Heat Check: Falcons and Bulldogs and Hawks, oh my!!!
Michael Turner, who can still play a bit, is pumped after scoring against Big D. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
Our weekly Heat Check begins with the hottest team around. No, not Georgia State.
FALCONS: Made it to 8-0, disappointing Al Michaels and especially Cris Collinsworth in the process. Stacked 453 yards on Rob Ryan’s star-spangled Dallas defense. Next up is New Orleans in the Superdome, site of last December’s Drew Brees rub-it-in record-breaking. Barometer reading: Some in the national keep saying none of this matters if the Falcons don’t win a playoff game. When last I checked, there are no playoff games scheduled until January. Bradley’s Rule: Can’t win in January unless you qualify for the postseason, and being 8-0 makes qualification one less thing to sweat.
GEORGIA: That wobble at South Carolina aside, the Bulldogs are almost exactly where we figured they’d be. Picked to win the SEC East, they’re in position to do just that. Ranked No. 6 nationally in preseason, they’re No. 5 in the latest BCS standings. Barometer reading: Let’s say Georgia keeps winning and manages to topple No. 1 Alabama in the Dome. Could a 13-1 SEC champ that has beaten both the No. 2 and No. 1 teams (according to the BCS) possibly be left out of the BCS title game?
GEORGIA TECH: Believe it or not, the Jackets won a game. Believe it or not, they could still win the ACC Coastal Division. Believe it or not, they might even play for the ACC title without actually winning the Coastal Division, given that Miami is apparently mulling the option of again recusing itself from postseason play. Barometer reading: From two overtime losses to a 21-point thrashing by Middle Tennessee to the dismissal of defensive coordinator Al Groh to the departure of AD Dan Radakovich to … the Orange Bowl? Seriously?
HAWKS: Lost their opener despite limiting the Rockets’ starting guards to 66 points. Won two nights later at Oklahoma City, which played for the NBA title only five months ago. Barometer reading: Not to say I told you so, but I kind of did. This is going to be one wild team to watch.
BRAVES: Re-upped Brian McCann, Tim Hudson and Paul Maholm. Re-acquired Jordan Schafer. Are said to be interested in Zack Greinke and Josh Hamilton, who figure to be the priciest free agents on the board. Barometer reading: It was reported by John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus that Hamilton’s asking price is $25 million a year. (That’s twice what Chipper Jones was making.) Also according to Perrotto, Hamilton wants a seven-year deal. He ain’t gettin’ it here.
GEORGIA STATE: Panthers lost their ninth game of an 11-game season and their sixth of six home games. They also named their locker room after coach Bill Curry, who’s retiring after Saturday’s game at Maine. Barometer reading: Curry’s career record is 93-127-4. Not many coaches who have a career winning percentage of .424 get anything nice named after them. Most such coaches only get called nasty names.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL: It starts in earnest this week, and it will, as you may know, end here. Barometer reading: April 6, 2013 — the Final Four tips off in the Georgia Dome.
Further reading: Regarding that question about Georgia and the BCS title game … here’s the answer. (For now, anyway).
By Mark Bradley
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171 comments Add your comment
GTBob
November 5th, 2012
1:02 pm
However, for UGA to beat Bama in the SEC CG………… Too many things have to line up in perfect order for that to happen
All you need is 6 turnovers by Bama. It can happen again.
JB
November 5th, 2012
1:03 pm
Ok, you ask ( I know ,you didn’t)… Saban understands why every phase of the game is important and makes sure it is, example OL and special teams. There are areas of the Georgia program that are orphans, including those two.
Mark
November 5th, 2012
1:04 pm
As a native of SEC territory, I lived in Oregon long enough to know that is not a “video-game” team. They are fast, strong, incredible stamina and complex. Whoever plays them in the title game will have their hands full – just like Auburn a few years ago! They would make minced meat out of the Boise team that kicked the Dawgs in 2011. Watch what you ask for!
DIT
November 5th, 2012
1:04 pm
Yeah, that score on the Oregon & USC game,,,Wow, where was the defense in that game. That could hurt Oregon down the road by means of if, ND beats USC and holds USC to limited points and they just blow the doors off the scoreboard.
I’m not a ND fan at all, but I see them going up against Bama. A good part of that is because the media would want to see that match up more than with Oregon or K-State against Bama.
GTBob
November 5th, 2012
1:09 pm
GTBob, Oregon and K-State are very close SOS to Georgia, I don’t really see the SOS for any of the teams changing that much with only three games to go.
K-State still has TCU, Baylor, and Texas to go through. Notre Dame has to beat USC. Oregon still has Stanford and Oregon St. UGA plays an FCS team and two underachieving patsies. The SOS won’t change dramatically but it certainly favors the other teams involved.
StingerSplash
November 5th, 2012
1:16 pm
Mark, Mark, Mark, Mark … try not to get carried away with yourself.
Remember what LSU did to Georgia in the last SEC championship game? Now think of this year’s Alabama team and realize they make last year’s LSU look like Dickerson Middle School. Georgia to the BCS championship game? Risible.
And the next president should have a limit on the number of network sideline shots needed of Rob Ryan. Serioulsy? We need to see that goof over and over again? Why?
take it from me.
November 5th, 2012
1:31 pm
JB-whine all you want,it doesnt do any good to compare Richt to Sabin.Richt will be at Georgia for a long time.And for all you Bear fans the Superbowl entry won’t come from the NFC north.
