Georgia Bulldogs

Exactly one week after losing juco cornerback Steven Nelson (Warner Robins, Ga./College of Sequoias), the University of Georgia replaced him on the commitment list by pulling off a switch with ESPN 300 athlete Brendan Langley (Marietta, Ga./Kell). The 6-foot-1, 186-pound prospect had been verbally committed to South Carolina since August, but took four trips to Athens during the three months that followed. Langley announced today that he has decided to flip to the Bulldogs.

A month after he committed to South Carolina, Georgia was able to get Langley on campus two weeks in a row, where two different coaching staffs let him know he would have a chance to play in Athens. Head basketball coach Mark Fox informed Langley that he would have an opportunity to contribute to the hoops team as well, something the Gamecocks did not discuss seriously.

"I recently de-committed from South Carolina and committed to Georgia," Langley said. "It was for a multitude of reasons. One of the biggest ones was having a chance to play multiple sports. I do not really feel South Carolina was interested in that, while Coach (Mark) Fox talks to me on a weekly basis.

"I just felt more comfortable at Georgia."

He received his first two scholarship offers from Georgia and South Carolina back on Valentine’s Day. The Georgia coaching staff told Langley throughout the 2013 recruiting cycle that he has been their top target on the board at cornerback. The Bulldogs led with the athlete for much of the spring before some miscommunication dropped them further down the list. Nevertheless, Georgia didn’t let up its pursuit, even after his commitment to the Gamecocks.

Langley told DawgNation that he had silently committed to Georgia last Thursday. On Tuesday, it became public news.

He added: "I am pretty sure people already saw it coming."

Teammate and safety Quincy Mauger has been selling Langley on joining him in Athens since Mauger himself committed to Georgia in July.

“He is pushing me pretty hard, but he knows the whole situation, so he is supportive of anything I choose,” Langley said after his third visit to Georgia on Nov. 3. “Basically -- and I kind of like it -- he tells me I have to do what is right for me and that I will be successful wherever I go. Then why not be successful with your best friend?”

The chance to join several other commitments he had grown close to, an opportunity to make an early impact on both sides of the ball, and the allure of playing for his childhood favorite in-state program proved too much for Langley to dismiss. His addition gives the Bulldogs a secondary class that includes two ESPN 150 prospects and two ESPN 300 prospects.

With ESPN 150 cornerback Shaq Wiggins (Tyrone, Ga./Sandy Creek), ESPN 300 athlete Reggie Wilkerson (Citra, Fla./North Marion) and Langley, Georgia now has three cornerback commitments rated as four-star prospects. Langley has the size that secondary coach Scott Lakatos has coveted since he came to Georgia, and gives the Bulldogs 28 commitments overall for the 2013 class.

Georgia has won SEC championships under Mark Richt, played in BCS bowl games and been a fixture in the Top 25 polls.

But controlling its own destiny this late in the season in the national championship race?

This is new ground for the Bulldogs.

As junior receiver Rhett McGowan tweeted Saturday night following Stanford’s upset of Oregon, the playoffs start now.

Good luck in getting Georgia coach Mark Richt to look past the first round of those playoffs, which begins Saturday at home against Georgia Tech.

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Mark Schlabach looks at the rivalry games this weekend that have big implications on the BCS standings.

After everything that happened over the weekend, our power rankings didn't really change heading into the final week of the regular season:

1. Alabama (10-1; last week: 1): The Tide didn't have much competition lining up opposition over the weekend, but Alabama took care of business in dominating fashion. Then the team watched as Kansas State and Oregon lost, propelling the Tide back into the BCS title game hunt. Beat Auburn and Georgia, and Alabama is headed back to the national championship. Well played, Nick Saban.

2. Georgia (10-1; LW: 2): Georgia Southern and its triple-option offense really wasn't much of a threat to the Bulldogs, who are right in the thick of the national championship picture. Georgia is playing its best football of the year and it couldn't have come at a better time. A win over Georgia Tech this weekend, and the Bulldogs will be playing for a national championship berth when they face Alabama in the SEC championship game. Remember when all those Georgia "fans" were calling for Mark Richt's job? Yeah, you can sit down now.

3. Florida (10-1; LW: 3): The Gators don't win pretty, but somehow they are 10-1. Two FCS foes really challenged the Gators, but what's even crazier is that with a win over Florida State this weekend, Florida will be headed to a BCS bowl game and if Notre Dame loses, the Gators could be headed to the national championship. The Gators are where they are thanks to a fabulous defense and tremendous special teams. But if Florida wants to have a chance against the Noles, the offense has to be much, much better and it will really help if quarterback Jeff Driskel can come back healthy this week.

4. Texas A&M (9-2; LW: 4): Even without a bye week, the Aggies haven't lost any steam. The offense rolled over Sam Houston State on Saturday and now A&M takes on a banged-up Missouri team that is coming off of a very tough home loss to Syracuse. Johnny Manziel is now at the top of the Heisman charts and the Aggies really are playing for a chance to go to a BCS bowl game. This is the hottest team in the country.

5. LSU (9-2; LW: 5): If you haven't seen Les Miles' meltdown from the weekend, I highly recommend that you do. His team really doesn't look like it has any flops on it right now. The Tigers had a very close game with Ole Miss over the weekend, but that game always seems to be competitive. The offense has picked up in the past few weeks and while the defense stumbled some against the Rebels, it's still one of the best around. Like the teams in front of it in the power rankings, LSU is a win away from being in consideration for a BCS bowl game. If the Sugar Bowl is available, it'll be tough to keep the Tigers out of New Orleans.

