2008 Georgia Bulldogs
Written June 17, 2008 by Jason Lowry
The SEC is one of college footballs most talented conferences and one of the toughest to predict, but that won’t stop Jason Lowry from making his 2008 Georgia Bulldogs football predictions. The Bulldogs were an impressive 11-2 last season, and had they been able to beat Tennessee we might be talking about a team that is coming off a National Championship. The finished tied with Tennessee at 6-2 in the SEC East, but due to the loss against them Tennessee got the shot at LSU instead of Georgia in the SEC Title game. Head coach Mark Richt should be liking his chances to contend in 2008, as they return 17 starters from last years squad. Before we get to where we think they will finish the season, lets take a look at what the Bulldogs got coming back on both sides of the ball.
Offense:
The Bulldogs have 8 returning starters on this side of the ball, that put up 32.6 points a game last season. The offense will be led by junior quarterback Matthew Stafford who threw for 2,523 yards and 19 touchdowns a year ago. We think that his numbers are only going to get better the more games he plays, and he could easily be one of the best quarterbacks in the country. The team is really high on sophomore running back Knowshon Moreno who was the first running back to rush for more than 1,000 yards since 1992. Moreno is a special talent as he put up 1,334 yards and 14 touchdowns last year as a freshman. The team did lose their best receiver in Sean Bailey, but he can easily be replaced. Look for senior Moamed Massaquoi to be the go to guy, with junior Kris Durham stepping in at the other spot. Also they have a solid tight end in senior Trip Chandler who should improve off his numbers a year ago. The offensive line is going to be one of the youngest you will find on a really good football team, as they could wind up starting 4 sophomores and 1 junior. The best talent they got here for now is right guard Clint Boling, but this whole unit could be something special in a year or two.
Defense:
The defense could be one of the best you will find, as they return 9 starters to team that allowed 20 points a year ago. Look for that number and many other to drop this season, as they are loaded with talent all over the field. On the defensive line junior Geno Atkins will be a force at defensive tackle along with senior Jeff Owens. The team would like to see a little more pressure from the outside and they might be able to find it in senior Jeremy Lomax or junior Roderick Battle. At linebacker the team returns all 3 starters, and you can expect solid years out of senior middle linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and sophomore Rennie Curran. The secondary has plenty of talent as well as they return 3 starters, and look for junior cornerback Asher Allen to come back for a big year. Also they are expecting big things out of sophomore free safety Reshad Jones, who had 57 tackles and 2 interceptions as a redshirt freshman.
Prediction: 2nd SEC EAST
If Georgia was any other conference in the country we would have them winning it, but we just don’t see them coming out ahead of Florida this season. The Bulldogs have tough road games at LSU and Auburn, and thats not counting a game at Jacksonville against rival Florida. Georgia is still good enough for another BCS Bowl game, and if Florida screws up this is by the 2nd best team in all of the SEC.
Professional handicapper Jason Lowry will continue to make his NCAA football predictions, so be sure to keep checking back as he works his way through some of the best teams in the country. Also if you want to get a early jump on the upcoming season, be sure to check out Sportsbook.com and get an account up and going today.