SEC East college football offseason preview

In the 2008 SEC Championship game, Florida scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns — one on a short Jeff Demps run, the other on a pass from Tim Tebow to Riley Cooper — to ice a 31-20 win over Nick Saban’s upstart Alabama and clinch a spot in the BCS Championship game. It was the second league title in three years for Urban Meyer’s Gators and the 11th in 16 years for a team from the SEC East.

At the time, we didn’t realize just how much of an “old guard vs. new guard” moment we were witnessing. Florida is 0-4 in the conference title game since — with all four losses coming to the Tide — and the East has secured only a single title in the last 12 years: Georgia’s 2017 romp over Auburn.

Granted, the days of SEC divisions could be numbered. With its announced move to 16 teams, the league will likely have to think hard about moving both from eight to nine conference games and to more of a pod-based structure to assure that everyone in this increasingly enormous conference plays each other semi-regularly.

If these are the final years for the SEC East and West, however, they’ll in one way go out living up, or down, to their respective reputations. In February’s SP+ projections, the five lowest-projected teams in the league were all from the East, the division that has lost 11 of the last 12 conference championship games.

The division champion probably won’t be overmatched, however. Reigning champ Florida might struggle to match last year’s level, but Georgia, which won in 2017, nearly repeated in 2018 and finally seemed to have its revamped offense in place late last season, might be ready for another stiff challenge. The East might have a chance to score another ring or two before it maybe goes the way of the dodo bird.

Let’s preview the East!

Every week through the summer, Bill Connelly will preview another division from the Group of 5 and Power 5 exclusively for ESPN+, ultimately including all 130 FBS teams. The previews will include 2020 breakdowns, 2021 previews and a brief history of each team in one handy chart. The series has thus far covered the Conference USA East and West, the MAC East and West, the MWC Mountain and West, the Sun Belt West and East, the top and bottom half of the AAC, the seven Independents, the ACC Atlantic and Coastal, the Pac-12 North and South, the top and bottom half of the Big 12 and the Big Ten West and East.

Jump to a team: Vanderbilt | South Carolina | Missouri | Tennessee | Kentucky | Florida | Georgia

Derek Mason lost 16 of his last 17 SEC games in charge of the Commodores. Now it’s Clark Lea’s turn to see if he can unearth a top-secret winning formula.

2021 Projections

Projected SP+ rank: 108th

Average projected wins: 3.1 (1.0 in the SEC)

• Likely wins*: ETSU (81%), UConn (76%)

• Relative toss-ups: none

• Likely losses: at Colorado State (32%), at South Carolina (29%), Stanford (25%), Missouri (20%), Kentucky (19%), Mississippi State (15%), at Tennessee (11%), at Ole Miss (4%), Georgia (2%), at Florida (2%)

* Likely wins are games in which SP+ projects the scoring margin to be greater than seven points, or above about 65% win probability. Likely losses are the opposite, and relative toss-ups are all the games in between.

After fielding their worst team since 1990, Vandy lacks in the “obvious matchups advantages” category. Games against ETSU and UConn should prevent a winless debut for Lea, however.

What we learned about Vanderbilt in 2020

The boulder always rolls back downhill. It’s one of my go-to analogies: coaching in hard jobs is like pushing the proverbial big rock up the hill. Even when you do it well, a single stumble can be disastrous. Derek Mason never achieved the heights James Franklin had at Vandy, but he did win 17 games from 2016-18 and produced an SP+ top-40 finish in 2018. But after losing quarterback Kyle Shurmur and offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig, the Commodore offense collapsed, and a rickety defense couldn’t make up the difference. They went 3-9 in 2019, 0-9 in 2020.

Lea inherits a roster that isn’t entirely devoid of talent: receivers Cam Johnson and Amir Abdur-Rahman and nickel Jaylen Mahoney are keepers, and the return of a few 2020 opt-outs — among them, guard Cole Clemens and havoc-friendly linebacker Elijah McAllister — could help depth immensely. But he’s starting out with less than any of his SEC neighbors.

What we didn’t learn about Vanderbilt in 2020

Will creativity pay off? To Lea’s credit, he’s thinking outside the box. He created a General Manager position on his staff and hired 247Sports recruiting analyst Barton Simmons to fill it. He hired a Kliff Kingsbury assistant (former Arizona Cardinals receivers coach David Raih) as offensive coordinator and, in Jesse Minter, a defensive coordinator who has both hard-college-job experience (he was Georgia State’s DC from 2013-16) and innovative NFL experience with the Baltimore Ravens.

