Two hot topics from UGA Athletic Board meeting
If you missed it -– and if you did here’s the story -– there was a pretty interesting meeting of the UGA Athletic Association board of directors yesterday at Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall.
The board got another upbeat financial report and voted to spend almost $4 million on several facilities projects (details in story), but the two topics that might interest you the most pertained to Mark Richt’s contract extension and a college football playoff.
UGA President Michael Adams pronounced the parties “in 98 percent agreement” on Richt’s contract extension and said the remaining 2 percent “is just minor details.” Adams said the executive committee of the athletic board could reconvene by teleconference to approve the deal when it is done.
As for a playoff, Adams added to the recent indications that momentum is finally building toward one, telling the executive committee: “My best guess is we’re going to end up with either a four- or eight-team playoff by the time we get to ‘14.” That assessment came a couple of days after a report that the Big Ten, long a playoff opponent, is warming to the possibility — a shift that Adams called “a very significant development.”
So what are your thoughts about a playoff for college football? An idea long overdue? Or one that should be left to other sports? And if one really is on the horizon for college football, how do you think it should work?
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286 comments Add your comment
RedBone
February 9th, 2012
8:46 pm
Why not have all the conferences that want to compete for the NC go to 14 teams. Have them play 10 games within their conference and one game out of conference, and send the top two to the 8 team playoffs and not have a conference championship game. The conference champs would be the one with the best conference record like it used to be.
guy
February 9th, 2012
9:06 pm
JB is right on about nbc and their hero,obama.We better be more concerned with who’s head coaching the USA than who’s the head coach of UGA.It’s hard to imagine that obama could even get elected to begin with.John Hagee is correct in that we have gotten what we deserve.
Brainiac(Dawg for life/Richt fan for life)
February 9th, 2012
9:29 pm
It will be really nice if the Final 4 are ALL SEC teams but that won’t happen. It will be just like it is now. No matter how good a team is one conference will not get more than 2 into an 8 team playoff. Remember this past season???
Brainiac(Dawg for life/Richt fan for life)
February 9th, 2012
9:32 pm
@ Guy:
If something doesn’t change drastically and pretty soon, we will have 4 more years of Obama and for every one of us life will never be the same again
flo-ri-duh
February 9th, 2012
9:51 pm
Two SEC teams in the BCS championship and the domination by the SEC the last few years is the reason other conferences ar considering a playoff. A playoff is definitely the way to go.
Vampire Bill
February 9th, 2012
9:51 pm
Hey what’s two percent of 4 million? I’d like to get my hands on that !!
dawginduluth
February 9th, 2012
10:06 pm
Hmmmm. Richt gets extension. And why should we expect a different outcome? Einstein called this “insanity.” Sad situation for the Bulldog Nation.
BobDawg
February 9th, 2012
10:16 pm
JB, remember at the darkest times/hottest temps steel either gets forged and becomes stronger or it breaks. At 0&2 this program finally turned the corner as DAwg in Lex stated very well with our new AD. We are in good hands now
Monkey
February 9th, 2012
10:22 pm
I think the point is to GET two SEC teams in the 4 team playoff if they are ranked in the polls high enough. Not many conferences can put two teams in the top 4 each year due to the way the scheduling is done. If a team in any conference loses early in the season then goes on a run while the team they lost to early goes undefeated it becomes more likely. Look at Oregon this year, were they that good or were they the benefactors of others falling late? LSU whipped them pretty good early , they lose to USC and beat a good Stanford team, then they watched others lose throughout the year until they were in the top 6 again. In average years they would be somewhere around 9 10 or 11 in the rankings. Look at it this way, if UGA loses to Boise, then pulls out that game against USC, they would have been ranked in the top 10 just as Oregon, probably higher, but Oregon got some major exposure on ABC on Saturday nights against USC and then wore out a weak weak UCLA team that UGA would have put 40 on the board and not allowed those 20 plus point the Ducks gave up to UCLA. It is all about perception. Look at Arkansas, they lose to Alabama early, then LSU late and they dropped late in the bowls. It is all about when you lose as much as it about how you lose. Ask OKSU, losing late to a pitiful Iowa team on National Television on Friday Night is like finding out your wife is cheating after your neighbor has shown you a video of her at a swingers club. Either way you are not getting invited to the big dance.
