Started By
Message
re: Is Georgia the most underachieving program of all time?
Posted on 9/9/22 at 12:01 pm to WalkingVol
Posted on 9/9/22 at 12:01 pm to WalkingVol
No.
The reality is that GA HS football talent didn't take off until the 90's. Unfortunately at that time UGA had Ray Goff as their coach (and Jim Donnan to end the decade)
Prior to the 90's, UGA pretty much achieved what would be expected based on their HS talent level.
We didn't do much in the 90's due to poor coaches. From 2002 on UGA went on an upward trajectory starting with Richt and ending with Smart getting the NC and having built a roster loaded with talent that will compete every year.
That wasn't possible pre-1990 because GA didn't have the talent. Richt brought state level talent in which got them into a level where they were in the mix until Saban went to Bama and took them to a different level.
Now Smart has brought them to that level by recruiting nationally, particularly taking talent from nearby Florida.
There's a reason UGA is 4th in P5 winning percentage since 2002 (behind only OSU, OU and Bama). It's not because they've underachieved. They're 6th since 1990 even with the Goff and Donnan years. HS football had shifted around that time towards SE states (particularly the metro atlanta part of GA). That's where UGA's rise started.
The reality is that GA HS football talent didn't take off until the 90's. Unfortunately at that time UGA had Ray Goff as their coach (and Jim Donnan to end the decade)
Prior to the 90's, UGA pretty much achieved what would be expected based on their HS talent level.
We didn't do much in the 90's due to poor coaches. From 2002 on UGA went on an upward trajectory starting with Richt and ending with Smart getting the NC and having built a roster loaded with talent that will compete every year.
That wasn't possible pre-1990 because GA didn't have the talent. Richt brought state level talent in which got them into a level where they were in the mix until Saban went to Bama and took them to a different level.
Now Smart has brought them to that level by recruiting nationally, particularly taking talent from nearby Florida.
There's a reason UGA is 4th in P5 winning percentage since 2002 (behind only OSU, OU and Bama). It's not because they've underachieved. They're 6th since 1990 even with the Goff and Donnan years. HS football had shifted around that time towards SE states (particularly the metro atlanta part of GA). That's where UGA's rise started.
0
Posted on 9/9/22 at 12:07 pm to WalkingVol
Shitty troll gonna shitty troll.
Posted on 9/9/22 at 12:13 pm to WalkingVol
Tennessee and Michigan are the most underachieving. Lot of great history and tradition. Only FOUR combined poll titles (two each). Texas could be in this as well with all that resources they’ve had and continue to have but only four poll era titles.
Posted on 9/9/22 at 12:30 pm to Cheer
quote:
Historically, yes, UGA has underachieved given available resources and in-state talent.
Historically.
What Kirby is doing now should be the norm.
This. To say that historically UGA hasn't underachieved is not being honest. However, that label does not apply to the current regime.
Posted on 9/9/22 at 12:32 pm to WalkingVol
quote:
We don't have the resources Georgia does. Our in state talent isn't at the level of Georgia. Why deflect such a obvious elephant in the room?
UGA gets top 5 classes and finishes top 5. Tennessee gets top 10 classes and can’t finish the season ranked in the top 25
Posted on 9/9/22 at 12:45 pm to multicampus
quote:
This. To say that historically UGA hasn't underachieved is not being honest. However, that label does not apply to the current regime.
This is in fact not true. What you have to realize is the current talent distribution in the US is not how it was 30-40 years ago.
In the 80's and 90's GA had a huge population spike as it went from 5.4 million in 1980 to 8.2 million in 2000. for comparison, Ohio went from 10.2 to 11.3 million in the same time frame. Michigan went from 9.2 to 9.9 million. Indiana went from from 5.4 to 6 million.
That population increase fed into their high school football teams... as HS football is king in GA, while other states have had lessening interest in HS football (compared to their population growth). With GA around Metro Atlanta and the south east in general booming in population, the talent available for UGA began to boom as well.
UGA performed to their expectations through about 1990. By 1990 the talent available in GA had gone way up and due to bad coaches in the 90's (Goff and Donnan), UGA wasn't getting much of that. That decade was an underperformance for UGA.
But once Richt came in for the 2001 season, he started recruiting in-state talent much better and UGA improved significantly and was in the mix until Saban went to Alabama... at which point the talent acquisition machine there punched UGA back down.
Then Smart came in and UGA's talent gradually increased to near Bama levels... and UGA competed for and then won a national title.
The earlier results weren't underachieving (except for the 90's). UGA was at an expected level. But Richt and then Smart rose a rise in talent in the are to where UGA is now.
Again, UGA is 4th among P5 teams in winning percentage since 2002. They're in the top 5 teams in performance in that time frame. That's not under achieving.
Posted on 9/9/22 at 12:54 pm to DawginSC
Goff underachieved.
Donnan underachieved.
Richt had bright spots, but ultimately he was fired for underachieving.
In that time frame, TN, AU, UF, FSU, AU, and Bama all won national championships.
If UGA wasn't underachieving due to the numbers of high school football players, how on earth were AU and Bama winning?
Donnan underachieved.
