Georgia Bulldogs: Fran Tarkenton Says It's A "Disturbing Time" At Georgia

Fran Tarkenton recently had plenty to say about the direction he feels his alma mater is headed under the guidance of head coach, Mark Richt, and it's clear that he's not impressed.

During a recent radio interview, Tarkenton unleashed hell on Richt and made it very clear that he thinks a change is overdue in Athens. The entirety of the interview can be heard here, but here are just a few of the highlights—with my commentary, of course.

When asked about his overall impression of the program, Tarkenton had this to say,

"We don’t want to look at the signs.  There are always signs out there that show us that we've got impending disaster, be it the financial crisis or the Georgia crisis or the Florida crisis or what.  We knew something before the Florida crisis didn’t we?  The guy, he had a meltdown.  His mojo was down and he recognized it, they recognized it and he got out.  They bring a great coach in Will Muschamp in, they bring in the top offensive coordinator in the world, Charlie Weis, and they are in the SEC, and here we are at Georgia. 

For the last three years our program has been god-awful.  Our schedule, we play two sisters of the poor every year.  We play Kentucky and Vanderbilt that aren’t true SEC teams and then we play Georgia Tech that is not going to have the talent we have.  That is five times we play every year that we are much better than our opponents—doesn’t mean we're gonna win em' all."

While it seems unfair to dismiss the evolution of Kentucky football, Tarkenton isn't saying anything that any other SEC fan wouldn't say—teams expect to beat Vanderbilt and Kentucky every year. Those are supposed to be wins, regardless to how hard either of those teams fight on the football field. Most years, Georgia should come out on top of that match-up. Yet, we have come to view those games as potential losses—is that okay?

Tarkenton also had this to say about Richt's statement that he was now "freed up" for giving more of his attention to the game of football,

"...What has he been doing for nine years? I have never heard of any college, high school, professional coach that ever said that I was not able to spend enough time on football.  I had other issues."

I must admit, I had a similar response. Although I was more focused on what that statement meant in regards to 2010. It's a valid question to ask and Tarkenton lays it on as to why he felt it was a poor choice of words coming from Richt,

"...it sounds like a cop-out!  It sounds like I'm not going to take responsibility.  I have other things.  We hire people to be football coaches.  We pay him and others millions of dollars to be football coaches not to be administrators.  He didn’t do a very good job there...Mark and everybody is a wonderful guy and he is a wonderful guy.  He is a good Christian guy.  He wants to be a missionary.  He goes on missions.  That is a wonderful thing but do you know the religion of Nick Saban?  Or Gus Malzahn?  Or Chip Kelly playing for the national championship?  I don’t think we care what their religion.  We hire them to be football coaches.  If we are hiring religious instructors, let’s go to the Campbell School of Theology over here in Decatur and get some of their people to come and coach our football team."

Ouch, Fran, tell us how you really feel.

Richt is both praised and persecuted for being the kind of coach who seems more passionate about spreading his beliefs than coaching his football players. How many times have you heard he's "too nice" to win a championship? Too soft? Too passive? Too...much not like Nick Saban or Urban Meyer?

It's a common refrain and the voices singing it have grown louder and louder over the last three-years.

To top it off, Tarkenton had this to say about Richt's inability to make changes in the strength program until now,

"...Every person, every scout, all of the combine people that train/workout all of these college athletes have told me for the last five or six years, the Georgia football players are not in anywhere near the condition that the rest of the players from all of the other schools, they didn’t say they ranked second or third, they say they ranked dead last.  Why couldn’t this coach recognize that before now?  Before disaster happens?"  

Again, good question. One that most attribute to loyalty and not ignorance. Either way, it's a problem that Richt has proven to have—in spades—and one that isn't likely to change in 2011.

It's probably safe to assume that we won't be seeing Tarkenton on the sidelines of a Georgia football game anytime soon, but you have to admit, his questions and statements have validity—even if they lack a bit of tact.

What say you?

Georgia Football: Are Expectations For 2011 Already Too High?

Once Urban Meyer stepped down at Florida, coach Richt became target 'numero uno' for where the SEC East will trend in 2011. Bloggers and sports journalists alike let it be known that Richt now has zero excuses for not winning the SEC East next season.

Well, let this site be one of the first to say that Urban Meyer's resignation means nothing beyond having a new coach to hate in Gainesville—hello, Will.

Aside from that, Georgia has as much chance of winning the East as South Carolina or Tennessee. All three teams have the ability to beat each other and all of them are likely to be as good, if not better, than they were in 2010—particularly Tennessee. So, it seems premature to start anointing Georgia based on a hunch when there are still a plethora of questions to be answered.

Let's jump into a few:

1. Will the 3-4 be better?

Todd Grantham needs a nose—bad.

Kwame Geathers is the man whom many feel has the size and talent to step into that role in 2011. However, can he sustain the focus and the conditioning necessary to be successful over the course of a season?

