🏈 EXIT EXAMS: Grading the SEC East

[CRIMSONTUSKS.COM BLOG]

Continuing with the ongoing series covering the 2008 season in the SEC, the RollTideBama.com Writing Staff put together a look back at the SEC Western Division.

Depending on which prognostication you read, the predicted order of finish in the West fell along these lines:

1) Georgia
2) Florida
3) Tennessee
4) South Carolina
5) Kentucky
6) Vanderbilt

Some felt that Florida would win the East and Georgia would end up finishing second. Some also felt Vanderbilt would end up last in the conference and Tennessee had a good chance to compete for the East title after representing their division in Atlanta for the 2007 season.

Very few considered the possibility that the East would finish with:

1) Florida
2) Georgia
3) Vanderbilt
4) South Carolina
5) Tennessee
6) Kentucky

Now that the season is over, here are the final grades.

Exit Exams: Grading the SEC East

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Others in the Exit Exams Series:

Exit Exams- Grading the SEC West

Exit Exams- Recruiting: Grading the All-American Games

In Exit Exams: A Final Review of the Tide Senior Class

Coming Next:

Exit Exams: Grading the Alabama Crimson Tide

 

[CRIMSONTUSKS.COM BLOG]

Bump.

 

[Argo]

The Bulldogs shouldn't have lost a game this year. Although I agree with their C- grade, they should be more disappointed than any team in the SEC, aside from Auburn.

 

[Guest]

I know I had Georgia going undefeated and playing for a National Title myself. I think their strength of schedule really threw them off, but two of the three games they lost were very winnable.

I feel like if the halftime score in Jacksonville was 14-9, like it should have been, Georgia probably would have won.

I also think that the Bulldogs should have handled GT.

 

[Argo]

I know I had Georgia going undefeated and playing for a National Title myself. I think their strength of schedule really threw them off, but two of the three games they lost were very winnable.

I feel like if the halftime score in Jacksonville was 14-9, like it should have been, Georgia probably would have won.

I also think that the Bulldogs should have handled GT.

I can't help but feel the new Richt approach of "let the boys be boys" came back to bite them hard this year. That UGA team was probably one of the most undisciplined teams I've seen play. At least one that was expected to win the whole thing. It also appeared to me that despite having studs all over the field, they didn't have a leader.

They did have a few masters of the "solja boy" though.

 

[Guest]

I know I had Georgia going undefeated and playing for a National Title myself. I think their strength of schedule really threw them off, but two of the three games they lost were very winnable.

I feel like if the halftime score in Jacksonville was 14-9, like it should have been, Georgia probably would have won.

I also think that the Bulldogs should have handled GT.

I can't help but feel the new Richt approach of "let the boys be boys" came back to bite them hard this year. That UGA team was probably one of the most undisciplined teams I've seen play. At least one that was expected to win the whole thing. It also appeared to me that despite having studs all over the field, they didn't have a leader.

They did have a few masters of the "solja boy" though.

Their discipline issues are one thing I forgot in my previous post. This is a team that led the SEC in penalties, and was fourth in the NCAA in penalties per game.

Put that together with the fact that Knowshon Moreno didn't see much of a production increase, and you have a season where you lose games that were winnable.

Imagine this: Moreno became Georgia's starting RB in Game seven of 2007, and has been the full-time starter this season. One would presume a statistical increase, but Moreno only ran for 2 more yards and 2 more touchdowns than he did in 2007. That statistic is amazing.

I feel there is one thing that contributed to this, and that's the fact that teams didn't have legit game film on him in 2007, so they didn't know his tendencies. Once they picked up on things in 2008, they were able to slow him down.