Mark Richt is 6-15 vs. ranked teams since 2008. Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE
Saturday’s 35-7 loss at #6 South Carolina continued a recent trend for the Georgia Bulldogs under head coach Mark Richt. Since 2008, the Bulldogs are 6-15 against teams that were ranked at the time of the game.
This is a stark contrast to what Richt and UGA accomplished from 2001 through 2007. Georgia went 24-13 vs. ranked teams during that time period and went undefeated (5-0) in both 2002 and 2007. After the 2007 season, the Dawgs have become less and less competitive in big games, and the numbers are alarming.
Georgia went 3-3 in 2008, but was embarrassed at home by lower-ranked Alabama, falling behind 31-0 at half. Then in Jacksonville, Florida dominated Georgia 35-0 in the 2nd half and won by 39. The Dawgs also lost to rival Georgia Tech that year.
In 2009, UGA lost three straight against Top 10 ranked teams before narrowly defeating the Yellow Jackets. Georgia went 0-4 in 2010, falling to South Carolina, Arkansas, Auburn, and UCF. The 10-6 loss to the Knights in the Liberty Bowl is one that most UGA fans haven’t forgotten.
Last season saw Richt and the Dawgs drop two of their biggest games to open the season, vs. Boise State in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game and home vs. South Carolina. Georgia was crushed by LSU in the SEC Championship Game and then blew a fourth quarter lead against Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl.
Richt’s 6-15 record since 2008 gets worse when you factor in the opponent’s ranking at the end of the season. LSU and Vanderbilt finished the season unranked in 2008, as did Auburn and Georgia Tech in 2011. All four of those games were wins for Georgia.
And then in 2010, Mississippi State finished the season ranked at no. 15. They beat Georgia 24-12 earlier in the season as an unranked team.
So taking all of that into account, Richt is 2-16 against teams that finish the season ranked since 2008.
Now before you say that this isn’t fair and his entire record since 2001 should be the focus, we are talking about a trend here. Richt trended upward from 2001-2007 going 24-13, but has been on the decline ever since.
It’s possible that Richt can reverse this trend, but it doesn’t look to happen any time soon. Georgia’s only remaining game this season against a current Top 25 team is Florida. That is, unless the Dawgs get help somehow and find themselves in the SEC Championship Game. Does anyone feel confident we could hang with Alabama or LSU after Saturday’s poor showing?
The 2013 season will be even tougher for Richt and the Dawgs. Georgia opens the season at Clemson, and a more difficult SEC schedule likely awaits (add Alabama or LSU).
Listed below are UGA’s results against ranked teams since 2008. Note that these are AP Poll rankings with the exception of UCF in 2010, which was only ranked by the Coaches Poll prior to the game.
2008 (3-3)
- #8 Alabama 41, #3 Georgia 30
- #10 Georgia 24, #22 Vanderbilt 14
- #9 Georgia 52, #11 LSU 38
- #5 Florida 49, #8 Georgia 10
- #18 Ga. Tech 45, #13 Georgia 42
- #15 Georgia 24, #18 Michigan State 12
2009 (1-3)
- #9 Oklahoma State 24, #13 Georgia 10
- #4 LSU 20, #18 Georgia 13
- #1 Florida 41, Georgia 17
- Georgia 30, #7 Ga. Tech 24
2010 (0-4)
- #24 South Carolina 17, #22 Georgia 6
- #12 Arkansas 31, Georgia 24
- #2 Auburn 49, Georgia 31
- #25 UCF 10, Georgia 6
2011 (2-4)
- #5 Boise State 35, #19 Georgia 21
- #12 South Carolina 45, Georgia 42
- #14 Georgia 45, #24 Auburn 7
- #13 Georgia 31, #25 Ga. Tech 17
- #1 LSU 42, #12 Georgia 10
- #12 Michigan State 33, Georgia 30 (OT)
2012 (0-1)
- #6 South Carolina 35, #5 Georgia 7
Totals (vs. ranked teams at time of game)
- Overall: 6-15
- OOC: 3-5
- vs. SEC: 3-10
- Regular season: 5-12
- Postseason: 1-2
- Past 10: 2-8
Totals (vs. teams that finish ranked)
- Overall: 2-16
- OOC: 2-5
- vs. SEC: 0-10
- Regular season: 1-14
- Postseason: 1-2
- Past 10: 0-10
View Comments (10)
I have been saying for years. Coach is a nice guy but that isn't winning titles(National Titles). Look at Alabama,Florida, LSU. Now we see it in black and white. Coach has a bad recored that is getting worse against good teams. But I guess UGA likes being middle of the road. Georgia needs a new coach. go dawgs?
i hate to admit it but i think kerry465 is right kirby smart would be nice
I'm a loyal dawg fan. I like mark richt but the numbers don't lie. We will never win a national championship with him as coach. His time in athens has been filled with losses in the big games. It's time to make a change.