BobDawg
February 9th, 2012
10:35 pm
I bet ol Urb Meyer is freaking out as the Big 10 has always had the easiest path to the NC. A playoff would make them earn it like everyone else. Glad they signed “off” on it. LOL
2012 season will tell is all that we need to know
February 9th, 2012
11:10 pm
This football season will tell us all that we need to know about our program. We have the core talent and SENIOR leadership on D that maybe I have not seen in 35-40 years or more and we have some spot recruits lately that supposedly can provide depth and infuse talent in key areas and a QB from TPA (and a back up all world QB) that we were told is all world ……………..so let us tee it up. Let us play ball.
If we cannot compete with LSU or Alabama is the SEC CG then, we never will and that will be all that we need to know about CMR. The SC game is huge …………….it needs to show a turn around in that game lately. If not, then SS is a better man in his old age than CMR ever will be.
UGA man, class of 71 & 73
CasualObserver
February 9th, 2012
11:34 pm
If you think a playoff results in the crowning of the best team for a given year, just look at what the NFL playoffs gave us. The Giants sucked for most of the year, had to win their last regular season game to even get over .500, then got hot in the last month and ended up winning it all. Was a team with 7 losses really the best team in the NFL this season?
BobDawg
February 9th, 2012
11:44 pm
Great blog with really good opinions for a change. 71 & 73 this should be a fun year and I agree on that. Were you at the 1976 Bama/ UGA game in Athens? We beat them and a fan stole Bears hat as he left the sidelines. They were ranked very high that year. Athens was one big party that weekend. Bama stayed at the Holiday Inn behind the KA house and Eli the band was playing and turned the speakers around. The players has to sleep
In the hallways with all the noise. I remember Matt Robinson lining up on a goal line play behind the guard. Al Pollard our fullback moved him under center. He was pretty jacked up at the time. Too funny
RED DOG 77
February 10th, 2012
12:28 am
@DawginLex…….and JB…………Wow, you both wrote a boat-load on page one……funny, you both make good points, but may I echo the Martinez v Grantham, first job CEO doesn’t cut-it routine is dead on the money DawinLex……….I’m old enough to see that Mark Richt has grown up considerably, and will continue to do so…………As far as where we stack-up with the other members of the SEC, JB, yup, there are three that seem hell bent on winning,winning,winning……..but first off the bat, I’m proud as a UGA alum, a man like Mark Richt is in charge, thus never would he treat a kid like Nick Saban would [disgusting]……………But like DawginLex, I see our time right around the corner……….I’ve studied the “cycles” of college football for decades now, it’s a funny game, but always comes full circle…………Yea, Yea, Yea………We will have a play-off, but let’s get it over with, cause it dern sure won’t work to anyones satisfaction…………When college football decides “sportsmanship” is job #1, that’s when things will look-up imo………..This oversigning, undersigning,25 per year, early entry, gray-shirt……screw the poor kid that can be up-graded [Saban] is ruining our dear ‘ol game………Regards to you both dgd’s, RED
South Louisiana
February 10th, 2012
1:09 am
Big Crimson 75
February 9th, 2012
3:28 pm
“Not so fast my friends on that LSU to the SECCG next year……
We may have a little something to say about that!
LSU is in shambles right now….. Miles is under heat again, they are losing better juniors to the draft than we are, Russell Shepphard, Jarrett Lee & the Hebert posse are taking shots at Miles.
Plus, LSU has a big un-known @ QB next year.
This was their year & they blew it.”
Obviously what you just spewed out shows you know nothing about football. First of all LSU has 5 returning starters coming back on the OL. Mettenberger or really anyone will be an upgrade over Jefferson.
LSU basically only loses Reuben Randle on offense and all of the 4 running backs are back plus Jeremy Hill coming in. The Tigers have alot of talent at wide receiver and we have alot of players coming back on defense.
You are losing Trent who was pretty much your offense as well as losing Maze and Hanks.
You seem to have forgotten that LSU beat the Tide in 2010 and in 2011. And yes Saban did out coach Miles in New Orleans but anyone that knows anything about football knows Miles out coached Saban in November 2010 in Baton Rouge and in Tuscalooser last November.
We know it’s a bitter pill to swallow you.
This isn’t to say LSU will win next November but I like our chances with what we have coming back and what the Tide has returning,
7576DAWG
February 10th, 2012
2:11 am
Two huge proposed changes this next year will help Georgia with their special teams problem’s. First you start on the 25 instead of the 20 with a touch back. The big change is to have kick off’s start on the 35 instead of the 30 meaning there will be a lot more touch back’s. Because these are huge weaknesses for Georgia it will help big time.
