Tony – glad to have you back. I was worried that your column would be cut due to ajc belt tightening. Honestly, with the popularity of college football in Georgia, they should keep you on the payroll year round.
That’s the truth. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be home from work in time to see him on PTI but if recent history is any indicator, it should be worth watching.
Betcha $100 the top story of the time Tony was away will be all the much-a-do-about-nothing Lane Kiffin stories…did he say the kid would pump gas, or did Spurrier leak it just to pile on? Does his calling Urban Cryer a cheater make him a liar, or was he telling a half truth? We all know Urban is closer to being like Alabama than our state’s pride and joy Dawgs, right??
Tony, there should be an opening for a sports headline writer at AJC if you’re interested in a very parttime position. What idiot would call a defensive lineman who makes 15 tackles and two sacks in two years for the national champion Gators a “Key” defensive lineman? Geez!
Tony, Great to have you back. I, too, am glad that the AJC belt-tightening didn’t get you. Looking forward to some spring practice reports. As a Tech grad, I’ll be interested to see how PJ’s spring this year differs from last year, and how he responds to the LSU debacle.
Will you give us your assessment of the various teams’ recruiting classes?
The ONLY thing I remember about Tony Barnhart was his last article that he wrote which STAYED on the AJC website for what?? 6 WEEKS or 7WEEKS? If this is what we have to look forward too, Mr. College Football should write for the Gainesville Sun in Gainesville, Florida.
That would be a much better fit I do believe.
PJ is the best thing to happen to G tech in years. He has proven his ability to tighten the gap between atl. and athens by stoking the old arch rival fire.He will probably win 30-40% of his games with uga doing this.I think it’s good for both programs.That being said, I think the stage was to big for PJ and the G tech program last year.He could not generate the same fire and brimstone in the bowl game(lsu)that he did against uga.G tech had lost that game when the Nat. anthem was over. The jackets will get better under PJ in time..
FloridaDawg,
Thanks for your note. Understand that it was not my intent for my last blog to stay up that long. That part was out of my hands. Understand that I am no longer a full-time employee of the AJC and that we had to go through a process in order to resume the blog. We have done that now and I’m looking forward to it.
Also understand that my last blog about Florida was the landscape of the SEC as I saw it then and as I see it right now. Florida’s program has, with two national titles in three years, seperated itself from Georgia and Tennessee in the East. Can those two schools catch up? Absolutely. I expect them to do that. But it’s going to take some work. Barring something unknown, I don’t see Florida coming back to the field.
That doesn’t make all my Georgia friends happy, but that is what I see.
Thanks for your comments Tony…and with my comments, I was hoping that someone, either you or the AJC would explain how a column like you wrote could say up soooo looong.
I didn’t disagree so much as to what you said, but staying up so long I feel was an “everyday” slap in the face and a unnecessary “reminder” to many readers of this website just how far the separation is between SEC schools. We know we are in a catch-up mode…but your last article before your break was not one I enjoyed seeing for more than a couple of days. Anyway, looking forward to reading your thoughts in ‘09…thanks Tony.
What I didn’t understand about that last column–in addition to the fact that it stayed up so long–was that in it, you expressly stated that your column would return February 9. Perhaps I missed it, but I don’t recall seeing any explanation for why that didn’t happen. Better late than never, certainly, because I always enjoy your perspective on CFB, but you and/or the AJC sure left your readers hanging out there when that date came and went.
Don’t understand the nitpicking over the last article which was measured and intelligent as usual. All I know is February is pretty dreary when you’re a college football addict.
Maseltov Tony,,,really love your column
Welcome back TB, you’ve been missed no doubt. At some point, would you comment on the state of the Dawgs (football, of course). What do you think about CMR’s approach like it’s his ” 1st ” year as coach ; the more vocal leadership throughout the team ; Joe Cox , etc ? Again, welcome back ……
Tony glad you’re back, but SHOCKED. I read in Creative Loafing the AJC cut loose employees in two rounds and they are about the drop the axe again, this time really hard. Yet you took the buyout, and then got hired back to do Mr. CFB not once but twice. It’s not even football season. DOUBLE PAY BABY! You played the AJC management genuises like chumps. You the man. Go Gators.
Tony, Man, am I glad You are back! Like the person who posted above I like Your balanced approach to reporting. Very rarely do you take the easy road of sensationalism that leads to the “he hate me” type of trash talking. Whats up with the NCAA investigation of Alabama? Saban and Co sure are keeping everything quiet. Maybe the Lanester could take a cue from Saban about keeping his mouth shut. Before the Bama Stans of the world jump me let me make it clear that I think a strong ‘Bama is good for the SEC. Sorry Gen Nyland, but that’s the way I see it. I have heard it reported that the NCAA asked for copies of all of Alabama’s TV contracts. That doesn’t look good at all. Would VT still want to play the Tide in Atlanta if the game wasn’t televised? How would it affect SEC revenues if Alabama was banned from TV? Other than one local talk show and some rumors I hear from friends that went to Alabama I am not hearing anything. I wish you would look into the matter.
The plan was to bring the blog back on Feb. 9 but the newspaper asked me to wait as they assessed a number of things. Newspapers everywhere are having to do this and I completely understood. In retrospect, we should have posted something to let you know why the blog was not there on Feb. 9. We shouldn’t have left the readers hanging. I should have pushed to make that happen and I’m sorry I didn’t.
But they did come back to me and that’s a tribute to you and all the people who support this blog. And I appreciate it.
Hey, welcome back TB. Weve kept the blogging going on a couple of pages. It will be refreshing to have your input and topics to discuss again. Is it Sept yet?
Thanks for responding, Tony. Now I don’t need to wonder anymore what happened. Good explanation, too. Newspapers nationwide–especially the print versions–are struggling, and a significant part of the reason for it, ironically, is blogs like this, which offer a columnist’s readers the opportunity to communicate instantaneously–not only with the columnist, but with fellow readers. No way to do that in print, obviously. Delighted the AJC saw fit to preserve this blog. That’s a tribute to you as well.
We await your return. It’ll be good to have a balanced approach to college sports again in the ajc. Your forums open things up to real discussion regarding conference issues vs the one-sided lovefest…
Should have kept the blog going throughout signing day….may take a while for people to come back. Now, did you just say that “The Dawgs” will win the National Championship in ‘09 or was that last year?
it’s great to have tony back, the ajc was missing a huge part of it’s overall coverage without him!
some things never change with alabama once again being cited by the NCAA with yet another possible infraction, and fsu with a huge infractions of ncaa rules that one wonders if the school deserve the ultimate , the death penalty being applied to them as well.
i know it was little SMU who has no impact on the national scene thatthe ncaa hit over the head, so bobby and the boys will get a pass once again!
clearly, there is a double standard with ncaa and the country as well.
Falconsfan, Bama didn’t cheat first of all, 5 kids made a very stupid mistake. A team has to gain a competitive advantage to be classified as cheating. Saban suspended these guys for 4 games after they found out what was going on. The NCAA WILL do something but it won’t be more than 3 years and 3 scholarships. What is sad is that USC can have players parents “renting” houses from agents, receiving $200,000+ as a promise to sign with an agent, and everything else that has gone on out at SOCAL and they get a pass, THAT IS SAD!!!!!!!RTR!!!
St. Nick, you’re right. Alabama’s crime is small this time. But I think the coach and admin at Alabama have a moral obligation to tell their recruits about a court date with the NCAA that is two weeks after signing day. They withheld that information and it could have made an impact on recruiting.
[...] returns. Nothing new inside as he’s catching up, but MY THAT’S LARGE FONT. The AJC, now embracing the large-print crowd to appease the last people reading newspapers: the [...]
Agreed, Thay should have told these guys and maybe they did, Oklahoma is on probation because of the Rhett Bomar situation and they still played for the NC. Maybe they told these kids the situation and expected a small penalty, Who knows. But I will agree if they said nothing at all, that is wrong… but what school doesn’t mislead recruits?????
Train wreck at Stegman? Not exactly a train wreck, just a bad basketball team. There is already some young talent in place. One or two good recruits with a new coach could change everything immediately. Maybe they struggle and get last place in the SEC next year. Maybe they are a top 25 team and make the tourney. It is that wide open. Totally depends on the coach they hire and a little like snagging at least one big recruit. Maybe the couple guys they have coming in already will be good.
Welcome back Mr. Barnhart! There really hasn’t been anything too lively to report on other than Kiffin’s mouth. Had Florida State and Alabama remained out of the ethical spotlight, then they would have merited reportable news.
I missed your comments but I gotta tell you that you are way off on the Kiffin deal. Go back and listen to him. He is just a spoiled brat kid that not only doesn’t deserve to coach in the SEC he shouldn’t be a head coach anywhere. He is a complete moron. So you think he knew what he was doing when he stated he got rid of employees that didn’t keep up and his AD had to put him in his place.
He sounds like the new kid in school that after a week or so everyone has grown tired of and realizes he is a abnoxious loud mouth. After a couple of the bigger kids kick his rear he just goes away.
Come on Tony I thought you would do better especially on your first day back.
Welcome back Tony. The Jackets have taken over the boards since you left. A good portion of your coverage should be on the Tech program. The world is interested in what’s brewing down on the flats. The happenings of the cheating conferences are less important. It’s like reporting on junvile deliquents. Stick with the big stories, like Tech spring practice. How is the Robot doing? I expect big things from Nesbot.
Tony:
Good to see you’re back. I saw you book, “Southern Fried Football,” in Rockpoint Books in Chattanooga yesterday and recommended it to a man looking for his grandson’s birthday present — and he bought it!
One question: If Alabama does receive any sanctions, will this year’s signees be able to void their scholarships and sign anywhere else? It only seems fair since the coaching staff didn’t alert the players about the possibility of NCAA sanctions.
Tony, I’ve checked the blog almost everyday since you’ve been gone. Thanks so much for giving us college football junkies our favorite blog back. Are you back just through spring practices?
Old Dawg, Are you serious????? If they signed a letter of intent, NO!!! If they Didn’t, yes and they have to sit a year and they won’t want to go to Tech or Georgia!!!!
[...] Tony Barnhart is back and blogging for the AJC and his first order of business upon returning was to list the four biggest stories that bubbled up in the SEC since January.They are (in his words):1) Lane Kiffin, the gift that keeps on giving2) Alabama’s textbook case: How serious?3) The Bryce Brown sweepstakes4) The Andre Smith meltdownClick here to read his views. [...]
Old Dawg,
Based on my reading of the NCAA rules, Alabama recruits would not be allowed to transfer and be immediately eligible should the school receive sanctions.
EDSBS, you got me on the font size. First one was way too small. Second one too big. We’ll get the right one.
Bill. We will just to agree to disagree on Lane Kiffin. I’ve done this long enough to know that things are rarely what they appear to be on the surface. But I will agree with you on this. Nothing he is doing, planned or unplanned, will matter if he doesn’t win enough games in a few years.
[...] value of precedent Jump to Comments Tony Barnhart’s college football blog is back, larger than ever. Today’s post is pretty much an exercise in catch up, which is what you’d [...]
Saint Nick: The fact these players were able to buy books for friends shows a lack of institutional control which is the worst of all NCAA infractions. Now with Bama just off probation who knows how hard they are going to get hit. It could get ugly.
Ole Nick will hang around Bama for another year or so, and he’ll win some games, but the heat will catch up to him for a lot of Broken promises and he’ll end up in the Northeast at a Big Ten school for 4-5 mil a year and leave Bama in tears and a train wreck. I hate it, but watch. Leopard don’t change it’s spots.
Tony – Welcome back brother. It is good to have your blog up and running. Let us know some of the key issues you will be watching for with teams in spring practice.
As a Clemson fan, I want no part of this Brown kid. High maintaince is an understatement for him. Plus, the Tigers are going focus on Spiller in 2009 and Brown would have a major problem with that. So this kid can take his act to The U as far as i’m concerned. Go Tigers!
Saint Nick. I really don’t care where the go, just that they have the opportunity to play college football and enjoy the experience. Having covered college football in the past, I know that athletes get frustrated when the team they sign with is on probation. I knew the rules in the past but it’s been a while since I’ve covered college sports.
Most of us with more gray whiskers then not, carry a measure of respect for the college Head Coach that stands first for his team, second for his team and lastly, for his team. I have shared the same sentiments as Tony here. Kiffin had a plan, albeit, a plan that seems off base to those with coaches established in programs around the nation that allows their program to sell itself by virture of the longetivity and success of the standing coaching staff. Kiffin’s tactics reached many recruits. No, not a slew of 4 or 5 stars, but enough to begin with. There were no QB’s left out there he favored to run his offense into the future when he arrived Atop Rocky and Kiffin said it best when he answered,(I’ll paraphrase)” We’ll not waste a scholarship on just any QB. We’ll go with what we have in 2009.” Do I expect him to win the East in 2009..? No. Do I expect him to place or show..? Yes, I do. That is my expectation for 2009. He’ll do a better job playing his strengths than Clawson did. My question to any and all out there would be this,”Are you afraid his first signature win will come at your expense?”…
Glad you are back Tony (I was right about predicting the first story by the way), the other AJC bloggers did a good job stirring up fluff topics while you were away (AKA Lane Kiffen went to the grocery store and pumped his own gas yesterday) just to get a rise out of everyone. Now that you are back, I hope we get actual spring practice stories and other topics that have some validity and not the fluff/rise topics.
Welcome back, Tony!! I hope they keep the link on the front page for a good while so every one knows the blog is back.
Good analogy to Maurice Clarett, MacArthur. Whoever signs this kid may have to hold their nose while they do so.
General, that was a little bit less than a ringing endorsement. Doing some noseholding yourself? Kiffin may very well produce, but if he’s the prototype for the coach of the future, this “grey hair” is going to lose interest in college football.
Paterno is the devil?!?!? Where the heck did that come from, MacArthur? You lost the points you earned with said good analogy.
Lane Kiffin is doing all of this by design? What part of his USC or Raiders gig did you miss? Please don’t encourage the hillbillies to cheer on another death blow to sportsmanship. Call Kiffin and Tennessee for what they are: classless, shameful, and dumber than a box of hammers.
azcat225 : I wasn’t in the ‘Fire Fulmer’ camp. I was a part of the ‘Can Clawson’ mentality, kinda like those of the Bulldawg nation that aren’t crazy over their DC. Also, I was a big Chavis fan. I will be somewhat reserved until the pudding shows some proof. BTW, Kiffin has let it be known that there are 21 starting jobs available. Eric Berry’s isn’t one of them…
Thank you Tony,
It’s great to have this column back. You’re the first journalist/media person who I’ve heard characterize the Andre Smith activity as ’sad’ and I wholeheartedly agree. A writer I heard from in Birmingham described the kid as basically decent who had never been in any trouble before and bulldozed the SEC for three years. The way he’s been crucified in the media is a little much I think. I mean the only person he’s hurt is himself and that’s supposing he’d be so much happier with $30 million guaranteed as opposed to $10 million. Don’t you think some of these kids simply lack the emotional development their age would indicate?
Yhe latest problems at Alabama can be laid at the feet of Mal Moore. How he has remained so long as AD mystifies me. If you know any French, his first name is quite appropriate.
Lane Kiffin won’t last long. Monte has been out of the college game for almost 30 years. The fact that he was a great NFL co-ordinator doesnt mean squat now that he’s in college. College KIDS are much different than professional adults. Just ask Charlie Weiss!!! Dude has 4 super bowl rings and is lucky South Bend hasn’t run his fat a$$ out of town!!!! I’ll believe the Kiffin’s success when I see it.
General: I agree wholeheartedly with you about Chavis. LSU got better when they announced that was where he was landing. TN didn’t lose out with the elder Kiffin, but another member of the SEC got better.
I had heard that about the TN roster, also. At least L Kiffin is bright enough to leave Eric alone.
I have to wonder what in Lane Kiffin’s resume gives folks the idea that he can attract and ‘coach up’ young men to the point that they will succeed over young men that have thrown in with the Georgia’s, the Alabama’s, the Florida’s and, yes, even the South Carolina’s. He hasn’t done a thing in his career that merits the kind of confidence that, first, Al Davis showed when he first hired him – shoot, he wasn’t even USC’s number one OC – and his performance at Oakland certainly didn’t add any positives to that resume, so why in blazes do the UT fans think he’s gonna cash those checks that his mouth keeps writing? Oh, that’s right, they hired him and cognitive dissonance tells you that they have to let him fail before they pull a Bill Battle on him. Good luck, cause if you’re wrong it’s gonna be pretty embarrassing.
Rumor, Rumor, Rumor, that’s all this is. But for most SEC fans who have invested a couple of years of stored dislike(envy) toward nick saban and his close encounters of the 3rd kind with football recruits. There have been dozens of documented recruiting violations since he grabed the elephants by the tail(or trunk). He promised the red elephant club members and tide fans alike, a national championship. The only way he could full-fill that promise was to improve the talent.
The rumors “The NCAA is investigating coach saban, and the red elephant club related to questionable recruiting issues including;,payments to recruits and/or to friends or relatives, gifts to players and/or to friends or relatives, illegal personal contact between a coach and prospect, illegal communications with a prospects by a active coach or red elephant club member(booster), and a few more activities that could be gleened as borderline illegal recruiting.
That is why it is taking so very long for the NCAA to deliver a penalty for the $1600 books for cash violation. Why would bama refuse to make public the letter of inquiry from the NCAA for over 6 months after its delivery? Something to hide from recruits. Maybe not illegal but certainly unethical.
Thanks Tony. Looking forward to great information and even better opinions.
General, ahhhh, yes on your question there. As much as any of us hate to even think it. What was that player doing running into the wall there in practice? a “deep route”? I would think a deep route would have put him in the river.
Tony,
Thanks for bringing a “non biased” opinion on Kiffin. Yes, he is young and a bit too brash but he knows exactly what he is doing. He has surrounded himself with quality coaches/recruiters and by the looks of it, looks like they are living up on the recruiting end. It will take a few years before we can really get a feel if he is a good head coach or not.
First, welcome back Tony. Blogs have been boring in your absence. Maybe there has just been nothing to talk about but Lane Kiffin.
As a Vol fan (and alumni for those who think a major portion of those on the blog never finished high school), I think a)yes Lane Kiffin has a big mouth, b) why should those in the media give a crap. Lane Kiffen had caused the Vols to have more media attention before he has even coached a single game, than Fulmer would get in two or three years, even when laying 50+ on The Bulldogs.
My point is, as an avid reader of the sports section when it is about SEC football, I want to hear about SEC Football, not whether Kiffin is a jerk or not. For those who think he will go down like a comet, that is still to be seen. He may be awful, but he might be a new Steve Spurrier too. Most likely he will be somewhere in the middle, but nothing could be worse than the last year for the Big Orange. The point is that we have identified only that he has a big mouth, not whether or not he can win on Saturday.
Mike, Kiffin is brash but no one can tell if he knows exactly what he’s doing until he gets the results on the field. All that we have to base our comments on is his underwhelming record with the Raiders. Even though Spurrier in his time was far more obnoxious, he got more of a pass because he had the winning percentage to back it up. Believe me, if Kiffin starts winning, the commentary on his behavior will be greatly diminished. At this point though, all we can ascertain is that that’s a big if.
Andre Smith sounds like a typical spoiled, pampered athlete. If the poor guy has to find a way to squeak by on, say $5-$10 million rather than on $30 million, I’m sure he’ll find a way to soldier on, somehow. His poor work ethic and seeming lack of concern about his own future isn’t sad to me as I try to support my family on a middle-class income. If he blows tens of millions of dollars, here’s a solution – work your tail off, get in shape, become an All Pro lineman. Then you can name your price when your first contract expires.
What kind of gobblydeegook are you writing about today in your imaginary Saban is the devil world. Your handle suggests you’re either a ticked off Auburn fan still reeling from 36-0 or you’re one of those deranged LSwho fans still ticked over Saban leaving LSU. Get over it.
As for all the other assertions you about Alabama recruiting above you are simply making up rumors and just flat out lying. If you can prove just one of the above allegations then I challenge you to do so you moron. I’ll give you $1,000 if you can prove payments to recruits, friends, relatives, red elephant club members, blah blah by boosters. All you got to do is prove it and I’ll wire you the money. The only thing Bama has is some secondary violations which were reported. Every school every year has numerous secondary violations or are you so freaking stupid you didn’t realize that?
Lastly, a handful of players figuring out how to game the textbook distribution system to help girlfriends or friends is hardly indicative of widespread cheating. No cash changed hands, no competitive advantage was gained, these kids just did something stupid in taking advantage of a loophole to help some friends.
Please provide us with your absolute proof of other, more serious wrongdoing. I patiently await your proof. I figure if you’re going to make accusations then surely you have some rock solid proof and not just “rumors” to back up your big freaking mouth.
Tony, it occured to me that you may have been employing a little sarcasm when discussing the “sad” and “heart[breaking]” Andre Smith saga. If so, disregard my last – tone doesn’t always translate in print.
The NCAA needs to go investigate USC and the Reggie Bush story and let the textbook solution go
away!! The players were given 4 games off for the stupid textbook story and Bama crashed and burned without the players in November of 07. Saban runs the football program at Alabama like a 4star field general, the story about going in front of the NCAA would have gotten out in the old days
of Alabama football, but nothing was say or i forgot about the story till Cecil Hurt blow up the story
for the Tucaloosa News. Boy Blunder makes Fat Phil look like a saint and the NCAA is going to keep and eye on the vols because of juniors mistakes with recruiting!! GO BAMA ROLL TIDE!!
zoo : The play, drawn out in the grass truth be known, was to test the strength of said wall in case that guy dressed up like Daniel Boone happened to run smack dab into it on Game Day. The wall passed the test. All in all, the receiver is now just a brick in the wall…and I’m leaning on Michigan to upset Clemson. Your take..?
azcat225 : Yeah, LSU got a good one plus LSU already has a terrific group in place for Chavis. I recall Charlie Weiss trying to lure him out of Knoxville when Weiss took the Notre Dame job…
Tony, you are wrong on Lane Kiffin and here’s why: Fans don’t play games, players do.
Who cares if the fans get fired up. The fans were WILD in Athens for the Bama game and they got their a$$es handed to them. Lane Kiffin defintely knows what he is doing, it’s just that what he is doing is immature and wrong….And I can guarantee you every team is going to use his mouth as motivation for their players.
[...] 2. Alabama’s textbook case: How serious? Understand that when the NCAA is involved, nothing happens in a vacuum. The NCAA has a long, long memory. Here is what I mean. Normally, jay walking is not a serious offense. But if you go before the same judge a bunch of times for various transgressions, he might be tempted to send you a message with a punishment that goes beyond the seriousness of the crime. And then you have to hire a lawyer and fight like crazy on what appeared to be something fairly minor. That is the situation that faces Alabama football. In the fall of 2007 the school had to sit five football players because of what it said was a glitch in its method of providing textbooks and other educational materials to athletes. This glitch allowed “friends” of the athletes to also get these materials, whose reported value was around $1,600. If you think that sounds like chump change in a multi-million dollar enterprise that is Alabama football, it is. But it also misses the point. Alabama went before the judge, better known as the NCAA’s committee on infractions, on Feb. 20. The COI normally makes a final decision about 4-6 weeks after that meeting. The judge probably wanted to know why, after getting everything BUT the death penalty in 2002, Alabama would allow ANY glitches like this to happen. Nobody knows what is going to happen in this case. If somebody tells you they do, they are delusional—or lying. But you can’t dismiss it as minor until the judge SAYS that it is minor. It’s good to be back. So what did I miss? | Mr. College Football [...]
Tony,
Welcome back. I fully understand your comments on Kiffin. However, I am afraid you came to an inaccurate conclusion. One cannot assume that comments which exceed the bounds of stupid must therefore be brilliant and part of a grand strategy. Kiffy is truly a loose cannon who has done nothing to earn the job in now finds himself in. A silver spoon parked in his anatomy has gotten him several jobs and in all cases his mouth kept him in trouble. If he wins, it will be in spite of his mouth. Even UT deserves better.
General, probably will beat Clemson. They had a good run at the beginning of the season so they know they can hang with just about anybody. It would be hilarious if they went deeper than MSU (my adopted college team). But then again I’m a dawg to the bone, what do I know about college basketball?
Second, the reason Tech’s vacated wins were restored on appeal is because….unlike the latest FSU case and the Harrick hoops case at UGA…..there WAS no academic fraud invloved. Stupidity and laziness…..yes. Fraud, no.
Now, we are hearing that Mark Richt is “rescinding” the scholarship of 2009 signee Dexter Moody. Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t that mean Mr Moody is being denied admission to The University. Otherwise, his LOI would not be voided.
Obviously, if there is an issue serious enough to denie his admission then it’s rather a moot point…..but is this “rescinding” announcement simply a way to take the fan heat off Mike Adams and admissions, since Saint Mark can do no wrong?
Welcome back Tony! Please continue to keep Kiffin and the Big Orange in the news. You and the AJC staff are doing us a great big favor (See Gundy article above). Have a great day and Go Vols, Go!
“When he accused Urban Meyer of cheating, Kiffin was walking into lunch room on the first day of school and smacking the biggest, baddest dude across the mouth just to announce his presence.”
WRONG. Getting the victory in Gainesville this September would be like smacking the biggest, baddest dude across the mouth in the lunchroom. Accusing Meyer of cheating is like sending the biggest, baddest dude an email threatening to smack him in the mouth in the lunch room. BIG difference Tony. Kiffin needs to do his talking on the field and not in the media. I personally think Kiffin will be leaving the lunchroom and heading straight for the nurse’s office because he got is smack talking a** kicked. Thanks.
When will a journalist ever do a serious investigation of the NCAA itself? There is a reason why Danny Sheridan, the sportswriter and handicapper who sets the line for USATODAY and several of the largest Vegas casinos calls the NCAA “A highly politicized organization that would not stand up to congressional or public scrutiny.”
When Bama got nailed by the NCAA IN 2002 on 3 major rules violations the ncaa committed its own violations in its investigations. On one violation that Bama self reported the NCAA then had 12 months to respond according to its own rules but instead responded 16 months later. When Bama pointed that the ncaa couldn’t use this against Bama since it responded outside the statute of limitations the ncaa simply ignored its own rules and used it against Bama anyways. If a governing or rule making body ignores its own rules then what good is it anyway?
On another major violation the ncaa investigator Johannigmeier falsified information in his report that Bama player Travis Carroll received an illegal benefit by getting “spot financing” for a Jeep cherokee with 70,000 miles valued at $7,000 by Johannigmeier. In reality it was a 10 year old beater that had 176,000 miles and a book value of $1,000. The dealership sold him the vehicle for $1500 at around 30% interest and repossessed the car after his missed the first payment. Some fringe benefit huh? It was only because some private lawyers in Alabama sued the NCAA that it was ever proven in court documents that the ncaa investigator was just writing his own fictional account of what happened. All he had to do was go to the dealership in Columbus, GA. and talk to the 6 different people from the sales manager to the sales agent to the finance guy to the back office girls who dealt with the young man to find out the truth. But obviously he wasn’t interested in the truth.
On another major violation the recruitment of Kenny Smith it seems the NCAA had a problem with truth. They said that Bama illegally recruited Smith and the hearsay they used was “secret testimony” from Phillip Fulmer and recruiting analyst Tom Culpepper who later said that Fulmer had promised him the recruiting coordinator job at UT in exchange for helping him dig up dirt against Bama. The player Smith ended up transferring to UT for lack of playing time at Bama. He then withdrew from UT and in an ESPN outside the lines interview a couple years later he stated that “Alabama recruited him more cleanly than anybody. I left UT because coach Fulmer was putting undue pressure on me to state that Bama had illegally recruited me which didn’t happen”. Fulmer and Culpepper later ended up calling each other liars and their testimony both to the ncaa and in later depositions was contradictory. I have 2 ?s. If one or both of the men’s testimony is contradictory then how can you use the testimony of one of them let alone both of them against Alabama if one or both of them was lying? And how can you use the “secret testimony” of one sec coach against a fellow sec coach anyway? The whole episode stunk to high heaven.
I used to think Jerry Tarkanian was the biggest crook in ncaa sports. But there are 2 sides to every story. And when I read some of the ncaa’s methods in harassing Tarkanian I now understand its not just Bama fans that have a problem with the ncaa. In order to get one recruit from Africa to go along with made up allegations the ncaa threatened him that he and his family would be deported back to war torn Sudan if he didn’t go along with the ncaa. Thank God a good immigration attorney find out what the ncaa was threatening the young man with and intervened.
Tony, regardless of what happens in the textbook case in a few weeks I would like to know when or if a good journalist is going to write a book about what a corrupt, hypocritical organization the NCAA really is.
Whether it is selling game tickets or selling books which are part of the scholarship program, part of the Freshman orientation in sports is communicating and insuring player understanding of NCAA rules. With 4 or 5 Bama players violating this NCAA rule, it isn’t the dollar amount that is the issue. The issue is that on more than one occasion, NCAA rules were not respected. The coaches must create an environment/discipline where players know and follow the rules (especially if the team is on probabtion). When multiple players are involved in the same violation, the coaches have not done their job. Unfortunately, the coaches/team should pay a heavy penalty over this infraction as it seems to indicate a systematic lack of understanding or support of the rules. Again, the coaches are responsible. It simply isn’t minor once a team is on probabtion! Bama’s probation was to give the school the opportunity to prove they could avoid any further systematic problems during the probation period. Those arguing the cost of the books are totally missing the issue.
Welcome back, Tony. We missed you. HUH, above is correct. Let’s see Kiffen go into the Swamp and smack someone around. Then we can talk about it. Accusing someone of cheating when you do not have the proof is a chickens**t thing to do, not a tough guy thing. Don’t get me wrong. I hope the Vols do punch the Gators in the mouth, but I am NOT betting on it.
Tony (and an agreeing Chris)–I do not think the public should be sympathetic in the least to the plight of Andre Smith. This kid is as dumb as dumb gets. How many people before him have we seen suspended for contact with an agent? If it is one it is too many for this fool to walk down the same road. How do you not know that rule by now!? His suspension tells me that the kid is not smart and a bad teammate. Next, what kind of an idiot plays football in college and doesn’t realize that the NFL combine is a job interview!?!? The rest of the planet has to prepare for job interviews…NFL prospects included. It is just insanity to show up out of shape. Did he think that everyone else getting ready for the draft by working out were just working out to have fun and pass the time until the combine started?
If it was up to me, he would lose a heck of a lot more money than you are sorry that he is already losing. In the end he will still be stupid and rich…just not stupid and filthy rich. What a shame.
This is yet another in a long list of examples of athletes not following the rules and not being properly punished when they break them.
I usually enjoy your writing but this one I totally disagree with. Can we get more coverage on that safety out of FSU that earned a Rhodes Scolarship? That is good for college football. Idiots like this Smith are bad for college football. Idiots like this Brown kid are bad for high school and college football. Way to keep them in the headlines Tony.
Are you actually serious? Do you really think the coaches at any institution get involved with the textbook distribution system at the bookstore? Is Les Miles standing there at when the athletes get their books to make sure they get only the books they are supposed to get? Is the mad hatter familiar with all the textbooks and required materials for each and every class offered at LSU? And as for freshman players understanding each and every one of the myriad number of ncaa compliance rules. Are you freaking kidding me? Keeping up with volumes of ncaa rules would take years to learn. Get real! What you are suggesting is simply not realistic.
As for being familiar with the rules the ncaa manual is like the irs code. Its ridiculously thick, complicated, and no one person or even a group of people can keep up with the darn thing. That is why nearly every program every year reports multiple unintentional, secondary violations including LSU.
Alabama compliance officials certainly could have done a better job but get real. There will always be loopholes that students figure out. And btw, half of the violations regarding the textbook issue are in regard to students getting course books or materials that are recommended by the professor by not required. The ncaa rule states that they can only get “required” course material and that if they want the extra or supplementary material that the professor recommends for the class they have to pay out of pocket for it. What reasonable person would have thought that the ncaa would be against students getting recommended materials for a class instead of being allowed to get only the “required” materials for a class. You would have thought the ncaa would be on the side of students getting all the recommended materials for learning the coursework. Apparently not.
In regards to Andre Smith it is sad to see him make some poor choices. I think it has to do with immaturity and also him trusting and listening to the people around him rather than true professionals. The same people like his uncle just doing dumb things like initiating contact with an agent prior to the Sugar Bowl. He comes from a poor family and apparently this family being unsophisticated is doling out advice to him that is costing him millions. His agent admitted to doing some dumb things also which cost Andre some money. This is what happens with nepotism and when you let your family run things as opposed to true professionals.
Incidentally, I remember watching an Alabama clip last year during the beginning of fall practice. Nick Saban was talking to Andre Smith during warmups and made the statement to him “Do you know how good you could be?” Judging by the context of the tone and just the way Saban said it I was left with the impression that Andre was a man amongst boys and was getting by on sheer talent alone rather than on talent plus overwhelming desire and drive. At the pro level he will still be good but without the desire and the drive he will always be good but never quite reach the potential of being one of the alltime greats at his position. It will catch up to him in the pros and I hate to think about him never really realizing his true optimum potential for lack of heart or desire.
Gen Neyland. good analysis as usual. i think the Dawg nation remembers that Richt’s signature victory came in Knoxville. it was really what got the program rolling again. i don’t care what people say, Tennessee is and always will be a dangerous team.
According to published reports, Georgia football coach Mark Richt has rescinded a scholarship offer to Emanuel County Institute’s Dexter Moody.
UGAsports.com is reporting that Richt will hold a press conference later this afternoon to announce that the Bulldogs will not take Moody, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound linebacker, due to behavioral issues.
Moody was one of two ECI players to sign with Georgia on National Signing Day (Feb. 4), the other being highly-regarded running back Washaun Ealey.
The Bulldogs begin spring practice on Tuesday and will hold 15 sessions, culminating with the annual spring “G-day” game scrimmage in Sanford Stadium on April 11.
Tony, good to hear from you again. Your college football insight is great!! Hey, here are two consider regarding Georgia. One, I don’t see a drop off in the Georgia offense. Think about it. The injuries killed the line last year. A healthy line a big asset. Further, remember what GA did when D.J. Shockley took over. Same scenario happening here with Joe Cox. Sure, he doesn’t perhaps have the arm of Stafford but I see much better decision making. Do you remember the Colorado game when he came in and saved the Dawgs? Second, Stafford was good but is he really a #1 pick type of QB. Great arm but I just don’t see the good decision making. I wish him the best and hope he proves me wrong.
Come on lets talk also about Dexter Moody from ECI. Whats with the rumor he’s not coming to UGA now because CMR took away his scholly because he’s in the bed with his H.S coaches Wife????? Say it ain’t so!!!!
Welcome back Tony!
NCAA-shen & Tide-Rising & a couple of others make some very good points regarding Bama & their brushes w/the ncaa. FWIW, I am NOT a Bama fan but am a fan of the SEC in general & of the Gamecocks in particular. I too am waiting for some serious muckracking by some serious sports journalists delving into the murky politics that occurs in Indy @NCAA. As far as USC goes, there was more than the Bush family involved with $200K+ condos for free, there was also the Lindell White family as well & curiously enough the agent involved has long & deep relations w/USC. How & why the NCAA is unwilling to go after this case in any serious manner is very troubling. How about it Tony, do you want to look into this further? You can bet your bottom buck there will be a book deal for someone willing & able to crack this case open – I know I’ll spring for a book or two myself! Welcome back again!
GaDawgs, Richt…on his own….hasn’t “rescinded” anything. He cannot autonomously rescind the scholarship once the LOI has been signed.
The University is, in effect, rescinding the scholarship (i.e., voiding the LOI) by denying Mr Moody admission.
This “Richt is rescinding it” nonsense is just smoke and mirrors to take the heat off UGA admissions…..even though their actions might very well be warranted.
Tide rising,
You clearly have never participated in collegiate sports at a major university. These were not extra books for their own personal study. The athletes were selling the books. There are some very basic rules and some very easy traps for kids to fall into. Selling game tickets or books is an easy one to fall into and as such, yes, coaches are responsible to insure the players know the basic rules. The whole idea of maintaining an environment where the rules are understood and respected is because coaches cannot see everything or be everywhere. However, they coaches can insure a basic understanding of some of the rules. You better hope the Bama argument isn’t like yours, “we can’t be everywhere” or “gosh, there are too many rules to remember”. Being everywhere or knowing everything are not the issues. Proper environment and respect for NCAA rules is the issue. The taboo of selling books or game tickets is very fundamental and I can assure you from personal experience as a player and a coach that those are among the first things good schools teach their athletes regarding rules. If enough don’t get taught or understand the importance and end up breaking the rules then it is a systematic issue. The NCAA tends to be very lenient but if you did enough to get on probation, you better not have any more serious violations or even minor ones that appear to be systematic. BTW, compliance officials police the rules. This situation is not a matter of policing, it is a matter of the environment or tone set by the coaches. When on probation, there is no room for “could have done a better job”. A systematic rule violation of a very basic rule (you cannot sell books that were given to you by the school) isn’t too complicated to understand or communicate to the players. Currently, Bama is the only school in the country on probation that has this particular problem. Again, you better hope the coaches excuse isn’t like yours in that there are too many complicated rules or that the coaches can’t be everywhere. Should the NCAA investigation discover any other problems that appear systematic, BAMA could be in for far more serious penalties. That is why this situation is taking a long time. It ain’t at all about a few books or a rule too complicated to understand!
I think you are right on Kiffin. He knows what he is doing. He is trying to get people to talk about Tennessee football again. I really think the guy can coach, as well as his staff. Having said that, I think he has gone a little overboard. If he doesn’t win, he might see the door quickly. I expect them to win though. The problem is they could show vast improvement and not have much better of a record. They still play in the SEC East. The fact of the matter is that his whole staff can coach and recruit. If he doesn’t get in his own way, then I expect them to turn things around.
I expect us to be better this year. I expect our offense to be as good, if not better. At the least, they will be more consistent. Games are won in the trenches and Georgia will have two of the best. We have a deep, talented, and experienced offensive line. We have eight to nine guys with starting experience. We get our best LT back. Joe Cox has respect of every player on the team. He was no slouch coming out of high school. He broke just about every record Chris Leak set in North Carolina. Chris Leak won a National Championship. He is a rah-rah guy, who can make all the throws.
Our defense will have the best DT set in the nation. A healthy Owen, Weston, and Atkins. With DeAngelo Tyson and Brandon Wood backing them up. That is five deep. You wonder why our DEs didn’t get pressure last year and Atkins didn’t wreak as much havoc as the year before, look no further than the absence of Jeff Owens. A dominating DL can cover up many areas, especially in the backfield. It also will create more pressure that will lead to more turnovers.
We will have a better year this year than last year. GO DAWGS!!!
Tony, what’s the good word on the flats? Is this freshman WR Steven Hill as good as I’m hearing? My sources tell me that he’s “a more polished AJ Green with good hands.” Sounds good. Good to have weapon for Nesbot to throw to, that’ll make that stronger of a QB. Steven will turn the Robot into a top 10 draft pick.
hey tony,i’m proud of ya, not many predictions in the column..glad to see someone actually reporting the news,not trying to predict it..most of us are smart enough to come up with our own thoughts about what will and will not happen..which leads me to this,,georgia, with one loss, will be playing texas for the champioship,,take that one to the bank..and make some money boys!!!!
Kiffin called the plays during USC’s offensive juggernaut years. He also played a significant role in the development of Leinart. Something his NFL coaches are having trouble doing. He actually did a good job, imo, concerning the circumstances in Oakland. If anyone ever wins under Al Davis again, then I may die of shock. His team never quit on him and actually looked like they improved each week. His dad may be the first HOF D-Coordinator ever. Ed Orgeron made his name as a great D-Line coach before he failed in Ole Miss. He did recruit all of the talent that Houston Nutt turned into a pretty good team. The only thing he didn’t recruit was a QB. Nutt got the one that Oregron lured there and all of a sudden Ole Miss is relevant again. Who knows what Orgeron would have done if he stayed another year? He also hired some guys away from NFL staffs. I think he is a good coach, honestly. He is doing some stupid things, but like Tony I think there is an agenda behind it. My thinking they will turn things around goes more to the staff as a whole, and their ability to recruit. You can disagree, that’s fine. But, that is what I expect will happen.
Walking into the lunch room and calling out the baddest dude would be challenging him to a fair fight, not accusing him of cheating (when you are the one cheating).
Also, calling out the baddest dude in school might show you have balls, but you might just get them kicked in the dirt!
no jokes here gatorzone, where were y’all supposed to end up last year about 14th if i remember, trust me on this one, that is about where you want to be in august/sept..gators will be a number 1 or 2 at the start of the season,which is okay with me…there’s 2 teams that have ALOT to prove this year and uga and texas are them…but go ahead and step on out there and say we’ll be seeing a rematch of fla/ou..thats what everyone else will say, and how bold is that??need i say, dare to be different,dare to be different
Fair enough. Remember that he was only USC’s offensive coordinator for one year. That’s it. He had the benefit of two Heisman trophy winners, what in my opinion was one of the best college offensive lines I have ever seen, and an absolutely laughable Pac 10 schedule. Alot of offensive coordinators would look like geniuses under those circumstances. And if I remember correctly Kiffin still managed to have his fair share of critics despite the record breaking numbers that his offense was putting up. I just think the guy is all smoke and mirrors and a total fraud. I guess we’ll see.
I’m so sick of hearing people say that Nick Saban should have told recruits about the letter. Would you do that? What is he supposed to tell them? We may or may not get in trouble. Be real here. Who in their right mind would tell a top prospect, we want you but we might be on probation. More than likely that’s what will happen and that’s not the same as sanctions. Just means that Alabama has to stay clean. Saban has proven to be very swift in making sure he takes care of those matters as soon as they’re found out. If he was going to cheat, I think you would have seen Andre Smith in New Orleans. The program is bigger than one person. Additionally, the NCAA cleared these guys to play in 2007. Why go back to it now? I’m so worn out with everyone saying Alabama cheats. There are things that go on at every school and you see them get investigated as they start getting better. I’m the first to admit we got in trouble b/c we did wrong but we really just got caught doing what most all schools do.
“They kind of had a plan for him to finish up the year as far as eligibility and schoolwork and behavior,” Turner said. “He’s kind of gotten off track there, and I think they felt it was best to give him an unconditional release and let him kind of decide what he wants to do.”
Turner said he was unsure whether the university made the decision or if it was made independently by the football program. Turner said Moody had no legal issues that were a factor.
“I think there’s some disappointment there, but he’s a senior in high school, and when they give you a plan to follow and you don’t follow it, you kind of reap what you sow,” Turner said.
Turner said Georgia had a weekly plan for Moody to follow in hopes of showing progress academically.
“It had to do with grades and test taking,” Turner said. “I just don’t think he was following the plan that was set up for him.”
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Moody played in the Under Armour All-American game and was rated No. 101 on the ESPNU150 rankings.
Moody also considered Florida and LSU.
“I’m sure there will be other folks interested,” Turner said.
No, I do not make predictions so I could not begin to pretend to have the foresight about the National Championship. I will leave that up to you DAWG fans! Do I hear another preseason national championship out there? You guys never seem to learn!
You are wrong on Kiffin. He’s not ready for prime time. You left out a couple of brouhahas. Remember he accused the people from Nukeese Richardson’s FL high school of dishonesty? That phone call you mention was on a speakerphone, overheard by his coach and by a teammate, who all verified the account word for word and reported it to the coaches at the USC. Mr. Kiffin seems to have a hard time telling the truth — at best, he certainly says things without thinking first. No way is this calculated and he will have a hot time this Fall.
Preseason national champions mean nothing. Just wait until Tebow turns it up a notch in November and wins another for the Gator Nation. He is the greatest player in NCAA history and will be a number one pick in the NFL. Trust me on that. I don’t pick national champions but I can see talent when I see it. And Tim is the best. You Dawg fans can blow it out of your preverbial ears. LOL!
I do, however, appreciate his keeping litigators busy in this economy:
Kiffin to give deposition
Former Raiders Coach Lane Kiffin will give a deposition Monday in his grievance against the Team. Kiffin was fired in September for cause after what Owner Al Davis described as acts of insubordination and lying. Kiffin field a grievance and is seeking two months pay for the time he was unemployed before being hired by the University of Tennessee.
Anyone questioning Kiffin’s impact to energize the Vol nation should ask: Did Auburn University hire a head coach yet? Time will tell which has the better strategy.
While I disagree that Tebow is the greatest player in NCAA history, he is indeed special and may be the best of this decade. However, given all that, he unfortunately falls into the “hybrid” category as far as translating his skills to the NFL. While he could do a lot of different things well (throwing, blocking, receiving, running) at the pro level, I don’t see him doing any one thing well enough to be a top pick. The team that takes him will have to be creative and will probably try to either convert him to a different position or keep him on the depth chart as a backup qb and put some so called “wild cat” plays into the gameplan to exploit his talents. Either, I admire his skill and determination he brings to the table and wish him the best. He has the kind of attitude every coach wants from a team leader.
I can’t really see the FSU situation being accurately compared to Georgia Techs’. Unfortunately our case will probably be used as precedent to get FSU out of their troubles. To me it seems silly though. Georgia Tech had 11 people be academically ineligible for games and from what I’ve heard it was because the Tech administration didn’t teach people what on track to graduate was for the NCAA. This is quite different from 61 people cheating on a test. Another thing, when Tech went to appeal its game forfeit punishment (not vacate) it had already charged itself with 6 scholarships for the upcoming recruiting class and was charged 12 more for the next 2 years by the NCAA. I think FSU is going to lose 6 scholarships over the next THREE YEARS! If FSU wins their appeal they will get very little punishment for a serious offense or as Mr. Barnhart put it “there is breaking the rules and then there’s cheating”. Let us also not forget, as it surely will be, that this appeal isn’t about keeping Bobby Bowdens’ wins. This is about keeping the victories for every sport these players participated in.
I think those noles should be happy that their athletic programs didn’t get their future hopes kicked in the nuts with excessive scholarship loss or with bowl banning and take the hit to their damn record books. If their head football coach was anyone but Bobby Bowden or Joe Paterno, there would be no controversy, no news, and no appeal.
I think college sports would be so much better if we didnt allow ANYONE in the college that wasnt smart enough to be there in the first place!!
No more football players with 600 SAT scores that have the IQ of a 8th grader. No more blacks that are so dumb thed do a armed robbery $20 bucks while risking a scholarship worth BIG $$. (The guy from college park that went to Univ of AL) But what do you expect from a young black from college park, or decatur or clayton for that matter……. when its a 50/50 chance if your getting a future criminal or not?
Bryce Brown, in my opinion, is not the best player in the nation. Just because he beat up a bunch of high school defenses in KANSAS, doesn’t carry any merit. Since when did Kansas have relevant high school football. Now if he played football in the Great state of Georgia or Florida, and accomplished what he did, then I would give him credit. He’s average @ best!
I’m not sure I understand your point about young black men having a 50/50 chance of being a future criminal? Nobody automatically has a 50/50 chance of being a criminal unless they make the conscious decision to be a criminal. The kid that went to Bama Jeremy Elder from college park. Yeah, he was incredibly dumb but apparently he made a high enough act score and had a high enough high school gpa to qualify for sec football. But nobody quite knows exactly what a kid is made of when they are only 18. I am glad we got rid of a bad apple though in Elder. He decided to throw away a free college education to hold up 2 students for all of $20. Unfreakingbelievable. Imbeciles like him do not deserve a shot. Also glad to see Mark Richt rescind a schollie to the dexter moody kid based on this kid’s poor behavior. Its hard to find all the behavioral issues with people that are only 18 years old but the head coaches in the sec do the best they can. Its just that sometimes you have know way of knowing a kid is a thug until after he’s aleady graduated high school. Oh well.
LSU-
Again…lying and making things up to suit your argument. The players DID NOT sell any of the textbooks. They got extra books and materials and gave them to a couple of friends. This is documented. Read the transcript of what was sent to the NCAA. Or, just keep making stuff up since you STILL can’t get over the fact that Saban isn’t your coach anymore.
I disagree with Tony on Kiffin. He does not seem very smart and his behavior is erratic. Of course, he had to impress someone to get a job at an SEC school. I look for him to sign dexter Moody later this week. Can you say Hal Mumme?
Lswho Fan. You have said twice that the nzaa will come down on bama hard because it is taking such a long time in their ruling. Did you not read the article? Tony said that the ruling takes 4 to 6 weeks. Do the math, you’ll get there.
I find it ironic that the guy complaining about the description of academic cheating at tech is calling himself “GTLie” followed by “BS”. Also, I don’t know what the deal with BravesFan is but bama12titles has a point – no one is born with half a chance of ending up in jail. It’s a conscious decision they have to make and I wouldn’t for a minute not recruit a kid just because of the area that he’s from. If he’s had behavior or criminal issues already in high school, that’s a different story but you can’t penalize somebody for where they’re born without giving them a chance to prove themselves first. I would imagine that that’s an obvious conclusion reached by 90% of the people posting here so I’m left with the impression that BV’s just trying to stir up trouble.
I do not believe that there is anything to the Bama textbook story because I know for a fact that I had both of the campuses’ textbooks checked out during the time in question. Those kids have never seen a textbook.
Bama needs to cool it. They do have a 2 game losing streak going.
The 11 other SEC schools are going to love Lame Kiffin more than Tennessee will. His mouth writes checks his team will not be able to cash. I hear Lame is installing a stripper pole for Ed Orgeron & the rest of his asst coaches.
Most NFL coaches fail when moving to college, and most college coaches fail when moving to the NFL. Lame will end up failing at both. It will be fun to watch. Hope they are on TV a lot and go for a 75 yard field goal.
Vol fans don’t realize that publicity is not necessarily a good thing. Lame might as well be painting bulls eyes on the back of his players’ jerseys. This Fall will be fun to watch.
How long before Bryce Brown implodes and takes Tennessee with him? If his “advisor” screws up and becomes his “agent” then it will get uglier than a Georgia Tech coed.
This year’s best new coach in the SEC is the guy at Miss State. Former Gator offensive coordinator, good recruiter, X’s and O’s guy, understands NCAA regs, and is smart enough to lay low preparing for the season.
The second best new coach this year is the Gene guy from whereever. Not too impressive a resume, but I’ve got a feeling he is putting in his own system and will have a system, a gameplan, and be ready to compete.
The third best new coach this year is obviously The Kitten. Neyland Stadium will be The Litter Box by Dec 1st. Lotsa poop to scoop.
I think a 6th item for your column might be Houston Nutt at Ole Miss. They might get to their first SEC championship game this year. They won 10 games & the Cotton Bowl last year and should be better this year. I wonder how that makes our Arkansas friends feel?
Think Arkansas pulled the trigger on Nutt a little too soon? Think Arkansas should have looked around a little more before trying to save face and quickly naming Petino? I do.
Does UF go to Oxford this year for a rematch? If so it should be a good game.
Fishtales,
$1600 worth of books to a couple of friends—no money exchanged—-just friends that really liked to study—-problem is “friends” said they paid for the books. You just go on believing whatever you wish if it makes you feel better. NCAA is frequently lenient but not particularly known for being stupid. The friends were either complicit in fraud and theft or they paid for the books. If you sell or give away $1600 worth of anything that you obtained fraudulently, it is a big problem if you are caught. Aw shucks, it was only 4 or 5 players and only around $2000 apparently makes you feel okay. I suspect that when a team is on probation, “aw shucks” is not an acceptable answer to the NCAA. Who knows, maybe Bama can argue that 4 or 5 players does not constitute a systemic issue. Since this was fraud, were the players suspended from school?
To hell with all that stuff. I can’t find a place to ask this question, so I’ll try here: what is wrong with the Ga. Tech beat writer who seemingly cannot be energized to write about the football program and/or spring practice? There are Tech issues at play here: special teams, on both sides of the ball, on all teams; replacing the defensive line, and more importantly, getting a passing game in place because without it, Tech cannot compete with the big guys. Ain’t gotta be 40 passes a game,but it has to be an effective 16-18 passes a game to keep teams from putting nine guys in the box, as LSU did. If the Tech writer can’t cut it, find somebody who can.
LSU-
See above…the books actually had to be turned back in. Friends did NOT say they paid for the books. Do you really just keep making up stories as you go along? Did you talk to any of these “friends”? If not, then you got your information the same way I did and NOWHERE does it say any money exchanged hands. Now was this textbook thing acceptable? No…but all the players were suspended until the NCAA told them they could come back. No competitive advantage was gained by anyone on the field or in the classroom. And, if Bama had not SELF-REPORTED this…it’s likely no one…including the UA Administration would have ever found out about this. Should Bama be punished? Probably a little slap but get real with your doom and gloom scenario. Or just keep twisting everything around if it makes YOU feel better.
Sharecropper – you have to understand that it’s pollen season and most people who follow tech football have terrible sinus problems. I agree with you though – tech has issues.
