Mark Richt starts his ninth season in Athens as one of the more successful coaches this decade - he's won 82 games in eight seasons, and is one of only five coaches in SEC history to win 10 games in four consecutive seasons, which he accomplished from 2002-2005. The Dawgs slipped a bit in 2006, but finished the season No. 2 in 2007 despite lowered expectations. Last fall, they were the AP Preseason No. 1 team. A brutal four-game road stretch and a rash of defensive injuries (20 different players were forced to start in the first eight games alone) made their 10-3 finish a fair accomplishment when all was said and done. Two studs depart the offense for the NFL - QB Matt Stafford was the first overall pick of the draft. He hands the keys to fifth-year senior Joe Cox, who has waited for three years to get his chance. In a way, it looks like this could be like 2005, when D.J. Shockley led his team to an SEC title in his only season. Cox has good accuracy and is a strong competitor and leader.

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On the other end, the Bulldogs are in Florida's division. That means they'll have to figure out how to win the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party on defense. That unit yielded an unsightly 38 or more points five times and only forced 18 turnovers in 11 games against D-IA teams. Eight starters return, and there is plenty of depth thanks to the injury issues in 2008. On offense, Cox loses stud RB Knowshon Moreno and leading receiver Mohamed Massoquoi, but everyone else returns. The O-line returns all five from a unit that had its issues (youth-related, mostly) in 2008.

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