2009 Georgia NCAA Football Predictions
The Bulldogs finished the 2008 season 10-3 and capped it off with a 24-12 win over Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl. Still, the general feeling following the season was disappointment for a team that was ranked no. 1 in the country on the preseason polls. With Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno now off to the NFL, how will the Dawgs fare this season? Find out where I have them finishing in the SEC East in this 2009 college football predictions article. Georgia is listed at +5,000 to win the 2009 BCS championship.
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Offense – The Georgia Bulldogs enter the season without their top two offensive players from a year ago. Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno will both be suiting up on Sunday’s in 2009 and that leaves big shoes to fill at both the quarterback and running back spots. Senior Joe Cox is expected to be the starting QB, but he better perform or Mark Richt could decide to pull the plug in favor of one of his highly regarded recruits coming in. Cox doesn’t have the arm to make some of the throws that Stafford made as a Bulldog, but he has the intelligence to run the offense. He will be asked to manage the game more than he will be called on to make plays. But when he is asked to make a play, it would be wise for him to look in the direction of wide receiver A.J. Green. Green enters his sophomore campaign as Georgia’s top playmaker, coming off a season in which he caught 56 passes for 963 yards and eight scores. It looks like it will be running back by committee following Moreno’s departure. Caleb King, who rushed for 247 yards and a touchdown on 61 carries figures to get the most totes. While the skill players are basically unproven, they will have every opportunity to shine behind an offensive line bringing everyone back, plus Trinton Sturdivant, who missed last season with a knee injury.
Defense – The Bulldogs should be solid defensively with six starters back from a team which ranked 22nd in the country in total defense (312.0 yards per game allowed). The defensive line will be critical to Georgia’s success and this unit gets a boost from the return of tackle Jeff Owens, who was injured in the first quarter of last year’s season opener and never returned. Owens is an all-league type talent and so is fellow interior lineman Geno Atkins. The linebacker unit will lean on Rennie Curran, who finished with 115 stops in 2008. The secondary caught a break with safety Reshad Jones choosing to wait on the NFL. He knows how to lay the wood and is also a playmaker in the back. He picked off five passes last season. Cornerback Prince Miller is back also.
Prediction: 2nd SEC East – We’ll find out what the Dawgs are made of right out of the gate when they take on the Big 12′s Oklahoma State Cowboys on the road. While OSU can score in bunches, its defense has allowed opponents to rack up yards. It will be interesting to see if Cox will be able to carve up the Cowboys. The Dawgs have enough talent to remain tough, but it’s hard to bring home a title in a league like the SEC without an experienced QB. Georgia is listed at +500 to win the SEC East Division at BetUS.
Jimmy Boyd’s expert football picks guarantee results this season!