Speaking of Lame Kiffin, I am reminded of one of my all time favorite sports jokes:
Did you hear about the 7 prisoners who escaped from the Maryland State Penitentiary? Two were caught in Pennsylvania, two were caught in West Virginia, and three were signed by Fran Curci at Kentucky.
I dunno about yall, but i personally spent YEARS working apt complexes throught College Park, South Atlanta, Clayton, Decatur, as well as the heavily mexican areas like Buford Hwy.
If you dont think the #’s are at least 50/50 from young men in these areas, then just take a drive down Joseph E Lowery Blvd and notice all the gang members standing around. And yes i recognize Bloods when i see them. And theres alot!
Overall in America, 1 in 3 black men has a criminal history. In these areas, its more like 2 out of 3.
Knowing areas like college park very well, i was not surprised at all about what happened at AL with the robbery. That kids mindset will probably never change.
Only thing I know about Asher Allen is that he does no wrap when he “tackles.” Neither do the other 10 guys on defense. They think if they just bump the ballcarriers hard enough that they will fall down. It didn’t work against an inferior Tech team. Any time your team scores 42 points it should win. Hope Coach Richt has his players practice “tackling” this year.
Excellent first column back! Good information, sold writing. Thank you.
I agree with you completely about Lane Kiffin. He’s crazy like a fox. Bradley mocked me for calling Tennessee’s program “moribund”. But it’s clear that Kiffin wants to shake things up and he’s modeling himself after Pete Carroll. He wants to duplicate the almost manic excitement that players have in the USC program.
And I also agree that it will all be for naught if he doesn’t win. I think he’ll be respectable in his first year. But as a Vol alum pointed out to me, Kiffin didn’t recruit a top QB. So he’s at least three years away from competing for an SEC title, I would think. Then again, Alabama didn’t have a QB either, last year. So who knows?
Regardless, I’m excited to see Kiffin come in and twit the dour, grim men who run the SEC these days. More power to him!
Tony,
Welcome back! I received your book as a Christmas present. It was thoroughly entertaining and I enjoyed reminiscing about some of the great players and games in the 60s and 70s.
NCAA investigations are like looking at an iceberg. You only see 20%. I don’t think the Bama thing is a big deal, but the FSU scandal looks pretty serious. It will be interesting to see if the former Lt.Col, who is the AD will make heads roll. I have always been a Bowden fan, but his time to go has finally come.
Are you going to be on the southside of Atlanta for a book signing anytime soon?
You don’t sound like someone that probably went to college anytime recently if at all. $1600 is nothing when you are talking about textbooks.Its not unusual for one textbook to cost $100-$150.
Add to that the fact that half of that amount in question went for books that the students and the bookstore thought the student was entitled to receive because the professor recommended the books even though they weren’t required. Its like taking an English Lit course and the professor recommends that you purchase the book Moby Dick but he doesn’t require it. Believe it or not the NCAA does not allow student athletes to get the course materials recommended by instructors. They are allowed to get the “required” books only. You would think the ncaa would want kids to be given every opportunity to learn but apparently this is not the case.
So there was a little confusion and half the problem was student athletes getting materials that were recommended but not required. This is unintentional and is a 2ndary infraction. Perhaps you should actually READ about what actually happened before you go spouting off at the mouth and accusing other programs of intentional cheating.
It remains to be seen, but so far the best thing about Lane Kiffin BY FAR is his wife Layla (who is, by the way, Coach John Reaves’ daughter, which makes his ripping Steve Spurrier all the more interesting). Kiffin may be announcing his presence to the league bullies by getting in their collective faces, but he’d better back it up with a few wins. Otherwise, he’s just digging his own professional grave.
It’s just a matter of time before Bama gets put back on probation. The combination of rabid Tide fans and Nick Saban does not bode well for maintenance of NCAA compliance.
Tom: Moody was not making academic progress, and there were behavioral issues, as well. He was a loose cannon. A great athlete, but a program liability. Not the kind of player Richt needed after the off-the-field incidents of last season. He’ll probably be an All-American at Arkansas or Troy.
Atlanta Jackets: Your tongue is so firmly planted in your cheek that you’re talking funny. “A more polished AJ Green with good hands?” Give me a break. And the whole “Tech fans” thing is amusing. There are more Georgia fans in Appharetta than there are Tech fans in Georgia.
Tony, what can you tell me about Orgeron’s nipple rings?? I hear that he really excited some young kids at the Tennessee Junior Day. There is something about adult males stripping down to their pants in the presence of teenagers that really excites me. You have any facts for us??
It almost sounds like you made a disparaging remark about Nick Saban having compliance problems with the ncaa. But surely you know that in all of his head coaching stints at Toledo, Michigan State, Lsu, and now Alabama. none of his previous programs were ever levied with even one major violation to my knowledge. Surely you do know that of course don’t you? I mean if you are going to insinuate him being a cheater of course you would have some data to back it up wouldn’t you? Speaking of cheating Alabama has had 2 major infractions cases with the ncaa in its history. Georgia has had 6 major cases brought against it by the ncaa(tied with auburn and several other schools for 3rd most). I deal in facts, not hyperbole. And those facts come straight from the ncaa so before you go criticizing Bama do some research on ncaa infractions cases against your own program smart guy.
Bravesfan79, Sadly, You may be right on in those areas and with your #s. The 50/50 number sounds right in those areas Clayton, College Park,etc. and maybe even 2/3 as you state, especially if the overall rate is 1 in 3 have a criminal history which is a commonly known stat backed up by the judicial system. My only point is that these kids aren’t automatically born criminals. Each and everyone of them makes a conscious decision to either be a thug or not be a thug. Too bad so many of them make the decision to be a thug.
With both Bryce Brown and The Lame Kitten in Knoxville can a total Volunteer program meltdown not be far away? I give it 24 months max.
And I wonder how The Kitten’s deposition went today. Does he know it is a felony to lie on a deposition? If not he may be coaching on the UT sidelines in his big orange jail jumpsuit.
The latest I heard on the deposition is:
Former Raiders Coach Lane Kiffin will give a deposition Monday in his grievance against the Raiders. Kiffin was fired in September for cause after what Owner Al Davis described as acts of insubordination and lying. Kiffin filed a grievance and is seeking two months pay for the time he was unemployed before being hired by the University of Tennessee.
Tony. Thanks for the LARGE TYPE this morning for old people like myself I’m glad to have you back, but I must say there was absolutely nothing new in this column. It’s disappointing to wait for two months and read stuff that has all been widely reported elsewhere for weeks. I’m hoping for a better second column from Mr. CFB.
wxwax : When Kiffin took over Atop Rocky, all the top QB prospects were committed. He didn’t sign one because there wasn’t one out there left hanging he wanted…That is basically his sentiments on the matter.
BTW, with the signing of Bryce Brown, Kiffin has signed the #8 best 2009 class according to Scouts and #10 according to Rivals…Not bad for a guy who’s been on the job for less than 3 months. With RB’s Hardesty, Creer and Poole already in place, plus a guy named Oku coming in with Brown, well, maybe we’ll just direct snap all game long…
When does the Lindy’s and Athelon mags come out? I’m betting the Robot is on the cover. I beat it’s a pic of him scoring a touchdown on Georgia. How sweet is that? LOL! Nesbot is the best QB in the state… that includes Matt Ice Cream.
Lane Kiffin couldn’t carry Les Miles’ jock. Not even on the same planet as far as coaching acumen. Lane Kiffin will never win a NC, much less the SEC. Tony, name one successful coach in the past 50+ years who was successful when following a legend.
Look people, Lane Kiffin is playing the game with teenagers and it appears he is winning. His antics are making headlines on the ajc.com and ESPN. He just signed the nation’s #1 high school player. He does not need your adult approval. He only needs the approval of those teenagers. Oh and have you looked at his coaching staff? There are plently of proven assistants on his staff to run his Os, Ds, and Special Ts. Tennessee may be average in 2009 but they will be very good once Kiffin and Company fill the program with the nation’s best players. Count on it.
I would dearly love to see ESPN/ABC take the Fox BCS broadcast. The coverage is borderline tragic using analysts normally associated with the pro game. I’m assuming that no matter who has it the current format of four games spread out over seven/eight days would never change?
Knoxville will get what they deserve with this kid, Bryce Brown and his “advisor”. Georgia will have far better results with Marlon Brown and his God fearing Grandmother.
I hope Tubberville and Fulmer both find suitable programs, just not in the SEC. Those 2 can coach. West Opelika and Knoxville didn’t deserve them.
As for Fox, I have not liked the way they televised the BCS games that past few years. ABC/ESPN do a much better job.
If the Mountain West wants an automatic Bid, give them the Big 10’s. Seriously, they are not that strong top to bottom. They have gotten teams in when they had teams worthy of getting in. So, as much as I hate to say it, the system has worked for them. It just doesn’t work for the fans or the players that deserve a legitimate champion.
Valdosta-Mike – I like your idea of giving the B10’s automatic bid to the MTN WEST – very clever.
However, I would like to do away with any and all automatic bids – and give them to the top 10 ranked teams – regardless of conference affiliation.
If you have three Big 12 teams in the top 10 – than all three should play in the BCS.
At any rate, I seriously doubt UGA fans will have to worry about the BCS for years to come. Your program peaked – and Lane Kiffin just might get his first signiture win this fall in Knoxville against a certain mentally and physically soft team . . that wears red and black. If not this year – Tennessee will pass UGA in 2010.
I clicked on AJC “sports” this morning expecting to see a headline “Vols sign nations top prospect” but not a sign of it until I saw this col. One would think, with Atlanta having Vols top Big Orange club outside of Knoxville, there would be at least a hint of the news.
Yeah ValMikey, Brown will give someone “trouble” allright, probably the bulldogs defense! Sore loser!!!
Interesting you say that, Bama Stan. Apparently the idiot senior writers at ESPN disagree with you. Just read an article that lists the top 10 programs that have the best chance to win a National Championship in the next 5 years. Your Tide is #1. My dawgs are #4. We’re far from peaking.
My understanding that Tuberville was essentially run off by Bob Lowder, the defacto president of Auburn. Lowder’s banking empire has crashed, and he will probably not have the money and influence to be dictating Auburn’s academic and athletic policy in the future. Tuberville is a good coach and decent person. I hope that he finds continued success elsewhere. In spite of throwing large amounts of money around, Lowder has been a negative influence on Auburn for over 30 years.
Mutt fans have been whining for weeks about the coverage given the Tennessee Volunteers. They seem to think the ajc.com is just a local rag. Not so. The entire SEC reads the ajc.com (the photos are for Bama fans).
UGA has NFL talent at every position. Quit whining.
My sources tell me that if the Tech D struggles this year Tuberville may take the DC position. That would be a smart move to resurrect his career. You can always use a national championship run to thrust you back into the spotlight.
If Brown runs for 1500 yards a year, nobody will care how he got there.
Tubbs will be coaching again in 2010. However, I can’t imagine Fulmer in anything but that orange. If he went to KState or Washington we could call him the Great Grape, Grape Ape, etc.
Pleas, Please, PLEASE let Fox drop the BCS. They detract from the most exciting time of the year. You gotta think Herbie will be doing the Rose Bowl this year.
More than even the Fox BCS crew, I wish that bammastan kid would just go away. I don’t mind the 31-0 at the half, it’s the other stuff that is “nails on a chalk board”. He is like the captain of the chess team, math team and physics club sharing insights on the art of picking up women. Not trying to be rude, just the impression I get.
Getting Mr Brown to play for the vols is a feather in the cap of Lane Kiffin, but we will see if the NCAA
will do anything about it! Probably nothing but they will make Bama bend over and kiss their ring and
say I WILL NOT CHEAT,I WILL NOT CHEAT AGAIN!! I hope ESPN get’s the 2010 national title game,FOX is terrible with college football and great with pro football and nascar!! ROLL TIDE GO BAMA!!
Tony I seem to remember that the “big 12″ itself
voted to have any ties for conference champ decided
by BCS standings so Texas complaints should be to
big 12 not to BCS (if my memory is correct). Welcome
back. (
The BCS does need to be addressed, but congress needs to spend more time correcting their errors in judgement and corruption of both parties that have led to the loss of Americans jobs, plunging retirement accounts, high cost of medical treatment and drugs, etc. rather than worry about the BCS.
Mack should stop crying. OU lost a close game to Texas and Stoops probably should not have gone for that 4th down. The only blowout in the 3 way tie was OU over Tx Tech. OU wins the tie breaker on BCS ranking. But if OU played in the SEC then Texas goes unless Texas Tech stayed close enough to force a BCS tie breaker and thus punishing a better team for clearly winning. The SEC should adopt the Big 12 system.
I am not sure Dawg Fans are begrudging the coverage other teams get, but wanting to hear more about ours too. I for one am glad my coach makes news for starting All Pro dads in college and adopting special needs children versus ripping his shirt off in front of adolescent boys. I also think Alabama has a pretty good team and have no idea why their fans are so insecure about it. Oh wait, nevermind. Utah. Got it.
I do think Fox bungled the coverage, but football coverage in general has been pretty bad recently. Like Collinsworth the “analyst” giving his opinions versus analysis. I for one don’t need the canned storylines and excitement.
We all realize the system needs to be changed and good for the Mountain West. Coaches need to stop participating-they already state they can’t do it well because of the other time commitments. Also not sure how much of a stretch it is to say too very good winning coaches may coach in 2010.
The complete IDIOCY of college football is not having a playoff system. Eventually, there will be a playoff, and everyone will look back at the BCS as the dumbest idea in history. Having the BCS, which is supported by idiot writers like Tony Barnyard, is like having Chan Gailey as a coach…permanently. GET RID OF THE BCS. Establish a 16-team playoff and let college football take its rightful place as the greatesst sport ever. You see what getting rid of Chan Gailey did for Tech.
Bama Stans predictions are funny-I think he is 0 for a 100-UGA is stockpiling great players at a alarming rate.The most important thing is coaching staff also in tact and looks like it will remain that way.Tennesee heading for probation soon worse than Alabama of 2002-so again Alabama Stan is wrong again Tennesee will not pass UGA.Florida is a problem and have only beaten them twice lately but not many teams have beat them either.Gators just happen to be in our side of the division.UGA could be a top 5 team and not even when our side of the division.The last prediction Bama Stan made was a Tide victory in the sugar bowl last year and we all know how that turned out.If that was my teams last game of the season a smart person would lay low and hope time heals and people forget.That was the most embarrasing bowl game for people of the south.Thanks Bama Stan for embarrasing the SEC.
You embarrass other Bama fans I know every time you write something on here. You really need to go another route.
Facts are that Richt knows he underachieved and the expectations were too high. Facts are that he has won over 80 games in 8 years and 2 SEC titles. Facts are that you are not enough of an expert to dispute anything he has done.
The facts are also that Bama embarrassed themselves and the SEC by losing to Utah. You have now opened the floodgates where the smaller conferences want a piece of the big pie. Congratulations.
Leave it up to the winners like UGA to take care of the small-time schools like 56-14 vs Boise State in 2005.
DawgGirl32, make sure you notice that ESPN specifically excluded all schools that had won a National Championship in the past decade (or two, as the case may be…). They weren’t saying Georgia had the 4th best chance to win a championship, just that it had the 4th best chance to move up to the elite group that is already winning championships.
Is Bama Stan an Alabama fan or a TN fan posing as one? Either way, he’s not the brightest tool in the shed. People have been predicting UGA’s demise ever since 2002. First, Mark Richt was another Brad Scott. Then 2002 was a fluke. Then 2003 was supposed to be the end with all those injuries. then 2004 was surely the end with the Davids leaving. 2005 and a 2nd SEC title was just a product of a weak schedule. 2006 was supposedly a “bust” even though UGA was the only team to defeat 3 ranked teams in a row all year long to close the season. 2007 was luck and hype because of the blackout. And 2008 was supposed to be a monumental failure, though UGA finished 13th in an injury plagued year, and 10th in the Coaches’ poll. So Bama Stan, what’s it going to be this year?
Do you think BamaStan and Roswell Ed are brothers? That is a insult to BamaStan, but really
Stan lay off the dawg fans because I am fan of the crimson tide and dawgs also and 31-0 was
funny in the beginning, but it is getting old buddy!! GO BAMA ROLL TIDE
Tony there are no virgins pole dancing at the stripe joint, and any 18 year old kid having to deal with a Saban or most of these high paid college coaches need a couple of advisors. Wall Street looks like choirboys compared to these pirates, but very much like Wall Street and sausage we might not like the way it is made but we like the product. Reporters tickle me, the success of college football depends on these back alley deal makers and the success of the reporter depends on the success of the sport, it is how the sport evolved, yet like total gentleman at a dog fight they act above it all. I think the sooner we cut the crap about this being for the good of the kid or the school and tell it like it is a Las Vegas type operation, so take the gloves off, the better the sport is going to be. The public either accepts the transparency or makes changes to the game like putting these coaches back in the money bracket their character indicates they belong. Dick Vital does the same in basketball. He makes bums like Knight look like saints. These guys would kill their grandmothers for a win and think this whole thing is about them. Most of these head coaches couldn’t even play the game themselves which explains the mental illness of winning at all cost. I think that is the source of the hate many have in Spurrier, he did play at a level he is asking his players to play and he points out the fraud of other participates that have hoodwinked the public. I think it makes the reporters be more honest, takes the control out of their hands to be the critic and makes the expert the actual doctor and not the nurse. Has there ever been a reporter that has ever become a coach that is going to be next. What’s the difference between a bench warmer and a reporter both are in the same observation post?
I love how contracts between teams, coaches and players can be tossed out the window in the blink of an eye, yet the BCS contract is more solid than The Great Wall of China.
Mack Brown has two issues he is dealing with. The Big 12 did indeed make its own rule about using the BCS to break three-way ties. The SEC, however, has an additional clause that if two of the three times are ranked close to together (like 2 and 3) and the other is a distant third (like 9), the head to head matchup becomes the final tiebreaker. Had the SEC’s rule be in effect, Texas would have gone to the Big 12 championship game. So Oklahoma got in fair and square based on the rules. But don’t be surprised if the rule changes in the Big 12 and they adopt the SEC model.
The other issue Brown has is simply with the numbers crunching and how his team could finish behind Oklahoma with the same record, a head to head win, and a loss on the road (to Texas Tech) with one second left. The answer is that Oklahoma’s non-conference schedule included TCU and Cincinnati, which were No. 11 and No. 13 in the BCS standings of Nov. 30, which decided the queston.
As I understand the Mac Brown’s issues last season, his objections need to be focused on the *Big 12’s* rules using the BCS to resolve an intra-divisional tie, not the BCS itself.
Hey “Bama Stain” ….. Talk about a soft football team.. where was your team during its bowl game this year. Bama’s going down in 09′ and you’ll be crying and pointing fingers at everybody….with no proven quarterback and running back, loss of key players in both lines, two coaches leaving,plus rumor has it that Jolio Jones is flunking out, I see Bama losing at least 4 games….you’ll be looking up at LSU and Ole Miss……and wishing you had as much talent stocked up as Georgia does. Go back to your trailer….
Meanwhile, Coach Curry is quietly building a powerhouse in downtown. No one talks about it but its coming. One day soon, Georgia State will start stealing recruits from the mutts (not Tech as we recruit a higher level of student). No one wants to admit it!
I wonder how much longer Dog fans will put up with underperforming CMR. SEC championships are great but last year was to be the year, and it was a flop. The big MO is shifting north.
Mark, UGA fans were excited and hopeful. But as a long time fan the schedule, green OL, and injuries did not setup for a title run. In a playoff I would take the ‘07 team to win it all. I didn’t expect UGA to finish #1 last year and know many fans the feel the same way. IMO the team UGA is fielding this year has a better chance.
Give Bama Stan a break. Georgia beat Alabama something like 4 times in a row before last season. We ripped their hearts out in Tuscaloosa in OT two years ago. Also broke their hearts with a late field goal in ‘02. We’ve had a much better decade so far. You know all of that stuck in Bama Stan’s craw. So now he’s getting a little revenge. Let him. After all, they did have us down 31-0 at half – if our team isn’t going to show up for a game (sort of like Bama not showing up for Utah), can’t blame another team’s fans for giving us grief about it.
Besides, next time Georgia beats Bama, guess who will disappear from this board?
My only comment to your article is that I hope politicians do not attempt to get involved in the BCS. This includes Obama.
Stay out of sports! Its the fans game and you people need to pay your taxes like me and stop being so corrupt.
Gatorzone I’m sure they would. You can’t deny UGA would be hot going into a playoff if they had one as many people want. I have no complaints and would cast a vote to keep the BCS system the same even with that thought.
On a serious note, I think that the recruitment of Bryce Brown is insane. The kid delayed signing just so he could miss spring practices. Like the vet that holds out in training camp because he doesn’t want to join 2 a days (a great MTV show!). Bryce held out to avoid getting sweaty. Pathetic.
Tony, you know those rap artist/advisers will be the new thing for college football. Too bad Jabari Davis didn’t have one to guide his career. I have always said that you can’t complain about polls, rankings etc if you lose a game. So shut up Mack. It was your conference rules that dictated the stay home. Mack, really just shut up.
Just give the Mtn West Notre Dame’s spot in the BCS they never use it anymore. Just keep congress out of the BCS. There are enougn bozos involved. Besides congress is busy giving money away to worthless causes, AIG. I could start a TV station tomorrow and do a better job of hosting the BCS than FoxSports. I almost had to turn the TV off during those games. The announcing was horrendous. Everybody keeps saying that Tuberville needs to resurrect his career. He was a very good coach when Lowder fired him. He still is and will end up probably at an ACC school.
Regarding the coaches, I wonder if Tuberville won’t end up at Texas A&M if Mike Sherman has another disastrous season? I also wonder if Tuberville still has the fire in his belly? It sure looked like the game had left him behind the last couple of years at Auburn. Same with Fulmer. Did these gentlemen lose their appetite for recruiting?
With regard to UGA, Coach Richt is a lucky man this off-season. Under normal conditions, fans would be roasting him and his staff for last year’s disappointing performance. And while to some degree they have, it’s been muted?
Why? A gift from the gods, that’s why. Other schools tried to raid UGA’s coaching staff. Nothing like an outside threat to make everyone circle the wagons and give thanks for what they have. So instead of looking for change or progress, UGA fans are delirious that the status quo has been maintained.
Zoo I agree too. Tubbs will be back I firmly believe he wanted to be fired from Auburn after Franklin did not workout and the season went downhill. It would not surprise me in the least if shows up in the ACC or at Arkansas. I disagree that Auburn will be sorry for letting him go. Auburn should be sorry for pressuring for the firing of Borges.
BamaStan and the bama faithful must have forgotten the Tide football team has a 2 game losing streak going. Perhaps they should show a little restraint. Thought I saw Saban coming out of Tattletales last night.
UT and AU will both regret running off their coaches for what they got to replace them. It just got easier for the other 10 SEC schools.
Just think if those two shools had hired Butch Davis and Tom O’Brian instead like UNC and NCS did. Duke’s David Cutcliff also would have been better than what they hired.
Arkansas suffered when it lost Houston Nutt to Mississippi and the Rebels won 10 and the Cotton Bowl. That would have NEVER happened if Ed Orgeron were still the Rebels coach. And they would have never beat the Gators.
Arkansas stayed home with Rick Petrino (the meet me at the airport quitter) for the holidays.
The new Miss State coach was the smartest of the new hires for SEC football coaches. UT & AU will have a bidding war for him in about 2 years.
Come to think of it, isn’t it strange to realize that Vanderbilt and Kentucky now have better coaches than UT and AU?
Even Steve Spurrier is licking his chops over UT. Time to give those UTwildboysz a wupping.
Meyer, Richt, Saban, and Miles have it together and should all have great years. You don’t have to win them all and a NC to have a great team and a great season regardless of what mindless bloggers and sportswriters say.
I hate the BCS. It is time to dump it. It is meaningless. Just go back to the old process of rewarding great football teams with great bowl games and quit pretending to have a national champion. The NCAA does not recognize it anyway.
A playoff system will still leave teams out that think they deserve a shot. It reminds me too much of hoovering parents “organizing” kids baseball games and all the crap that goes with it. Just let the kids play.
Me Thinks BamaStan and Roswell Ed and Ramble On are one in the same.
Tony
I think Mack Brown is an outstanding coach but, in his quest for a higher ranking, he leaves out the only solution that gets his program a higher ranking. And that’s a win over Texas Tech.
Tuberville may want to sit tight for a while. The Clemson job will probably be available in about two years! Tigers and orange-hard to resist that combo! But, orange and purple? Ugh! Orange and green may suit him better, however, and the weather is much nicer down there! And, Bama Stan, your opening score thing is getting old, as one of your Bama buddies pointed out. And we are surely glad to have your input about the UGA program-now we know where we stack up with the SEC, and UT in particular. Your insight is truly a thing of wonder!
It’s funny that UGA fans dump on me as I have a different opinion. I am alarmed that posters don’t tell the truth – at least I call it as I see it and back it up with facts.
1. I did predict a win over Utah – but stated that this game scared me because getting beat by Florida was a huge BuzzKill. And playing Utah, instead of an Ohio State or a Texas was also a huge BUZZKILL. I also stated that Utah had everything to gain. Congrats to UTAH…. and yes, we embarrassed the SEC – much like UGA did when they played West Virginia!!!!
2. My predictions about UGA’s demise are fact base – your defense seems to get worse each year. And in 2009 – Cox is no DJ Shockley – Cox = Greg Talley. This is no slight to Greg Talley. Talley was a very good leader and very smart – but average arm strength, slow, and not tall…..sound familiar???
3. Saban, Meyer and Myles have won NT as SEC head coaches in recent years. Even when Spurrier won his NT – their focus and attitude was one of national scope – not regional. These coaches are playing to win a NT – that is their goal. Winning the SEC is an honor to pick up along the way.
Now compare to Coach Mark Richt. Richt states his goal is to TRY and win the SEC East – and if that happens – try to win the SEC – and then see if they can get to the NT game from there.
SEE the DIFFERENCE???? SEE the EXPECTATION LEVELS????
I have stated that Coach Richt is a very good coach – and a very good recruiter – but he is not a DRIVER – does not have the EGO that it takes to win the NT.
4. Tennessee and Lane Kiffin – hope he falls on his tail. But he assembled a very good staff and now has a top 10 recruiting class. Lane Kiffin is providing the atmosphere that is firing up young players that like to have a swagger – kind of like Miami in the hate Miami years. Also, since he has taken over – no facial hair, no hats inside, 5:30AM conditioning, mandatory class room attendance. While he is acting like a clown for the media – he has installed some very strict discipline standards – which will pay off.
Kiffin could care less about UGA, SC, Bama or Florida – nor should he – it is all about making headlines for Tennessee – putting it back on the map – and look at what he has done – without so much as coaching a game….. and yet landed a top 10 class. Kiffin in interested in winning National Titles – and SEC titles along the way. That is the EXPECTATION he is installing at UT.
Tennessee will have attititude and be mentally tough – and that is why I predict that UT will pass UGA in 2010 – and may win in Knoxville in 2009. Hate to say it – being a BAMA fan – but I am calling it as I see it – and who knows – I could be wrong.
So there you have it UGA fans. Bama, Florida, LSU and potentially Tennessee will push UGA back to their TRADITIONAL 5th slot in the SEC. UGA, OLE Miss, Auburn, currently Tennessee and even South Carolina are in the “PACK”.
Speaking of South Carolina – they beat UGA in Athens last time they played. Out played UGA last year and the Dogs hung on to win. It will be another absolute war in Athens this year – and would not be surprised if SC wins yet another UGLY UGLY UGLY game that this series is known for.
Atlanta Jackets, so Curry is building a powerhouse in downtown Atlanta? I did not know that he and the Atlanta power brokers had agreed to do that construction thing you refer to. And Otto, you are right on, where has Curry ever built a powerhouse team? GT, UA,UK? Me thinks not at any of those stops, and one has to be delusional to think that he will do it at GA. State!
For Pete’s sake let it go with the 31-0 at the half routine and lay off the dawg fans. Other Bama fans like myself are tired of hearing about it. We’ve always prided ourselves on winning and losing with class. And its anything but classy to relentlessly rag someone over one game. Let it go dude! I’ve never understood your rants about the dawgs anyway. Most Bama fans pull for UGA in the east over Tennessee and Florida. UGA never was a big historical rival of ours anyway. As a Bama fan you ought to know we generally reserve our hatred for Auburn, Tennessee, and LSU to a lesser degree. What exactly is your problem with the dawgs?
Losing to the #1 and #2 teams in the final AP poll is a disgrace to the SEC????? Nice try mutts!!!! No proven RB???? What kinda gunja are you smoking???? Ingram had a very nice day running all downhill against the mutters!!! We will be practicing addition by subtraction at the QB spot this year, Macleroy will be a better starter than BAMABANGS Wilson!!!!! RTR!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE WILL PLAY IN THE DOME 2 TIMES AGAIN THIS YEAR!!!!!!!
Uhhhhhh, yeah Lane does need “adult” approval. Who do you think he answers to exactly? I’ll tell you. His AD. Who does his AD answer to? The high $$$ boosters, who are all adults!
SECFOOTBALLROCKS : But your take on Nutt don’t…Houston Nutt was going nowhere fast in Razorpigville and he knew it…and Orgeron may be best suited to OC. Time will tell, my laddy. This time next year, we’ll know a wee bit more than we surmise today…
Hey bama12 ….. thanks for trying to pull-in these insidious Tide fans that seem to hit many( many ) sites as corn-liquored-up as it gets. If they’re NOT liquored-up ….. well, God help ya.
To the OTHER fans ….. You just can’t stop living off a 31 – 0 halftime score at UGA ? How ’bout the UTES kicked some major TIDE BUTT in a Bowl Game, huh ?
You ” Bama ” fans that keep the yearly mantra of ” Nothins’ better n’ da Tide ” are pathetic. Bama bums ….. take a clue here …. attempt to show some CLASS . You’re getting top athletes …. your coach IS good, even though he’s a HUGE SOB….. half his staff hates working for him. Enjoy it while it’s here ….. he’ll probably be gone in 2 -3 yrs … check the track record. As the old saying goes … ” careful what ya wish for ….. ya may just get it “.
The Fox announcers are horrible because they don’t broadcast (or even watch) any college football all year until the very end. The most important games of the year should not be announced by the most ill-prepared crew.
Mr. Barnhart, although the Mountain West is a horrible conference, surely you understand Craig Thompson’s stance in regard to college football’s post season given that you have alluded to the issue of “constituency” in the past. May God take FOX from mankind and immediately replace it with ESPN!
bulldogmike…in defense of BAMA STAN what does it say for you leg humper’s when it only took LESS than a half of football for BAMA to whip ‘dem puppies IN THEY OWN BACKYARD!!! FOOL!!!
There is a lot of internet chatter about significant recruiting violations by certain Gadsden Bama boosters and a second letter of inquiry from the NCAA to Bama. Heard anything??? If true, how stupid can they be!!!!
TOny- Logan Gray is pure athlete at the QB position. Is Richt looking to get him into the game at QB some how? I’m assuming it’s Joe’s position to lose. If Richt had the balls to give Joe T. the reigns then he owes it to Joe Cox!!
[...] USA Today Coaches’ Poll. In a moment of admirable honesty, he explains the simple reason why: he doesn’t understand the BCS. In the offseason, Brown brought in several of the people who work on the BCS standings and tried to [...]
Matt,
I don’t see Logan Gray as a full time starter but as a guy who can be used in a “Wildcat package” for a change of pace. My sense is that the coaches have a lot of confidence in Cox. I just think there are a lot bigger issues at Georgia than quarterback.
Bryce Brown is the second coming of both Herschel Walker and Bo Jackson. And he’s about to stomp an orange hole through the SEC. Lane Kiffin is a better coach than Vince Dooley and Pat Dye combined. Brown on O and Berry on D, the Vols are gonna win the SEC!
Dawgs will be fine on offense. Yes DE is a concern, both if we do not tackle better this year, nobody will have to throw the ball against us. I do not know where it will come from, but I do expect the Dawg Defense to play with more violence this year.
Logan Gray is just too good of an athlete to keep off the field. You gotta believe Bobo is preparing a package for him. Vandy could be scary for a number of teams this year. Good for them as long as they don’t trip up my DAWGS. Both UGA and GT have to play at Vandy this year. Two years ago we escaped by the skin of our teeth.
TN is a mess. Crappy o-line with NO QB, repeat NO QB. They will have a tough time this year. FL will be good, again, but OK showed that if you stop the run and make Tebow beat you with his arm, things are different. Dawgs will surprise a few people. Cox is not Tereshinski, and definitely has the skill. Complaints on Cox was that he could not throw as long as Stafford, but who cares. We need accuracy and completions. Most of Staffords long throws were garbage and never connected.
FL will be brought down a notch or two next year. Tebow cannot play forever, and without him FL will not be the same team plus it will be interesting to see them this year without Harvin.
No matter what, the SEC is still the best most exciting conference in the country.
Florida in talent is the very best team easy in the SEC east or West. Georgia should come in 2nd place in the east behind the gators. Put the other teams in the east in a hat and pick 3-6 because
they all are average. Hope Vandy does well this season, Bobby Johnson is a real nice man and a real
good coach!!
The Gators will miss Percy Harvin more than anyone realizes. In big games, him and Tebow were the only ones who made plays. Rainey, Demps, Thompson, and James are cute, little, fast guys. They can make big impacts in the passing game and special teams. But, good teams shut those guys down. Harvin always was able to bust big play after big play in both the running and passing game. Those little backs broke huge runs against bad teams and when games were already decided. None of those backs scare me nearly as much as Harvin does.
Having said that, their offense will still be good. Tebow will still run the show and “will” them to victories when he has to. And, they won’t need their offense to be that good. Their defense may be one of the best college football has ever seen. They return just about everyone, but the loss of Torrey Davis will hurt them big time. I would expect them to win the SEC again.
Funny you don’t see Logan Gray as a full time starter, yet the UGA coaching staff does. This was the player of the year in Missouri coming out of high school. I personally watched him in the spring game last year and he has the talent to be an awesome QB. He may have stunted his QB growth by playing special teams last year. But, he is such a good athlete Richt wanted to put him on the field. he also wanted to do whatever helped the team win. Just because he is a good athlete, doesn’t mean he is not a good QB. He throws a pretty ball and I saw him laser in a 20-yd post to Mike Moore for a TD in last years G-Day game, in the rain.
Tony,
Does anyone know who might start at tight end for GA? I know we have the two freshman studs coming in. It seems like some time ago that we enjoyed a big athletic receiver with hands like Pope or Watson.
Florida’s scoring average will go down. But, it may not matter because of their defense. I still think they are the best team in the SEC, but they’re offense will take a step back.
I expect Bruce Figgins to start at TE if he is healthy. He can block and catch. Aron White and Orson Charles will see plenty of time though due to their abilities to create mismatches in the passing game. Arthur Lynch will have a harder time making the field then Orson, because he offers the same skill set as Figgins, and to a lesser extent Aron White. Aron White has gotten bigger and becoming more of a complete TE. He may end up being your starter, especially if Figgins isn’t healthy.
Figgins starts (if healthy), Aron White is the top backup, Orson will see plenty of time as a Flex/Receiving TE, Bryce Ros will be seldom used as a blcoking TE, and Arthur Lynch is on the outside looking in and will probably be redshirted.
My Dawgs will be better than last year, but will be 10-2 also this year. We need for 2-3 ’special” players to emerge on each side of the ball. I don’t think this year will be that year, But I like our young players, and I do feel the coach’s had an awful year last year and they know it. I think the team this year will be more intense, but I think we win 10 again. 2010 could be special, if we get one of these Freshman QB’s some game time.
Pressure on the QB is a must.I also believe that with todays parity you should use some multible schemes,disguising blitz,etc.There should also be more immagination used on the offence.
Cox at QB, Gray lined up at reciever. Could be great for a few reverses and every now and then add the fake reverse and have gray throw the ball down the field. Or Gray in the wildcat. All kinds of options with great recievers and an athlete like Gray.
Joe Cox is the starter today and, barring injury, will be the starter in the bowl game. With all due respect to Logan Gray, there is no amount of talent that can replace his experience and knowledge of the system. And I don’t know why people are so down on his talent anyway. He’s been SEC starter material from day one.
Florida is the hands down preseason #1 but they are not unbeatable and will not go undefeated. Its almost considered slanderous to say that Florida will lose a game (or more) in 2009, but they will. Repeating as national champion, or even SEC champion, is an extremely difficult thing to do. That’s why it rarely happens. As a Georgia fan, I’m hoping they buy in to their hype and get complacent. Its college football. It happens all the time. You have to wonder if they are doing extra reps in the weight room for all the points that Ole Miss scored on them? I bet they aren’t. Good luck with that target on your back Florida. I must admit that if anyone is equipped to deal with it its them.
Percy will be missed, he is a great talent. However, just look at the SEC championship game if you need proof that UF can win without him. Just like every year, new players will be stepping in to fill the gap taking the ball. Obviously, Florida has plenty of weapons.
And to Bigdawg, how did Ok prove that UF can be beat when Tebow is forced to pass? Didn’t Florida win? I know he threw a couple of INT’s, but he also engineerd great drives in the second half that won the game.
Less we forget, Cox was a highly recruited QB out of high school. While not the cannon like Stafford, nor the athlete like Shockley, he is highly accurate as a passer. With a complete OL and time to pass, he’ll be fine. He adds an element that neither Stafford nor Shockley had, accuracy and finesse. Seems a man named Brady isn’t a cannon or athlete either. The offense will be fine…arguably better than 2008. I’ve seen King play personally, and if he can get it together, he’ll make your jaw drop. If not, we can platoon it amongst the stable of backs and still have an effective running game. I don’t expect the O to miss a beat.
Defense is a huge question mark. The only solid part are the linebackers. UGA’s D for 2008 was one of the worst I’ve seen in recent memory. The boys need an edge…and need it fast. There was a time when UGA’s D was fierce. They got after the QB and the secondary could knock the taste out of your mouth. Both were gone in 2008 and 2007. I trust the embarrassments of UA, UF and GT last year give Martinez all the ammunition he needs to get that edge back. He’s got one more year to show me something, or I’m on the bandwagon to fire Martinez as well.
W.O. a DE and a can do attitude on D, the Dawgs are in for another so so year. The coaches have to infuse aggression into them all. Cox will lead and the running back “position” will be a tandem effort. I see FB Chapas being a real solid workhorse for them. He can do it all.
Cox can throw little down and out passes and the over the middle stuff to our receivers and they can take it to the house. With the guy from Memphis, the opposing D backs will not be able to double team AJ Green and it will hurt them. This is how I see Chapas being used ………… he will get his share of dump passes and it will pay dividends. He is a tank with great hands.
D is the key to a great season ……w.o. the ATTITUDE and AGGRESSION forget it. 9-3 or 10-2 is where we will be.
my bad on saying we went 10-2. I forgot Tech Won because of OUR poor play ( 3 points, unless you hear a nerd, and they think it was 4 or 5 TD’s ) I’m just so used to Tech being a W for the Dawgs.
not wanting to take anything away from UF’s win…but OkSt did show UF can be beat when forced to pass. While Tebow engineered some great drives, he’s not a highly accurate passer. But this isn’t news. The problem is stuffing the running game while still managing to restrict the passing game. OkSt couldn’t do this, so the game was close with UF winning (congrats BTW). If you’ll watch the first half of the UGA/UF game, you’ll see UGA’s D was doing this fairly well. If UGA doesn’t fall apart in the 2nd half, it’s a coin flip going into the final 2 minutes. (I know, “if”s and “but”s…but still). OkSt defense is average at best…their game plan was to stop the run and limit the score while hoping to beat UF on offense. But UF has a pretty good offense too.
FWIW, I’m won’t be betting on UF to repeat as SEC champs or National Champs. They’ve certainly got the talent and leadership to do it. But both will be undone by ego and high expectations. UF loses two. So you know, I said the same thing about my dawgs last year as well.
It is amazing what a couple of NFL-bound DTs (Owens & Atkins) can do for your DEs. You’re going to have to doubleteam them freeing up the DEs to rush. I think they will be much better this year.
Gatorzone:
A score of 7-7 at the half showed that a “mediocre defense” and that was what OK had could stop the gator run game. Tebow did have to throw it more, and did so against that defense which was ranked in the high 40’s nationally. Point is that against better defenses in SEC that will be tuned in to stopping Demps and Rainey, teams will take their chances on Tebow throwing. No, FL did not get beat, but also did NOT score as much as everyone thought.
45-42…..yes I do. Now, you man up and tell me the Dawgs will beat you guys 8 of 10 times we play you, even with Johnson there. Because you KNOW we will. Not enough horsepower on the flats to beat us over and over.
Florida and Tebow have been beaten before and they’ll be beaten again and no reason why we shouldn’t think it’ll be Georgia that does it. That’s the only way to look at a game eight months out. When we get to Halloween maybe the picture will be different, but right now we ain’t taken’ crap off no Gators, and we damn sure won’t take it from somebody that wear’s the most putrid color of faded orange and is proud of it.
I certainly agree with Cameron’s comments concerning Logan Gray. Most people seem to forget what a talent he is. I believe Cox will do fine this year and Gray will win the job next year…
True Bigdawg, but the BCS Championship game is different from any game in the regular season. Expectations are up, nerves are tight, and Oklahoma (not OKST) was a great team that averaged 50+ points per game(most in NCAA). So neither team scored as many as expected. I do not think that proves anything on how to beat UF and Tebow. Just my opinion, but I am biased as you might expect
[...] update.First, he lays out the known… then he delves into the unknown for each squad.You can read his full report right here, but here’s a summary of his unknowns:Florida — Will Florida really miss Percy [...]
FLORIDA…Go ahead and give ‘em the dang East title and the Heisman to Tebow. GEORIGA…Last year, UGA had the luxury of having an offense that could score more points than their defense gave up. This year, they’ll need a wee bit more D effort. Some feel Cox can do what other back ups have done when given center stage. May or may not happen. D’s will be coming after him early to test. SOUTH CAROLINA…Two words, Beat Spurious… TENNESSEE…In 2008, every D UT faced knew they were one dimensional. Can Orgeron fix what Clawson broke? UT’s O-Line was built first, on pass protection, run second. In 2008, they couldn’t field a QB that could even toss his Wheaties so the D’s put what seemed like 12 in the box. VANDY…Has their share of youth coming back from a decent 2008 season by Commodore standards, plus a win over Boston College in a bowl. Vandy and bowl. Sounds odd. Vandy won’t win the East but I have a feeling they’ll push a few to excel on game days. At LSU early might be one of those…
Ooops on typing OkSt…Fully aware that it’s OU. Only one cup of coffee this morning, so the brain’s still a bit foggy.
OU didn’t show the world how to beat UF. It was already known. Man up on the receivers and contain the run. Who cares if OU averaged 50+ points a game (even defenses that ranked in the bottom half of DivI)? Their D is still average at best. They didn’t have the talent to contain the run while still defending the pass. And even with an average at best D they gave themselves a chance by containing the run. So with that little fact, here’s what we know…any defense that can contain UF’s running game and still have the talent to go one on one on the receivers can be UF. Fortunately for UF, that’s a hard thing to come by.
To ChewDawg: The Gators played Oklahoma in the BCS not OkSt (I presume OkSt means Oklahoma State University Cowboys, not the Oklahoma University Sooners)…I could be wrong, have been before…
Vandy and UK will continue to make up the bottom half of the SEC. But they won’t be overlooked any longer. UGA made that mistake in 2006 and nearly did it again in 2007. Neither will contend for the East any time soon, but both are building respectable programs capable of 7-8 wins each year including the regular upset.
Welcome back Tony, hope all is well with you and the family. Its good to read good journalism for a change. You may want to check out bama a little closer, textbooks may not be all going on there. Rumors rumors and more rumors lol.
It is so funny listening to these stupid leg humpers insisting that Tebow can’t throw after 3 years. The kid led the SEC in QB Efficiency rating last year and before the bowl game, only had 2 picks.
Jan Kemp was so right. UGA players and fans, can’t read, but they sure can yap, yap, yap. If you think Florida is going to be complacent this year, you don’t know Urban Meyer very well. Florida did just fine in the games that Harvin could not play, including the SEC championship game. Hey Leg Humpers! Remember Alabama?
Did you see what Florida’s defense did to the highest scoring offense in College Football History? The Oklahoma offense that averaged over 60 points a game? The offense everyone said that Florida could not stop?Well that defense has the entire 22 player 2-deep coming back.
And it was OK, not OKST that Florida played, you illiterate Dog fans. And please notice that I know how to spell DOG.
Diss Tebow’s passing all you want. For 3 years you have been saying he can’t throw, but he continues to lead the conference and definitely the East in QB ratings.
Bryce Brown is the second coming of both Herschel Walker and Bo Jackson. And he’s about to stomp an orange hole through the SEC. Lane Kiffin is a better coach than Vince Dooley and Pat Dye combined. Brown on O and Berry on D, the Vols are gonna win the SEC!
I don’t it’s a cakewalk for FU. Last time FU came off a great year, they went 9-4..I’m not predicting that (they play ZERO OOC ‘cept for FSU), so their record is padded for sure.
My point is, it’s just not as easy as rolling a team out there. The East should be interesting. I keep thinking SOS may up and win this division one year. Time will tell.
Last time UF came off a championship and went 9-4, they lost every single starter on defense. At least act like you know what you are talking abpoiut before opening your mouth.
Thanks for making it personal. Glad you get to sleep better at night knowing you put us leg-humpers in our place on the internet.
It’s pretty obvious your knowledge of the game is limited to name calling and tailgating.
Passing efficiency means squat in Meyer’s offense. When 99% of your passes are within 10 yards to receivers with GREAT hands, your numbers are going to be good. Tebow’s passing numbers are inflated by the talent around him. That’s not taking anything from Tebow. I absolutely believe he’s one of the best QBs to play at the college level. His leadership and sheer athleticism makes him a phenomenal player. He should have won the Heisman last year and proved it in the BCS game.
Answer this, if he’s such a great passer, how come no one (of credibility and football knowledge – as such excludes you) actually believes he’ll be a QB at the professional level. He won’t. He’ll be a TE or FB. He likely won’t even be a first round draft pick. He’s not a passing QB. Why is that hard for most Gators to accept? Yeah, he’s made a couple great plays over the years, but day in and day out, his days of taking snaps will be confined to college.
Did you see what all the other defenses did to all of those other Big 12 offenses? Oklahoma was only that high scoring of an offense because they were playing other Big 12 defenses. Stopping their D does not say nearly as much as their patsy D stopping your Offense.
Harvin was the best palyer on your team besides Tebow. If Tebow is such a great passer, why didn’t he leave to go to the NFL. Oh yeah, because the NFL says he can’t pass and want him to play another position. Sure he can pass well enough to win in college. But, clearly the way to slow doen Florida is to stop the run and make Tebow beat you with his arm. He is fully capable as he has shown, but that is your best bet.
Kiffin has proven nothing as a head coach. NOTHING. 5-15 with the Raiders…and a second year that was making out to be worse than the first.
He was a pretty decent OC at USC under Pete’s shadow. But it’s the PAC-10. I just doubt he’s going to have that same success playing the caliber of defense he’ll play almost weekly in the SEC. But who knows?
I’m not saying he’ll fail. I’m just saying he’s done absolutely NOTHING to warrant the “Savior” title the Vol nation has given him. The only thing he’s proven is he can run his mouth, and even that seems to be lacking. He’s created some excitement and the Vols certainly needed that. But I’ll wait until he’s coached a few before declaring him better than already proven coaches.
Funny how so many UGA fans claim they know the “secret” to beating Tebow and UF.
Tebow can’t pass, he is just a so-so QB that will be nothing in the pros.
Yet, these same fans are the ones stating that UF will be knocked down a notch or two when Tebow graduates. You cannot play it both ways. Either he is fantastic or a liability, but not both.
The Illiterate ChewDawg said “Answer this, if he’s such a great passer, how come no one (of credibility and football knowledge – as such excludes you) actually believes he’ll be a QB at the professional level.”
The answer is Bill Belichick. I will bet you your mortgage, (if it is not in foreclosure) that Belichick drafts Tebow in the first round. If you know how to use Google, just look up Belichick and Tebow for the answer to your question.
“Last time UF came off a championship and went 9-4, they lost every single starter on defense. At least act like you know what you are talking abpoiut before opening your mouth.”
Yet they were still #3 in the nation in the preseason. Go figure, eh? Its funny how quick Gator fans are to point out those lost defensive starters now. I didn’t hear too much about it back then. Hindsight is always 20/20. Who knows, the loss of Percy Harvin and both offensive tackles could have a similar effect on you this year. An injury here and an injury there and the Gators could be in trouble. We just don’t know. That’s why they play the games champ. Sorry nobody is ready to hand Florida the championship trophy in March. Quit your whining.
Hey Huh! You are an idiot. The writers picked UF #3 that year, just like they picked Georgia #1 last year. Does that answer your question? Meyer said before the season, that they lost everybody and should not be #3. What did the genius Richt predict before last year?
Let the illiterates from Athens bash UF all they want. 17 losses out of the last 20 and a losing record to Florida since 1950 (which includes the Dooley years) says it all. They will crow about their wins in the 20’s and 30’s which was 80 years ago, but they are the only ones who really care.
Calm down UGA. You guys are the “top” team of the second tier of the SEC. You should be glad about that.
Like the infamous words of Spurrier…
“Heck, its just Georgia.”
So I’m wrong about the last time FU came off a great year? Is someone trying to say they DIDN”T go 9-4? All I said, is it won’t be as easy as many think. IF it is, the rest of SEC is weaker than I thought.
Eric Zeier- if UGA fans can’t read then Fla. fans can’t punctuate. You have WAY too many commas in your post. It, makes, it hard, to, read. Tebow is far from an accomplished passer. Game manager? Excellent! Make no mistake though, he works his arm off of his legs. How else do you think his famed backyard jump pass works?!?! He’s projected as a 2nd – 3rd round TE for crying out loud!!!
And Gator fans are just… so damn cheesy. One thing we ALL agree on in the SEC and much of the nation… the only people that can stomach Florida fans or their team are FLORIDA fans and their team! You only need to read posts from their redneck fans to see why!
And the more you talk, the more you confirm that you know very little, if anything about football. Tebow isn’t a first round pick. Period. Not as a QB nor as a TE. Belichick isn’t going to waste a first round pick on a hunch that the wildcat formation could make a comeback in the NFL. Maybe a second or third round pick, but not his first. Especially when he’s winning rings left and right with Brady. Several coaches are talking about the wildcat formation, but none are committing to it. And none are going to gamble their first round pick on a chance it might work. Write it down and be ready next spring when you have to swallow your pride and accept you don’t really know anything about football except for what somebody else wrote in an article.
And betting my mortgage doesn’t seem really fair…I’m pretty sure the mortgage on my home is a good bit higher than the payment on your double wide.
To the rest of the Gator Nation (at least those with more sense that the wannabe), is it really an insult to say Tebow isn’t a great passer? It doesn’t take anything from him as a player. It’s just what it is.
10. Arm Strength – This is probably the least disputed of Tebow’s strengths, but it bears mentioning. Sam Bradford, who many consider the best deep ball passer in the college game, had a lower completion percentage than Tebow on throws of 15 yards or more. He also averaged less yards and touchdowns per attempt on those passes. In fact, almost half of Tebow’s passing yards this year came on throws of 15 yards or more. And before you say it, no Tebow’s stats weren’t skewed by Percy Harvin turning a five yard slant into a 60 yard touchdown. Only 42% of Florida’s receiving yards came after the catch. Compare that to 60% for the Sooners, and scratch your head while you realize Tebow can throw a football. Not bad for a guy who’s just a “fullback under center.”
The scary unwritten aspect of this article is that the NFL will inevitably come looking for a coach who can translate this offense to the pros and it’s good-bye Urban.
9. Winning Percentage – Winning at the college level doesn’t always translate to success in the NFL. Just ask Matt Leinart. But Tim Tebow’s got two national championships in three years of college football. And unlike former first-rounder Leinart, both of his were decided in BCS title games. Not to mention a 22-5 record as a starter. Georgia’s Matt Stafford, considered no worse than the second best quarterback in the draft, is 21-5 over the last two seasons, but his record is lacking even a conference title. Tebow already has one in the toughest conference in the land. As for a three year tally, Tebow’s Gators would have to finish 6-6 next season for Stafford to finish with more wins.
UGA fans just wish that they could compete in Jacksonville more than 3 or 4 times every 20 years.
Keep pretending that it is a real “rivalry.” Just like dawg fans ridicule Tech for losing 8 in a row. UGA is almost as competitive with Florida as Tech is with Georgia!
Gatorzone,
What is your OL looking like this year? It could be as weak as it was in ‘07. UGA should have a good DL with Geno Atkins back (ask Timmy about him). By Halloween, we will know which unit has progressed more. Have fun ranting and raving and I’ll talk to you again in Nov.
