Kirby also has a meathead, relentless, ******* quality about him that Richt didn't have. He's a better coach and better recruiter than Richt was because he has those qualities. UGA has always recruited very well.
Richt was a fluke deflected pass from beating Bama in the SECCG in 2012, they would have played ND for the NC if they won and would have killed ND like Bama did. He also went 13-1 one year and won the SEC. Ordinarily that will get you a title shot but it was the year Miami and Ohio State both went undefeated and Ohio State beat Miami in that terribly officiated Fiesta Bowl. Richt had what it took he just didn't get luck when he needed it. Before the playoff especially, a certain degree of luck was needed to win a natty.
He also had multiple years where he had teams capable of winning the national title or SEC title and there was always some hard to explain loss that kept them out of it.
That was the narrative with which we and other fanbases stoked the inherent insecurities of UGA fans, which I am all for, but how true was it really?
Auburn kicked their *** later that year (2004) also with Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown. Auburn was much better that year IMO. I think Richt realistically had a good enough team to win the natty 3 times, 2002, 2007 and 2012. 2002 was just a bad year when a 13-1 SEC champ didn't get a title shot because of undefeated Ohio State and Miami, honestly if they had been undefeated that year, they'd have still been shut out. 2007 they were really good, they blew it losing to South Carolina, losing to us didn't kill them because we were pretty good also. 2012 they had that deflected pass in the championship game with Bama, just a bad break. Richt is a hall of fame coach I think, especially with his rep and work off the field combined with a 171-64 all time record. If Bo Schembechler is in there with no national championship Richt should be. Far better dude.
The Big 10 was really bad in Bo's tenure too, Penn State wasn't in the Big 10 back then and their only real competition was Ohio State and he only had to go against Woody Hayes for about 8 of his 21 years at Michigan because Woody got fired I think in 77' for the altercation with the Clemson player in the Gator Bowl. Richt faced a lot better competition year in and year out in the SEC. Plus Michigan always got boatraced by the Pac 10 champ in the Rose Bowl.
Yep. Bo was 2-8 in the Rose Bowl. Michigan fans are really quick to point out his number of Big Ten titles, but as you said, that conference was a 2-horse race in those days.
Richt was very close to a National Title one year. Kirby likely never gets one last season if they play the same Bama team they played in the SEC title game. Both damn good play callers on opposite sides of the ball. Both good recruiters but no doubt Kirby is dirtier. Much as a detest Georgia, Richt was a good man.
