Georgia was a much better football team last season than its 6-7 record might lead you to believe. The suspension of star wide receiver A.J. Green was a big reason why the Bulldogs got out of the gate 1-4. With Green back in the lineup, Georgia rebounded to win five of its last seven regular-season contests.

Still, a losing season cant be sitting well with Mark Richt, who is 96-34 in 10 seasons as Georgia head man. His .738 winning percentage puts him in some elite company. Among active FBS coaches, only Oklahomas Bob Stoops, TCUs Gary Patterson and Penn States Joe Paterno have higher winning percentages.

If history is any indicator, Richt will have the Bulldogs back in SEC title contention very soon.

Offense: Led by freshman quarterback Aaron Murray, Georgia ranked fourth in the SEC (30th nationally) in scoring offense with 32.1 points per game. Murray, who threw for 3,049 yards with 24 touchdown strikes and eight interceptions, helped the Dawgs rank fifth in the SEC (40th nationally) in passing offense with 242.4 yards per game.

Murray is a terrific talent, and he could be even more efficient if Georgia can find a running game. The Bulldogs ranked 10th in the SEC with 142.6 rushing yards per contest last season.

Richt and his staff are optimistic that highly touted freshman running back Isaiah Crowell can give the running attack a boost. If he can, it will take the pressure off of Murray and a receiving corps that lost Green and Kris Durham.

With Green set to play on Sundays this year, wide receiver Tavarres King and tight end Orson Charles must takes on bigger roles. King caught 27 passes for 504 yards and Charles hauled in 26 passes for 422 yards in 2010.

An offensive line anchored by seniors Ben Jones (center) and Cordy Glenn (left tackle) has the potential to be pretty good.

Defense: Georgia returns seven starters from a stop unit that ranked fourth in the SEC in total defense with 328.5 yards allowed per game and fifth in scoring defense with 22.1 points allowed per game. The Bulldogs have the potential to be even better defensively as they enter year two of Todd Granthams 3-4 scheme.

64, 340-pound nose tackle John Jenkins comes in from junior college to give the Dawgs a much-needed physical presence in the interior of the line. Having him to clog the middle should help Georgia improve on the 147.2 rushing yards per game it allowed a season ago.

Bringing in Jenkins allows DeAngelo Tyson to move outside to one of the defensive end spots, a position that is a more natural fit for him. The Dawgs will need him to apply pressure to opposing signal callers to help make up for the loss of Justin Houston, who had a team-high 10 sacks last season.

USC transfer Jarvis Jones and freshman phenom Ray Drew will be challenged to bring the heat from their outside linebacker posts.

The defensive backfield helped Georgia rank 17th in the country against the pass with 181.3 yards allowed per game. With plenty of starting experience back, this unit should remain strong.

Prediction: 1st Place SEC East The SEC East looks to be a three-team race between Georgia, Florida and South Carolina. Georgia has an excellent opportunity to win the race thanks to a forgiving conference schedule that leaves off Alabama and LSU the toughest teams in the SEC West. College football lines makers have listed Georgia at 50/1 to win the BCS championship.

Jimmy Boyds expert college football picks will help you crush the books this season!

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