3. Determination – There’s not a single player in the NFL who will tell you that they weren’t “determined” to help their team reach the playoffs. But 20 of those teams were sitting at home watching the wild card round. Talk is cheap. Real determination is converting 11 thirds downs in the national championship game after tossing two picks. Tebow converted three of those in the second half with his legs. He converted seven through the air, including the game’s first touchdown. Down three to top ranked Alabama with a national championship berth on the line, Tebow stepped up and went 5 for 5 for 72 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter to seal the win. That’s not talking about determination. That’s living it.
2. Delivery – Yeah that’s a funky throwing motion. It’s not as quick as Eli Manning’s, and it’s certainly not as prototypical as Sam Bradford’s or Matt Stafford’s. But if you remember the year Eli was drafted, another quarterback with a strange delivery came off the board only a few picks later. Phillip Rivers was dogged by every draft analyst with a soapbox for his crooked side-armed release. Well Rivers just finished leading the NFL in touchdown passes while leading the improbable 4-8 Chargers to a playoff win. This is what coaches get paid for. Tebow has another year in school to hone his throwing motion, and if, like Rivers, he enters the draft with a less-than-perfect delivery, guess what? There are coaches at the pro level, too. He’s got the arm strength. He’s got the smarts. He’s got the work ethic. He can throw the ball. If his release needs tweaking, it will get plenty of it.
1. Accuracy – Which brings me to the final knock on Tebow’s prospect rating. His accuracy. Somehow, despite the jaw-dropping third-down conversions, despite all the passing yards, despite having the fourth best passer rating in the country NFL draft pundits still say
the biggest problem with Tim Tebow achieving success at the next level is his accuracy, or lack thereof. These guys must not have watched the SEC championship game where Tebow tossed dart after dart at the bullseye on his receivers chests. Maybe they missed those winning throws to Louis Murphy and Riley Cooper and David Nelson in Miami. No one has a problem with Matt Stafford’s accuracy. Over the last three years Stafford has notched completion percentages of 52.7, 55.7, and 61.4. His best isn’t even as accurate as Tebow’s worst. In three seasons Tebow has completed 66.7, 66.9, and 64.4 percent of his throws. He has a career touchdown to interception ratio of 67-11. That’s better than Sam Bradford who has a draft-attractive total of 86-16. Where’s the accuracy problem? Maybe it’s the fact that the football often looks more like Daffy Duck fired from a cannon than a Nerf Vortex. Well Chris Leak threw one hell of a spiral. Where is he? Buried behind super quarterbacks Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman on the Chicago Bears’ depth chart. The last two Super Bowl winning quarterbacks have thrown more than their share of ducks. But the point isn’t what the ball looks like on its way to the receiver, it’s that it gets there. Tebow’s passes get there. That’s what completion percentage measures – accuracy.
I wouldn’t care if Florida won the nat’l championship every year, you couldn’t pay me to pull for those classless loud mouths! And yes, I am sure it’s safe to say that I speak for 99% of the SEC!
No one has a problem with Matt Stafford’s accuracy. Over the last three years Stafford has notched completion percentages of 52.7, 55.7, and 61.4. His best isn’t even as accurate as Tebow’s worst. In three seasons Tebow has completed 66.7, 66.9, and 64.4 percent of his throws.
No one has a problem with Matt Stafford’s accuracy. Over the last three years Stafford has notched completion percentages of 52.7, 55.7, and 61.4. His best isn’t even as accurate as Tebow’s worst. In three seasons Tebow has completed 66.7, 66.9, and 64.4 percent of his throws.
Can you say “system quarterback”? “gimmick offense”?
He’s a helluva player, a great leader, and sounds like a fine person (Danny Wuerffel) but he is not a prototypical NFL QB. He may end up being a QB in the NFL, but no team is going to invest a high draft pick on him. I will bet that is what he was told by the advisory committee. I doubt he would have done the “drama thing” if he was never considering leaving early.
The Gators will be good and anybody who says different is sticking their head in the sand. As for the Dawgs, as Tony says they have to come up with some people to put pressure on the opposing QB. If so, and one of our running backs steps up, we will be all right. There won’t be any easy touches in the East. Everything you get(win), you are going to have to get it the old fashioned way. You are going to have to EARN it!
I guess I’ll just have to accept that most Gator fans are all knowing. Oddly, the only people that ever argue for Tebow being an excellent passer are Gator fans. I guess the pro scouts and coaches don’t know what they’re talking about either. I’m glad I’m in good company.
I’ll be glad to reverse my thinking if any of you can show me a single pro who wants Tebow because he’s a great passer. You can’t. Case closed. They want him because of his athletic ability. Even those who envision him in the wildcat formation see him as an adequate (read as decent but not good) pass with great hands and legs. Sounds like a TE to me.
The more I read about my Dawgs, the better I feel about this upcoming year. I was nervous about Cox at first but then I read about how he interacts with the team, his skills and his time in the program: that definitely put me at ease. Also, if we use Logan Gray in some special packages or even in the DJ Shockley manner for a few games (where they’d switch drives with David Greene and the Shocker), that’ll give our offense enough variability to keep defenses honest.
The running game’ll be fine. We have more than enough high-quality backs, and one of them will step up in a big way next year. At first I thought Richard Samuel would be the guy, but now I have the feeling that King’ll show us what he can really do.
Defense is our biggest question mark, but if we maintain and improve upon the level we set in the bowl game last year, we’ll do great. I predict we kick things off with a bang in Stillwater. We beat the ‘Pokes by 16, at least.
How about my number two Vols? If they get one of those quarterbacks to play decent, find a couple of decent receivers and play solid on the line, they’ll do ok. Not great, but certainly better than last year. I predict they go 7-5 with an UPSET over Florida.
Yeah, Kiffin talked trash about Meyer, but if he takes that team, which has a large amount of talent, down to Gainesville with attitude and the belief they can win, which I think he can and will do, then they have a very good chance of making a statement on Sept 19 (or whenever it is they play). Ole Miss did it last year: why can’t Tennessee do it this year?
Florida can (and will) be beaten this year … multiple times. I don’t think they’ll get blown out, but they lose 2 games (3 in a worst-case scenario). I think they’ll lose to UGA, Tennessee and maybe LSU.
Why will Florida lose those games? Percy Harvin. Yeah, they won the one game they didn’t have him for (SEC Championship), but without him, they lose to Oklahoma. As others have said, when OU shut down UF’s run game in the BCS, they were stagnant on offense because Tebow isn’t a passing quarterback. Yes, he can pass the ball and pass it well, but he isn’t the type of quarterback that can sit in the pocket and take apart a secondary: he’s an option quarterback. His doing well relies on the ability to RUN first and PASS second. That’s why I think he’ll play FB in the NFL, but that’s another story. It wasn’t until Harvin, Tebow and the running game picked up in the second half that they put OU away.
Yeah, Demps and Rainey are fast, but they’re small. They get hit and they go down. Harvin had both speed and the ability to shrug off hits, which is what made him so dangerous. The only other guy I see being able to possibly fill that role would be Emmanuel Moody, but that’s a long shot.
“Rainey, Demps, Thompson, and James are cute, little, fast guys. They can make big impacts in the passing game and special teams. But, good teams shut those guys down.”
those ‘cute’ guys didn’t get into the offense until arkansas game. i won’t focus on how many yds they had against the razorbacks, because you’ll just say they weren’t a good team (but they both went over 100 yds). they combined for 190+ yds against LSU. KY had the top defense in the SEC at the time, and Demps had 117 total yds vs them. UGA, like arky, not a good team, won’t waste your time there. vandy…they avg 5 yds/carry, but like arky/UGa, crapbox team. South Carolina, they avg 9+ yds/carry, against at the time the best D in the SEC. against FSU, a top 5 D in nation, they ran for 180 yds combined, avg 11 yds/carry. against bama, demps went for 50 yds and a TD.
yes, neither of those guys are Percy, and I don’t believe they can do it on their own, but with Moody and Tebow running, too, they will continue to be a great change of pace and will have a big impact on the running game for FL. If you take out harvin’s rushing yds out of last year’s totals, FL still rushed for 50+ more yds/game than UGA.
Chewdog, re:
“Answer this, if he’s such a great passer, how come no one (of credibility and football knowledge – as such excludes you) actually believes he’ll be a QB at the professional level. He won’t. He’ll be a TE or FB. He likely won’t even be a first round draft pick. He’s not a passing QB. Why is that hard for most Gators to accept? Yeah, he’s made a couple great plays over the years, but day in and day out, his days of taking snaps will be confined to college.”
guess what? fortunately for FL and Tebow, teams like UGA don’t have eleven NFL caliber defensive players…i know, it’s crazy! (some would argue they don’t have one, but that’s not my point) Tebow will continue to do what he has done the last few years against the best defenses in COLLEGE football, including throw all the 10 yd throws, the 67 TD *PASSES*, compoleting 2/3 of his throws, etc, etc. Anyone that thinks he can’t throw the deep ball against college compeition is blind or an idiot. And oh yeah, Matt Stafford, the #1 NFL prospect from the 2008 preseason national champs, only threw 51 TD passes in his entire career…tebow almost RUSHED for more than that, and he only started for 2 seasons! I LOVE the “tebow won’t make it in the NFL arguments” from Florida’s college rivals….WHO CARES? I don’t care that Peyton is the best QB of all time (well, #2 after Stafford)…i care that Danny W was undefeated against him! thank god when tebow graduates folks will have to move on to some other lame “argument”.
Gotta love the offseason…same every year, Dogs yapping and yapping, non-stop. 17 out of 20 (!), here we come.
Who’s arguing accuracy here? His stats are impressive and he leads the SEC and most of the nation in several areas. But, it’s a result of the offense he’s in and the players around him.
While Rivers had a side-arm delivery, he also has presence in the pocket and a quick release. Tebow has neither. His mechanics are unusual, he’s never played in a pocket offense, and his release is as slow as Christmas. And that adds up to the first round how?
The defense needs to step up this year. Tackle better. More attitude. All so true. All attainable. The majority of improvement in those areas will be from pure reps in practise hopefully at full speed this year. DE is a matter of finding one. I think there are several candidates. And eventualy, at least able to rotate at that position, unlike last year.
But its worth pointing out that the offense can help the defense a boat load more than they did last year. The constants in all of the worst stretches last year were horribled position, TO and an inability to line it up and grind out 3 yrds when it was absolutely critical. That too should be improved this year. Not as much flash, but more control from the offense I would think would cure a lot of the ill’s on both side.
You seem to think I’m arguing that Tebow and UF suck. Read again. My argument has solely been that Tebow is not a passing QB. Period. Seems anyone not cheering for the Gators agrees with me. Also read that I said Tebow is one of the best QBs to play the college game. Better than Stafford. Stafford, if he can find the touch, will have a better NFL career, but didn’t have the college game that Tebow had. I can admit that.
UF has every reason and weapon necessary to repeat at SEC Champs and BCS Champs. But they won’t. The “nobody can beat us” attitude reflected here by you blind loyalist is already showing itself with the team. UF loses 2, maybe more. One to an underdog. I’m not making any prediction on who does it, just that it happens.
UF should stomp a big mud-hole in every team they play this coming season, including my Dawgs. But ego and bravado have a way of undoing a team. Even the best.
ChewDawg : When CMR came to Athens, he was following in the footsteps of Goof and Dunn’em in. The UGA fanbase was upbeat and more than that, hopeful. Sure, some Vol fans are raving about the future, but it’s all based on Hope and/or Change. I fall into the Hope catagory because I wasn’t one clamouring for Change. I just wanted Clawson tossed into the river. That SonofaGun took a peice of Rocky Top down with him…
Hey Eric Zier….I’m not sure you want to talk about Jan Kemp….have you ever heard Lawrence March speak….he can’t even put a sentence together. Georgia didn’t even recruit him because his grades were so low.How did he even qualify to go to Florida? Everyone in his hometown of Augusta,Ga.is still trying to figure it out. Half your team is made up of “student athlete’s” who can barely talk or read and are only staying qualified to play because Urban Crier has got them all in a cream puff major with 24 hour a day help. This will all soon be exposed by ESPN ….and Urban will be gone. Count on it.
Someone dare suggest that Florida is human and they might actually..GASP!!…lose a single game in 2009 and they are just jealous haters “bashing” the Gators. A tad bit sensitive aren’t we Gator fans? I hate to break to ya but nobody is going to bow down before your golden boys this year. They are going to have to earn everything they get. I’m sorry to break this horrible and heart breaking news to you sensitive crybabies. Thanks.
Who cares about UF? Who cares if UF beats UGA in Jacksonville? At the end of the day the UF fans have to go to work on Monday cleaning the toilets, making beds, cooking meals and Retrieving cars for all the vacationing UGA fans, Grads and current students. Face it UF, life as a dawg is a damn site better than life a subservient gator. I mean UF isn’t the most popular school in your own state, FSU even in down years holds that title. And as far as being a leg humper, I’ll take that 6 days a week and twice on Sunday to being a bottom feeding swamp lizard, whose claim to fame is being the main material for wallets, belts and shoes! The fact that you idiots proudly proclaim your devotion to UF is more telling to your lack of intelligence, than any other. Look at me I wear prison orange, jorts and a mullet; I’m Es Em Are Tee! Jeezz, shadup and I might tip you for parking my Benz.
Percy Harvin was the best player in college football. Believe me they will miss him. Rainey, Demps, James….they don’t compare to Harvin. Florida is going to get a wake up call the next two years, this one without Harvin and the next without TT. The only thing that saves them this year is their schedule is a joke.
I have to respectfully disagree with your assertion that Tebow is not a very accurate passer. My jaw dropped when I read that one. You must not have watched the seccg. He pretty much beat Bama with key “accurate” 3rd down td passes. We pretty much shut down the UF running game and forced a lot of 3rd and long passing situations. Tebow hit 3 of 3 3rd down passes for tds and on all 3 plays we had good coverage. On 2 of those plays the Bama db was all over the gator with blanket coverage but Tebow put the ball in the exact spot that only the receiver could have caught it. Even Saban admitted after the game that he wasn’t even mad at the dbs. He flat out said the coverage was very good but that Tebow just put the ball where only the wr could have gotten it. If Tebow doesn’t hit at least 2 of those key 3rd down passes then UF doesn’t win that game.
He also dropped a 50 yard bomb on us where he hit the wr perfectly in stride on a 2nd and long. The guy led the sec in passing efficiency and when he was in high school he broke virtually every high school passing record in the state of Fla.’s highest classification. You don’t achieve these accolades by being inaccurate.
To say he is not an accurate passer means you’re either just incredibly biased or you really didn’t watch him all season or you’re basing everything on 2 picks in one game. You have to look at the season as a whole.
Lastly, he will not be a high qb draft pick for the simple reason that he doesn’t have a cannon of an arm like Stafford. He has a strong arm, just not the cannon that the pros like. That’s all.
I think UF wins the east and probably the sec again just due to the number of great players coming back, specifically on D. To have your whole D back and top 14 of 22 back will make it tough for anyone to beat them because a great D can always keep you in the game. Harvin was a special player but it doesn’t matter if he’s gone. Gators still have a bevy of backs. They will miss a couple of good o-lineman but with the recruiting they’ve had they won’t have a problem rebuilding.
Fla. wins the east, the rest of the division will fight for 2nd place with UGA likely the runnerup. I think there will be a surprise team somewhere like Carolina or Vandy that could win 8 or 9 games and upset someone major. It won’t be the vols though. Expect another season of mediocrity for them and a brutal beatdown when they get to Gainesville. As Richt found out last year Urban Meyer has a long memory.
I think the big thing to watch with everyone will be whose qb stays healthy the whole year and who has to find a new starter due to an injured qb. This is something that will bite someone in the butt really hard this year. That to me is the big question of the year.
You think UGA could be like Bama was last year, kinda the surprise team. Meaning no one paid them much attention, but they kept on winning. At least we won’t have the curse of death of preseason #1 ranking stuff to distract you.
Everyone knows that UF is notorious for steering almost all the football players into the 3 easiest majors. Almost the whole team is sociology, criminal justice, or poly sci majors. But even if ESPN does a report about the practice of steering and how some colleges like UF make a mockery of the student athlete concept what does it matter? Everyone may know that they’re really just fielding a minor league pro football team but so what!
Steering is not against the rules and until the ncaa says you can’t put almost all of your athletes into 3 easy majors under 1 dept. there really is no point in complaining about it. It is what it is and if the university is not truly looking out for the “student athlete’s” best interest then its up to that athlete to change his major after a year or 2 to something more challenging or transfer.
Hey Tony, great piece but on a different subject. Can we stop reporting Bobby Bowden has 382 career victories in major college football? 31 of those victories were at Samford which has never been a major college football division participant (not to mention a couple of those wins were against Junior Colleges). So all the controversy about vacating 14 victories is moot. thoughts?
“I wouldn’t care if Florida won the nat’l championship every year, you couldn’t pay me to pull for those classless loud mouths! And yes, I am sure it’s safe to say that I speak for 99% of the SEC!”
It is safe to say that Florida fans are glad you are not a Gator either.
Bama 12 Titles-excellent post-finally an Alabama fan that is not a stupid jackass.Agree with everything you said.It sucks to be in the east now with the gators.You could be a top 5 or 10 team in the country and be 2nd in your side of the division if you are Georgia.Also agree with your assessment of Tennesee I see at least 3 major beatdowns.Richt-Saban-Meyer and even Spurrier will lay the wood when they have a huge lead.Teams playing Tenn will be throwing late in the game with big leads.Handshakes at midfield after games with Tenn might be fun to watch while Kiffin is coach.He has reaped the whirlwind and he is about to get it -come Sept.Welcome to the SEC Lane.
Haven’t heard from the Eric Zeier Wannabe lately, but I did notice that my trash got picked up at the curb a little while ago. He must have had to go to work.
He’s probably a Tech grad who forgot about Tech’s academic probation for playing ineligible players. I wonder if he’s the one who painted himself yellow and wore the white fairy wings to the Jackette’s home games for a few years. If so, I hope the county won’t let him drive the truck.
bama12titles : It’s not that the Urban Cowboy has a terrific memory, it’s that he does know how to use post-its and tape. Insofar as the Urban Cowboy gunning for Billy the Kiffin, Kiffin will have a better back up defense than UGA had last year at the JAX Corral. Might be able to hold UF under 49…and the scary part for Florida in 2009 is that they have to travel out of state 4 times this year vs 3 times last year for games…(not counting a neutral field for the SECCG)
I’m not sure why everyone is making such a big deal about whether Tebow will be a successful pro QB. I’m just happy that he’s such a great football player, great leader, fun to watch and helping my Gators win titles.
2009 will be an exciting year and as Ole Miss proved, we can get taken down on any given Saturday. I see three big games for the Gators on the way to Atlanta next year.
1) Tennessee – Lane Kiffin’s first SEC game in the Swamp. The Gator Nation is burning for a rout in this one. More even than UGA last year.
2) LSU in Death Valley -
Unfortunately these things don’t have an edit function. Otherwise, I would correct my second post where I said Tebow wasn’t an accurate passer. I had originally wrote, “While highly accurate on the stat sheet, Tebow isn’t a true passing QB.” I made some edits and made the mistake of hitting the submit button before reading my comments over. My mistake, it made me look foolish, and I take full responsibility for it. Lesson learned.
I stand by my argument that Tebow’s accuracy, efficiency, and rating are all a product of Meyer’s offense. He’s the perfect QB for that setup. Take him and put him in a pro-style setup and it’s a safe bet to say his numbers fall of the cliff.
To pacify the blind Gator loyalists:
Tebow is one of the best athletes I’ve ever seen take the field. His spot among the top 3 college football QBs is without question. His leadership to his team and his work on and off the field speak accolades for his character. I admire the kid and wish nothing but the best for him. I hope he has a successful NFL career.
But here’s what I know:
Tebow, while an excellent player – one of the best in college FB, is not, and is not likely to ever be, a great passing QB. Save the reemergence of the wildcat offense or the complete redesign of his passing style, his success in the NFL will come at another position. It’s not a flaw. It’s just who he is.
Lane kiffin 5-15. Phat phil 150-50. Yeah, that’s just the change the vols needed. Haha. The orange clad ‘tards will be begging for his royal phatness by game 5.
Who cares? Tebow is the BEST QB/Football player in college!
What he does in the pros is irrellevant. Just like what Stafford does in the pros vs. what he did at UGA.
It does not matter, the only relevence to college football is what they do in college.
No team in the SEC better overlook any opponent – sure fired way to get beat!!! Yes, even in bowl games!!!
As far as the SEC East goes – Florida is by far the most talented team – and Urban will have them ready.
After that – It’s up for grabs.
UGA could easily come in 2nd – but what worries me about UGA is there Defense – which is progressively worse each year. And although the offensive line will improve – I think UGA will have an average QB at best – and if teams line up to stop the run and play the screens – UGA is very average.
Tennessee’s defense will be very good – much better than UGA’s. If the offense improves – they may pass UGA this year. QB’s between the two schools are a wash. TN has better RB – interesting to see if they can get good OL play. Talent wise – they are as good as UGA (beat UGA 2 of last 3 years) and UGA struggled to put TN away last year.
Like I said in an earlier post – Kiffin is working on making his team tremondously aggressive with a lot of swagger – like the Miami of the late 80’s and similar to USC (So CAL). Very ineresting to see if he pulls it off or goes down in flames – I am betting that he pulls it off due to his staff and his father’s influence to balance the spoiled brat.
So Carolina , KY, Vandy – all could beat UT or UGA on any given weekend if not prepared to take care of business.
At any rate – UGA could be 2nd, 3rd or 4th. I am leaning toward 2nd but will not be surprised if they end up worse off due to the LSU game – and the fact that UGA sleep walks in at least one game a year (is it Vany, Ark, Auburn or KY – maybe even TN) Overall – it will not matter as UGA will be passed by Tennessee soon enough – and will be the overall 5th best team in the SEC (their historic spot).
I know I get grief for my posts – and I do not have anything against UGA – but as an overall fan of the SEC – I call it as I see it.
Richt had his moment – his teams are always good – and he will win a bunch of games – but under Richt – his team will fall short and there is always an excuse ….. young OL, Stafford was a freshman, Stafford only a Sophomore, Injuries, building OL depth, No DE’s this year, too many underclassmen in the secondary. Well – Hate to bring you guys the bad news – every team has issues every year. Florida played a lot more underclassmen than UGA did last year. Richt’s teams are missing something – year in and year out it’s this way.
I’ll go on record saying that I personally think Tebow has the drive, the determination, the competitive spirit that rivals only Colt McCoy. Matter of fact, my two preseason finalists for the Heisman are the afore mentioned…and McCoy does missionary work just like Tebow, but I don’t know if he peels bananas…
Never have I seen so many know so little about so much! Not you Tony, but all those totally “my team” is the only team bloggers! The team that will win the East is the team that has the least injuries and the most luck, period.
General, if you recall prior to last season I tried to explain that no matter how you spell it a Clawson/Clausen could not win at UT. I hate being right.
David, to make that Samford argument against Bowden I say that those 31 victories should count double. Samford? Football? Really?
IF Tebow stays healthy the entire season then the Gators will be the SEC champs again. IF he stays 2/3rds healthy they will likely repeat and probably repeat as NC’s. And yes it does pain me to say that.
As far as that Leydan artilce goes? Ahhhh, a big NO on that one. The reasons are explained in the article. Yes Tebow is (depending on how this season turns out) one of the best college QB’s to ever play the game. The NFL is made up of the best of the best players on defense and every single one of them looks to pound the guy carrying the ball. So that O with Tebow won’t translate to the big time. He might get a few plays in with the “Wildgator” offense, but to sustain it IMO not even Tebow can do that.
BTW, Joe Cox will do just fine at QB. The kid could have started at 10 other SEC programs last year. Our D needs the fire. Curran will step up to lead and those seniors on the D line will be heard. DE’s have an excellent opportunity to make a future for themselves.
I don’t think ant team will use Tebow 100% of the time. He’s best utilized as UF used him in 2006. A true running QB who can throw.
Vick could run, but he couldn’t throw. Bilichik wants to use him as a red zone TD machine, ie. a “prototypical” QB gets you into the red zone and Tebow brings you home. It’s the same priciple as the so-called, “Wildcat” offense, but you add an extra weapon for the defense to have ot cover – the pass.
Mutts and gaytors beware! Tech is the new beast of the east. Josh the Robot Nesbot will shut all this Tebow talk up. Mark my words. We win the ACC and the BCS THIS year. The title comes back to Hotlanta! LOL!
You guys can argue all you want but the truth is that the LSWho (burn!) game was fluke and doesn’t represent the Tech offense. We roll this year with a better Oline, better backs and better schedule.
Oh yeah…. Ping! That’s the sound of the #3 baseball team in the nation! LOL!
David,
I get question about Bobby Bowden pretty frequently. The NCAA has a specific rule about Bowden’s wins at Samford or any coach who has some I-AA wins on his resume. One a coach has been at a major Division I-A institution for five years and has recorded 50 or more victories, then everything counts. You can argue whether or not those 31 wins SHOULD count on Bowden’s Division I-A total, but by NCAA rule they do.
…and as I return to the yard duties of the unemployed, somebody tell me what Alabama has that is gonna pick up the torch John Bubba Parker Wilson left behind..? or will Tony hit on that tomorrow..?
Bama Stain…You must have gotton off of your shift work and decided to make another stupid post.LSU,Ole Miss, Virginia Tech and Arkansas will take BAMA down this year.Bama’s lines are not very good and will show from lack of depth, your quarteback is upproven and will be running for his life most of the year. Your running backs are average at best. When Jolio Jones flunks out you will have no proven receiver to throw to….looks like a long season of excuses coming from from the Tide.Also,look out for S. Carolina…their defense will hold you down and spank you.
anyone on here who picks any team other than UF to win the east is nothing but a blind homer. UF should run the table in the east and win going away, having said that despite the fact that I can’t stand Urban Cryer, T-bag or any other gator…
Florida will miss Percy Harvin, for as much as Tim Tebow has revolutionized his position, so did Percy! So much in fact he has invented a position at Fla that will probably will be called the “Percy Harvin position” until someone else like him comes along…and that could be soon if Andre Debose is as good as advertised. All that being said, expect the Gators to average a few less points (with the exception being the Tenn game) than last year BUT expect the defense to be one of the best if not THE best who ever donned the orange and royal blue.
General, I won’t make any predicts on UT this year till some games are played. No telling what is in that coconut of Kiffins. Scary or scary smart? MSU is my adopted team (till UGA gets a D1 mens team) and I ran a couple of brackets with them going all the way. However, the big ten tourney didn’t give me any confidence that that would be a good bet but I picked them anyway.
Baba, can’t argue with you on that.
Atlanta Jackets must be a chemistry major. Straight A’s at that. Only if he could sell that stuff he takes over the counter…
TEBOW IS NOT A PASSING QB!
TEBOW IS NOT A RUNNING QB!
Tebow is COMPLETE QB. He can do it all and do it well.
If he has to run in a key situation, he can do it.
If he has to pass in a key situation, he can do it. Just ask Alabama.
He is the complete package and has proven it time and time again.
While Florida will miss Harvin, their offense will be just as strong with more depth and experience at RB. They have a deep OL even though they lost 2 starters. They have the center and both guards coming back. They have more than enough experience to take over the tackle spots. They had 10 offensive lineman playing regually last year to begin with.
Their defense will be the strength of their team, with all 11 starters coming back and all 11 backups.
Florida’s special teams is 2nd to none in the SEC and will continue to be a strength. Their kicker just got a 5th year of eligibility from the NCAA and their punter from the Atlanta area was one of the best in the SEC and he is back. Everyone knows about Brandon James.
Florida is a complete team, and their coaching staff takes a backseat to nobody.
“The team that will win the East is the team that has the least injuries and the most luck, period.”
That may be, but my money’s on the team with the least injuries, the most luck, the entire national champion defense returning (two deep) and more offensive weapons (including a Heisman winning QB) than you can shake a stick at!
Be interesting to see if the Bulldogs have gotten over the blowout, er….blackout affair. Over & under odds on how many times Richt pulls the black jersey stunt in 2009.
I’ve got to ask you one last time. Enough with the 31-0 at the half nonsense. Geeez! I’m as rabid an Alabama fan as there is and I’m sick to death of hearing about it. Its one freaking game! Some of your posts make some reasonable points. But then you start or finish by dogging on the dawgs for some reason. I don’t know if you took a whooping by a dawg fan at a game or if you had an ex that was a UGA grad or what. But let it go dude! You sound like you’re obsessed with the fans of one other team.
One of the things Bama fans always loved about Bear Bryant and the main reason Bama fans old enough to remember him loved him so much wasn’t just because he was a winner. It was because he won and lost with class. He didn’t constantly rag fans of one other team and he didn’t relentlessly rag people over ONE FREAKING GAME!
You,sir, disrespect that legacy of winning and losing with class with your incessant 31-0 at the half!!! routine. Its old even to the Bama fans that like to post here and just talk football. You really actually just lend credence to the dawg fans anyway when you show how obsessed you are over one big win. So if you want to berate the UGA program you’re really just defeating your own purpose anyway. You probably just didn’t realize it. Sometimes you have some interesting and noteworthy posts if you could just leave the obsession with one game out of it.
Roll Tide but move on from the blackout game brother! The rest of the Bama nation already has.
I believe that Cornelius Washington will be the answer at DE. I know him and trust me he is a beast so i can’t wait to see him get his chance. Joe Cox will be a great QB for Georgia this year while they train Aaron Murray who is sure to take over in 2010. One position that Georgia really needs to address is kickoffs, i think Blair Walsh is going to be great at field goals but as far as kickoffs go Georgia needs to figure it out but all in all i think this season is going to be great i think Georgia is looking at at least 11 wins and Georgia has a bye week the week before the Florida game just like in 2007 so maybe that will help us again
Atlanta Jacket please come back in, recess is over. Another rant from a 12 year old Tech fan. The only fluke in your season was the win over Georgia. The LSU game was business as usual for Tech. A couple of predictions for 2009; Tech will not win the ACC, Tech will not beat Georgia, Tech will not win 10 games, Tech will not go to a BCS bowl.Tech will remain Tech. Remember this, even a blind hog stumbles on an acorn ocassionally. About once every 8 years.
The Dawgs did nothing to better their coaching, or lack thereof, on the def side of the ball. Not only is Jancek the worst LB coach Georgia has EVER had, but they promoted him to co-DC.
Geez.
Bobo better be all that, cuz we’re gonn have to score in the 40s every freakin’ game.
Hey AJC readers and “commentators”…do you remember just a couple of years ago when 98% of you here were posting comments that all Tebow was was a runner and couldn’t throw the ball? That he was just a compliment to Chris Leak and would struggle as a starter??? Some of you said he would’nt even eventually be the starter! Boy, you guys sure were right on that one too! I made a comment here about how Tebow had broken all the Fla high school records for passing and I got RIDICULED(!) because “that was high school” So I’m gonna try this one more time…Tim Tebow will not only make a great pro…he will revolutionize the QB position in the NFL!!! So come on, one more time…so let’s here it…
TW used my name in his comments so I just had to reply. I don’t think at 50 years old I am going to score 40 points on a Pop Warner team.
Cox is probably a more accurate passer but Shockley probably has the more powerful arm. And good Lord could DJ scramble. I hope that with a healthy deep O-line, Cox can sit in the pocket and pick a defense apart. If Cox starts running it could be the opposite of John Lastinger. Every time Lastinger dropped back to pass the crowd groaned.
G8R GRAD- There was a post somewhere at the top explaining how UF athletes are pushed into majoring in the top 3 easiest majors offered at UF. That might expain why 68% actually graduate.
one thing that i learned is that who ever is picked to win it hardly ever does. UGAs defense will be fine especially at DE, our defense is going to be intense and trust me we will tackle a lot better. OUR DEs were young and banged up last year it will be different this year. Dont give UF the east yet.
Bama12,
When passing numbers are measured, they don’t take into account the distance the ball travels in the air…just total yds gained on the play. They don’t take into account the offensive system either. The point has been made that Tebow’s passes are to speedy WR’s and are mostly short. His yardage numbers are inflated because of that. As for passing efficiency, again, is inflated by this fact.
I’ve seen him play and I don’t think he will be great at the next level. What’s more important, football experts have seen him play too. Very few of them are projecting him as a big time NFL QB. This is not a biased UGA fan saying this stuff. If UF fans can’t see that, they certainly shouldn’t be calling anyone else “biased”.
Tebow is a great college QB. That doesn’t make him NFL material. It is a simple fact.
I don’t care what Tebow or Stafford or any other QB does in the pros. I follow college ball and don’t care for pro ball that much. With that in mind any UGA fan that can not give Tebow his props just makes their post that much less credible. Tebow is a fantastic person and one of the all time great college players along with the likes of Herschel and Bo. I can’t help but root for Tebow as a player and a person, except when he plays UGA.
I will go out on a limb and say Cox will have better stats than Stafford. Completion %, winning % and season yardage will all be higher for Cox than Stafford. UGA will have a better season than last year and will push UF for the East. UF is and should be the odds on favorite and like someone said they are not unbeatable. The key to beating them is just like any other team, control the line of scrimmage and score more points than they do. It ain’t rocket science, just a lot harder to do on UF than most others. UGA will have the same opportunity to do this as any other team and in the end the best team will win. GO DAWGS.
If Tebow is to be a good NFL player, he will not revolutionize the QB position, but revolutionize his own game to fit what works in the NFL. If anyone is dumb enough to believe that anyone can play QB and run like a fullback in the NFL, he hasn’t seen Ray Lewis play defense. If Tebow knows what is good for him, he’ll try to become a pocket passer, rather than a slow, lumbering version of Mike Vick.
BTW: For the Gator idiots. When the GPOOE gets drafted in the 4th round next year, how many qb’s are going to sign up to play at UF? How good will UF be without a Chris Leak or Tim Tebow? Of course, Meyer will be in South Bend at that time in his “dream job” so maybe it won’t matter.
I never said Tebow would be a great pro qb because I don’t think he will. I also don’t think he will revolutionize the qb position as some people think. I was merely making the point that the guy is very accurate. You do have a point that he does throw a lot of short passes that his WRs can turn into long gainers. But you could say that about a lot of great qbs in the past, especially the ones like Steve Young who ran a west coast offense with a lot of passing to RBs out of the backfield, essentially a short passing game that is similar to a running game. I think Tebow is somewhere in between what people of all stripes think. He has a stronger arm and is more accurate than a lot of people give him credit for. On the other hand there is no way in my mind that this one guy is going to revolutionize the pros. They would eat him for lunch and bang him up week after week if he tried to run the same type of offense with the same relative number of carries in the pros as what he did in college. Plus the talent is a lot more evenly spread throughout the pros. At UF he has the added benefit of playing against very few teams who will line up with the same relative amount of talent that UF has. Some people think he’s the greatest qb ever that will revolutionize the position. Some people think he is vastly overrated and like a lot of pro scouts he would be lucky to be picked in the 3rd round as a qb. The truth is probably somewhere in between.
The only question is……Will the Dawgs take off the lace panties this year and become a real football team?
Based on the the excuses Im starting to hear from the coaching staff this spring, it looks like the lace panties will not only be on, but they will be monogramed with ‘finish the drill.”
Oh well….yet another season of being the 4th best program in the SEC…..Music City bowl, here we come!
Man, I knew this would be deja vu all over again…you same wise doubters are back. “Tebow will never make it against the fast, angry SEC defenses, he won’t last a game, he can’t throw long, he won’t be able to read defenses, he can’t do this he can’t do that. I would not bet against Tim Tebow because that is exactly what fuels his fire, you might as well go ahead and throw plutonion into a nuclear reactor! Of course he’s not going to run in the pros like he does in college, but he will if its there. I think this year you will see him a bit more in the pocket and evolve his game like he did last year. And for those people who say he can only throw the short ball to speedy receivers you better go roll that tape again! Besides, isn’t that about all they do in the pros anyway, I see A LOT MORE of the long ball in college! And as far as all of those NFL “experts” and pundits…well if you go back and check, it seems they’re predictions are about as good as yours!!
Tony – I’m with you on the offense being in good shape. The defense is a BIG question mark. Simply put, without a pass rush, it will be difficult to win more than 8 games. With a pass rush, we can compete with Florida for SEC East. However, someone must step up big time at defensive end, or else it will be a tough year. Plus, we must be more aggressive on defense in general.
Florida is the clear favorite. Tebow is not only a great QB, he is also a great leader. I don’t know where all this talk about him not being a good passer comes from. Every time I see him play, he passes very well. Any team with him at QB will be good, because he pulls the whole team up with him.
Tennessee needs a QB. Otherwise, they will struggle big time. Their defense will be good, as usual. If they find a decent QB, they could surprise.
SC obviously needs to pick it up on offense. Spurrier seems to have lost the magic touch.
Vandy is well coached and can beat you if things go their way on that particular day. Just not enough talent to be a consistent winner.
KY is hard to predict. Very inconsistent. Their defense is weak. At times, seem to be poorly coached.
Thanks for allowing for input.
What’s with all these comments on here that have absolutely nothing to do with what you discussed in your article? My guess is illiteracy.
i think if the o-line stays healthy cox might remind you of a right handed david green.he will stay in the pocket and pick receivers instead of moving around to much.uga has to much talent and depth offensivly unless the injuries plaque us again.
I think Cox will be great. I’m sure the coaching staff is building plays around his strengths and weaknesses. He’s a gamer and will come out smelling like a rose.
Be honest people. Florida is the best team in the country. Tebow is the best player in the country. Urban Meyer may be the best coach in the country. On the other hand, Georgia, with the loss of Stafford and Moreno, certainly has a tremendous uphill climb. Stafford was the best pinpoint passer in the NCAA last year and Moreno was undoubtedly the best running back in the country. These two guys will certainly be missed. From a coaching standpoint, Richt will have a much tougher time than Meyer.
Bama 12 TITLES-You seem like a pretty smart guy unlike Bama Stan who is a stupid jackass.The thing Bama Stan forgets to mention in that game is UGA came right back and scored 30 points.We Georgia people could say Louisiana-Monroe-Utah embarrasing beatdown and humiliating the SEC in the sugar bowl-cronic probation a million other things.Bama Stan also seems to have gotten in bed with Tennesee and that rogue hillbilly coaching staff.If you are a really a Bama fan you would find it next to impossible to say anything nice about Tenn.Fulmer basically took a year off of coaching to make it a personal crusade to dig up all the dirt on Alabama himself and report it himself.Many SEC coaches knew what Bama was doing for years but Fulmer made it a point to stick it to BAMA and nearly got them the death penalty missing by one vote I am told.The thing Bama Stan always leaves out is that he is wrong about almost everything he has ever said.The funny thing about this is Alabama being a habitual violator in the eyes of the SEC it is Tennesee that will be the next SEC team on probation.The recruitment of Bryce Brown is just the tip of the ice-berg.NCAA are taking thier time with this one and could be around 10 months before the details emerge.Bama Stan seems to be obsessed with everything Georgia instead of being on a tide message board.He seems especially obsessed with Joe Cox who will be just fine instead of worrying about Alabamas QB.To be honest, besides Fla and Ole Miss all SEC QB’S are basically unproven.Bama Stan needs to let the people of the south forget about the sugar bowl game before he makes anymore predictions.To keep putting 31-0 at the half after Tides sugar bowl game is very ignorant.Bama Stan next time put the 2nd half score of the game also you always seem to forget that one.
I think Chavis at LSU could put LSU right back at the top with Bama in the West. It’ll be interesting to watch them slug it out over the next few years. Unfortunatley for Auburn, they could be the odd man out for awhile. Not only are they most likely going to be on the losing end against the Tide for the foreseeable future, Ole Miss may take their #3 spot in the division.
[...] the known and the unknown in the SEC East yesterday. Today, he tackles the SEC West.You can read his latest blog post in full right here, but for our purposes, here are his questions regarding each West Division football team:Alabama [...]
hate to say it but the west could be alot better top to bottom than the east interested in seeing how or if Auburn comes back and Mallett should be a pretty darn good QB at Arkansas
Dawg in Lex-agree with your predictions but think you have Ark a little high.I said the same thing last year about Auburn on the blog.Injuries to certain players will be a major factor I favor Ole Miss a little only because of Rebs established QB and have not really seen enough of LSU QB yet.I see Alabama coming in 3rd.Injuries can derail a team faster than anything else just ask Georgia.
LSU fans, you will like Chavis on first and second downs, but you will soon learn why UT fans referred to third downs hatefully as “3rd and Chavis.”
There is no 3rd and long that he can’t convert into a first down with soft coverage and no blitzing. Chavis does well as long as he has talented players and LSU has that, but he is not a master tactician.
Almost impossible to win a championship of any kind without a talented and, more importantly, experienced QB. Just look at history. This axiom gives the nod to Ole Miss in my opinion.
LSU should win the West and Ole Miss and Bama fighting for the 2nd spot. Bama had 3 All-American’s leave the program that will play in the NFL this season. That is hard to replace so that
is why I think LSU will win the west. Bama will still win 10 games this year, the defense is going to
be very very good again this year!!
Tebow is the best college QB or football player I’ve ever seen..and yes I’ve met Hershal. Florida is the team to beat in the SEC period..and I pray we do..but that is long odds this year. However any Gator puke that has to go by a screen name of a Georgia player or coach..is a moron and everything you post is trash…if your a Gator act like a Gator or STFU. If you can’t be proud of your school stay home in your parents basement and watch some more gay porn…losers
I see a competitive 3 team race between Bama, LSU, and Ole Miss. Ole Miss will have their best team since Ely Manning led them to a 10 win season and a bowl win several years back. They finished their last several games last year not by winning but by stomping people into the ground. LSU, Miss. St, and then Texas Tech all took physical beatdowns from Ole Miss to end the season. Don’t forget. This is also the one team to beat the gators and they did it in the swamp and they did it by body slamming Tim Tebow on 4th and 1. I think they will probably be the surprise team of the conference this year and if the o-line is their biggest issue with the loss of Oher then they should be fine. Nutt is an O-line coach and always seems to produce good, physical o-lines with less talent than other coaches. Nutt also always gave LSU and Bama in particular fits when he was at Arkansas. Watch out for Nutt and the rebels. They are physical and ready to make some noise.
I can see Arkansas continually getting better. Like Ole Miss they finished strong and I can see them probably getting 7 wins and going bowling in year 2 of Petrino. Whether you like Petrino or not he is a good coach, last year’s Arkansas team was incredibly young, and these guys will only get better. Expect them to pull a couple of surprise wins just like last year.
LSU loses a lot of great talent, especially on defense with all those great d-linemen gone and a couple of very good o-linemen on offense gone. Chavis is a heckuva D-coordinator but it’ll take more than 1 year to get them back to where they were with all the talent they lost. Offensively they will be fine. Expect them to be in the mix but to be just a shade behind Bama and Ole Miss. We saw LSU dip to 7-5 the year after 17 5th year starters recruited by Saban won a national title for LSU. Interesting how LSU nosedived immediately after the last of Saban’s players were gone.
Bama. Similar to Joe Cox at Georgia McElroy has been grooming for 3 years for this shot. at qb People forget that he was in the same recruiting class as Stafford coming out of high school in Texas. But it was McElroy who was the Texas 5A player of the year coming out of high school and set the state record for td passes with 56 in 1 season and also ran for almost 1,000 yards. He is 16 out of 20 in limited action the last 2 years.
Saban has been stockpiling massive 4 and 5 star O-lineman for a few years now. James Carpenter was regarded as maybe the top-rated JUCO O-lineman coming out last year. He will start out as a left tackle but will probably move to guard where he will have to compete against 2 former 4 star recruits with starting experience for one guard position. Bama has possibly the top rated offensive tackle coming out of high school to take over Andre Smith’s spot. 6′7, 350lb 5 star recruit DJ Fluker was the guy everyone was watching during the us army all-american week of practice leading up to the game. He’ll be better than Andre Smith when its said and done. But first he will have to win the left tackle job over the other 6′7 310 lb 5 star offensive tackle recruit from the year before Tyler Love. Love took a medical reshirt last year because of a stress fracture but is finally healthy. At center Evan Cardwell takes over. He started several games in 2006 and 2007 and played frequently last year. Bama looked bad in the sugar bowl when Andre Smith was lost 2 days before the game and all conference guard Michael Johnson was lost in the 1st qtr. But with the sheer size and number of elephants Saban has recruited Bama is actually locked and loaded throughout the offensive line.
The Bama defense returns 9 starters and practically the entire 2 deep. One starting defensive end is gone but the top other 8 D-lineman return. The interior front 7 of the Alabama D is going to be scary good and deep. All American safety Rashad Johnson is gone but will be replaced by former 5 star safety recruit Mark Barron. Barron is a bigger, faster, more physical version of Johnson and after a year of experience and backup duty the sophomore is ready to take over. By the end of the season Barron could end up being an upgrade given his physical tools. This guy will be all-conference and possibly all-american before his career is over. The addition of 5 star linebacker recruit Nico Johnson rated no. 2 at his position and the no. 1 rated lockdown cornerback in the country in Dre Kirkpatrick only adds more depth and firepower to an already loaded defense. Yet another 5 star former recruit BJ Scott will move from wr to cornerback in the spring to give Bama a pair of former 5 star recruits at cornerback for the future. For the future it looks like Bama will have 3 former 5 star recruits manning 3 of the 4 defensive back spots. The 5 star lb recruit Nico was the guy who ran down Bryce Brown 3 times at the us army all american game. Makes you feel sorry for Bryce Brown knowing that he’ll be taking 4 years of abuse from Nico rather than just one all star game worth of abuse.
Skills players. Bama brings back 2 great rbs in Mark Ingram and Roy Upchurch and brings in the no. 2 running back in the country 5 star tailback recruit Trent Richardson. Bama also redshirted several tbs. All in all there are 10 rbs on the Bama roster. Several 4 star rated wide receivers should complement Julio Jones.
The bottom line. After 2 consecutive no. 1 ranked recruiting classes Saban has Alabama looking more like a veritable war machine than a football team. The skills players at wr and rb are frightening enough. But what sets Saban teams apart is the sheer size, power, and speed of the lineman on both sides of the ball and in the defensive recruits, especially at linebacker. This is a physically dominating team that is still young but will be terrifying the sec for years to come. Get ready for it. Its coming.
Auburn just doesn’t have the talent that they did before Saban got to Bama. They’ve definitely fallen behind Bama and LSU in the west and the big 3 in the east as far as talent goes. And I don’t think a high school coach 2 years removed from high school is going to get it done at Auburn, especially with a qb in Kodi Burns who is clearly lacking as a passing threat. Tulsa was scoring lots of points before Malzahn got there and when Tulsa played better competition in their bowl game that offense didn’t look so impressive. Missy State. Same qb issues as Auburn. They will be in a rebuilding state since if there is a worse qb in the sec than Kodi Burns that it would have to be the qb at State.
What we know: the west is far tougher than the east.
What we know #2: there will be a pretty darn good SEC team that won’t play a bowl game but would beat the 4th best team in every other conference’s azz.
Hi Tony. Rumors that Fox may sell or sub-license the rights to its final BCS season are eroneous. Most of our BCS advertising, including the title sponsorships, was sold in four-year packages.
I don’t know if “far” tougher is accurate Dorsey Hill but I would agree that on paper, the West looks a little deeper this year. It depends on if Tennessee looks any better with old foot in mouth running the show.
Big Three in the East? ga. ,of course, Fla., Certainly, and Carolina. No? Vandy? No. Oh, is it the talented team that lost to Wyoming on Homecoming last year? You can’t spell talent without ut….at least not in tennessee.
Hard to believe some people are actually picking Bama to finish 3rd or 4th. We go 12-2 with a lot of freshman playing. We have almost the whole defense back and most of the offense and people are picking us 3rd or 4th? What???
The few players we lose will be replaced by highly touted recruits that have been waiting in the wings and yet people are picking an Ole Miss team that has never won the west division ever to win it over us? Are you serious?
People are picking an LSU team that went 7-5 last year and only won 3 sec games to win the west over Bama? How does one pick a team like LSU that won only 3 sec games to suddenly jump up and beat a young bama team that didn’t lose an sec game until the sec championship against Florida? How do that happen? As Ricky Ricardo would say “Someone got some splaining to do!”
Clearly, I think some of the comments relegating Bama to 3rd or 4th in the division are based not on sound football logic but on anti-Alabama sentiment brought on principally by Bama Stan. And one guy picked 3rd place as a toss up between Bama and Auburn. Are you kidding me? Auburn? The same Auburn team that finished 5th and got blasted 36-0 by Bama, has a new coach, subpar talent, and arguably the worst qb in the sec? That Auburn?
I guess we have Bama-Stan to thank for that. Thanks Bama Stan for stoking anti-Bama sentiment! You are the annoying Alabama equivalent of what Roswell Ed is to Auburn fans. Except that I actually liked Roswell Ed and found his comments to be funny and not even annoying. I kinda wish he would start posting again since I was one of his biggest fans. Ed, if you’re out there come on back! At least you were funny!
Like it or not Tennessee has always been one of the big time programs in the sec. They are only 1 bad season removed from winning the sec east, they’ve won more sec titles than Georgia, especially since the 2 division format, they’ve won a national title in the last 10 years or so, and they wallopped the dawgs 9 in a row in the 90s. And while they lost to UGA last year in a meltdown of a year they pounded the dawgs 35-14 and 51-30 in the 2 previous years. They still have the fanbase, the facilities, and the recruiting prowess to be an sec and national title contender. As far as alltime accomplishment and tradition goes they are 2nd in the sec only to Bama. You have a very short memory.
Admittedly, I don’t keep up with the West as I do the East, but I like Ole Miss to pull at least one divisional upset… Tony is spot on about Chavis and the LSU defense. 8-5 was a down year for Miles… I know how much John Bubba Parker Wilson meant to the Red Elephants and I think we’ll get a better understanding of that along he way. Defensively, they let theirselves down in the SECCG and The Sugar…Razorpigs can pull surprises. But with what Alabama has and LSU and Ole Miss getting better, the Ham Hocks will still be a little piggy in the mud hole…Miss St and Auburn will be fighting for last place in the West…
Auburn will NOT be very good. Way to many questions. They fire Franklin for his coaching style and then hire Malzahn? Really? To run a program that has recruited zero talent for the hurry-up pass he’ll utilize? Wow. And let’s not even discuss the hiring Chizik…great decision there for sure. The only decent hire they made was Roof…who, though not a good head coach at all – no offensive skill, really is a solid defensive coordinator.
Alabama will not be the Alabama of last year. They’ll still contend for the West but it won’t come easy, if at all. While their defense will be outstanding, replacing key players on offense will keep them from scoring enough to win. Expect a lot of low-scoring games for Bama this year.
Arkansas will be middle of the pack…with some quality wins and a couple stupid losses.
Ole Miss will be the team to beat. They were a surprise last year but not this year. They return a ton of talent and their only loss was Jerry and they’ve sufficient talent to take his place. I don’t there’s much we don’t know about Ole Miss. They’ll be good. SEC West champions good.
LSU made a great hire in Chavis. As bad as UT was last year, their D was stout. Chavis will right the ship in short order. But what they make up in D, they’ll give up in O. Too many questions and no proven leader on that side of the ball. LSU finishes third in the West. They’ve got a stud in Shepard and they need to make him the QB. Give him a year under his belt and they could win it all in 2010. With or without Shepard, the finish third, so why not give him the experience. Lee nor Jefferson have the talent of this kid. Is LSU willing to sacrifice 2009 to have a better shot at taking it all in 2010 and 2011?
And now MSU…
I loved Croom…but he was never the right man for MSU. Mullen is. Starkville gave Croom 6 years, can they give Mullen 2-3 to get the talent he needs? That’s the unknown. MSU can’t recruit the quality of talent needed to smash head-to-head with the big boys in the SEC. But they can get lesser-known stars that can make the program a winning program. Think West Virginia. If Rodriquez can get kids to come to Blacksburg, VA; Mullen can certainly get them to come to Starkville, MS.
The west could be very exciting in the next couple of years. At the least, they’ll be better than the East top to bottom.
You may very well be correct in stating the west may be better than the east at least this year anyway. Nothing against the dawgs but the east is a one team show this year.
Also, while fans of the east have traditionally knocked the east and especially the 2 Mississippi teams its very interesting to note the success of the 2 bottom dwelling Missippi teams over the dominant team in the east the Florida gators since the inception of the 2 division format. For example, UGA plays Fla. every year and has won only 3 games in the past 2 decades against the gators. Miss. State has beaten them twice in the 2000s and Ole Miss beat the gators last year in the swamp. Miss. State also shredded the gators at least once in the 90s under Sherrill 47-30 over Spurrier and either Ole Miss or Miss. State went to the swamp and put it on the gators 30-6 also in the 90s. And the rebels and Miss. State rarely ever play the gators. Yet it seems like they both beat the gators with more regularity than UGA or possibly even Tennessee. Just something to think about.
