In today’s column:

1.  Expanding instant replay in college basketball
2.  A much-needed rule change
3.  Keeping an out-of-the-race team motivated
4.  An SEC bias against Memphis



More instant replay for college basketball?

The ball bounced off the officials head as he ducked, causing him to miss seeing a player step out-of-bounds in the Tennessee-LSU game.

The ball appeared to be in the cylinder when a South Carolina player tipped in a game-winning shot against Alabama.

A Florida player took three steps as he drove for a layup against LSU.

Each of these plays could have been corrected with instant replay. But college basketball — like college football and the NFL — has a limited number of plays that are reviewable.

You can check the monitor for timing issues, 3-point shots, flagrant fouls and who committed the foul. But you can’t check to see if a player stepped out of bounds, goaltended or walked.

Is it time for college basketball to expand its instant replay? Is it time for the game to allow a limited number of coaches’ challenges, like they do in the NFL?

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The 1972 Miami Dolphins celebrate when the last unbeaten NFL team loses.

I wonder what the 1953-54 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets basketball team does?

They are the last team to go winless in the SEC.

Perhaps those Yellow Jackets who remain had feint hope that this year’s version of the Georgia Bulldogs might erase that Georgia Tech team from the record books… might make people forget that it’s been more than 50 years since a men’s basketball team went winless in the SEC.

Georgia won’t replace Georgia Tech on that dubious list — thanks to the Florida Gators. Billy Donovan’s team was tied for the first place in the East Division before their expected rout of Georgia.

But Georgia turned in the most shocking upset in the SEC on Saturday. After losing by 31 at Tennessee and scoring just 48 points, Georgia upset Florida 88-86. That’s 40 more points against Florida than the Bulldogs scored against Tennessee.

A year ago at about this time, Florida coach Billy Donovan said he didn’t like last year’s team, in part because it wasn’t tough and didn’t play good defense. I wonder if he likes this team any better at the moment.

When you don’t play much defense, you’re susceptible to being upset — even by one of the worst teams I’ve seen in the SEC in two decades.

I was prepared to write this week that Georgia might be the first winless team in SEC play since that Georgia Tech team. I was prepared to talk about a Georgia team that wasn’t that void of talent, but was playing with no heart, no intensity and no desire.

Now let’s see if Georgia can avoid becoming the eighth SEC team since those woeful Yellow Jackets to win just one SEC game. Those seven squads: Alabama in 1968-69, LSU in 1966-67 and 1956-57, Ole Miss in 1964-65 and 1958-59, Tulane in 1963-64 and Georgia in 1955-56.

Besides Georgia Tech (and not counting the World War II years), only one other team has gone winless in SEC play. Sewanee did it five times in seven years in the 1930s before leaving the league.

Thus, the only two teams that didn’t win a game in SEC play haven’t been in the SEC is more than 40 years.

Georgia has a couple of winnable games left on the schedule. And if they play the rest of the way like they did against Florida, maybe they can win two or three SEC games.

That didn’t seem likely — until their upset of Florida.

Now, you’ve got to wonder if Florida will nosedive the way it did a year ago when the Gators lost eight of 11 games at the end of the season to miss an invite to the NCAA Tournament.

Florida should win its next two games — hosting Alabama and Vanderbilt — but then Donovan’s team goes to LSU, hosts Tennessee, visits Mississippi State, then entertains Kentucky.

Considering its RPI and strength of schedule, the Gators better win at least three more games to get off the dreaded NCAA bubble.

Speaking of being on the bubble, Mississippi State’s loss to Auburn dropped the Bulldogs to 16-9 and three games back in the West. That’s an uncomfortable position for Rick Stansbury’s team.
 
 

Three-Point accuracy revisited

With less than a month left in the regular season, I thought it would be a good time to revisit three-point shooting in the SEC.

The line moved back a foot this past off-season. That seems to have had a greater impact on some teams, although you could argue losing key personnel was just as big of a factor.

Thus far, the top four three-point shooting teams in the SEC — South Carolina, LSU, Mississippi State and Florida — are all shooting better than a year ago. South Carolina has gone from 36.4 percent to 39 percent. LSU has gone from last at 32.2 percent to second at 38.4. Mississippi State has gone from 33.4 to 37.9. And Florida has gone from 36.3 to 36.7.

The other eight teams have shown a decline. The three most significant drops are at Vanderbilt (39.9 percent to 33.5 percent), Tennessee (35.7 percent to 31.6) and Alabama (36.3 to 30.9). Not surprisingly, each of those schools lost outstanding outside shooters.

Don’t be surprised if Vanderbilt, which has made a three in every game since the three-point shot was introduced, fails to hit a trey in a game this season. The Commodores are a poor outside shooting team, compared to recent years.

This year, four teams are shooting less than 33 percent from three-point range while only one shot less than 33 percent a year ago.

Regarding SEC games only, six SEC teams are shooting better in conference play, meaning six are not.

Mississippi State, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Auburn are shooting better in league play from beyond the arc.
 
          

LSU players have the most high-scoring games

After LSU’s Tasmin Mitchell scored 41 points Mississippi State, the research began.