Richt had bright spots, but ultimately he was fired for underachieving.
In that time frame, TN, AU, UF, FSU, AU, and Bama all won national championships.
If UGA wasn't underachieving due to the numbers of high school football players, how on earth were AU and Bama winning?
Posted on 9/9/22 at 1:05 pm to DawginSC
Valdosta High School won six national championships between 1962-1992.
Warner Robins has two: 1976, 1981
LaGrange: 1991
Parkview: 2002
Thomasville: 1974
All of those are prior to the current era in which Calhoun (2011) and Colquitt (2015) have them.
Warner Robins has two: 1976, 1981
LaGrange: 1991
Parkview: 2002
Thomasville: 1974
All of those are prior to the current era in which Calhoun (2011) and Colquitt (2015) have them.
Posted on 9/9/22 at 2:06 pm to WalkingVol
Tennessee has MORE resources than UGA. Get your effin facts straight idiot. Tennessee 's only problem has been incompetent ADs.
Posted on 9/9/22 at 2:12 pm to WalkingVol
quote:
Why deflect such a obvious elephant in the room?
What does your wife have to do with it?
Posted on 9/9/22 at 2:52 pm to multicampus
quote:
If UGA wasn't underachieving due to the numbers of high school football players, how on earth were AU and Bama winning?
Alabama was overachieving and Auburn was taking players that didn't have the grades to get into places like UGA or UF or were kicked out of other schools for various issues (like Cam Newton or Nick Marshall). Even with that Auburn has only been good every now and then, while UGA has been consistently excellent since 2000. While that may not have come with titles (largely due to Alabama outperforming everyone since Saban arrived) it has come with consistent wins, as shown by the fact that UGA has been the 4th best P5 team in the nation in winning percentage since 2000. Auburn by comparison is 15th. Notre Dame is 22nd.
GA has been growing in talent compared to other states since 1980, but it wasn't until the late 90's that the talent level reached the point where it passed states like North Carolina or Louisiana. It wasn't until the last 5 years or so it started reaching the point where it is regularly above Ohio (only really behind Texas/California/Florida).
I mean if you want to say UGA is underperforming in comparison to Alabama... sure, go for it. But we've largely performed equal to our talent over the history of the program. People seem to think that what GA has in talent now is the same as in the 70's and 80's compared to other states. That's simply not accurate.
Posted on 9/9/22 at 2:55 pm to WalkingVol
When the experts compile the statistics like where a team starts the year ranked vs ends up, we are actually in the over achieving category.
Posted on 9/9/22 at 2:57 pm to Porter Osborne Jr
quote:not only that, before the BCS, they were never part of a No. 1 vs No. 2 bowl matchup in which they won...
Mythical national titles. They haven't won one in the playoff/ BSC era.
Posted on 9/9/22 at 2:57 pm to WalkingVol
quote:
Member since Aug 2022
88 posts
Posted on 9/9/22 at 3:16 pm to Chicken
This is such hilariously awkward timing with UGA defending a national championship after 5 years of being clearly on the cusp of one.
Posted on 9/9/22 at 3:21 pm to JackTraven
Especially from a program that hasn't even played in a major bowl game since the 90s.
Posted on 9/9/22 at 3:26 pm to multicampus
While recruiting stats really don't go back before 2002 or so... let me give you an idea of how it's changed since then.
In 2023, GA has 36 players ranked 4-stars or higher for Rivals.
In 2003, GA had 16.
That increasing trend in talent from 2003 to 2023 started way before 2003 and started from a much lower place. I'm sorry if you don't remember it, but it's what actually happened.
HS national titles are not based on talent. It's a silly thing to bring up.
In 2023, GA has 36 players ranked 4-stars or higher for Rivals.
In 2003, GA had 16.
That increasing trend in talent from 2003 to 2023 started way before 2003 and started from a much lower place. I'm sorry if you don't remember it, but it's what actually happened.
HS national titles are not based on talent. It's a silly thing to bring up.
Posted on 9/9/22 at 3:30 pm to DawginSC
Yeah GA has more blue chippers now than CA. Only FL and TX have more.
Posted on 9/9/22 at 3:33 pm to multicampus
Cool, how many of the players on those teams went on to be college all Americans or play in the pros?
Posted on 9/9/22 at 3:36 pm to DawginSC
The real reason UGA was only a borderline top 10 program for the last 20/30 years is because we were neighbored by the likes of Alabama , Auburn, USC under Spurrier, FSU , Tennessee, and to a lesser extent the Gators and Miami. When you have that many schools that are so close to your border with Free Shoes FSU literally being closer to all the South Georgia kids than UGA then you really can’t close the border and expect to get all kids to come to UGA and that’s ignoring the D1 school right down the street at GT. Auburn is also closer to a lot of West Georgia kids than Athens. Location is one of the biggest selectors when kids choose a college because they want family to watch them play. That being said, Smart has done a good job of landing talent at home and reaching out of state when necessary in a very Bama like approach and the school has became a Top5 program for now. We know success can go in cycles but he’s done the work.
Page 3 of 4
Popular
Back to top
Follow SECRant for SEC Football News