Also, I’m not sure about the alltime record between Ole Miss and UF but I believe they are either tied in the series or Ole Miss may lead the series by 1 win.
After UF, UT, UGA, the sec east drops off rapidly. S. Carolina has won 2 bowls in its history, Kentucky is historically as bad in football as it is good in basketball, and even though Vandy went to and won a bowl game for the 1st time since 1982 they are well, Vandy.
Ole Miss actually has a respectable football history, decent success under Johnny Vaught and more recently David Cutcliffe and now Nutt, and Miss. State while its history is poor they did have some good years under Sherrill and they have at least been strong enough to win the division. They’ve also pulled some surprises here and there under Croom.
Same with Arkansas. This is a program that has won national titles, they were the #2 program when they were in the old southwest conference behind texas, and Arkansas over the years has consistently gone to bowl games and consistently had teams that have won 8 or 9 games in a season.
In the east there have been many a years where you basically played the other big 2 if you are a UF, UT, or UGA, and then you basically had the rest of the division off. Not so in the west with an Arkansas program that has been consistently decent and Missippi teams that have shown flashes of success more consistently than the 3 bottom dwellers in the east.
Tony,(Scouting Report) I was simply referencing your comment about Aubun’s present talent level compared to the “Big Three.” While not an expert(or wannabe) I am very aware of tenn.’s history. However, with last year’s debacle and coaching (Lane) change, it is hard to Presently view them as part of the present Big Three, if any.
Rising Tide is nothing against Bama for me but Ole Miss is improving and LSU has a QB now. In the 2nd year both will be better. Bama has a new QB and replacing key people on the OL. Malzahn had some success at Arkansas and he has a QB that has run a hurry up spread style offense. Todd isn’t the QB either. The west will be instersting.
Tony, Has anyone including you factored in the favorability of scheduling when talking about who will win the west this year? You may have forgotten to mention how the favorability of home and away scheduling factors in.
Our odd years are the favorable home schedule years and our even years are the tough road schedule years. Last year was our traditional tough road schedule year as 3 of our 4 toughest games were on the road including Georgia in Athens, LSU in Baton Rouge(allthough Baton Rouge is traditionally a home game for us), Tennessee in Knoxville, and only Auburn as a big home game.
This year is much easier for Bama. We get LSU at home, Tennessee at home, and we drop a good Georgia team for South Carolina which we get at home. We only play Auburn on the road which is not expected to be as tough a game this year.
I’m not sure about Ole Miss schedule but if LSU is the team that others are picking to win the division I think LSU has a tougher road schedule this year. I’m not sure but I think the go on the road to play both UGA and maybe UF. The UF game is almost a sure loss and UGA is sure to be favored at home in that game against LSU. So if you’re picking LSU to win the west you might want to check the schedule. They play the top 2 teams in the east on the road whereas Bama does not play either UGA or UF and Ole Miss doesn’t play UGA or UF either as far as I know.
This is a huge advantage to Bama and Ole Miss for that matter since I think Ole Miss also avoids both UF and UGA. If LSU loses both of these games as they probably will then it leaves almost no margin for error in their division games in the west. Its almost impossible to win a division with 3 losses and LSU would then certainly have to beat both Ole Miss and Bama and win most if not all of their remaining division games in order to win the west. On top of playing Bama and UGA on the road I’m now also thinking that LSU plays Ole Miss on the road. Not sure though.
Hey guys – by the way – I am retiring my famous “31 – 0 at the half?!!!” at the bequest of other Bama fans – yes, it’s fun to do.
Just wanted to do it one more time!!!!
I will now start my posts with: 12 National Titles, 21 SEC Titles, !!!!
DawginLex – you asked me what I think of your prediction?
Well, you are entitled to your own opinion – and who knows – you just might be right on the mark – we will see at the end of the season.
I personally think that it will come down to LSU and Bama in the SEC West.
LSU
I have to give LSU a slight edge on paper due to QB position – but you never know how a team will gel during the season. Another Issue for LSU – their SEC West Schedule is Florida, UGA, and Vandy. LSU should win 2 of the 3 with the loss to Florida. I will be rooting for UGA and Vandy!!!
Bama
Our defense should be as good as LSU’s – if not slighlty better. We have talent on the OL – might be reloading here – if we gel as a unit quickly – we will be very good. Area of concern is QB – McElroy is kind of like Cox at UGA. Kid shows good leadership and knows the system. McElroy is slightly bigger, faster, and stronger than Cox and has a better arm. HOwever, Star Jackson maybe the long term answer – as he brings DJ Schockley type of Athleticism to the position.
Bama’s SEC East schedule is Tennessee, Kentucky and South Carolina – we should win all 3 of these games – giving us a 1 game edge against LSU (losing to Florida).
Of course – the comparisons between LSU and Bama are on paper – head to head competition is key – as both teams have the ability to run the SEC West table.
OlLe Miss – greatly improved – but I think Coach Nutt will see that he has Ole Miss playing as good as Ole Miss can play. They are as good as they are going to be. If we take them lightly – we will get “UTAH’d”
Hey DawginLex – like my new saying – getting “UTAH’d” Kind of like when UGA got “BC’d” in the Music City Bowl Richts first year – or “WV’d” in the 2005 Sugar Bowl. Will UGA get Vol’s or “Kiffin’d” this year in Knoxville this year?
Yep – we got “UTAH’D” last year – embarrassed the SEC – it happens and we will be better for it!!!!!
Auburn, Arkansas and Miss State – should finish in that order. Again, LSU and Bama should beat these guys – but you never know? Who would have thought that Florida would lose to Ole Miss last year?
I would have to agree with you on Ole Miss. I think they are certainly improving and they may very well end up winning the west. Wouldn’t surprise me. As for LSU they could end up being just as good as Ole Miss or my Bama boys but I think what trips them up is having to play UGA and UF on the road whereas Ole Miss and Bama both get to skip the 2 best teams in the east this year. Big disadvantage for LSU.
I do have to agree with you though. The west will certainly be interesting.
We may respectfully just disagree on the Bama qb and O-line. I think we’ll be fine on both fronts because of the talent we’ve been recruiting on the O-line and the fact that McElroy has been in the system 3 years preparing to take over. Besides, the offense we run the qb is asked just to manage the game like Wilson did, he doesn’t have to win the game with his arm.
As for Malzahn I don’t really think he had any success to speak of at Arky. The whole reason he left Arky is because his offense wasn’t working in the early going. Nutt ended up taking back control of the offense and went straight back to a run oriented offense. Who could blame him though with Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. Malzahn was obviously frustrated over this and resigned at seasons end cause his offense either didn’t work and took the job at Tulsa. The 2 highly recruited recruits who came to Arky because of his offense Mitch Mustain the qb and Damian Williams the wr both transferred to the real USC. This was the mess that ultimately ended up getting Nutt run out of Arky.
Ole Miss goes to SC and Vandy and gets UT and LSU at home back to back before the egg bowl.
Ole Miss and Bama do have the easiest schedule out of the west.
Arkansas starts out Missouri St., open, UGA at home at Bama, at Tex A&M, Auburn at home, and then at UF and at Ole Miss. Tough schedule to break in a QB.
Ole Miss, Bama, LSU and Auburn could all take the west. I’ll go with Ole Miss with LSU, Bama, and Auburn fighting for 2nd. I think it will be close. The 4th place team could easily be 3rd in the east.
Thanks for taking down the 31-0!!! moniker even if you had to wrankle the dawg fans one last time. The rest of us Bama fans were just tired of it so thanks again. Since you enjoyed it so much though I am wondering if you are going to be able to resist the sheer temptation of wrankling the dawg fans. Just kidding.
LSU gets UF in Baton Rouge for the Crocs first big game well other than the Kiffen roast in the swamp.
Bama could go either way wouldn’t surprise me to see them win it or 4th. The schedule sets up nice.
IMO Saban was right on schedule last year not ahead of schedule. The west was down and the team would have been 2nd or 3rd in the previous 5 years in the west.
This west is Bama’s to win or lose. But only because of their schedule. Saban has yet to have back to back 10 win seasons in his career. Will this year be it?
LSU could be just as good or better than the Tide. But they have to play both Florida and Georgia. Ole Miss has the best QB in the west and should be a solid 9 win team.
Arkansas could also be looking at a 9 win season with an upset or two. Auburn is probably the biggest question mark, and could be the surprise team of the division, but won’t win it.
Thanks for the schedule breakdown. As I suspected along with Ole Miss we definitely have the easier route to winning the division then LSU. While the games have yet to be played I’m putting LSU behind Ole Miss and Bama just based on scheduling.
I don’t see how Auburn could possibly factor into anything though. Their qb is terrible and if they do switch to a new qb it will be a new qb in a new system in a really tough transition year. Its really yard to win anything in a transition year and all though Chizik is a respected D coordinator he is 5-17 as a head coach.
This is a guy who couldn’t win a big 12 game last year and that was without having to play Texas, Oklahoma, or Texas Tech. Add to that the fact that Auburn has taken a serious hit in recruiting the last couple of years. They don’t have anywhere near the talent that they did 2-3 years ago. Anyway, I just can’t see Auburn being competitive at all and I’m one of the few Bama fans who doesn’t even hate Auburn.
BAMASTAN, good one on Utah’d… Kindof like we got Michiganed 2 years ago in the citrus bowl. Or Tennessee go Wisconsined! Seems to happen in bowl games when the SEC team is not playing for the national title.
I bet you never thought you would see the day where you would see self deprecating humor from Bama Stan. Or for that matter that he would retire the old 31-0!!!! at the half moniker. But he has formally put it into retirement so the rest of us crimson tide fans are now all farts and giggles. I think some of us were more tired of it than the dawg fans and so he removed it at the request of the other bama fans. Anyway, he has some good posts when he’s not peeing in the dawg fans cereal.
Bama Stan can be funny and he did man up when we got Utah’d so he did earn some respect. I just wish Roswell Ed would come back. His posts were hysterical funny. I don’t know if he was actually serious in what he said or if he intended for his comments to be so out of whack on purpose just to rile people up. In any event he constantly amused me and the responses to him were equally funny. I just hope he comes back. I kinda even wish Auburn would be good again just to have Roswell Ed come back and talk trash. Anyway, signing out. Spent too much time today bs ing on this forum.
I’m sorry, but I’m not buying the Ole Miss bill of goods. Why is Houston Nutt going to do better at Ole Miss than he did at Arkansas? He was lucky to get left a team with good talent by shirt-ripping Coach O, but watch how his teams lose steam the longer he is there. He had pretty good talent at Arkansas, but look what he did with it. Hint: Lost 2 SEC Championship Games and got fired. Anyone remember Darren McFadden or Felix Jones?
Tide, I don’t think Auburn is as bad as they looked last year. You have to really question what Tubbs was doing and after Franklin was let go Auburn had no real direction on offense. Tubby was a defensive guy who did not spend much time with the offense. Trotter or Caudle will be Auburn’s QB unless Burns makes massive improvements. Auburn will most likely be mixing it up for 2nd or 3rd next year. They also have some OOC games to get things sorted before the meaat of the SEC schedule.
In a not so thinly veiled report the answer is yes. the scouting reporter is unabashedly an Alabama fan. Didn’t take much to figure that one out of course. I figured it was kinda obvious.
I think Nutt is a helluva coach and Arkansas should be remiss for letting him go. They may not win it all, but just to be in the mix at Arkansas and now at Ole Miss is one good coaching job. I look for them to be competitive going forward.
IMO, Alabama is the team to beat in the West this year, as is UF in the East. No one in their respective divisions beat them last year, so they remain the top teams untill someone beats them. Simple. Ole Miss will be intresting because they have a returning QB that got lots of experence last year. LSU may have found a starting QB at the end of last year, if the kid continues to improve they could be very tough. AU is breaking in a new HC with another new system. Burns will have had to learn three systems in three years. Such confusion does not make for steady QB play. Bama is also breaking in a new QB and has lost some very good linemen. Time will tell with Bama. I am not sold on Petrino and Missy St will have to show me something before they get much love from me. UGA’s season will depend on the play of their new starter. He will be helped by improved O line play and he is a five year senior so I think the Dawgs will be better than expected. UF and Ole Miss have veteran teams with returning QBs and {mostly}intact coaching staffs, so one would think that they have a leg up on the competition.
Hoof Hearted-Coach Nutt is a very good coach -a players coach-Arkansas and mississippi are recruiting graveyards just not enough kids.Petrino will be gone at Ark soon in my opinion.He could have flashes and have a couple of upsets but 5 or 6 wins is all I see in Ark.Coach Nutt winning 9 or 10 games at Ole Miss is quite an accomplishment.Ole Miss starting to recruit alot of Georgia kids and this will help quite a bit.
it will be an interesting year in the SEC and the team that has an experience and talented qb will win the west.
West
1. OLE MISS… GREAT QB
2. LSU…….. POTENTIAL GREAT QB
3. ALABAMA…..UNPROVEN QB
4. ARKANSAS…. A YEAR AWAY
5. AUBURN… EXPERIENCE BUT NOT A GOOD QB
6. MISS SATE…JUST GETTING STARTED
The game we (Florida) fear most this year is that trip to LSU. We know that stadium will be rockin’ that day and it seems they have found their QB. I just hope we don’t have to play them at night. Alabama…I’ve never been fond of Nick Saban but after the SEC Champ game last year, I came away with a whole new respect for his coaching If Tebow had not been superman that day…so based on coaching,I would never count out Bama! Ole Miss is capable as well and Nutt is always a wild card. Glad we don’t play ‘em just to be honest about it. I really think Miss State is going to surprise some people this year and I hope it’s not us! Keep an eye on Dan the Man! Arky and Auburn I think will be in rebuilding mode this year. Oh, and as a sidebar…Tenn will finish last here too!
Looks like a 3 team battle – LSWho, Bama, Ole Siss – Will not be decided by head 2 head but rather how you do against the “others”. Lose to Barn, Pigs, or Bullies and you will be the weakest link.
I would agree with some others that State and Auburn will fight for the bottom in the West. Bama, LSU, Ole Miss, and Arkansas all have a shot. I think Ole Miss has the most balanced and talented offense, but defense is a question mark. There are a couple of studs (Hardy if he can stay healthy), but is it enough… Bama will run and play defense. Stop the run, stop Bama. LSU will also have a good running game and defense. Arkansas will continue to play the spread with a little run thrown in. The Hogs defense is also suspect. Should be interesting to see how it plays out, but Bama and Ole Miss have more favorable schedules with the Rebels getting Bama in Oxford. In fact, Ole Miss only plays conference games on the road at SC, Vandy, Auburn, and State. I also look for Ole Miss to score 28-30 points a game… We’ll see, but in the preseason, I give the West edge to Ole Miss. Gotta think Gators in the East. Rebs vs Gators SEC championship? Time will tell…
“the scouting report”—-The all-time record for Florida vs Ole Miss is 10-12-1, with the teams having split 3-3 their last six games since 1990. All-time record for Florida vs. Mississippi State is 32-18-2, with the Gators holding a 5-3 edge since 1990.
For the record, since 1990 no other SEC teams have better winning percentages against the Gators than Ole Miss (.500) and Mississippi State (.375). Strange, but true . . . and the record for the Gators is even worse when they play one of the Mississippi schools in a Thursday night ESPN game. Over the same time span, Alabama has the 3rd-best winning record against the Gators at 4-8 (.333).
BTW, here’s a great website for ending debates over college football win-loss records and other statistics:
“Steering”—-I have tangled with you on this subject before. If you are going to bang this drum, at least be accurate: there are virtually NO political science majors among the Gators’ current roster of players. To the extent there are unusually high numbers of any particular major, it’s anthropology and sociology, not the others cited by you. Do your homework—-it’s all posted on the players’ profiles on Gatorzone.com.
For the record, the Gators also have the second highest graduation rate for football players in the SEC, and the second highest NCAA academic progress rate (APR) in the SEC, with more all-academic SEC athletes than any other conference school.
BTW, while anthropology, sociology, and political science are not under a single department”—-they are all under the College of Liberal Arts, but that is hardly evidence of a conspiracy. So, are the departments of mathematics, chemistry, statistics, physics and astronomy. And this is true for every other major university in America—-if you had actually set foot on a university campus on any day other than a Saturday, you would know this.
G8R GRAD—-The graduation rate stats that you posted from USA Today only reflected the graduation rates among the top 25 teams in the Coaches Poll for that particular week. The Gators 68% graduation rate actually places them in the to 25% of all 117 Division I football schools. Georgia Tech’s 48% graduation rate places them in the bottom third of all Division I schools, and dead last in the ACC.
Atlanta Jackets—-Thanks for playing, but for a predominantly engineering school, there seem to be damn few engineering majors among the Tech football team’s scholarship athletes, and an awfully high number of liberal arts and so-called “business” majors. And anyway you slice it, your football team’s graduation rate is an embarrassment to an otherwise outstanding academic institution. Furthermore, if Tech does not improve its APR soon, it is likely to begin feeling the pain of NCAA scholarship reductions soon, and suffer the ridicule of your fellow ACC schools. Get informed, son, before you hurt someone with your ignorance.
Here’s the downside of the Gators’ 2009 schedule: because their out-of-conference schedule is so darn weak (Charleston Southern?!), if they lose any one game, by any margin, they will be out of the running for the MNC, with absolutely no chance to climb back into contention. The Gators will start the season at number one and as the preseason favorites, but anything less than a perfect season will not get them back to the BCS title game.
If Clemson’s offensive line stunk last year and returns everyone, why should it be good this year? Experienced bad players are still bad players. Baffling.
The ACC had more balance than the SEC did in 2008. Will that continue in 2009? Probably. Think I’m nuts?
The facts are just that:
Arkansas lost to Texas and barely got by Western Illinois and UL Monroe
- Auburn lost to West Virginia
- Georgia lost to Georgia Tech (but beat Arizona State)
- LSU didn’t even play a BCS team in non-conference play, but needed an epic fourth quarter to get by Troy.
- Ole Miss lost to Wake Forest
- Mississippi State lost to Georgia Tech (along with Louisiana Tech)
- South Carolina got blown out by Clemson (but beat NC State)
- Tennessee lost to an awful UCLA (along with Wyoming)
- Vanderbilt lost to Duke and Wake Forest
OK Tony- a little love for NC State- I predict a break year for the O’Brien and the Wolfpack. He has done it is way and we know that he has a proven record in the past.
Pack wins a lot of games and scares everyone they play this year.
Hey ACC, you left out BAMA beating Va T, LSU pounding GT and UF beating FSU. The bottom line is how many differnt teams in the SEC have played in BCS bowls the last several years? BAMA, GA, UF, AUB, LSU….and have won them…how many ACC teams have been in the BCS and have the EVER won a BCS bowl game?? Yeah, I thought so. The SEC was a little down last year but that in no way means the ACC compares.
THE SEC’ers who try to “put down” the ACC in these blogs are only really telling us all the ACC is very relevant. They are telling themselves in their posts that it is relevant. No, the ACC is not the SEC but it’s not what the SEC’ers think it is. The SEC is bigger in football. Overall the ACC is a superior conference (football, basketball, baseball, women’s sports, et al).
Otto—-Since 1990, Tennessee (6 of 19), Auburn (5 of 16), LSU (5 of 19), Alabama (4 of 12), have all won more games against the Gators than Ole Miss and Mississippi State, but none have a better winning percentage than than either the Rebels (3 of 6, or .500) or the Bulldogs (3 of 8, or .375). Good trivia, and, yes, unexpected.
Yawn!! Wake me up when we get back to real football meaning the sec. Either that or wake me and Rumpelstiltskin up when an ACC team wins a bcs bowl.What are they? Is it now 9 straight losses in bcs bowl games going back to 2009? They would have a better shot if they could ever get 2 teams into bcs bowl games in 1 year but then again we are talking about the acc aren’t we?
I will cede one point though. ACC is more balanced was correct. They are more balanced in their mediocrity. A bunch of average 7-8 win teams that all go 4-4 or 5-4 or 4-5(not sure how many conference games they play) and then get 3 nonconference wins when they beat WIlliam & mary, the Citadel, etc to end up 7-5 or 8-4 to go to some mediocre bowls where they get collectively whupped 4-6 during bowl season with several blowouts and the one team that backs into a bcs bowl game by default takes an azzwhupping for the 8th or 9th year in a row.
But they did end up 6-6 against the sec with several of those wins over our traditional doormat Vandy and perennial conference cellar dwellar Missy St. And they did eke out a couple of close wins Wake over Ole Miss early in the season on a couple questionable calls and Ga. Tech with a once every 8 year win over UGA. Nevermind the beatdowns administered by Bama over Clemson, 34-10 Fa. over FSU, 45-14, and LSU which won only 3 sec games over ga. tech 38-3. I believe the sec did sweep the 2 bowl games between the 2 conferences also with the Tech blowout and with our conference doormat Vandy beating the ACC runnerup Boston College.. Now that is funny!
I’m going back to sleep. Wake me up when Tony gets back to the SEC.
Interesting, that SEC fans use to call the ACC a top heavy league (when FSU was a National title contender every year) and say they were inferior for that reason. Now, they say that the balanced ACC is inferior. Make up your minds.
Hey ignorant mutts, if the BCS was the only thing that mattered, there wouldn’t be other bowl games. Also, if you want to tout how great Florida and Alabama were, then in fairness you have to tout how horrible Auburn, Tennessee, and Miss St. were!
Hey Tony, you left out something in your column. GT actually beat UGA 45-42. It should be in every column. Word is the Techies may order rings, but nah, that may be too much. more news coming….
Hey guys…big time college football fan born in NY, now living in NJ. Tell me from an objective (no name calling) perspective what do people in the South think of Rutgers in particular and the BE in general. In football.
Auburn and Tennessee both had down years and coaching turmoil. That happens eventually to every program in the country at some point. Both of those programs have been very successful over the last 10-15 years. Tenn. has a national title in the last 11 years, Auburn an undefeated season in 2004 and a very successful run in the 2000s up until last year’s meltdown. Tenn. had a lot of success over 17 years under Fulmer and although he dropped off at the end he left as one of the winningest coaches in the country and won something like 75% of his games.
Programs ebb and flow and to point out 1 bad year of turmoil for each of these 2 historically good, consistent top 15 or top programs is just plain silly. In terms of winning % and bowl success over the last decade those 2 programs are demonstrably superior to most if not every team in the ACC. I’ld have to look up the records of Miami, FSU, and VA, Tech over the last 10 years but these are the only ACC programs to mention in the same breath as Auburn and Tenn. Notice that I mention programs and not teams. There is a difference and you shouldn’t put a lot of stock into 1 down season for consistent programs like Auburn or Tennessee.
I would be curious to know if they did indeed order the rings. I actually like both UGA and Ga. Tech but I think the LSU loss may have put a damper on Tech ordering those rings. If I were a dawg fan I would probably think its pretty funny. If I were a Tech player I think I would be embarrassed to make a big deal out of celebrating a once in every 8 years win. If I were a Tech player I would think that the ring pays way too much tribute to UGA and I wouldn’t wear it. That’s just me though and that’s why I don’t make too much of a deal over finally beating Auburn after 6 straight whuppings.
“Tell me from an objective (no name calling) perspective what do people in the South think of Rutgers in particular and the BE in general. In football.”
Consistently the 5th best conference ahead of the ACC. Every now and then it will move up a spot or two ahead of the Big 10 or Pac 10, but 5th best is the norm. That’s not bad considering the challenges that Big East programs face. They aren’t exactly in talent rich areas college football isn’t that popular up there. The ACC doesn’t have an excuse for its sorry football.
In regards to the big East I think they play some decent but not great football but I also think that its too easy for a good team in that conference to sneak into the national title game because the schedule isn’t as rugged as say in the sec or the big 12. If you’re West Virginia you basically have to beat 3 or 4 decent but not great teams to go undefeated. They almost went 2 years ago but got upset in the last game by 28 pt underdog Pittsburgh. If you’re West Va. its a lot easier to go through a 4 game stretch of say Louisville, Rutgers, South Florida, and Pittsburgh then it would be for someone like Fla to go through say UGA, LSU, UT in a typical good year for UT, then beat Bama in the seccg, and on top of that play FSU out of conference. Plus Florida in some years has to play Auburn(usually a tough game), last year they played what turned out to be a very good Ole Miss team, and plus I’m leaving out the fact that on the lighter side of their schedule sec Fla. still played 3 teams that went to bowl games(Vandy, Kent., South Carolina), 2 of which won their bowls. The big east drops off very rapidly after West Va, and maybe Rutgers. Louisville has dropped off a bit lately after Petrino left and South Fla. can play some good ball here and there but not consistently.
I’ve made the argument several teams even before we got UTAH’ed that if the Big East is a bcs conference then the mountain west should also be a bcs conference. UTAH has been very good for awhile, Bama is not their first bcs bowl win, they walloped Pitt out of the big east several years back in the Fiesta I think it was something like 42-14. But the Mountain west was 5-0 this year against the pac 10 and was something like 5-0 or 5-1 last year against the pac 10. If the big east is bcs material there is no reason why the mountain west shouldn’t also be bcs material. Their best teams like Utah, TCU, and BYU are consistently winning teams and consistent top 25 fixtures. TCU usually wins 10 games in a season as does Utah. Anyway, they are not as deep as say the sec or even the acc as far as decent teams that can field 7 wins or more and go to a bowl game but the top half of their league is better in my humble opinion than the top half of the big east and overall I think they are better from top to bottom than the big east also.
Here’s whats ahead for the ACC. The winner of the conference will get…… NOTHING! We all know the national champion next year will be USC, Ohio State, Texas, OU or the SEC champ. Wake me up when college football becomes exciting again!
You’ve heard of the ACC haven’t you. They play basketball over there. Allegedly they play football too but I’m not sure I really believe that or not. So far its just a rumor I think.
GLAD to be a GT fan (and To H*** with GA!) is the way I call it.
Pick a team people, not a CONF. Don’t hang your hat on the CONF your team plays in when they [your team] don’t live up to your expectations; that’s a bush league cop-out.
My team is GEORGIA TECH. Yeah, they were 2-1 vs. teams from the SEC in 2008; so what. The fact that matters is they won 9 of the 13 games on their schedule. And I’m expecting the same or better in 2009 with another win over the “good ole fashion hated” rival GA bulldogs.
FYI on the rings ….
They were for the SEASON (9-3), not the GAME; with the 45-42 score which was incribed on the rings being a highlight of a great regular season. Bowl game…yeah, not so much.
I think that just about covers the fly-bys. No apparent interest in what we don’t know about the acc-atlantic, but I know it was presented in a sense of fair play and equal time.
All of this SEC hysteria is hilarious. The (SEC) NC Champion barely beat Alabama last year in the SEC title game. Alabama then went on to get CRUSHED by a mid major Mountain West team. LoL. Don’t even get me started on GT beating the supposed third best SEC team – GA and all of the other hilarious shenannigans, Miss State and deez nutz. Please, keep this inflated sense of accomplishment going….
…it will make it fun for the rest of us watching this Fall.
Auburn and Tennessee both had down years and coaching turmoil. That happens eventually to every program in the country at some point. Both of those programs have been very successful over the last 10-15 years. Tenn. has a national title in the last 11 years, Auburn an undefeated season in 2004 and a very successful run in the 2000s up until last year’s meltdown. Tenn. had a lot of success over 17 years under Fulmer and although he dropped off at the end he left as one of the winningest coaches in the country and won something like 75% of his games.
Programs ebb and flow and to point out 1 bad year of turmoil for each of these 2 historically good, consistent top 15 or top programs is just plain silly. In terms of winning % and bowl success over the last decade those 2 programs are demonstrably superior to most if not every team in the ACC. I’ld have to look up the records of Miami, FSU, and VA, Tech over the last 10 years but these are the only ACC programs to mention in the same breath as Auburn and Tenn. Notice that I mention programs and not teams. There is a difference and you shouldn’t put a lot of stock into 1 down season for consistent programs like Auburn or Tennessee.”
are you kidding me? one title in ten years? since you bring up the past lets talk Miami football. the 2001 team was a monster team with no rivals before or since and how many titles does Miami have? enough said…
Good article! Even though we ACC fans know our league is full of weak teams and can in no way shine as bright as the almighty SEC, it’s still nice to see an article about it every once in a while. What I find most amusing is all of the ACC haters bothering to read the article about the ACC and then spending time posting comments about how bad the ACC is compared to the SEC. Dudes, seriously, do you think we care?
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GeoffDawg
March 13th, 2009
11:51 am
Tony – glad to have you back. I was worried that your column would be cut due to ajc belt tightening. Honestly, with the popularity of college football in Georgia, they should keep you on the payroll year round.
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tbarnhart
March 13th, 2009
12:03 pm
Thanks, GeoffDawg. It’s going to be fun. Shoot, Lane Kiffin should keep us entertained all Spring.
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GeoffDawg
March 13th, 2009
1:27 pm
That’s the truth. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be home from work in time to see him on PTI but if recent history is any indicator, it should be worth watching.
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Hoopie
March 13th, 2009
3:16 pm
Welcome back Tony. Have missed reading your balanced view of CFB.
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joe
March 14th, 2009
6:12 pm
Betcha $100 the top story of the time Tony was away will be all the much-a-do-about-nothing Lane Kiffin stories…did he say the kid would pump gas, or did Spurrier leak it just to pile on? Does his calling Urban Cryer a cheater make him a liar, or was he telling a half truth? We all know Urban is closer to being like Alabama than our state’s pride and joy Dawgs, right??
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poopdawg
March 14th, 2009
6:45 pm
Tony , i enjoy your articles but i didn’t like your last one. Must of been vacationing in Florida.
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CurlyHeadedDevil
March 14th, 2009
9:20 pm
Tony, there should be an opening for a sports headline writer at AJC if you’re interested in a very parttime position. What idiot would call a defensive lineman who makes 15 tackles and two sacks in two years for the national champion Gators a “Key” defensive lineman? Geez!
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T-Bone
March 15th, 2009
6:14 am
Tony, Great to have you back. I, too, am glad that the AJC belt-tightening didn’t get you. Looking forward to some spring practice reports. As a Tech grad, I’ll be interested to see how PJ’s spring this year differs from last year, and how he responds to the LSU debacle.
Will you give us your assessment of the various teams’ recruiting classes?
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FloridaDawg
March 15th, 2009
7:11 am
The ONLY thing I remember about Tony Barnhart was his last article that he wrote which STAYED on the AJC website for what?? 6 WEEKS or 7WEEKS? If this is what we have to look forward too, Mr. College Football should write for the Gainesville Sun in Gainesville, Florida.
That would be a much better fit I do believe.
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Bulldawg Billy
March 15th, 2009
7:18 am
T-bone
PJ is the best thing to happen to G tech in years. He has proven his ability to tighten the gap between atl. and athens by stoking the old arch rival fire.He will probably win 30-40% of his games with uga doing this.I think it’s good for both programs.That being said, I think the stage was to big for PJ and the G tech program last year.He could not generate the same fire and brimstone in the bowl game(lsu)that he did against uga.G tech had lost that game when the Nat. anthem was over. The jackets will get better under PJ in time..
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TommyP
March 15th, 2009
8:21 am
It’s not really a blog if you don’t respond to the readers, Tony. Start doing that and see how popular this thing gets.
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tbarnhart
March 15th, 2009
8:53 am
FloridaDawg,
Thanks for your note. Understand that it was not my intent for my last blog to stay up that long. That part was out of my hands. Understand that I am no longer a full-time employee of the AJC and that we had to go through a process in order to resume the blog. We have done that now and I’m looking forward to it.
Also understand that my last blog about Florida was the landscape of the SEC as I saw it then and as I see it right now. Florida’s program has, with two national titles in three years, seperated itself from Georgia and Tennessee in the East. Can those two schools catch up? Absolutely. I expect them to do that. But it’s going to take some work. Barring something unknown, I don’t see Florida coming back to the field.
That doesn’t make all my Georgia friends happy, but that is what I see.
TB
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FloridaDawg
March 15th, 2009
9:24 am
Thanks for your comments Tony…and with my comments, I was hoping that someone, either you or the AJC would explain how a column like you wrote could say up soooo looong.
I didn’t disagree so much as to what you said, but staying up so long I feel was an “everyday” slap in the face and a unnecessary “reminder” to many readers of this website just how far the separation is between SEC schools. We know we are in a catch-up mode…but your last article before your break was not one I enjoyed seeing for more than a couple of days. Anyway, looking forward to reading your thoughts in ‘09…thanks Tony.
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DawgNole
March 15th, 2009
9:50 am
What I didn’t understand about that last column–in addition to the fact that it stayed up so long–was that in it, you expressly stated that your column would return February 9. Perhaps I missed it, but I don’t recall seeing any explanation for why that didn’t happen. Better late than never, certainly, because I always enjoy your perspective on CFB, but you and/or the AJC sure left your readers hanging out there when that date came and went.
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Chris
March 15th, 2009
10:40 am
Don’t understand the nitpicking over the last article which was measured and intelligent as usual. All I know is February is pretty dreary when you’re a college football addict.
Maseltov Tony,,,really love your column
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D-MAN
March 15th, 2009
11:39 am
Tony!!!! Great to have you back…..Always look forward to your view points…will you be back on CBS this year as well?
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Mike
March 15th, 2009
11:45 am
Welcome back TB, you’ve been missed no doubt. At some point, would you comment on the state of the Dawgs (football, of course). What do you think about CMR’s approach like it’s his ” 1st ” year as coach ; the more vocal leadership throughout the team ; Joe Cox , etc ? Again, welcome back ……
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Shocked Twice
March 15th, 2009
11:46 am
Tony glad you’re back, but SHOCKED. I read in Creative Loafing the AJC cut loose employees in two rounds and they are about the drop the axe again, this time really hard. Yet you took the buyout, and then got hired back to do Mr. CFB not once but twice. It’s not even football season. DOUBLE PAY BABY! You played the AJC management genuises like chumps. You the man. Go Gators.
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shane#1
March 15th, 2009
12:53 pm
Tony, Man, am I glad You are back! Like the person who posted above I like Your balanced approach to reporting. Very rarely do you take the easy road of sensationalism that leads to the “he hate me” type of trash talking. Whats up with the NCAA investigation of Alabama? Saban and Co sure are keeping everything quiet. Maybe the Lanester could take a cue from Saban about keeping his mouth shut. Before the Bama Stans of the world jump me let me make it clear that I think a strong ‘Bama is good for the SEC. Sorry Gen Nyland, but that’s the way I see it. I have heard it reported that the NCAA asked for copies of all of Alabama’s TV contracts. That doesn’t look good at all. Would VT still want to play the Tide in Atlanta if the game wasn’t televised? How would it affect SEC revenues if Alabama was banned from TV? Other than one local talk show and some rumors I hear from friends that went to Alabama I am not hearing anything. I wish you would look into the matter.
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tbarnhart
March 15th, 2009
1:17 pm
To DawgNole and others who have asked about it…
The plan was to bring the blog back on Feb. 9 but the newspaper asked me to wait as they assessed a number of things. Newspapers everywhere are having to do this and I completely understood. In retrospect, we should have posted something to let you know why the blog was not there on Feb. 9. We shouldn’t have left the readers hanging. I should have pushed to make that happen and I’m sorry I didn’t.
But they did come back to me and that’s a tribute to you and all the people who support this blog. And I appreciate it.
TB
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RxDawg
March 15th, 2009
1:23 pm
Hey, welcome back TB. Weve kept the blogging going on a couple of pages. It will be refreshing to have your input and topics to discuss again. Is it Sept yet?
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Bill
March 15th, 2009
1:25 pm
Tony great to see you back.Posted on a message board asking where you were.Looking foward to your insights and knowledge.
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hop
March 15th, 2009
1:36 pm
say what you want about tony.but he is a class act and i for one am glad he is back!
the sec will be an interesting read with all the personalities one could hope to see in the league.
i cannot wait to see it all unfold in the coming months!
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poopdawg
March 15th, 2009
1:41 pm
separation my a$$, i hope you liked the condo and fishing
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DawgNole
March 15th, 2009
2:16 pm
Thanks for responding, Tony. Now I don’t need to wonder anymore what happened. Good explanation, too. Newspapers nationwide–especially the print versions–are struggling, and a significant part of the reason for it, ironically, is blogs like this, which offer a columnist’s readers the opportunity to communicate instantaneously–not only with the columnist, but with fellow readers. No way to do that in print, obviously. Delighted the AJC saw fit to preserve this blog. That’s a tribute to you as well.
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Gen Neyland
March 15th, 2009
3:26 pm
We await your return. It’ll be good to have a balanced approach to college sports again in the ajc. Your forums open things up to real discussion regarding conference issues vs the one-sided lovefest…
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dgroy
March 16th, 2009
7:03 am
I must have been asleep…..I didn’t know you were gone.
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Falconsfan
March 16th, 2009
7:26 am
Alabama cheating again? No surprise there.. and shame on them for not telling their recruits about about the Feb 20th court date. That’s pretty low.
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LanierTiger
March 16th, 2009
7:27 am
Should have kept the blog going throughout signing day….may take a while for people to come back. Now, did you just say that “The Dawgs” will win the National Championship in ‘09 or was that last year?
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GeoffDawg
March 16th, 2009
7:37 am
Lane Kiffin vs. Al Davis – has there ever been a pair with less credibility?
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Brew
March 16th, 2009
7:55 am
Geoff, Jim Harrick, Sr. and Jr. ring a bell? Bahahaha.
Welcome back, Tony. Are you covering any spring practices.
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Spartanburg Gamecock
March 16th, 2009
7:56 am
Tony,
It is great to have you back. I really enjoy your college football analysis. Keep up the good work.
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hop
March 16th, 2009
7:57 am
it’s great to have tony back, the ajc was missing a huge part of it’s overall coverage without him!
some things never change with alabama once again being cited by the NCAA with yet another possible infraction, and fsu with a huge infractions of ncaa rules that one wonders if the school deserve the ultimate , the death penalty being applied to them as well.
i know it was little SMU who has no impact on the national scene thatthe ncaa hit over the head, so bobby and the boys will get a pass once again!
clearly, there is a double standard with ncaa and the country as well.
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Saint Nick
March 16th, 2009
8:03 am
Falconsfan, Bama didn’t cheat first of all, 5 kids made a very stupid mistake. A team has to gain a competitive advantage to be classified as cheating. Saban suspended these guys for 4 games after they found out what was going on. The NCAA WILL do something but it won’t be more than 3 years and 3 scholarships. What is sad is that USC can have players parents “renting” houses from agents, receiving $200,000+ as a promise to sign with an agent, and everything else that has gone on out at SOCAL and they get a pass, THAT IS SAD!!!!!!!RTR!!!
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thom
March 16th, 2009
8:05 am
I know this is supposed to be football but you forgot to mention the train wreck Dennis Felton left behind at Stegeman Coliseum.
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Pete
March 16th, 2009
8:14 am
I like you Tony but give us something we don’t know.
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Falconsfan
March 16th, 2009
8:14 am
St. Nick, you’re right. Alabama’s crime is small this time. But I think the coach and admin at Alabama have a moral obligation to tell their recruits about a court date with the NCAA that is two weeks after signing day. They withheld that information and it could have made an impact on recruiting.
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EDSBS » Archive » CURIOUS INDEX, 3/16/09
March 16th, 2009
8:26 am
[...] returns. Nothing new inside as he’s catching up, but MY THAT’S LARGE FONT. The AJC, now embracing the large-print crowd to appease the last people reading newspapers: the [...]
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Saint Nick
March 16th, 2009
8:32 am
Agreed, Thay should have told these guys and maybe they did, Oklahoma is on probation because of the Rhett Bomar situation and they still played for the NC. Maybe they told these kids the situation and expected a small penalty, Who knows. But I will agree if they said nothing at all, that is wrong… but what school doesn’t mislead recruits?????
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Leland
March 16th, 2009
8:32 am
Dear Mr. CB–good to have you back. Now we got you, MB and DOB. Don’t need nothing else. Your pal, Leland
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AceDawg
March 16th, 2009
8:35 am
Train wreck at Stegman? Not exactly a train wreck, just a bad basketball team. There is already some young talent in place. One or two good recruits with a new coach could change everything immediately. Maybe they struggle and get last place in the SEC next year. Maybe they are a top 25 team and make the tourney. It is that wide open. Totally depends on the coach they hire and a little like snagging at least one big recruit. Maybe the couple guys they have coming in already will be good.
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Miles
March 16th, 2009
8:40 am
Welcome back Mr. Barnhart! There really hasn’t been anything too lively to report on other than Kiffin’s mouth. Had Florida State and Alabama remained out of the ethical spotlight, then they would have merited reportable news.
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GeoffDawg
March 16th, 2009
8:41 am
Brew – fans of George O’Leary shouldn’t throw stones.
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RAMBLE ON!!!
March 16th, 2009
8:41 am
WELCOME BACK TONY!!!
Is it the same Judge Ken Stabler went in front of?
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Bill
March 16th, 2009
8:42 am
Tony-
I missed your comments but I gotta tell you that you are way off on the Kiffin deal. Go back and listen to him. He is just a spoiled brat kid that not only doesn’t deserve to coach in the SEC he shouldn’t be a head coach anywhere. He is a complete moron. So you think he knew what he was doing when he stated he got rid of employees that didn’t keep up and his AD had to put him in his place.
He sounds like the new kid in school that after a week or so everyone has grown tired of and realizes he is a abnoxious loud mouth. After a couple of the bigger kids kick his rear he just goes away.
Come on Tony I thought you would do better especially on your first day back.
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Atlanta Jackets
March 16th, 2009
8:42 am
Welcome back Tony. The Jackets have taken over the boards since you left. A good portion of your coverage should be on the Tech program. The world is interested in what’s brewing down on the flats. The happenings of the cheating conferences are less important. It’s like reporting on junvile deliquents. Stick with the big stories, like Tech spring practice. How is the Robot doing? I expect big things from Nesbot.
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Old Dawg
March 16th, 2009
8:46 am
Tony:
Good to see you’re back. I saw you book, “Southern Fried Football,” in Rockpoint Books in Chattanooga yesterday and recommended it to a man looking for his grandson’s birthday present — and he bought it!
One question: If Alabama does receive any sanctions, will this year’s signees be able to void their scholarships and sign anywhere else? It only seems fair since the coaching staff didn’t alert the players about the possibility of NCAA sanctions.
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MacArthur O. Means
March 16th, 2009
8:48 am
Bryce Brown is starting to smell kind of like that Ohio State loser running back from a few years ago. What was his name?
Lane Kiffin is an idiot. I don’t care how you spin it.
I like Bobby Bowden. Joe Paterno is the devil.
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Stumpy's Bear
March 16th, 2009
8:51 am
Tony, I’ve checked the blog almost everyday since you’ve been gone. Thanks so much for giving us college football junkies our favorite blog back. Are you back just through spring practices?
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Saint Nick
March 16th, 2009
8:52 am
Old Dawg, Are you serious????? If they signed a letter of intent, NO!!! If they Didn’t, yes and they have to sit a year and they won’t want to go to Tech or Georgia!!!!
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Barnhart’s Back With Five Big Football Stories | MrSEC.com
March 16th, 2009
8:54 am
[...] Tony Barnhart is back and blogging for the AJC and his first order of business upon returning was to list the four biggest stories that bubbled up in the SEC since January.They are (in his words):1) Lane Kiffin, the gift that keeps on giving2) Alabama’s textbook case: How serious?3) The Bryce Brown sweepstakes4) The Andre Smith meltdownClick here to read his views. [...]
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Tony Barnhart
March 16th, 2009
8:55 am
Old Dawg,
Based on my reading of the NCAA rules, Alabama recruits would not be allowed to transfer and be immediately eligible should the school receive sanctions.
EDSBS, you got me on the font size. First one was way too small. Second one too big. We’ll get the right one.
Bill. We will just to agree to disagree on Lane Kiffin. I’ve done this long enough to know that things are rarely what they appear to be on the surface. But I will agree with you on this. Nothing he is doing, planned or unplanned, will matter if he doesn’t win enough games in a few years.
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The value of precedent « Get The Picture
March 16th, 2009
8:56 am
[...] value of precedent Jump to Comments Tony Barnhart’s college football blog is back, larger than ever. Today’s post is pretty much an exercise in catch up, which is what you’d [...]
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Say What
March 16th, 2009
8:58 am
Saint Nick: The fact these players were able to buy books for friends shows a lack of institutional control which is the worst of all NCAA infractions. Now with Bama just off probation who knows how hard they are going to get hit. It could get ugly.
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Music City Dawg
March 16th, 2009
9:02 am
You are right on the money about Kiffin. I think he will be good at UT, and a lot of Dawg fans aren’t going to be very happy about it….
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JB
March 16th, 2009
9:03 am
Ole Nick will hang around Bama for another year or so, and he’ll win some games, but the heat will catch up to him for a lot of Broken promises and he’ll end up in the Northeast at a Big Ten school for 4-5 mil a year and leave Bama in tears and a train wreck. I hate it, but watch. Leopard don’t change it’s spots.
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Colorado Dawg
March 16th, 2009
9:07 am
Tony – Welcome back brother. It is good to have your blog up and running. Let us know some of the key issues you will be watching for with teams in spring practice.
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mcdawg
March 16th, 2009
9:08 am
i thought bryce brown was miami bound ???
agree w/ Andre Smith story -sad sad story
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Coastal
March 16th, 2009
9:15 am
As a Clemson fan, I want no part of this Brown kid. High maintaince is an understatement for him. Plus, the Tigers are going focus on Spiller in 2009 and Brown would have a major problem with that. So this kid can take his act to The U as far as i’m concerned. Go Tigers!
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Old Dawg
March 16th, 2009
9:27 am
Saint Nick. I really don’t care where the go, just that they have the opportunity to play college football and enjoy the experience. Having covered college football in the past, I know that athletes get frustrated when the team they sign with is on probation. I knew the rules in the past but it’s been a while since I’ve covered college sports.
Thanks for the answer Tony.
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Gen Neyland
March 16th, 2009
9:33 am
Most of us with more gray whiskers then not, carry a measure of respect for the college Head Coach that stands first for his team, second for his team and lastly, for his team. I have shared the same sentiments as Tony here. Kiffin had a plan, albeit, a plan that seems off base to those with coaches established in programs around the nation that allows their program to sell itself by virture of the longetivity and success of the standing coaching staff. Kiffin’s tactics reached many recruits. No, not a slew of 4 or 5 stars, but enough to begin with. There were no QB’s left out there he favored to run his offense into the future when he arrived Atop Rocky and Kiffin said it best when he answered,(I’ll paraphrase)” We’ll not waste a scholarship on just any QB. We’ll go with what we have in 2009.” Do I expect him to win the East in 2009..? No. Do I expect him to place or show..? Yes, I do. That is my expectation for 2009. He’ll do a better job playing his strengths than Clawson did. My question to any and all out there would be this,”Are you afraid his first signature win will come at your expense?”…
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dobearsbare
March 16th, 2009
9:38 am
MacArthur … that was Maurice Clarett with THE Ohio State University. Is he out of jail yet?
On Lane Kiffin … I’m just waiting for the time he derides Vandy and Kentucky. I mean, any job worth doing, is worth doing right, right?
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joe
March 16th, 2009
9:41 am
Glad you are back Tony (I was right about predicting the first story by the way), the other AJC bloggers did a good job stirring up fluff topics while you were away (AKA Lane Kiffen went to the grocery store and pumped his own gas yesterday) just to get a rise out of everyone. Now that you are back, I hope we get actual spring practice stories and other topics that have some validity and not the fluff/rise topics.
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Tony Barnhart
March 16th, 2009
9:41 am
Bryce Brown verbally committed to Miami long ago but kept visiting. His brother plays there.
To Stumpy’s Bear: Thanks for asking. I will definitely be here on this blog until preseason practice begins in August.
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gumborue
March 16th, 2009
9:41 am
im pretty sure andre smith got suspended not for contacting an agent but because his uncle contacted an agent. big difference.
why feel sorry for him? its all on him. hopefully he graduated.
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azcat225
March 16th, 2009
9:43 am
Welcome back, Tony!! I hope they keep the link on the front page for a good while so every one knows the blog is back.
Good analogy to Maurice Clarett, MacArthur. Whoever signs this kid may have to hold their nose while they do so.
General, that was a little bit less than a ringing endorsement. Doing some noseholding yourself? Kiffin may very well produce, but if he’s the prototype for the coach of the future, this “grey hair” is going to lose interest in college football.
Paterno is the devil?!?!? Where the heck did that come from, MacArthur? You lost the points you earned with said good analogy.
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swgaboy
March 16th, 2009
9:52 am
Lane Kiffin is doing all of this by design? What part of his USC or Raiders gig did you miss? Please don’t encourage the hillbillies to cheer on another death blow to sportsmanship. Call Kiffin and Tennessee for what they are: classless, shameful, and dumber than a box of hammers.
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Gen Neyland
March 16th, 2009
9:54 am
azcat225 : I wasn’t in the ‘Fire Fulmer’ camp. I was a part of the ‘Can Clawson’ mentality, kinda like those of the Bulldawg nation that aren’t crazy over their DC. Also, I was a big Chavis fan. I will be somewhat reserved until the pudding shows some proof. BTW, Kiffin has let it be known that there are 21 starting jobs available. Eric Berry’s isn’t one of them…
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Chris
March 16th, 2009
9:57 am
Thank you Tony,
It’s great to have this column back. You’re the first journalist/media person who I’ve heard characterize the Andre Smith activity as ’sad’ and I wholeheartedly agree. A writer I heard from in Birmingham described the kid as basically decent who had never been in any trouble before and bulldozed the SEC for three years. The way he’s been crucified in the media is a little much I think. I mean the only person he’s hurt is himself and that’s supposing he’d be so much happier with $30 million guaranteed as opposed to $10 million. Don’t you think some of these kids simply lack the emotional development their age would indicate?
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CrimsonRedScarlett
March 16th, 2009
10:03 am
Yhe latest problems at Alabama can be laid at the feet of Mal Moore. How he has remained so long as AD mystifies me. If you know any French, his first name is quite appropriate.
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matt
March 16th, 2009
10:05 am
Lane Kiffin won’t last long. Monte has been out of the college game for almost 30 years. The fact that he was a great NFL co-ordinator doesnt mean squat now that he’s in college. College KIDS are much different than professional adults. Just ask Charlie Weiss!!! Dude has 4 super bowl rings and is lucky South Bend hasn’t run his fat a$$ out of town!!!! I’ll believe the Kiffin’s success when I see it.
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azcat225
March 16th, 2009
10:09 am
General: I agree wholeheartedly with you about Chavis. LSU got better when they announced that was where he was landing. TN didn’t lose out with the elder Kiffin, but another member of the SEC got better.
I had heard that about the TN roster, also. At least L Kiffin is bright enough to leave Eric alone.
And Layla is easy on the eyes…
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DirtyDawg
March 16th, 2009
10:17 am
I have to wonder what in Lane Kiffin’s resume gives folks the idea that he can attract and ‘coach up’ young men to the point that they will succeed over young men that have thrown in with the Georgia’s, the Alabama’s, the Florida’s and, yes, even the South Carolina’s. He hasn’t done a thing in his career that merits the kind of confidence that, first, Al Davis showed when he first hired him – shoot, he wasn’t even USC’s number one OC – and his performance at Oakland certainly didn’t add any positives to that resume, so why in blazes do the UT fans think he’s gonna cash those checks that his mouth keeps writing? Oh, that’s right, they hired him and cognitive dissonance tells you that they have to let him fail before they pull a Bill Battle on him. Good luck, cause if you’re wrong it’s gonna be pretty embarrassing.
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GeoffDawg
March 16th, 2009
10:19 am
Ok, after reading post after post about Layla Kiffin, I had to look her up for myself:
http://cousinwalter.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/kiffin8_mp2310738_t600.jpg
Notice that she’s the only one not wearing orange. Beauty and brains! The total package.
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GATORZONE
March 16th, 2009
10:22 am
LAYLA IS SMOKING!!!!!!
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Tigertail
March 16th, 2009
10:25 am
Rumor, Rumor, Rumor, that’s all this is. But for most SEC fans who have invested a couple of years of stored dislike(envy) toward nick saban and his close encounters of the 3rd kind with football recruits. There have been dozens of documented recruiting violations since he grabed the elephants by the tail(or trunk). He promised the red elephant club members and tide fans alike, a national championship. The only way he could full-fill that promise was to improve the talent.
The rumors “The NCAA is investigating coach saban, and the red elephant club related to questionable recruiting issues including;,payments to recruits and/or to friends or relatives, gifts to players and/or to friends or relatives, illegal personal contact between a coach and prospect, illegal communications with a prospects by a active coach or red elephant club member(booster), and a few more activities that could be gleened as borderline illegal recruiting.
That is why it is taking so very long for the NCAA to deliver a penalty for the $1600 books for cash violation. Why would bama refuse to make public the letter of inquiry from the NCAA for over 6 months after its delivery? Something to hide from recruits. Maybe not illegal but certainly unethical.
Thanks Tony. Looking forward to great information and even better opinions.
