By Joe Joe Wright

You know every time I hear folks start talking about the Georgia Bulldogs and how good they will be this year I get to thinking. I well remember 2008 and the hype! Georgia was coming off a huge Sugar Bowl win over Hawaii, yes the Rainbows of Pacific WOW!!!. The AP had them preseason #1 and Oklahoma #2 and Booger eaters #3. That didn’t last long as Alabama smacked them around a bit and then the Booger Eaters crushed them in Jacksonville and finally they stung by the Yellow Jackets. So when I hear how the Bulldogs are going to romp and stomp I get skeptical. Of Course overall Georgia has a rather favorable schedule but with games on the road at Notre Dame, Tennessee, Auburn and of course Florida and Tech. Don’t count on Georgia running the table. I believe however given Georgia’s talent pool that they can handle the Irish and the Coonhats and I also feel like the Dawgs are over due to beat the Florida Booger eaters. However, Auburn will be a different story. I can’t see the Dawgs winning  4 years in a row over the Tigers. I  am also gun shy so to speak of them App. State Hillbillies, aka “the giant killers”, they can ruin a season in a skinny minute and love doing so. My guess is Georgia goes 11-1 in regular season maybe 10-2 as they could slip against another school like Tennessee. In that case they won’t make the SEC championship. I feel strongly though that Georgia will be a top 10 at the end of regulation season and thereby will receive a large bowl bid. I do so hope I am wrong!

What about the rest of the east in the SEC. Well again the Volunteers and Gators will play big and pivotal spots in this scenario. Tennessee and poor old Butch Jones just have a tough row to hoe. First Ga. Tech is never a push over then you have to go to the “Swamp” where traditionally you haven’t faired very well. Then you get a revenge seeking Georgia who most often plays better on the road. South Carolina is never an easy game but Alabama and LSU should get yall  2 maybe 3 losses for sure. Tennessee needs a quarterback and a lot of prayers. Wow! Poor old booger eaters my goodness yalls coach is stupid. Gators open up with Michigan in the Swamp! Loss. Then you all host Tennessee, toss-up. Then you get LSU, another loss followed by Texas AM who will  shock you. Well here come the Dogs that you have beaten 3 years in a row and they ain’t to happy about it and a loss is quite possible. If all that ain’t bad enough you got two SEC road games before you host what might be best team in country this year in Florida State. In a nutshell the “booger eaters” are in serious trouble and I am guessing 8-4. Florida has the 7^th hardest schedule, but I think they have hardest in SEC anyway.

As for the rest of the SEC east no team has enough athletes or power to mount a serious run at East crown with the schedules they have. After all that analogy I am going to back track a bit and take Georgia to win the East over Tennessee, barely!!!!

The SEC west is a different animal than those in the east. On that side of the Chattahoochee River you have Alabama, Auburn, LSU and rebounding Arkansas. Miss. St is decent, Ole Miss is rebuilding and I am not sure anyone knows what to expect out of the Aggies in Texas. One thing is for sure even though most people would pick BAMA to run the gamut and into the SEC showdown in Atlanta, it will not be that easy though. Both Auburn and LSU are going to be very good and Arkansas is a definite rankings “buster”. I see all of them splitting up the west with wins over one another LSU gets Auburn in Death Valley, Auburn gets to host the Tide and the Tide gets LSU in Tuscaloosa. Let’s say the home team wins and no other SEC losses come their way. This could easily happen and what a stink that will be. Then throw in the really big out of conference games. BAMA has Florida State, Auburn travels to Clemson and LSU hosts BYU (and don’t laugh BYU is decent and LSU has a history of looking ahead. Also BYU will have the benefit of having played a game already to warm up.) I can see the SEC West cannibalize themselves this year. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the “tide won’t roll” not this year. I see BAMA dropping the opener to the Seminoles then running table till they play Auburn. I see Auburn getting a huge win over Clemson and going on to win SEC west and playing Georgia for the SEC crown. LSU will slip somewhere else either Arkansas or at Florida.  As for Florida State get this they roll all the way to ACC title and lose to Miami, whom they will have beaten earlier in the year. The Canes go to playoffs, as does Ohio State, Auburn-Georgia winner in SEC championship and the other one will be USC. Who wins National title? Well it’s just to early to tell. What do you think? Who are your picks write me and let me know. joejoe.wright@cordeledispatch.com