Of all the teams in the country that I’d really like to see Notre Dame play in the near future, Georgia is probably #1. Not because I hold any animosity towards them, but because they’re a bit of a curiosity to me. They’re Georgia, and for a guy like me who had a childhood like mine, that means they’re good. And that they’re always going to be good. So if that hold true, and, clearly, all anecdotal evidence from my childhood holds true, then I’d like to see Notre Dame, when we’re really good, say, 2008 or 2009, play Georgia. Besides, how often have you ever seen Georgia above the Mason Dixon? Answer: Never. Why? Because, yep, they’re still pissed about Lincoln.

Last year they went 9-4 and finished #23 in the AP poll. Their struggles were largely due to the fact that they had only 9 returning starters in 2006, and none of them played QB. As a result, they made Colorado look formidable and managed to lose to Vanderbilt. They also got creamed by Tennessee. Despite that, they made a bowl game (where they beat VaTech) and managed to destroy Auburn late in the year (which, of course, earns them points with God). This year, things look up, as they get 11 starters back (ok, maybe that’s not a ton better than 9), including a more seasoned Matt “Howitzer” Stafford at QB.

Offense: This crowd usually fields a very good offensive line, and that should be the case again here, but they’re also utilizing a new Offensive Line coach, so color me skeptical. Stafford is a real talent, but I reserve my judgment until he starts to show how good his own judgment can be.

Defense: Only 4 returning starters here could make things interesting. The offense was so, uh, “difficult” last year that these guys essentially had to win a lot of games. This year, the roster is full of really talented guys, but some inexperience will cost them.

Special Teams: Excellent. Very good kicking specialists, and one of the most consistently great punt return units of the last, eh, 5 years or so.

Facts:

• Georgia is 25-2 in non-conference games since Richt took over, and the two losses came in bowl games. This year, Georgia opens up with Oklahoma State.
• Herschel Walker had five-thousand two-hundred and fifty-nine freaking yards rushing during his rather short career at Georgia.
• Georgia has one consensus national championship (1980).

HLS Top 25 Meta:

• Highest spot on a HLS Ballot: 9
• Lowest spot on a HLS Ballot: 16
• Average ranking on HLS Ballots: 12.75

Why Alex Trebek Loves Them:

• The famous “hedges” that the Bulldogs play between in all of their home games initially served as crowd controlling borders between fans and players.

Around the Web:

• Hey Jenny Slater*
• Georgia Sports Blog
• Dawgbone.net

HLS Tracker 10 Forecast Technology Says:

Ask again later. This is a tough one to call. Mark Richt certainly seems to know a thing or two about coaching a football team, and lord knows this squad has a ton of talent on the roster, but the lack of experience is bound to be exploited by somebody, especially in the SEC, where old football coaches like to make young men look really stupid utilizing something like the jump pass, or, perhaps, an old pee-wee football favorite like this…

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