LSU has had a player score at least 40 points in 77 games — the most in the SEC by far.

The SEC has had exactly 50 players score at least 50 points in a game. LSU’s Pete Maravich has 27 of those. LSU’s Chris Jackson has four Shaquille O’Neal has one.

That means LSU has 64 percent of the SEC’s 50-point games.

Maravich, who had a career scoring average of 44.2 points, scored in the 50s in 33 percent of his games. He scored in the 60s four times.

Halfway through the SEC season, is there any doubt who the favorite is for Player of the Year?

Tennessee’s Tyler Smith got the nod in preseason. And while he’s having a solid year, he’s not been spectacular.

Kentucky’s Patrick Patterson was considered the best big man in the league.

South Carolina’s Devan Downey was expected to be the most electrifying point guard.

Florida’s Nick Calathes was considered the most complete point guard.

Mississippi State’s Jarvis Varnado was the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

None of those has been the best player, however.

Here’s a hint: If you saw an opponent scurrying on the court, looking for this lethal weapon, he might be yelling:  “Guard 54, Where Are You?”
           
The 54 refers to the amount of points Jodie Meeks scored on Tennessee in an improbable 18-point win at Thompson-Boling Arena last month.

Meeks, who averaged 8.8 points in an injury riddled 2007-08 season, hasn’t come close to duplicating that 54-point outburst, but he still leads the SEC in scoring at 25.1 points per game to rank among the nation’s top five.

And if you doubt his value, check out the final few minutes of Kentucky’s must-win home game against Florida. With Kentucky down by six with three minutes left, Meeks scored 10 points — including a remarkable trey with 4.7 seconds left — to lift his team to victory while Patterson was sidelined for the final nine minutes with an ankle injury.

Meeks is on pace to record the highest scoring average by an SEC player since 1991, when LSU’s Shaquille O’Neal scored at a 27.6 clip.

Who else would make the All-SEC team at the midway point?

The best player on the best team has been LSU’s Marcus Thornton. Thought to be a one-dimensional ball hog until this season, Thornton is averaging 20 points and playing solid defense.

Downey has sparked South Carolina to a first-place tie in the East Division with his 20-point scoring average and SEC-best 63 steals. He also averages 4.4 assists.

Calathes had 33 in a loss at Kentucky, and even though he missed clutch free throws at the end, he carried his team most of the game. He averages over 18 points, ranks first in the SEC in assists and shoots over 50 percent from the field.

Smith is the only SEC player who ranks in the top 20 in scoring, rebounds and assists.

Patterson is averaging over 18 points, leads the league in field-goal accuracy at 65 percent and is fourth in rebounding.

Honorable mention: Ole Miss guards David Huertas and Terrico White, Arkansas forward Michael Washington, LSU forward Tasmin Mitchell, Vanderbilt center AJ Ogilvy and Varnado.
 


Kentucky the king of 20-win seasons

I stumbled across a statistic this week that peaked my interest: Kentucky is on the verge of suffering double digit losses in a season for a record fourth year in a row.

Double digit losses are common in the SEC, just not at Kentucky.

I decided to research this in another direction: 20-win seasons are also common at Kentucky, but not so much at other SEC schools.

Here’s what I found: Kentucky has had a remarkable 53 20-win seasons, 52 since 1945.

No other team under the SEC umbrella has half that many 20-win seasons.

Alabama is next with 25, but just five in the last 13 years, when 20-win seasons are more commonplace and easier to achieve.

Tennessee has 21, all but one since 1965.

Vanderbilt has 16, all but one since 1965.

Arkansas has 28, but only 12 as an SEC team.

South Carolina has 14, seven as an SEC team.

LSU has 18, all but three since 1970.  Florida and Mississippi State have 15 each.  Georgia has 10.  Ole Miss has nine.  And Auburn has seven.

It’s hard to believe that Auburn, with as many star players as that program has produced, has so few 20-win seasons.

Regarding consecutive 20-win seasons, Kentucky leads the SEC with 17, a streak snapped last season.

Florida has the second-best 20-win streak at 10 (and counting) followed by Arkansas with nine on two different occasions. Alabama, LSU and Tennessee have had streaks of five, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt four, and Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss and South Carolina three each.


 
Georgia a “sleeping giant” in hoops

Chip Towers, who covers Georgia for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, said the chances of the Bulldogs hiring Bob Knight as coach are one percent.

Towers doesn’t see the merit in hiring a 68-year-old coach who won’t be around long. Instead, he expects Georgia to pursue a younger coach like UAB’s Mike Davis, Oklahoma’s Jeff Capel or VCU’s Anthony Grant.

Towers called the Georgia job a “sleeping giant” and said the reason the school hasn’t had more success or tradition is because it didn’t take hoops seriously. It will now, with a former basketball player, Damon Evans, as athletic director.

Considering Georgia’s recruiting base, Georgia might he the most underachieving basketball program in the SEC. In the past 10 years, the Bulldogs have had just one 20-win season, one NCAA Tournament win and one improbable SEC Tournament title.

Tubby Smith won 45 games in his two-year tenure, then left for Kentucky. Can’t blame him. But you wonder what Georgia would have achieved had Smith stayed.