Play-off college football, what a load of hogwash - We've got a Play-Off now. A 2-team Play-Off that should have been + 1 Years ago except for the Rose Bowl.
February 10th, 2012
3:12 am
Where is Mark Richt’s EXTENSION for Heavens’ sake ? And where is Todd Grantham’s EXTENSION. And, where is Mike Bobo’s pink slip ?
Where is our Special Teams' Coach, like other schools ? Our Indoor Practice Facility ? A gym so good no player would want to leave the state ?
February 10th, 2012
3:17 am
We don’t need rule changes to cover-up our issues of being the # 80 in the nation Special Teams. The issues would just show up somewhere else, if the rules changes were to take effect. And, what of the schools the 80 other schools who play Far Better Special Teams than we do ? Are they not expected to take better advantage of any Special Teams’ rules changes themselves than we yet again ? Sure they are. Sure the other teams will continue to dominate us, with a coach who is AFRAID to play our best men on Special Teams, because he never got to play as a player and he sees this as an opportunity to play guys on special teams and give them 11 of them scholarships who never play offense or defense.
NONE of this is changing. You don’t want change. What you want is a guy who is 10-4.
Thomas Brown
February 10th, 2012
3:24 am
BobDawg February 9th, 2012 11:44 pm
“Were you at the 1976 Bama/ UGA game in Athens? We beat them and a fan stole Bears hat as he left the sidelines. They were ranked very high that year. Athens was one big party that weekend. Bama stayed at the Holiday Inn behind the KA house and Eli the band was playing and turned the speakers around. The players has to sleep In the hallways with all the noise. I remember Matt Robinson lining up on a goal line play behind the guard. Al Pollard our fullback moved him under center. He was pretty jacked up at the time.”
____________________________________________________
Yeah, I was here. After the game, I went down to the locker-room. They waited a few minutes, then opened the double-doors. The reporters went in. I gravitated toward Matt Robinson’s locker. He took off his pull-away jersey # 17. He hung it on the hook. It fell. At my feet. I picked it up. Everyone talking to him. I just walked out with it. Alabama was # 1.
BobDawg
February 10th, 2012
6:45 am
TB, that was some weekend…People were camping out from Thursday night till game time on the RR tracks to keep their “seats”. (Before the endzone was closed in). I thought Bama was #1 at the time but wasn’t sure. Bear was very gracious in defeat praising the Dawgs and putting all the blame on himself as he always did….
BobDawg
February 10th, 2012
6:49 am
SOUTH LA. – why did you guys stay in the option all night against Bama in the NC??? We gave Bama the blueprint on D during our 1st half against you guys in the SECCG and with Bama having a month to prepare, not sure why your Sr. did not get in for some snaps and a change of pace , etc….
Thomas Brown
February 10th, 2012
7:31 am
Media Guide says it was # 6 UGA vs # 10 Alabama
Thomas Brown
February 10th, 2012
7:33 am
Georgia ended up # 10 AP Poll Alabama ended up # 11
Thomas Brown
February 10th, 2012
7:35 am
Matt has tried to buy the jersey from me several times
Rick S
February 10th, 2012
7:55 am
I agree it’s time the UGA Athletic Board get serious about bringing a championship qualities to the Basketball Program and do whjat is necessary to get this done. There is absolutely no reason why Georgia Basketball should ever be last in the SEC with all the talent in our state. I believe Mark Fox is the right guy to lead the program but he needs to upgrade his assistants and hire a top recruiter who knows the High School Coaches and is familar with the Atlanta AAU Program. Regarding the facilities that are in decent shape but also get the final upgrades and expansion completed to Sanford Stadium even if it needs to be budgeted in stages like Tennessee did with the rennovations to Neyland.
danny
February 10th, 2012
8:06 am
Richts contract should state that he must resign in 2 years if he hasn’t won a National Championship……which I highly doubt folks. If he can’t win a NC in the current system, there is NO WAY IN H**L he will win one in a 4 or 8 team playoff. Think about it…….If you think Mark Richt could win consecutive games against Saban, Stoops, Meyer, Miles, ETC…… then you are literally crazy
short memories
February 10th, 2012
8:14 am
As long as Richt and Bobo are at UGA I don’t really care about what the playoff format is because we won’t be in the playoff anyway. We have not beat a top twenty team for years so being a top four team is not going to happen. The gutless, balless board will continue the tradition of mediocrity and congratulating themselves about recruiting and then saying “next year could be the year”. Georgia is miles behind the elites in both coaching and recruiting. Yea we get a few prizes but the depth is nowhere close to the top tier and besides we will coach them down anyway. The yes man board at UGA needs replacing.