If not, does Georgia have enough faith in Mike Thornton (a player who has loads of talent, but is too small for the position) to entrust him with the most important role in the defensive scheme?

As of now, Grantham is hoping to sign one true nose in the 2011 class—possibly out of the JUCO ranks—but that is not etched in stone. 

Even more, if the Bulldogs can find the right man for the job, who will take over the space that Justin Houston leaves if he opts for the NFL? 19.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks is a hard thing to replace—who can step into that role? Will T.J. Stripling be ready?

2. Who will step up at running back?

Neither Caleb King, nor Washaun Ealey performed consistently enough to feel confident about them in 2011.

Ealey rebounded a bit after the Kentucky game, but his early season struggles with ball protection, coupled with his behavioral issues off the field, haven't given much reason for the Dawg faithful to feel good about him going forward. Add to that, Caleb King has yet to realize his potential either.

The once, highly-touted, in-state prospect has been, for the most part, a disappointment. He's shown flashes of greatness, but nothing sustained.

Georgia will need a back who can be productive and consistent next season—particularly with A.J. Green likely gone—if Aaron Murray is to continue his rise.

3. Will another wide receiver step up?

Marlon Brown, Israel Troupe, Rantavious Wooten, and Tavarres King have all shown their capabilities at one time. However, none have fulfilled their promise.

Murray will be looking for new targets next season, and he will look to one of the above-mentioned four to bring their A-game to the field—will they FINALLY do so? If they don't, there won't be much dimension to the passing game and you can't expect Orson Charles to do it all.

This is definitely a scary area of concern entering 2011—Georgia is going to be painfully thin—as there is no clear-cut playmaker amongst those who are likely to remain.  

4. Will the changes in strength and conditioning be a key factor?

Georgia lost a lot of games on line play this season. Neither the offensive or defensive lines were tough enough, strong enough, or conditioned enough to be a factor during the fourth quarter. New strength coach, Joe Tereshinski, has assured the Bulldog faithful that this will not be the case in the future—hope to heck he's right.

The new staff should be in place by spring and it will be interesting to see the direction this program goes in post Van Halanger.

5. How will recruiting pan out?

If Mark Richt closes with the class he's gunning for (Jay Rome, Ray Drew, Damian Swann, Isaiah Crowell, Xzavier Dickson, etc.), then Georgia has a real good shot at making noise next season. But, if they get only half of those guys—and one of them isn't named 'Isaiah Crowell'—forget it.

The 2011 class will have just as much of an impact on next season goes as anything else. The Dawgs have to close strong and they have to get the blue chips on their list if they expect to do well in 2011—period.

Conclusion:

Don't for one second get comfortable believing that Georgia is about to run all over the East next year. There are simply too many factors that need to come together before that has a chance of happening.

Will Muschamp To Replace Urban Meyer As Head Coach At Florida

Mack Brown won't have to worry about Will Muschamp's shadow any longer. The longtime defensive assistant is returning to the SEC.

The former Georgia Bulldog alumnus will step into the big shoes of Urban Meyer to coach at his alma mater's most hated division rival—the Florida Gators.

The hire is a great 'get' for Florida athletic director, Jeremy Foley, as Muschamp's name has been on the short list of many big jobs over the last several years and his ability to develop great defenses is well-known—particularly in the south where he worked at both Auburn and LSU.

That said, his arrival in Gainesville will come as a surprise to the many who believed that Bob Stoops was already signed, sealed, and about to be delivered. As early as this morning, Stoops was the man whom many felt was AD, Jeremy Foley's first choice—not Dan Mullen (Mississippi St) or Bobby Petrino (Arkansas).

Stoops would later deny the story as rumor, and it wasn't long before Muschamp's name was replacing Stoops' as the newest possibility.

The one sticking point appeared to be his desire to leave the Texas Longhorns. Many felt he was the heir apparent to Mack Brown's position—whenever the popular coach decided to hang up his headset—if he were patient. Muschamp was named head-coach-in-waiting in 2008 and was being paid handsomely for his defensive services ($900,000/year).

However, after the Longhorns finished the 2010 season with a 5-7 and without a bowl bid, being in Austin might have become a lot more heated than in recent years—especially given the heavy backslide the defense took this year.

Whatever the reason for Muschamp's decision to leave, if you're a Florida fan, you have to feel very good about the success he's had in the SEC—particularly in molding defenses.

Urban Meyer pulled in the top ranked defensive unit in the country last season and now Muschamp will have the opportunity to mold those players into the top-tier talent they are destined to become. He's a guy who will be fierce on the recruiting trail, phenomenal on the sidelines, and has just enough SEC experience to make something happen almost as soon as he touches ground.

That said, what's Texas to do next? They've lost both their defensive coordinator and their, assumed, next head coach. Is Muschamp's exit the beginning of some major changes in Austin or is this just a great assistant making his move sooner, rather than later?