Recruiting for the last 4 years 09-12 Georgia averaged just over the 7th best in the nation according to ESPN. South Carolina averages just over 17th. Georgia has a great guy and a great recruiter. South Carolina has a great coach.
Mark Richt as you state correctly has averaged the # 7 recruiting rankings and has LOST 16 of his current 18 games against teams who made the Top 25.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1365405-georgia-football-is-mark-richt-an-embodiment-of-the-peter-principle-in-cfb
# 1….. 26-24… Win…...Tennessee #4 in 2001
# 2….. 10-24… LOSS… Florida # 3 in 2001
# 3….. 13-34… LOSS… LSU # 2 in 2003
# 4….. 10-17… LOSS… LSU # 2 in 2003
# 5….. 06-24… LOSS… Auburn # 2 in 2004
# 6….. 34-14… Win….…LSU # 6 in 2005
# 7….. 35-38… LOSS… West Virginia # 5 in 2005
# 8….. 14-21… LOSS… Florida # 1 in 2006
# 9….. 37-15… Win….…Auburn # 9 in 2006 seven (7) seasons ago
# 10… 30-41… LOSS… Alabama # 6 in 2008
# 11… 10-49… LOSS… Florida # 1 in 2008
# 12… 17-41… LOSS… Florida # 3 in 2009
# 13… 31-49… LOSS… Auburn # 1 in 2010
# 14… 21-35… LOSS… Boise State # 8 in 2011
# 15… 42-45… LOSS… South Carolina # 9 in 2011
# 16… 10-42… LOSS… LSU # 2 in 2011
# 17… 07-35… LOSS… South Carolina # 6 in 2012 eight (8) in row
kerry465, sir, it is not you but I who have said it all these years. What, pray tell, is so hard to figure out that we've played 17 games in 12 seasons of Mark Richt era against teams who made the AP Poll Top 10 or any other Top 10, and won 3 of the 17 games ?
Should I list all the losses to UNRANKED TEAMS Mark Richt has all 12 years like Florida in 2002 who did not make either the Coaches' Poll nor the AP Poll Top 25 even, or Colorado, or Boston College, or Central Florida, or South Carolina 6-6 not in a bowl game in 2007, or the vols' wins over us when they sucked, or 7-5 Auburn in 2001, or 2-win Vandie in 2007 whose only 2 wins were over 0-12 Duke and 1-11 Temple, or all the Ron Zook teams who beat Mark Richt, or Michigan State in 2008 who did not beat a single team who made the Top 25 and does not get ranked without their win over us, or 2009 playing only Joe Cox with his chronic shoulder and flu against Okie State who did not even make the AP Poll Top 25 even with their win over Mark Richt as a result, or our # 52 NCAA Total Offense all 12 years now of Mark Richt era, or any of The SEC teams making
MARK RICHT # 8 OF SEC TEAMS with wins over teams making Top 10 in the Mark Richt era ?
No, what we have around here are DISNEYdawgs.com posters who prefer to CENSOR posts which have pointed this out the entire Mark Richt era, that we MIS-MANAGE our talent all 12 years, fail to win the games against the real top teams, act like we are great in Mark Richt best years when he BEAT NO ONE who made the Top 10 all 12 years in his best years except # 6 LSU in 2005 by DJ Shockley. Even then we ended up # 3 in EVERY POLL 2005 of just SEC teams worse than Alabama and worse than LSU.
Our 2 "SEC Championships" 2002 there was only 1 other SEC team who made the Coaches' Poll Top 25 a 4-Loss Auburn and 2005 when were # 3 SEC team in EVERY POLL.
For 12 years now, you have refused to listen to all these off-field issues of 150 players suspended, arrested, kicked-off, transferred-out leaving Mark Richt with only 66 scholarship recruits plus 1 transfer-in, a self-imposed NCAA PROBATION of 18 LOST SCHOLARSHIP RECRUITS. Mark Richt signed 107 scholarship recruits who could've played instead of all the walk-ons Saturday night. Our walk-on Fullback was DOMINATED by USCe. Our walk-on punt returner called fair catch while USCe scored a 70-yard punt return TD against Mark Richt's feel-good walk-ons. We play walk-ons in the porous secondary. And, this is just game # 6, having beat no team in the Top 25 of any poll - ranked # 17 and for WHAT ?
I love the posters who state that they don't understand why
_________________________________________________________________
"ALL OF A SUDDEN MARK RICHT CANNOT BEAT TEAMS WHO MADE THE TOP 10"
_________________________________________________________________
I was not going to comment on this, but I guess I will. How about a "Thomas Brown told us all for years."
