SEC season review: Georgia Bulldogs

This has been a season of transition at Georgia after first-time head coach Kirby Smart took over following 15 years of stability under Mark Richt.

The Bulldogs (7-5, 4-4 SEC) experienced understandable growing pains as Smart worked to address a few glaring roster holes and rebuild a program that slipped late in Richt’s tenure.

They’re not ranked where they usually are at this point, but can still claim an eight-win season by beating TCU (6-6) in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Noon ET, Dec. 30, ESPN). Richt also won eight games in his debut season and went on to become a championship contender the next year. Even if this season was a disappointment, Georgia fans would be perfectly happy if Smart…