Towers thinks Georgia made a huge mistake forcing out Hugh Durham in 1995. Durham, who took Florida State to the Final Four in 1972, took Georgia to the Final Four in 1983. He had four 20-win seasons and four more years of at least 18 wins. But in his last five seasons, he had just one winning record in SEC play, never won more than 18 games and mustered just one NCAA appearance.

Towers said Evans believes there’s no reason Georgia can’t do in basketball what Tennessee has done under Bruce Pearl.
 

(Not to be confused with the Little Lebowski Urban Achievers.)

Even Darrin Horn is a bit surprised that South Carolina is off to such a solid start in SEC play.

The Gamecocks were picked to finish fifth in the East Division, but halfway through league play, Horn’s team is 6-3 and trailing only Florida in the East.

Horn admitted he wasn’t sure his team would be in this position, having inherited a team that lost 18 games last year and was 5-11 in SEC play.

“That’s a good question,” Horn said when asked if his team has achieved more than he anticipated.

Of course it has. South Carolina returned four starters, but the team seemed in disarray a year ago, losing by 33 points at Tennessee late in the year. But Horn’s uptempo style and fresh attitude have worked wonders.

“All the players have played above what they played in the past,” Horn said.

That’s a credit to Horn and his players. And it’s the reason the Gamecocks are talking NCAA, not NIT.

LSU coach Trent Johnson wasn’t sure about his team, either. The Tigers played a weak non-conference schedule — ranked 324 out of 344 teams — and opened SEC play with a loss at Alabama.

The Tigers haven’t lost since, ripping off seven consecutive wins to take over first-place in the regular-season race.

LSU starts three seniors, a fourth-year junior and a sophomore and has had the luxury of putting the same lineup on the court for 23 consecutive games.

Those are the feel-good stories in the SEC.

On the flip side, two SEC coaches have already been fired, nine teams have at least seven losses, only three teams are in the top 50 of the RPI (according to collegerpi.com) and just two teams are ranked among the top 80 in strength of schedule.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the SEC teams that have overachieved, underachieved and done about what’s been expected, based on the media preseason poll.



The Overachievers

1. LSU — While I picked LSU to win the West, I didn’t expect the Tigers to be 19-4, to win at Tennessee and to lead the whole SEC at this point. Point guard Bo Spencer has been solid, Marcus Thornton has been more judicious with his shot selection and Brian Johnson has been an inside road block for opponents’ offenses with his 57 blocked shots. Tasmin Mitchell has come back with a vengeance from his season-ending injury.

2. South Carolina — Point guard Devon Downey has been outstanding, but Zam Fredrick, Mike Holmes and Dominique Archie have played well. Horn thinks Archie is one of the SEC’s most underrated players. “It doesn’t matter what his numbers are,” Horn said of Archie, “he impacts the game in a major way. He does so many things.”

3. Mississippi State — The Bulldogs, picked fourth in the West, went to a four-guard lineup in late December and the move has paid off brilliantly for Rick Stansbury. The Bulldogs are shooting an SEC-best 41 percent in SEC games and lead the league with 10.3 made treys per game. They made a school-record 16 threes last week against Arkansas. State’s quickness has been tough for opponents to combat and Jarvis Varnado has been an eraser inside with 112 blocks.

4. Ole Miss — The Rebels are 4-5 in SEC play despite losing three starting guards to injury. After an early 32-point home loss to LSU, coach Andy Kennedy’s team beat Kentucky in Oxford and Mississippi State in Starkville. Freshman point guard Terrico White has been one of the SEC’s pleasant surprises.



On Target

1. Florida — The Gators have a one-game lead in the loss column in the East. Florida’s 19 wins are tied for most in the SEC but the strength of schedule has been weak. The Gators have one of the league’s most efficient offenses, but a porous defense will spell trouble down the stretch. Nick Calathes is the best passer in the league.

2. Auburn — The Tigers were picked fifth in the West and that’s about where they’re headed. A win over Tennessee was big. Auburn starts three seniors and two juniors and should actually be better and more consistent. Jeff Lebo is on the hot seat.

3. Kentucky — After a 5-0 SEC start, the Wildcats had dreams of going unbeaten in league play. Then came a three-game losing streak as opponents figured out how to defend the lethal 1-2 punch of Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson. Kentucky continues to have problems at point guard.

4. Vanderbilt — The Commodores have 15 wins but they’re off the radar screen when it comes to NCAA tourney consideration. Vandy led the nation in field-goal defense through mid-January but the defense was exposed by Tennessee and Florida. Vandy has NIT written all over it.

5. Arkansas — The Hogs were overachievers after starting the season 12-1 and beating two top 10 teams at home. Then came SEC play and a 1-7 start. The Hogs have been a horrific 3-point shooting team in league play and inexperience has cost them some close games down the stretch. John Pelphrey’s team was picked last in the West.



The Underachievers

1. Tennessee — The Vols were a preseason Top 10 team and were expected to repeat as SEC regular-season champions. Instead, Bruce Pearl’s team has been inconsistent from 3-point range and on defense. And a press that was fearsome Pearl’s first three seasons is all but nonexistent. The Vols lost at home to Kentucky and LSU, hurting the team’s chances to wave another SEC banner.