In either case, it will be interesting to see what happens next in Austin. As for Florida, it's simply business as usual.

Related articles

• AP Source: Muschamp to Be Head Coach at Florida (nytimes.com)
• Florida Gators hires Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp (sports.espn.go.com)

Urban Meyer Resigns—Can We Believe Him This Time?

There are multiple reports that Urban Meyer will step down following the Florida Gators bowl game—a press conference is scheduled for later on this evening.

Does anyone else get the feeling that Meyer is just having another attack? Honestly, why bother stepping down now? The best time to have done so was last season, after his star quarterback graduated.

Now, once again, he looks suspect in doing so just as recruits are being contacted and, possibly, shored up—leaving his team and the Gators' football program in a lurch.

This, of course, assumes that he will actually follow through with his decision this time—forgive the skepticism, but I'll believe it when I see it.

That said, it's amazing what a mediocre season will do to a guy.

Urban probably isn't used to being questioned, doubted, criticized, or placed under the media microscope in a negative manner. He's been college football's golden boy for so long that the only spotlight he's used to having exists in the positive sphere.

Now, suddenly, people are saying he's lost his winning edge and is guilty of showing too much loyalty to his assistant coach (i.e. Steve Adazzio). Couple that with multiple losses to teams he's dominated (Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Florida State) and you have to wonder if he feels he's done all he can do at Florida.

Honestly, it was only a matter of time before Meyer's winning ways turned into rebuilding ones. You can't lose top-tier talent and assistant coaches each year and expect to maintain the same level of excellence. It's a ridiculous proposition to present to a guy—even Meyer.

On the flip side, another question does come to mind, is he simply tired of the college grind and ready to see what he can do at the next level. Could the NFL be calling? After all, there are plenty of teams that could use his talents and he won't have to look far to find one in particular—Denver.

Tim Tebow will likely be meeting a new quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator in the near future. Would Meyer be interested?

Whatever the case may be, Florida is once again looking for answers, and it will be very interesting to see who AD Jeremy Foley finds to fill this gigantic void.

That said, if this simply turns out to be another hoax, you can bet not many will find Meyer's indecision comical or professional—unless of course their name is Brett Favre. In which case, this is just the beginning of the rollercoaster ride.

Related articles

• Urban Meyer steps down as Florida Gators football coach (sportingnews.com)
• Urban Meyer stepping down at Florida Gators (sports.espn.go.com)
• Urban Meyer Resigns As Gators Head Coach (newyork.cbslocal.com)

Urban Meyer Says He "Had Oregon Ranked No. 1 For Quite Some Time"

There was a collective head-scratch when people found out that Urban Meyer was the ONLY SEC head coach who did not rank the Auburn Tigers No. 1. Some perceived it as sour grapes—Meyer was just mad that Auburn was winning with his cast-off quarterback.

While others didn't feel Urban needed to make any explanation at all. He had his vote, he used it on Oregon—it is what it is.

Well, Urban Meyer finally let the world know exactly why he dismissed Auburn in favor of Oregon, here's what Meyer had to say about his decision not to vote Auburn No. 1:

"It could have been 1A, 1B,'' Meyer said. "I watched that SEC Championship game and to say they are not the best team in America would be incorrect. I have not watched Oregon as much, earlier in the year I did. I've had Oregon ranked No. 1 for quite some time now. And it's just like when we were up there in the rankings _ unless you deserve to lose that ranking _ that's no disrespect to Auburn obviously. But it's 1A, 1B in my mind. I just had Oregon No. 1 for a longer period of time.''

Okay, Urban...whatever you say, buddy.

Florida State Whups Up On Florida As N.C. State Coughs Up The Atlantic

Just one year removed from the changing of the guard in Tallahassee, the Jimbo Fisher era has begun with a trip to the ACC Championship game in December—after a little help from Maryland.

The Seminoles would have been plenty satisfied with a win over the Florida Gators. Urban Meyer has gotten the better of this series over the last six years—winning six-straight. So, there was plenty of motivation entering this game, even without knowing what was happening in College Park.

The game itself got off to an inauspicious start as Florida took the lead early on a 20-yard toss by John Brantley to Robert Clark—7-3 Gators. For at least a half-minute it seemed the Florida dominance would continue. However, what wasn't known was that this would be the last time Florida would sniff the end zone.

Florida State regrouped and started to remember that they were, at least today, the better team on the football field. They had no need to feel intimidated by this Tim Tebow-less team, with it's Charlie Strong-less defense, and it's total lack of consistency at quarterback—three guys, Urban, really?

The Seminoles went on to score 21-points in the second quarter and never looked back, winning the game 31-7, and reclaiming the state of Florida's swagger—at least for this year.

Even better, the epic collapse of the, Russell Wilson led, North Carolina State Wolfpack in their game against Maryland, assured the Noles' a spot in the ACC Championship Game.

It was a good night for Jimbo Fisher and his young football team. Somewhere you have to wonder if Bobby Bowden is smiling—just a thought.

