Archive for June, 2011

Will it be this way again? Georgia getting outrun by Marcus Lattimore? (The State)

I bought the Sporting News College Football yearbook over the weekend and was surprised to see the Georgia Bulldogs picked third, behind South Carolina and Florida, in the SEC East. (South Carolina I can understand. Florida I can’t.)

According to the Birmingham News’ annual poll of SEC sports information directors, none of whom could vote for his own team, I shouldn’t have been surprised. Because this survey has it the same way: Gamecocks first, Gators second, Bulldogs third. And not a close third, either.

South Carolina received five first-place votes. (Only the East SIDs were asked to predict the East outcome, FYI.) Florida drew the other. Georgia took an 0-for-6 collar.

In the overall league power rankings, Georgia finished sixth — five points behind Florida, nine ahead of both Auburn and Mississippi State. Alabama was first, LSU second, South Carolina third and Arkansas fourth.

I mention …

Continue reading UGA to finish third in the SEC East? Sounds a bit low, I’d say »

"Unhand that crystal, Mr. Carroll!" (AP photo)

File this under Empty Gestures: Six and a half years after the fact, the BCS has determined that Southern Cal was not its national champion. (Thank Reggie Bush and his benefactors.) Indeed, the BCS has decreed that, from this day forward, it will have no national champion for 2004.

Which will make Auburn folks mad, seeing as how the Tigers finished undefeated but was shut out of the BCS championship game because …  well, because then as now we don’t have a bona fide playoff. But it really wouldn’t have been fair to name Auburn the national champ over Oklahoma, which was likewise undefeated until it lost to Southern Cal 55-19 in the BCS title game.

Can we debit the Sooners for a loss that now, at least in BCS eyes, didn’t happen? And do we know for sure that Auburn, with Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown and Jason Campbell, would have beaten Oklahoma, which had Adrian Peterson and Jason White and the fabulously named Mark …

Continue reading Southern Cal isn’t the 2004 BCS champ, but neither is Auburn »

Everybody loves the home run. But the Braves, once again, love it too much. (AP photo)

After the Braves lost Sunday night in New York, manager Fredi Gonzalez told reporters, “We’re better than that,” and Tim Hudson, the losing pitcher, said, “We’re much better than what we’re showing.” This prompts a fairly massive question: Are they really?

The Braves have played 60 games, or 37 percent of their season. They’re on pace to win 86 games, which would be five fewer than last season and wouldn’t book postseason passage. (Over a full season, no National League wild card has been taken with fewer than 88 victories.) They haven’t climbed above third place in the East since April 5.

They got going last month, winning 12 of 16, and even better days seemed at hand. The schedule, which had been difficult early, figured to ease. After taking two of three from the Phillies at Turner Field on May 13-15, the Braves opened six of the next seven series against opponents under .500. (And …

Continue reading Are the Braves really better than they’ve played? (Let’s hope) »