2. Georgia — The Bulldogs weren’t supposed to be that good, but they weren’t supposed to be this bad. Dennis Felton hoped the team would ride the momentum of last season’s SEC Tournament title to contend for an NCAA Tournament berth. Didn’t happen. Felton got fired and the Dawgs are 0-8 in the SEC and riding the school’s longest losing streak since 1972-73.

3. Alabama — Shame on you, media, for picking the Crimson Tide to win the West. You must have felt Ronald Steele would return to his sophomore form. Not a chance. He bailed out on a sinking ship, Mark Gottfried got fired and the team is reeling with a 3-6 SEC mark, 13-10 overall.
 


SEC teams dance for position 

The SEC has six teams in the running for NCAA Tournament bids — LSU, Florida, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky.

With the SEC ranked sixth among conferences in two different RPIs, it will interesting to see if the league gets four, five or six teams in the 65-team field.

While Tennessee (14-8) has the fewest wins of the six, it has the highest RPI (21) and the toughest strength of schedule (#2). Florida has a #30 RPI but is #100 in SOS. The Gamecocks are #43 in RPI and #82 in SOS. LSU is #52 in RPI and #117 in SOS. Kentucky is #74 in RPI and #91 in SOS. Mississippi State is #79 in RPI and #81 in SOS.

Ole Miss, which would have to reel off about five straight wins to join the conversation, is #63 in RPI and #18 in SOS. Vanderbilt, despite a 15-8 record, is just #93 in RPI, #104 in SOS. Arkansas is #98 in RPI, #101 in SOS. Auburn is #102 in RPI, #84 in SOS. Alabama is #137 in RPI, #87 in SOS. And Georgia is #214 in RPI, #98 in SOS.

In 25 years of covering college recruiting, I’ve seen and heard some intriguing things.

I heard an attorney say he missed three days of work after his favorite team lost a commitment on signing day.

I’ve heard a prospect say he would pick the school that provided him with a private bathroom in his dorm room.

I’ve seen a high-profile player sign his letter of intent in a hot tub.

I’ve heard of a recruit thinking he was visiting Tennessee when he was actually visiting Tennessee-Chattanooga.

I heard a fan say he would rather finish #1 in recruiting and #10 in the final polls than #1 in the polls and #10 in recruiting.

I’ve heard of a prospect committing to four schools.

And I’ve heard people say winning is ALL about the players. I disagree.

It’s a lot about players, but it’s also about coaching.

The team with the best talent doesn’t always win (re: Arkansas over LSU, Ole Miss over Florida, Wyoming over Tennessee, Vanderbilt over South Carolina.)

This much I know: I’d rather sign 20 five-star players than 20 three-star players, but plenty of five-star players won’t be as good as many of the three-star players.

Want evidence? Check the research of Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News.

Of the 25 first-team 2008 Associated Press All-Americans, 48 percent received three or fewer stars out of a five-star system. And only 44 percent of the All-Americans were ranked as a top-10 high school player at his position.

With that in mind I decided to evaluate the top 25 recruiting classes over the past five years — again using Solomon’s research — relative to their on-field performance. Solomon rated the top 25 teams in recruiting based on Rivals.com ratings.

Here are those ratings:

1. USC
2. Florida
3. Georgia
4. Florida State
5. Oklahoma
6. (tie) LSU and Michigan
8. Miami
9. Ohio State
10. Texas
11. Alabama
12, Auburn
13. Tennessee
14. Notre Dame
15. Nebraska
16. (tie) Texas A&M and California
18. South Carolina
19. Penn State
20. Clemson
21. Oregon
22. UCLA
23. Ole Miss
24. Virginia Tech
25. Maryland.

Keep in mind, this does NOT include teams that didn’t make the top 25 in recruiting, like Utah, Boise State, and TCU.

Here are the six teams that did the most with the least.

1. Virginia Tech. The Hokies barely made the recruiting top 25, yet Frank Beamer’s team has won three ACC titles and at least 10 games each of the past five years. They’ve been to three BCS bowls.

2. Penn State. Despite a #19 ranking, the Nittany Lions of Joe Paterno have won two Big Ten titles and averaged 10 wins over the past four years. Paterno has also gone 3-1 in bowl games during that time.

3. Ohio State. Based on NFL talent and BCS results, you wouldn’t have the Buckeyes as overachievers. Based on recruiting rankings, you would. Ohio State comes in #9 in recruiting but Jim Tressel has won four Big Ten titles, played in four BCS games and two national championship games.

4. Texas. You can’t call Mack Brown’s Longhorns underachievers. Texas ranks #10 in recruiting, yet has won 56 games the past five years, one national title and three BCS games (two Rose Bowls and a Fiesta Bowl).

5. California. The Bears have averaged more than eight wins over the past five seasons, and won four bowls. That’s pretty good stuff, considering Cal was 1-10 as recently as 2001. Kudos to Jeff Tedford.

6. Oregon. The Ducks have averaged almost nine wins the past four seasons under Mike Bellotti and won back-to-back bowls. A win over USC in 2007 was a huge highlight.

Honorable mention: Auburn.