Beast from the East
November 5th, 2012
1:37 pm
GTBob
November 5th, 2012
1:01 pm
You answered that question for me Beast. Play in the A She She conference you should have a top 5 defense. With the exception of FSU & Clemson, there are no other offenses in the league.
Statistically speaking, Florida’s offense is about as bad as it was last year. Its actually pretty eerily similar. FSU’s defense is even better statistically than last years squad. Last year Florida couldn’t do anything against FSU. It was ugly. According to you all of these facts point to a potential offensive explosion by Florida.
—————————-
No explosion needed. Based on what I’ve seen, 17-20 points should do it. The special teams and defense are more than capable of putting up points for UF. The Gators have given up 20 points only once this season to UT on the road. Texas A&M only managed 17 at home and UGA only managed 17 with us having 6 turnovers. The UF offense is not good, but the defense is bad to the bone. The special teams are as good as any in the country. The Semis will have their hands full.
Marie
November 5th, 2012
1:37 pm
DONNAN – Go away. Go to Tuscaloosa or South Bend or Chicago; somewhere – just go away.
UGA’s path to the BCS title game? It’s not a straight shot | Mark Bradley
November 5th, 2012
1:47 pm
[...] Further reading: If you missed the weekly Heat Check (Georgia is mentioned), it can be found here. [...]
MFranklin
November 5th, 2012
1:49 pm
“Let’s say Georgia keeps winning and manages to topple No. 1 Alabama in the Dome. Could a 13-1 SEC champ that has beaten both the No. 2 and No. 1 teams (according to the BCS) possibly be left out of the BCS title game?”
Of course they could. It is no secret that the desk jockeys in the sports media are the power cabal of college football. In order for the Dawgs to land in the BCS game, they have to win out… and beat Alabama in the SEC Championship. But even then, there would have to be an incredibly unlikely series of events. K-State, Oregon and ND are all still up there and undefeated. Can you imagine the glee from a BCS game without an SEC representation?
Yeah, just like that, the Dawgs get relegated to the next level.
So, to make this work, at least one, if not two of those three remaining unbeatens have to crash and burn between now and the end of the reg season.
ND plays Boston College, Wake Forrest and USC.
Oregon has Cal, Stanford and Oregon State.
K-State sees TCU, Baylor and Texas.
For ND, the tougest will be a suspect USC team.
For Oregon, Stanford and O-State are currently ranked.
For K-State, only Texas is ranked and close to being what’s needed to win.
What the Dawgs need is a miracle… a genuine, bonafide miracle of biblical quality.
Joshua
November 5th, 2012
2:14 pm
UGA definitely *should* play in the BCS title in that scenario, but almost certainly won’t.
UGA’s path to the BCS title game? It’s not a straight shot |
November 5th, 2012
2:17 pm
[...] Further reading: If you missed the weekly Heat Check (Georgia is mentioned), it can be found here. [...]
Just Asking?
November 5th, 2012
4:13 pm
UGA probably ends up playing Louisville if they remain undefeated. One of the other three will loose.
Hollis D
November 5th, 2012
8:49 pm
Where are all of the jagazzes that predicted that the cowgirls would be the falcons? Why so quiet now? Open your mouths and say ahhhhhhh!!!! How do your feet taste, losers????
I got so tired last week of Falcons haters saying whatever they could to bring down the Birds and their real fans by sucking up to that sorry 3 – 4, (now 3 – 5) AVERAGE team, until I stopped paying attention to anything negative about the Falcons in the media. Where are our friggin apologies and admittance of being absolutely WRONG. They’ll hide behind their keybords, I’m sure.
Keep hating on the birds, and get used to eating your feet!!! It’s our time now. There’s room on the bandwagon. Hop on…..bunch of lackeys!
Boss
November 6th, 2012
7:30 am
UGA needs 2 of Oregon, ND and K-State to lose. Doesn’t matter if they beat bama, they won’t leapfrog any of them if they don’t lose. That is a fact, not an opinion.
Ricnic31
November 6th, 2012
8:07 am
Wow ! Did you see how the Saint spanked the unbeatable Eagles last night? We will never beat them it’s gonna be a bad day come sunday between 1 and 4. NOT!!!!!
Falcons win with last second drive! Boo Yaaaa! 9-0
Bulldogs for Muschamp Lifetime Contract
November 6th, 2012
8:23 am
The problem with Florida is not motivation, it is their QB.
Muschamp would give his right nut to have Aaron Murray or Hutson Mason
Nail in the Road
November 9th, 2012
4:54 am
Yeah Mark, the Hawks are going to be a hard team to figure out. T he Falcons and Dawgs look solid and Tech is well…Tech.
Sir James Bond
November 9th, 2012
12:30 pm
If ND, Oregon or K-State remain undefeated and Ala loses one game, the NC game should be played between two of those undefeated teams. UGA lost in a rout to SC and if UGA should win against Ala in a close game Ala should be above UGA in the BCS standings. The BCS would not choose a one-lost team that lost in an embarassing way over 2 or 3 undefeated teams to play in the NC game. Like I said above they would pick a one-lost Ala team ahead of UGA
HammerMan
November 9th, 2012
12:36 pm
I agree with you Mr Bond. The BCS would not choose a team that even though lost only one game, but lost that game where they were completely overmatched, over 2 or 3 undefeated teams