Kevin Price: Georgia's move on Richt bold and necessary

Georgia’s announcement Sunday that Mark Richt’s head coaching career at the school would come to a close after the bowl game was not shocking.

There were rumors and speculation that Richt was in trouble after the debacle in Jacksonville, Fla., where the Dogs were humiliated by Florida -- again. Those who write big checks to the Georgia athletic department were not happy, and they were letting the powers-that-be at Georgia know it.

Most fans believed that Richt's ability to win the four games since the Florida rout would be enough to buy Richt another season.

But Georgia's parting of the ways with Richt was a bold and necessary move for the school.

Is it painful? Yes. There is no one more universally liked in college football than Mark Richt. Surveys among coaches have shown that.

Probably more than the games he won, his legacy will likely be more about the good deeds he did for players off the field.

But the results on the field didn't keep up with his good deeds off the field.

Richt's first five years at the school were as good as any fan could hope for as the Dogs won SEC championships in 2002 and 2005.

But since then, it has seemed the Dogs have found a way to underachieve every season with the possible exception of 2012.

Perhaps the most disappointing of those came in 2008. Georgia started that year as the No. 1 team in the country. It featured future NFL stars in quarterback Matthew Stafford, running back Knowshon Moreno and wide receiver A.J. Green.

The Dogs would go on to lose three games that season, including an 11-point loss to Alabama -- Alabama led 31-0 at halftime -- and a 39-point loss to Florida.

Those were among 17 double-digit losses the Dogs have suffered since 2005.

Georgia came close to a third SEC title under Richt in 2012, but the Dogs came up 5 yards short against Alabama.

It has been the three years since then that have been particularly troubling. The SEC Eastern Division has been weak to say the least. But somehow Georgia has managed not to win it, watching as SEC newcomer Missouri win in 2013 and 2014 and Florida this season.

Is this move without its risks? No, and that is why it is bold.

There is a chance that Georgia will take a step back with its next hire. But there is also a chance that the Dogs move off the plateau they have been on and become one of the elite programs not only in the Southeastern Conference but in the nation.

This move is also about potential. If Georgia's ceiling is nine or 10 wins a season without any championships, then Georgia made a mistake in letting Richt leave. If Georgia's ceiling is winning not only SEC championships but national championships, then the move was a necessary one.

Kevin Price, 706-320-4493, Follow Kevin on Twitter@lesports

This story was originally published November 29, 2015 at 5:50 PM with the headline "Kevin Price: Georgia's move on Richt bold and necessary ."