We learned today that Georgia will be without a permanent mascot for its season opener on September 4th. Russ, the dawg who stood watch over Georgia’s season-ending wins against Georgia Tech and Texas A&M, will continue to fill in during the first few games of the season. Sonny Seiler told the Athens Banner-Herald that “we will use (Russ) for the first two or three games.” It’s true that Russ has yet to be tested against an SEC opponent, but he’ll get his shot in Columbia.

Since it’s unlikely that a new Uga would make his debut anywhere other than Sanford Stadium, the first opportunity to introduce a new mascot would be against Arkansas in the third game of the season. It’s not unprecedented that an Uga would make his debut for the SEC home opener; Uga V gave way to Uga VI before the 1999 South Carolina game, and that turned out just fine. The problem is that a new mascot might or might not be ready by the third game.

Seiler is waiting to see how a few young pups develop over the summer. It’s even possible that the next mascot will come from a litter that won’t be born for another few weeks. We know that selecting a mascot is a long, solemn, and thorough process, and a lot of thought will be put into the decision. As Seiler explains, it would be “at least two months” to determine whether or not any new pup has the stature and other characteristics needed by a dawg that can reign for the 8-10 years Seiler is hoping for.

If a replacement isn’t ready by the Arkansas game, Georgia’s next two games are on the road. Georgia wouldn’t return home until the October 9th game against Tennessee. By that point, Georgia could well be 5-0 with a seven-game winning streak under this interim mascot. Seiler admits that “it could be homecoming before (he) picks a permanent mascot.” Do you mess with that kind of a streak at the midpoint of the season?

I know that Russ is considered too old to become a permanent replacement, but giving him a Shockley-esque one year in the sweater isn’t too much to ask, is it?