Lea referenced a “10-year plan” to the media this offseason, which speaks to both his ambition and his patience. The former will be important over time; the latter will be the most important thing during what is likely a tough 2021 season.

Vanderbilt’s history in one chart

1. Vandy’s only AP top-20 finish came in 1948, when Red Sanders led the Commodores to an 8-2-1 record and No. 12 finish. Sanders left for UCLA, kick-starting a decline.

2. There have been plenty of low points, but the period from 1976-90 was particularly dire: nine seasons with 1-2 wins, only one with more than four.

3. Jay Cutler from 2002-05: 8,697 passing yards, 59 TDs … 36 INTs and 11 wins. At Vandy, that was enough to draw attention and earn a No. 11 draft pick.

4. Vandy under Franklin in 2012-13: 18-8, two ranked finishes (23rd and 24th), two of the program’s four all-time bowl wins. He left for Penn State, kick-starting a decline.

5. Mason looked like he was building something as recently as 2018, but the boulder’s all the way at the bottom of the hill again.

South Carolina has averaged about 5.4 wins per year since Steve Spurrier’s peak and lost its last six 2020 games by an average of 25 points. It’s a good time for a hard restart.

2021 Projections

Projected SP+ rank: 90th

Average projected wins: 3.7 (1.8 in SEC)

• Likely wins: Eastern Illinois (96%), Vanderbilt (72%)

• Relative toss-ups: at ECU (45%), Troy (39%)

• Likely losses: Kentucky (33%), at Missouri (23%), at Tennessee (21%), Auburn (16%), Florida (8%), at Texas A&M (5%), Clemson (4%), at Georgia (3%)

Playing six teams projected outside the top 50 should assure that Shane Beamer’s first Gamecocks squad tops last year’s two wins. There won’t be that many more, though.

What we learned about South Carolina in 2020

Ceilings vs. floors. Between 2008-18, under first Spurrier and then Will Muschamp, the Gamecocks bowled 10 times, ranked in the SP+ top 30 seven times and won double-digit games three times. Their ceiling might not have been quite as high as Georgia’s, Florida’s or in-state rival Clemson’s, but it was high.

Their ceiling, however, is a lot lower. They collapsed to 84th with their worst win percentage in 21 years. Per SP+, they ranked 74th on defense, 80th on special teams and 89th on offense. Upside: suddenly minimal.

Beamer inherits former blue-chippers like quarterback Luke Doty, DT Zacch Pickens and edge rusher Jordan Burch, plus some proven entities in RB Kevin Harris, guard Jovaughn Gwyn and edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare. But his importing of transfers — nine from the portal (including Georgia State edge rusher Jordan Strachan and Kansas cornerback Karon Prunty) and three from JUCOs — hints at the roster reconstruction effort at hand.

What we didn’t learn about South Carolina in 2020

Will Doty look the part? A former top-100 recruit from Myrtle Beach, Doty got first-string time late in 2020 and briefly found a nice rhythm in garbage time against Georgia. New offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield is a longtime former Matt Rhule assistant and should have some success with Harris (1,297 rushing and receiving yards in 2020) and a veteran line. But when the Gamecocks have to pass, it’s a bit of a mystery what happens next.

Assuming he beats St. Francis transfer Jason Brown to start, Doty will have an efficient TE in Nick Muse, plus Georgia Tech utility man Ahmarean Brown and veterans Jalen Brooks and OrTre Smith at his disposal. We’ll see if that’s enough.

South Carolina’s history in one chart

1. An ACC member since 1953, the Gamecocks won their first league title in 1969 … and left the league to go independent in 1970.

2. After rushing for 1,681 yards in 1979, George Rogers topped himself in 1980, going for 1,781 and 14 TDs and topping Herschel Walker and Hugh Green for the Heisman.

3. The 1984 season: almost the best in SC history. The ‘Cocks started 9-0 and rose to No. 2 in the AP poll before a shocking loss to Navy. They finished 10-2 and 11th.

4. The Gamecocks struggled after joining the SEC in 1992, bottoming out with an 0-11 run in Lou Holtz’s first season. His next two years, though: 17 wins and two ranked finishes.

5. The 1984 season is no longer SC’s best because of what Spurrier engineered from 2011-13: three 11-2 seasons and three top-10 finishes.

Eliah Drinkwitz went 5-5 against a rugged schedule in 2020, and he’s recruiting his butt off. But can he avoid second-year stagnation?