Cam-Gate: It's All One Big Conspiracy Courtesy of...Urban Meyer?

This has turned into quite the soap opera.

Today, Urban Meyer, the head coach of the Florida Gators was forced to make an outright denial of claims that he is the man behind the leaked academic cheating information that has been alleged against Cam Newton.

Said Meyer, "For anyone to think that I or anyone on our staff may have leaked information about private student records to the media doesn't know us very well. It's a ridiculous claim and simply not true."

(forgive us, Urban, but when you play miscreants like Chris Rainey, people are bound to question your ethics at some point—just putting that out there).

The reason for the big hub bub, a FoxSports.com article written by the, oft-wrong, Thayer Evans who states that an unnamed source relayed a story that makes Cam Newton look like a less than honorable character. Making matters worse Newton's own father won't even vouch for him on the claim, saying only "I wasn’t there...I cannot confirm or deny. At a time like this, I’m taking a defensive posture."


Well, isn't that just peachy?


Then came this tweet from Bill "Bubba" Bussey of the, Alabama-based,  Rick and Bubba Show, tweet:

He later would recant the tweet saying that it "did not come from the source I thought it did" and asking that people just dismiss it as "rumor". Well, that's all fine and good, but, why bother stating something like that if you don't have it properly sourced?

Just saying.


In other news, Gregg Doyel is no longer welcome at any Gator tailgate parties after writing this inflammatory piece that all but outright accuses the University of Florida for being the catalyst behind all of Cam Newton's recent problems.

Says Doyel,

"...this smear job now has escalated to the point where Florida isn't even pretending to stay out of it. It's no coincidence that Bond's "information"—which he shared almost 10 months ago with Mississippi State—is coming out now that Florida has fallen by the wayside while Auburn has surged to No. 2 in the BCS. Even before the latest academic allegations came out, Meyer was said to be in the middle of the Bond-Newton saga."

Ouch...guess Doyel isn't worried about what Meyer can do to him—he should have a chat with Jeremy Fowler. 

Either way, this whole thing gets funnier by the minute—at least for those who could give a flip about Florida or Urban Meyer. It's like watching a train wreck...in slow motion...and HD.

Wonder if any one will come through the wreckage with their reputations intact?

As for Meyer, well, aside from denying culpability, he's getting his team ready to play the Gamecocks this Saturday. A team that, should they beat them, will grant them an easy trip to play Cam Newton and Auburn in Atlanta for the SEC Championship.

Hey, wait a minute...ya think...nah, never mind. 

Georgia Bulldogs Football: Jeez, You'd Think Todd Grantham Choked Urban Meyer

Okay, we've officially heard enough about the whole Todd Grantham "choke" signal to Florida Gator kicker, Chas Henry. So, this post won't lengthen the controversy any further by rehashing the whole furor and analyzing it to death.

That said, you have to ask yourself the question: why is everyone so mad? Seriously, why the hate and lashing of Georgia's defensive coordinator for being in the moment and expressing what everyone else was secretly thinking: "miss it, dammit, miss it". It seems like a whole lot of nothing and if some Florida network had not decided to share it with the world, would we know? Would we care?

No doubt there are many coaches who are as animated as Grantham and, no doubt there are many of them who have, in the heat of the moment, said or made a gesture towards the other side that no one cared for but, unless you were there, you likely didn't know about it.

The funny thing about all of this is everytime Georgia plays Florida now, people are looking for some way to stick Georgia with some kind of negative. If it's not dancing in the end zone, then it's allegations of a dirty player (Washaun Ealey) provoking eye-gouges from defensive players.

No one seemed all that upset when Urban Meyer took multiple timeouts at the end of the blowout game in 2007 or, as "The Senator" points out, did the Gator chomp toward Georgia Bulldog fans as he ran off the field this past Saturday.

Get over yourselves!

Was what Todd Grantham did wrong? Yes, he should be more careful how he expresses some of his emotions. However, to act like he actually did choke somebody on the field is comical—he was caught up in the moment and made a mistake—period.

Honestly, you can't please the haters. Either they are jumping on Mark Richt for not having enough emotion or not enough—go figure.

Related articles

• Todd Grantham, Chas Henry, and the Controversy at the End of the Georgia-Florida Game (dawgsports.com)
• Georgia assistant seems to give Gators choke sign (washingtonpost.com)
• Richt says Grantham not proud of gesture (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Georgia Bulldogs Football: The Secondary Needs To Tighten Up Before Facing Florida

As Georgia fans bask in the glory that is a satisfying three-game winning streak, it seems only fitting to throw some water on those flames of confidence by mentioning one teeny, tiny, miniscule, little detail: the secondary did not play well last night.

For all the domination the front seven seemed to exact on the young, inexperienced, offensive line of the Kentucky Wildcats, the secondary still managed to give up way too many big plays on third-and-long, and there were far too many occasions of receivers getting behind Georgia's defensive backs for big gainers after the catch.

