By: JJ Lanier

GeorgiaSportsEdition.com news services

As fans, we always want to believe the teams we root for are in the right. When other teams are caught cheating, we want to think our team would never do that. When a player chooses to sign with the program, we like to tell ourselves he or she made that decision because they bleed the school colors.

So, when a program is caught being less than truthful, or in the case of Justin Fields, there are rumors a player may leave the program, we tend to not handle it very well.

When news broke that Fields was considering a transfer, there may have been a sense of betrayal within the Georgia fan base, but for those of us whose two favorite colors aren’t black and red, it wasn’t that much of a surprise.

It’s nothing against Fields, who has the potential to be a very good college quarterback when given the opportunity, but rather says more about Jake Fromm proving that he deserves to be the starter.

I know there have been a lot of comments regarding Fields lack of intestinal fortitude, to put it nicely, when it comes to battling for the starting job. I’m sorry, but that’s ridiculous.

Yes, he could stay and battle it out against Fromm during the spring, but unless Fromm were to completely lay an egg in the Sugar Bowl, it would be a huge gamble- on the field, as well as on the recruiting trail- to sit him in favor of Fields.

Benching a two-year starter, who has put up good numbers while leading his team to two of the most successful back to back seasons in program history, is just a bad look.

Saban was able to navigate through it this year because one, he’s Nick Saban, but also because it was a bit of a different situation. Jalen Hurts was always considered to be limited and once Tagovailoa performed the way he did in last year’s championship game, it was obvious who the starter should be.

This has nothing to do with Fields being “scared” to battle for the position, but instead being realistic on the probable outcome.

And because players with the talent that Fields has don’t pick a college with their heart- no matter how much we wish they did- it makes perfect business sense for him to look elsewhere.

Playing for your dream school only matters when you’re getting the playing time you think you deserve. If you think you can further your career at another school, your childhood dream school goes out the window. As a Duke fan, I feel like this way of thinking has become an annual conversation I have with myself.

Like most things in college athletics, this whole situation is fluid. As I mentioned above, if Fromm and Fields have a Hurts/Tagovailoa moment in the Sugar Bowl, this could all change. I have to believe part of Fields hesitation to announce his intentions, whatever they may be, is because he wants to see how the bowl game plays out.

Regardless of whatever Fields decides, it has nothing to do with his competitive drive or his feelings for Georgia; it has everything with showcasing his talent and getting to the NFL.

So, if he decides to stay, forget his inclination to leave and enjoy his time in Athens.

If he chooses to go though, wish him luck and hope everything turns out for the best; it’s what you would do if this were happening to any other program.