Georgia First In SEC East, Second Overall In Preseason Media Poll

Jul 18, 2013; Hoover, AL, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray talks with the media during the 2013 SEC football media days at the Hyatt Regency. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports.

With the SEC Media Days now over, Georgia Bulldogs fans should be pretty happy. The preseason media poll put them in the running for an SEC championship, picking Alabama as the best team in the conference but Georgia as the #2 team as well as the top team in the Eastern Division. Here’s what SB Nation says on the predictions:

"The last day of SEC Media Days started with the conference releasing its media preseason poll and all-SEC teams, and there isn’t a whole ton of drama towards the top of college football’s strongest conference. But who the media chose to contend with Alabama is intriguing: they picked Georgia to win the Eastern Division and gave 11 first-place votes to Texas A&M to win the conference instead of the Crimson Tide.The media released three separate polls: one poll for each division’s finish, where voters picked each side of the league from top-to-bottom, and one poll for the winner of the conference, ranked by number of votes. Last year, they picked LSU to win the conference over Alabama, who went on to become the national champions.Here’s how each poll panned out. First, the picks for the champion, unsurprisingly led by the Tide:Alabama – 182Georgia – 38South Carolina – 18Texas A&M – 4LSU – 1"

According to redandblack.com, Georgia’s student newspaper, the offense is the big reason for the confidence in this year’s team, which boasts 10 returning starters:

"While Georgia lost defensive studs in Jarvis Jones and Alec Ogletree to the NFL, the team also returns 10 starters on the offensive side of the ball. Murray, sophomore running back Todd Gurley and the entire offensive line highlight the returnees that make up what looks to be an intimidating unit in 2013.And senior tight end Arthur Lynch, another one of those experienced playmakers, sees no reason why Georgia’s offense can’t be one of the best offenses in school history.“The potential is definitely there to be one of the best [offenses] that we’ve had in years past, if not the best. That being said, I think for us to say that and have that potential is one thing but to prepare and meet those expectations is going to be a daunting task. But I think we have the skill to do it,” Lynch said."