Nelson Chenault, USA TODAY SPORTS
Since his hiring as the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs, it seems that Mark Richt has been on the hot seat. And outside of Athens, most would wonder why.
Richt has a record of 136-48 during his 14 seasons at the helm of the Bulldogs’ program. He has won or shared the SEC Eastern Division title six times during those 14 years and his team has never finished worse than third in the division.
He has won two SEC championships, in 2002 and 2005. And therein may lie the problem. It has been nine seasons since Georgia claimed the conference title, and that seems like a long drought to Bulldog fans. Being competitive isn’t always enough for a fan base that remembers the days of legendary head coach Vince Dooley and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker.
Richt has led his team to nine seasons of at least 10 wins and has finished ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 in 11 of 14 seasons. The 2007 Bulldogs went 11-2 overall and finished second in the national poll.
The one season that may hurt Richt the most was the 2012 season when his team went 12-2 overall, but came up five yards short in the SEC Championship Game against the Alabama Crimson Tide. If Georgia had pulled off the win and played for the national championship, Richt might not feel some of the heat that he has had to deal with over the last few years.
Richt did an outstanding job last season, with a new starting quarterback and with Heisman contender Todd Gurley missed games for various reasons. The Bulldogs went 10-3 and finished second in the East despite much adversity.
Despite his success, Richt remains on a warm seat in Athens because of the expectations of the fan base. An SEC title would go a long way in taking pressure off of Richt.
Hot seat monitor: 4 out of 10
Tim Letcher is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimLetcher , on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