You'll told me that USCe would score 14 points, that's all. I said, really ?
We have not beat 1 single team who made the Top 10 after # 9 Auburn in 2006. 2006 was 7 seasons' ago now.
We have not beat 1 single SEC team who put up a winning SEC Record starting with the Kentucky game way back in 2007. 2007 was 6 seasons' ago now.
_____________________________
How is that, all of a sudden?
_____________________________
2006 last year beat team who made AP Poll Top 10 over # 9 Auburn and in 2006 we lost 2006 to South Carolina who was considered good team when we played them in 2006 but did not go to a bowl game even in 2006 at 6-6 and we lost 2006 to Vandie whose only 2 wins 2006 were over 0-12 Duke 2006 and 1-11 Temple 2006. But, they BEAT US 2006. Oh, we were great 7 seasons' ago - in 2006.
It hurts so bad because it is true.
I have thought about some of these games over the years- the ones nobody remembers like West Virginia at the Georgia Dome, it was the Sugar Bowl after Katrina.
Or one that has always-- to this day baffled me, I always think of this game: when Richt punted against Boston College in the Music CIty Bowl- with no time outs and only, I think, 1:25 on the clock.
Also, Look at the scores, teams in the top 25 are blowing Georgia away, the games are not even close.
I still relive 2002 loss against Ron Zook & Florida. I mean really, 0-3 against Ron Zook.
Mark Richt should have been fired 5 years ago. 6-15 record vs the top 25 is awful and the stat should not be overlooked because he is a "nice guy". Being a "nice guy" simply should not enter the equation.
Yes.. He's the most overrated coach in Coll FB.. 100 coaches could do what he's doing. If you look at this modern trend, Deep Southern teams are all the best they've ever been. That's w/ on the exception of the MS schools in that their state has only 2.9 million.. NO one will ever be consistent at those schools.. His record against Ultimately Ranked opponents (legit opponents that finished ranked) is 7-20.. He went 1-3 in '08 after returning almost everyone from '07.
More stats.. In the past 3 recruiting classes SCar has singed 33 GA kids.. But the dirt is in the details.. 25 of them UGA did not want. And it was a consensus 25 kids, FL and Bama didn't either.. Translation, lower level kids. So they're traveling further distances to land kids you don't want, and beat you 3-4 yrs.. Last yr being a blowout. Recruiting rankings are misleading. Usually a 15th rated class in 10 times closer to the top class than it is 15 spots at 30 in the other direction.
Point 2.. His best yr was literally the worst yr in the SEC since they expanded to 12 teams and went to a title game. Only 3 teams finished ranked. The West opponent, Ark, didn't even finish ranked. 3 is the lowest number of ranked teams since '92.. And over any 4 yr stretch, the least amount of Ranked teams in the SEC - '02-'05, Richt's best yrs.. Contrast - the best 4 yr stretch.. '97-'00, Donnan's last 4 yrs where he won at a .729 Winning% in those 4 yrs.
And look at GT, which is a meaningless game now btw. They no longer compete for recruits. GT finished ranked all of Donnan's last 4 yrs, 97-00.. They're now a JV program. They've finished ranked 3 times in Richt's 13 yrs.
Last point.. Take a look at UGA's depth chart in '02. They lost to FL that yr. This was all Donnan's recruiting btw.. If you look at FL's roster compared to GA's, it's apples and oranges.. Literally, google some of the contributors on that FL team. That's IF you can find them. UT - same thing.. Bama that yr - same thing that yr.. UGA had several backups that would've easily started at either school.. It's literally the biggest differential of talent from the best team to the 2nd best team in SEC history.. UGA had 2 starting OTs that went on to start 80 plus games in NFL (Foster, Stinchcomb).. FL, Bama, UT, didn't even have one of those.. None of the teams had a Reggie Brown who would go on to be a #1 WR for several yrs in NFL.. They didn't even have a Musa Smith.. And on defense, the gap gets even larger.. Robert Geathers, Boss, Jonathan Sullivan (had no direction in life but that didn't stop the Saints from taking him #6 overall), Kedric Golston, Thomas Davis, Sean Jones, Tony Gilbert, Arnold Harrison (6 yrs in NFL), Pollack, Chris Clemons (one of the top sacks leaders in NFL over past 4 yrs).. The list goes on and on.. Bama, FL, and UT had nothing even close to that.. Again, nothing even in the universe of that.
He's overrated, and the situation he's in got A LOT better compared to Donnan's.. Donnan played FL & UT teams that won 80% of their games from 97-00.. Richt from '02-'05?... UT - .660%, FL .640% (3 yrs of Ron Zook).. Most overrated coach in Coll FB.