Forty Years Plus and Boom

College Football is like no other spectator sport. Yes, it's similar to the big show at the NFL level but the college football scene is unique. It has the passion of a campus that lives and dies on every game day. Many universities have never been to the ultimate goal of a national championship and all that goes with that. They are far less tortured than the fan base whose beloved school has been there and then goes on a long journey back. There are very few real dynasties in sports. They are perishable as history has shown us all. Time will tell if our current school who clearly has dominated for years is capable of rebounding from a great National Championship game. Alabama has always done well under Saban when a loss of this magnitude has occurred. We shall see. The Georgia Bulldogs reign supreme right now. They had their ego bruised in the SEC championship game at the hands of Alabama but the team that showed up for this year's National Championship was focused. They knew that the college football world was wondering if the greatest team of 2021 was a fluke.

Vince Dooley, coach of the Georgia Bulldogs in 1980 was the last Bulldog Coach to win a national championship in football. Coach Dooley's Bulldogs went 12-0 with a 6-0 record in conference play. They faced a Notre Dame team for what turned out to be the crowning event and beat ND 17-10 and claim their title. Fast forward to 2022 and we now have the next GA Coach, Kirby Smart, hoisting the National Championship Trophy. Almost the same path with the exception of the SEC Championship loss to Alabama. Many will look at that as the wake-up call to Kirby's amazing season. Some will blame injuries. Injuries were on all sides and illness was a constant challenge in 2020 and 2021. It didn't matter as the world saw what it saw and the trenches were an amazing battle that both sides arrived equally to the charge.

The 2022 road to the championship had a unique wrinkle. A walk-on Quarterback who was up against all odds facing incoming 5 Stars and transfers to GA were all around him. Stetson Bennett was ruthless when in. He took an enormous risk and scared the hell out of most who were leaning into every snap early on. But then we all learned something about Stetson. Stetson reminded me of Sam Darnold. No short-term memory impact. He took enormous chances with his throws and decisions. He was beat up physically on a majority of the plays he dropped back on. But when mistakes occurred he walked off and took responsibility for his mistakes and kept his chin strap on tight. He was a warrior. We may not see him at the next level of play as that leap will be a big challenge for his physical size but I for one will never count him out of anything.

To the fans of the Georgia Bulldogs circa 2021-22 I applaud your spirited support of this team and staff. We all saw it. You followed your team taking aim at the good and the bad in social media. But at the end of the day your 20+ years of so close but so far are over. It's your year to smile and get ready to defend with an incoming recruiting class that is looking pretty good.

Congrats and Fight On