Well, let this site be one of the first to say that Urban Meyer's resignation means nothing beyond having a new coach to hate in Gainesville—hello, Will.
Aside from that, Georgia has as much chance of winning the East as South Carolina or Tennessee. All three teams have the ability to beat each other and all of them are likely to be as good, if not better, than they were in 2010—particularly Tennessee. So, it seems premature to start anointing Georgia based on a hunch when there are still a plethora of questions to be answered.
Let's jump into a few:
1. Will the 3-4 be better?
Todd Grantham needs a nose—bad.
Kwame Geathers is the man whom many feel has the size and talent to step into that role in 2011. However, can he sustain the focus and the conditioning necessary to be successful over the course of a season?
If not, does Georgia have enough faith in Mike Thornton (a player who has loads of talent, but is too small for the position) to entrust him with the most important role in the defensive scheme?
As of now, Grantham is hoping to sign one true nose in the 2011 class—possibly out of the JUCO ranks—but that is not etched in stone.
Even more, if the Bulldogs can find the right man for the job, who will take over the space that Justin Houston leaves if he opts for the NFL? 19.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks is a hard thing to replace—who can step into that role? Will T.J. Stripling be ready?
2. Who will step up at running back?
Neither Caleb King, nor Washaun Ealey performed consistently enough to feel confident about them in 2011.
Ealey rebounded a bit after the Kentucky game, but his early season struggles with ball protection, coupled with his behavioral issues off the field, haven't given much reason for the Dawg faithful to feel good about him going forward. Add to that, Caleb King has yet to realize his potential either.
The once, highly-touted, in-state prospect has been, for the most part, a disappointment. He's shown flashes of greatness, but nothing sustained.
Georgia will need a back who can be productive and consistent next season—particularly with A.J. Green likely gone—if Aaron Murray is to continue his rise.
3. Will another wide receiver step up?
Marlon Brown, Israel Troupe, Rantavious Wooten, and Tavarres King have all shown their capabilities at one time. However, none have fulfilled their promise.
Murray will be looking for new targets next season, and he will look to one of the above-mentioned four to bring their A-game to the field—will they FINALLY do so? If they don't, there won't be much dimension to the passing game and you can't expect Orson Charles to do it all.
This is definitely a scary area of concern entering 2011—Georgia is going to be painfully thin—as there is no clear-cut playmaker amongst those who are likely to remain.
4. Will the changes in strength and conditioning be a key factor?
Georgia lost a lot of games on line play this season. Neither the offensive or defensive lines were tough enough, strong enough, or conditioned enough to be a factor during the fourth quarter. New strength coach, Joe Tereshinski, has assured the Bulldog faithful that this will not be the case in the future—hope to heck he's right.
The new staff should be in place by spring and it will be interesting to see the direction this program goes in post Van Halanger.
5. How will recruiting pan out?
If Mark Richt closes with the class he's gunning for (Jay Rome, Ray Drew, Damian Swann, Isaiah Crowell, Xzavier Dickson, etc.), then Georgia has a real good shot at making noise next season. But, if they get only half of those guys—and one of them isn't named 'Isaiah Crowell'—forget it.
The 2011 class will have just as much of an impact on next season goes as anything else. The Dawgs have to close strong and they have to get the blue chips on their list if they expect to do well in 2011—period.
Conclusion:
Don't for one second get comfortable believing that Georgia is about to run all over the East next year. There are simply too many factors that need to come together before that has a chance of happening.
