It has been fairly quiet in Bulldog Nation over the last few months. In the heart of Atlanta where Bulldogs reign, there has been a hesitation and even a level of cautiousness about the upcoming season, which is different.

In 2005, Georgia was the SEC East champs and then went to Atlanta and smoked LSU for the SEC Championship. In 2006, Georgia was 9-4 but the losses all came from the SEC East. Florida, Tennessee took it to the Bulldogs but the insults came when Kentucky and Vandy beat the Dawgs. Mark Richt has put a winning system into place in Athens and it's time for the Bulldogs to return to their seat at the SEC champs table.

The Best Indicator of the Future is to Look at the Past. Georgia has had a great run under Coach Mark Richt. In 2002, the Dogs won their first SEC title in 20 years and set a school record with 13 wins and finished the season at #3. In 2005, Georgia returned to be the SEC Champs. In 2006, things took a twist for the Bulldogs. We'll break it all down and then look to the upcoming season for the Georgia Bulldogs.

Ready to Play in 2006. After coming off a strong season in 2005, the Bulldogs from Athens were ready for a huge 2006 because they had three NFL type running backs, unstoppable defensive ends, great linebackers and speed and strength on the defensive side of the ball. On offense, the wide receivers had promise, the offensive line was big and a couple of stud quarterbacks were ready to step in if the Senior quarterback didn't make it happen.

The 2006 schedule was difficult because of the SEC opponents but Georgia seemed superior on paper to most of their Saturday opponents. Matt Stafford was only a Freshman but even with Stafford's inexperience, he showed signs of greatness, and it was a confidence builder to know he was on the sidelines ready to play. For all true football fans, when you have a great quarterback, there is hope.

The Good. The 2006 season had fewer bright spots than previous seasons. On the positive, the Bulldogs won their first five games. The Bulldogs beat Spurrier for a second time, humiliated Auburn in Auburn and for the sixth time in a row, beat Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs showed tremedous resilience in coming back in the Chick-fil-A Bowl game against Virginia Tech and won 31-24.

The Bad. The 2006 season had a number of question marks. The first flag went up when Georgia nearly lost to Colorado with the oddsmakers picking UGA to win by 27 points. If Colorado had managed the clock with any level of intelligence in the fourth quarter, Georgia would have been upset. Georgia alumni knew this game was a gift because Colorado blew their chance to win. Georgia proceeded to struggle to beat a weak Ole Miss and Miss State team, took a 2nd half beating from Tennessee in Athens and had to fight to get back in the game with Florida.

The big hurts for the season came when Vandy won in Athens and Kentucky took it to the Dogs in Lexington. Kentucky ended a 9 game losing streak and Vandy ended an 11 game losing streak to the Dogs. The losses were painful and most of the wins were difficult.The season didn't feel like the previous Mark Richt Georgia Bulldog teams.

The Ugly. So let's look at 2007. The reality in the SEC is that the consistent Top Three teams in the SEC East (Florida, Tennessee, Georgia) are probably one step below where they were last year because they sent a lot of great players to the NFL. The bottom three teams in the SEC East (South Carolina, Kentucky, Vandy) are one step above where they were last year because they are returning a lot of starters. So 2007 is going to have more parity in the SEC than ever before. The bad thing for Georgia is they don't really want parity because Georgia has been at or near the top since Mark Richt moved to Athens.

Let's Take a 30,000 Foot View. The oddsmakers like Georgia in the top 2 in the SEC East in the major polls. Anytime, the oddsmakers feel confident of a team, that is a good start. Georgia has a favorable schedule with S.Carolina, Ole Miss, Auburn and Kentucky at home. Richt has good records against all these teams and Munson will be doing the play by play for the home games. On the road, Georgia has to go to Alabama, Tennessee, Vandy and to Jacksonville to play the Gators. Georgia should compete with all these teams and could run the table for their road trips.

Always Listen to What the Head Coach Says. Mark Richt did not say a whole lot at the SEC Media Days that gave an indication of where he believed his team to be in 2007. With Richt, he doesn't like to show his hand. Georgia has recruited well for a long time; so they definitely have talent; it's just not proven talent yet. Richt knows he has talent but he needs playmakers. It seems like Richt is taking a low key approach and letting Phillip Fulmer and Steve Spurrier talk the SEC championship talk. Richt wants to stay under the radar and keep expectations in check. It kind of explains why the Bulldogs are approaching this season with guarded optimism.

This is going to be another nail biter season for the Bulldogs. This year will be good; next year should be great.

Jay Holgate is an analyst and sports writer for www.secsportsreport.com

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