Here's what the UGA fans are saying.....

[The Prowler]

Top Candidates to replace Coach Richt:

1. Brian Kelly, UC
When I was growing up in the Cincinnati area, the Bearcats were a laughingstock. Rick Minter brought them to mediocre, Mark Dantonio made them good, but Kelly has made them a BCS contender. Granted, it's in possibly the weakest BCS conference, but UC has mediocre facilities. They're stuck in a 35,000-seat stadium, and the univ. is hemhorraging cash. Still, he's brought them swagger and attitude. If you give him UGA's resources, I bet he'll rival the top dogs in the conference. A coach with some fire would be a welcome tonic.

2. Charlie Strong, UF D-Coord.
Wouldn't it be sweet to snatch him right out from under the Gators? He's been left to his own devices with the D and has crafted a top unit. I think he would bring in a top flight OC to complement his knowledge.

3. Todd Graham, Tulsa
He brought Rice to respectability and, although Tulsa will always be #3 in the Sooner state, he's kept them at a successful standard for their program's level.

4. Tuberville
Yes, Tuberville. He did more with less at Auburn, but their admin. was always itching to get rid of him. He would get access to better recruits then he could at Auburn. Auburn has always been a hard nosed team, a bad experiments with a kooky offense cost him his job. We should reap the benefits of his experience.

A previously winless SEC squad mocked us with the Rocky Top dance. All the while, Richt just stands there with a blank, glazed-over look.


I held out on this post for a couple of weeks, hoping things would get better, but today's loss confirms this team is headed in the wrong direction and going there fast.

This is on Scout's main message board....going on 7 pages right now.

[djsimp]

The heat is on for Coach Richt. I hate it for him but the CFB animal can get real ugly and most of the time it dont care about what kind of character a man has.

[RWS]

Tuberville would be scary at any SEC school, but particularly LSU or UGA. Both schools have a good in-state recruiting base, and they don't have much in-state competition for recruits. Of course, alot of schools like to cherry pick GA, but its hard to pull recruits out of LA.

[jadennis]

The Uggers are gonna learn the hard way.  They're gonna piss and moan about their coach having his first truly down year in the 9 years he's been there and call for his head.  

He went 8-4 in his first year.  Ever since then, his biggest "down" year was a 9 win season in 2006 with a true freshman QB.  That's 10+ wins 6 of the last 7 years, or 9 wins for 7 straight years.

From 2002 to 2008 he's 74-18 (.804 winning %) overall.

From 2002 to 2008 he's 43-16 (.729 winning %) in the SEC.

From 2002 to 2008 they have finished ranked every year, including the top 10 FIVE times (#3, #7, #7, #10, #23, #2, #13).

From 2002-2008 he's won the SEC East 3 times and the SEC Title two times (for reference, Vince Dooley won the conference 6 times in 25 years, but only two times in his first 12 seasons, and one was shared).

From 2002-2008 he's 29-15 (.659 winning %) against Alabama (3-1), Auburn (5-2), Florida (2-5), LSU (3-2), Georgia Tech (6-1), South Carolina (6-1), and Tennessee (4-3).

From 2002-2008 he's 6-1 in bowl games.  (for reference, Dooley was 8-10-2 in 20 bowl games, including 1-4 in Sugar Bowls).

Fans these days just can't get the big picture.  Sure, they are struggling this year, there may need to be some changes.  But the same guy that just won 80% of his games and two SEC titles in the last 7 years didn't turn stupid.  He didn't forget how to coach and recruit.

They could have their next Dooley if they aren't too stupid and impatient to hold on to him.  From 1972 to 1979 Dooley went 59-32-2 (.645 %).  Those 8 years included 3 seasons of 9+ wins, but also 3 seasons of 6 or fewer wins.  But then 1980 to 1983 he went 43-4-1 (.906%) that included 3 SEC titles and 1 national title.

Just like I wish we would have stuck with Tuberville after 5-7 (assuming he was willing to break up the staff a bit), I see Georgia fans calling for Richts head and then wishing for the "good ole days" after 3-4 years of Charlie Strong going 8-4 just like Ron Zook did at Florida.

They know what they have, they'd be stupid in my opinion to run him off after a single bad year. (and I know this won't happen because the AD will be more patient than fans).

[AUChizad]

He's the old gray mare of the SEC now.

If he's gone, that leaves Bobby Johnson as the longest tenured coach.

Sad that no one lasts a full decade anymore.

[Kaos]

(and I know this won't happen because the AD will be more patient than fans).

[jadennis]

Very true, but I think most of us would agree that Tuberville's departure was lying in wait for several years.  It wasn't the knee jerk reaction it appeared to be.

Firing Richt after this year would be insanely knee-jerky.

[Snaggletiger]

Very true, but I think most of us would agree that Tuberville's departure was lying in wait for several years.  It wasn't the knee jerk reaction it appeared to be.

Firing Richt after this year would be insanely knee-jerky.