Here is a look at the six teams that have underachieved.

1. Miami. Of the top 10 teams in recruiting, Miami is the only one that hasn’t won a conference title. It’s one of two teams that hasn’t mustered a 10-win season. The Hurricanes have only 19 wins over the last three seasons.

2. Florida State. The Seminoles have won one ACC title since 2004, keeping Bobby Bowden ahead of Miami. But the Seminoles have won just 23 games over the past three years, and Bowden has fallen behind Paterno on the all-time wins list.

3. Michigan. The Wolverines went 11-2 in 2006 and won a share of the Big Ten, but that’s the lone 10-win season over the five-year span. A 3-9 record last year and a loss to Division 1-AA Appalachian State are the low water marks.

4. Georgia. With a #3 in recruiting, I was initially tempted to put Georgia at the top of this dubious list. But I couldn’t ignore that Mark Richt’s team has recorded four 10-win seasons and four top-10 rankings in the past five seasons.

5. Notre Dame. Charlie Weis looked like a great hire when he took the Irish to 19 wins and two BCS bowls in his first two seasons. Since then, Notre Dame has won only 10 games and Weis is on the hot seat.

6. Alabama. The Crimson Tide has had two 10-win seasons since 2004, but three seasons with no more than seven wins. Nick Saban’s 12-0 start to last season and one-sided victories over Clemson and Georgia have Alabama pointed in the right direction.

Dishonorable mention: Tennessee, Clemson, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and UCLA.

Last week, I thought Kentucky was the best team in the SEC.

The Wildcats were 5-0 in league play, won at Tennessee by 18, had the best 1-2 punch in the league and led the nation in field-goal shooting.

Then Billy Gillispie’s team lost to two second-tier teams in the SEC — Ole Miss and South Carolina.

At least, I thought Ole Miss and South Carolina were second tier teams.

How do you figure Ole Miss? The Rebels lose three starting guards in a guard-centric game, fall at home to LSU by 32, then beat Kentucky and Mississippi State.  It was just the Rebels third win in Starkville since 1984.

South Carolina, which lost by 17 at LSU and trailed Tennessee by 19 in Knoxville, beat Florida and won in Lexington for the second time in history.

Tennessee, a team that can’t shoot threes, nailed 12 from beyond the arc to rout Florida after losing four of five at home.

Now, it appears LSU — my preseason pick to win the West — might be the SEC’s best team. One AP voter has the Tigers #22 in his poll. But LSU isn’t ranked in the overall poll.

Neither is any other SEC team, the first time that’s happened in 20 years.

But who knows anything at this point?

I like LSU because it has a veteran lineup and a first-year coach pushing the right buttons. Trent Johnson has the Tigers playing solid defense with discipline. He’s also found a much-needed point guard in Bo Spencer.

Still, I’ve never seen the SEC so unpredictable.  I’ve never seen it harder to project.

And the fun has just begun.

We’re one-third of the way through conference play and we’ve got four teams tied in the loss column atop the East Division and two solid teams in the West who are capable of making a run to the Big Dance.

Who says the SEC might only get three teams in the NCAA Tournament? It could be five or six.

Who says the best team in the SEC couldn’t beat the top eight teams in the Big East? (Oh, it was Dick Vitale who said that. Did he forget Tennessee has already beaten Marquette and Georgetown?).

The East race will be intriguing in that Florida and South Carolina have better point guards than Kentucky and Tennessee, but Kentucky and Tennessee have better front-court players. Florida can’t defend, South Carolina has no inside punch, Kentucky can’t hold onto the ball and Tennessee can’t shoot from outside.

Should be some race.

The two best teams in the West have good young point guards — Spencer at LSU and Dee Bost at MSU. Will they hold up through the grind that is the SEC?

The league has at least eight teams ranked among the nation’s 50 youngest in terms of experience.

That bodes well for the future of the league.  It also suggests more wild upsets for this season.

Here are my rankings of the best teams in the SEC:

1.  LSU
2.  Kentucky
3.  Tennessee
4.  Florida
5.  South Carolina
6.  Mississippi State
7.  Ole Miss
8.  Vanderbilt
9.  Auburn
10.  Alabama
11.  Arkansas
12.  Georgia

Keep reading for more on Bobby Knight and Georgia rumors… on Billy Donovan’s rationale for using more zone… and more.

(more…)

Alabama coach Mark Gottfried was fired four-and-a-half years after taking the Crimson Tide to its one and only Elite Eight appearance.

Georgia coach Dennis Felton was fired 20 games after he led Georgia to the SEC Tournament championship.

I can’t recall two SEC basketball coaches getting the axe in January.

Did somebody forget this is a football conference?

The expectations of fans and administrators — and the money coaches make — has shortened the patience level even for basketball coaches.

One thing that really hurt Gottfried were the injuries to star point guard Ronald Steele, who hasn’t done much the past two-and-a-half years, then abruptly quit early this month in apparent conflict with Gottfried.

Should Steele be allowed to return to the team now that Gottfried’s gone?

Absolutely not. Unless Gottfried badgered Steele — and there’s evidence that he did — then Steele must lie in the bed he made. Maybe Steele was trying to make things easier for his younger brother (a true freshman on the team).