There was no excuse for the 353-yards that was given up to Mike Hartline—minus Derrick Locke and with little help from Randall Cobb.

Chris Matthews and La'Rod King absolutely killed Georgia. Combined, the two tallied 7 catches, 171-yards, and 3 touchdowns. That's too much freedom for comfort, and Georgia is going to have to address that problem—Vance Cuff, in particular, looks like he may need more coverage help.

Cuff was caught lunging on more than one occasion as a Kentucky receiver was able to get behind him for a catch and score. Cuff, obviously, was in need of more help from the safeties because, on an island, he was burned all day.

That said, it seems fair to mention that Kentucky has a plethora of talent at wide receiver, most of them big, most of them physical, but Georgia has to find a way to maximize the skills of their defensive backs when facing a more physical receiver. This is not a new issue, Georgia has had problems with big receivers all season.

Alshon Jeffery of South Carolina (7 receptions for 103-yards), Greg Childs of Arkansas (3 receptions for 82-yards), and Justin Hunter of Tennessee (4 receptions for 110-yards) all had some of their biggest games of the season against Georgia.

Florida may be reeling right now, but the Bulldogs don't need to give the Gators any glaring holes to trample through. Remember, the Bulldogs were on a four-game losing streak of their own before finally getting back on track—don't underestimate the motivation of Urban Meyer where his Florida Gators are concerned.

This is a match-up where the "better" team isn't necessarily the one that wins.

The secondary needs to find a better way of working together to contain both the receivers and the quarterback. Last night, Mike Hartline found too many easy passing lanes to throw the ball through and that's not what you'd like to see. Granted, Hartline is a much better quarterback this season than he has been in years past, but consistency must be found somehow if Georgia intends to finish strong.

Georgia Bulldogs Football: Washaun Ealey Leads The Way In 44-31 Win Over Kentucky

The Georgia Bulldogs went into Lexington with one goal: run it down their throats—period. It was a plan that worked to utter perfection as Georgia QB, Aaron Murray, barely broke a sweat (9/12 for 113-yards) in allowing Washaun Ealey to do all the dirty work for the offense.

Ealey led the charge in Georgia's 44-31 defeat of the Kentucky Wildcats, running for 157-yards and five touchdowns on 28 carries (5.6 ypc).  He became the first Bulldog running back to do so since Robert Edwards did so against South Carolina.

The game was all Georgia from the start, as they ran out to a 28-10 lead, by halftime, on the strength of a 100-yard return by Brandon Boykin, three rushing touchdowns by Washaun Ealey, and three Kentucky turnovers (all fumbles).

Add to that, the immediately noticeable pass-rush offered by a determined Justin Houston (who finished with three sacks), and you have a Bulldog team that continued to roll for the third straight week.

With the win, the Bulldogs move to 4-4 overall and 3-3 in the SEC (2nd to South Carolina).

The stat of the game is 423-yards. That's the total yards given up by the Georgia defense tonight—353-yards of which came through the air. The secondary will need to tighten up before next week's match-up with Urban Meyer's Gators who, reeling themselves, will be looking for any advantage they can find against this, suddenly, surging Georgia defense that has been so stingy against the run.

But, for the night, Georgia fans can rejoice in being a .500 football team. Something that seemed improbable just three-weeks ago.

Is Reggie Bush Kidding or Delusional—The Lady's Friday Links (9/17)

Reggie Bush returned his 2005 Heisman trophy to the Heisman Trophy Trust on yesterday. The former USC running back stated that: “It’s definitely not an admission of guilt. It’s me showing my respect to the Heisman Trophy and to the people who come before me and the people who come after me. You’re going to keep hearing the same thing because that’s what it is. It’s not an admission of guilt it’s me feeling like this is the best thing for me and the Heisman Trust right now.” Awww, isn't that special, Reggie is finally thinking of someone other than himself. Seriously, if he doesn't think he did anything wrong, why bother returning the trophy in the first place? Not inclined to buy that he's suddenly become enlightened about the situation, despite what he says.

Are Alabama and Oregon heading for disappointment in week three?...Doubtful, but I guess the story makes for good copy. On the other hand, that Tennessee over Florida pick makes perfect sense—just saying.

Isaiah Crowell is skipping his visit to the University of Georgia football game this Saturday, but the AJC assures that this is nothing to be worried about, if you're a Georgia Bulldog fan.

Speaking of the Georgia Bulldogs, wide receiver A.J. Green will be heard by the NCAA at some point today. The junior is currently serving a four-game suspension for selling his bowl game jersey. UGA hopes that his suspension is reduced and he will be allowed to play with the team on tomorrow—don't hold your breath.

After a few stellar performances, Michigan phenom, Denard Robinson, is already being analyzed as a future NFL prospect. It may be a little too early for the Michael Vick comparisons, but I guess the college football world needs something to hang onto right now.

