not. Did we deserve a shot? Maybe. Fool on you, BCS. But no one wants to see a repeat of 2003.

2) Tim Tebow accepting a second Heisman Trophy

True, he may be damn near Superman for Florida's offense, but he only won 9 games last year. True, his numbers are hard to ignore. But a repeat year is far-fetched, as is an East title. Tennessee has the Gators at home looking for revenge, Auburn would love another bite of Gator tail at home, and, of course, the #1 Dawgs meet them in Jacksonville. Look for a few more tears out of Timmy, either in his Crocs or cleats.

1) A two-week campaign party thrown by ESPN endorsing a single (or multiple) candidate(s) for a seat in Miami

Anything else need to be said about that?


Once again, I would like to add that here at DawgsOnTop, we love to joke around about these sorts of things, even if we are completely serious and mean everything we say.

Go Dawgs!