Smart era begins at Georgia

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fifth in a series of previews of the 2016 SEC football teams:
GEORGIA:
Mark Richt led the University of Georgia football program for the 15 years, compiling a 145-51 overall record and an 85-40 mark in Southeastern Conference play.
His Bulldogs won two SEC championships, six SEC East titles and nine bowl games and finishing the season in the Top Ten rankings seven times.
Georgia finished the regular season at 9-3 overall but 5-3 in the SEC East and Richt was fired.
The Dawgs haven’t won the division and reached the SEC Championship Game since 2012 and haven’t claimed an outright conference title since 2005 – that is why Richt was forced out.
Enter Alabama defensive cooridinator Kirby Smart hired to lead the Bulldogs to greater heights.
Richt was a quarterback at Miami, while Smart was a defensive back wih the Bullodgs.
While it made no sense to fire a winning coach, the transition from Richt to Smart will be the easiest in the SEC.
The Bulldogs have plenty of talent but also several question marks: is Nick Chubb recovered from his serious knee injury, who will be quarterback and will the defensive front be strong enough?
The quarterback battle is between fifth-year senior Greyson Lambert, five-star freshman Jacob Eason or junior Brice Ramsey.
All eyes will be on how soon Nick Chubb and Sony Michel can recover from their injuries.
Receivers Terry Godwin and Isaiah McKenzie will be threats and the offensive line is experienced.
The defensive strength should be the secondary, which returns almost everybody from the nation’s top-ranked pass defense – led by safety Dominick Sanders was first-team All-SEC.
The front seven is inexperienced and they need to grow up quickly before the battle for the SEC East title begins.
Linebackers Davin Bellamy, Lorenzo Carter are Reggie Carter are expected to have impressive seasons.
Can Smart win 10 games in his first season as a head coach?
Georgia opens against North Carolina in the Gerogia Dome before a home game against Nichols State.
A road game at Missouri will put the Bulldogs at 3-0 before a stiff test at Ole Miss.
A home game against Tennessee will begin to determine the SEC East champion.
The Bulldogs travel to a rebuilding South Carolina before returing home to take on Vanderbilt.
The clash in Jacksonville with the Gators will the key game for UGA, especially if Georgia already had a win over Tennessee.
The Bulldogs end the season road trip to Kentucky before three home games against Auburn, Louisiana – Lafayette and Georgia Tech.
Obviously beating Ole Miss, Tennessee and Florida will give the Dogs the SEC East title.
A win over two of the three could still get Georgia back to Atlanta for SEC championship game.
A loss to all three and Smart will be in the same situation as Richt was –watching others play for a ring.
Smart was part of four national championships in nine seasons as Nick Saban’s right hand man from 2007-2015 – so he expects to keep winning, but the Georgia faithful want championships.