College football is infused with more irrational emotion than any other sport. In some cases it can be fun, in others it can be divisive to a fanbase and ruinous to a program. This site is a tool for casual and not-so-casual fans of the Dawgs to arrive at what they can rationally be upset about.
“Teach thy tongue to say I do not know, and a Dawg fan shalt progress.” – Maimonides, basically.
Any time I write about the Dawgs, I find myself injecting pragmatism anyplace it will fit. Anyone with an interest in this school/program can observe it trending ever upward. That in itself is a gift. It’s something Nebraska, A&M, Florida, Texas, USC, and 100 other teams would part with enormous amounts of money for. It’s good fortune to be a part of something that is growing.
Each member of the fanbase holds a responsibility in preserving that. We all share a role in shaping the collective conversation around the team and the school. It’s a larger responsibility than most give it credit for.
My goals for this team remain:
- win the games you’re supposed to win
- compete like hell in games where you’re outflanked
- represent the University with honor and integrity
The trick for the first two is knowing which is which.
While small sample sizes will always encumber football metrics from being predictive, they can still inform and that’s a place to start. I’ll borrow from Bill Connelly’s Advanced Stat Profiles for the Dawgs and their opponents to pull together a look at the important matchups this season. We’ll be able to study these games before they happen, note what we expect to happen, and assign them to one of the two buckets: “supposed to win” or “compete”.
There are a number of folks producing really excellent content on the web that I think do a great service to the sport. Football Study Hall, Chapel Bell Curve, Glory UGA, among others, all play a role in educating the casual (and not-so-casual) fan and providing objective analysis on the team.
I love the game, I love my school, and felt like contributing to that conversation. The more folks who are engaged and forming rational opinions about the Dawgs, the better chance we all stand at not turning into Patriots fans.
As virtuous a goal as any, right?
The Writings of Claudius Munsonius 