Dawgs are at a crossroads

The talk of the hot seat that Mark Richt wasn't on this summer has re-appeared awful early this season.

Saturday's loss to Arkansas made Georgia 0-2 in the SEC for the first time since 1993 when Ray Goff was at the helm. What's worse for Dawg Nation is Georgia has lost four of its last five games at home against top 25 teams.

2010 - Arkansas

2009 - LSU

2008 - Alabama, Georgia Tech (beat Vanderbilt)

Two of the glaring stats from the Arkansas loss were supposed to be the keys to this season: an experienced offensive line and an improved pass rush. But Georgia surrendered six sacks and only had one.

What we take away from this loss is Georgia isn't a team that will give its fans reason to have confidence. Opponents won't be intimidated to come in between the hedges. The experienced offensive line is a question mark again. Cordy Glenn struggled at tackle and oft-injured Trinton Sturdivant appeared hobbled again.

Georgia can't even find solace in looking around its own division. Although Florida struggled to start the season, it closed out Tennessee awfully well. Vanderbilt handled what's now a sub-par Ole Miss team. And of course South Carolina looks to be primed for at least second in the division. The one unknown is Kentucky, and that game's on the road.

So you want to get rid of Richt? That hot seat can't be dismissed anymore, right? (Has he replaced Les Miles as the SEC coach most likely to be fired?) But who do you bring in? Georgia grads Will Muschamp (Texas) or Kirby Smart (Alabama), two of the hottest defensive coordinators in the country? Or try to lure one of the hot head coaching names, Chris Petersen of Boise State or Gary Patterson of TCU? The point is if you replace Richt, his successor might not be any better than him.

The quandary for new AD Greg McGarity comes in the second half of the season. How many of the given rivals must Georgia beat for Richt to stick around? Florida? Georgia Tech? Auburn? Is it simply to be bowl-eligible? If I were McGarity, Richt would need eight wins. If that includes a bowl win, that's fine.

How will that happen? Richt's already used his patented fourth quarter team meeting at midfield. There can't be many more of those for a successful season. A.J. Green's return obviously will bolster the offense, but the offense hasn't been the biggest problem. Yes, the offensive line struggled midway through the Arkansas game. And Aaron Murray held the ball too long at times, which contributed to a couple of the six sacks.

It's the leadership that doesn't seem to be prevalent. Clint Boling is the only obvious leader that can be seen from the stands. Richt could call all the in-game meetings, or proclaim to the media how big a game is, but until several leaders establish themselves, the Dawgs could be in for another seven- or eight-win season.