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gdawginkalamazoo
March 16th, 2009
10:29 am
General, ahhhh, yes on your question there. As much as any of us hate to even think it. What was that player doing running into the wall there in practice? a “deep route”? I would think a deep route would have put him in the river.
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Mike
March 16th, 2009
10:33 am
Tony,
Thanks for bringing a “non biased” opinion on Kiffin. Yes, he is young and a bit too brash but he knows exactly what he is doing. He has surrounded himself with quality coaches/recruiters and by the looks of it, looks like they are living up on the recruiting end. It will take a few years before we can really get a feel if he is a good head coach or not.
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NewRandyt
March 16th, 2009
10:40 am
First, welcome back Tony. Blogs have been boring in your absence. Maybe there has just been nothing to talk about but Lane Kiffin.
As a Vol fan (and alumni for those who think a major portion of those on the blog never finished high school), I think a)yes Lane Kiffin has a big mouth, b) why should those in the media give a crap. Lane Kiffen had caused the Vols to have more media attention before he has even coached a single game, than Fulmer would get in two or three years, even when laying 50+ on The Bulldogs.
My point is, as an avid reader of the sports section when it is about SEC football, I want to hear about SEC Football, not whether Kiffin is a jerk or not. For those who think he will go down like a comet, that is still to be seen. He may be awful, but he might be a new Steve Spurrier too. Most likely he will be somewhere in the middle, but nothing could be worse than the last year for the Big Orange. The point is that we have identified only that he has a big mouth, not whether or not he can win on Saturday.
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GeoffDawg
March 16th, 2009
10:42 am
Mike, Kiffin is brash but no one can tell if he knows exactly what he’s doing until he gets the results on the field. All that we have to base our comments on is his underwhelming record with the Raiders. Even though Spurrier in his time was far more obnoxious, he got more of a pass because he had the winning percentage to back it up. Believe me, if Kiffin starts winning, the commentary on his behavior will be greatly diminished. At this point though, all we can ascertain is that that’s a big if.
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Ed
March 16th, 2009
10:44 am
Andre Smith sounds like a typical spoiled, pampered athlete. If the poor guy has to find a way to squeak by on, say $5-$10 million rather than on $30 million, I’m sure he’ll find a way to soldier on, somehow. His poor work ethic and seeming lack of concern about his own future isn’t sad to me as I try to support my family on a middle-class income. If he blows tens of millions of dollars, here’s a solution – work your tail off, get in shape, become an All Pro lineman. Then you can name your price when your first contract expires.
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Tigertail show me your proof
March 16th, 2009
10:49 am
Tigertail,
What kind of gobblydeegook are you writing about today in your imaginary Saban is the devil world. Your handle suggests you’re either a ticked off Auburn fan still reeling from 36-0 or you’re one of those deranged LSwho fans still ticked over Saban leaving LSU. Get over it.
As for all the other assertions you about Alabama recruiting above you are simply making up rumors and just flat out lying. If you can prove just one of the above allegations then I challenge you to do so you moron. I’ll give you $1,000 if you can prove payments to recruits, friends, relatives, red elephant club members, blah blah by boosters. All you got to do is prove it and I’ll wire you the money. The only thing Bama has is some secondary violations which were reported. Every school every year has numerous secondary violations or are you so freaking stupid you didn’t realize that?
Lastly, a handful of players figuring out how to game the textbook distribution system to help girlfriends or friends is hardly indicative of widespread cheating. No cash changed hands, no competitive advantage was gained, these kids just did something stupid in taking advantage of a loophole to help some friends.
Please provide us with your absolute proof of other, more serious wrongdoing. I patiently await your proof. I figure if you’re going to make accusations then surely you have some rock solid proof and not just “rumors” to back up your big freaking mouth.
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Ed
March 16th, 2009
10:50 am
Tony, it occured to me that you may have been employing a little sarcasm when discussing the “sad” and “heart[breaking]” Andre Smith saga. If so, disregard my last – tone doesn’t always translate in print.
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Nachos
March 16th, 2009
10:51 am
Gene Chizik ????? hahahahahaahahahahahhaahhaahahahahahaha
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Bamafan
March 16th, 2009
11:00 am
The NCAA needs to go investigate USC and the Reggie Bush story and let the textbook solution go
away!! The players were given 4 games off for the stupid textbook story and Bama crashed and burned without the players in November of 07. Saban runs the football program at Alabama like a 4star field general, the story about going in front of the NCAA would have gotten out in the old days
of Alabama football, but nothing was say or i forgot about the story till Cecil Hurt blow up the story
for the Tucaloosa News. Boy Blunder makes Fat Phil look like a saint and the NCAA is going to keep and eye on the vols because of juniors mistakes with recruiting!! GO BAMA ROLL TIDE!!
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Gen Neyland
March 16th, 2009
11:00 am
zoo : The play, drawn out in the grass truth be known, was to test the strength of said wall in case that guy dressed up like Daniel Boone happened to run smack dab into it on Game Day. The wall passed the test. All in all, the receiver is now just a brick in the wall…and I’m leaning on Michigan to upset Clemson. Your take..?
azcat225 : Yeah, LSU got a good one plus LSU already has a terrific group in place for Chavis. I recall Charlie Weiss trying to lure him out of Knoxville when Weiss took the Notre Dame job…
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David
March 16th, 2009
11:09 am
Tony, you are wrong on Lane Kiffin and here’s why: Fans don’t play games, players do.
Who cares if the fans get fired up. The fans were WILD in Athens for the Bama game and they got their a$$es handed to them. Lane Kiffin defintely knows what he is doing, it’s just that what he is doing is immature and wrong….And I can guarantee you every team is going to use his mouth as motivation for their players.
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Bama pays players! - Page 2 - VolNation
March 16th, 2009
11:15 am
[...] 2. Alabama’s textbook case: How serious? Understand that when the NCAA is involved, nothing happens in a vacuum. The NCAA has a long, long memory. Here is what I mean. Normally, jay walking is not a serious offense. But if you go before the same judge a bunch of times for various transgressions, he might be tempted to send you a message with a punishment that goes beyond the seriousness of the crime. And then you have to hire a lawyer and fight like crazy on what appeared to be something fairly minor. That is the situation that faces Alabama football. In the fall of 2007 the school had to sit five football players because of what it said was a glitch in its method of providing textbooks and other educational materials to athletes. This glitch allowed “friends” of the athletes to also get these materials, whose reported value was around $1,600. If you think that sounds like chump change in a multi-million dollar enterprise that is Alabama football, it is. But it also misses the point. Alabama went before the judge, better known as the NCAA’s committee on infractions, on Feb. 20. The COI normally makes a final decision about 4-6 weeks after that meeting. The judge probably wanted to know why, after getting everything BUT the death penalty in 2002, Alabama would allow ANY glitches like this to happen. Nobody knows what is going to happen in this case. If somebody tells you they do, they are delusional—or lying. But you can’t dismiss it as minor until the judge SAYS that it is minor. It’s good to be back. So what did I miss? | Mr. College Football [...]
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SEC fan
March 16th, 2009
11:17 am
Tony,
Welcome back. I fully understand your comments on Kiffin. However, I am afraid you came to an inaccurate conclusion. One cannot assume that comments which exceed the bounds of stupid must therefore be brilliant and part of a grand strategy. Kiffy is truly a loose cannon who has done nothing to earn the job in now finds himself in. A silver spoon parked in his anatomy has gotten him several jobs and in all cases his mouth kept him in trouble. If he wins, it will be in spite of his mouth. Even UT deserves better.
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Joe Pa
March 16th, 2009
11:17 am
That other guy was right. I am the devil.
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gdawginkalamazoo
March 16th, 2009
11:24 am
General, probably will beat Clemson. They had a good run at the beginning of the season so they know they can hang with just about anybody. It would be hilarious if they went deeper than MSU (my adopted college team). But then again I’m a dawg to the bone, what do I know about college basketball?
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Tom
March 16th, 2009
11:25 am
Tony….first, welcome back!
Second, the reason Tech’s vacated wins were restored on appeal is because….unlike the latest FSU case and the Harrick hoops case at UGA…..there WAS no academic fraud invloved. Stupidity and laziness…..yes. Fraud, no.
Now, we are hearing that Mark Richt is “rescinding” the scholarship of 2009 signee Dexter Moody. Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t that mean Mr Moody is being denied admission to The University. Otherwise, his LOI would not be voided.
Obviously, if there is an issue serious enough to denie his admission then it’s rather a moot point…..but is this “rescinding” announcement simply a way to take the fan heat off Mike Adams and admissions, since Saint Mark can do no wrong?
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MegaT
March 16th, 2009
11:27 am
Welcome back Tony! Please continue to keep Kiffin and the Big Orange in the news. You and the AJC staff are doing us a great big favor (See Gundy article above). Have a great day and Go Vols, Go!
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Huh?
March 16th, 2009
11:27 am
“When he accused Urban Meyer of cheating, Kiffin was walking into lunch room on the first day of school and smacking the biggest, baddest dude across the mouth just to announce his presence.”
WRONG. Getting the victory in Gainesville this September would be like smacking the biggest, baddest dude across the mouth in the lunchroom. Accusing Meyer of cheating is like sending the biggest, baddest dude an email threatening to smack him in the mouth in the lunch room. BIG difference Tony. Kiffin needs to do his talking on the field and not in the media. I personally think Kiffin will be leaving the lunchroom and heading straight for the nurse’s office because he got is smack talking a** kicked. Thanks.
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NCAA shen
March 16th, 2009
11:36 am
Tony,
When will a journalist ever do a serious investigation of the NCAA itself? There is a reason why Danny Sheridan, the sportswriter and handicapper who sets the line for USATODAY and several of the largest Vegas casinos calls the NCAA “A highly politicized organization that would not stand up to congressional or public scrutiny.”
When Bama got nailed by the NCAA IN 2002 on 3 major rules violations the ncaa committed its own violations in its investigations. On one violation that Bama self reported the NCAA then had 12 months to respond according to its own rules but instead responded 16 months later. When Bama pointed that the ncaa couldn’t use this against Bama since it responded outside the statute of limitations the ncaa simply ignored its own rules and used it against Bama anyways. If a governing or rule making body ignores its own rules then what good is it anyway?
On another major violation the ncaa investigator Johannigmeier falsified information in his report that Bama player Travis Carroll received an illegal benefit by getting “spot financing” for a Jeep cherokee with 70,000 miles valued at $7,000 by Johannigmeier. In reality it was a 10 year old beater that had 176,000 miles and a book value of $1,000. The dealership sold him the vehicle for $1500 at around 30% interest and repossessed the car after his missed the first payment. Some fringe benefit huh? It was only because some private lawyers in Alabama sued the NCAA that it was ever proven in court documents that the ncaa investigator was just writing his own fictional account of what happened. All he had to do was go to the dealership in Columbus, GA. and talk to the 6 different people from the sales manager to the sales agent to the finance guy to the back office girls who dealt with the young man to find out the truth. But obviously he wasn’t interested in the truth.
On another major violation the recruitment of Kenny Smith it seems the NCAA had a problem with truth. They said that Bama illegally recruited Smith and the hearsay they used was “secret testimony” from Phillip Fulmer and recruiting analyst Tom Culpepper who later said that Fulmer had promised him the recruiting coordinator job at UT in exchange for helping him dig up dirt against Bama. The player Smith ended up transferring to UT for lack of playing time at Bama. He then withdrew from UT and in an ESPN outside the lines interview a couple years later he stated that “Alabama recruited him more cleanly than anybody. I left UT because coach Fulmer was putting undue pressure on me to state that Bama had illegally recruited me which didn’t happen”. Fulmer and Culpepper later ended up calling each other liars and their testimony both to the ncaa and in later depositions was contradictory. I have 2 ?s. If one or both of the men’s testimony is contradictory then how can you use the testimony of one of them let alone both of them against Alabama if one or both of them was lying? And how can you use the “secret testimony” of one sec coach against a fellow sec coach anyway? The whole episode stunk to high heaven.
I used to think Jerry Tarkanian was the biggest crook in ncaa sports. But there are 2 sides to every story. And when I read some of the ncaa’s methods in harassing Tarkanian I now understand its not just Bama fans that have a problem with the ncaa. In order to get one recruit from Africa to go along with made up allegations the ncaa threatened him that he and his family would be deported back to war torn Sudan if he didn’t go along with the ncaa. Thank God a good immigration attorney find out what the ncaa was threatening the young man with and intervened.
Tony, regardless of what happens in the textbook case in a few weeks I would like to know when or if a good journalist is going to write a book about what a corrupt, hypocritical organization the NCAA really is.
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LSU fan
March 16th, 2009
11:49 am
Whether it is selling game tickets or selling books which are part of the scholarship program, part of the Freshman orientation in sports is communicating and insuring player understanding of NCAA rules. With 4 or 5 Bama players violating this NCAA rule, it isn’t the dollar amount that is the issue. The issue is that on more than one occasion, NCAA rules were not respected. The coaches must create an environment/discipline where players know and follow the rules (especially if the team is on probabtion). When multiple players are involved in the same violation, the coaches have not done their job. Unfortunately, the coaches/team should pay a heavy penalty over this infraction as it seems to indicate a systematic lack of understanding or support of the rules. Again, the coaches are responsible. It simply isn’t minor once a team is on probabtion! Bama’s probation was to give the school the opportunity to prove they could avoid any further systematic problems during the probation period. Those arguing the cost of the books are totally missing the issue.
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Spike
March 16th, 2009
11:56 am
Welcome back, Tony. We missed you. HUH, above is correct. Let’s see Kiffen go into the Swamp and smack someone around. Then we can talk about it. Accusing someone of cheating when you do not have the proof is a chickens**t thing to do, not a tough guy thing. Don’t get me wrong. I hope the Vols do punch the Gators in the mouth, but I am NOT betting on it.
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Mr.Sympathy
March 16th, 2009
12:02 pm
Tony (and an agreeing Chris)–I do not think the public should be sympathetic in the least to the plight of Andre Smith. This kid is as dumb as dumb gets. How many people before him have we seen suspended for contact with an agent? If it is one it is too many for this fool to walk down the same road. How do you not know that rule by now!? His suspension tells me that the kid is not smart and a bad teammate. Next, what kind of an idiot plays football in college and doesn’t realize that the NFL combine is a job interview!?!? The rest of the planet has to prepare for job interviews…NFL prospects included. It is just insanity to show up out of shape. Did he think that everyone else getting ready for the draft by working out were just working out to have fun and pass the time until the combine started?
If it was up to me, he would lose a heck of a lot more money than you are sorry that he is already losing. In the end he will still be stupid and rich…just not stupid and filthy rich. What a shame.
This is yet another in a long list of examples of athletes not following the rules and not being properly punished when they break them.
I usually enjoy your writing but this one I totally disagree with. Can we get more coverage on that safety out of FSU that earned a Rhodes Scolarship? That is good for college football. Idiots like this Smith are bad for college football. Idiots like this Brown kid are bad for high school and college football. Way to keep them in the headlines Tony.
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Tide rising
March 16th, 2009
12:04 pm
LSU fan,
Are you actually serious? Do you really think the coaches at any institution get involved with the textbook distribution system at the bookstore? Is Les Miles standing there at when the athletes get their books to make sure they get only the books they are supposed to get? Is the mad hatter familiar with all the textbooks and required materials for each and every class offered at LSU? And as for freshman players understanding each and every one of the myriad number of ncaa compliance rules. Are you freaking kidding me? Keeping up with volumes of ncaa rules would take years to learn. Get real! What you are suggesting is simply not realistic.
As for being familiar with the rules the ncaa manual is like the irs code. Its ridiculously thick, complicated, and no one person or even a group of people can keep up with the darn thing. That is why nearly every program every year reports multiple unintentional, secondary violations including LSU.
Alabama compliance officials certainly could have done a better job but get real. There will always be loopholes that students figure out. And btw, half of the violations regarding the textbook issue are in regard to students getting course books or materials that are recommended by the professor by not required. The ncaa rule states that they can only get “required” course material and that if they want the extra or supplementary material that the professor recommends for the class they have to pay out of pocket for it. What reasonable person would have thought that the ncaa would be against students getting recommended materials for a class instead of being allowed to get only the “required” materials for a class. You would have thought the ncaa would be on the side of students getting all the recommended materials for learning the coursework. Apparently not.
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bama12titles
March 16th, 2009
12:18 pm
Tony,
In regards to Andre Smith it is sad to see him make some poor choices. I think it has to do with immaturity and also him trusting and listening to the people around him rather than true professionals. The same people like his uncle just doing dumb things like initiating contact with an agent prior to the Sugar Bowl. He comes from a poor family and apparently this family being unsophisticated is doling out advice to him that is costing him millions. His agent admitted to doing some dumb things also which cost Andre some money. This is what happens with nepotism and when you let your family run things as opposed to true professionals.
Incidentally, I remember watching an Alabama clip last year during the beginning of fall practice. Nick Saban was talking to Andre Smith during warmups and made the statement to him “Do you know how good you could be?” Judging by the context of the tone and just the way Saban said it I was left with the impression that Andre was a man amongst boys and was getting by on sheer talent alone rather than on talent plus overwhelming desire and drive. At the pro level he will still be good but without the desire and the drive he will always be good but never quite reach the potential of being one of the alltime greats at his position. It will catch up to him in the pros and I hate to think about him never really realizing his true optimum potential for lack of heart or desire.
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Dawg Fud
March 16th, 2009
12:32 pm
Gen Neyland. good analysis as usual. i think the Dawg nation remembers that Richt’s signature victory came in Knoxville. it was really what got the program rolling again. i don’t care what people say, Tennessee is and always will be a dangerous team.
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GaDawgs
March 16th, 2009
12:34 pm
According to published reports, Georgia football coach Mark Richt has rescinded a scholarship offer to Emanuel County Institute’s Dexter Moody.
UGAsports.com is reporting that Richt will hold a press conference later this afternoon to announce that the Bulldogs will not take Moody, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound linebacker, due to behavioral issues.
Moody was one of two ECI players to sign with Georgia on National Signing Day (Feb. 4), the other being highly-regarded running back Washaun Ealey.
The Bulldogs begin spring practice on Tuesday and will hold 15 sessions, culminating with the annual spring “G-day” game scrimmage in Sanford Stadium on April 11.
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BBrown
March 16th, 2009
12:38 pm
Tony, good to hear from you again. Your college football insight is great!! Hey, here are two consider regarding Georgia. One, I don’t see a drop off in the Georgia offense. Think about it. The injuries killed the line last year. A healthy line a big asset. Further, remember what GA did when D.J. Shockley took over. Same scenario happening here with Joe Cox. Sure, he doesn’t perhaps have the arm of Stafford but I see much better decision making. Do you remember the Colorado game when he came in and saved the Dawgs? Second, Stafford was good but is he really a #1 pick type of QB. Great arm but I just don’t see the good decision making. I wish him the best and hope he proves me wrong.
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Jason
March 16th, 2009
12:39 pm
Come on lets talk also about Dexter Moody from ECI. Whats with the rumor he’s not coming to UGA now because CMR took away his scholly because he’s in the bed with his H.S coaches Wife????? Say it ain’t so!!!!
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seagreg
March 16th, 2009
12:47 pm
Welcome back Tony!
NCAA-shen & Tide-Rising & a couple of others make some very good points regarding Bama & their brushes w/the ncaa. FWIW, I am NOT a Bama fan but am a fan of the SEC in general & of the Gamecocks in particular. I too am waiting for some serious muckracking by some serious sports journalists delving into the murky politics that occurs in Indy @NCAA. As far as USC goes, there was more than the Bush family involved with $200K+ condos for free, there was also the Lindell White family as well & curiously enough the agent involved has long & deep relations w/USC. How & why the NCAA is unwilling to go after this case in any serious manner is very troubling. How about it Tony, do you want to look into this further? You can bet your bottom buck there will be a book deal for someone willing & able to crack this case open – I know I’ll spring for a book or two myself! Welcome back again!
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Tom
March 16th, 2009
12:49 pm
GaDawgs, Richt…on his own….hasn’t “rescinded” anything. He cannot autonomously rescind the scholarship once the LOI has been signed.
The University is, in effect, rescinding the scholarship (i.e., voiding the LOI) by denying Mr Moody admission.
This “Richt is rescinding it” nonsense is just smoke and mirrors to take the heat off UGA admissions…..even though their actions might very well be warranted.
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GaDawgs
March 16th, 2009
12:53 pm
Yeah thats what i am hearing to that he had his coaches wife knocking her down
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LSU fan
March 16th, 2009
12:58 pm
Tide rising,
You clearly have never participated in collegiate sports at a major university. These were not extra books for their own personal study. The athletes were selling the books. There are some very basic rules and some very easy traps for kids to fall into. Selling game tickets or books is an easy one to fall into and as such, yes, coaches are responsible to insure the players know the basic rules. The whole idea of maintaining an environment where the rules are understood and respected is because coaches cannot see everything or be everywhere. However, they coaches can insure a basic understanding of some of the rules. You better hope the Bama argument isn’t like yours, “we can’t be everywhere” or “gosh, there are too many rules to remember”. Being everywhere or knowing everything are not the issues. Proper environment and respect for NCAA rules is the issue. The taboo of selling books or game tickets is very fundamental and I can assure you from personal experience as a player and a coach that those are among the first things good schools teach their athletes regarding rules. If enough don’t get taught or understand the importance and end up breaking the rules then it is a systematic issue. The NCAA tends to be very lenient but if you did enough to get on probation, you better not have any more serious violations or even minor ones that appear to be systematic. BTW, compliance officials police the rules. This situation is not a matter of policing, it is a matter of the environment or tone set by the coaches. When on probation, there is no room for “could have done a better job”. A systematic rule violation of a very basic rule (you cannot sell books that were given to you by the school) isn’t too complicated to understand or communicate to the players. Currently, Bama is the only school in the country on probation that has this particular problem. Again, you better hope the coaches excuse isn’t like yours in that there are too many complicated rules or that the coaches can’t be everywhere. Should the NCAA investigation discover any other problems that appear systematic, BAMA could be in for far more serious penalties. That is why this situation is taking a long time. It ain’t at all about a few books or a rule too complicated to understand!
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Cameron
March 16th, 2009
1:05 pm
Tony,
I think you are right on Kiffin. He knows what he is doing. He is trying to get people to talk about Tennessee football again. I really think the guy can coach, as well as his staff. Having said that, I think he has gone a little overboard. If he doesn’t win, he might see the door quickly. I expect them to win though. The problem is they could show vast improvement and not have much better of a record. They still play in the SEC East. The fact of the matter is that his whole staff can coach and recruit. If he doesn’t get in his own way, then I expect them to turn things around.
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Cameron
March 16th, 2009
1:13 pm
BBrown,
I expect us to be better this year. I expect our offense to be as good, if not better. At the least, they will be more consistent. Games are won in the trenches and Georgia will have two of the best. We have a deep, talented, and experienced offensive line. We have eight to nine guys with starting experience. We get our best LT back. Joe Cox has respect of every player on the team. He was no slouch coming out of high school. He broke just about every record Chris Leak set in North Carolina. Chris Leak won a National Championship. He is a rah-rah guy, who can make all the throws.
Our defense will have the best DT set in the nation. A healthy Owen, Weston, and Atkins. With DeAngelo Tyson and Brandon Wood backing them up. That is five deep. You wonder why our DEs didn’t get pressure last year and Atkins didn’t wreak as much havoc as the year before, look no further than the absence of Jeff Owens. A dominating DL can cover up many areas, especially in the backfield. It also will create more pressure that will lead to more turnovers.
We will have a better year this year than last year. GO DAWGS!!!
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Atlanta Jackets
March 16th, 2009
1:14 pm
Tony, what’s the good word on the flats? Is this freshman WR Steven Hill as good as I’m hearing? My sources tell me that he’s “a more polished AJ Green with good hands.” Sounds good. Good to have weapon for Nesbot to throw to, that’ll make that stronger of a QB. Steven will turn the Robot into a top 10 draft pick.
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Jeremy
March 16th, 2009
1:19 pm
http://gruberton.myminicity.com/
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Hellbent
March 16th, 2009
1:21 pm
Bryce Brown picks the VOLS!!!! Woohoo!!!
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Huh?
March 16th, 2009
2:28 pm
Cameron, just curious, but what specifically leads you to believe that Kiffin can coach?
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for real
March 16th, 2009
2:30 pm
hey tony,i’m proud of ya, not many predictions in the column..glad to see someone actually reporting the news,not trying to predict it..most of us are smart enough to come up with our own thoughts about what will and will not happen..which leads me to this,,georgia, with one loss, will be playing texas for the champioship,,take that one to the bank..and make some money boys!!!!
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Cameron
March 16th, 2009
2:35 pm
Kiffin called the plays during USC’s offensive juggernaut years. He also played a significant role in the development of Leinart. Something his NFL coaches are having trouble doing. He actually did a good job, imo, concerning the circumstances in Oakland. If anyone ever wins under Al Davis again, then I may die of shock. His team never quit on him and actually looked like they improved each week. His dad may be the first HOF D-Coordinator ever. Ed Orgeron made his name as a great D-Line coach before he failed in Ole Miss. He did recruit all of the talent that Houston Nutt turned into a pretty good team. The only thing he didn’t recruit was a QB. Nutt got the one that Oregron lured there and all of a sudden Ole Miss is relevant again. Who knows what Orgeron would have done if he stayed another year? He also hired some guys away from NFL staffs. I think he is a good coach, honestly. He is doing some stupid things, but like Tony I think there is an agenda behind it. My thinking they will turn things around goes more to the staff as a whole, and their ability to recruit. You can disagree, that’s fine. But, that is what I expect will happen.
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GATORZONE
March 16th, 2009
2:45 pm
for real, you need to stop huffing the glue!
You have to be joking about that!
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Gator Guy
March 16th, 2009
2:52 pm
Tony,
Walking into the lunch room and calling out the baddest dude would be challenging him to a fair fight, not accusing him of cheating (when you are the one cheating).
Also, calling out the baddest dude in school might show you have balls, but you might just get them kicked in the dirt!
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for real
March 16th, 2009
2:57 pm
no jokes here gatorzone, where were y’all supposed to end up last year about 14th if i remember, trust me on this one, that is about where you want to be in august/sept..gators will be a number 1 or 2 at the start of the season,which is okay with me…there’s 2 teams that have ALOT to prove this year and uga and texas are them…but go ahead and step on out there and say we’ll be seeing a rematch of fla/ou..thats what everyone else will say, and how bold is that??need i say, dare to be different,dare to be different
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Huh?
March 16th, 2009
3:02 pm
Fair enough. Remember that he was only USC’s offensive coordinator for one year. That’s it. He had the benefit of two Heisman trophy winners, what in my opinion was one of the best college offensive lines I have ever seen, and an absolutely laughable Pac 10 schedule. Alot of offensive coordinators would look like geniuses under those circumstances. And if I remember correctly Kiffin still managed to have his fair share of critics despite the record breaking numbers that his offense was putting up. I just think the guy is all smoke and mirrors and a total fraud. I guess we’ll see.
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Sure
March 16th, 2009
3:05 pm
I’m so sick of hearing people say that Nick Saban should have told recruits about the letter. Would you do that? What is he supposed to tell them? We may or may not get in trouble. Be real here. Who in their right mind would tell a top prospect, we want you but we might be on probation. More than likely that’s what will happen and that’s not the same as sanctions. Just means that Alabama has to stay clean. Saban has proven to be very swift in making sure he takes care of those matters as soon as they’re found out. If he was going to cheat, I think you would have seen Andre Smith in New Orleans. The program is bigger than one person. Additionally, the NCAA cleared these guys to play in 2007. Why go back to it now? I’m so worn out with everyone saying Alabama cheats. There are things that go on at every school and you see them get investigated as they start getting better. I’m the first to admit we got in trouble b/c we did wrong but we really just got caught doing what most all schools do.
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NRBQ
March 16th, 2009
3:05 pm
From the ABH, quoting Moody’s coach:
“They kind of had a plan for him to finish up the year as far as eligibility and schoolwork and behavior,” Turner said. “He’s kind of gotten off track there, and I think they felt it was best to give him an unconditional release and let him kind of decide what he wants to do.”
Turner said he was unsure whether the university made the decision or if it was made independently by the football program. Turner said Moody had no legal issues that were a factor.
“I think there’s some disappointment there, but he’s a senior in high school, and when they give you a plan to follow and you don’t follow it, you kind of reap what you sow,” Turner said.
Turner said Georgia had a weekly plan for Moody to follow in hopes of showing progress academically.
“It had to do with grades and test taking,” Turner said. “I just don’t think he was following the plan that was set up for him.”
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Moody played in the Under Armour All-American game and was rated No. 101 on the ESPNU150 rankings.
Moody also considered Florida and LSU.
“I’m sure there will be other folks interested,” Turner said.
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Brandon
March 16th, 2009
3:06 pm
Bama cheats again!
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Sure
March 16th, 2009
3:10 pm
How has Bama cheated Brandon?
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GATORZONE
March 16th, 2009
3:12 pm
No, I do not make predictions so I could not begin to pretend to have the foresight about the National Championship. I will leave that up to you DAWG fans! Do I hear another preseason national championship out there? You guys never seem to learn!
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Freehawk
March 16th, 2009
3:25 pm
You are wrong on Kiffin. He’s not ready for prime time. You left out a couple of brouhahas. Remember he accused the people from Nukeese Richardson’s FL high school of dishonesty? That phone call you mention was on a speakerphone, overheard by his coach and by a teammate, who all verified the account word for word and reported it to the coaches at the USC. Mr. Kiffin seems to have a hard time telling the truth — at best, he certainly says things without thinking first. No way is this calculated and he will have a hot time this Fall.
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GATORZONE
March 16th, 2009
3:26 pm
Preseason national champions mean nothing. Just wait until Tebow turns it up a notch in November and wins another for the Gator Nation. He is the greatest player in NCAA history and will be a number one pick in the NFL. Trust me on that. I don’t pick national champions but I can see talent when I see it. And Tim is the best. You Dawg fans can blow it out of your preverbial ears. LOL!
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GATORZONE
March 16th, 2009
3:29 pm
3:26 post is not from me. Someone is using my moniker. However, I do agree with his assesment!
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Freehawk
March 16th, 2009
3:30 pm
I do, however, appreciate his keeping litigators busy in this economy:
Kiffin to give deposition
Former Raiders Coach Lane Kiffin will give a deposition Monday in his grievance against the Team. Kiffin was fired in September for cause after what Owner Al Davis described as acts of insubordination and lying. Kiffin field a grievance and is seeking two months pay for the time he was unemployed before being hired by the University of Tennessee.
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AltamahaDawg
March 16th, 2009
3:35 pm
Anyone questioning Kiffin’s impact to energize the Vol nation should ask: Did Auburn University hire a head coach yet? Time will tell which has the better strategy.
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doug
March 16th, 2009
3:37 pm
Kiffin signed Rivals #1 player for this year: Mr. Brown!!!
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GeoffDawg
March 16th, 2009
3:45 pm
While I disagree that Tebow is the greatest player in NCAA history, he is indeed special and may be the best of this decade. However, given all that, he unfortunately falls into the “hybrid” category as far as translating his skills to the NFL. While he could do a lot of different things well (throwing, blocking, receiving, running) at the pro level, I don’t see him doing any one thing well enough to be a top pick. The team that takes him will have to be creative and will probably try to either convert him to a different position or keep him on the depth chart as a backup qb and put some so called “wild cat” plays into the gameplan to exploit his talents. Either, I admire his skill and determination he brings to the table and wish him the best. He has the kind of attitude every coach wants from a team leader.
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GTLiebs
March 16th, 2009
3:47 pm
I can’t really see the FSU situation being accurately compared to Georgia Techs’. Unfortunately our case will probably be used as precedent to get FSU out of their troubles. To me it seems silly though. Georgia Tech had 11 people be academically ineligible for games and from what I’ve heard it was because the Tech administration didn’t teach people what on track to graduate was for the NCAA. This is quite different from 61 people cheating on a test. Another thing, when Tech went to appeal its game forfeit punishment (not vacate) it had already charged itself with 6 scholarships for the upcoming recruiting class and was charged 12 more for the next 2 years by the NCAA. I think FSU is going to lose 6 scholarships over the next THREE YEARS! If FSU wins their appeal they will get very little punishment for a serious offense or as Mr. Barnhart put it “there is breaking the rules and then there’s cheating”. Let us also not forget, as it surely will be, that this appeal isn’t about keeping Bobby Bowdens’ wins. This is about keeping the victories for every sport these players participated in.
I think those noles should be happy that their athletic programs didn’t get their future hopes kicked in the nuts with excessive scholarship loss or with bowl banning and take the hit to their damn record books. If their head football coach was anyone but Bobby Bowden or Joe Paterno, there would be no controversy, no news, and no appeal.
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BravesFan79
March 16th, 2009
3:47 pm
I think college sports would be so much better if we didnt allow ANYONE in the college that wasnt smart enough to be there in the first place!!
No more football players with 600 SAT scores that have the IQ of a 8th grader. No more blacks that are so dumb thed do a armed robbery $20 bucks while risking a scholarship worth BIG $$. (The guy from college park that went to Univ of AL) But what do you expect from a young black from college park, or decatur or clayton for that matter……. when its a 50/50 chance if your getting a future criminal or not?
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bank walker
March 16th, 2009
3:50 pm
Bryce Brown, in my opinion, is not the best player in the nation. Just because he beat up a bunch of high school defenses in KANSAS, doesn’t carry any merit. Since when did Kansas have relevant high school football. Now if he played football in the Great state of Georgia or Florida, and accomplished what he did, then I would give him credit. He’s average @ best!
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bama12titles
March 16th, 2009
3:58 pm
Bravesfan79,
I’m not sure I understand your point about young black men having a 50/50 chance of being a future criminal? Nobody automatically has a 50/50 chance of being a criminal unless they make the conscious decision to be a criminal. The kid that went to Bama Jeremy Elder from college park. Yeah, he was incredibly dumb but apparently he made a high enough act score and had a high enough high school gpa to qualify for sec football. But nobody quite knows exactly what a kid is made of when they are only 18. I am glad we got rid of a bad apple though in Elder. He decided to throw away a free college education to hold up 2 students for all of $20. Unfreakingbelievable. Imbeciles like him do not deserve a shot. Also glad to see Mark Richt rescind a schollie to the dexter moody kid based on this kid’s poor behavior. Its hard to find all the behavioral issues with people that are only 18 years old but the head coaches in the sec do the best they can. Its just that sometimes you have know way of knowing a kid is a thug until after he’s aleady graduated high school. Oh well.
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fishtales
March 16th, 2009
3:58 pm
LSU-
Again…lying and making things up to suit your argument. The players DID NOT sell any of the textbooks. They got extra books and materials and gave them to a couple of friends. This is documented. Read the transcript of what was sent to the NCAA. Or, just keep making stuff up since you STILL can’t get over the fact that Saban isn’t your coach anymore.
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Sure
March 16th, 2009
4:04 pm
Fishtales – where can I find those transcripts? Do you have a link by any chance?
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Fred
March 16th, 2009
4:06 pm
I disagree with Tony on Kiffin. He does not seem very smart and his behavior is erratic. Of course, he had to impress someone to get a job at an SEC school. I look for him to sign dexter Moody later this week. Can you say Hal Mumme?
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whitx2
March 16th, 2009
4:09 pm
Lswho Fan. You have said twice that the nzaa will come down on bama hard because it is taking such a long time in their ruling. Did you not read the article? Tony said that the ruling takes 4 to 6 weeks. Do the math, you’ll get there.
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GeoffDawg
March 16th, 2009
4:16 pm
I find it ironic that the guy complaining about the description of academic cheating at tech is calling himself “GTLie” followed by “BS”. Also, I don’t know what the deal with BravesFan is but bama12titles has a point – no one is born with half a chance of ending up in jail. It’s a conscious decision they have to make and I wouldn’t for a minute not recruit a kid just because of the area that he’s from. If he’s had behavior or criminal issues already in high school, that’s a different story but you can’t penalize somebody for where they’re born without giving them a chance to prove themselves first. I would imagine that that’s an obvious conclusion reached by 90% of the people posting here so I’m left with the impression that BV’s just trying to stir up trouble.
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SECFootballRocks
March 16th, 2009
4:24 pm
I do not believe that there is anything to the Bama textbook story because I know for a fact that I had both of the campuses’ textbooks checked out during the time in question. Those kids have never seen a textbook.
Bama needs to cool it. They do have a 2 game losing streak going.
The 11 other SEC schools are going to love Lame Kiffin more than Tennessee will. His mouth writes checks his team will not be able to cash. I hear Lame is installing a stripper pole for Ed Orgeron & the rest of his asst coaches.
Most NFL coaches fail when moving to college, and most college coaches fail when moving to the NFL. Lame will end up failing at both. It will be fun to watch. Hope they are on TV a lot and go for a 75 yard field goal.
Vol fans don’t realize that publicity is not necessarily a good thing. Lame might as well be painting bulls eyes on the back of his players’ jerseys. This Fall will be fun to watch.
How long before Bryce Brown implodes and takes Tennessee with him? If his “advisor” screws up and becomes his “agent” then it will get uglier than a Georgia Tech coed.
This year’s best new coach in the SEC is the guy at Miss State. Former Gator offensive coordinator, good recruiter, X’s and O’s guy, understands NCAA regs, and is smart enough to lay low preparing for the season.
The second best new coach this year is the Gene guy from whereever. Not too impressive a resume, but I’ve got a feeling he is putting in his own system and will have a system, a gameplan, and be ready to compete.
The third best new coach this year is obviously The Kitten. Neyland Stadium will be The Litter Box by Dec 1st. Lotsa poop to scoop.
I think a 6th item for your column might be Houston Nutt at Ole Miss. They might get to their first SEC championship game this year. They won 10 games & the Cotton Bowl last year and should be better this year. I wonder how that makes our Arkansas friends feel?
Think Arkansas pulled the trigger on Nutt a little too soon? Think Arkansas should have looked around a little more before trying to save face and quickly naming Petino? I do.
Does UF go to Oxford this year for a rematch? If so it should be a good game.
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Music City Dawg
March 16th, 2009
4:24 pm
Tebow is a great college player. He can get it done, that’s for sure. But he sure throws an ugly ball. Lucky for him, it’s working well.
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LSU fan
March 16th, 2009
4:25 pm
Fishtales,
$1600 worth of books to a couple of friends—no money exchanged—-just friends that really liked to study—-problem is “friends” said they paid for the books. You just go on believing whatever you wish if it makes you feel better. NCAA is frequently lenient but not particularly known for being stupid. The friends were either complicit in fraud and theft or they paid for the books. If you sell or give away $1600 worth of anything that you obtained fraudulently, it is a big problem if you are caught. Aw shucks, it was only 4 or 5 players and only around $2000 apparently makes you feel okay. I suspect that when a team is on probation, “aw shucks” is not an acceptable answer to the NCAA. Who knows, maybe Bama can argue that 4 or 5 players does not constitute a systemic issue. Since this was fraud, were the players suspended from school?
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fishtales
March 16th, 2009
4:29 pm
Sure-
Here it is…
http://blog.al.com/rapsheet/2009/03/UA%20Redacted%20Response%20to%20NOA.pdf
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gdawginkalamazoo
March 16th, 2009
4:30 pm
Jacksonville has opened up the spot for Tebow for next year on their roster so everybody just calm down.
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Sharecropper
March 16th, 2009
4:34 pm
To hell with all that stuff. I can’t find a place to ask this question, so I’ll try here: what is wrong with the Ga. Tech beat writer who seemingly cannot be energized to write about the football program and/or spring practice? There are Tech issues at play here: special teams, on both sides of the ball, on all teams; replacing the defensive line, and more importantly, getting a passing game in place because without it, Tech cannot compete with the big guys. Ain’t gotta be 40 passes a game,but it has to be an effective 16-18 passes a game to keep teams from putting nine guys in the box, as LSU did. If the Tech writer can’t cut it, find somebody who can.
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fishtales
March 16th, 2009
4:35 pm
LSU-
See above…the books actually had to be turned back in. Friends did NOT say they paid for the books. Do you really just keep making up stories as you go along? Did you talk to any of these “friends”? If not, then you got your information the same way I did and NOWHERE does it say any money exchanged hands. Now was this textbook thing acceptable? No…but all the players were suspended until the NCAA told them they could come back. No competitive advantage was gained by anyone on the field or in the classroom. And, if Bama had not SELF-REPORTED this…it’s likely no one…including the UA Administration would have ever found out about this. Should Bama be punished? Probably a little slap but get real with your doom and gloom scenario. Or just keep twisting everything around if it makes YOU feel better.
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GeoffDawg
March 16th, 2009
4:36 pm
Sharecropper – you have to understand that it’s pollen season and most people who follow tech football have terrible sinus problems. I agree with you though – tech has issues.
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SECFootballRocks
March 16th, 2009
4:38 pm
Speaking of Lame Kiffin, I am reminded of one of my all time favorite sports jokes:
Did you hear about the 7 prisoners who escaped from the Maryland State Penitentiary? Two were caught in Pennsylvania, two were caught in West Virginia, and three were signed by Fran Curci at Kentucky.
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Sure
March 16th, 2009
4:40 pm
Thanks fishtales
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Music City Dawg
March 16th, 2009
4:41 pm
I’m actually relieved Asher Allen went to the NFL. Did he make any plays that didn’t involve a 15 yard penalty? Just saying…
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BravesFan79
March 16th, 2009
4:55 pm
I dunno about yall, but i personally spent YEARS working apt complexes throught College Park, South Atlanta, Clayton, Decatur, as well as the heavily mexican areas like Buford Hwy.
If you dont think the #’s are at least 50/50 from young men in these areas, then just take a drive down Joseph E Lowery Blvd and notice all the gang members standing around. And yes i recognize Bloods when i see them. And theres alot!
Overall in America, 1 in 3 black men has a criminal history. In these areas, its more like 2 out of 3.
Knowing areas like college park very well, i was not surprised at all about what happened at AL with the robbery. That kids mindset will probably never change.
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SECFootballRocks
March 16th, 2009
4:55 pm
Only thing I know about Asher Allen is that he does no wrap when he “tackles.” Neither do the other 10 guys on defense. They think if they just bump the ballcarriers hard enough that they will fall down. It didn’t work against an inferior Tech team. Any time your team scores 42 points it should win. Hope Coach Richt has his players practice “tackling” this year.
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wxwax
March 16th, 2009
5:05 pm
Excellent first column back! Good information, sold writing. Thank you.
I agree with you completely about Lane Kiffin. He’s crazy like a fox. Bradley mocked me for calling Tennessee’s program “moribund”. But it’s clear that Kiffin wants to shake things up and he’s modeling himself after Pete Carroll. He wants to duplicate the almost manic excitement that players have in the USC program.
And I also agree that it will all be for naught if he doesn’t win. I think he’ll be respectable in his first year. But as a Vol alum pointed out to me, Kiffin didn’t recruit a top QB. So he’s at least three years away from competing for an SEC title, I would think. Then again, Alabama didn’t have a QB either, last year. So who knows?
Regardless, I’m excited to see Kiffin come in and twit the dour, grim men who run the SEC these days. More power to him!
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murfdawg
March 16th, 2009
5:07 pm
Tony,
Welcome back! I received your book as a Christmas present. It was thoroughly entertaining and I enjoyed reminiscing about some of the great players and games in the 60s and 70s.
NCAA investigations are like looking at an iceberg. You only see 20%. I don’t think the Bama thing is a big deal, but the FSU scandal looks pretty serious. It will be interesting to see if the former Lt.Col, who is the AD will make heads roll. I have always been a Bowden fan, but his time to go has finally come.
Are you going to be on the southside of Atlanta for a book signing anytime soon?
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G8R GRAD
March 16th, 2009
5:07 pm
Can’t wait ’til September 19th.
We’ll see how loudly Lame Kitten will be mouthing-off after his date in The Swamp!
SECFootball Rocks:
No, the Gators don’t play Ol’ Miss this year.
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G8R GRAD
March 16th, 2009
5:12 pm
We do, however, play MSU in Starkville on Oct. 24th.
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Tide rising
March 16th, 2009
5:15 pm
LSwho fan,
You don’t sound like someone that probably went to college anytime recently if at all. $1600 is nothing when you are talking about textbooks.Its not unusual for one textbook to cost $100-$150.
Add to that the fact that half of that amount in question went for books that the students and the bookstore thought the student was entitled to receive because the professor recommended the books even though they weren’t required. Its like taking an English Lit course and the professor recommends that you purchase the book Moby Dick but he doesn’t require it. Believe it or not the NCAA does not allow student athletes to get the course materials recommended by instructors. They are allowed to get the “required” books only. You would think the ncaa would want kids to be given every opportunity to learn but apparently this is not the case.
So there was a little confusion and half the problem was student athletes getting materials that were recommended but not required. This is unintentional and is a 2ndary infraction. Perhaps you should actually READ about what actually happened before you go spouting off at the mouth and accusing other programs of intentional cheating.
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heeldawg
March 16th, 2009
5:15 pm
Tony, welcome back. We missed ya.
It remains to be seen, but so far the best thing about Lane Kiffin BY FAR is his wife Layla (who is, by the way, Coach John Reaves’ daughter, which makes his ripping Steve Spurrier all the more interesting). Kiffin may be announcing his presence to the league bullies by getting in their collective faces, but he’d better back it up with a few wins. Otherwise, he’s just digging his own professional grave.
It’s just a matter of time before Bama gets put back on probation. The combination of rabid Tide fans and Nick Saban does not bode well for maintenance of NCAA compliance.
Tom: Moody was not making academic progress, and there were behavioral issues, as well. He was a loose cannon. A great athlete, but a program liability. Not the kind of player Richt needed after the off-the-field incidents of last season. He’ll probably be an All-American at Arkansas or Troy.
Atlanta Jackets: Your tongue is so firmly planted in your cheek that you’re talking funny. “A more polished AJ Green with good hands?” Give me a break. And the whole “Tech fans” thing is amusing. There are more Georgia fans in Appharetta than there are Tech fans in Georgia.
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heeldawg
March 16th, 2009
5:16 pm
Sorry, I meant “Alpharetta.” I’m on vacation, using a beat-up laptop with a sensitive keyboard.
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Mrs Kiffen
March 16th, 2009
5:20 pm
Tony, what can you tell me about Orgeron’s nipple rings?? I hear that he really excited some young kids at the Tennessee Junior Day. There is something about adult males stripping down to their pants in the presence of teenagers that really excites me. You have any facts for us??
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Tide rising
March 16th, 2009
5:24 pm
Heeldawg,
It almost sounds like you made a disparaging remark about Nick Saban having compliance problems with the ncaa. But surely you know that in all of his head coaching stints at Toledo, Michigan State, Lsu, and now Alabama. none of his previous programs were ever levied with even one major violation to my knowledge. Surely you do know that of course don’t you? I mean if you are going to insinuate him being a cheater of course you would have some data to back it up wouldn’t you? Speaking of cheating Alabama has had 2 major infractions cases with the ncaa in its history. Georgia has had 6 major cases brought against it by the ncaa(tied with auburn and several other schools for 3rd most). I deal in facts, not hyperbole. And those facts come straight from the ncaa so before you go criticizing Bama do some research on ncaa infractions cases against your own program smart guy.
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bama12titles
March 16th, 2009
5:33 pm
Bravesfan79, Sadly, You may be right on in those areas and with your #s. The 50/50 number sounds right in those areas Clayton, College Park,etc. and maybe even 2/3 as you state, especially if the overall rate is 1 in 3 have a criminal history which is a commonly known stat backed up by the judicial system. My only point is that these kids aren’t automatically born criminals. Each and everyone of them makes a conscious decision to either be a thug or not be a thug. Too bad so many of them make the decision to be a thug.
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VanDSIRROM
March 16th, 2009
5:50 pm
Tony–
Now that you’ve put “the old stuff” behind you…tell us what’s really going on in Denver with their verson of Kiffin.
VanDSIRROM VanderbiltSportsNews.com
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SECFootballRocks
March 16th, 2009
6:12 pm
With both Bryce Brown and The Lame Kitten in Knoxville can a total Volunteer program meltdown not be far away? I give it 24 months max.
And I wonder how The Kitten’s deposition went today. Does he know it is a felony to lie on a deposition? If not he may be coaching on the UT sidelines in his big orange jail jumpsuit.
The latest I heard on the deposition is:
Former Raiders Coach Lane Kiffin will give a deposition Monday in his grievance against the Raiders. Kiffin was fired in September for cause after what Owner Al Davis described as acts of insubordination and lying. Kiffin filed a grievance and is seeking two months pay for the time he was unemployed before being hired by the University of Tennessee.
UTWildboyz!!!! UTWildboyz!!!!
It won’t get better. It will get deeper.
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Longtime CFB fan
March 16th, 2009
6:27 pm
Tony. Thanks for the LARGE TYPE this morning for old people like myself
I’m glad to have you back, but I must say there was absolutely nothing new in this column. It’s disappointing to wait for two months and read stuff that has all been widely reported elsewhere for weeks. 
I’m hoping for a better second column from Mr. CFB. 
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Gen Neyland
March 16th, 2009
7:17 pm
wxwax : When Kiffin took over Atop Rocky, all the top QB prospects were committed. He didn’t sign one because there wasn’t one out there left hanging he wanted…That is basically his sentiments on the matter.
BTW, with the signing of Bryce Brown, Kiffin has signed the #8 best 2009 class according to Scouts and #10 according to Rivals…Not bad for a guy who’s been on the job for less than 3 months. With RB’s Hardesty, Creer and Poole already in place, plus a guy named Oku coming in with Brown, well, maybe we’ll just direct snap all game long…
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Old News
March 16th, 2009
7:53 pm
Tony .. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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Dogs #1 in baseball, #2 (in Georgia) in football!...for a full year!
March 16th, 2009
8:14 pm
dog drafts cannot even get to Athens before the “fun” starts!
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Mr College Football Has Returned! « Football on the Brain
March 16th, 2009
9:03 pm
[...] College Football Has Returned! Tony Barnhart is back from break to discuss a few of the college football issues of the day- 1.Kiffin vs Al [...]
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Atlanta Jackets
March 16th, 2009
10:10 pm
When does the Lindy’s and Athelon mags come out? I’m betting the Robot is on the cover. I beat it’s a pic of him scoring a touchdown on Georgia. How sweet is that? LOL! Nesbot is the best QB in the state… that includes Matt Ice Cream.
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Darryl
March 16th, 2009
10:18 pm
It’s good to have you back Tony.
Geaux Tigers!
Go SEC!
Jumbo
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Chuck Uga
March 16th, 2009
11:14 pm
Lane Kiffin couldn’t carry Les Miles’ jock. Not even on the same planet as far as coaching acumen. Lane Kiffin will never win a NC, much less the SEC. Tony, name one successful coach in the past 50+ years who was successful when following a legend.
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Sautee Dawg
March 17th, 2009
8:04 am
Welcome back Tony. Hope vacation was good to you!
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The General Feeling
March 17th, 2009
8:28 am
Look people, Lane Kiffin is playing the game with teenagers and it appears he is winning. His antics are making headlines on the ajc.com and ESPN. He just signed the nation’s #1 high school player. He does not need your adult approval. He only needs the approval of those teenagers. Oh and have you looked at his coaching staff? There are plently of proven assistants on his staff to run his Os, Ds, and Special Ts. Tennessee may be average in 2009 but they will be very good once Kiffin and Company fill the program with the nation’s best players. Count on it.
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Bryant
March 17th, 2009
8:29 am
Tony,
Glad you are back! I read the blog everyday, and you are the best in the business. many thanks.
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Chris
March 17th, 2009
9:19 am
I would dearly love to see ESPN/ABC take the Fox BCS broadcast. The coverage is borderline tragic using analysts normally associated with the pro game. I’m assuming that no matter who has it the current format of four games spread out over seven/eight days would never change?
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ValdostaMike
March 17th, 2009
9:21 am
Glad to have you back, Tony.
Knoxville will get what they deserve with this kid, Bryce Brown and his “advisor”. Georgia will have far better results with Marlon Brown and his God fearing Grandmother.
I hope Tubberville and Fulmer both find suitable programs, just not in the SEC. Those 2 can coach. West Opelika and Knoxville didn’t deserve them.
As for Fox, I have not liked the way they televised the BCS games that past few years. ABC/ESPN do a much better job.
If the Mountain West wants an automatic Bid, give them the Big 10’s. Seriously, they are not that strong top to bottom. They have gotten teams in when they had teams worthy of getting in. So, as much as I hate to say it, the system has worked for them. It just doesn’t work for the fans or the players that deserve a legitimate champion.
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BAMA STAN
March 17th, 2009
9:38 am
31-0 at the half?!!!
Valdosta-Mike – I like your idea of giving the B10’s automatic bid to the MTN WEST – very clever.
However, I would like to do away with any and all automatic bids – and give them to the top 10 ranked teams – regardless of conference affiliation.