Florida hasn't been impressive this season, thus far, so I suppose that gives writers an opportunity to turn their attention to the other things about Urban Meyer's program that is worthy of mention...like whether or not he's running a "dirty program" in Gainesville. Wow. what a difference a Tebow-less team makes. 

If you have been impressed by the performance of the Kentucky Wildcats, under new coach Joker Phillps, so far this season, then this writer has a little bit of reality to impart about just how good the Wildcats really are—don't get your hopes up. 

Tulane head coach isn't saying it's okay that his team lost to Ole Miss last weekend, but he is able to find the silver-lining—it wasn't like they were blown out by the Rebels (they lost 27-13). Said Bob Toledo, "“That’s the first time I’ve seen our offensive line run off the ball and knock people back...we were more physical in that game than we’ve been in four years since I’ve been here. Our physicality on both sides of the line impressed me.” No offense to the Green Wave but, Ole Miss is looking less and less impressive by the day.

This writer thinks the SEC East is the weaker of the two divisions this season (due mostly to Florida's offensive losses). Hmmm, that's funny, I don't recall one of the Eastern Division teams losing to it's I-AA opponent—just saying.

Middle Tennessee State will get their prized quarterback/running back, Dwight Dasher back in time to play conference power, Troy, on October 5th. Dasher was suspended for four-games due to accepting an impermissible loan of $1500.

I'll tell you this much, Bruce Pearl (Head Basketball Coach at Tennessee) has one hell of an agent. Despite his recent admission of guilt, Tennessee may not be able to terminate his contract. Man, that AD over in Knoxville has a way of getting screwed by his head coaches—didn't Kiffin get away free as a bird with a menial buyout? I think they need a new overseer in that department because the current one is not exactly top-notch.

Cool videos of the week—the SEC is well-represented.



That Beano Cook cracks me up! Do they actually pay him for his analysis or what?



Georgia has turnover issues?...What games has this guy been watching?

Bobby Bowden Wanted One More Year, FSU Didn't (VIDEO)

Bobby Bowden talks, briefly, about the situation the FSU administration put him in at the end of the 2009 season. Apparently he made it clear that he wanted one more year, but the university was ready to move on—much to his disappointment.

Bowden doesn't bash FSU and says he will still keep up with the team this season—from a distance. The former coach won't be at a loss for places to watch a game in 2010 as Mark Richt (Georgia), Urban Meyer (Florida), and Joe Paterno (Penn State) have all invited him to come and watch games at their respective universities.

He also discusses his new book, Called to Coach, written by Mark Schlabach (a former Georgia grad and current ESPN college football analyst).

Bowden appears to be handling all of his free time fairly well but it will be odd not seeing him walk
the sidelines in Tallahassee this season. He is truly one of the best there ever was in college football.

Urban Meyer Looks To Curb The ebay Trolls—Good Luck

Urban Meyer decided to lay the smack down on those who might be seeking to get rich off the current popularity of his Florida Gators football team.

The prickly coach recently announced that practices would be closed to the fans this summer so that his players could concentrate on football and not have to deal with the pesky autograph hounds who intend to sell their wares on ebay.

Said Urban, "...you walk across and people just maul you and bother you and Internet people grabbing helmets, 'Sign this,' and we don't have security saying, 'Get the heck out of here.' You'll see a lot more 'get the heck out of here' from now on and let the kids go practice and concentrate on football." (ESPN, 8/8/2010).

"Internet people"?...that's a lovely choice of words, Urban—is that like some weird cult or something? It sure sounds scary...should we all be on the lookout for this treacherous group of people or what? Just want to know if I should hide the kids.

Anyway, I guess he's grown a little tired of all the extra attention that comes from putting his players on display. A curious thought when you consider he pimped the heck out of his last star player (ahem, Tim Tebow, cough, cough—promise speech) and his own little Brett Favre moment when he both retired and unretired within a span of 48-hours.

He turned that unnecessary spectacle into one heckuva recruiting haul for 2010.

In all seriousness, though, I can understand Urban's problem with the "Internet people" who are looking to make a quick buck off a hot signature but, the player doesn't have to sign the item—does he? I mean, surely the Gators can afford to hire some security to keep the blood hounds at bay, right?... Just a question.

Urban isn't breaking the mold by closing practices. Many coaches decide to shut out the media and the casual viewer and no one makes a big fuss about it, so, why did he have to come out and make a big spectacle of himself by throwing all those adjectives around?

It sounds to me like he just bought another ticket to drama-ville by calling out the ebay trolls and "Internet people". Good luck keeping them at bay now, Urban, you just made the value of those autographs go up by making them so much harder to get—tsk...tsk...tsk.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Urban Meyer Has Had It With "Internet People," "Scumbags," and Crowds [Urban Meyer Vs Internet People] (deadspin.com)

USC RB Dillon Baxter Should Not Escape Punishment For His Statements

Dillon Baxter (pictured far left), the highly-touted running back out of San Diego, has remained free of any of the negativity surrounding the circus that he is partly responsible for starting.

