There is a simple problem for Florida. They are putting in a new offensive system and it rarely works well the first year. Also I hate their schedule. They have a non-conference against the University of Oklahoma who most magazines are picking as the best team in the country. An early season loss may not help the confidence of the young players on the Gator team.
Georgia is ready to roll this year. I think they have a great coach in Mark Richt. Some say he will get fired if he does not win big this year. However, with a record of 96-34 how can you fire that guy? Don’t forget that this is the SEC we are talking about here. I think also some people in the Georgia administration know what fine character this man has. I have been an admirer of his for a long time because he gets that character from Christ. Coach Richt is not bashful about proclaiming that he is a born again Christian (just like another famous Georgian). Below I have put an article about Coach Richt.
I like what Harry King observed:
The Bulldogs have an important season opener against Boise State, and an even more critical SEC opener the following week against South Carolina. My pick to win the Eastern Division, Georgia plays the lesser lights from the other division.
Below is a preview from Rivals:
Georgia
Returning Starters: 12, kicker, punter
Strengths: As a redshirt freshman, quarterback Aaron Murray completed almost 60 percent of his passes with an impressive 24-to-8 touchdown-interception ratio. The Bulldogs’ offensive line is experienced with three senior starters back, although none was an All-SEC pick last year. Georgia’s defense should be tough against the pass as all four starters return in the secondary. All-SEC kicker Blair Walsh is back for his fourth season and second team All-SEC punter Drew Butler also returns, so the kicking game could make a difference in close games.
Weaknesses: With A.J. Green now waiting out the NFL lockout and Washaun Ealey having been dismissed from the program, the Bulldogs must find new playmakers or else Murray’s efficiency will suffer. Their top returning receiver (Tavarres King) caught just 27 passes a year ago. Georgia also returns just one linebacker, a potential worry in a 3-4 defense. There’s also a warm seat on the sideline as coach Mark Richt can’t afford another 6-7 campaign if he wants to return for a 12th season in 2012
Florida
Returning Starters: 11, kicker
Strengths: Every starting running back and wideout returns for the Gators, as does senior quarterback John Brantley. A poor fit for former coach Urban Meyer’s spread offense, the 6-foot-3, 218-pound Brantley should thrive under QB guru and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis. Although there are seven starters to replace on defense, it’s hard to imagine new coach Will Muschamp presiding over a below-average stop unit. And because of Meyer’s excellent recruiting, the program enjoys good depth.
Weaknesses: Four starters must be identified in the offensive line, which could make protecting the slow-footed Brantley problematic. Three-fourths of an outstanding secondary also used up their eligibility, something which early-season opponents such as Tennessee and Kentucky might try to exploit. Also, can Muschamp prove to his team and Florida’s demanding supporters that he has the chops to win games against the likes of Nick Saban, Les Miles and Gene Chizik – all national championship coaches who the Gators meet in three consecutive October weeks?
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Georgia (UGA) Head Football Coach Mark Richt & His First Love, Jesus Christ
He Coached Under Bobby Bowden and Acted in the Movie, Facing the Giants
He is one of the most successful college football coaches in the country. Mark Richt, head coach of the University of Georgia, is one of only nine college football coaches with 60 or more wins in his first six seasons. During his six seasons with the Georgia Bulldogs, his team has won two Southeastern Conference Football Championships and three SEC Eastern Division Titles. The team also finished among the top ten teams in the country four consecutive years from 2002-2005. Despite his success as a coach and love of football in general, and University of Georgia football in particular, head coach Mark Richt has a greater love than football-as a Christian his first love is Jesus Christ. It may be because of his faith in Christ as God’s Son Who died on the cross to save the world from sin that caused him to act in the heavily spiritual sports movie, Facing the Giants, as he played head coach, Grant Taylor.
March Richt has been a success wherever he has gone. In high school at Boca Raton High School in Boca Raton, Florida, he starred as a quarterback (Playing quarterback was always his dream. He never dreamed of coaching.) . At the University of Miami he was the backup for future Pro Football Hall of Fame star Jim Kelly. As the offensive coordinator under Bobby Bowden at Florida State he coached quarterbacks Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke, who both won the Heisman Trophy, and helped coach two national championship teams.
Bobby Bowden means more to Mark Richt than helping him coach football, which led to his becoming the head coach of Georgia. It was because of Bowden that Richt became a Christian.
After a Florida State player was shot and killed in 1986, Bowden pointed to the seat the deceased player would normally sit in, before the murder. He asked members of his team if they knew where they would spend eternity if he died. Mark Richt didn’t like the thought and the next morning talked with Bowden. The Florida State great took a Bible and led Richt to Christ.
“I prayed to receive Christ that morning in his office,” Richt recalls. “And it changed my life.”
He says that since that time he thinks more about others. He began to think about serving his new Lord. He now has the peace he remembers seeing in a Christian college roommate he once had.
Mark Richt hopes that others will be attract to his faith because of his success. He also believes, however, that he still makes many mistakes and needs God’s forgiveness.
Mark Richt, the successful head football coach of the University of Georgia, says Jesus means “salvation…everlasting life with God…peace and hope, instead of despair.”
The Daily Hatch 