I don't know.  I understand looking at the overall record and from ther outside looking in (Same with Tubervile) it appears Richt is one hell of a Corch.  But, if you follow the program closely, you realize (Again, just like Tuberville) there's only so far this guy is going to take you.  UGA fans and Auburn fans alike understand that the program is and always will be capable of great things.  Unfortunately, that's college football...and pro football these days.  Richt is obviously a winner.  A BIG winner.  BUT...BUT...he simply can't beat Florida.  He simply can't get over the hump.  The UGA people are thinking it's all in place...we just need that jump start to get us OVER the hump and take that extra step. 

[RWS]

I don't know.  I understand looking at the overall record and from ther outside looking in (Same with Tubervile) it appears Richt is one hell of a Corch.  But, if you follow the program closely, you realize (Again, just like Tuberville) there's only so far this guy is going to take you.  UGA fans and Auburn fans alike understand that the program is and always will be capable of great things.  Unfortunately, that's college football...and pro football these days.  Richt is obviously a winner.  A BIG winner.  BUT...BUT...he simply can't beat Florida.  He simply can't get over the hump.  The UGA people are thinking it's all in place...we just need that jump start to get us OVER the hump and take that extra step. 

The problem is, last year UGA blew their wad. They had an excellent QB, RB, and WR corps. They're not going to have a setup like that with the timing they had for a while probably. This year, they have nothing except for Green. I think the next few years will be rough for the Dawgs.

[The Prowler]

The problem is, last year UGA blew their wad. They had an excellent QB, RB, and WR corps. They're not going to have a setup like that with the timing they had for a while probably. This year, they have nothing except for Green. I think the next few years will be rough for the Dawgs.

I agree, and "rough" means (7-5)/(8-4).

[Snaggletiger]

The problem is, last year UGA blew their wad. They had an excellent QB, RB, and WR corps. They're not going to have a setup like that with the timing they had for a while probably. This year, they have nothing except for Green. I think the next few years will be rough for the Dawgs.

This makes my point.  They had it all.  Great year when you look back on it.  Pretty much as good as it's going to get.  And when you factor in the caveat that UGA was the consensus #1..it makes the "Great year" all that much worse for Dawg fans.  THAT is why UGA fans have had enough of Richt.

[jadennis]

I see what you're saying, but I still just don't see it that way.  He's taken them to two SEC  titles.  A #2 finish and  #3 finish.  The "hump" they can't get over just happens to have won 2 of the last 3 BCS titles and is currently #1.  They are everyone's "hump" and changing coaches won't change that unless they hire Meyer.  Dooley started there in 1964 and won a national title 17 seasons later. 

To me, the fact that they have won 2 SEC titles in 7 seasons, have finished in the top 3 twice during that time, tells me that he can take them all the way, it just hasn't happened yet.  Despite what Meyer makes it look like, its very, very hard to win it all.  Ask Bowden who was in the top 4 for 14 straight years, yet only won it all two times.  To me you can only ask for a coach that keeps you hanging around the top, that puts you in position so that eventually the breaks will go your way and you'll end up in the right place at the right time to play for it all.

if Richt coaches there for 20 years, he'll win it all at least once.  He's just shown that he can win the SEC, which right now means you can play for it all.  He just went 13-1 and 12-2 in the wrong years.  Those same recorss got LSU and Florida title shots.

[Townhallsavoy]

Richt has done everything except beat Florida.  He's 2-6 against the Gators and is about to be 2-7.  If he could have beat Georgia 1 or 2 other times, he' have a crystal ball in his office. 

Also, it just so happened that Richt's true best team (2004) had to face one of the better SEC teams of all time in their own house (Auburn 2004). 

Richt has had a ten win season every year except for two years.  One of those years was his first the other was Stafford's true freshman year. 

He probably won't get ten wins this year, but it's a rebuilding year.

To sum it all up(bit tipsy) athe Dawgs would be foolish to get rid of him. 

[Godfather]

I've said it before and I'll say it again

                      THIS

                      +

                      =

[jadennis]

Can't agree.  If Richt and the University of Georgia were in the Big Ten for the last 8 years he probably would have played in 4 BCS title games.

Or, conversely, if the Vest were in the SEC, he may...MAY have played in one title game, but likely would have had 2 or 3 more losses every year than he's had the last 7.

To compare the competition of the two programs within their conferences...

In the last five years, Georgia has played 18 games against teams ranked in the Top 25.  They have played 8 games against teams ranked in the Top 10.  

The Vest?  He's played 15 against Ranked teams, but only 3 against Top 10 teams.  3 games in 5 years.  In all BCS conferences, only USC played as few as 3.  

In the SEC, only Vandy played fewer than 7 games against Top 10 teams, and 7 teams in the SEC played TEN or more such games.  (Auburn and Tennessee played the most of any team in any conference at 14 each).

So in the last 5 years Richt has faced nearly 3 times as many top 10 opponents.  I think any one of Georgia, LSU, Florida, or Auburn would have done at least as well, and likely better, than what Ohio State did over the last 5 years in the Big Ten.