If you have three Big 12 teams in the top 10 – than all three should play in the BCS.
At any rate, I seriously doubt UGA fans will have to worry about the BCS for years to come. Your program peaked – and Lane Kiffin just might get his first signiture win this fall in Knoxville against a certain mentally and physically soft team . . that wears red and black. If not this year – Tennessee will pass UGA in 2010.
ROLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Whereisit?
March 17th, 2009
9:43 am
I clicked on AJC “sports” this morning expecting to see a headline “Vols sign nations top prospect” but not a sign of it until I saw this col. One would think, with Atlanta having Vols top Big Orange club outside of Knoxville, there would be at least a hint of the news.
Yeah ValMikey, Brown will give someone “trouble” allright, probably the bulldogs defense! Sore loser!!!
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DawgGirl32
March 17th, 2009
9:52 am
Interesting you say that, Bama Stan. Apparently the idiot senior writers at ESPN disagree with you. Just read an article that lists the top 10 programs that have the best chance to win a National Championship in the next 5 years. Your Tide is #1. My dawgs are #4. We’re far from peaking.
http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3986102&name=feldman_bruce&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fespn%2fblog%2findex%3fentryID%3d3986102%26name%3dfeldman_bruce
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Gene
March 17th, 2009
9:54 am
My understanding that Tuberville was essentially run off by Bob Lowder, the defacto president of Auburn. Lowder’s banking empire has crashed, and he will probably not have the money and influence to be dictating Auburn’s academic and athletic policy in the future. Tuberville is a good coach and decent person. I hope that he finds continued success elsewhere. In spite of throwing large amounts of money around, Lowder has been a negative influence on Auburn for over 30 years.
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Les W. More
March 17th, 2009
9:58 am
Mutt fans have been whining for weeks about the coverage given the Tennessee Volunteers. They seem to think the ajc.com is just a local rag. Not so. The entire SEC reads the ajc.com (the photos are for Bama fans).
UGA has NFL talent at every position. Quit whining.
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Flats
March 17th, 2009
9:58 am
Bulldawgs have a good ball club that wants to win!
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Atlanta Jackets
March 17th, 2009
10:02 am
Welcome back Tony Toni Toney! LOL!
My sources tell me that if the Tech D struggles this year Tuberville may take the DC position. That would be a smart move to resurrect his career. You can always use a national championship run to thrust you back into the spotlight.
The Robot is running!
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Right On Time
March 17th, 2009
10:20 am
If Brown runs for 1500 yards a year, nobody will care how he got there.
Tubbs will be coaching again in 2010. However, I can’t imagine Fulmer in anything but that orange. If he went to KState or Washington we could call him the Great Grape, Grape Ape, etc.
Pleas, Please, PLEASE let Fox drop the BCS. They detract from the most exciting time of the year. You gotta think Herbie will be doing the Rose Bowl this year.
More than even the Fox BCS crew, I wish that bammastan kid would just go away. I don’t mind the 31-0 at the half, it’s the other stuff that is “nails on a chalk board”. He is like the captain of the chess team, math team and physics club sharing insights on the art of picking up women. Not trying to be rude, just the impression I get.
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Bamafan
March 17th, 2009
10:21 am
Getting Mr Brown to play for the vols is a feather in the cap of Lane Kiffin, but we will see if the NCAA
will do anything about it! Probably nothing but they will make Bama bend over and kiss their ring and
say I WILL NOT CHEAT,I WILL NOT CHEAT AGAIN!! I hope ESPN get’s the 2010 national title game,FOX is terrible with college football and great with pro football and nascar!! ROLL TIDE GO BAMA!!
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longtimesecfan
March 17th, 2009
10:26 am
Tony I seem to remember that the “big 12″ itself
voted to have any ties for conference champ decided
by BCS standings so Texas complaints should be to
big 12 not to BCS (if my memory is correct). Welcome
back. (
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Wally
March 17th, 2009
10:29 am
Always great to hear from bamastan. 21-0 at the end of the first quarter.
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gatorman770
March 17th, 2009
10:29 am
The BCS does need to be addressed, but congress needs to spend more time correcting their errors in judgement and corruption of both parties that have led to the loss of Americans jobs, plunging retirement accounts, high cost of medical treatment and drugs, etc. rather than worry about the BCS.
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Otto
March 17th, 2009
10:35 am
Mack should stop crying. OU lost a close game to Texas and Stoops probably should not have gone for that 4th down. The only blowout in the 3 way tie was OU over Tx Tech. OU wins the tie breaker on BCS ranking. But if OU played in the SEC then Texas goes unless Texas Tech stayed close enough to force a BCS tie breaker and thus punishing a better team for clearly winning. The SEC should adopt the Big 12 system.
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uga_b
March 17th, 2009
10:42 am
I am not sure Dawg Fans are begrudging the coverage other teams get, but wanting to hear more about ours too. I for one am glad my coach makes news for starting All Pro dads in college and adopting special needs children versus ripping his shirt off in front of adolescent boys. I also think Alabama has a pretty good team and have no idea why their fans are so insecure about it. Oh wait, nevermind. Utah. Got it.
I do think Fox bungled the coverage, but football coverage in general has been pretty bad recently. Like Collinsworth the “analyst” giving his opinions versus analysis. I for one don’t need the canned storylines and excitement.
We all realize the system needs to be changed and good for the Mountain West. Coaches need to stop participating-they already state they can’t do it well because of the other time commitments. Also not sure how much of a stretch it is to say too very good winning coaches may coach in 2010.
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uga_b
March 17th, 2009
10:44 am
*two
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m
March 17th, 2009
10:58 am
The complete IDIOCY of college football is not having a playoff system. Eventually, there will be a playoff, and everyone will look back at the BCS as the dumbest idea in history. Having the BCS, which is supported by idiot writers like Tony Barnyard, is like having Chan Gailey as a coach…permanently. GET RID OF THE BCS. Establish a 16-team playoff and let college football take its rightful place as the greatesst sport ever. You see what getting rid of Chan Gailey did for Tech.
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BILLY JACK
March 17th, 2009
11:03 am
Bama Stans predictions are funny-I think he is 0 for a 100-UGA is stockpiling great players at a alarming rate.The most important thing is coaching staff also in tact and looks like it will remain that way.Tennesee heading for probation soon worse than Alabama of 2002-so again Alabama Stan is wrong again Tennesee will not pass UGA.Florida is a problem and have only beaten them twice lately but not many teams have beat them either.Gators just happen to be in our side of the division.UGA could be a top 5 team and not even when our side of the division.The last prediction Bama Stan made was a Tide victory in the sugar bowl last year and we all know how that turned out.If that was my teams last game of the season a smart person would lay low and hope time heals and people forget.That was the most embarrasing bowl game for people of the south.Thanks Bama Stan for embarrasing the SEC.
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BullDogMike
March 17th, 2009
11:32 am
BamaStan, Tide looked really good against Utah. real impressive, sure made SEC look good didn’t they?
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DawginLex
March 17th, 2009
11:34 am
Bama stan,
You embarrass other Bama fans I know every time you write something on here. You really need to go another route.
Facts are that Richt knows he underachieved and the expectations were too high. Facts are that he has won over 80 games in 8 years and 2 SEC titles. Facts are that you are not enough of an expert to dispute anything he has done.
The facts are also that Bama embarrassed themselves and the SEC by losing to Utah. You have now opened the floodgates where the smaller conferences want a piece of the big pie. Congratulations.
Leave it up to the winners like UGA to take care of the small-time schools like 56-14 vs Boise State in 2005.
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GatorG
March 17th, 2009
11:38 am
DawgGirl32, make sure you notice that ESPN specifically excluded all schools that had won a National Championship in the past decade (or two, as the case may be…). They weren’t saying Georgia had the 4th best chance to win a championship, just that it had the 4th best chance to move up to the elite group that is already winning championships.
Go Gators!
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thom
March 17th, 2009
11:41 am
How many years probation do you think the signing of this kid will eventually cost Tennessee?
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GATORZONE
March 17th, 2009
11:42 am
The Sugar bowl is no way indicative of how good Alabama is. They had too many distractions and overlooked a VERY good Utah team.
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swgaboy
March 17th, 2009
11:42 am
Is Bama Stan an Alabama fan or a TN fan posing as one? Either way, he’s not the brightest tool in the shed. People have been predicting UGA’s demise ever since 2002. First, Mark Richt was another Brad Scott. Then 2002 was a fluke. Then 2003 was supposed to be the end with all those injuries. then 2004 was surely the end with the Davids leaving. 2005 and a 2nd SEC title was just a product of a weak schedule. 2006 was supposedly a “bust” even though UGA was the only team to defeat 3 ranked teams in a row all year long to close the season. 2007 was luck and hype because of the blackout. And 2008 was supposed to be a monumental failure, though UGA finished 13th in an injury plagued year, and 10th in the Coaches’ poll. So Bama Stan, what’s it going to be this year?
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Bamafan
March 17th, 2009
12:01 pm
Do you think BamaStan and Roswell Ed are brothers? That is a insult to BamaStan, but really
Stan lay off the dawg fans because I am fan of the crimson tide and dawgs also and 31-0 was
funny in the beginning, but it is getting old buddy!! GO BAMA ROLL TIDE
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Knoxville Dawg
March 17th, 2009
12:04 pm
It is being reported in Knoxville that Georgia’s football program had 17 minor infractions. Is this true??
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GT
March 17th, 2009
12:06 pm
Tony there are no virgins pole dancing at the stripe joint, and any 18 year old kid having to deal with a Saban or most of these high paid college coaches need a couple of advisors. Wall Street looks like choirboys compared to these pirates, but very much like Wall Street and sausage we might not like the way it is made but we like the product. Reporters tickle me, the success of college football depends on these back alley deal makers and the success of the reporter depends on the success of the sport, it is how the sport evolved, yet like total gentleman at a dog fight they act above it all. I think the sooner we cut the crap about this being for the good of the kid or the school and tell it like it is a Las Vegas type operation, so take the gloves off, the better the sport is going to be. The public either accepts the transparency or makes changes to the game like putting these coaches back in the money bracket their character indicates they belong. Dick Vital does the same in basketball. He makes bums like Knight look like saints. These guys would kill their grandmothers for a win and think this whole thing is about them. Most of these head coaches couldn’t even play the game themselves which explains the mental illness of winning at all cost. I think that is the source of the hate many have in Spurrier, he did play at a level he is asking his players to play and he points out the fraud of other participates that have hoodwinked the public. I think it makes the reporters be more honest, takes the control out of their hands to be the critic and makes the expert the actual doctor and not the nurse. Has there ever been a reporter that has ever become a coach that is going to be next. What’s the difference between a bench warmer and a reporter both are in the same observation post?
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Coastal
March 17th, 2009
12:20 pm
I love how contracts between teams, coaches and players can be tossed out the window in the blink of an eye, yet the BCS contract is more solid than The Great Wall of China.
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doggit
March 17th, 2009
12:44 pm
I’m so sick of the 4-letter. Go to hell ESPN
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Tony Barnhart
March 17th, 2009
12:49 pm
To Longtime SEC fan:
Mack Brown has two issues he is dealing with. The Big 12 did indeed make its own rule about using the BCS to break three-way ties. The SEC, however, has an additional clause that if two of the three times are ranked close to together (like 2 and 3) and the other is a distant third (like 9), the head to head matchup becomes the final tiebreaker. Had the SEC’s rule be in effect, Texas would have gone to the Big 12 championship game. So Oklahoma got in fair and square based on the rules. But don’t be surprised if the rule changes in the Big 12 and they adopt the SEC model.
The other issue Brown has is simply with the numbers crunching and how his team could finish behind Oklahoma with the same record, a head to head win, and a loss on the road (to Texas Tech) with one second left. The answer is that Oklahoma’s non-conference schedule included TCU and Cincinnati, which were No. 11 and No. 13 in the BCS standings of Nov. 30, which decided the queston.
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G8R GRAD
March 17th, 2009
1:16 pm
As I understand the Mac Brown’s issues last season, his objections need to be focused on the *Big 12’s* rules using the BCS to resolve an intra-divisional tie, not the BCS itself.
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Ole Dawg
March 17th, 2009
1:28 pm
Hey “Bama Stain” ….. Talk about a soft football team.. where was your team during its bowl game this year. Bama’s going down in 09′ and you’ll be crying and pointing fingers at everybody….with no proven quarterback and running back, loss of key players in both lines, two coaches leaving,plus rumor has it that Jolio Jones is flunking out, I see Bama losing at least 4 games….you’ll be looking up at LSU and Ole Miss……and wishing you had as much talent stocked up as Georgia does. Go back to your trailer….
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Atlanta Jackets
March 17th, 2009
1:31 pm
Meanwhile, Coach Curry is quietly building a powerhouse in downtown. No one talks about it but its coming. One day soon, Georgia State will start stealing recruits from the mutts (not Tech as we recruit a higher level of student). No one wants to admit it!
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Mark
March 17th, 2009
1:55 pm
I wonder how much longer Dog fans will put up with underperforming CMR. SEC championships are great but last year was to be the year, and it was a flop. The big MO is shifting north.
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Otto
March 17th, 2009
2:09 pm
Mark, UGA fans were excited and hopeful. But as a long time fan the schedule, green OL, and injuries did not setup for a title run. In a playoff I would take the ‘07 team to win it all. I didn’t expect UGA to finish #1 last year and know many fans the feel the same way. IMO the team UGA is fielding this year has a better chance.
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Otto
March 17th, 2009
2:10 pm
When has Curry ever built a powerhouse?
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Ed
March 17th, 2009
2:10 pm
Give Bama Stan a break. Georgia beat Alabama something like 4 times in a row before last season. We ripped their hearts out in Tuscaloosa in OT two years ago. Also broke their hearts with a late field goal in ‘02. We’ve had a much better decade so far. You know all of that stuck in Bama Stan’s craw. So now he’s getting a little revenge. Let him. After all, they did have us down 31-0 at half – if our team isn’t going to show up for a game (sort of like Bama not showing up for Utah), can’t blame another team’s fans for giving us grief about it.
Besides, next time Georgia beats Bama, guess who will disappear from this board?
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Money
March 17th, 2009
2:10 pm
Mark – Interesting comment about Clemson. I have VaTech penciled in as ACC Champs.
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Exley DAWG
March 17th, 2009
2:13 pm
Your the best Tony.
My only comment to your article is that I hope politicians do not attempt to get involved in the BCS. This includes Obama.
Stay out of sports! Its the fans game and you people need to pay your taxes like me and stop being so corrupt.
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GATORZONE
March 17th, 2009
2:25 pm
Otto, I think the University of Tennessee’s 07 team would disagree with you.
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Dre
March 17th, 2009
2:33 pm
Tony,
I beleive Tuberville will end up back in Miami after Shannon doesn’t meet the expectations of having two good recruiting classes.
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Otto
March 17th, 2009
2:34 pm
Gatorzone I’m sure they would. You can’t deny UGA would be hot going into a playoff if they had one as many people want. I have no complaints and would cast a vote to keep the BCS system the same even with that thought.
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Otto
March 17th, 2009
2:35 pm
The preseason #1 was largely off the ‘07 finish not what people knowing the school expected.
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Atlanta Jackets
March 17th, 2009
2:44 pm
Hey Mutts, the Robot just scored AGAIN! LOL!
On a serious note, I think that the recruitment of Bryce Brown is insane. The kid delayed signing just so he could miss spring practices. Like the vet that holds out in training camp because he doesn’t want to join 2 a days (a great MTV show!). Bryce held out to avoid getting sweaty. Pathetic.
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ThaMan
March 17th, 2009
2:48 pm
All you mutts getting on Bama Stan are sore losers. You gomers don’t even know where Utah is. Did ya’ll blackout or something.
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gdawginkalamazoo
March 17th, 2009
2:55 pm
Tony, you know those rap artist/advisers will be the new thing for college football. Too bad Jabari Davis didn’t have one to guide his career. I have always said that you can’t complain about polls, rankings etc if you lose a game. So shut up Mack. It was your conference rules that dictated the stay home. Mack, really just shut up.
Just give the Mtn West Notre Dame’s spot in the BCS they never use it anymore. Just keep congress out of the BCS. There are enougn bozos involved. Besides congress is busy giving money away to worthless causes, AIG. I could start a TV station tomorrow and do a better job of hosting the BCS than FoxSports. I almost had to turn the TV off during those games. The announcing was horrendous. Everybody keeps saying that Tuberville needs to resurrect his career. He was a very good coach when Lowder fired him. He still is and will end up probably at an ACC school.
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GATORZONE
March 17th, 2009
2:59 pm
Zoo, good post. I concur on the Mack Brown situation. They Barely beat Ohio State. Auburn will be sorry for letting Tubbs go.
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wxwax
March 17th, 2009
3:10 pm
Regarding the coaches, I wonder if Tuberville won’t end up at Texas A&M if Mike Sherman has another disastrous season? I also wonder if Tuberville still has the fire in his belly? It sure looked like the game had left him behind the last couple of years at Auburn. Same with Fulmer. Did these gentlemen lose their appetite for recruiting?
With regard to UGA, Coach Richt is a lucky man this off-season. Under normal conditions, fans would be roasting him and his staff for last year’s disappointing performance. And while to some degree they have, it’s been muted?
Why? A gift from the gods, that’s why. Other schools tried to raid UGA’s coaching staff. Nothing like an outside threat to make everyone circle the wagons and give thanks for what they have. So instead of looking for change or progress, UGA fans are delirious that the status quo has been maintained.
Kinda funny, isn’t it?
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Otto
March 17th, 2009
3:13 pm
Zoo I agree too. Tubbs will be back I firmly believe he wanted to be fired from Auburn after Franklin did not workout and the season went downhill. It would not surprise me in the least if shows up in the ACC or at Arkansas. I disagree that Auburn will be sorry for letting him go. Auburn should be sorry for pressuring for the firing of Borges.
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DawgBite
March 17th, 2009
3:19 pm
Atlanta Jacket has been tokin with Rueben Houston.
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G8R GRAD
March 17th, 2009
3:54 pm
A: CHOMP, chomp, chomp.
Q: What was the last thing Lame Kitten heard on Sept. 19th?
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gdawginkalamazoo
March 17th, 2009
3:59 pm
MMmmmmmmm! Green beer.
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SECFootballRocks
March 17th, 2009
5:24 pm
BamaStan and the bama faithful must have forgotten the Tide football team has a 2 game losing streak going. Perhaps they should show a little restraint. Thought I saw Saban coming out of Tattletales last night.
UT and AU will both regret running off their coaches for what they got to replace them. It just got easier for the other 10 SEC schools.
Just think if those two shools had hired Butch Davis and Tom O’Brian instead like UNC and NCS did. Duke’s David Cutcliff also would have been better than what they hired.
Arkansas suffered when it lost Houston Nutt to Mississippi and the Rebels won 10 and the Cotton Bowl. That would have NEVER happened if Ed Orgeron were still the Rebels coach. And they would have never beat the Gators.
Arkansas stayed home with Rick Petrino (the meet me at the airport quitter) for the holidays.
The new Miss State coach was the smartest of the new hires for SEC football coaches. UT & AU will have a bidding war for him in about 2 years.
Come to think of it, isn’t it strange to realize that Vanderbilt and Kentucky now have better coaches than UT and AU?
Even Steve Spurrier is licking his chops over UT. Time to give those UTwildboysz a wupping.
Meyer, Richt, Saban, and Miles have it together and should all have great years. You don’t have to win them all and a NC to have a great team and a great season regardless of what mindless bloggers and sportswriters say.
I hate the BCS. It is time to dump it. It is meaningless. Just go back to the old process of rewarding great football teams with great bowl games and quit pretending to have a national champion. The NCAA does not recognize it anyway.
A playoff system will still leave teams out that think they deserve a shot. It reminds me too much of hoovering parents “organizing” kids baseball games and all the crap that goes with it. Just let the kids play.
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Sautee Dawg
March 17th, 2009
6:12 pm
Me Thinks BamaStan and Roswell Ed and Ramble On are one in the same.
Tony
I think Mack Brown is an outstanding coach but, in his quest for a higher ranking, he leaves out the only solution that gets his program a higher ranking. And that’s a win over Texas Tech.
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Rabun Dawg
March 17th, 2009
6:26 pm
Tuberville may want to sit tight for a while. The Clemson job will probably be available in about two years! Tigers and orange-hard to resist that combo! But, orange and purple? Ugh! Orange and green may suit him better, however, and the weather is much nicer down there! And, Bama Stan, your opening score thing is getting old, as one of your Bama buddies pointed out. And we are surely glad to have your input about the UGA program-now we know where we stack up with the SEC, and UT in particular. Your insight is truly a thing of wonder!
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BAMA STAN
March 17th, 2009
6:31 pm
31 – 0 at the half?!!!!
It’s funny that UGA fans dump on me as I have a different opinion. I am alarmed that posters don’t tell the truth – at least I call it as I see it and back it up with facts.
1. I did predict a win over Utah – but stated that this game scared me because getting beat by Florida was a huge BuzzKill. And playing Utah, instead of an Ohio State or a Texas was also a huge BUZZKILL. I also stated that Utah had everything to gain. Congrats to UTAH…. and yes, we embarrassed the SEC – much like UGA did when they played West Virginia!!!!
2. My predictions about UGA’s demise are fact base – your defense seems to get worse each year. And in 2009 – Cox is no DJ Shockley – Cox = Greg Talley. This is no slight to Greg Talley. Talley was a very good leader and very smart – but average arm strength, slow, and not tall…..sound familiar???
3. Saban, Meyer and Myles have won NT as SEC head coaches in recent years. Even when Spurrier won his NT – their focus and attitude was one of national scope – not regional. These coaches are playing to win a NT – that is their goal. Winning the SEC is an honor to pick up along the way.
Now compare to Coach Mark Richt. Richt states his goal is to TRY and win the SEC East – and if that happens – try to win the SEC – and then see if they can get to the NT game from there.
SEE the DIFFERENCE???? SEE the EXPECTATION LEVELS????
I have stated that Coach Richt is a very good coach – and a very good recruiter – but he is not a DRIVER – does not have the EGO that it takes to win the NT.
4. Tennessee and Lane Kiffin – hope he falls on his tail. But he assembled a very good staff and now has a top 10 recruiting class. Lane Kiffin is providing the atmosphere that is firing up young players that like to have a swagger – kind of like Miami in the hate Miami years. Also, since he has taken over – no facial hair, no hats inside, 5:30AM conditioning, mandatory class room attendance. While he is acting like a clown for the media – he has installed some very strict discipline standards – which will pay off.
Kiffin could care less about UGA, SC, Bama or Florida – nor should he – it is all about making headlines for Tennessee – putting it back on the map – and look at what he has done – without so much as coaching a game….. and yet landed a top 10 class. Kiffin in interested in winning National Titles – and SEC titles along the way. That is the EXPECTATION he is installing at UT.
Tennessee will have attititude and be mentally tough – and that is why I predict that UT will pass UGA in 2010 – and may win in Knoxville in 2009. Hate to say it – being a BAMA fan – but I am calling it as I see it – and who knows – I could be wrong.
So there you have it UGA fans. Bama, Florida, LSU and potentially Tennessee will push UGA back to their TRADITIONAL 5th slot in the SEC. UGA, OLE Miss, Auburn, currently Tennessee and even South Carolina are in the “PACK”.
Speaking of South Carolina – they beat UGA in Athens last time they played. Out played UGA last year and the Dogs hung on to win. It will be another absolute war in Athens this year – and would not be surprised if SC wins yet another UGLY UGLY UGLY game that this series is known for.
ROLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL TIDE SUCKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Rabun Dawg
March 17th, 2009
6:36 pm
Atlanta Jackets, so Curry is building a powerhouse in downtown Atlanta? I did not know that he and the Atlanta power brokers had agreed to do that construction thing you refer to. And Otto, you are right on, where has Curry ever built a powerhouse team? GT, UA,UK? Me thinks not at any of those stops, and one has to be delusional to think that he will do it at GA. State!
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bama12titles
March 17th, 2009
7:50 pm
Bama Stan,
For Pete’s sake let it go with the 31-0 at the half routine and lay off the dawg fans. Other Bama fans like myself are tired of hearing about it. We’ve always prided ourselves on winning and losing with class. And its anything but classy to relentlessly rag someone over one game. Let it go dude! I’ve never understood your rants about the dawgs anyway. Most Bama fans pull for UGA in the east over Tennessee and Florida. UGA never was a big historical rival of ours anyway. As a Bama fan you ought to know we generally reserve our hatred for Auburn, Tennessee, and LSU to a lesser degree. What exactly is your problem with the dawgs?
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Saint Nick
March 17th, 2009
8:39 pm
Losing to the #1 and #2 teams in the final AP poll is a disgrace to the SEC????? Nice try mutts!!!! No proven RB???? What kinda gunja are you smoking???? Ingram had a very nice day running all downhill against the mutters!!! We will be practicing addition by subtraction at the QB spot this year, Macleroy will be a better starter than BAMABANGS Wilson!!!!! RTR!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE WILL PLAY IN THE DOME 2 TIMES AGAIN THIS YEAR!!!!!!!
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Jimmy
March 17th, 2009
9:53 pm
TheGeneralFeeling,
Uhhhhhh, yeah Lane does need “adult” approval. Who do you think he answers to exactly? I’ll tell you. His AD. Who does his AD answer to? The high $$$ boosters, who are all adults!
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Gen Neyland
March 17th, 2009
10:35 pm
SECFOOTBALLROCKS : But your take on Nutt don’t…Houston Nutt was going nowhere fast in Razorpigville and he knew it…and Orgeron may be best suited to OC. Time will tell, my laddy. This time next year, we’ll know a wee bit more than we surmise today…
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Houdawg
March 17th, 2009
11:11 pm
Thanks DawgGirl ….. interesting to see Clemson & North Carolina in his top 10 potential powerhouse teams !
Hey Tony ….. if / when Fulmer takes another job …… will he require ORANGE as a team color so he doesn’t have to replace his wardrobe ?
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Houdawg
March 17th, 2009
11:36 pm
Hey bama12 ….. thanks for trying to pull-in these insidious Tide fans that seem to hit many( many ) sites as corn-liquored-up as it gets. If they’re NOT liquored-up ….. well, God help ya.
To the OTHER fans ….. You just can’t stop living off a 31 – 0 halftime score at UGA ? How ’bout the UTES kicked some major TIDE BUTT in a Bowl Game, huh ?
You ” Bama ” fans that keep the yearly mantra of ” Nothins’ better n’ da Tide ” are pathetic. Bama bums ….. take a clue here …. attempt to show some CLASS . You’re getting top athletes …. your coach IS good, even though he’s a HUGE SOB….. half his staff hates working for him. Enjoy it while it’s here ….. he’ll probably be gone in 2 -3 yrs … check the track record. As the old saying goes … ” careful what ya wish for ….. ya may just get it “.
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Johnny DangerDawg
March 17th, 2009
11:47 pm
The Fox announcers are horrible because they don’t broadcast (or even watch) any college football all year until the very end. The most important games of the year should not be announced by the most ill-prepared crew.
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Miles
March 18th, 2009
12:30 am
Mr. Barnhart, although the Mountain West is a horrible conference, surely you understand Craig Thompson’s stance in regard to college football’s post season given that you have alluded to the issue of “constituency” in the past. May God take FOX from mankind and immediately replace it with ESPN!
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WTF???
March 18th, 2009
6:26 am
bulldogmike…in defense of BAMA STAN what does it say for you leg humper’s when it only took LESS than a half of football for BAMA to whip ‘dem puppies IN THEY OWN BACKYARD!!! FOOL!!!
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Doug
March 18th, 2009
7:36 am
Tony:
There is a lot of internet chatter about significant recruiting violations by certain Gadsden Bama boosters and a second letter of inquiry from the NCAA to Bama. Heard anything??? If true, how stupid can they be!!!!
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Doug
March 18th, 2009
7:42 am
Tony:
http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/AU505/tag/CollegeFootball
Bama link
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Blindog
March 18th, 2009
9:18 am
Joe Cox will surprise a lot of teams early because he is a really good Q.B.The expections are low but the Dawgs will win the S.E.C. East
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matt
March 18th, 2009
9:19 am
TOny- Logan Gray is pure athlete at the QB position. Is Richt looking to get him into the game at QB some how? I’m assuming it’s Joe’s position to lose. If Richt had the balls to give Joe T. the reigns then he owes it to Joe Cox!!
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EDSBS » Archive » CURIOUS INDEX, 3/18/2009
March 18th, 2009
9:25 am
[...] USA Today Coaches’ Poll. In a moment of admirable honesty, he explains the simple reason why: he doesn’t understand the BCS. In the offseason, Brown brought in several of the people who work on the BCS standings and tried to [...]
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Tony Barnhart
March 18th, 2009
9:25 am
Matt,
I don’t see Logan Gray as a full time starter but as a guy who can be used in a “Wildcat package” for a change of pace. My sense is that the coaches have a lot of confidence in Cox. I just think there are a lot bigger issues at Georgia than quarterback.
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Volaholic
March 18th, 2009
9:26 am
Bryce Brown is the second coming of both Herschel Walker and Bo Jackson. And he’s about to stomp an orange hole through the SEC. Lane Kiffin is a better coach than Vince Dooley and Pat Dye combined. Brown on O and Berry on D, the Vols are gonna win the SEC!
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ValdostaMike
March 18th, 2009
9:26 am
Dawgs will be fine on offense. Yes DE is a concern, both if we do not tackle better this year, nobody will have to throw the ball against us. I do not know where it will come from, but I do expect the Dawg Defense to play with more violence this year.
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T-Bone
March 18th, 2009
9:28 am
Which is the real Ga Tech offense, the one that ran all over MIami and UGA, or the one that got stifled by LSU?
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1eyedJack
March 18th, 2009
9:28 am
Logan Gray is just too good of an athlete to keep off the field. You gotta believe Bobo is preparing a package for him. Vandy could be scary for a number of teams this year. Good for them as long as they don’t trip up my DAWGS. Both UGA and GT have to play at Vandy this year. Two years ago we escaped by the skin of our teeth.
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Otto
March 18th, 2009
9:30 am
I’m not sure it was balls that gave Joe T the reigns…… I am looking forward to Cox at QB
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bigdawg01
March 18th, 2009
9:30 am
TN is a mess. Crappy o-line with NO QB, repeat NO QB. They will have a tough time this year. FL will be good, again, but OK showed that if you stop the run and make Tebow beat you with his arm, things are different. Dawgs will surprise a few people. Cox is not Tereshinski, and definitely has the skill. Complaints on Cox was that he could not throw as long as Stafford, but who cares. We need accuracy and completions. Most of Staffords long throws were garbage and never connected.
FL will be brought down a notch or two next year. Tebow cannot play forever, and without him FL will not be the same team plus it will be interesting to see them this year without Harvin.
No matter what, the SEC is still the best most exciting conference in the country.
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Otto
March 18th, 2009
9:31 am
T-bone they were both the GT offense put them up against a solid DL and LBs that wrap up and they get blown out.
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Bamafan
March 18th, 2009
9:32 am
Florida in talent is the very best team easy in the SEC east or West. Georgia should come in 2nd place in the east behind the gators. Put the other teams in the east in a hat and pick 3-6 because
they all are average. Hope Vandy does well this season, Bobby Johnson is a real nice man and a real
good coach!!
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Cameron
March 18th, 2009
9:32 am
Tony,
The Gators will miss Percy Harvin more than anyone realizes. In big games, him and Tebow were the only ones who made plays. Rainey, Demps, Thompson, and James are cute, little, fast guys. They can make big impacts in the passing game and special teams. But, good teams shut those guys down. Harvin always was able to bust big play after big play in both the running and passing game. Those little backs broke huge runs against bad teams and when games were already decided. None of those backs scare me nearly as much as Harvin does.
Having said that, their offense will still be good. Tebow will still run the show and “will” them to victories when he has to. And, they won’t need their offense to be that good. Their defense may be one of the best college football has ever seen. They return just about everyone, but the loss of Torrey Davis will hurt them big time. I would expect them to win the SEC again.
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Otto
March 18th, 2009
9:34 am
Will Kiffen repeat the NFL to CFB success of Charlie Weiss?
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Miles
March 18th, 2009
9:36 am
Florida…best team in the SEC East…this we know for sure! What we don’t know is how many points they’ll put up on their SEC East opponents!
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Cameron
March 18th, 2009
9:37 am
Funny you don’t see Logan Gray as a full time starter, yet the UGA coaching staff does. This was the player of the year in Missouri coming out of high school. I personally watched him in the spring game last year and he has the talent to be an awesome QB. He may have stunted his QB growth by playing special teams last year. But, he is such a good athlete Richt wanted to put him on the field. he also wanted to do whatever helped the team win. Just because he is a good athlete, doesn’t mean he is not a good QB. He throws a pretty ball and I saw him laser in a 20-yd post to Mike Moore for a TD in last years G-Day game, in the rain.
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Chris
March 18th, 2009
9:38 am
Tony,
Does anyone know who might start at tight end for GA? I know we have the two freshman studs coming in. It seems like some time ago that we enjoyed a big athletic receiver with hands like Pope or Watson.
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Cameron
March 18th, 2009
9:38 am
Miles,
Florida’s scoring average will go down. But, it may not matter because of their defense. I still think they are the best team in the SEC, but they’re offense will take a step back.
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Cameron
March 18th, 2009
9:43 am
Chris,
I expect Bruce Figgins to start at TE if he is healthy. He can block and catch. Aron White and Orson Charles will see plenty of time though due to their abilities to create mismatches in the passing game. Arthur Lynch will have a harder time making the field then Orson, because he offers the same skill set as Figgins, and to a lesser extent Aron White. Aron White has gotten bigger and becoming more of a complete TE. He may end up being your starter, especially if Figgins isn’t healthy.
Figgins starts (if healthy), Aron White is the top backup, Orson will see plenty of time as a Flex/Receiving TE, Bryce Ros will be seldom used as a blcoking TE, and Arthur Lynch is on the outside looking in and will probably be redshirted.
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JB
March 18th, 2009
9:44 am
My Dawgs will be better than last year, but will be 10-2 also this year. We need for 2-3 ’special” players to emerge on each side of the ball. I don’t think this year will be that year, But I like our young players, and I do feel the coach’s had an awful year last year and they know it. I think the team this year will be more intense, but I think we win 10 again. 2010 could be special, if we get one of these Freshman QB’s some game time.
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tenn.DAWG
March 18th, 2009
9:52 am
Pressure on the QB is a must.I also believe that with todays parity you should use some multible schemes,disguising blitz,etc.There should also be more immagination used on the offence.
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Voice of Reason
March 18th, 2009
9:56 am
we were 9-3 this past year, not 10-2. the 10 came in the bowl game making us 10-3.
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Voice of Reason
March 18th, 2009
9:57 am
Cox at QB, Gray lined up at reciever. Could be great for a few reverses and every now and then add the fake reverse and have gray throw the ball down the field. Or Gray in the wildcat. All kinds of options with great recievers and an athlete like Gray.
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Huh?
March 18th, 2009
9:59 am
Joe Cox is the starter today and, barring injury, will be the starter in the bowl game. With all due respect to Logan Gray, there is no amount of talent that can replace his experience and knowledge of the system. And I don’t know why people are so down on his talent anyway. He’s been SEC starter material from day one.
Florida is the hands down preseason #1 but they are not unbeatable and will not go undefeated. Its almost considered slanderous to say that Florida will lose a game (or more) in 2009, but they will. Repeating as national champion, or even SEC champion, is an extremely difficult thing to do. That’s why it rarely happens. As a Georgia fan, I’m hoping they buy in to their hype and get complacent. Its college football. It happens all the time. You have to wonder if they are doing extra reps in the weight room for all the points that Ole Miss scored on them? I bet they aren’t. Good luck with that target on your back Florida. I must admit that if anyone is equipped to deal with it its them.
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GATORZONE
March 18th, 2009
10:01 am
Percy will be missed, he is a great talent. However, just look at the SEC championship game if you need proof that UF can win without him. Just like every year, new players will be stepping in to fill the gap taking the ball. Obviously, Florida has plenty of weapons.
And to Bigdawg, how did Ok prove that UF can be beat when Tebow is forced to pass? Didn’t Florida win? I know he threw a couple of INT’s, but he also engineerd great drives in the second half that won the game.
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ChewDawg
March 18th, 2009
10:01 am
Speaking for the Dawgs…
Less we forget, Cox was a highly recruited QB out of high school. While not the cannon like Stafford, nor the athlete like Shockley, he is highly accurate as a passer. With a complete OL and time to pass, he’ll be fine. He adds an element that neither Stafford nor Shockley had, accuracy and finesse. Seems a man named Brady isn’t a cannon or athlete either. The offense will be fine…arguably better than 2008. I’ve seen King play personally, and if he can get it together, he’ll make your jaw drop. If not, we can platoon it amongst the stable of backs and still have an effective running game. I don’t expect the O to miss a beat.
Defense is a huge question mark. The only solid part are the linebackers. UGA’s D for 2008 was one of the worst I’ve seen in recent memory. The boys need an edge…and need it fast. There was a time when UGA’s D was fierce. They got after the QB and the secondary could knock the taste out of your mouth. Both were gone in 2008 and 2007. I trust the embarrassments of UA, UF and GT last year give Martinez all the ammunition he needs to get that edge back. He’s got one more year to show me something, or I’m on the bandwagon to fire Martinez as well.
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Red Elephant
March 18th, 2009
10:06 am
GA should be fine as they again finish 10-3 behind the Gators in the East and win another bowl in Florida.
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shards1967
March 18th, 2009
10:08 am
W.O. a DE and a can do attitude on D, the Dawgs are in for another so so year. The coaches have to infuse aggression into them all. Cox will lead and the running back “position” will be a tandem effort. I see FB Chapas being a real solid workhorse for them. He can do it all.
Cox can throw little down and out passes and the over the middle stuff to our receivers and they can take it to the house. With the guy from Memphis, the opposing D backs will not be able to double team AJ Green and it will hurt them. This is how I see Chapas being used ………… he will get his share of dump passes and it will pay dividends. He is a tank with great hands.
D is the key to a great season ……w.o. the ATTITUDE and AGGRESSION forget it. 9-3 or 10-2 is where we will be.
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JB
March 18th, 2009
10:10 am
my bad on saying we went 10-2. I forgot Tech Won because of OUR poor play ( 3 points, unless you hear a nerd, and they think it was 4 or 5 TD’s ) I’m just so used to Tech being a W for the Dawgs.
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ChewDawg
March 18th, 2009
10:12 am
Gatorzone -
not wanting to take anything away from UF’s win…but OkSt did show UF can be beat when forced to pass. While Tebow engineered some great drives, he’s not a highly accurate passer. But this isn’t news. The problem is stuffing the running game while still managing to restrict the passing game. OkSt couldn’t do this, so the game was close with UF winning (congrats BTW). If you’ll watch the first half of the UGA/UF game, you’ll see UGA’s D was doing this fairly well. If UGA doesn’t fall apart in the 2nd half, it’s a coin flip going into the final 2 minutes. (I know, “if”s and “but”s…but still). OkSt defense is average at best…their game plan was to stop the run and limit the score while hoping to beat UF on offense. But UF has a pretty good offense too.
FWIW, I’m won’t be betting on UF to repeat as SEC champs or National Champs. They’ve certainly got the talent and leadership to do it. But both will be undone by ego and high expectations. UF loses two. So you know, I said the same thing about my dawgs last year as well.
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1eyedJack
March 18th, 2009
10:12 am
It is amazing what a couple of NFL-bound DTs (Owens & Atkins) can do for your DEs. You’re going to have to doubleteam them freeing up the DEs to rush. I think they will be much better this year.
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bigdawg01
March 18th, 2009
10:14 am
Gatorzone:
A score of 7-7 at the half showed that a “mediocre defense” and that was what OK had could stop the gator run game. Tebow did have to throw it more, and did so against that defense which was ranked in the high 40’s nationally. Point is that against better defenses in SEC that will be tuned in to stopping Demps and Rainey, teams will take their chances on Tebow throwing. No, FL did not get beat, but also did NOT score as much as everyone thought.
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45-42
March 18th, 2009
10:15 am
JB, are you used to Florida being a L for the Dawgs?
That is pretty automatic too
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JB
March 18th, 2009
10:18 am
45-42…..yes I do. Now, you man up and tell me the Dawgs will beat you guys 8 of 10 times we play you, even with Johnson there. Because you KNOW we will. Not enough horsepower on the flats to beat us over and over.
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DirtyDawg
March 18th, 2009
10:19 am
Florida and Tebow have been beaten before and they’ll be beaten again and no reason why we shouldn’t think it’ll be Georgia that does it. That’s the only way to look at a game eight months out. When we get to Halloween maybe the picture will be different, but right now we ain’t taken’ crap off no Gators, and we damn sure won’t take it from somebody that wear’s the most putrid color of faded orange and is proud of it.
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Alabamadawg
March 18th, 2009
10:20 am
I certainly agree with Cameron’s comments concerning Logan Gray. Most people seem to forget what a talent he is. I believe Cox will do fine this year and Gray will win the job next year…
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GATORZONE
March 18th, 2009
10:20 am
True Bigdawg, but the BCS Championship game is different from any game in the regular season. Expectations are up, nerves are tight, and Oklahoma (not OKST) was a great team that averaged 50+ points per game(most in NCAA). So neither team scored as many as expected. I do not think that proves anything on how to beat UF and Tebow. Just my opinion, but I am biased as you might expect
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Barnhart’s Questions ‘Bout The SEC East | MrSEC.com
March 18th, 2009
10:20 am
[...] update.First, he lays out the known… then he delves into the unknown for each squad.You can read his full report right here, but here’s a summary of his unknowns:Florida — Will Florida really miss Percy [...]
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Gen Neyland
March 18th, 2009
10:23 am
FLORIDA…Go ahead and give ‘em the dang East title and the Heisman to Tebow. GEORIGA…Last year, UGA had the luxury of having an offense that could score more points than their defense gave up. This year, they’ll need a wee bit more D effort. Some feel Cox can do what other back ups have done when given center stage. May or may not happen. D’s will be coming after him early to test. SOUTH CAROLINA…Two words, Beat Spurious… TENNESSEE…In 2008, every D UT faced knew they were one dimensional. Can Orgeron fix what Clawson broke? UT’s O-Line was built first, on pass protection, run second. In 2008, they couldn’t field a QB that could even toss his Wheaties so the D’s put what seemed like 12 in the box. VANDY…Has their share of youth coming back from a decent 2008 season by Commodore standards, plus a win over Boston College in a bowl. Vandy and bowl. Sounds odd. Vandy won’t win the East but I have a feeling they’ll push a few to excel on game days. At LSU early might be one of those…
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ChewDawg
March 18th, 2009
10:30 am
Ooops on typing OkSt…Fully aware that it’s OU. Only one cup of coffee this morning, so the brain’s still a bit foggy.
OU didn’t show the world how to beat UF. It was already known. Man up on the receivers and contain the run. Who cares if OU averaged 50+ points a game (even defenses that ranked in the bottom half of DivI)? Their D is still average at best. They didn’t have the talent to contain the run while still defending the pass. And even with an average at best D they gave themselves a chance by containing the run. So with that little fact, here’s what we know…any defense that can contain UF’s running game and still have the talent to go one on one on the receivers can be UF. Fortunately for UF, that’s a hard thing to come by.
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bull-gator
March 18th, 2009
10:31 am
To ChewDawg: The Gators played Oklahoma in the BCS not OkSt (I presume OkSt means Oklahoma State University Cowboys, not the Oklahoma University Sooners)…I could be wrong, have been before…
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GATORZONE
March 18th, 2009
10:31 am
VANDY will be on everyone’s radar this year. They will not be overlooked any longer.
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ChewDawg
March 18th, 2009
10:38 am
Vandy and UK will continue to make up the bottom half of the SEC. But they won’t be overlooked any longer. UGA made that mistake in 2006 and nearly did it again in 2007. Neither will contend for the East any time soon, but both are building respectable programs capable of 7-8 wins each year including the regular upset.
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bhdawg
March 18th, 2009
10:45 am
Welcome back Tony, hope all is well with you and the family. Its good to read good journalism for a change. You may want to check out bama a little closer, textbooks may not be all going on there. Rumors rumors and more rumors lol.
bh
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Eric Zeier
March 18th, 2009
10:46 am
It is so funny listening to these stupid leg humpers insisting that Tebow can’t throw after 3 years. The kid led the SEC in QB Efficiency rating last year and before the bowl game, only had 2 picks.
Jan Kemp was so right. UGA players and fans, can’t read, but they sure can yap, yap, yap. If you think Florida is going to be complacent this year, you don’t know Urban Meyer very well. Florida did just fine in the games that Harvin could not play, including the SEC championship game. Hey Leg Humpers! Remember Alabama?
Did you see what Florida’s defense did to the highest scoring offense in College Football History? The Oklahoma offense that averaged over 60 points a game? The offense everyone said that Florida could not stop?Well that defense has the entire 22 player 2-deep coming back.
And it was OK, not OKST that Florida played, you illiterate Dog fans. And please notice that I know how to spell DOG.
Diss Tebow’s passing all you want. For 3 years you have been saying he can’t throw, but he continues to lead the conference and definitely the East in QB ratings.
Georgia fans are just, so damn stupid.
“Let the Big Dog Read” -Jan Kemp, 1986
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G8R GRAD
March 18th, 2009
10:47 am
2009 will be a repeat of 2008:
UF will win the SEC East with one loss (probably LSU);
LSU will win the SEC West and get beat by UF in Atlanta;
UF will play in Pasadena, again.
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Volaholic
March 18th, 2009
10:47 am
Bryce Brown is the second coming of both Herschel Walker and Bo Jackson. And he’s about to stomp an orange hole through the SEC. Lane Kiffin is a better coach than Vince Dooley and Pat Dye combined. Brown on O and Berry on D, the Vols are gonna win the SEC!
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Wally Butts
March 18th, 2009
10:50 am
Bryce Brown will be ruled ineligible by the NCAA and never play a down in college.
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heyberto
March 18th, 2009
10:51 am
Not sure the assessment is really accurate. He may not be as talented DJ Shockley, but he’s still pretty damn capable of being a great College QB.
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PTC DAWG
March 18th, 2009
10:53 am
I don’t it’s a cakewalk for FU. Last time FU came off a great year, they went 9-4..I’m not predicting that (they play ZERO OOC ‘cept for FSU), so their record is padded for sure.
My point is, it’s just not as easy as rolling a team out there. The East should be interesting. I keep thinking SOS may up and win this division one year. Time will tell.
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Eric Zeier
March 18th, 2009
10:56 am
Last time UF came off a championship and went 9-4, they lost every single starter on defense. At least act like you know what you are talking abpoiut before opening your mouth.
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G8R GRAD
March 18th, 2009
10:59 am
Or, in the alternative:
Uf wins the SEC East with one loss (LSU or MSU):
The winner of the LSU/UA game will lose to UF in Atlanta;
Tebow wins the Heisman, again; and
UF wins the BCS in Pasadena, again.
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ChewDawg
March 18th, 2009
11:03 am
Eric Zeier wannabe -
Thanks for making it personal. Glad you get to sleep better at night knowing you put us leg-humpers in our place on the internet.
It’s pretty obvious your knowledge of the game is limited to name calling and tailgating.
Passing efficiency means squat in Meyer’s offense. When 99% of your passes are within 10 yards to receivers with GREAT hands, your numbers are going to be good. Tebow’s passing numbers are inflated by the talent around him. That’s not taking anything from Tebow. I absolutely believe he’s one of the best QBs to play at the college level. His leadership and sheer athleticism makes him a phenomenal player. He should have won the Heisman last year and proved it in the BCS game.
Answer this, if he’s such a great passer, how come no one (of credibility and football knowledge – as such excludes you) actually believes he’ll be a QB at the professional level. He won’t. He’ll be a TE or FB. He likely won’t even be a first round draft pick. He’s not a passing QB. Why is that hard for most Gators to accept? Yeah, he’s made a couple great plays over the years, but day in and day out, his days of taking snaps will be confined to college.
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Cameron
March 18th, 2009
11:07 am
Eric Zeier:
Did you see what all the other defenses did to all of those other Big 12 offenses? Oklahoma was only that high scoring of an offense because they were playing other Big 12 defenses. Stopping their D does not say nearly as much as their patsy D stopping your Offense.
Harvin was the best palyer on your team besides Tebow. If Tebow is such a great passer, why didn’t he leave to go to the NFL. Oh yeah, because the NFL says he can’t pass and want him to play another position. Sure he can pass well enough to win in college. But, clearly the way to slow doen Florida is to stop the run and make Tebow beat you with his arm. He is fully capable as he has shown, but that is your best bet.
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ChewDawg
March 18th, 2009
11:13 am
Kiffin has proven nothing as a head coach. NOTHING. 5-15 with the Raiders…and a second year that was making out to be worse than the first.
He was a pretty decent OC at USC under Pete’s shadow. But it’s the PAC-10. I just doubt he’s going to have that same success playing the caliber of defense he’ll play almost weekly in the SEC. But who knows?
I’m not saying he’ll fail. I’m just saying he’s done absolutely NOTHING to warrant the “Savior” title the Vol nation has given him. The only thing he’s proven is he can run his mouth, and even that seems to be lacking. He’s created some excitement and the Vols certainly needed that. But I’ll wait until he’s coached a few before declaring him better than already proven coaches.
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GATORZONE
March 18th, 2009
11:13 am
Funny how so many UGA fans claim they know the “secret” to beating Tebow and UF.
Tebow can’t pass, he is just a so-so QB that will be nothing in the pros.
Yet, these same fans are the ones stating that UF will be knocked down a notch or two when Tebow graduates. You cannot play it both ways. Either he is fantastic or a liability, but not both.
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Eric Zeier
March 18th, 2009
11:15 am
The Illiterate ChewDawg said “Answer this, if he’s such a great passer, how come no one (of credibility and football knowledge – as such excludes you) actually believes he’ll be a QB at the professional level.”
The answer is Bill Belichick. I will bet you your mortgage, (if it is not in foreclosure) that Belichick drafts Tebow in the first round. If you know how to use Google, just look up Belichick and Tebow for the answer to your question.
“Let the Leg Humpers Read” – Jan Kemp, 1986
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Huh?
March 18th, 2009
11:15 am
“Last time UF came off a championship and went 9-4, they lost every single starter on defense. At least act like you know what you are talking abpoiut before opening your mouth.”
Yet they were still #3 in the nation in the preseason. Go figure, eh? Its funny how quick Gator fans are to point out those lost defensive starters now. I didn’t hear too much about it back then. Hindsight is always 20/20. Who knows, the loss of Percy Harvin and both offensive tackles could have a similar effect on you this year. An injury here and an injury there and the Gators could be in trouble. We just don’t know. That’s why they play the games champ. Sorry nobody is ready to hand Florida the championship trophy in March. Quit your whining.
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Eric Zeier
March 18th, 2009
11:16 am
And I am not an Eric Zeier wannabe! That loser was 0-4 against Florida.
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Eric Zeier
March 18th, 2009
11:18 am
Hey Huh! You are an idiot. The writers picked UF #3 that year, just like they picked Georgia #1 last year. Does that answer your question? Meyer said before the season, that they lost everybody and should not be #3. What did the genius Richt predict before last year?
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Mike
March 18th, 2009
11:24 am
Tebow not a highly accurate passer? What do the delusional UGA fans base that opinion upon? Tebow was the most accurate passer in the SEC last year.
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Les W. More
March 18th, 2009
11:25 am
It must be frustrating being a Georgia football fan a.k.a leg humpers, mutts, yappers, slobbers, lipstick lickers, and fleabags.
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Wally Butts
March 18th, 2009
11:27 am
Let the illiterates from Athens bash UF all they want. 17 losses out of the last 20 and a losing record to Florida since 1950 (which includes the Dooley years) says it all. They will crow about their wins in the 20’s and 30’s which was 80 years ago, but they are the only ones who really care.
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ValdostaMike
March 18th, 2009
11:28 am
Meyer chipped his tooth the other day and made Tebow run sprints for eating peanuts!
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GATORZONE
March 18th, 2009
11:29 am
Calm down UGA. You guys are the “top” team of the second tier of the SEC. You should be glad about that.
Like the infamous words of Spurrier…
“Heck, its just Georgia.”
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PTC DAWG
March 18th, 2009
11:33 am
So I’m wrong about the last time FU came off a great year? Is someone trying to say they DIDN”T go 9-4? All I said, is it won’t be as easy as many think. IF it is, the rest of SEC is weaker than I thought.
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mark
March 18th, 2009
11:33 am
Eric Zeier- if UGA fans can’t read then Fla. fans can’t punctuate. You have WAY too many commas in your post. It, makes, it hard, to, read. Tebow is far from an accomplished passer. Game manager? Excellent! Make no mistake though, he works his arm off of his legs. How else do you think his famed backyard jump pass works?!?! He’s projected as a 2nd – 3rd round TE for crying out loud!!!
