I think that there's a better than average chance that the Bulldogs will fall in Fayetteville this weekend, dropping Mark Richt's road record when the opponent has more than a week to prepare to 4-5. 

If such an event does occur, I feel confident that many TV's in the Empire State of the South will be in grave danger of being defenestrated, and there will be widespread wailing and gnashing of teeth by Dawg fans that have become spoiled by our previous 8 years of incredible success. What follows is my attempt to strike pre-emptively against such panic and knee-jerk reactions.

If you're reading this, and Georgia has just won:  Go Dawgs!  Bring on Arizona State!  (You may ignore the rest of this post.)

If you're reading this, and Georgia has just lost: Please keep reading.

Ok, whatever derogatory comment you're about to make about Mark Richt and/or the coaching staff and/or how horribly embarrassing Georgia has now become... just stop.  Hold up for a minute, and consider the following facts:

• Mark Richt is still Georgia's winningest head coach (by winning percentage).  CMR is 83-24 in 107 games as Georgia's head coach, for a winning percentage of 77.5%.  The only other two coaches who have lasted this long before at Georgia are Wally Butts and Vince Dooley, and neither had won as many games or had winning percentages as high in their first 107 games as Georgia's head coach.  Neither coach ever asked to leave Georgia, either... both retired and lived in Athens for the rest of their lives (unless Dooley decides pull up and move to Ruston, Louisiana). So, just get used to the fact that Mark Richt is here to stay... and not only is that a good thing, that's a great thing.
  
• The past 8 years have been the most successful 8-year-span in the history of a Georgia football program that does not lack for a historical record of success. (I mean, we're not Florida, which is tied for the second-most zero-win seasons in its history of any current SEC team, and which had won 0 conference championships before 1991.)  People always argue that Georgia plays more games now than teams played in Butts' and Dooley's eras, which does drive Georgia's per-season win total up more.  The top 10 in the AP poll did exist, however, during the entirety of all 3 coaches' tenures.  During his 21 years at Georgia, Wally Butts' teams finished in the top ten 4 times. During his 25 years at Georgia, Vince Dooley's teams finished in the top ten 8 times.  Mark Richt has been at Georgia only eight years, but has already had teams finish in the AP top ten 5 times. 
• Georgia's early season schedule this year is one of the most brutal early stretches in recent memory, and certainly is the most difficult of the Mark Richt era.  All of our first four opponents either have had more than one week to prepare for Georgia or played only 1-AA teams and Sun Belt teams before their date with the Dawgs.  In fact, some of us predicted a 1-3 start to this season.  (Ok, it was just me.)
  
• THE SEASON IS NOT OVER.  Georgia has another "bad-situation game" next week, but after that, the schedule evens out, and we actually have an off week before we play the hated Gators (who, right now, I know you think will pummel us like Charleston Southern, but are now far more likely to be overlooking us).  As long as the team stays unified, we still have an excellent chance to end up 8-4 and make a trip to the Chick-Fil-A Bowl.  Now, I know that makes you recoil in horrir, because at the beginning of the season you were hoping for an unlikely D.J. Shockley-esque SEC Championship run; but an objective look at the facts in the preseason would have shown that expectation to be completely unreasonable.

So, please sit back in your chair, have a beer (or perhaps a nice Rennie Curran kool-aid to help you forget today's game), and try to remain calm.  Mark Richt is still a good coach, Georgia is still a great program, and even though we are having a "down" season this year, we will return soon to the success with which we have become so accustomed.  (Remember when 8-4 was a good season in the '90's, or even normal in the mid-late 80's?)

Hey, it could be worse... you could be an Ohio State fan.

Wishing you good mental health... and Go Dawgs!