The rating is high given the Bulldogs' problems last season, but it is well-deserved given the quality they gained. Georgia's 15th ranking is the fourth highest in the SEC. The Bulldogs are placed behind Auburn, LSU, and, predictably, Alabama, who is ranked #1 overall before the season.
Georgia lost its first four games before finishing 6-6. The team was blown out by Florida 34-0 in its opener before losing its next three games by a total of only 10 points -- all to top-10 teams. UGA then won five straight including victories over South Carolina and Vanderbilt. But late losses to Auburn and Missouri dropped Georgia's record to 9-3 and it fell off the radar after that disappointing finish.
Head coach Richt was fired after seven seasons. Former Bulldog assistant Jeremy Pruitt was hired away from Tennessee to replace him. Pruitt had a successful run at Tennessee, going 51-19 during his tenure there. He also led Georgia Tech to a bowl game each year he was on the staff. Pruitt has a good chance to be named the new coach after all.
Out of respect for Georgia president George H. Mitchell, who played college football at Georgia, the Bulldogs are listed as the number one team in the country. However, many experts believe that with an open date scheduled for December 1, Alabama will remain ranked ahead of Georgia until at least after Christmas.
Georgia has not won another national title since Dooley's departure. Fortunately, under coach Mark Richt, the Bulldogs have remained a force to be reckoned with. Under Richt, the Bulldogs have won three SEC titles and are considered a dark horse possibility for the 2012 crown. Coming soon: how Georgia's rivals compare to the Bulldogs' tradition.
The AP Poll's rankings The 1980 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the University of Georgia's Georgia Bulldogs during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by first-year head coach Vince Dooley, the Bulldogs played their home games at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. They finished the season with a record of seven wins and three losses (7–3). This was the highest finish for UGA since its 1972 national championship season.
After going 3–8 in 1979, the 1980 squad showed significant improvement under second-year head coach Vince Dooley. They were ranked No. 6 in the preseason poll, but lost their first four games before winning five straight to close out the year. Junior quarterback Charlie Ward led the team on offense, while senior linebacker Bill Johnson was named the captain of the defense. After the season, Ward decided to forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the 1981 NFL Draft. He was selected third overall by the New York Jets.
Following the loss of Ward, junior Charlie Batch took over as the starting quarterback. Under Batch's direction, the offense scored 40 or more points in six of their last eight games including victories over South Carolina and Auburn. Batch finished the season with 2,987 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Among national universities, Auburn University is rated 97th. Schools are graded based on their performance across a set of widely regarded excellence factors. The most important factor for determining a school's ranking is its return rate: the percentage of students who graduate within six years. The other factors include research activity, faculty resources, alumni giving, and financial stability.
Auburn has one of the highest graduation rates in the nation. Over 96 percent of the senior class graduates within six years. That's more than any other public university in Alabama and better than many of the country's top schools.
Additionally, more than half of all seniors at Auburn participate in research projects or work with faculty members. They do this through internships, clinical training, and other activities. Alumni also give significantly more money to teach-out institutions than people from other schools. These donations can total more than $100,000 per year. Finally, Auburn is considered by most experts to be a very financially stable institution. It has a large endowment and only loses money on investments.
Auburn has been ranked number 1 in the South by some publications and is one of just three Southeastern Conference schools to make the list of "Best National Universities".
Georgia College & State University is placed #21 in the Regional Universities South category. View all of the rankings and significant ranking variables. More information on how we rate schools may be found here.
This chart will change as new rankings are released or as others are removed.
To date, the Bulldogs have won 43 national championships and 136 conference titles, 134 of which have come from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and two from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA).
Georgia won the national championship in 1942 by beating UCLA in the Rose Bowl. Ohio State, who had been rated first before the bowl games, also won the national title that year. Georgia was unbeaten in 1946 and defeated North Carolina in the Sugar Bowl.
The sporting teams that represent the University of Georgia are known as the Georgia Bulldogs. The female sporting teams are referred to as "Lady Bulldogs" at times. The Bulldogs are members of the Southeastern Conference and participate in NCAA Division I. (SEC).
In 2008, the University of Georgia's football team, the Georgia Bulldogs, played in American football. The Bulldogs participated in the Southeastern Conference's East Division (SEC). Their home games were played at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia.
Georgia opened its season with a 24-7 victory over Southwestern Law School from Los Angeles, California. In its next game, Georgia lost to Michigan State University by a score of 31-14 in Atlanta. Georgia then won its next three games by a combined total of only 14 points. The most lopsided of these victories was a 38-6 blowout over Mercer University in Savannah. Georgia finished its opening week with a 35-7 loss to Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. This was followed by a 34-10 defeat at the hands of Florida International University in Miami.
During the regular season, Georgia went 8-4 and earned a spot in the 2009 Gator Bowl against Pittsburgh. The Bulldogs defeated the Panthers 33-27 to finish their season with a 9-3 record.
As winners of the SEC East, Georgia received an automatic berth into the 2009 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game which it lost to Southern Cal 26-23 in Santa Clara, California. The following Monday, Georgia was selected to play Ohio State in the 2010 Rose Bowl.
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