2021 Projections

Projected SP+ rank: 58th

Average projected wins: 6.4 (3.4 in the SEC)

• Likely wins: SE Missouri State (93%), North Texas (85%), at Vanderbilt (81%), South Carolina (77%), CMU (71%)

• Relative toss-ups: Tennessee (53%), at Boston College (48%), at Kentucky (44%), at Arkansas (35%)

• Likely losses: Texas A&M (21%), Florida (21%), at Georgia (10%)

With five opponents projected 82nd or worse in SP+, Mizzou’s bowl odds are solid even without major second-year improvement.

What we learned about Missouri in 2020

Drinkwitz was born to be an SEC coach. He razzes fellow coaches at SEC Media Days. He’s comfortable in his own skin. He indeed recruits his butt off. Drinkwitz’s only previous SEC experience was as a quality control coach at Auburn, but you couldn’t tell it. And with wins over LSU and Arkansas, among others, he provided just enough proof of concept in 2020 to build a sense of momentum for a program that had gone just 14-26 in the SEC from 2015-19.

What we didn’t learn about Missouri in 2020

Whether he was born to be a successful SEC coach. The relative success of 2020 came with some asterisks. Mizzou went 3-0 in one-score games, and all five wins came against teams that finished 45th or worse in SP+. Against three top-10 teams, the Tigers were outscored by a combined 128-50, and they lost by a combined 42 at Tennessee and Mississippi State. They were much closer to 3-7 than 7-3, and their No. 68 final SP+ ranking was their worst since 2016.

A feeling of momentum can create buy-in and recruiting victories, but the Tigers will need genuine improvement to top .500 in 2021. They don’t grade out well from a returning production standpoint, but there’s a solid base of talent in players like quarterback Connor Bazelak, RB Tyler Badie, rush end Trajan Jeffcoat, safety Martez Manuel and a veteran offensive line. Plus, Drinkwitz added some exciting transfers in Rice linebacker Blaze Alldredge, Tulsa cornerbacks Akayleb Evans and Allie Green IV and Ohio State receiver (and recent St. Louis blue-chipper) Mookie Cooper. He brought in a mostly new set of defensive coaches, too, led by coordinator and former NFL head coach Steve Wilks.

Bazelak proved himself an accurate passer and solid decision-maker as a redshirt freshman, but he could use more help from his receiving corps. Veterans Keke Chism and Tauskie Dove had their moments, but explosiveness might have to come from youngsters like Cooper, Dominic Lovett and Jay Maclin.

Missouri’s history in one chart

1. Missouri reached No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time in 1960, but Kansas, using an ineligible player, beat the Tigers 24-7. The loss was overturned, but Mizzou finished fifth.

2. All-or-nothing: from 1972-78, the Tigers beat 11 top-10 opponents … and lost to unranked foes 18 times, never finishing better than 8-4.

3. After five bowls in six years, Mizzou fell apart almost overnight, suffering 13 straight losing seasons from 1984-96.

4. Led by Gary Pinkel and Heisman finalist Chase Daniel, Mizzou went 22-6 in 2007-08, spending a week at No. 1 in the BCS standings and winning two Big 12 North titles.

5. Pinkel’s Tigers moved to the SEC in 2012 and won back-to-back SEC East titles in 2013-14. Success has been a little more scattershot since then, however.

Let’s put it this way: If Tennessee hadn’t graded out near the bottom of my 2021 stability rankings, I’d have known the math wasn’t right.

2021 Projections

Projected SP+ rank: 49th

Average projected wins: 6.7 (3.4 in the SEC)

• Likely wins: Tennessee Tech (98%), BGSU (96%), South Alabama (91%), Vanderbilt (89%), South Carolina (79%)

• Relative toss-ups: Pitt (51%), at Missouri (48%), at Kentucky (47%), Ole Miss (36%)

• Likely losses: Georgia (19%), at Florida (16%), at Alabama (6%)

Being unstable isn’t the same as being bad — the Vols could make Josh Heupel’s first season a successful one by playing well as a favorite and winning a tossup game or two.

What we learned about Tennessee in 2020

Drama is never far away. It feels like decades ago, but as late as early-October 2020, it seemed Jeremy Pruitt was getting somewhere at UT. His Vols were 2-0 and on an eight-game winning streak when they visited Georgia and took a halftime lead on the Dawgs.