gbal
February 10th, 2012
8:27 am
there will always be some bubble teams that feel they get the shaft, but I am confident that using the bcs system and an 8 team playoff, the top 5-6 teams in the country will be in the field each year and they play it out and we have a true champion.
I am for the top 8 in the BCS voting system making the playoffs and not confrence champs. Want the best 8 teams in the field and confrence champs would not get you that.
IF we must do confrence champions…. there should be some stipulations….at a minimum…
6 champions plus 2 highest ranked teams can qualify.
As a champion, you must have no more than 2 losses and must be ranked in the top 8 or 10 per the BCS system. If more than 2 losses or not in top 8, your out and the next highest ranked team is in.
All confrences must have a confrence championship game.
buckeyedawg
February 10th, 2012
8:42 am
an 8 team playoff as a minimum but i like at least 16 teams.
buckeyedawg
February 10th, 2012
8:43 am
i also think each conference champion should be in the playoff
Marv
February 10th, 2012
9:01 am
UGA HAS JUST PROVED AGAIN THAT THEY ARE HAPPY JUST BEING A 2ND TIER TEAM.
KEEPING RICHT NOT DEMOTING BOBO JUST PROVES AGAIN THAT UGA IS STUCK, STUCK
BEING FOREVER 2ND TIER. THE DEFINATION OF DOING THE SAME OLD THING AND
EXPECTING DIFFERENT RESULTS; CRAZY!
TDF
February 10th, 2012
9:02 am
ugab
February 9th, 2012
5:17 pm
No one cares for your opinion, You are clearly not a UGA fan. Run along little troll.
FYI mizzou will be tough but UGA will win.
Learn something about the coaching limit too you clown. No more room for another coach.
Bazooka Joe
February 10th, 2012
9:02 am
TDF (and others) how about an 8 team playoff with the 6 conference champs plus the 2 highest ranked “at large” teams ?
TDF
February 10th, 2012
9:03 am
Stephen A.Dawg: 8,9,or 10 win seasons is the best UGA can do with Richt.
February 9th, 2012
8:12 pm
Not a real UGA fan run along little troll
TDF
February 10th, 2012
9:04 am
Jim
February 9th, 2012
8:13 pm
Well you clearly have no clue what you are talking about. Learn something then post.
TDF
February 10th, 2012
9:06 am
Bazooka Joe
February 10th, 2012
9:02 am
Dont like conf champ rule. That would allow a crappy Big east and a crappy ACC team in the playoffs. Im all for 8 team playoff with the 8 teams having to be in the top ten.
TDF
February 10th, 2012
9:07 am
dawginduluth
February 9th, 2012
10:06 pm
He got the extension to secure recruits.
TDF
February 10th, 2012
9:12 am
Where is our Special Teams’ Coach, like other schools ? Our Indoor Practice Facility ? A gym so good no player would want to leave the state ?
February 10th, 2012
3:17 am
You want a ST coach then you have to fire a position coach. No room for another one. Richt is addressing those issues and we will have a ST HC for this season. That was the main problem having 8 assitants coaching together but no one in charge of it all.
What starter would you have risked to play on ST last year with the 0 depth we had??? Stop talking about things you clearly dont understand
TDF
February 10th, 2012
9:15 am
BobDawg
February 10th, 2012
6:49 am
Les had a meltdown before the game. Players and the OC came to him saying they wanted Lee to start and play most of the game bc he gave them the best chance.
Les lost it, told his OC to find another job, and benched the players that confronted him. (starting OL and RS) So Les called the plays all night. And you could tell his players gave up on him, and made a point that they are more important than him.
TDF
February 10th, 2012
9:17 am
danny
February 10th, 2012
8:06 am
And you litterally dont know what you are talking about
TDF
February 10th, 2012
9:18 am
short memories
February 10th, 2012
8:14 am
Wow another that has no clue what they are talking about. Run along little troll you certaintly are no UGA fan.