No matter. Allowing Steele to return sends the wrong message — that a player can dictate whether a coach is kept or fired. That might happen in the NBA. It should never happen in college.

Regarding Felton, whom I liked as a coach at Western Kentucky, his misfortune apparently was being too uncompromising. He lost for various reasons players like Mike Mercer, Billy Humphrey and Channing Toney, and signed a terrific high school player, Louis Williams, who went pro. Felton was unable to overcome those defections and the NCAA probation riddled program he inherited.

Felton will resurface as a coach at a smaller school. And he’ll have success. But you wonder if he’ll have to go Tom Coughlin and lighten up to succeed at a high level.

So, which is the better job: Georgia or Alabama?

Georgia has more prospects in the surrounding area but little tradition.

Alabama has much more tradition — and no shortage of talent.

Georgia is 5-8 in eight NCAA Tournament appearances.
Alabama is 18-18 in 18 NCAA Tournament appearances.

Georgia has one SEC Championship. Alabama has seven.
Georgia has one SEC Tournament title. Alabama has six.

Georgia has 1,245 all-time wins and a win percentage of .520.
Alabama has 1,476 all-time wins and a win percentage of .624.

So the best job: Alabama.


   
Donovan disagrees with prospect definition

Count Florida coach Billy Donovan among the coaches who disagrees with an NCAA proposal to declare a seventh grader a prospective prospect.

Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie seemed to stir the pot in that direction by offering eighth graders a scholarship. Donovan thinks it’s unwise to go after such young kids.

“We’re in a bad cycle of recruiting because kids are making decisions earlier and earlier about where to go to school, and the transfer rate is at an all-time high,’’ Donovan said. “We’re not getting a chance to know the kid and the kid isn’t getting a chance to know you.’’

Donovan said college coaches are able to work camps with seventh and eighth graders, thus the process starts sooner than it should.

Mitch Barnhart, athletic director at Kentucky, defended Gillispie’s practice of offering to eighth and ninth graders because Gillispie has targeted good kids from two parent homes.

Donovan said it can be “very flattering’’ for a seventh or eighth grader to get an offer from a major college, but it’s “not the best thing for kids that young.’’
 


LSU’s all-time best 5 is the best in SEC

During the LSU at Tennessee game, I sat on press row behind Collis Temple Sr, the first black player to don an LSU uniform. He played in the early 1970s.

Temple has had three sons play for LSU, with one having been recruited to Navy by former Tennessee coach Don DeVoe.

I asked Temple if he would play in Saturday’s alumni game as part of the 100th anniversary of LSU basketball. He laughed and said no. He’s in his mid-50s, not the age to be running up and down the court.

But the gala is expected to attract more than 150 former LSU players and LSU’s all-century team will be announced. I’m going to guess Pete Maravich, Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Jackson and Bob Pettit will make the team. The other might be Rudy Macklin.

While LSU’s basketball tradition pales to that of Kentucky, nobody in the SEC could put a better all-time starting five on the court than LSU. Nobody. Not Kentucky, not Tennessee, not Florida or Auburn or Alabama.

Kent Lowe, LSU’s basketball sports information director, told me O’Neal was upset that he has a game with the Suns on Saturday and can’t make the alumni game.

Can you imagine O’Neal posting up against Stanley Roberts or trying to dunk over John Williams?

One reason for the great turnout of ex-Tigers is the departure of former LSU coach John Brady, who, according to Baton Rouge media, never embraced Dale Brown or his players. That’s a 25-year gap.

New coach Trent Johnson has taken a different approach. He’s reached out to Brown and his former players. He’s made them feel welcome.

That PR move should pay dividends when Johnson hits a bumpy road during his tenure with the Tigers. Brady never built up much good will. And that’s one reason he was fired less than two years after taking LSU to the Final Four.



Benefits to starting same lineup

LSU has had the same starting lineup for all 20 games. Several SEC teams have had more than six different lineups.

Is there an advantage to having the same starters for all — or most — of a season?

Donovan doesn’t think so.

I do.

Donovan says too many variables are at play. You could change the lineup for a certain matchup, or because a guy isn’t play well, or another guy is playing well, or due to an injury.

That’s my point. If you don’t change your lineup, that probably means you’re starters are playing well. It probably means you don’t have to adjust for matchups, that you’re not having injuries, and, more importantly, that you’re winning.

Of course, it could mean you have such a weak bench, you don’t have an option.

Still, give me a team that starts the same lineup over 30 games over a team that uses six to eight different lineups. My bet is the team that’s juggling the starters is the team that is looking for missing pieces or suffering injuries.



Tennessee student turnout dwindling

For the first time in Bruce Pearl’s four seasons at Tennessee, the Vols are struggling. They have lost four of five at home after a record 37-game home win streak. They have dropped out of the Top 25 after being a preseason top 10 pick. They are fourth in the East Division after being selected to repeat as SEC champions.

And Pearl has gone through more lineups than Baskin Robbins has flavors.

Pearl clearly raised the bar for basketball at Tennessee by going 3-1 against the two-time national champion Florida Gators, by finishing ahead of Kentucky each of his first three seasons, by garnering a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and be achieving a #1 ranking for the first time in Tennessee history.