Things fell apart in a millisecond. They were outscored 27-0 in the second half by Georgia, and excluding a win over hapless Vandy, they lost their last six games by an average of 34-14. Following revelations of incredibly sloppy recruiting violations, UT fired Pruitt and brought in a duo from UCF: AD Danny White, then Heupel.

Over the last year, nearly 40 Vols have entered the transfer portal, and Heupel brought in quite a few transfers, too. Change is everywhere.

What we didn’t learn about Tennessee in 2020

Does Heupel have what his offense needs? Heupel is one of the few remaining coaches capable of using constant tempo to his advantage, and he’s got four candidates for piloting his attack: transfers Joe Milton III (Michigan) and Hendon Hooker (Virginia Tech) and sophomores Harrison Bailey and Brian Maurer. Hooker is an explosive dual-threat, and Milton’s got a huge arm, but the QB of choice will also have to deal with massive turnover in the skill corps and only two of last year’s top six linemen returning.

Can transfers keep the defensive standards high? Pruitt’s last two teams ranked 19th and 34th, respectively, in defensive SP+, but last year’s top four linebackers, plus end Darel Middleton and corner Bryce Thompson, are all gone, and six transfers, including Auburn end Big Kat Bryant and Texas linebacker Juwan Mitchell, are in. Most of last year’s secondary returns, but UT ranked 125th in passing success rate allowed, so we’ll see if that’s a good thing. Defensive coordinator Tim Banks, imported from Penn State, has his work cut out for him.

Tennessee’s history in one chart

1. After a storied pre-war career, General Bob Neyland returned from WWII to lead the Vols to four more top-10 finishes and a 1951 national title before retiring in 1952.

2. The post-Neyland decades had highs and lows, but the hire of Johnny Majors in 1977 eventually led to a run of three top-8 finishes in five years.

3. In 1994, Majors’ successor Phil Fulmer landed QB Peyton Manning, who would lead the Vols to a 32-5 record (0-3 vs. Florida, 32-2 vs. all others) from 1995-97.

4. Strangely, UT’s modern breakthrough came after Manning left. The Vols finally beat Florida, then beat everyone else, too, on the way to the 1998 national title.

5. In 2001, Fulmer’s Vols earned their sixth AP top-10 finish in seven years. Twenty years and five coaching changes later, they haven’t finished that high since.

Mark Stoops has built Kentucky to the point where last year’s losing record was noteworthy. A burly, physical and experienced squad should assure it doesn’t become a trend.

2021 Projections

Projected SP+ rank: 57th

Average projected wins: 6.9 (3.6 in the SEC)

• Likely wins: NMSU (99%), Chattanooga (96%), ULM (95%), at Vanderbilt (81%), at South Carolina (67%)

• Relative toss-ups: Missouri (56%), Tennessee (53%), at Louisville (38%), at Mississippi State (37%)

• Likely losses: LSU (34%), Florida (21%), at Georgia (10%)

The Wildcats play five teams projected 90th or worse — three from a particularly soft non-conference slate — which will also help get them back on the right side of .500.

What we learned about Kentucky in 2020

Stoops still hasn’t quite figured out the right offensive identity. The best Kentucky teams always seem to have the biggest offensive line on your schedule and a big, angry and effective running back (junior Chris Rodriguez Jr. is 5’11, 224). This is clearly part of what Stoops want to bring to the table.

Passing’s long been an issue, though. It was to be excused when injuries led to wideout Lynn Bowden Jr. becoming a full-time Wildcat QB in 2019, but in Stoops’ eight seasons, UK has produced a passer rating over 130 or a Total QBR over 60 only once each.

After slipping to 80th in offensive SP+, Stoops replaced veteran offensive coordinator Eddie Gran with Liam Coen, a former Maine offensive coordinator who spent the last three seasons with the L.A. Rams. The task is obvious: maintain physicality (especially with the occasionally outrageous Rodriguez) while moving toward pass competence.

Quarterbacks Joey Gatewood and Penn State transfer Will Levis are both great run threats, but neither is a proven passer. They could have decent efficiency options in slot men Wan’Dale Robinson (Nebraska transfer) and Josh Ali and TE Keaton Upshaw, but it might take Coen a while to make serious progress.

What we didn’t learn about Kentucky in 2020

Will the spirit of Josh Allen return? When Allen exploded for 21.5 TFLs in 2018, UK followed his lead and leaped to 15th in defensive SP+. Replacing Allen was virtually impossible, but the Wildcats had a severe disruption issue last year. They ranked 110th in sack rate and 116th in havoc rate (combined TFLs, passes defensed and forced fumbles per play), and despite strong big-play prevention, opponents were allowed to move efficiently.