Just shy of a month ago, the five-star product who was heavily courted by the likes of Florida, Michigan, UCLA, and Oregon stated that he was contacted illegally by some heavy-hitters in the BCS. Those heavy-hitters turned out to, allegedly, be Florida, Fresno State, Alabama, Washington, and Oregon.

The accusation set off a frenzy as many called into question why those schools would have acted so carelessly in going after a kid who was already signed elsewhere. After all, the sanctions that hit USC weren't going to effect their incoming talent, just the juniors and seniors on their roster—by all accounts—Baxter was untouchable.

Of course, the accusations were followed by denials across the board by most every one of the accused schools—all firmly stating that Baxter had not been contacted by anyone inside their program. 

That said, it was already difficult to believe that Nick Saban, Chip Kelly, or Urban Meyer would  blatantly dismiss such a clear violation of the NCAA regulations.

It seemed fishy to me at the time.

True to form, the plot thickened a day or two later when Baxter told ESPN reporter, Joe Schad, that he  lost his cell phone and could not produce any visual proof of contact.

Really? You have a chance to embarrass several big name schools, stick it to a couple of your current school's rivals, and make your head coach look like a choir boy—for a change—and you conveniently lose the one piece of evidence that would have done it?...Okay...sure, I'll buy that.

Not! If I'm Lane Kiffin or Mike Garrett, Baxter's story ends right then and there because there is little hope of a positive ending for USC.

Even still, AD Mike Garrett, took Baxter at his word and wagged a disapproving finger at the five schools that, allegedly, made contact.

Fast forward to the here and now and, again, the Trojans look like the back side of a horse's patoot—sending apologies to those same schools for making false accusations. The immediate consequence has been more calls for AD Mike Garrett to step down or be fired. He was already in hot water after the sanctions but this latest guffaw makes him look incompetent.

Clearly, he should have done more homework before lofting grenades at other programs. He never seemed to even consider the possibility that Baxter was lying. After all, Baxter never met a microphone or a camera he didn't like. He's a flashy young man and could very well have just been doing a bit of posturing for the cameras—unaware of the power of his words at this level.

In any case, Garrett should have known better and the calls for his head are valid.

However, what becomes of Dillon Baxter? Clearly, there needs to be further investigation into his actions as well. Was he outright lying at the time of his statements or was there actually contact? At least one publication, GatorCountry.com, is stating that Baxter was the one who made contact with Florida—not the other way around. If that's true, doesn't that mean that Baxter is in for a little wrist-slapping from the NCAA as well?

Dez Bryant was suspended last season for lying to the NCAA about his relationship with former NFL pro, Deion Sanders—that lie cost him, essentially, his entire year.

Granted, Baxter's actions are different but, a lie is a lie, right?

NCAA Bylaw 10.1 addresses "unethical conduct" and specifically regards ""Knowingly furnishing the NCAA or the individual's institution false or misleading information concerning the individual's involvement in or knowledge of matters relevant to a possible violation of an NCAA regulation." as "unethical". Such an infraction warrants a suspension of said player by the NCAA.

With that in mind, will we see the spotlight turn towards Baxter's statements next?

Somehow, it just doesn't seem like this is the end of the story and that means more scrutiny for the Trojans.

The SEC East Could Crown A New Champ in 2010—Will It Be Georgia?

"In the SEC, Florida will also go through a transition period as Tim Tebow can no longer be the savior. A number of other seniors from last year have moved on up as well. LSU should be ready for a rebound, but maybe not a BCS-type rebound while sportsbook odds makers probably won’t consider Georgia much of a BCS threat unless a quarterback quickly emerges." (FootballGamblingFreaks.com, 6/23/10). 


I read this statement and nearly laughed out loud as it's comical to me how much goodwill a national title grants you. Aaron Murray's inexperience aside, neither Florida nor LSU have a bonafide answer at quarterback in 2010.

John Brantley hasn't proven himself in an SEC contest—yet. The appearances he can tout to the Florida faithful amount to "garbage-time" blow-outs left for his pleasure by Tim Tebow. Not to mention, Florida lost more than half its offense to the NFL. Bye-bye Aaron Hernandez. Sayonara, Riley Cooper—so sad to see you go.

Furthermore, it matters little how phenomenal that 2010 signing class was, defensively, those guys haven't done a thing yet. Add to that, the man behind the plan—Charlie Strong—changed zip codes. If you don't think that matters—you are nuts.

So, when people just hand the SEC East over to the Gators simply because Urban Meyer is their coach and they've won it before, I find myself pausing a bit for station identification because—seriously—even Florida is bound to come back to earth a bit this season and that could mean a shift in the powers that be.