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BR
March 18th, 2009
11:35 am
And Gator fans are just… so damn cheesy. One thing we ALL agree on in the SEC and much of the nation… the only people that can stomach Florida fans or their team are FLORIDA fans and their team! You only need to read posts from their redneck fans to see why!
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ValdostaMike
March 18th, 2009
11:36 am
What do you get when you mate Urban Meyer with Tim Tebow?
nothing, but that doesn’t stop Urban from trying
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K
March 18th, 2009
11:36 am
Eric Zeier… does your trailer have a mortgage or is it paid off?
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ChewDawg
March 18th, 2009
11:37 am
Eric Zeier Wannabe -
As you’ve donned his name, I can only assume.
And the more you talk, the more you confirm that you know very little, if anything about football. Tebow isn’t a first round pick. Period. Not as a QB nor as a TE. Belichick isn’t going to waste a first round pick on a hunch that the wildcat formation could make a comeback in the NFL. Maybe a second or third round pick, but not his first. Especially when he’s winning rings left and right with Brady. Several coaches are talking about the wildcat formation, but none are committing to it. And none are going to gamble their first round pick on a chance it might work. Write it down and be ready next spring when you have to swallow your pride and accept you don’t really know anything about football except for what somebody else wrote in an article.
And betting my mortgage doesn’t seem really fair…I’m pretty sure the mortgage on my home is a good bit higher than the payment on your double wide.
To the rest of the Gator Nation (at least those with more sense that the wannabe), is it really an insult to say Tebow isn’t a great passer? It doesn’t take anything from him as a player. It’s just what it is.
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Wally Butts
March 18th, 2009
11:38 am
10. Arm Strength – This is probably the least disputed of Tebow’s strengths, but it bears mentioning. Sam Bradford, who many consider the best deep ball passer in the college game, had a lower completion percentage than Tebow on throws of 15 yards or more. He also averaged less yards and touchdowns per attempt on those passes. In fact, almost half of Tebow’s passing yards this year came on throws of 15 yards or more. And before you say it, no Tebow’s stats weren’t skewed by Percy Harvin turning a five yard slant into a 60 yard touchdown. Only 42% of Florida’s receiving yards came after the catch. Compare that to 60% for the Sooners, and scratch your head while you realize Tebow can throw a football. Not bad for a guy who’s just a “fullback under center.”
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G8R GRAD
March 18th, 2009
11:39 am
Here, UGA ladies, read this and weep:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/tim_layden/01/13/tebow/
The scary unwritten aspect of this article is that the NFL will inevitably come looking for a coach who can translate this offense to the pros and it’s good-bye Urban.
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Wally Butts
March 18th, 2009
11:39 am
9. Winning Percentage – Winning at the college level doesn’t always translate to success in the NFL. Just ask Matt Leinart. But Tim Tebow’s got two national championships in three years of college football. And unlike former first-rounder Leinart, both of his were decided in BCS title games. Not to mention a 22-5 record as a starter. Georgia’s Matt Stafford, considered no worse than the second best quarterback in the draft, is 21-5 over the last two seasons, but his record is lacking even a conference title. Tebow already has one in the toughest conference in the land. As for a three year tally, Tebow’s Gators would have to finish 6-6 next season for Stafford to finish with more wins.
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GATORZONE
March 18th, 2009
11:40 am
UGA fans just wish that they could compete in Jacksonville more than 3 or 4 times every 20 years.
Keep pretending that it is a real “rivalry.” Just like dawg fans ridicule Tech for losing 8 in a row. UGA is almost as competitive with Florida as Tech is with Georgia!
HAHAHAHA!!!!
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murfdawg
March 18th, 2009
11:41 am
Gatorzone,
What is your OL looking like this year? It could be as weak as it was in ‘07. UGA should have a good DL with Geno Atkins back (ask Timmy about him). By Halloween, we will know which unit has progressed more. Have fun ranting and raving and I’ll talk to you again in Nov.
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Wally Butts
March 18th, 2009
11:42 am
3. Determination – There’s not a single player in the NFL who will tell you that they weren’t “determined” to help their team reach the playoffs. But 20 of those teams were sitting at home watching the wild card round. Talk is cheap. Real determination is converting 11 thirds downs in the national championship game after tossing two picks. Tebow converted three of those in the second half with his legs. He converted seven through the air, including the game’s first touchdown. Down three to top ranked Alabama with a national championship berth on the line, Tebow stepped up and went 5 for 5 for 72 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter to seal the win. That’s not talking about determination. That’s living it.
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Wally Butts
March 18th, 2009
11:43 am
2. Delivery – Yeah that’s a funky throwing motion. It’s not as quick as Eli Manning’s, and it’s certainly not as prototypical as Sam Bradford’s or Matt Stafford’s. But if you remember the year Eli was drafted, another quarterback with a strange delivery came off the board only a few picks later. Phillip Rivers was dogged by every draft analyst with a soapbox for his crooked side-armed release. Well Rivers just finished leading the NFL in touchdown passes while leading the improbable 4-8 Chargers to a playoff win. This is what coaches get paid for. Tebow has another year in school to hone his throwing motion, and if, like Rivers, he enters the draft with a less-than-perfect delivery, guess what? There are coaches at the pro level, too. He’s got the arm strength. He’s got the smarts. He’s got the work ethic. He can throw the ball. If his release needs tweaking, it will get plenty of it.
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Wally Butts
March 18th, 2009
11:45 am
1. Accuracy – Which brings me to the final knock on Tebow’s prospect rating. His accuracy. Somehow, despite the jaw-dropping third-down conversions, despite all the passing yards, despite having the fourth best passer rating in the country NFL draft pundits still say
the biggest problem with Tim Tebow achieving success at the next level is his accuracy, or lack thereof. These guys must not have watched the SEC championship game where Tebow tossed dart after dart at the bullseye on his receivers chests. Maybe they missed those winning throws to Louis Murphy and Riley Cooper and David Nelson in Miami. No one has a problem with Matt Stafford’s accuracy. Over the last three years Stafford has notched completion percentages of 52.7, 55.7, and 61.4. His best isn’t even as accurate as Tebow’s worst. In three seasons Tebow has completed 66.7, 66.9, and 64.4 percent of his throws. He has a career touchdown to interception ratio of 67-11. That’s better than Sam Bradford who has a draft-attractive total of 86-16. Where’s the accuracy problem? Maybe it’s the fact that the football often looks more like Daffy Duck fired from a cannon than a Nerf Vortex. Well Chris Leak threw one hell of a spiral. Where is he? Buried behind super quarterbacks Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman on the Chicago Bears’ depth chart. The last two Super Bowl winning quarterbacks have thrown more than their share of ducks. But the point isn’t what the ball looks like on its way to the receiver, it’s that it gets there. Tebow’s passes get there. That’s what completion percentage measures – accuracy.
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Mark
March 18th, 2009
11:46 am
I wouldn’t care if Florida won the nat’l championship every year, you couldn’t pay me to pull for those classless loud mouths! And yes, I am sure it’s safe to say that I speak for 99% of the SEC!
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Wally Butts
March 18th, 2009
11:46 am
This bears repeating…
No one has a problem with Matt Stafford’s accuracy. Over the last three years Stafford has notched completion percentages of 52.7, 55.7, and 61.4. His best isn’t even as accurate as Tebow’s worst. In three seasons Tebow has completed 66.7, 66.9, and 64.4 percent of his throws.
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ValdostaMike
March 18th, 2009
11:47 am
Can you say “Danny Wuerffel”?
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Wally Butts
March 18th, 2009
11:47 am
And again…
No one has a problem with Matt Stafford’s accuracy. Over the last three years Stafford has notched completion percentages of 52.7, 55.7, and 61.4. His best isn’t even as accurate as Tebow’s worst. In three seasons Tebow has completed 66.7, 66.9, and 64.4 percent of his throws.
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ValdostaMike
March 18th, 2009
11:47 am
Can you say “Alex Smith”?
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mark
March 18th, 2009
11:48 am
Wally- 10,9,3??? Skipped a few numbers didn’t you?? Get back to work!!
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ValdostaMike
March 18th, 2009
11:51 am
Can you say “system quarterback”? “gimmick offense”?
He’s a helluva player, a great leader, and sounds like a fine person (Danny Wuerffel) but he is not a prototypical NFL QB. He may end up being a QB in the NFL, but no team is going to invest a high draft pick on him. I will bet that is what he was told by the advisory committee. I doubt he would have done the “drama thing” if he was never considering leaving early.
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Dogbyte
March 18th, 2009
11:51 am
The Gators will be good and anybody who says different is sticking their head in the sand. As for the Dawgs, as Tony says they have to come up with some people to put pressure on the opposing QB. If so, and one of our running backs steps up, we will be all right. There won’t be any easy touches in the East. Everything you get(win), you are going to have to get it the old fashioned way. You are going to have to EARN it!
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Mark
March 18th, 2009
11:52 am
Again, let FL win the championship every year. I will continue to thank GOD that I am not a gator fan!!!
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ChewDawg
March 18th, 2009
11:53 am
I guess I’ll just have to accept that most Gator fans are all knowing. Oddly, the only people that ever argue for Tebow being an excellent passer are Gator fans. I guess the pro scouts and coaches don’t know what they’re talking about either. I’m glad I’m in good company.
I’ll be glad to reverse my thinking if any of you can show me a single pro who wants Tebow because he’s a great passer. You can’t. Case closed. They want him because of his athletic ability. Even those who envision him in the wildcat formation see him as an adequate (read as decent but not good) pass with great hands and legs. Sounds like a TE to me.
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Sam Robards
March 18th, 2009
11:54 am
The more I read about my Dawgs, the better I feel about this upcoming year. I was nervous about Cox at first but then I read about how he interacts with the team, his skills and his time in the program: that definitely put me at ease. Also, if we use Logan Gray in some special packages or even in the DJ Shockley manner for a few games (where they’d switch drives with David Greene and the Shocker), that’ll give our offense enough variability to keep defenses honest.
The running game’ll be fine. We have more than enough high-quality backs, and one of them will step up in a big way next year. At first I thought Richard Samuel would be the guy, but now I have the feeling that King’ll show us what he can really do.
Defense is our biggest question mark, but if we maintain and improve upon the level we set in the bowl game last year, we’ll do great. I predict we kick things off with a bang in Stillwater. We beat the ‘Pokes by 16, at least.
How about my number two Vols? If they get one of those quarterbacks to play decent, find a couple of decent receivers and play solid on the line, they’ll do ok. Not great, but certainly better than last year. I predict they go 7-5 with an UPSET over Florida.
Yeah, Kiffin talked trash about Meyer, but if he takes that team, which has a large amount of talent, down to Gainesville with attitude and the belief they can win, which I think he can and will do, then they have a very good chance of making a statement on Sept 19 (or whenever it is they play). Ole Miss did it last year: why can’t Tennessee do it this year?
Florida can (and will) be beaten this year … multiple times. I don’t think they’ll get blown out, but they lose 2 games (3 in a worst-case scenario). I think they’ll lose to UGA, Tennessee and maybe LSU.
Why will Florida lose those games? Percy Harvin. Yeah, they won the one game they didn’t have him for (SEC Championship), but without him, they lose to Oklahoma. As others have said, when OU shut down UF’s run game in the BCS, they were stagnant on offense because Tebow isn’t a passing quarterback. Yes, he can pass the ball and pass it well, but he isn’t the type of quarterback that can sit in the pocket and take apart a secondary: he’s an option quarterback. His doing well relies on the ability to RUN first and PASS second. That’s why I think he’ll play FB in the NFL, but that’s another story. It wasn’t until Harvin, Tebow and the running game picked up in the second half that they put OU away.
Yeah, Demps and Rainey are fast, but they’re small. They get hit and they go down. Harvin had both speed and the ability to shrug off hits, which is what made him so dangerous. The only other guy I see being able to possibly fill that role would be Emmanuel Moody, but that’s a long shot.
Anyways, that’s my three cents. Go Dawgs!
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mightyKC
March 18th, 2009
11:55 am
Cameron, re:
“Rainey, Demps, Thompson, and James are cute, little, fast guys. They can make big impacts in the passing game and special teams. But, good teams shut those guys down.”
those ‘cute’ guys didn’t get into the offense until arkansas game. i won’t focus on how many yds they had against the razorbacks, because you’ll just say they weren’t a good team (but they both went over 100 yds). they combined for 190+ yds against LSU. KY had the top defense in the SEC at the time, and Demps had 117 total yds vs them. UGA, like arky, not a good team, won’t waste your time there. vandy…they avg 5 yds/carry, but like arky/UGa, crapbox team. South Carolina, they avg 9+ yds/carry, against at the time the best D in the SEC. against FSU, a top 5 D in nation, they ran for 180 yds combined, avg 11 yds/carry. against bama, demps went for 50 yds and a TD.
yes, neither of those guys are Percy, and I don’t believe they can do it on their own, but with Moody and Tebow running, too, they will continue to be a great change of pace and will have a big impact on the running game for FL. If you take out harvin’s rushing yds out of last year’s totals, FL still rushed for 50+ more yds/game than UGA.
Chewdog, re:
“Answer this, if he’s such a great passer, how come no one (of credibility and football knowledge – as such excludes you) actually believes he’ll be a QB at the professional level. He won’t. He’ll be a TE or FB. He likely won’t even be a first round draft pick. He’s not a passing QB. Why is that hard for most Gators to accept? Yeah, he’s made a couple great plays over the years, but day in and day out, his days of taking snaps will be confined to college.”
guess what? fortunately for FL and Tebow, teams like UGA don’t have eleven NFL caliber defensive players…i know, it’s crazy! (some would argue they don’t have one, but that’s not my point) Tebow will continue to do what he has done the last few years against the best defenses in COLLEGE football, including throw all the 10 yd throws, the 67 TD *PASSES*, compoleting 2/3 of his throws, etc, etc. Anyone that thinks he can’t throw the deep ball against college compeition is blind or an idiot. And oh yeah, Matt Stafford, the #1 NFL prospect from the 2008 preseason national champs, only threw 51 TD passes in his entire career…tebow almost RUSHED for more than that, and he only started for 2 seasons! I LOVE the “tebow won’t make it in the NFL arguments” from Florida’s college rivals….WHO CARES? I don’t care that Peyton is the best QB of all time (well, #2 after Stafford)…i care that Danny W was undefeated against him! thank god when tebow graduates folks will have to move on to some other lame “argument”.
Gotta love the offseason…same every year, Dogs yapping and yapping, non-stop. 17 out of 20 (!), here we come.
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ChewDawg
March 18th, 2009
12:00 pm
Wally -
Who’s arguing accuracy here? His stats are impressive and he leads the SEC and most of the nation in several areas. But, it’s a result of the offense he’s in and the players around him.
While Rivers had a side-arm delivery, he also has presence in the pocket and a quick release. Tebow has neither. His mechanics are unusual, he’s never played in a pocket offense, and his release is as slow as Christmas. And that adds up to the first round how?
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AltamahaDawg
March 18th, 2009
12:08 pm
The defense needs to step up this year. Tackle better. More attitude. All so true. All attainable. The majority of improvement in those areas will be from pure reps in practise hopefully at full speed this year. DE is a matter of finding one. I think there are several candidates. And eventualy, at least able to rotate at that position, unlike last year.
But its worth pointing out that the offense can help the defense a boat load more than they did last year. The constants in all of the worst stretches last year were horribled position, TO and an inability to line it up and grind out 3 yrds when it was absolutely critical. That too should be improved this year. Not as much flash, but more control from the offense I would think would cure a lot of the ill’s on both side.
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ChewDawg
March 18th, 2009
12:13 pm
MightyKC -
You seem to think I’m arguing that Tebow and UF suck. Read again. My argument has solely been that Tebow is not a passing QB. Period. Seems anyone not cheering for the Gators agrees with me. Also read that I said Tebow is one of the best QBs to play the college game. Better than Stafford. Stafford, if he can find the touch, will have a better NFL career, but didn’t have the college game that Tebow had. I can admit that.
UF has every reason and weapon necessary to repeat at SEC Champs and BCS Champs. But they won’t. The “nobody can beat us” attitude reflected here by you blind loyalist is already showing itself with the team. UF loses 2, maybe more. One to an underdog. I’m not making any prediction on who does it, just that it happens.
UF should stomp a big mud-hole in every team they play this coming season, including my Dawgs. But ego and bravado have a way of undoing a team. Even the best.
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Gen Neyland
March 18th, 2009
12:26 pm
ChewDawg : When CMR came to Athens, he was following in the footsteps of Goof and Dunn’em in. The UGA fanbase was upbeat and more than that, hopeful. Sure, some Vol fans are raving about the future, but it’s all based on Hope and/or Change. I fall into the Hope catagory because I wasn’t one clamouring for Change. I just wanted Clawson tossed into the river. That SonofaGun took a peice of Rocky Top down with him…
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ValdostaMike
March 18th, 2009
12:29 pm
“Hope and Change”, you’re kidding, right?
The audacity
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Ole Dawg
March 18th, 2009
12:39 pm
Hey Eric Zier….I’m not sure you want to talk about Jan Kemp….have you ever heard Lawrence March speak….he can’t even put a sentence together. Georgia didn’t even recruit him because his grades were so low.How did he even qualify to go to Florida? Everyone in his hometown of Augusta,Ga.is still trying to figure it out. Half your team is made up of “student athlete’s” who can barely talk or read and are only staying qualified to play because Urban Crier has got them all in a cream puff major with 24 hour a day help. This will all soon be exposed by ESPN ….and Urban will be gone. Count on it.
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Huh?
March 18th, 2009
12:41 pm
Someone dare suggest that Florida is human and they might actually..GASP!!…lose a single game in 2009 and they are just jealous haters “bashing” the Gators. A tad bit sensitive aren’t we Gator fans? I hate to break to ya but nobody is going to bow down before your golden boys this year. They are going to have to earn everything they get. I’m sorry to break this horrible and heart breaking news to you sensitive crybabies. Thanks.
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WePeeYellow2
March 18th, 2009
12:51 pm
Who cares about UF? Who cares if UF beats UGA in Jacksonville? At the end of the day the UF fans have to go to work on Monday cleaning the toilets, making beds, cooking meals and Retrieving cars for all the vacationing UGA fans, Grads and current students. Face it UF, life as a dawg is a damn site better than life a subservient gator. I mean UF isn’t the most popular school in your own state, FSU even in down years holds that title. And as far as being a leg humper, I’ll take that 6 days a week and twice on Sunday to being a bottom feeding swamp lizard, whose claim to fame is being the main material for wallets, belts and shoes! The fact that you idiots proudly proclaim your devotion to UF is more telling to your lack of intelligence, than any other. Look at me I wear prison orange, jorts and a mullet; I’m Es Em Are Tee! Jeezz, shadup and I might tip you for parking my Benz.
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SlimG
March 18th, 2009
12:55 pm
Tony, all winter and this is all you have? Hire a proofreader okay.
It’s way to early for this crap. Enjoy March Madness and get back to us when you have some real, pertinent information that checks out.
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David
March 18th, 2009
12:55 pm
Percy Harvin was the best player in college football. Believe me they will miss him. Rainey, Demps, James….they don’t compare to Harvin. Florida is going to get a wake up call the next two years, this one without Harvin and the next without TT. The only thing that saves them this year is their schedule is a joke.
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bama12titles
March 18th, 2009
12:57 pm
Chewdawg,
I have to respectfully disagree with your assertion that Tebow is not a very accurate passer. My jaw dropped when I read that one. You must not have watched the seccg. He pretty much beat Bama with key “accurate” 3rd down td passes. We pretty much shut down the UF running game and forced a lot of 3rd and long passing situations. Tebow hit 3 of 3 3rd down passes for tds and on all 3 plays we had good coverage. On 2 of those plays the Bama db was all over the gator with blanket coverage but Tebow put the ball in the exact spot that only the receiver could have caught it. Even Saban admitted after the game that he wasn’t even mad at the dbs. He flat out said the coverage was very good but that Tebow just put the ball where only the wr could have gotten it. If Tebow doesn’t hit at least 2 of those key 3rd down passes then UF doesn’t win that game.
He also dropped a 50 yard bomb on us where he hit the wr perfectly in stride on a 2nd and long. The guy led the sec in passing efficiency and when he was in high school he broke virtually every high school passing record in the state of Fla.’s highest classification. You don’t achieve these accolades by being inaccurate.
To say he is not an accurate passer means you’re either just incredibly biased or you really didn’t watch him all season or you’re basing everything on 2 picks in one game. You have to look at the season as a whole.
Lastly, he will not be a high qb draft pick for the simple reason that he doesn’t have a cannon of an arm like Stafford. He has a strong arm, just not the cannon that the pros like. That’s all.
I think UF wins the east and probably the sec again just due to the number of great players coming back, specifically on D. To have your whole D back and top 14 of 22 back will make it tough for anyone to beat them because a great D can always keep you in the game. Harvin was a special player but it doesn’t matter if he’s gone. Gators still have a bevy of backs. They will miss a couple of good o-lineman but with the recruiting they’ve had they won’t have a problem rebuilding.
Fla. wins the east, the rest of the division will fight for 2nd place with UGA likely the runnerup. I think there will be a surprise team somewhere like Carolina or Vandy that could win 8 or 9 games and upset someone major. It won’t be the vols though. Expect another season of mediocrity for them and a brutal beatdown when they get to Gainesville. As Richt found out last year Urban Meyer has a long memory.
I think the big thing to watch with everyone will be whose qb stays healthy the whole year and who has to find a new starter due to an injured qb. This is something that will bite someone in the butt really hard this year. That to me is the big question of the year.
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BigMike
March 18th, 2009
1:01 pm
Tony, Is Isreal Troupe going to finally step up and compete, or is this position wide open? Also what is the status of Donte Jackson?
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Hey Tony
March 18th, 2009
1:03 pm
You think UGA could be like Bama was last year, kinda the surprise team. Meaning no one paid them much attention, but they kept on winning. At least we won’t have the curse of death of preseason #1 ranking stuff to distract you.
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Steering
March 18th, 2009
1:10 pm
Ole Dawg,
Everyone knows that UF is notorious for steering almost all the football players into the 3 easiest majors. Almost the whole team is sociology, criminal justice, or poly sci majors. But even if ESPN does a report about the practice of steering and how some colleges like UF make a mockery of the student athlete concept what does it matter? Everyone may know that they’re really just fielding a minor league pro football team but so what!
Steering is not against the rules and until the ncaa says you can’t put almost all of your athletes into 3 easy majors under 1 dept. there really is no point in complaining about it. It is what it is and if the university is not truly looking out for the “student athlete’s” best interest then its up to that athlete to change his major after a year or 2 to something more challenging or transfer.
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David
March 18th, 2009
1:13 pm
Hey Tony, great piece but on a different subject. Can we stop reporting Bobby Bowden has 382 career victories in major college football? 31 of those victories were at Samford which has never been a major college football division participant (not to mention a couple of those wins were against Junior Colleges). So all the controversy about vacating 14 victories is moot. thoughts?
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Mike
March 18th, 2009
1:14 pm
“I wouldn’t care if Florida won the nat’l championship every year, you couldn’t pay me to pull for those classless loud mouths! And yes, I am sure it’s safe to say that I speak for 99% of the SEC!”
It is safe to say that Florida fans are glad you are not a Gator either.
Win/win
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BILLY JACK
March 18th, 2009
1:15 pm
Bama 12 Titles-excellent post-finally an Alabama fan that is not a stupid jackass.Agree with everything you said.It sucks to be in the east now with the gators.You could be a top 5 or 10 team in the country and be 2nd in your side of the division if you are Georgia.Also agree with your assessment of Tennesee I see at least 3 major beatdowns.Richt-Saban-Meyer and even Spurrier will lay the wood when they have a huge lead.Teams playing Tenn will be throwing late in the game with big leads.Handshakes at midfield after games with Tenn might be fun to watch while Kiffin is coach.He has reaped the whirlwind and he is about to get it -come Sept.Welcome to the SEC Lane.
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Pitbull
March 18th, 2009
1:24 pm
Haven’t heard from the Eric Zeier Wannabe lately, but I did notice that my trash got picked up at the curb a little while ago. He must have had to go to work.
He’s probably a Tech grad who forgot about Tech’s academic probation for playing ineligible players. I wonder if he’s the one who painted himself yellow and wore the white fairy wings to the Jackette’s home games for a few years. If so, I hope the county won’t let him drive the truck.
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Gen Neyland
March 18th, 2009
1:27 pm
bama12titles : It’s not that the Urban Cowboy has a terrific memory, it’s that he does know how to use post-its and tape. Insofar as the Urban Cowboy gunning for Billy the Kiffin, Kiffin will have a better back up defense than UGA had last year at the JAX Corral. Might be able to hold UF under 49…and the scary part for Florida in 2009 is that they have to travel out of state 4 times this year vs 3 times last year for games…(not counting a neutral field for the SECCG)
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G8R GRAD
March 18th, 2009
1:54 pm
Again, all you Tebow experts need to read the article below.
Toebow may very well represent the next evolution in pro offenses:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/tim_layden/01/13/tebow/
Oh, and GO GATORS!
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Rich
March 18th, 2009
1:56 pm
I’m not sure why everyone is making such a big deal about whether Tebow will be a successful pro QB. I’m just happy that he’s such a great football player, great leader, fun to watch and helping my Gators win titles.
2009 will be an exciting year and as Ole Miss proved, we can get taken down on any given Saturday. I see three big games for the Gators on the way to Atlanta next year.
1) Tennessee – Lane Kiffin’s first SEC game in the Swamp. The Gator Nation is burning for a rout in this one. More even than UGA last year.
2) LSU in Death Valley -
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Rich
March 18th, 2009
1:57 pm
2) LSU in Death Valley – LSU fans will be going berserk.
3) UGA – as always
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GATORZONE
March 18th, 2009
1:58 pm
Don’t knock Charleston Southern. They are tough!
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ChewDawg
March 18th, 2009
1:59 pm
Bama12 -
Unfortunately these things don’t have an edit function. Otherwise, I would correct my second post where I said Tebow wasn’t an accurate passer. I had originally wrote, “While highly accurate on the stat sheet, Tebow isn’t a true passing QB.” I made some edits and made the mistake of hitting the submit button before reading my comments over. My mistake, it made me look foolish, and I take full responsibility for it. Lesson learned.
I stand by my argument that Tebow’s accuracy, efficiency, and rating are all a product of Meyer’s offense. He’s the perfect QB for that setup. Take him and put him in a pro-style setup and it’s a safe bet to say his numbers fall of the cliff.
To pacify the blind Gator loyalists:
Tebow is one of the best athletes I’ve ever seen take the field. His spot among the top 3 college football QBs is without question. His leadership to his team and his work on and off the field speak accolades for his character. I admire the kid and wish nothing but the best for him. I hope he has a successful NFL career.
But here’s what I know:
Tebow, while an excellent player – one of the best in college FB, is not, and is not likely to ever be, a great passing QB. Save the reemergence of the wildcat offense or the complete redesign of his passing style, his success in the NFL will come at another position. It’s not a flaw. It’s just who he is.
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steve spurrier
March 18th, 2009
2:06 pm
Lane kiffin 5-15. Phat phil 150-50. Yeah, that’s just the change the vols needed. Haha. The orange clad ‘tards will be begging for his royal phatness by game 5.
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GATORZONE
March 18th, 2009
2:06 pm
Who cares? Tebow is the BEST QB/Football player in college!
What he does in the pros is irrellevant. Just like what Stafford does in the pros vs. what he did at UGA.
It does not matter, the only relevence to college football is what they do in college.
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Long Dawg
March 18th, 2009
2:13 pm
Volaholic you been spending too much time on Rocky Top. The thin air has made you hallucinate. Tenn. will be lucky to have a winning season.
Florida has the talent to win it all but college football is a tricky thing. Ask Southern Cal.
LSU will be back and it will either be them or Ole Miss that win the west. Bama does not have a quarterback.
Tony is right about Georgia- no pass rush-mediocre season.
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gatorsam
March 18th, 2009
2:16 pm
Enter your comments here
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BAMA STAN
March 18th, 2009
2:17 pm
31-0 at the half?!!!
No team in the SEC better overlook any opponent – sure fired way to get beat!!! Yes, even in bowl games!!!
As far as the SEC East goes – Florida is by far the most talented team – and Urban will have them ready.
After that – It’s up for grabs.
UGA could easily come in 2nd – but what worries me about UGA is there Defense – which is progressively worse each year. And although the offensive line will improve – I think UGA will have an average QB at best – and if teams line up to stop the run and play the screens – UGA is very average.
Tennessee’s defense will be very good – much better than UGA’s. If the offense improves – they may pass UGA this year. QB’s between the two schools are a wash. TN has better RB – interesting to see if they can get good OL play. Talent wise – they are as good as UGA (beat UGA 2 of last 3 years) and UGA struggled to put TN away last year.
Like I said in an earlier post – Kiffin is working on making his team tremondously aggressive with a lot of swagger – like the Miami of the late 80’s and similar to USC (So CAL). Very ineresting to see if he pulls it off or goes down in flames – I am betting that he pulls it off due to his staff and his father’s influence to balance the spoiled brat.
So Carolina , KY, Vandy – all could beat UT or UGA on any given weekend if not prepared to take care of business.
At any rate – UGA could be 2nd, 3rd or 4th. I am leaning toward 2nd but will not be surprised if they end up worse off due to the LSU game – and the fact that UGA sleep walks in at least one game a year (is it Vany, Ark, Auburn or KY – maybe even TN) Overall – it will not matter as UGA will be passed by Tennessee soon enough – and will be the overall 5th best team in the SEC (their historic spot).
I know I get grief for my posts – and I do not have anything against UGA – but as an overall fan of the SEC – I call it as I see it.
Richt had his moment – his teams are always good – and he will win a bunch of games – but under Richt – his team will fall short and there is always an excuse ….. young OL, Stafford was a freshman, Stafford only a Sophomore, Injuries, building OL depth, No DE’s this year, too many underclassmen in the secondary. Well – Hate to bring you guys the bad news – every team has issues every year. Florida played a lot more underclassmen than UGA did last year. Richt’s teams are missing something – year in and year out it’s this way.
ROLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Gen Neyland
March 18th, 2009
2:21 pm
I’ll go on record saying that I personally think Tebow has the drive, the determination, the competitive spirit that rivals only Colt McCoy. Matter of fact, my two preseason finalists for the Heisman are the afore mentioned…and McCoy does missionary work just like Tebow, but I don’t know if he peels bananas…
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gatorsam
March 18th, 2009
2:23 pm
Never have I seen so many know so little about so much! Not you Tony, but all those totally “my team” is the only team bloggers! The team that will win the East is the team that has the least injuries and the most luck, period.
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gdawginkalamazoo
March 18th, 2009
2:25 pm
General, if you recall prior to last season I tried to explain that no matter how you spell it a Clawson/Clausen could not win at UT. I hate being right.
David, to make that Samford argument against Bowden I say that those 31 victories should count double. Samford? Football? Really?
IF Tebow stays healthy the entire season then the Gators will be the SEC champs again. IF he stays 2/3rds healthy they will likely repeat and probably repeat as NC’s. And yes it does pain me to say that.
As far as that Leydan artilce goes? Ahhhh, a big NO on that one. The reasons are explained in the article. Yes Tebow is (depending on how this season turns out) one of the best college QB’s to ever play the game. The NFL is made up of the best of the best players on defense and every single one of them looks to pound the guy carrying the ball. So that O with Tebow won’t translate to the big time. He might get a few plays in with the “Wildgator” offense, but to sustain it IMO not even Tebow can do that.
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gdawginkalamazoo
March 18th, 2009
2:30 pm
BTW, Joe Cox will do just fine at QB. The kid could have started at 10 other SEC programs last year. Our D needs the fire. Curran will step up to lead and those seniors on the D line will be heard. DE’s have an excellent opportunity to make a future for themselves.
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G8R GRAD
March 18th, 2009
2:32 pm
Gen Neyland:
“but I don’t know if he peels bananas…”
Priceless!
Laughing My ( ! ) Off!
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G8R GRAD
March 18th, 2009
2:40 pm
gdawginkalamazoo:
I don’t think ant team will use Tebow 100% of the time. He’s best utilized as UF used him in 2006. A true running QB who can throw.
Vick could run, but he couldn’t throw. Bilichik wants to use him as a red zone TD machine, ie. a “prototypical” QB gets you into the red zone and Tebow brings you home. It’s the same priciple as the so-called, “Wildcat” offense, but you add an extra weapon for the defense to have ot cover – the pass.
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Atlanta Jackets
March 18th, 2009
2:41 pm
Mutts and gaytors beware! Tech is the new beast of the east. Josh the Robot Nesbot will shut all this Tebow talk up. Mark my words. We win the ACC and the BCS THIS year. The title comes back to Hotlanta! LOL!
You guys can argue all you want but the truth is that the LSWho (burn!) game was fluke and doesn’t represent the Tech offense. We roll this year with a better Oline, better backs and better schedule.
Oh yeah…. Ping! That’s the sound of the #3 baseball team in the nation! LOL!
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Otto
March 18th, 2009
2:44 pm
Zoo is dead on with Cox. As for RB doesn’t UGA have 2 that were redshirted last year?
Kiffen will be out in 4 years or less. The beat down by Florida and Bama will be epic.
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Gen Neyland
March 18th, 2009
2:50 pm
zoo : You sir, did make that prediction. I remembered it all of 2008. BTW, I have MSU meeting up with Louisville.
G8R Grad : Thank you, thank you very much…
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Tony Barnhart
March 18th, 2009
2:53 pm
David,
I get question about Bobby Bowden pretty frequently. The NCAA has a specific rule about Bowden’s wins at Samford or any coach who has some I-AA wins on his resume. One a coach has been at a major Division I-A institution for five years and has recorded 50 or more victories, then everything counts. You can argue whether or not those 31 wins SHOULD count on Bowden’s Division I-A total, but by NCAA rule they do.
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Gen Neyland
March 18th, 2009
2:54 pm
…and as I return to the yard duties of the unemployed, somebody tell me what Alabama has that is gonna pick up the torch John Bubba Parker Wilson left behind..? or will Tony hit on that tomorrow..?
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Ole Dawg
March 18th, 2009
2:54 pm
Bama Stain…You must have gotton off of your shift work and decided to make another stupid post.LSU,Ole Miss, Virginia Tech and Arkansas will take BAMA down this year.Bama’s lines are not very good and will show from lack of depth, your quarteback is upproven and will be running for his life most of the year. Your running backs are average at best. When Jolio Jones flunks out you will have no proven receiver to throw to….looks like a long season of excuses coming from from the Tide.Also,look out for S. Carolina…their defense will hold you down and spank you.
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joe
March 18th, 2009
2:55 pm
anyone on here who picks any team other than UF to win the east is nothing but a blind homer. UF should run the table in the east and win going away, having said that despite the fact that I can’t stand Urban Cryer, T-bag or any other gator…
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Baba O'Riley
March 18th, 2009
2:58 pm
Kalamazoo…most QBs in college football could have started for 10 SEC teams last year.
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G8R GRAD
March 18th, 2009
2:58 pm
just givin’ credit where credit is due
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G8R GRAD
March 18th, 2009
3:00 pm
joe:
And your post started out so promising . . . . . .
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JustCallMeChamp
March 18th, 2009
3:07 pm
Florida will miss Percy Harvin, for as much as Tim Tebow has revolutionized his position, so did Percy! So much in fact he has invented a position at Fla that will probably will be called the “Percy Harvin position” until someone else like him comes along…and that could be soon if Andre Debose is as good as advertised. All that being said, expect the Gators to average a few less points (with the exception being the Tenn game) than last year BUT expect the defense to be one of the best if not THE best who ever donned the orange and royal blue.
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DawgGirl32
March 18th, 2009
3:09 pm
I am with gatorsam on this one:
“The team that will win the East is the team that has the least injuries and the most luck, period.”
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gdawginkalamazoo
March 18th, 2009
3:12 pm
General, I won’t make any predicts on UT this year till some games are played. No telling what is in that coconut of Kiffins. Scary or scary smart? MSU is my adopted team (till UGA gets a D1 mens team) and I ran a couple of brackets with them going all the way. However, the big ten tourney didn’t give me any confidence that that would be a good bet but I picked them anyway.
Baba, can’t argue with you on that.
Atlanta Jackets must be a chemistry major. Straight A’s at that. Only if he could sell that stuff he takes over the counter…
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Mark Richt
March 18th, 2009
3:28 pm
TEBOW IS NOT A PASSING QB!
TEBOW IS NOT A RUNNING QB!
Tebow is COMPLETE QB. He can do it all and do it well.
If he has to run in a key situation, he can do it.
If he has to pass in a key situation, he can do it. Just ask Alabama.
He is the complete package and has proven it time and time again.
While Florida will miss Harvin, their offense will be just as strong with more depth and experience at RB. They have a deep OL even though they lost 2 starters. They have the center and both guards coming back. They have more than enough experience to take over the tackle spots. They had 10 offensive lineman playing regually last year to begin with.
Their defense will be the strength of their team, with all 11 starters coming back and all 11 backups.
Florida’s special teams is 2nd to none in the SEC and will continue to be a strength. Their kicker just got a 5th year of eligibility from the NCAA and their punter from the Atlanta area was one of the best in the SEC and he is back. Everyone knows about Brandon James.
Florida is a complete team, and their coaching staff takes a backseat to nobody.
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G8R GRAD
March 18th, 2009
3:30 pm
gatoesam:
“The team that will win the East is the team that has the least injuries and the most luck, period.”
That may be, but my money’s on the team with the least injuries, the most luck, the entire national champion defense returning (two deep) and more offensive weapons (including a Heisman winning QB) than you can shake a stick at!
GO GATORS!
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TimTebow
March 18th, 2009
3:30 pm
Thanks Mark Richt. I agree.
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GATORZONE
March 18th, 2009
3:33 pm
I am with you on that one G8R GRAD!!!!!
Oh, and TIMEOUT!!!!
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Atlanta Jackets
March 18th, 2009
3:36 pm
G8R – All of your defense back. Is that right?
Did you forget Torrey Davis – or whatever his name is – just quit the team? Solid player – sorry student.
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Charlie
March 18th, 2009
3:39 pm
Be interesting to see if the Bulldogs have gotten over the blowout, er….blackout affair. Over & under odds on how many times Richt pulls the black jersey stunt in 2009.
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bama12titles
March 18th, 2009
3:41 pm
Bama Stan,
I’ve got to ask you one last time. Enough with the 31-0 at the half nonsense. Geeez! I’m as rabid an Alabama fan as there is and I’m sick to death of hearing about it. Its one freaking game! Some of your posts make some reasonable points. But then you start or finish by dogging on the dawgs for some reason. I don’t know if you took a whooping by a dawg fan at a game or if you had an ex that was a UGA grad or what. But let it go dude! You sound like you’re obsessed with the fans of one other team.
One of the things Bama fans always loved about Bear Bryant and the main reason Bama fans old enough to remember him loved him so much wasn’t just because he was a winner. It was because he won and lost with class. He didn’t constantly rag fans of one other team and he didn’t relentlessly rag people over ONE FREAKING GAME!
You,sir, disrespect that legacy of winning and losing with class with your incessant 31-0 at the half!!! routine. Its old even to the Bama fans that like to post here and just talk football. You really actually just lend credence to the dawg fans anyway when you show how obsessed you are over one big win. So if you want to berate the UGA program you’re really just defeating your own purpose anyway. You probably just didn’t realize it. Sometimes you have some interesting and noteworthy posts if you could just leave the obsession with one game out of it.
Roll Tide but move on from the blackout game brother! The rest of the Bama nation already has.
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David
March 18th, 2009
3:45 pm
I believe that Cornelius Washington will be the answer at DE. I know him and trust me he is a beast so i can’t wait to see him get his chance. Joe Cox will be a great QB for Georgia this year while they train Aaron Murray who is sure to take over in 2010. One position that Georgia really needs to address is kickoffs, i think Blair Walsh is going to be great at field goals but as far as kickoffs go Georgia needs to figure it out but all in all i think this season is going to be great i think Georgia is looking at at least 11 wins and Georgia has a bye week the week before the Florida game just like in 2007 so maybe that will help us again
GO DAWGS!!!!
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Long Dawg
March 18th, 2009
4:08 pm
Atlanta Jacket please come back in, recess is over. Another rant from a 12 year old Tech fan. The only fluke in your season was the win over Georgia. The LSU game was business as usual for Tech. A couple of predictions for 2009; Tech will not win the ACC, Tech will not beat Georgia, Tech will not win 10 games, Tech will not go to a BCS bowl.Tech will remain Tech. Remember this, even a blind hog stumbles on an acorn ocassionally. About once every 8 years.
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G8R GRAD
March 18th, 2009
4:17 pm
Atlanta Jackets:
Last year UF ranked 8th in the top D-1 programs in the nation for graduating football players AT 68%.
Georgia Tech tied (with UGA, oddly enough) for 24th at 48%
Those who live in glass houses, . . . .
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G8R GRAD
March 18th, 2009
4:37 pm
Atlanta Jackets:
Here ya go:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/2008-10-14-grad-rates_N.htm
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TW
March 18th, 2009
4:49 pm
Cox is a better passer than Shockley.
The Dawgs did nothing to better their coaching, or lack thereof, on the def side of the ball. Not only is Jancek the worst LB coach Georgia has EVER had, but they promoted him to co-DC.
Geez.
Bobo better be all that, cuz we’re gonn have to score in the 40s every freakin’ game.
C’mon, CMR, make the call and get us a DC.
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Dorsey Hill
March 18th, 2009
4:53 pm
What we know: Torrey Davis loves to smoke lots of weed.
What we don’t know: How many positive drug tests were ignored by UF so that Torrey would be available for the BCS game?
What we know: Without the weed dependant Davis, UF loses to OK.
What we don’t know: Whether there is an adequate relacement for the oft high Davis.
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JustCallMeChamp
March 18th, 2009
4:54 pm
Hey AJC readers and “commentators”…do you remember just a couple of years ago when 98% of you here were posting comments that all Tebow was was a runner and couldn’t throw the ball? That he was just a compliment to Chris Leak and would struggle as a starter??? Some of you said he would’nt even eventually be the starter! Boy, you guys sure were right on that one too! I made a comment here about how Tebow had broken all the Fla high school records for passing and I got RIDICULED(!) because “that was high school” So I’m gonna try this one more time…Tim Tebow will not only make a great pro…he will revolutionize the QB position in the NFL!!! So come on, one more time…so let’s here it…
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Cuz
March 18th, 2009
4:58 pm
TW used my name in his comments so I just had to reply. I don’t think at 50 years old I am going to score 40 points on a Pop Warner team.
Cox is probably a more accurate passer but Shockley probably has the more powerful arm. And good Lord could DJ scramble. I hope that with a healthy deep O-line, Cox can sit in the pocket and pick a defense apart. If Cox starts running it could be the opposite of John Lastinger. Every time Lastinger dropped back to pass the crowd groaned.
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G8R GRAD
March 18th, 2009
4:58 pm
JCMC:
Hear,hear!
Tebow personifies the evolution of the QB postion in college AND the next level.
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Atlanta Jackets
March 18th, 2009
5:00 pm
G8TR, you’re forgetting one huge factor: its freaking easy to graduate from UF if you’re an athlete. No wonder 68% can do it.
If you are a student athlete at Tech – no matter the major – your requirements are quite a bit tougher.
Now shut your pie hole and pick out the jorts you plan on wearing to work tomorrow.
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DawgGirl32
March 18th, 2009
5:04 pm
G8R GRAD- There was a post somewhere at the top explaining how UF athletes are pushed into majoring in the top 3 easiest majors offered at UF. That might expain why 68% actually graduate.
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dawgystyle
March 18th, 2009
5:43 pm
one thing that i learned is that who ever is picked to win it hardly ever does. UGAs defense will be fine especially at DE, our defense is going to be intense and trust me we will tackle a lot better. OUR DEs were young and banged up last year it will be different this year. Dont give UF the east yet.
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Barrie
March 18th, 2009
6:00 pm
Bama12,
When passing numbers are measured, they don’t take into account the distance the ball travels in the air…just total yds gained on the play. They don’t take into account the offensive system either. The point has been made that Tebow’s passes are to speedy WR’s and are mostly short. His yardage numbers are inflated because of that. As for passing efficiency, again, is inflated by this fact.
I’ve seen him play and I don’t think he will be great at the next level. What’s more important, football experts have seen him play too. Very few of them are projecting him as a big time NFL QB. This is not a biased UGA fan saying this stuff. If UF fans can’t see that, they certainly shouldn’t be calling anyone else “biased”.
Tebow is a great college QB. That doesn’t make him NFL material. It is a simple fact.
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Preston
March 18th, 2009
6:43 pm
The SEC will be as strong as ever this season. Can’t wait for the season to start!
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FLDAWG
March 18th, 2009
6:46 pm
I don’t care what Tebow or Stafford or any other QB does in the pros. I follow college ball and don’t care for pro ball that much. With that in mind any UGA fan that can not give Tebow his props just makes their post that much less credible. Tebow is a fantastic person and one of the all time great college players along with the likes of Herschel and Bo. I can’t help but root for Tebow as a player and a person, except when he plays UGA.
I will go out on a limb and say Cox will have better stats than Stafford. Completion %, winning % and season yardage will all be higher for Cox than Stafford. UGA will have a better season than last year and will push UF for the East. UF is and should be the odds on favorite and like someone said they are not unbeatable. The key to beating them is just like any other team, control the line of scrimmage and score more points than they do. It ain’t rocket science, just a lot harder to do on UF than most others. UGA will have the same opportunity to do this as any other team and in the end the best team will win. GO DAWGS.
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Dorsey Hill
March 18th, 2009
6:47 pm
If Tebow is to be a good NFL player, he will not revolutionize the QB position, but revolutionize his own game to fit what works in the NFL. If anyone is dumb enough to believe that anyone can play QB and run like a fullback in the NFL, he hasn’t seen Ray Lewis play defense. If Tebow knows what is good for him, he’ll try to become a pocket passer, rather than a slow, lumbering version of Mike Vick.
BTW: For the Gator idiots. When the GPOOE gets drafted in the 4th round next year, how many qb’s are going to sign up to play at UF? How good will UF be without a Chris Leak or Tim Tebow? Of course, Meyer will be in South Bend at that time in his “dream job” so maybe it won’t matter.
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bama12titles
March 18th, 2009
7:55 pm
Barrie,
I never said Tebow would be a great pro qb because I don’t think he will. I also don’t think he will revolutionize the qb position as some people think. I was merely making the point that the guy is very accurate. You do have a point that he does throw a lot of short passes that his WRs can turn into long gainers. But you could say that about a lot of great qbs in the past, especially the ones like Steve Young who ran a west coast offense with a lot of passing to RBs out of the backfield, essentially a short passing game that is similar to a running game. I think Tebow is somewhere in between what people of all stripes think. He has a stronger arm and is more accurate than a lot of people give him credit for. On the other hand there is no way in my mind that this one guy is going to revolutionize the pros. They would eat him for lunch and bang him up week after week if he tried to run the same type of offense with the same relative number of carries in the pros as what he did in college. Plus the talent is a lot more evenly spread throughout the pros. At UF he has the added benefit of playing against very few teams who will line up with the same relative amount of talent that UF has. Some people think he’s the greatest qb ever that will revolutionize the position. Some people think he is vastly overrated and like a lot of pro scouts he would be lucky to be picked in the 3rd round as a qb. The truth is probably somewhere in between.
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athensdawg
March 18th, 2009
8:04 pm
The only question is……Will the Dawgs take off the lace panties this year and become a real football team?
Based on the the excuses Im starting to hear from the coaching staff this spring, it looks like the lace panties will not only be on, but they will be monogramed with ‘finish the drill.”
Oh well….yet another season of being the 4th best program in the SEC…..Music City bowl, here we come!
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JustCallMeChamp
March 18th, 2009
8:40 pm
Man, I knew this would be deja vu all over again…you same wise doubters are back. “Tebow will never make it against the fast, angry SEC defenses, he won’t last a game, he can’t throw long, he won’t be able to read defenses, he can’t do this he can’t do that. I would not bet against Tim Tebow because that is exactly what fuels his fire, you might as well go ahead and throw plutonion into a nuclear reactor! Of course he’s not going to run in the pros like he does in college, but he will if its there. I think this year you will see him a bit more in the pocket and evolve his game like he did last year. And for those people who say he can only throw the short ball to speedy receivers you better go roll that tape again! Besides, isn’t that about all they do in the pros anyway, I see A LOT MORE of the long ball in college! And as far as all of those NFL “experts” and pundits…well if you go back and check, it seems they’re predictions are about as good as yours!!
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Dawg Tired
March 18th, 2009
8:52 pm
Tony – I’m with you on the offense being in good shape. The defense is a BIG question mark. Simply put, without a pass rush, it will be difficult to win more than 8 games. With a pass rush, we can compete with Florida for SEC East. However, someone must step up big time at defensive end, or else it will be a tough year. Plus, we must be more aggressive on defense in general.
Florida is the clear favorite. Tebow is not only a great QB, he is also a great leader. I don’t know where all this talk about him not being a good passer comes from. Every time I see him play, he passes very well. Any team with him at QB will be good, because he pulls the whole team up with him.
Tennessee needs a QB. Otherwise, they will struggle big time. Their defense will be good, as usual. If they find a decent QB, they could surprise.
SC obviously needs to pick it up on offense. Spurrier seems to have lost the magic touch.
Vandy is well coached and can beat you if things go their way on that particular day. Just not enough talent to be a consistent winner.
KY is hard to predict. Very inconsistent. Their defense is weak. At times, seem to be poorly coached.
Thanks for allowing for input.
What’s with all these comments on here that have absolutely nothing to do with what you discussed in your article? My guess is illiteracy.
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CLIFFGATOR
March 18th, 2009
9:19 pm
THATS WHAT YOU HOPE BUT WE WILL NOT MISS P.H BANK ON THAT
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superDAWG
March 18th, 2009
9:26 pm
i think if the o-line stays healthy cox might remind you of a right handed david green.he will stay in the pocket and pick receivers instead of moving around to much.uga has to much talent and depth offensivly unless the injuries plaque us again.
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Thomas
March 18th, 2009
10:50 pm
What does it say about UGA when they have so many players drafted, yet don’t make a habit of winning the SEC, much less the MNC ?
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Z.Itchy
March 18th, 2009
10:51 pm
I think Cox will be great. I’m sure the coaching staff is building plays around his strengths and weaknesses. He’s a gamer and will come out smelling like a rose.
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Cuz
March 19th, 2009
12:32 am
In eight years CMR has had us in the SECC three times. Before CMR, no appearances in the SECC. I think we got it right. Go soak your shirt Thomas.
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Miles
March 19th, 2009
12:39 am
Be honest people. Florida is the best team in the country. Tebow is the best player in the country. Urban Meyer may be the best coach in the country. On the other hand, Georgia, with the loss of Stafford and Moreno, certainly has a tremendous uphill climb. Stafford was the best pinpoint passer in the NCAA last year and Moreno was undoubtedly the best running back in the country. These two guys will certainly be missed. From a coaching standpoint, Richt will have a much tougher time than Meyer.
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Nachos
March 19th, 2009
7:09 am
What we do know: Georgia will lose to Florida again in Jacksonville.
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turkey
March 19th, 2009
8:36 am
We do know that CMR still has Willie “hardlick” Martinez as DC and that is really going to hurt.
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Kid Ray
March 19th, 2009
8:59 am
Coach Tracy Rocker
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Tony Barnhart
March 19th, 2009
9:12 am
Enter your comments here
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BILLY JACK
March 19th, 2009
9:12 am
Bama 12 TITLES-You seem like a pretty smart guy unlike Bama Stan who is a stupid jackass.The thing Bama Stan forgets to mention in that game is UGA came right back and scored 30 points.We Georgia people could say Louisiana-Monroe-Utah embarrasing beatdown and humiliating the SEC in the sugar bowl-cronic probation a million other things.Bama Stan also seems to have gotten in bed with Tennesee and that rogue hillbilly coaching staff.If you are a really a Bama fan you would find it next to impossible to say anything nice about Tenn.Fulmer basically took a year off of coaching to make it a personal crusade to dig up all the dirt on Alabama himself and report it himself.Many SEC coaches knew what Bama was doing for years but Fulmer made it a point to stick it to BAMA and nearly got them the death penalty missing by one vote I am told.The thing Bama Stan always leaves out is that he is wrong about almost everything he has ever said.The funny thing about this is Alabama being a habitual violator in the eyes of the SEC it is Tennesee that will be the next SEC team on probation.The recruitment of Bryce Brown is just the tip of the ice-berg.NCAA are taking thier time with this one and could be around 10 months before the details emerge.Bama Stan seems to be obsessed with everything Georgia instead of being on a tide message board.He seems especially obsessed with Joe Cox who will be just fine instead of worrying about Alabamas QB.To be honest, besides Fla and Ole Miss all SEC QB’S are basically unproven.Bama Stan needs to let the people of the south forget about the sugar bowl game before he makes anymore predictions.To keep putting 31-0 at the half after Tides sugar bowl game is very ignorant.Bama Stan next time put the 2nd half score of the game also you always seem to forget that one.