Seven of the 16 players with 200+ snaps are gone, including UK’s two best pass rushers and top two corners. Safeties Yusuf Corker and Tyrell Ajian are impeccable, and nose guards Marquan McCall (6’3, 379) and Justin Rogers (6’3, 336) are utterly mountainous. But UK really needs some play-makers in between, and it’s not clear they have them.

Kentucky’s history in one chart

1. UK stole Bear Bryant from Maryland in 1946 and soon reaped the benefits: they went 11-1 and won the Sugar Bowl in 1950 and finished ranked five straight years.

2. UK’s only top-10 finish since Bryant left came in 1977, when Fran Curci’s Cats went 10-1 and finished sixth … and didn’t bowl because they were banned.

3. At a low ebb, UK hired Valdosta State coach and Air Raid inventor Hal Mumme in 1997. He engineered two winning seasons but resigned under NCAA investigation.

4. Their only two weeks in the top 10 since 1977 came in 2007, when they beat top-10 Louisville and LSU teams, started 6-1 … and finished 2-4.

5. Bowden’s 2019 season was genuinely unique. He moved to QB midseason, finished as UK’s leading passer, rusher and receiver and led them to an 8-5 record.

After finishing higher than 14th in the AP poll just once in eight years, Florida has done so three times in a row under Dan Mullen. Can he raise the bar even higher?

2021 Projections

Projected SP+ rank: 12th

Average projected wins: 5.5 (5.7 in the SEC)

• Likely wins: Samford (99%), Vanderbilt (98%), FAU (97%), at USF (95%), at South Carolina (92%), Florida State (87%), Tennessee (85%), at Missouri (79%), at Kentucky (79%)

• Relative toss-ups: at LSU (59%), vs. Georgia (43%)

• Likely losses: Alabama (34%)

SP+ sees Florida a couple of steps behind Georgia but yards ahead of the rest of the East field. An easy non-conference slate should assure another run at double-digit wins.

What we learned about Florida in 2020

A fully realized Mullen offense is a sight to behold. Mullen is one of college football’s most accomplished offensive coaches, but his 2020 Gator attack was the best of his head coaching career.

The run game wasn’t great, and quarterback Kyle Trask certainly didn’t contribute with his legs, but the Gators had permanent matchup advantages in the passing game. Kyle Pitts, Kadarius Toney and Trevon Grimes combined for 2,343 receiving yards and 31 TDs despite none of the three playing in all 12 games. The Gators’ firepower made them the only team capable of staying within 14 points of Alabama.

Trask and the pass-catching trio are gone; there are fun players in their place — junior Jacob Copeland, sophomore slots Xzavier Henderson and Ja’Quavion Fraziars, TE Kemore Gamble, etc. — and the ground game will likely improve, both because of experience at RB and OL and because new starting QB Emory Jones is an outstanding runner. Still, offensive regression is almost guaranteed, and the defense will have to pick up slack to repeat in the SEC East.

What we didn’t learn about Florida in 2020

Does Todd Grantham have the answers? The veteran defensive coordinator keeps his approach simple: leverage you behind schedule, then destroy your quarterback. His tendencies are predictable, but when he’s got the pieces it doesn’t matter — UF ranked 17th in defensive SP+ in 2018 and seventh in 2019.

In 2020, the Gators fell to 33rd. They allowed a decent 21 points per game against teams ranked 50th or worse in SP+ and 41 against teams better than that. They still rushed the passer well (22nd in sack rate), but good opponents were never off-schedule.

Mullen attempted to address run issues by bringing in beefy tackle transfers DaQuan Newkirk (Auburn) and Antonio Shelton (Penn State); a linebacking corps led by Brenton Cox Jr. and Ventrell Miller could be great with help up front, but the secondary replaces four of last year’s top six. Corners Kaiir Elam and Jaydon Hill are keepers, but the safeties are as unproven as the tackles.

Florida’s history in one chart

1. Steve Spurrier in 1965-66: 3,905 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, two long stays in the AP top 10 and one Heisman Trophy.

2. From 1983-85 under Charley Pell and Galen Hall, Florida enjoyed 27 wins, its first three AP top-6 finishes … and got waylaid by the NCAA for 59 major infractions.

3. Who pulled the Gators out of a sanctions funk? Spurrier. From 1990-2001, UF won its first six SEC titles, its first national title and 10 top-10 finishes.

