Last week, I had the privilege of attending the University of Georgia South Georgia alumni chapter kickoff gathering for the upcoming 2017 Bulldog season. This was held at the home (more like estate) of Rankin Smith Jr. south of Thomasville. Yes, he is the son of the man who originally owned the Atlanta Falcons, Rankin Smith, and he is also a UGA alumnus.

The special guest for this evening was (no relation to our host) Loran Smith, one of the few living legends of Georgia Bulldog football who transcends even my lifetime. Though he is not patrolling the sidelines with headphones on during game day to tell us what he’s got anymore, Smith is still active with the Bulldog Club, still does a radio show each week and tells his numerous stories in books and columns. To show how much he respects what anyone does in college athletics, he accompanied Vince Dooley – the other living UGA legend – to the services for the recently departed former Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles.

What did Loran have to say about the Bulldogs this year? A little bit, but he also spoke on how different recruiting is today. He said he could remember when people attended the University of Georgia because they loved it, they arrived in Athens and didn’t want to leave. Now, he said football players especially are looking more for the best deal. Not a monetary deal (maybe not), but what fits them best and what will get them to the next level, which is monetary in their motivation.

As for the current state of the team, he said things like the special teams competition is real intense and his biggest concern is depth in a couple of areas, namely the defensive secondary. A story last week said a true freshman, Richard LeCounte of Liberty County, could be a starting safety. Loran said the worst place in college football to use a freshman is in the secondary.

In predictions and records, Loran didn’t get into that. I will give my take on the subject, but first I’ll make my own statements about the Bulldog personnel. When you have a situation like Georgia’s where you didn’t lose too much from the previous season, either starting seniors or early draft entries, it can only boost your hopes. We’ve had this happen before, but what did we get. A lot of underachieving, maybe players thinking they should have tried for the big bucks after all.

So if Georgia’s to stand any kind of chance no matter what type of schedule it is, these seniors need to show up and produce for the Bulldogs. That’s Davin Bellamy, Lorenzo Carter and Dominick Sanders on defense and, yes, those two running backs on offense.

And because we are seeing here with the Colquitt County Packers how much defense can carry things, I’m going to say a bit more about others on this side of the ball. I want to see Roquan Smith, Natrez Patrick and Deandre Baker challenging these aforementioned guys for Southeastern Conference Player of the Year.

And is this a big year for the head coach, “the right man for the job” as Loran Smith says? Some might say Kirby Smart needs to beat the people he didn’t beat last year to prove his worth.

I say the whole season hinges on six games. It’s my yearly tradition of repeating myself that goes back to 2013, the year after Georgia’s last appearance in the SEC championship game. The matter of primary importance is winning the Eastern Division.

Those six games I speak of do not include Florida and Auburn. To explain the insanity, those games could go either way. The six are all the other SEC games, the ones you would think going in UGA will be the favorite. Therefore, we can’t afford to be an upset victim, not to Vanderbilt again and not to Kentucky or Missouri which did not happen fortunately thanks to last-minute heroics.

South Carolina and Tennessee? Major rivals within our division, but their programs might be at a state where we should have all the advantages. Still, they find a way to get us, maybe not in the same year like last, but dropping a game to one of them would make the Florida game an even bigger must-win. And in the Eastern Divisions, all possible wins are a must for the tiebreakers.

Mississippi State isn’t a gimme either since their quarterback is touted as one of the best in the league. And the SEC Network people remind us of coach Dan Mullen’s great work there getting these Bulldogs to No. 1 in the country … wait, how many years ago was that, and wasn’t it only for a brief time, and didn’t the Alabama cream eventually rise to the top? Sorry, don’t think MSU’s been to the title game under Mullen, so our Bulldogs should be ahead of them, and we meet in Athens this year.

Drop that one, and as said before, the Auburn game becomes a bigger must-win. I hope Mississippi State does go on to win the Western Division. If not it, then Texas A&M, which plays Florida. Or LSU, which also plays their great friends the Gators.

But those six games mean the difference between a major bowl – even a playoff spot – and going back to Charlotte, Memphis, Shreveport or Jacksonville (we haven’t been to the Birmingham Bowl yet, not that I’m anxious to).

The non-conference games? They certainly help if you want to be in the playoff. Appalachian State will be a battle, and I hope it’s one that tests the Bulldog toughness and ability to not look ahead. Notre Dame is in the same category as UT or Carolina, a program not in a great state of mind but would sure love to knock us off in their home yard.

CAREER AT CROSSROADS

If you watch the numerous programs about the NFL and the storylines for the upcoming season, you may hear about how this is an important year for this or that quarterback’s career. It might be Blake Bortles of Jacksonville, Jameis Winston of Tampa Bay or even Cam Newton, already with one Super Bowl appearance for Carolina.

One QB on a team that’s never talked about as a contender made news this week. Former Georgia Bulldog and No. 1 overall pick Matthew Stafford is now taking his turn at the top of the highest paid list with his new five-year contract. Now let’s go back to talking about Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks, or your favorite, Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons. In other words, the guys who matter in the NFC.

Here, though, is an interesting note about Stafford. He is on a six-year run of not missing one start for the Detroit Lions. It’s an eight-year career overall that’s resulted in more than 30,300 passing yards and 187 touchdowns. However, only three of those iron-man seasons resulted in a winning record, and Stafford is 0-3 in playoff starts.

Maybe the problem is the Lions. The franchise has never put much around him, though Stafford once had the game’s best receiver in Calvin Johnson. He’s had one 1,000-yard rusher behind him, good old Reggie Bush in 2013.

Many professionals – Warren Moon, Vinny Testaverde, Dan Fouts – filled up a stat sheet but never came close to a Super Bowl. Stafford isn’t alone on the active list; Phillip Rivers and Carson Palmer feel for him.

Tom Brady of New England is probably the best championship quarterback of all time, but you don’t hear about him in terms of passing numbers. He is actually right behind New Orleans’ Drew Brees – another guy not going anywhere anytime soon – in the top five for both yards and touchdowns.