Bring it ON

Some people throughout the Bulldog Nation are concerned about early prognostications that have Mark Richt’s team ranked in the top ten. Some polls have the Dawgs ranked as high as No. 6. Georgia has not received this much preseason hype since the Sports Illustrated cover in 2008. Joe Cox’s lone squad was ranked in the middle teens while Aaron Murray’s teams have never received this much preseason love. Many Georgia fans groan when high expectations are placed upon them as they prefer to start somewhere in the 14-20 range and move up, ala 2002, 2005 and 2007. Fly under the radar and move up after the teams ahead of you fall. It happens every year, a team seemingly “comes out of nowhere” to challenge for a BCS bowl. Why couldn’t Georgia be the team that comes out of the shadows to challenge for a big bowl? Many Georgia fans would be happy for this to take place this year. Not me. I like the expectations. I want the Dawgs to be ranked No. 6 preseason, the favorite to take the SEC East and face Alabama or LSU for the SEC title. I want Murray to be up for the Heisman. I want Jarvis Jones to sweep all of the defensive player of the year awards. I want Richt to be up for coach of the year honors. Why bring it on? Because if Georgia is going to be elite like the program strives to be, then Georgia needs to live up to high expectations. When the media puts Alabama near the top of the rankings, Nick Saban doesn’t bat an eye, he goes to work. When USC was preseason No. 1 in the mid-2000s, Pete Carroll ended up hoisting trophies. Bobby Bowden led FSU to championship game after championship game in the late 1990s and early 2000s. And they did it by living up to expectations. If Georgia is to break into Auburn/LSU/Ohio State territory, Georgia must do it by embracing a high ranking and shining in the spotlight. With the team Georgia has this year and the recruiting class Richt is putting together, it could be the start of a golden age for the Bulldogs. Expectations will be high for the next few years. Georgia had better get used to lofty preseason rankings. What better time to start living up to them than this year? Bring it on I say. I am not scared of the bullseye. Let’s hope Richt’s squad isn’t either.