No. 15 GEORGIA BULLDOGS

Expectations in Athens remain despite losing stars

One year after topping the preseason poll, Georgia enters this season at No. 15. The Bulldogs, having to replace the NFL's No. 1 overall draft pick Matthew Stafford and all-everything running back Knowshon Moreno, will open 2009 much less heralded then when they started 2008. That might be a good thing, as UGA won't have the huge target on their back like a season ago, when they finished the season with a "below expectations" 10-3.

And that pretty much sums up the attitude in Athens these days, where 10 win seasons are now looked at as pedestrian. Mark Richt has created such high expectations that many Georgia fans are waiting for that special season where everything comes together, like it has for Florida and LSU over the past decade, while those same fans worry about the juggernaut that are the Gators. Tim Tebow may be Superman to the rest of the nation (and a super human to the FOX broadcast booth), but he doesn't receive as much scorn or hatred then in Athens, Ga.

But in '09, a 10-win season might be too much to ask for; in fact, getting out of September unscathed would be a major accomplishment. The Dawgs open the season with a trip to Stillwater to play a much improved Oklahoma State team that won nine games in 2008; then they return for an always intense game against SEC East rival South Carolina; hit the road again to face an improving Arkansas squad that might actually have a quarterback to lead the Bobby Petrino aerial attack; and finally close the month at home against Arizona State. Add to those games against Tennessee, LSU, Florida and Auburn and all of a sudden counting up wins seems daunting.

Finally, the Dawgs close the season against rival and ACC heavyweight Georgia Tech, who finally hold a winning streak over their instate rival. Anyone who wants to talk about a lack of SEC scheduling may want to leave the Dawgs out of discussion, and Georgia fans may want to be appreciative of anything close to 10 wins, at least in 2009.

Final 2008 Ranking: 12

2009 CFN Preview | ESPN Georgia Page | CBS Georgia Page

Part of a two-week long look into the 2009 Preseason Southern Fans' College Football Poll. New posts released each day, culminating with the No. 1 team on September 2.