Before the LSU game on Wednesday, Tennessee was ranked second in the nation in attendance to Kentucky — UT’s best mark ever.

But the attendance figures are destined to decline. Why? Student apathy.

Pearl proclaimed the LSU game a must-win in an effort to win the SEC regular season title. The Vols needed to defend their home court.

How did students respond? Only 761 showed up out of an allotment of about 3,000. The lower bowl accommodates 1,500 students, leaving a prime area half empty.

Pearl has purchased 3,000 tickets to give to students hoping to boost Saturday night’s attendance for the Florida game.

This year, for the first time, Tennessee varied the student allotment depending on the game, using previous year projections. Those tickets taken from the normal student allotment went on sale to the general public.

It’s interesting that the contest against Gonzaga — the first game back after the Christmas break — attracted 4,501 students while the game against rival Kentucky drew only 2,709 students — 100 more than attended the UT-Chattanooga game.

More than 3,200 showed up for Memphis, but only 1,073 saw South Carolina.

Of the 12 home games, the LSU game ranked 10th in student attendance and was the third game which had fewer than 800 students.

Is that an indication students have given up on this UT team? Perhaps.

Is it an indication UT will alter its ticket allotment to students? Yes.

“We’ll keep trying to tweak it,’’ said John Currie, associate athletic director.

In the last two months, football coaches have hopped from one SEC school to another faster than a rabbit in a mine field.

In fact, I can’t ever remember this many moves within the SEC in a single season.

Tennessee hired assistants from South Carolina, Alabama, Auburn and Mississippi State, and also got a strength coach from South Carolina while almost landing Georgia’s ace recruiter.

Mississippi State hired as its head coach the offensive coordinator at Florida, who brought with him an assistant from Florida.

Auburn hired Tracy Rocker from Ole Miss, which then hired Rocker’s cousin (from Auburn) to replace him.

Alabama lost a top recruiter to Tennessee, then raided Auburn’s staff for a former Tiger player who is an outstanding recruiter.

For the second year in a row, South Carolina hired a defensive coordinator from Arkansas. The Gamecocks also hired a former star running back from Tennessee.

LSU hired a 20-year assistant from Tennessee and a secondary coach from South Carolina.

Raise your hand if you didn’t hire a coach from South Carolina?

Steve Spurrier lost four assistants and a strength coach from his 2008 staff.

These changes don’t include SEC teams bringing back into the league Trooper Taylor and Carl Torbush.

With National Signing Day just over a week away, you’d think the SEC coach jumping has stopped. These days, you never know.

Now that the staffs appear to be complete, let’s rank the SEC football coaches.

1. Florida coach Urban Meyer. It’s hard to argue with what heâs done. Not only did he win at Bowling Green and Utah, he’s won two national championships in the last three years at Florida.

He will be favored by many to win a third in four years, matching what Nebraska did in the 1990s.

Meyer has proven the spread option works in the SEC. And he’s on his way to supplanting Steve Spurrier as the greatest coach in Gator history. He’s a better recruiter than Spurrier and maybe a better big-game coach.

2. Alabama coach Nick Saban. Saban proved he’s a terrific recruiter at LSU and Alabama. He proved he can maximize his talent this past season at Alabama. He won a national championship at LSU and left another title for Les Miles. And, like Meyer, Saban has proven he can win at more than one program.

Two knocks on Saban: He’s a bear (and I don’t mean Bryant) to coach for and he’s never had back-to-back 10-win seasons.

3.  Georgia coach Mark Richt. Georgia has been in the top 10 six of the last seven years – more than any other SEC program. And while Richt has averaged more than 10 wins in his eight years in Athens , his recent teams have had a tendency to flop in some big games.

It will be interesting to see how the Bulldogs respond to losing early to the NFL draft quarterback Matt Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno.

4.  LSU coach Les Miles. Yes he makes some head-scratching decisions, and yes he won with mostly Saban’s talent his first three years. But I’ve got to give him some credit for winning a national championship, winning 34 games his first three seasons and routing each of his four bowl opponents.

Last season, LSU limped home to an 8-5 record. Miles made a mistake by naming co-defensive coordinators, but he fixed that problem by hiring John Chavis from Tennessee . And LSU didn’t have a quarterback. Ask Tennessee and Auburn what that’s like. This season will go a long way in defining Miles as LSU’s coach.

5.  Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt. He did a terrific job last season with Ed Orgeron’s talent… winning at Florida, winning at LSU and capturing the Cotton Bowl over a one-loss top-10 team from the Big 12. After a 3-4 start, the Rebels won six in a row.

But can Nutt sustain that success? Can he recruit enough good players? His recruiting at Arkansas was inconsistent. So were his records. He did win at least eight games in six of his 10 years at Arkansas. If he can do that at Ole Miss, he’ll be the program’s best coach since John Vaught.

6.  South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier. Once compared to Bear Bryant, Spurrier’s stock has plummeted like Wall Street. In four years at Columbia, he’s 28-22 with a losing record in SEC play. He’s lost two in a row to Vanderbilt. In 12 seasons at Florida, he lost 27 games.