6. South Carolina (9-2; LW: 6): Quietly, the Gamecocks have reached nine wins. South Carolina had early troubles with Wofford, which threw the ball only three times Saturday. But Steve Spurrier and his Gamecocks have struggled against Wofford in the past. South Carolina was without star Jadeveon Clowney (sprained foot), but he should be back for the Clemson game this week. Don't be surprised if the Gamecocks were looking ahead a little bit to the Tigers. South Carolina is looking for its fourth straight win against archrival Clemson.

7. Vanderbilt (7-4; LW: 7): With a 41-18 drubbing of Tennessee, the Commodores have now won five straight games and have seven wins for the first time since 2007. One more win and Vandy will have eight for the first time since 1982. James Franklin has proved to be the real deal for the Commodores. This team is getting it done in all phases of the game and completely dismantled Tennessee in the second half Saturday. Wake Forest is in need of a win to become bowl eligible, but the Commodores roll in with a load of momentum.

8. Mississippi State (8-3; LW: 8): The Bulldogs regained some of the swagger they lost with three straight blowout losses in SEC play. Now, Arkansas has fallen on some real hard times in Fayetteville, but this was a win that Mississippi State absolutely had to have and it's a performance the Bulldogs needed as well. Mississippi State played arguably its most complete game of the season and quarterback Tyler Russell was about as efficient as ever. When this offense is clicking it's very hard to stop and it heads into the Egg Bowl with its confidence back.

9. Ole Miss (5-6; LW: 9): What an effort by the Rebels down in Baton Rouge. Ole Miss took LSU right down to the wire and became the first team to put up 30-plus points on LSU's defense. Ole Miss' 463 offensive yards are the most the Tigers have given up all season. But when the Rebels needed their defense to stand tall at the end of the game, it just couldn't stop LSU from finding the end zone and putting the game away. This makes three straight very tough losses for the Rebels, who still need one more win to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2009. And they get a much more confident Mississippi State team Saturday at home.

10. Missouri (5-6; LW: 10): How the Tigers couldn't figure out a way to keep the ball away from Syracuse wide receiver Alec Lemon on the Orange's game-winning drive is beyond me. He abused Missouri's defense all night and then somehow was wide-open for Syracuse's game-winning touchdown with 20 seconds left. Mizzou blew an early 14-3 lead and might have blown its bowl chances with the Aggies next on the schedule. The Tigers had to have that win over Syracuse and will now need to contain Johnny Football in order to make it to the postseason. Quarterback James Franklin was banged up again over the weekend, so the Tigers will yet again be monitoring his health this week.

11. Arkansas (4-7; LW: 11): The Hogs' long nightmare of a season is almost over. With the loss to Mississippi State, Arkansas lost its bowl hopes and will play its final game of the 2012 season at home against LSU. We saw some fight from the Hogs down the stretch after a horrible September, but this team was playing catch-up all season. Now, the program can turn its attention to finding a new head coach and starting fresh. No one in Fayetteville is happy about how the season will end, but they have to be relieved to get to the next chapter.

12. Tennessee (4-7; LW: 12): It was only a matter of time before Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart dismissed Derek Dooley, and there was no escaping it after the Vols were embarrassed by Vanderbilt. This was Dooley's most talented team, but it was probably his most disappointing season. The Vols are 0-7 in league play and own the SEC's worst defense. The writing might have been on the wall when all of those assistants left before spring practice. Like Arkansas, Tennessee's fan base has to be ready to get to the next stage of this program's life.

13. Auburn (3-8; LW: 13): Well, the Tigers left the Plains winners. It wasn't against a very challenging opponent, but at least the seniors could smile on senior day after such an ugly season that probably won't bring the Tigers a conference win. Now, Auburn will have to deal with all of the talk surrounding Gene Chizik and his future with the program. This is the fourth time Auburn has gone 0-7 in league play and it's overshadowing Chizik's national championship season in 2010. Auburn has one last chance of getting a conference win. Unfortunately, it will have to come against Alabama.

14. Kentucky (2-9; LW: 14): Like Auburn, the Wildcats left their home stadium with a win. Joker Phillips has one last game as Kentucky's head coach, but he'll finish his time in Lexington with a win on senior day, and you know that had to mean a lot to him. Kentucky has resembled an infirmary this fall with all the injuries, but the youngsters who came on in relief duty just weren't getting better week in and week out. The Wildcats, who are at the bottom of the SEC in major offensive and defensive categories, will end the season at Tennessee.

ATHENS, Ga. -- His team has improved to third in the BCS standings Sunday and his fan base is nearly hysterical over its postseason prospects, but Georgia coach Mark Richt steadfastly refused to discuss the opportunity that awaits the Bulldogs.

“Anybody want to talk about Georgia Tech?” Richt asked reporters on his Sunday teleconference after shooting down multiple BCS-related questions.

If answering honestly, most would have answered no. But the rival Yellow Jackets (6-5) represent the final hurdle that Richt’s Bulldogs (10-1) must clear before a possible SEC championship game matchup with No. 2 Alabama (10-1) could essentially function as a national semifinal preceding the BCS championship game.

But don’t expect much from Richt this week about his team controlling its own destiny to play for the national title after No. 1 Kansas State and No. 2 Oregon lost Saturday night. He wouldn’t even acknowledge having watched the games that put his team in this position.

“You know what, I was thinking about Tech that night,” Richt said.

But the coach’s perspective -- which is understandable in that his team can’t afford to look past the Yellow Jackets and their dangerous option offense -- won’t prevent mass speculation concerning the Bulldogs’ chances this week. And if they do in fact beat Georgia Tech, and if Alabama beats hapless Auburn (3-8) to claim the SEC West title, the discussions about Georgia's BCS worthiness will become unavoidable during the run-up to their Dec. 1 meeting in Atlanta.

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