This week has almost felt like the week before the SEC Championship game.
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All of the football world keeps talking about UGA and Bama, and it is killing me. I have said it many times before, I am a graduate of the Larry Munson School of Pessimism and I just can`t see the Dawgs walking out of this game with a victory. Don`t get me wrong, I think we are the far better team, but in my life, I have read the story before.
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Dawgs have a lot of `swag`, have the better talent, and still
fail to win the big game. Make no mistake about this game; it
is very, very big. We are talking National Championship big.
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Think about it. If Bama loses they would have not only suffered
their second loss of the season, but both against SEC teams.
This will put the Tide three games behind Ole Miss. Plus they
still have to travel to A&M, play Tennessee, LSU, Mississippi
State and Auburn on the Plains. A loss for the Title and they
are playing for the Outback Bowl. How long has it been since
Nick Saban has been on the outside looking in this early in the
season? You know he will have his players ready. The biggest
question mark for me is the quarterback play. We have heard it
before, but what folks are leaving out is the fact that Jacob
Coker still hasn`t started on the road in an SEC stadium. I can
promise you, Sanford Stadium will be VERY loud Saturday
afternoon. This will be the difference. That and UGA has a second and third
back that can stay fresh and get Chubb some rest, whereas Derrick Henry is the lone
workhorse.
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If you are a Georgia fan you remember. You remember that tipped pass on the four yard line in 2012. You remember last year that squib kick against Tech. We remember having the best team in the county back in 2007 and getting stomped in Knoxville to a far less team. We remember 2002 when an undefeated UGA team lost to Florida after a wide open Terrance Edwards dropped the game winning pass in the middle of the field. Oh, how we remember.
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Mark RIcht, despite winning two SEC championships, has the title of a big game failure. Is it a fair statement? Maybe. This Saturday is a chance to make things right. This Saturday will be his chance to win the `big one`. Knocking Bama out and keeping the `train on the track` is huge for this program. A win on Saturday and Georgia is setting up for something special. The month of October is nothing but a nightmare gantlet. After Bama the Dawgs travel to Knoxville before hosting Mizzu and then the battle on the banks of the Saint Johns River.
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The realist says if you must lose one, this is the one to lose. You can still capture your goals by winning out. But for the Bulldog Nation, to steal a quote from the Nature Boy Rick Flair, `to be the man, you have to beat the man`. This Saturday the Dawgs are playing the man.
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Hunker Down!
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Follow me on Twitter @TheTonyPotts
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<b>Tony Potts</b>
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<ul>Last week I was a much improved 7 out of 10, now with a season record of 27 out of 40. Let`s hope that improves.
<li>South Carolina over Mizzu
<li>Oklahoma over West Virginia
<li>Baylor over Texas Tech
<li>Georgia Tech over North Carolina
<li>Ole Miss over Florida
<li>Tennessee over Arkansas
<li>Texas AM over Mississippi State
<li>Clemson over Notre Dame
<li>Stanford over Arizona
<li>Georgia over Alabama
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