Auburn practices late tonight, so there's plenty of time to peruse yesterday's post-practice material (it's below this post). You can also keep yourself busy by reading this Georgia preview.

(Follow the blog on Twitter and be a fan on Facebook)

Georgia Bulldogs

• Head coach: Mark Richt (10th season at Georgia, 90-27; 10th season overall, was assistant at Florida State and East Carolina)
  
• 2009 record: 8-5 (4-4 SEC, t-2nd East), beat Texas A&M 44-20 in the Independence Bowl
  
• Returning starters: 16 (10 offense, 6 defense)
• Total offense: 362.2 ypg (8th SEC, 75th nationally)
• Total defense: 339.4 ypg (7th SEC, 38th nationally)
• Series: Auburn leads 53-52-8
• Last meeting: Georgia won 31-24 in Athens last year
  
• Consensus prediction: Second in the SEC East

Five-week schedule glimpse

• Oct. 30: vs. Florida (in Jacksonville)
• Nov. 6: Idaho State
• Nov. 13: at Auburn
• Nov. 20: Off
• Nov. 27: Georgia Tech
  

It's been two years since some pegged Georgia as the No. 1 team in the country heading into the season. It seems like ages ago. The Bulldogs have gone 10-3 and 8-5 the last two years. Respectable numbers, for sure. But this is the SEC, the same conference that saw the precipitous decline of Phil Fulmer, who won a national championship at Tennessee, and Tommy Tuberville, who had an undefeated season at Auburn. SEC fans don't stand for the mediocre, and last season was exactly that for Richt and the Bulldogs, who finished the regular season at 7-5 before winning the Indepedence Bowl. It's enough for some to put Richt, a coach who has won 77 percent of his games, on the hot seat, as crazy as that sounds. Georgia has plenty coming back, with a strong offensive line, star receiver A.J. Green and what Richt hopes is a defense that finds new life in the 3-4 scheme. But will it be good enough?

To find out what's going on in Athens, I contacted Marc Weiszer, the Georgia beat writer for the Athens Banner-Herald. You can read his blog by clicking here and follow him on Twitter here. I had a few pressing questions about the Bulldogs. Here are his answers:

AB: Mark Richt is 90-27 entering his 10th year in Athens and has two SEC championships to his credit, yet some Bulldog fans seem to be growing inpatient with him. How widespread is this belief and is there any credence to reports that Richt is on the hot seat this year? Following athletic director Damon Evans' embarrassing downfall, has Richt lost an ally who could have prevented him from being the next SEC coach to get Tubervilled/Fulmered?

MW: Before he resigned in the fallout of his DUI arrest, Evans pretty much shot down the Richt on the hot seat talk. UGA president Michael Adams seemed to echo that sentiment. It’s unclear whether Evans was an ally or not. He publicly said after Georgia’s disappointing 2008 season that he wanted Georgia to be a team that reached BCS bowl games year after year. A new athletic director isn’t expected to come aboard before the new year. There seems to be more sentiment by some national voices that Richt is in trouble then a groundswell from the fan base that is ready to get rid of him. Of course, another five-loss season could change that.

AB: The Bulldogs return one of the top offensive lines in the SEC, a stable of capable running backs and wide receiver superstar A.J. Green, but they must break in a new quarterback. Is redshirt freshman Aaron Murray up to the task? Can he equal or better what Joe Cox did in his one season at the helm?

MW: We shall see if Murray can do what Cox didn’t do enough of the time. That is manage the game, don’t self-destruct and let the talent around him on offense win games for the Bulldogs. Georgia seemed to find the winning formula last season with the 1-2 punch of Washaun Ealey and Caleb King behind an experienced offensive line. Murray seems to have the respect of his teammates, who like his tireless work ethic. Cox threw a bunch of TD passes (24) but way too many interceptions (15). Murray might not hit either of those numbers, but the Bulldogs still might be more effective on offense.

AB: No team in the SEC has a weapon quite like Green. What do the Bulldogs have as a plan for him this year, knowing that opposing defenses will have him at the top of their list when game-planning?

MW: The first thing Georgia wants is for Green to stay healthy. He missed most of the second half of last season with a separated shoulder and a bruised lung. He was slowed by a groin injury at the end of his freshman season. When Green is healthy, he’s one of the best receivers in the nation. The plan is simple: Get A.J. the ball. There’s talk of moving him around more to different receiver spots, but there was similar talk last season. If Georgia can run the ball as well as it did down the stretch last season, teams will have to pick their poison about what they want to take away. Another receiver emerging would help, but Georgia can also rely on tight ends Orson Charles and Aron White to help out in the passing game.

AB: Todd Grantham was brought in from the Dallas Cowboys to revamp the defense with his 3-4 scheme. How has the group adapted to the scheme so far and does Georgia have the right pieces to make the alignment work this year? Also, will it matter how the defensive front sets up if the secondary doesn't make a major step forward?

MW: Grantham says he has the pieces in place that he needs in the 3-4, but he’s also often said that what attracted him to Georgia was its ability to recruit in a five-hour radius the type of talent that can win championships. Georgia already had two players that seem well-suited to the scheme in outside linebackers Justin Houston and Cornelius Washington, who could be ideal as stand up pass rushers. The big question could be the defensive line after the loss of Jeff Owens, Geno Atkins and Kade Weston. The secondary was torched last season but Brandon Boykin could be one of the better corners in the SEC (He’s aiming way high — 10 interceptions this year) and Bacarri Rambo has upside at safety. Players seem to love the aggressive, attacking style of the new defense. The secondary should be playing more man coverage.

AB: Florida is reloading, Tennessee has a major overhaul ahead of it, South Carolina can't get over the hump, Kentucky always maxes out at seven wins and Vanderbilt is Vanderbilt. Can Georgia do well enough to steal the East this season? What are realistic expectations?

MW: They certainly could, but it doesn’t mean they will. Given the question marks at quarterback and with the new defensive system, the Bulldogs aren’t a lock for a bounce-back season after the 8-5 downbeat 2009 campaign. The schedule should help. Georgia’s non-conference opponents include La.-Lafayette and Colorado this year instead of Oklahoma State and Arizona State. Georgia plays Mississippi State from the West in place of LSU. A 10- or 11-win season is certainly possible if the offense clicks like it did late in the season last year and if the defense improves, but another 8-win season isn’t out of the question either. One thing to remember: Richt has averaged 10 wins a season at Georgia.

There you have it. Auburn no doubt has this game circled on the calendar. The Tigers have lost four straight to the Bulldogs, including two in a row at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Those types of streaks have been uncommon in the series history. This should be an interesting game, as always.

Up next: Our final installment of the series. We'll take a look at the Alabama Crimson Tide.