TDF
February 10th, 2012
9:19 am
buckeyedawg
February 10th, 2012
8:43 am
Then you have a big east and ACC team that dont deserve to be there.
TDF
February 10th, 2012
9:20 am
Marv
February 10th, 2012
9:01 am
Wow yet another moron that has no clue what they are talking about. Must be the weather constantly flipping turning more and more posters into idiots.
jarvis
February 10th, 2012
9:24 am
I’ve always found it funny how the Big 10 seems to think of itself as one step down from the Ivy League.
Good state schools are just that….state schools.
jarvis
February 10th, 2012
9:26 am
@Marv, that insanity quote is so overused (and not even remotely accurate for the matter). Stop listening to the Stu’s. They are bankrupting your originality.
O'L TIRED DOG
February 10th, 2012
9:28 am
TO EACH AND EVERYONE lIKE EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD EVERYBODY HAS INPUT WITHOUT HAVING TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR POSITION. THIS IS A BLOG SIGHT SO THAT IS FINE IF YOU JUST LIKE TO SEE YOURSELF IN PRINT. YOU MUST NOT HAVE A LOT TO DO IF YOU FIND TIME (NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE) TO WRITE REGULARLY ON ANY BLOG. I AM RETIRED AND STILL HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO. MOST COMMENTS ARE NEGATIVE TELLING ME THERE A LOT OF FRUSTRATED PEOPLE IN THE WORLD.
AS TO A PLAYOFF, UNLIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE I COULDN’T MAKE A SOUND COMMENT UNTIL I HAVE ALL OF THE DETAILS. AGAING THIS IS A BLOG SO EACH COMMENT INCLUDING MINE REALLY DOESNT HAVE ANY INPUT IN THE LARGER PICTURE. I HOPE YOUR DAY IS BLESSED
TDF
February 10th, 2012
9:30 am
O’L TIRED DOG
February 10th, 2012
9:28 am
Good for you some of us have time to kill at work, thanks for your concern
CEPH
February 10th, 2012
9:37 am
Let Richt prove he can win the conference with the remainder of his contract then give him an extension. NOBODY is going to beat down the door to hire Richt so why worry!!! Isn’t it amazing that no one every approaches UGA about hiring any of their assistants? Duh, wonder if there could be a reason for that. I saw where Martinez just got fired by OK, Martinez is the typical scenario for the staff at UGA. If Richt stayed at UGA a hundred years he wouldn’t win the big one HE JUST DOESN’T HAVE IT, fans. By the way TDF, Searles was never the head recruiter, Garner was and is. He does a great job as in ten schollys left on the table. When you do this it usually takes 2-3 years to get back even with the 25 a year rule because, for every one you sign over 25 in a given year it costs you three the next year. This is the SEC rule!!!!
danny
February 10th, 2012
9:51 am
CEPH……..I am in total agreement. He doesn’t have it. If he did, we would already have one. He was the only one who couldn’t see the problem with Willie Martinez’ defense when we had Stafford, Moreno, Green on offense. Now look……it’s flipped flopped. Bobo is holding back the offense when we have a top 5 defense.
We are in desperate need of OL and he doesn’t sign 1 from the state of GA, including one who dreamed of being a bulldog his whole life. Richt just can’t put it all together.
TDF
February 10th, 2012
9:54 am
CEPH
February 10th, 2012
9:37 am
Well you clearly dont know what you are talking about one bit. Richt was contacted for a few jobs this year alone, so….. guess ppl do want him. And ppl have hired his old assitants, WM had a job but he is awful, and will land somewhere else. BVG is at AU another old assitant. Heck even Searles is employed.
He also already has a signed agreement for an extension. He got the extension so he could assure the recruits.
Searles shared many of the Head Recruiting duties during his time, particulary the evaluations of players. Which he was constantly late with, which forced us to be late with offers on kids.
You really have no clue on recruiting. Richt didnt want plan B guys out of high school. He would rather them come from JUCO, Alford and the Samoan out in Cali. they are still looking at several others as well for 2012, we arent done yet. And we didnt have a ton of schollys open since barely anyone had left the team, as well as 4 walkons earning a renewal of their schollys. At that time we only had maybe 4-5 spots left, that were for JUCOs and the early enrollees (EE) for 2013. All 3 of our commits for 2013 plan on being EE, and there are several others we should land that want to as well. We could have up to 8 I believe do EE for 2013 which would be huge.