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Tony Barnhart
March 19th, 2009
9:12 am
Kid Ray…
Fixed it thanks
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GeoffDawg
March 19th, 2009
9:28 am
I think Chavis at LSU could put LSU right back at the top with Bama in the West. It’ll be interesting to watch them slug it out over the next few years. Unfortunatley for Auburn, they could be the odd man out for awhile. Not only are they most likely going to be on the losing end against the Tide for the foreseeable future, Ole Miss may take their #3 spot in the division.
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Otto
March 19th, 2009
9:31 am
Caudle for Auburn QB. Burns and Caudle will be the competition for QB. Malzahn knows both from his HS days.
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Shane
March 19th, 2009
9:43 am
Go Dawgs!!!
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bank walker
March 19th, 2009
9:51 am
I see Chavis kicking a** @ LSU. They will be atop the west by themselves for the next couple of years! GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!
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DawginLex
March 19th, 2009
10:01 am
What we do know:
Order of finish:
LSU
Ole Miss
Arkansas
Alabama
Auburn
Miss St
How do you like that BAMASTAN????????????????????????
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WTF???
March 19th, 2009
10:10 am
NOTE TO SELF…..dawginlex,bank walker=stupid people who can type but can’t think!! p.s. also are OBVIOUSLY scared of CNS AND BAMA!!!
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terrell
March 19th, 2009
10:15 am
Ole Miss will win the SEC west easily this year. We have a user-friendly schedule and have 17 returning starters,
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Barnhart’s Questions ‘Bout The SEC West | MrSEC.com
March 19th, 2009
10:21 am
[...] the known and the unknown in the SEC East yesterday. Today, he tackles the SEC West.You can read his latest blog post in full right here, but for our purposes, here are his questions regarding each West Division football team:Alabama [...]
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joe
March 19th, 2009
10:22 am
I agree Ole Miss and LSU will fight it out with Bama 3rd…
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DawgGirl32
March 19th, 2009
10:31 am
Yeah Bama will be no higher than 3rd in the West definitely.
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Boston Williams
March 19th, 2009
10:44 am
According to LV odds for 09 FB Champs, UGA is tied for 13th place with UNC in terms of odds (50/1) to win championship.
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GeoffDawg
March 19th, 2009
10:48 am
Thanks for the off topic post BW. Since neither UGA nor UNC are the subject here, I’m not sure where you’re going with this.
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Miles
March 19th, 2009
10:49 am
Ole Miss or LSU will win the SEC West…then they’ll lose to Florida in the SEC Championship…simple!
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Capstone Report » Projections, projections for 2009
March 19th, 2009
10:57 am
[...] Barnhart also provides a glimpse at other SEC West teams in today’s blog. [...]
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mcdawg
March 19th, 2009
10:57 am
hate to say it but the west could be alot better top to bottom than the east interested in seeing how or if Auburn comes back and Mallett should be a pretty darn good QB at Arkansas
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BILLY JACK
March 19th, 2009
10:58 am
Dawg in Lex-agree with your predictions but think you have Ark a little high.I said the same thing last year about Auburn on the blog.Injuries to certain players will be a major factor I favor Ole Miss a little only because of Rebs established QB and have not really seen enough of LSU QB yet.I see Alabama coming in 3rd.Injuries can derail a team faster than anything else just ask Georgia.
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Ryno
March 19th, 2009
11:06 am
LSU fans, you will like Chavis on first and second downs, but you will soon learn why UT fans referred to third downs hatefully as “3rd and Chavis.”
There is no 3rd and long that he can’t convert into a first down with soft coverage and no blitzing. Chavis does well as long as he has talented players and LSU has that, but he is not a master tactician.
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GeoffDawg
March 19th, 2009
11:09 am
Can’t wait for Arkansas to play Florida. It’ll be Mallett vs. Mulletts.
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AUFAN
March 19th, 2009
11:12 am
Almost impossible to win a championship of any kind without a talented and, more importantly, experienced QB. Just look at history. This axiom gives the nod to Ole Miss in my opinion.
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Boston Williams
March 19th, 2009
11:22 am
GeoffDawg, don’t know where you are going introducing Florida into this topic.
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Sam Robards
March 19th, 2009
11:24 am
Ole Miss wins the West, with LSU in second, Auburn/Alabama for third (that’s a toss-up for me), then Miss St/Arkansas (toss-up as well).
Arkansas will do decent this year, but 2010 will be their big year … too bad LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn and Alabama’ll be recharged, too.
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GeoffDawg
March 19th, 2009
11:26 am
Building off Mallett BW. Try to keep up.
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Bamafan
March 19th, 2009
11:33 am
LSU should win the West and Ole Miss and Bama fighting for the 2nd spot. Bama had 3 All-American’s leave the program that will play in the NFL this season. That is hard to replace so that
is why I think LSU will win the west. Bama will still win 10 games this year, the defense is going to
be very very good again this year!!
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Billy Bob Bama
March 19th, 2009
11:53 am
Come on folks. The Alabama play everyone at home this year except auburn.
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how2fish
March 19th, 2009
11:59 am
Tebow is the best college QB or football player I’ve ever seen..and yes I’ve met Hershal. Florida is the team to beat in the SEC period..and I pray we do..but that is long odds this year. However any Gator puke that has to go by a screen name of a Georgia player or coach..is a moron and everything you post is trash…if your a Gator act like a Gator or STFU. If you can’t be proud of your school stay home in your parents basement and watch some more gay porn…losers
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lawzoo
March 19th, 2009
12:04 pm
I am personally awaiting the Gene Chezlik era at Auburn with baited breath. Oh, excuse me I had sushi for lunch. Disregard this.
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the scouting report
March 19th, 2009
12:09 pm
I see a competitive 3 team race between Bama, LSU, and Ole Miss. Ole Miss will have their best team since Ely Manning led them to a 10 win season and a bowl win several years back. They finished their last several games last year not by winning but by stomping people into the ground. LSU, Miss. St, and then Texas Tech all took physical beatdowns from Ole Miss to end the season. Don’t forget. This is also the one team to beat the gators and they did it in the swamp and they did it by body slamming Tim Tebow on 4th and 1. I think they will probably be the surprise team of the conference this year and if the o-line is their biggest issue with the loss of Oher then they should be fine. Nutt is an O-line coach and always seems to produce good, physical o-lines with less talent than other coaches. Nutt also always gave LSU and Bama in particular fits when he was at Arkansas. Watch out for Nutt and the rebels. They are physical and ready to make some noise.
I can see Arkansas continually getting better. Like Ole Miss they finished strong and I can see them probably getting 7 wins and going bowling in year 2 of Petrino. Whether you like Petrino or not he is a good coach, last year’s Arkansas team was incredibly young, and these guys will only get better. Expect them to pull a couple of surprise wins just like last year.
LSU loses a lot of great talent, especially on defense with all those great d-linemen gone and a couple of very good o-linemen on offense gone. Chavis is a heckuva D-coordinator but it’ll take more than 1 year to get them back to where they were with all the talent they lost. Offensively they will be fine. Expect them to be in the mix but to be just a shade behind Bama and Ole Miss. We saw LSU dip to 7-5 the year after 17 5th year starters recruited by Saban won a national title for LSU. Interesting how LSU nosedived immediately after the last of Saban’s players were gone.
Bama. Similar to Joe Cox at Georgia McElroy has been grooming for 3 years for this shot. at qb People forget that he was in the same recruiting class as Stafford coming out of high school in Texas. But it was McElroy who was the Texas 5A player of the year coming out of high school and set the state record for td passes with 56 in 1 season and also ran for almost 1,000 yards. He is 16 out of 20 in limited action the last 2 years.
Saban has been stockpiling massive 4 and 5 star O-lineman for a few years now. James Carpenter was regarded as maybe the top-rated JUCO O-lineman coming out last year. He will start out as a left tackle but will probably move to guard where he will have to compete against 2 former 4 star recruits with starting experience for one guard position. Bama has possibly the top rated offensive tackle coming out of high school to take over Andre Smith’s spot. 6′7, 350lb 5 star recruit DJ Fluker was the guy everyone was watching during the us army all-american week of practice leading up to the game. He’ll be better than Andre Smith when its said and done. But first he will have to win the left tackle job over the other 6′7 310 lb 5 star offensive tackle recruit from the year before Tyler Love. Love took a medical reshirt last year because of a stress fracture but is finally healthy. At center Evan Cardwell takes over. He started several games in 2006 and 2007 and played frequently last year. Bama looked bad in the sugar bowl when Andre Smith was lost 2 days before the game and all conference guard Michael Johnson was lost in the 1st qtr. But with the sheer size and number of elephants Saban has recruited Bama is actually locked and loaded throughout the offensive line.
The Bama defense returns 9 starters and practically the entire 2 deep. One starting defensive end is gone but the top other 8 D-lineman return. The interior front 7 of the Alabama D is going to be scary good and deep. All American safety Rashad Johnson is gone but will be replaced by former 5 star safety recruit Mark Barron. Barron is a bigger, faster, more physical version of Johnson and after a year of experience and backup duty the sophomore is ready to take over. By the end of the season Barron could end up being an upgrade given his physical tools. This guy will be all-conference and possibly all-american before his career is over. The addition of 5 star linebacker recruit Nico Johnson rated no. 2 at his position and the no. 1 rated lockdown cornerback in the country in Dre Kirkpatrick only adds more depth and firepower to an already loaded defense. Yet another 5 star former recruit BJ Scott will move from wr to cornerback in the spring to give Bama a pair of former 5 star recruits at cornerback for the future. For the future it looks like Bama will have 3 former 5 star recruits manning 3 of the 4 defensive back spots. The 5 star lb recruit Nico was the guy who ran down Bryce Brown 3 times at the us army all american game. Makes you feel sorry for Bryce Brown knowing that he’ll be taking 4 years of abuse from Nico rather than just one all star game worth of abuse.
Skills players. Bama brings back 2 great rbs in Mark Ingram and Roy Upchurch and brings in the no. 2 running back in the country 5 star tailback recruit Trent Richardson. Bama also redshirted several tbs. All in all there are 10 rbs on the Bama roster. Several 4 star rated wide receivers should complement Julio Jones.
The bottom line. After 2 consecutive no. 1 ranked recruiting classes Saban has Alabama looking more like a veritable war machine than a football team. The skills players at wr and rb are frightening enough. But what sets Saban teams apart is the sheer size, power, and speed of the lineman on both sides of the ball and in the defensive recruits, especially at linebacker. This is a physically dominating team that is still young but will be terrifying the sec for years to come. Get ready for it. Its coming.
Auburn just doesn’t have the talent that they did before Saban got to Bama. They’ve definitely fallen behind Bama and LSU in the west and the big 3 in the east as far as talent goes. And I don’t think a high school coach 2 years removed from high school is going to get it done at Auburn, especially with a qb in Kodi Burns who is clearly lacking as a passing threat. Tulsa was scoring lots of points before Malzahn got there and when Tulsa played better competition in their bowl game that offense didn’t look so impressive. Missy State. Same qb issues as Auburn. They will be in a rebuilding state since if there is a worse qb in the sec than Kodi Burns that it would have to be the qb at State.
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Dorsey Hill
March 19th, 2009
12:12 pm
What we know: the west is far tougher than the east.
What we know #2: there will be a pretty darn good SEC team that won’t play a bowl game but would beat the 4th best team in every other conference’s azz.
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Otto
March 19th, 2009
12:19 pm
Scouting report I will be very surprised if Burns keeps the job.
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Lou D'Ermilio
March 19th, 2009
12:28 pm
Hi Tony. Rumors that Fox may sell or sub-license the rights to its final BCS season are eroneous. Most of our BCS advertising, including the title sponsorships, was sold in four-year packages.
Thanks,
Lou
SVP, Communications
FOX Sports
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GeoffDawg
March 19th, 2009
12:31 pm
I don’t know if “far” tougher is accurate Dorsey Hill but I would agree that on paper, the West looks a little deeper this year. It depends on if Tennessee looks any better with old foot in mouth running the show.
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lawzoo
March 19th, 2009
12:35 pm
Big Three in the East? ga. ,of course, Fla., Certainly, and Carolina. No? Vandy? No. Oh, is it the talented team that lost to Wyoming on Homecoming last year? You can’t spell talent without ut….at least not in tennessee.
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Tide rising
March 19th, 2009
12:37 pm
Hard to believe some people are actually picking Bama to finish 3rd or 4th. We go 12-2 with a lot of freshman playing. We have almost the whole defense back and most of the offense and people are picking us 3rd or 4th? What???
The few players we lose will be replaced by highly touted recruits that have been waiting in the wings and yet people are picking an Ole Miss team that has never won the west division ever to win it over us? Are you serious?
People are picking an LSU team that went 7-5 last year and only won 3 sec games to win the west over Bama? How does one pick a team like LSU that won only 3 sec games to suddenly jump up and beat a young bama team that didn’t lose an sec game until the sec championship against Florida? How do that happen? As Ricky Ricardo would say “Someone got some splaining to do!”
Clearly, I think some of the comments relegating Bama to 3rd or 4th in the division are based not on sound football logic but on anti-Alabama sentiment brought on principally by Bama Stan. And one guy picked 3rd place as a toss up between Bama and Auburn. Are you kidding me? Auburn? The same Auburn team that finished 5th and got blasted 36-0 by Bama, has a new coach, subpar talent, and arguably the worst qb in the sec? That Auburn?
I guess we have Bama-Stan to thank for that. Thanks Bama Stan for stoking anti-Bama sentiment! You are the annoying Alabama equivalent of what Roswell Ed is to Auburn fans. Except that I actually liked Roswell Ed and found his comments to be funny and not even annoying. I kinda wish he would start posting again since I was one of his biggest fans. Ed, if you’re out there come on back! At least you were funny!
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the scouting report
March 19th, 2009
12:43 pm
Lawzoo,
Like it or not Tennessee has always been one of the big time programs in the sec. They are only 1 bad season removed from winning the sec east, they’ve won more sec titles than Georgia, especially since the 2 division format, they’ve won a national title in the last 10 years or so, and they wallopped the dawgs 9 in a row in the 90s. And while they lost to UGA last year in a meltdown of a year they pounded the dawgs 35-14 and 51-30 in the 2 previous years. They still have the fanbase, the facilities, and the recruiting prowess to be an sec and national title contender. As far as alltime accomplishment and tradition goes they are 2nd in the sec only to Bama. You have a very short memory.
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Gen Neyland
March 19th, 2009
12:46 pm
Admittedly, I don’t keep up with the West as I do the East, but I like Ole Miss to pull at least one divisional upset… Tony is spot on about Chavis and the LSU defense. 8-5 was a down year for Miles… I know how much John Bubba Parker Wilson meant to the Red Elephants and I think we’ll get a better understanding of that along he way. Defensively, they let theirselves down in the SECCG and The Sugar…Razorpigs can pull surprises. But with what Alabama has and LSU and Ole Miss getting better, the Ham Hocks will still be a little piggy in the mud hole…Miss St and Auburn will be fighting for last place in the West…
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chickin bowl
March 19th, 2009
12:48 pm
What? There was something lacking with LSU “D” last year? WOW!
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ChewDawg
March 19th, 2009
12:49 pm
Auburn will NOT be very good. Way to many questions. They fire Franklin for his coaching style and then hire Malzahn? Really? To run a program that has recruited zero talent for the hurry-up pass he’ll utilize? Wow. And let’s not even discuss the hiring Chizik…great decision there for sure. The only decent hire they made was Roof…who, though not a good head coach at all – no offensive skill, really is a solid defensive coordinator.
Alabama will not be the Alabama of last year. They’ll still contend for the West but it won’t come easy, if at all. While their defense will be outstanding, replacing key players on offense will keep them from scoring enough to win. Expect a lot of low-scoring games for Bama this year.
Arkansas will be middle of the pack…with some quality wins and a couple stupid losses.
Ole Miss will be the team to beat. They were a surprise last year but not this year. They return a ton of talent and their only loss was Jerry and they’ve sufficient talent to take his place. I don’t there’s much we don’t know about Ole Miss. They’ll be good. SEC West champions good.
LSU made a great hire in Chavis. As bad as UT was last year, their D was stout. Chavis will right the ship in short order. But what they make up in D, they’ll give up in O. Too many questions and no proven leader on that side of the ball. LSU finishes third in the West. They’ve got a stud in Shepard and they need to make him the QB. Give him a year under his belt and they could win it all in 2010. With or without Shepard, the finish third, so why not give him the experience. Lee nor Jefferson have the talent of this kid. Is LSU willing to sacrifice 2009 to have a better shot at taking it all in 2010 and 2011?
And now MSU…
I loved Croom…but he was never the right man for MSU. Mullen is. Starkville gave Croom 6 years, can they give Mullen 2-3 to get the talent he needs? That’s the unknown. MSU can’t recruit the quality of talent needed to smash head-to-head with the big boys in the SEC. But they can get lesser-known stars that can make the program a winning program. Think West Virginia. If Rodriquez can get kids to come to Blacksburg, VA; Mullen can certainly get them to come to Starkville, MS.
The west could be very exciting in the next couple of years. At the least, they’ll be better than the East top to bottom.
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ChewDawg
March 19th, 2009
12:49 pm
I meant Morgantown, WV….not Blacksburg, VA.
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the scouting report
March 19th, 2009
1:02 pm
Dorsey Hill,
You may very well be correct in stating the west may be better than the east at least this year anyway. Nothing against the dawgs but the east is a one team show this year.
Also, while fans of the east have traditionally knocked the east and especially the 2 Mississippi teams its very interesting to note the success of the 2 bottom dwelling Missippi teams over the dominant team in the east the Florida gators since the inception of the 2 division format. For example, UGA plays Fla. every year and has won only 3 games in the past 2 decades against the gators. Miss. State has beaten them twice in the 2000s and Ole Miss beat the gators last year in the swamp. Miss. State also shredded the gators at least once in the 90s under Sherrill 47-30 over Spurrier and either Ole Miss or Miss. State went to the swamp and put it on the gators 30-6 also in the 90s. And the rebels and Miss. State rarely ever play the gators. Yet it seems like they both beat the gators with more regularity than UGA or possibly even Tennessee. Just something to think about.
Also, I’m not sure about the alltime record between Ole Miss and UF but I believe they are either tied in the series or Ole Miss may lead the series by 1 win.
After UF, UT, UGA, the sec east drops off rapidly. S. Carolina has won 2 bowls in its history, Kentucky is historically as bad in football as it is good in basketball, and even though Vandy went to and won a bowl game for the 1st time since 1982 they are well, Vandy.
Ole Miss actually has a respectable football history, decent success under Johnny Vaught and more recently David Cutcliffe and now Nutt, and Miss. State while its history is poor they did have some good years under Sherrill and they have at least been strong enough to win the division. They’ve also pulled some surprises here and there under Croom.
Same with Arkansas. This is a program that has won national titles, they were the #2 program when they were in the old southwest conference behind texas, and Arkansas over the years has consistently gone to bowl games and consistently had teams that have won 8 or 9 games in a season.
In the east there have been many a years where you basically played the other big 2 if you are a UF, UT, or UGA, and then you basically had the rest of the division off. Not so in the west with an Arkansas program that has been consistently decent and Missippi teams that have shown flashes of success more consistently than the 3 bottom dwellers in the east.
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lawzoo
March 19th, 2009
1:08 pm
Tony,(Scouting Report) I was simply referencing your comment about Aubun’s present talent level compared to the “Big Three.” While not an expert(or wannabe) I am very aware of tenn.’s history. However, with last year’s debacle and coaching (Lane) change, it is hard to Presently view them as part of the present Big Three, if any.
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Gerry
March 19th, 2009
1:14 pm
LSU IS LOADED
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Boston Williams
March 19th, 2009
1:22 pm
GeoffDawg, are you a UGA graduate, or did you actually go to college?
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Saint Nick
March 19th, 2009
1:30 pm
Lsu might be loaded, but so is Bama.
1. Bama
2. LSU
3. Ole Miss
4. Who cares……
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Otto
March 19th, 2009
1:31 pm
Rising Tide is nothing against Bama for me but Ole Miss is improving and LSU has a QB now. In the 2nd year both will be better. Bama has a new QB and replacing key people on the OL. Malzahn had some success at Arkansas and he has a QB that has run a hurry up spread style offense. Todd isn’t the QB either. The west will be instersting.
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Tide rising
March 19th, 2009
1:34 pm
Tony, Has anyone including you factored in the favorability of scheduling when talking about who will win the west this year? You may have forgotten to mention how the favorability of home and away scheduling factors in.
Our odd years are the favorable home schedule years and our even years are the tough road schedule years. Last year was our traditional tough road schedule year as 3 of our 4 toughest games were on the road including Georgia in Athens, LSU in Baton Rouge(allthough Baton Rouge is traditionally a home game for us), Tennessee in Knoxville, and only Auburn as a big home game.
This year is much easier for Bama. We get LSU at home, Tennessee at home, and we drop a good Georgia team for South Carolina which we get at home. We only play Auburn on the road which is not expected to be as tough a game this year.
I’m not sure about Ole Miss schedule but if LSU is the team that others are picking to win the division I think LSU has a tougher road schedule this year. I’m not sure but I think the go on the road to play both UGA and maybe UF. The UF game is almost a sure loss and UGA is sure to be favored at home in that game against LSU. So if you’re picking LSU to win the west you might want to check the schedule. They play the top 2 teams in the east on the road whereas Bama does not play either UGA or UF and Ole Miss doesn’t play UGA or UF either as far as I know.
This is a huge advantage to Bama and Ole Miss for that matter since I think Ole Miss also avoids both UF and UGA. If LSU loses both of these games as they probably will then it leaves almost no margin for error in their division games in the west. Its almost impossible to win a division with 3 losses and LSU would then certainly have to beat both Ole Miss and Bama and win most if not all of their remaining division games in order to win the west. On top of playing Bama and UGA on the road I’m now also thinking that LSU plays Ole Miss on the road. Not sure though.
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BAMA STAN
March 19th, 2009
1:40 pm
31-0 at the half?!!!
Hey guys – by the way – I am retiring my famous “31 – 0 at the half?!!!” at the bequest of other Bama fans – yes, it’s fun to do.
Just wanted to do it one more time!!!!
I will now start my posts with: 12 National Titles, 21 SEC Titles, !!!!
DawginLex – you asked me what I think of your prediction?
Well, you are entitled to your own opinion – and who knows – you just might be right on the mark – we will see at the end of the season.
I personally think that it will come down to LSU and Bama in the SEC West.
LSU
I have to give LSU a slight edge on paper due to QB position – but you never know how a team will gel during the season. Another Issue for LSU – their SEC West Schedule is Florida, UGA, and Vandy. LSU should win 2 of the 3 with the loss to Florida. I will be rooting for UGA and Vandy!!!
Bama
Our defense should be as good as LSU’s – if not slighlty better. We have talent on the OL – might be reloading here – if we gel as a unit quickly – we will be very good. Area of concern is QB – McElroy is kind of like Cox at UGA. Kid shows good leadership and knows the system. McElroy is slightly bigger, faster, and stronger than Cox and has a better arm. HOwever, Star Jackson maybe the long term answer – as he brings DJ Schockley type of Athleticism to the position.
Bama’s SEC East schedule is Tennessee, Kentucky and South Carolina – we should win all 3 of these games – giving us a 1 game edge against LSU (losing to Florida).
Of course – the comparisons between LSU and Bama are on paper – head to head competition is key – as both teams have the ability to run the SEC West table.
OlLe Miss – greatly improved – but I think Coach Nutt will see that he has Ole Miss playing as good as Ole Miss can play. They are as good as they are going to be. If we take them lightly – we will get “UTAH’d”
Hey DawginLex – like my new saying – getting “UTAH’d” Kind of like when UGA got “BC’d” in the Music City Bowl Richts first year – or “WV’d” in the 2005 Sugar Bowl. Will UGA get Vol’s or “Kiffin’d” this year in Knoxville this year?
Yep – we got “UTAH’D” last year – embarrassed the SEC – it happens and we will be better for it!!!!!
Auburn, Arkansas and Miss State – should finish in that order. Again, LSU and Bama should beat these guys – but you never know? Who would have thought that Florida would lose to Ole Miss last year?
Any way – that’s my take on the teams for now.
ROLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Tide rising
March 19th, 2009
1:48 pm
Otto,
I would have to agree with you on Ole Miss. I think they are certainly improving and they may very well end up winning the west. Wouldn’t surprise me. As for LSU they could end up being just as good as Ole Miss or my Bama boys but I think what trips them up is having to play UGA and UF on the road whereas Ole Miss and Bama both get to skip the 2 best teams in the east this year. Big disadvantage for LSU.
I do have to agree with you though. The west will certainly be interesting.
We may respectfully just disagree on the Bama qb and O-line. I think we’ll be fine on both fronts because of the talent we’ve been recruiting on the O-line and the fact that McElroy has been in the system 3 years preparing to take over. Besides, the offense we run the qb is asked just to manage the game like Wilson did, he doesn’t have to win the game with his arm.
As for Malzahn I don’t really think he had any success to speak of at Arky. The whole reason he left Arky is because his offense wasn’t working in the early going. Nutt ended up taking back control of the offense and went straight back to a run oriented offense. Who could blame him though with Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. Malzahn was obviously frustrated over this and resigned at seasons end cause his offense either didn’t work and took the job at Tulsa. The 2 highly recruited recruits who came to Arky because of his offense Mitch Mustain the qb and Damian Williams the wr both transferred to the real USC. This was the mess that ultimately ended up getting Nutt run out of Arky.
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Otto
March 19th, 2009
1:52 pm
Ole Miss goes to SC and Vandy and gets UT and LSU at home back to back before the egg bowl.
Ole Miss and Bama do have the easiest schedule out of the west.
Arkansas starts out Missouri St., open, UGA at home at Bama, at Tex A&M, Auburn at home, and then at UF and at Ole Miss. Tough schedule to break in a QB.
Ole Miss, Bama, LSU and Auburn could all take the west. I’ll go with Ole Miss with LSU, Bama, and Auburn fighting for 2nd. I think it will be close. The 4th place team could easily be 3rd in the east.
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Tide rising
March 19th, 2009
1:56 pm
Bama Stan,
Thanks for taking down the 31-0!!! moniker even if you had to wrankle the dawg fans one last time. The rest of us Bama fans were just tired of it so thanks again. Since you enjoyed it so much though I am wondering if you are going to be able to resist the sheer temptation of wrankling the dawg fans. Just kidding.
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Otto
March 19th, 2009
1:59 pm
LSU gets UF in Baton Rouge for the Crocs first big game well other than the Kiffen roast in the swamp.
Bama could go either way wouldn’t surprise me to see them win it or 4th. The schedule sets up nice.
IMO Saban was right on schedule last year not ahead of schedule. The west was down and the team would have been 2nd or 3rd in the previous 5 years in the west.
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swgaboy
March 19th, 2009
2:02 pm
This west is Bama’s to win or lose. But only because of their schedule. Saban has yet to have back to back 10 win seasons in his career. Will this year be it?
LSU could be just as good or better than the Tide. But they have to play both Florida and Georgia. Ole Miss has the best QB in the west and should be a solid 9 win team.
Arkansas could also be looking at a 9 win season with an upset or two. Auburn is probably the biggest question mark, and could be the surprise team of the division, but won’t win it.
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Tide rising
March 19th, 2009
2:07 pm
Otto,
Thanks for the schedule breakdown. As I suspected along with Ole Miss we definitely have the easier route to winning the division then LSU. While the games have yet to be played I’m putting LSU behind Ole Miss and Bama just based on scheduling.
I don’t see how Auburn could possibly factor into anything though. Their qb is terrible and if they do switch to a new qb it will be a new qb in a new system in a really tough transition year. Its really yard to win anything in a transition year and all though Chizik is a respected D coordinator he is 5-17 as a head coach.
This is a guy who couldn’t win a big 12 game last year and that was without having to play Texas, Oklahoma, or Texas Tech. Add to that the fact that Auburn has taken a serious hit in recruiting the last couple of years. They don’t have anywhere near the talent that they did 2-3 years ago. Anyway, I just can’t see Auburn being competitive at all and I’m one of the few Bama fans who doesn’t even hate Auburn.
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GATORZONE
March 19th, 2009
2:17 pm
BAMASTAN, good one on Utah’d… Kindof like we got Michiganed 2 years ago in the citrus bowl. Or Tennessee go Wisconsined! Seems to happen in bowl games when the SEC team is not playing for the national title.
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Tide rising
March 19th, 2009
2:26 pm
Gatorzone,
I bet you never thought you would see the day where you would see self deprecating humor from Bama Stan. Or for that matter that he would retire the old 31-0!!!! at the half moniker. But he has formally put it into retirement so the rest of us crimson tide fans are now all farts and giggles. I think some of us were more tired of it than the dawg fans and so he removed it at the request of the other bama fans. Anyway, he has some good posts when he’s not peeing in the dawg fans cereal.
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GATORZONE
March 19th, 2009
2:29 pm
He is funny. Some people take this blogging stuff to personally.
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Tide rising
March 19th, 2009
2:34 pm
Gatorzone,
Bama Stan can be funny and he did man up when we got Utah’d so he did earn some respect. I just wish Roswell Ed would come back. His posts were hysterical funny. I don’t know if he was actually serious in what he said or if he intended for his comments to be so out of whack on purpose just to rile people up. In any event he constantly amused me and the responses to him were equally funny. I just hope he comes back. I kinda even wish Auburn would be good again just to have Roswell Ed come back and talk trash. Anyway, signing out. Spent too much time today bs ing on this forum.
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CurlyHeadedDevil
March 19th, 2009
2:56 pm
Hey, the scouting report,
Are you auditioning for a job as the UA sports information director?
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Hoof Hearted
March 19th, 2009
2:59 pm
I’m sorry, but I’m not buying the Ole Miss bill of goods. Why is Houston Nutt going to do better at Ole Miss than he did at Arkansas? He was lucky to get left a team with good talent by shirt-ripping Coach O, but watch how his teams lose steam the longer he is there. He had pretty good talent at Arkansas, but look what he did with it. Hint: Lost 2 SEC Championship Games and got fired. Anyone remember Darren McFadden or Felix Jones?
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Otto
March 19th, 2009
3:01 pm
Tide, I don’t think Auburn is as bad as they looked last year. You have to really question what Tubbs was doing and after Franklin was let go Auburn had no real direction on offense. Tubby was a defensive guy who did not spend much time with the offense. Trotter or Caudle will be Auburn’s QB unless Burns makes massive improvements. Auburn will most likely be mixing it up for 2nd or 3rd next year. They also have some OOC games to get things sorted before the meaat of the SEC schedule.
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Otto
March 19th, 2009
3:03 pm
Hoof I don’t expect success to last at Ole Miss but they do have the schedule and talent for Nutt to loose his 3rd SEC title game.
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the scouting reporter
March 19th, 2009
3:09 pm
Curly headed devil
In a not so thinly veiled report the answer is yes. the scouting reporter is unabashedly an Alabama fan. Didn’t take much to figure that one out of course. I figured it was kinda obvious.
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G8R GRAD
March 19th, 2009
3:15 pm
LSU is probably the best team in the west this year, but their schedule is the most difficult in the SEC.
Of the five SEC teams in the preseason rankings (UF, UA, UGA, LSU and Ol’ Miss), LSU is the only team to play all four of the others.
Hence, I believe the west’s champion will either be the Tide or the Reb’s.
Tide rising:
UF plays LSU in Baton Rouge and is, IMHO, UF’s toughest game.
However, having said that, UF also plays MSU in Starkville, UGA in Jacksonville and USC in Columbia.
But, I also agree with the contention that the west is the tougher of the two divisions this year.
GO GATORS!
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GATORZONE
March 19th, 2009
3:16 pm
I think Nutt is a helluva coach and Arkansas should be remiss for letting him go. They may not win it all, but just to be in the mix at Arkansas and now at Ole Miss is one good coaching job. I look for them to be competitive going forward.
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BD
March 19th, 2009
3:19 pm
If your not a GATOR your a HATER .
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shane#1
March 19th, 2009
3:55 pm
IMO, Alabama is the team to beat in the West this year, as is UF in the East. No one in their respective divisions beat them last year, so they remain the top teams untill someone beats them. Simple. Ole Miss will be intresting because they have a returning QB that got lots of experence last year. LSU may have found a starting QB at the end of last year, if the kid continues to improve they could be very tough. AU is breaking in a new HC with another new system. Burns will have had to learn three systems in three years. Such confusion does not make for steady QB play. Bama is also breaking in a new QB and has lost some very good linemen. Time will tell with Bama. I am not sold on Petrino and Missy St will have to show me something before they get much love from me. UGA’s season will depend on the play of their new starter. He will be helped by improved O line play and he is a five year senior so I think the Dawgs will be better than expected. UF and Ole Miss have veteran teams with returning QBs and {mostly}intact coaching staffs, so one would think that they have a leg up on the competition.
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athensdawg
March 19th, 2009
5:21 pm
Coach Nutt probably does more with less than anyone else in the SEC – although Bobby Johnson is closing in on him fast……
I wonder what could get out of Mark Richt’s recruits…..
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BILLY JACK
March 19th, 2009
5:28 pm
Hoof Hearted-Coach Nutt is a very good coach -a players coach-Arkansas and mississippi are recruiting graveyards just not enough kids.Petrino will be gone at Ark soon in my opinion.He could have flashes and have a couple of upsets but 5 or 6 wins is all I see in Ark.Coach Nutt winning 9 or 10 games at Ole Miss is quite an accomplishment.Ole Miss starting to recruit alot of Georgia kids and this will help quite a bit.
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hop
March 19th, 2009
10:30 pm
it will be an interesting year in the SEC and the team that has an experience and talented qb will win the west.
West
1. OLE MISS… GREAT QB
2. LSU…….. POTENTIAL GREAT QB
3. ALABAMA…..UNPROVEN QB
4. ARKANSAS…. A YEAR AWAY
5. AUBURN… EXPERIENCE BUT NOT A GOOD QB
6. MISS SATE…JUST GETTING STARTED
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JustCallMeChamp
March 19th, 2009
10:53 pm
The game we (Florida) fear most this year is that trip to LSU. We know that stadium will be rockin’ that day and it seems they have found their QB. I just hope we don’t have to play them at night. Alabama…I’ve never been fond of Nick Saban but after the SEC Champ game last year, I came away with a whole new respect for his coaching If Tebow had not been superman that day…so based on coaching,I would never count out Bama! Ole Miss is capable as well and Nutt is always a wild card. Glad we don’t play ‘em just to be honest about it. I really think Miss State is going to surprise some people this year and I hope it’s not us! Keep an eye on Dan the Man! Arky and Auburn I think will be in rebuilding mode this year. Oh, and as a sidebar…Tenn will finish last here too!
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Givmlbear
March 20th, 2009
12:56 am
Looks like a 3 team battle – LSWho, Bama, Ole Siss – Will not be decided by head 2 head but rather how you do against the “others”. Lose to Barn, Pigs, or Bullies and you will be the weakest link.
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WhoDat09
March 20th, 2009
3:51 am
I would agree with some others that State and Auburn will fight for the bottom in the West. Bama, LSU, Ole Miss, and Arkansas all have a shot. I think Ole Miss has the most balanced and talented offense, but defense is a question mark. There are a couple of studs (Hardy if he can stay healthy), but is it enough… Bama will run and play defense. Stop the run, stop Bama. LSU will also have a good running game and defense. Arkansas will continue to play the spread with a little run thrown in. The Hogs defense is also suspect. Should be interesting to see how it plays out, but Bama and Ole Miss have more favorable schedules with the Rebels getting Bama in Oxford. In fact, Ole Miss only plays conference games on the road at SC, Vandy, Auburn, and State. I also look for Ole Miss to score 28-30 points a game… We’ll see, but in the preseason, I give the West edge to Ole Miss. Gotta think Gators in the East. Rebs vs Gators SEC championship? Time will tell…
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Atlanta Gator
March 20th, 2009
7:11 am
“the scouting report”—-The all-time record for Florida vs Ole Miss is 10-12-1, with the teams having split 3-3 their last six games since 1990. All-time record for Florida vs. Mississippi State is 32-18-2, with the Gators holding a 5-3 edge since 1990.
For the record, since 1990 no other SEC teams have better winning percentages against the Gators than Ole Miss (.500) and Mississippi State (.375). Strange, but true . . . and the record for the Gators is even worse when they play one of the Mississippi schools in a Thursday night ESPN game. Over the same time span, Alabama has the 3rd-best winning record against the Gators at 4-8 (.333).
BTW, here’s a great website for ending debates over college football win-loss records and other statistics:
http://cfbdatawarehouse.com
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Atlanta Gator
March 20th, 2009
7:37 am
“Steering”—-I have tangled with you on this subject before. If you are going to bang this drum, at least be accurate: there are virtually NO political science majors among the Gators’ current roster of players. To the extent there are unusually high numbers of any particular major, it’s anthropology and sociology, not the others cited by you. Do your homework—-it’s all posted on the players’ profiles on Gatorzone.com.
For the record, the Gators also have the second highest graduation rate for football players in the SEC, and the second highest NCAA academic progress rate (APR) in the SEC, with more all-academic SEC athletes than any other conference school.
BTW, while anthropology, sociology, and political science are not under a single department”—-they are all under the College of Liberal Arts, but that is hardly evidence of a conspiracy. So, are the departments of mathematics, chemistry, statistics, physics and astronomy. And this is true for every other major university in America—-if you had actually set foot on a university campus on any day other than a Saturday, you would know this.
But, feel free to keep banging your drum.
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Atlanta Gator
March 20th, 2009
8:00 am
G8R GRAD—-The graduation rate stats that you posted from USA Today only reflected the graduation rates among the top 25 teams in the Coaches Poll for that particular week. The Gators 68% graduation rate actually places them in the to 25% of all 117 Division I football schools. Georgia Tech’s 48% graduation rate places them in the bottom third of all Division I schools, and dead last in the ACC.
Atlanta Jackets—-Thanks for playing, but for a predominantly engineering school, there seem to be damn few engineering majors among the Tech football team’s scholarship athletes, and an awfully high number of liberal arts and so-called “business” majors. And anyway you slice it, your football team’s graduation rate is an embarrassment to an otherwise outstanding academic institution. Furthermore, if Tech does not improve its APR soon, it is likely to begin feeling the pain of NCAA scholarship reductions soon, and suffer the ridicule of your fellow ACC schools. Get informed, son, before you hurt someone with your ignorance.
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Atlanta Gator
March 20th, 2009
8:16 am
Now, back on topic . . . .
Here’s the downside of the Gators’ 2009 schedule: because their out-of-conference schedule is so darn weak (Charleston Southern?!), if they lose any one game, by any margin, they will be out of the running for the MNC, with absolutely no chance to climb back into contention. The Gators will start the season at number one and as the preseason favorites, but anything less than a perfect season will not get them back to the BCS title game.
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Rodney
March 20th, 2009
8:17 am
If Clemson’s offensive line stunk last year and returns everyone, why should it be good this year? Experienced bad players are still bad players. Baffling.
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Kid Ray
March 20th, 2009
8:22 am
BC will miss DT Brace way way way more than Toal.
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CS
March 20th, 2009
8:32 am
FSU has a stable of young receivers and running backs ready to step up.
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jablonski
March 20th, 2009
8:44 am
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ….ACC Football….ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
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Otto
March 20th, 2009
9:24 am
Atl Gator the Miss stats are strange but UF owned LSU up until recently. LSU is 5-14 since ‘90 against UF. Tenn is 6-13 and UGA 3-16
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Otto
March 20th, 2009
10:19 am
ACC football…..crickets……crickets……crickets…..
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Miles
March 20th, 2009
10:22 am
OK…now lets get back to the SEC!
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ACC is more balanced
March 20th, 2009
10:28 am
The ACC had more balance than the SEC did in 2008. Will that continue in 2009? Probably. Think I’m nuts?
The facts are just that:
Arkansas lost to Texas and barely got by Western Illinois and UL Monroe
- Auburn lost to West Virginia
- Georgia lost to Georgia Tech (but beat Arizona State)
- LSU didn’t even play a BCS team in non-conference play, but needed an epic fourth quarter to get by Troy.
- Ole Miss lost to Wake Forest
- Mississippi State lost to Georgia Tech (along with Louisiana Tech)
- South Carolina got blown out by Clemson (but beat NC State)
- Tennessee lost to an awful UCLA (along with Wyoming)
- Vanderbilt lost to Duke and Wake Forest
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Langley
March 20th, 2009
10:29 am
OK Tony- a little love for NC State- I predict a break year for the O’Brien and the Wolfpack. He has done it is way and we know that he has a proven record in the past.
Pack wins a lot of games and scares everyone they play this year.
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David
March 20th, 2009
11:12 am
Hey ACC, you left out BAMA beating Va T, LSU pounding GT and UF beating FSU. The bottom line is how many differnt teams in the SEC have played in BCS bowls the last several years? BAMA, GA, UF, AUB, LSU….and have won them…how many ACC teams have been in the BCS and have the EVER won a BCS bowl game?? Yeah, I thought so. The SEC was a little down last year but that in no way means the ACC compares.
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MP
March 20th, 2009
11:18 am
THE SEC’ers who try to “put down” the ACC in these blogs are only really telling us all the ACC is very relevant. They are telling themselves in their posts that it is relevant. No, the ACC is not the SEC but it’s not what the SEC’ers think it is. The SEC is bigger in football. Overall the ACC is a superior conference (football, basketball, baseball, women’s sports, et al).
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Atlanta Gator
March 20th, 2009
11:33 am
Otto—-Since 1990, Tennessee (6 of 19), Auburn (5 of 16), LSU (5 of 19), Alabama (4 of 12), have all won more games against the Gators than Ole Miss and Mississippi State, but none have a better winning percentage than than either the Rebels (3 of 6, or .500) or the Bulldogs (3 of 8, or .375). Good trivia, and, yes, unexpected.
Now you know how to tease a Gator fan.
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G8R GRAD
March 20th, 2009
11:45 am
ACC:
More balanced? Maybe. But only within the confines of its own conference. The SEC remains superior in collective footbal talent.
Now, basketball, that’s an entirely different story. Enjoy March Madness but leave the fall classics to the big boys.
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acc plays football?
March 20th, 2009
11:58 am
Yawn!! Wake me up when we get back to real football meaning the sec. Either that or wake me and Rumpelstiltskin up when an ACC team wins a bcs bowl.What are they? Is it now 9 straight losses in bcs bowl games going back to 2009? They would have a better shot if they could ever get 2 teams into bcs bowl games in 1 year but then again we are talking about the acc aren’t we?
I will cede one point though. ACC is more balanced was correct. They are more balanced in their mediocrity. A bunch of average 7-8 win teams that all go 4-4 or 5-4 or 4-5(not sure how many conference games they play) and then get 3 nonconference wins when they beat WIlliam & mary, the Citadel, etc to end up 7-5 or 8-4 to go to some mediocre bowls where they get collectively whupped 4-6 during bowl season with several blowouts and the one team that backs into a bcs bowl game by default takes an azzwhupping for the 8th or 9th year in a row.
But they did end up 6-6 against the sec with several of those wins over our traditional doormat Vandy and perennial conference cellar dwellar Missy St. And they did eke out a couple of close wins Wake over Ole Miss early in the season on a couple questionable calls and Ga. Tech with a once every 8 year win over UGA. Nevermind the beatdowns administered by Bama over Clemson, 34-10 Fa. over FSU, 45-14, and LSU which won only 3 sec games over ga. tech 38-3. I believe the sec did sweep the 2 bowl games between the 2 conferences also with the Tech blowout and with our conference doormat Vandy beating the ACC runnerup Boston College.. Now that is funny!
I’m going back to sleep. Wake me up when Tony gets back to the SEC.
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bb
March 20th, 2009
12:04 pm
Interesting, that SEC fans use to call the ACC a top heavy league (when FSU was a National title contender every year) and say they were inferior for that reason. Now, they say that the balanced ACC is inferior. Make up your minds.
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gte268p
March 20th, 2009
12:06 pm
Hey ignorant mutts, if the BCS was the only thing that mattered, there wouldn’t be other bowl games. Also, if you want to tout how great Florida and Alabama were, then in fairness you have to tout how horrible Auburn, Tennessee, and Miss St. were!
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Huh?
March 20th, 2009
12:19 pm
Here’s what we don’t know about the ACC Atlantic:
Why should anyone give a rat’s butt in China about the ACC Atlantic?
Good grief what a boring conference. I’d rather watch paint dry.
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PTC DAWG
March 20th, 2009
12:27 pm
Hey Tony, you left out something in your column. GT actually beat UGA 45-42. It should be in every column. Word is the Techies may order rings, but nah, that may be too much. more news coming….
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Kid Ray
March 20th, 2009
12:29 pm
Hey guys…big time college football fan born in NY, now living in NJ. Tell me from an objective (no name calling) perspective what do people in the South think of Rutgers in particular and the BE in general. In football.
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bama12titles
March 20th, 2009
12:34 pm
gte268p,
Auburn and Tennessee both had down years and coaching turmoil. That happens eventually to every program in the country at some point. Both of those programs have been very successful over the last 10-15 years. Tenn. has a national title in the last 11 years, Auburn an undefeated season in 2004 and a very successful run in the 2000s up until last year’s meltdown. Tenn. had a lot of success over 17 years under Fulmer and although he dropped off at the end he left as one of the winningest coaches in the country and won something like 75% of his games.
Programs ebb and flow and to point out 1 bad year of turmoil for each of these 2 historically good, consistent top 15 or top programs is just plain silly. In terms of winning % and bowl success over the last decade those 2 programs are demonstrably superior to most if not every team in the ACC. I’ld have to look up the records of Miami, FSU, and VA, Tech over the last 10 years but these are the only ACC programs to mention in the same breath as Auburn and Tenn. Notice that I mention programs and not teams. There is a difference and you shouldn’t put a lot of stock into 1 down season for consistent programs like Auburn or Tennessee.
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bama12titles
March 20th, 2009
12:40 pm
PTC Dawg,
I would be curious to know if they did indeed order the rings. I actually like both UGA and Ga. Tech but I think the LSU loss may have put a damper on Tech ordering those rings. If I were a dawg fan I would probably think its pretty funny. If I were a Tech player I think I would be embarrassed to make a big deal out of celebrating a once in every 8 years win. If I were a Tech player I would think that the ring pays way too much tribute to UGA and I wouldn’t wear it. That’s just me though and that’s why I don’t make too much of a deal over finally beating Auburn after 6 straight whuppings.
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Huh?
March 20th, 2009
12:50 pm
“Tell me from an objective (no name calling) perspective what do people in the South think of Rutgers in particular and the BE in general. In football.”
Consistently the 5th best conference ahead of the ACC. Every now and then it will move up a spot or two ahead of the Big 10 or Pac 10, but 5th best is the norm. That’s not bad considering the challenges that Big East programs face. They aren’t exactly in talent rich areas college football isn’t that popular up there. The ACC doesn’t have an excuse for its sorry football.
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bama12titles
March 20th, 2009
1:45 pm
Huh?
In regards to the big East I think they play some decent but not great football but I also think that its too easy for a good team in that conference to sneak into the national title game because the schedule isn’t as rugged as say in the sec or the big 12. If you’re West Virginia you basically have to beat 3 or 4 decent but not great teams to go undefeated. They almost went 2 years ago but got upset in the last game by 28 pt underdog Pittsburgh. If you’re West Va. its a lot easier to go through a 4 game stretch of say Louisville, Rutgers, South Florida, and Pittsburgh then it would be for someone like Fla to go through say UGA, LSU, UT in a typical good year for UT, then beat Bama in the seccg, and on top of that play FSU out of conference. Plus Florida in some years has to play Auburn(usually a tough game), last year they played what turned out to be a very good Ole Miss team, and plus I’m leaving out the fact that on the lighter side of their schedule sec Fla. still played 3 teams that went to bowl games(Vandy, Kent., South Carolina), 2 of which won their bowls. The big east drops off very rapidly after West Va, and maybe Rutgers. Louisville has dropped off a bit lately after Petrino left and South Fla. can play some good ball here and there but not consistently.
I’ve made the argument several teams even before we got UTAH’ed that if the Big East is a bcs conference then the mountain west should also be a bcs conference. UTAH has been very good for awhile, Bama is not their first bcs bowl win, they walloped Pitt out of the big east several years back in the Fiesta I think it was something like 42-14. But the Mountain west was 5-0 this year against the pac 10 and was something like 5-0 or 5-1 last year against the pac 10. If the big east is bcs material there is no reason why the mountain west shouldn’t also be bcs material. Their best teams like Utah, TCU, and BYU are consistently winning teams and consistent top 25 fixtures. TCU usually wins 10 games in a season as does Utah. Anyway, they are not as deep as say the sec or even the acc as far as decent teams that can field 7 wins or more and go to a bowl game but the top half of their league is better in my humble opinion than the top half of the big east and overall I think they are better from top to bottom than the big east also.
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BravesFan79
March 20th, 2009
2:13 pm
Here’s whats ahead for the ACC. The winner of the conference will get…… NOTHING! We all know the national champion next year will be USC, Ohio State, Texas, OU or the SEC champ. Wake me up when college football becomes exciting again!
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LSU
March 20th, 2009
2:21 pm
What is this A…..C…..C…… you speak of?? Never heard of it.
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acc plays football?
March 20th, 2009
2:56 pm
LSU,
You’ve heard of the ACC haven’t you. They play basketball over there. Allegedly they play football too but I’m not sure I really believe that or not. So far its just a rumor I think.
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GT
March 20th, 2009
3:02 pm
GLAD to be a GT fan (and To H*** with GA!) is the way I call it.
Pick a team people, not a CONF. Don’t hang your hat on the CONF your team plays in when they [your team] don’t live up to your expectations; that’s a bush league cop-out.
My team is GEORGIA TECH. Yeah, they were 2-1 vs. teams from the SEC in 2008; so what. The fact that matters is they won 9 of the 13 games on their schedule. And I’m expecting the same or better in 2009 with another win over the “good ole fashion hated” rival GA bulldogs.
FYI on the rings ….
They were for the SEASON (9-3), not the GAME; with the 45-42 score which was incribed on the rings being a highlight of a great regular season. Bowl game…yeah, not so much.
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Too Easy
March 20th, 2009
3:10 pm
I think that just about covers the fly-bys. No apparent interest in what we don’t know about the acc-atlantic, but I know it was presented in a sense of fair play and equal time.
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Cobra Kai
March 20th, 2009
3:11 pm
All of this SEC hysteria is hilarious. The (SEC) NC Champion barely beat Alabama last year in the SEC title game. Alabama then went on to get CRUSHED by a mid major Mountain West team. LoL. Don’t even get me started on GT beating the supposed third best SEC team – GA and all of the other hilarious shenannigans, Miss State and deez nutz. Please, keep this inflated sense of accomplishment going….
…it will make it fun for the rest of us watching this Fall.
Johnny.
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cane stuck in steeler country
March 20th, 2009
4:44 pm
“bama12titles
March 20th, 2009
12:34 pm
gte268p,
Auburn and Tennessee both had down years and coaching turmoil. That happens eventually to every program in the country at some point. Both of those programs have been very successful over the last 10-15 years. Tenn. has a national title in the last 11 years, Auburn an undefeated season in 2004 and a very successful run in the 2000s up until last year’s meltdown. Tenn. had a lot of success over 17 years under Fulmer and although he dropped off at the end he left as one of the winningest coaches in the country and won something like 75% of his games.
Programs ebb and flow and to point out 1 bad year of turmoil for each of these 2 historically good, consistent top 15 or top programs is just plain silly. In terms of winning % and bowl success over the last decade those 2 programs are demonstrably superior to most if not every team in the ACC. I’ld have to look up the records of Miami, FSU, and VA, Tech over the last 10 years but these are the only ACC programs to mention in the same breath as Auburn and Tenn. Notice that I mention programs and not teams. There is a difference and you shouldn’t put a lot of stock into 1 down season for consistent programs like Auburn or Tennessee.”
are you kidding me? one title in ten years? since you bring up the past lets talk Miami football. the 2001 team was a monster team with no rivals before or since and how many titles does Miami have? enough said…
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Greg
March 20th, 2009
5:15 pm
Good article! Even though we ACC fans know our league is full of weak teams and can in no way shine as bright as the almighty SEC, it’s still nice to see an article about it every once in a while. What I find most amusing is all of the ACC haters bothering to read the article about the ACC and then spending time posting comments about how bad the ACC is compared to the SEC. Dudes, seriously, do you think we care?
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RickNole
March 20