As for LSU, Jarret Lee and Jordan Jefferson combined make up one-half of a decent quarterback for the Tigers. LSU may have beaten Georgia last season but they too have lost a very significant chunk of their offensive production—including every significant carry in their running back corp.

In the West this year, it will be all about AAA—Alabama, Auburn, and Arkansas—LSU will not rebound nearly as well as most believe and that will have a lot to do with the lack of a running game to offset their schizophrenic production at quarterback.

In the East, South Carolina is a feared commodity but, honestly, until I see Steve Spurrier giving more love to his quarterback, no team in the conference should be skeered' of what he's bringing to the field. He's been shaky for the better part of his career and this offseason is showing that those shaky ways are far from over. I can't wait to see how he handles the expectations that have been placed on him this season—something that, prior to now, he hasn't truly had to deal with.

Either way, no matter what South Carolina does against Georgia, they will not win the East—there I said it. They have never won the SEC, have never had an opportunity to try, and without a running game they are no closer to doing either than the were ten-years ago.

South Carolina is cocky—not good. They are a .500 team wanting to be better and that will remain the case no matter what happens in Columbia this season.

Which brings me back to the original reason for this diatribe, this is a new season and there isn't a team in the SEC East that can boast enough experience at every spot to say they can or will win the division. 2010 is a crapshoot—despite what Dennis Dodd has to say.

Georgia may not have a proven quarterback when the first whistle blows but here's my no-holds take on the teams in the East who supposedly will:

John Brantley: He'll have time behind that line but who is he going to throw it to...no, really...who? There's not a receiver returning who will have any significant history of making an impact. Plus, other than Tebow, have the Gators really tried establishing a run-game? This IS the SEC, right? At some point, that cute little spread Urban runs will need some tweaking.

Stephen Garcia: Georgia helped make him relevant in 2009 but he's not done enough to warrant  much respect. After all, he's barely important to his own team so why should anyone else in the East care? Just saying...

Larry Smith: He and Warren Norman will be about as relevant as Rafael Belliard was for the Atlanta Braves—pity.

Matt Simms: Unless Tennessee is going to do something about their lack of an offensive line, running game, or defensive playmaker, no one will be worried about Simms leading the Vols anywhere—particularly not to another big win over Georgia in Sanford Stadium.

Kentucky: I intentionally failed to name their quarterback because, no matter who it is, he'll be irrelevant. Georgia did what no other SEC team could last season—make Morgan Newton look good. That lightning won't strike twice—trust me.

If Georgia plays even a modicum better in the secondary this season, they have a better than average shot of winning the East—not competing for it—winning. That's a fact.

So, all the disrespect they have gotten based on the nightmare defensive woes of last season need to go precisely where they make the most sense—the trash can—because this is a new team with a new plan. It's time people start to recognize that point and give Mark Richt and company something that only Phil Steele seems to want to—r-e-s-p-e-c-t.

73 days and counting, Dawg fans, are you ready to sic' em yet?

With Pac-10 Prestige, The Utes Finally Have The Chance To Prove Their BCS Worth

The Utah Utes are the beneficiaries of the ‘Texas Two-Step’.

At this time last week, the Longhorns, along with several other teams, were on the minds of every college football pundit, fan, and journalist in the nation as they were rumored to be leaving the Big 12 .

However, the dream of a Pac-16 was left flailing in the wind by a last-minute offer by Dan Beebe—saving the Big 12 (now the Big 10?) and leaving the Pac looking for a 12th man to fill the void.

Colorado was already on board, but the Pac-10 needed a team that would not only make sense from a location standpoint, but could possibly offer a natural rivalry for Colorado.

Enter the Utah Utes.

Utah has been on the football scene, nationally, since 2003 when Urban Meyer led them to a 10-3 record. Prior to that point, they were mostly known for their success in both basketball, under coach Rick Majerus, and gymnastics (they have won 10 national titles playing as an independent).

Now they will get the BCS respect they have been yearning for since finishing undefeated in 2004.

The move was a no-brainer for the Utes. The Pac-10 offers more exposure and a bigger paycheck than the non-BCS Mountain West (they stand to see a television revenue bump of about $7-8 million dollars per season). Even still, the question remains as to what will become of their rivalry with Brigham Young University (BYU)? The ‘Holy War’ between the two football teams has been played yearly since 1890 and has a ton of old tradition and passion behind it among both fanbases.

Will it continue or be scrapped or will the two programs continue to meet on the gridiron?

How will Utah fare in their new conference? Well, that’s anyone’s guess.  The Utes have had success in the Pac-10 over the last five-years but they haven’t played the powers of the conference—most of their wins, since 2005, have come against the bottom-tiered teams in the conference (Arizona, UCLA, and Oregon State). They have not played Cal, USC, or Stanford under current coach, Kyle Whittingham.

Even still, it’s a step in the right direction for a program that hasn’t been given a shot to show and prove and all eyes will be on them to see just how real they truly are.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Utah Accepts Invitation to Join Pac-10 (nytimes.com)