4. Spurrier left for the NFL, and Florida slipped until hiring Urban Meyer. The Gators from 2006-09: 48 wins, two national titles, a third top-3 finish and one Tim Tebow.

5. Meyer burned out and briefly retired, prompting another slide. But with Mullen, Meyer’s former OC, in charge, the Gators appear back on an upswing.

Last year I declared Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs the most interesting team heading into the season and named their starting QB of choice as the most important player in college football.

This year, it felt like basically every spring column I wrote concluded with “and that makes Georgia the most interesting team heading into the season,” and — SPOILER — quarterback JT Daniels is going to rank really high among this year’s most important players. Fool me once…?

2021 Projections

Projected SP+ rank: Sixth

Average projected wins: 9.8 (6.6 in the SEC)

• Likely wins: Charleston Southern (99.9% win probability), at Vanderbilt (98%), South Carolina (97%), UAB (94%), Missouri (90%), Kentucky (90%), Arkansas (85%), at Tennessee (82%), at Georgia Tech (81%), at Auburn (67%)

• Relative toss-ups: vs. Florida (57%), vs. Clemson (40%)

• Likely losses: None

Of the six projected top-50 teams on the Dawgs’ schedule, only one comes to Athens. That’s an issue, but they’ll likely be favored in every non-Clemson game all the same.

What we learned about Georgia in 2020

Defense will only get you most of the way there. The 2020 season was defined by a single Nick Saban quote: “It used to be if you had a good defense, other people weren’t going to score. You were always going to be in the game. I’m telling you. It ain’t that way anymore.”

The Dawgs were his case in point. They ranked first in defensive SP+, and in their eight wins, they beat opponents an average score of 34-14. But in their two losses, against elite Alabama and Florida offenses, they allowed 891 passing yards and 85 points. They could only score 52 points in return. You’ve got to have loads of raw offensive firepower.

Smart decided Daniels was finally ready for the lineup in late-November — the blue-chip USC transfer was dealing with a lengthy knee rehabilitation — and was rewarded. Georgia went from averaging 29 points per game to 38, and Daniels’ Total QBR of 89.1 would have ranked fourth for the entire season.

On one hand, Daniels’ torched three sketchy defenses but made mistakes against an awesome Cincinnati defense; he lost go-to receiver George Pickens to a spring knee injury, too, and it’s uncertain when or whether the junior will play this season.

On the other hand, (a) Daniels’ excellent Total QBR was opponent-adjusted, and (b) he will still have Kearis Jackson, Jermaine Burton and Dominick Blaylock (injured in 2020) at his disposal, plus two sophomore TEs (Darnell Washington and LSU transfer Arik Gilbert) with otherworldly potential. Add in one of the best RB rooms in the country (led by Zamir White), and you’ve got a ridiculously high ceiling. Now they’ve just got to show it for more than four games.

What we didn’t learn about Georgia in 2020

Will the secondary need time to gel? Georgia has to replace three awesome linebackers, but with players like seniors Adam Anderson and Channing Tindall (and perhaps youngsters like Xavian Sorey Jr. and Smael Mondon Jr.), it’s all but guaranteed that the front seven will still be elite. The secondary, however, might have a bit more to prove. Of the eight players with 100+ snaps in 2020, six are gone, and Smart could be relying heavily on transfers like WVU’s Tykee Smith and Clemson’s Derion Kendrick.

Granted, Smith and Kendrick are both pretty awesome, so this might not be an issue. But with Clemson looming in Week 1, any glitches in the back could be immediately punished.

Georgia’s history in one chart

1. Army and Notre Dame were stealing all the headlines in 1946, but Wallace Butts’ Dawgs went 11-0, won the Sugar Bowl and finished third in the AP poll, too.

2. UGA had won just 16 games in four years when it hired Auburn assistant Vince Dooley as head coach in 1964. He had the Dawgs in the top five by 1966.

3. Dooley’s success was up-and-down … until he signed Herschel Walker. From 1980-82, Walker rushed for 5,259 yards, and UGA won 33 games and the 1980 national title.

4. UGA hadn’t won an SEC title since Walker when Mark Richt was hired in 2001. He won two (in 2002 and 2005) and generated seven top-10 finishes in his 15-year tenure.

5. Richt after five seasons: 52-13 with four top-10 finishes. Smart after five: 52-14 with four top-10 finishes. (Richt went 9-4 and finished 23rd in year six, for what it’s worth.)