WTF Happend in Columbia and Where to Go From Here

Let me preface this by saying I realize: the last time we lost to South Carolina we went to the Sugar Bowl and finished 2nd in the country; we are breaking in a new QB and defensive scheme; AJ green did not play; the SEC has gotten stronger; we cannot win every game; CMR has brought the Georgia program to an unprecedented level of success and prestige.

Having said that, here's what I know:

*Georgia is 10-11 in its last 21 games against the SEC East (if that doesn't scream mediocre I don't know what does)

*Georgia hasn't been to the SEC Championship since 2005 and I'll go out on a limb and say they are not getting back there this either. That will be 5 years. In that span, Florida has 2 National Championships, Alabama and LSU have 1. Realistically I think we should go once every 4 years at least. I don't think that's too much to ask.

Observations:

*Aaron Murray looked good he was just handcuffed by playcalling. I think he has a bright future.

*This is the most underachieving offensive line in Georgia history. There's about 10 guys with considerable experience and they've essentially been playing together the last 3 years. Things should've clicked by now. We shouldn't just see flashes of greatness. They got bullied by Carolina's front 7. It was embarrassing. WTF CSS?

*You can tell Florida and Alabama are bigger stronger and faster than Georgia just by doing the ole eyeball test.

*South Carolina's depth may suck and that's why they'll collapse at some point as usual but they've got playmakers all over the field. Georgia really doesn't. Or maybe they're not being put in position to make plays. Not sure.

*CTG seemed more toned down compared to last week. Rambo screws up in coverage and he jumps all over his ass last week. This week we miss 50 tackles and not really a peep. Did CMR have a talk with him about his sideline demeanor? Which brings me to another point, CSS. He used to considered the best o-line coach in the conference and mean SOB to boot. Now our o-line sucks. They look soft and I don't see the same intensity from him either. Has CMR worn this guy down or has he become comfortable with the Georgia "culture" or coaching?

*As bad as it seemed like we may have played yesterday we were still in the game and should've won. We lost 17-6 for Christ's sakes. We didn't get blown out and we should've been able to score 18 points on South Carolina regardless. The broken tackles are why Lattimore had so many yards and I think that's a result of a Willie hangover effect. CTG is trying to correct all that BS CWM taught them the last 4 years. It's gonna take time. Hell we had 5 sacks. Once again though Georgia settled for its moniker "Field Goal U." That Ealey fumble really hurt.

*CMR is in his 10th season and as great as he's been there's no doubt we are starting to see some negative trends. 10 years is a long time. Florida St. and Tennessee's programs suffered out of loyalty to head coaches with a successful track record who were clearly bottoming out. Everybody could see both teams withering away, being a mere shell of their former selves. Even the great CPC's juggernaut USC (the real USC for any South Carolina fans reading this and I believe I made that quite clear yesterday) program began to show some complacency in his latter years. It happens and it's understandable. Success breeds complacency which can lead to mediocrity. We have in no way come close to the level Tennessee and FSU have been on the last few years but with time who knows? Right now quite honestly I think Georgia is a little better than mediocre.

*Something tells me had Damon Evans not been fired another bad season would've resulted in CMR's departure but now McGarity has the unenviable task of assessing the direction of our football program and deciding what needs to be done.

*Now this obviously South Carolina has a leg up in the east but they still have to play Auburn and Alabama the next 2 weeks and they have to play Florida in the swamp at the end of the season so I still don't think they're going to win the East. In fact they will probably still end up with 4 losses somehow. Obviously this puts Georgia in the hole and they can really only afford one more SEC loss which sucks because every game looks tough from here on out.

*I watched some of the Arkansas-La-Monroe game and they didn't look great but I think it's because they've been looking ahead to Georgia since their bowl game last year. Thankfully their defense is nowhere near as good as South Carolina's so we should score but how many will we need to score is the question. If Georgia loses Saturday things get really interesting to say the least. Tennessee looked ok. They've got talent at some positions but no depth as well. I think if given the time Dooley will have that program turned around which is not good news for Georgia fans either.

This is not a post advocating the firing of CMR. I'm simply saying if this season heads the way it looks like it's heading, I think he should definitely be on the hot seat if he's not already. Maybe getting rid of Bobo's the answer. Maybe they just need new blood across the board to shake things up (excluding Grantham and Lakatos- I'm still a big fan of theirs). I don't know what this program needs but we consistently piss the bed in big games now and that's not good. In 2008 as the pre-season #1 team with the #1 NFL draft pick, one of the best runningbacks in Georgia history, and a future top draft pick in AJ Green, we lost arguably the 2 biggest games of season (Bama and Florida) by a combined score of 90-40. It wouldn't be as bad if it wasn't coupled with losses to teams we have ABSOLUTELY no reason losing to.

As a Georgia fan, don't just focus on yesterday, take the last few years into account. Are you satisfied? I can't say that I am. The rest of the league is getting better and I just can't help but think we have taken a step back in some regard. Maybe not a huge step back but one big enough to keep us in Chik-fil-a and outback bowls for awhile if something's not done. Are you ok with that level of success?