This is about perception and the idea of potential versus production.

But more than anything else, this is about a football program’s expectations of itself. Does it feel content where it’s at? Does it not yearn for more? Does it truly see itself as a national championship contender?

Georgia is at a crossroads. And if it doesn’t sense that, if it’s not asking itself difficult questions about identity and standards, it should. As we approach the 15-year anniversary of Mark Richt's assuming ownership of the program, it’s time to reassess.

When Richt leads his team onto the field Saturday against rival Florida, he’ll be coaching for his future. A loss might signal that it’s time for he and Georgia to finally part ways.

Mark Richt's Bulldogs, currently unranked, have finished unranked in three of the past six seasons, AP Photo/Wade Payne

Make no mistake, though, their marriage has been fruitful. They’ve averaged 9.7 wins per season. At last check, they had the fourth-most players of any college football program on NFL rosters. What’s more, Richt has done it the right way. Earnest, disciplined and well-respected, with Richt as the face of a program, it has been hard to ask for more.

But Georgia should ask for more. Athletic director Greg McGarity, who saw up close what winning championships felt like inside the Florida athletic department from 1992 to 2010, should demand more from his head coach. Because when it comes to talent and the level of competition, there’s no excuse for the 10-year drought Georgia is in the midst of.

It has been a decade since the Bulldogs last won an SEC title and Richt last won conference Coach of the Year honors. In that time, it feels as if he and the program have been passed by -- by Alabama, by LSU, by Florida. Programs such as Tennessee and Ole Miss have been gaining ground while Georgia has been going in circles.

The East has been ripe for the taking, talent hasn’t been in short supply, and still, there has been a level of stagnancy that’s disappointing. Richt has been labeled an underachiever, which is no wonder when you consider that in six of the last nine seasons his team has failed to finish higher in the AP poll than where it started. Two years ago, the Bulldogs were No. 5 in the preseason rankings and ended up in the “others receiving votes” category. People might forget, but they began this season No. 9 and now they’re unranked in the AP poll.

Since their last conference title in 2005, Georgia has had all the pieces to win big again. Recruiting in a state that has produced the most SEC signees of any in the country, the program hasn’t finished outside the top 15 of ESPN’s class rankings over that time. Georgia has had one of the most stable QB situations in the country with Aaron Murray and Matthew Stafford starting for the better part of seven seasons. They’ve had all-time great running backs Knowshon Moreno, Todd Gurley and Nick Chubb. They’ve had A.J. Green at receiver, Ben Jones and David Andrews on the offensive line and defensive standouts John Jenkins, Akeem Dent and Geno Atkins.

And what do they have to show for it? A bunch of regular-season wins but nothing to really write home about.

Georgia is 16-25 against teams that ended the season ranked in the AP poll since 2006. Meanwhile, LSU is 25-20 and Alabama is 22-20.

Worse than that, however, is that the Bulldogs don’t pass the eye test in those pivotal games.

Ranked eighth and with everything to prove against Alabama earlier this season, Georgia failed miserably. At home, the Bulldogs watched as Nick Saban’s squad jumped around and danced on their field before kickoff. And they did nothing about it. When the game started and Alabama delivered the first punch, they immediately rolled over and played dead.

But more troubling than the 38-10 loss was the reaction in the locker room afterward. If anyone was upset, there wasn’t any sign of it. Richt was placid in his postgame comments and players looked more resigned than frustrated. Championship-caliber teams would have been upset and determined to come back stronger. But there was none of that from Georgia, which turned around the following week and blew a 21-point lead to lose to unranked Tennessee.

Where’s the fight? Where’s the resolve to win big games and national titles? After a decade of falling short, you’d think the Bulldogs would want to try something different, play with an edge and maybe prove the doubters wrong.

But in a weak East, they haven’t capitalized. Instead, they’ve let Florida rise from the ashes. Now the Gators, who looked wholly inept under Will Muschamp, have taken the lead once again under first-year coach Jim McElwain. Now Richt is in danger of dropping to an unforgivable 5-10 versus UF.

And really that’s the problem, isn’t it? Averaging close to double-digit wins every season is great, but when you routinely lose to your rival and haven’t won a conference title in a decade, what do you have to show for yourself? At this level, making as much money as Richt does and being in charge as long as he has, how long is being good good enough?

If Georgia loses to Florida this weekend, clinches another year without an SEC title and continues to stand by its coach of 15 years, what does it say about its expectations?

It begs the question: When the Bulldogs look in the mirror, what do they see?