What’s more, the biggest problem at South Carolina has been offense, not defense. And it appeared as though several players quit on him last year.

7.  Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino. I almost put Petrino ahead of Spurrier, but Petrino’s track record isn’t long enough. He had great success at Louisville against Big East competition. Can he do it in the SEC? Time will tell. Hog fans should be encouraged that he beat Auburn, Tulsa and LSU.

8. Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson. I wonder what Johnson could do if he had the talent of the upper tier teams in the SEC. Heck, I wonder what he would do if he had the talent of South Carolina and Ole Miss. He’s beaten Spurrier two years in a row and knocked off the Rebels last season. He also won the school’s first bowl game in 53 years. He’s a solid coach at a behind-the-eight-ball program.

9.  Kentucky coach Rich Brooks. Brooks has done something no other Kentucky coach has done — won three bowl games in three seasons. You’ve got to go back to the Bear Bryant days (1949-51) to find the last time Kentucky played in three consecutive bowls. Brooks took over a terrible program on probation and has turned it into a competitive SEC team with decent athletes.

10.  Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin. You can question Kiffin’s resume, but he has put together a strong staff of recruiters (although Ed Orgeronhas already been cited for a secondary recruiting violation). Kiffin’s charge will be to fix an offense that was one of the nation’s worst in 2008. If Lane can get production out of his quarterback, Tennessee should win at least eight games this season. While you’ve got to praise the hire of defensive guru Monte Kiffin, don’t expect the defense to be as good this season due to a new system and personnel losses.

11.  Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen. If you believe that you should scratch where it itches, then Mullen was the right choice for a program that has been deficient on offense since Sly Croom arrived five years ago. Mullen doesn’t have the offensive talent yet to make much noise, but he is a good play caller who should attract a good quarterback.

12. Auburn coach Gene Chizik. His record at Iowa State is hard to overlook, but he was considered a tremendous defensive coordinator — just as Will Muschamp is today — who helped Auburn to an undefeated season and Texas to a national championship. Chizik hired a solid staff. But he doesn’t have enough tools on offense to threaten just yet.

In the latest RPI, the Southeastern Conference in men’s basketball is seventh – as in, you stink in hoops.

Who would have thought that after Florida won back-to-back national championships that the league would sink this low?

Pat Forde of ESPN.com said he thinks the SEC is down because it doesn’t have many real good seniors or freshmen.

After researching that premise, we agree.

The SEC is not only void of quality seniors, it doesn’t have many seniors at all. Only 11 starters are seniors out of a possible 60.

Six schools — Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt — either don’t have a scholarship senior or don’t have a senior that’s playing.

Two of the worst teams in the SEC – Alabama and Auburn – combine to start five seniors. What does that say? I’m not sure.

You might suggest it indicates that if you’re still around for your senior year, you’re not a good player.

But that’s not always true.

Look at the seniors that graced the SEC last season. Vanderbilt’s Shan Foster averaged 20.3 points per game. Kentucky’s Joe Crawford (17.9) and Mississippi State’s Charles Rhodes (17.4) averaged over 17. Chris Lofton of Tennessee, Ramel Bradley of Kentucky, Quan Prowell of Auburn and Sonny Weems of Arkansas each averaged at least 15.

Dwayne Curtis of Ole Miss, Mykal Riley of Alabama, JaJuan Smith of Tennessee and Sundiata Gaines of Georgia each averaged at least 14.4 points, while Auburn’s Frank Tolbert averaged 13.4.

Halfway through this season, the seniors haven’t been as productive.

LSU’s Marcus Thornton is the top scorer (17.9 points) among seniors. Zam Fredrick of South Carolina averages 16.2. No other senior is over 14 points. Alonzo Gee of Alabama, Terrence Woodbury of Georgia, Ronald Steele of Alabama, Kovortney Barber of Auburn each average between 12.6 points and 14.5 points.

Other top seniors this season: Walter Hodge of Florida, Garrett Temple and Chris Johnson of LSU, Quantez Robertson of Auburn.

As you can see, the top 10 seniors this season don’t compare to the top 10 seniors of last year.

You could say the same for the elite freshmen.

How about this for an All-Freshman team: Patrick Patterson of Kentucky, AJ Ogilvy of Vanderbilt, Nick Calathes of Florida, Anthony Randolph of LSU and Chris Warren of Ole Miss. Each averaged more than 15 points.

Ogilvy was at 17 with 6.7 rebounds. Calathes led the SEC with 6.1 assists. Patterson grabbed 7.7 rebounds. Randolph averaged 8.5 rebounds and became a first-round NBA draft pick. Warren dished out 4.5 assists per game.

This year’s crop doesn’t compare. Arkansas’ Courtney Fortson is the only one averaging 15 points per game: he’s at 15.0 points with 6.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds.

Georgia’s Trey Thompkins is having a solid year at 13.7 points and 6.6 rebounds. Jeffrey Taylor of Vanderbilt is averaging 12.3 points, Rotnei Clarks of Arkansas 11.5, JaMychal Green of Alabama 8.6 points and 7.0 rebounds, and Scotty Hopson of Tennessee 8.6 points.

Point guard Dee Bost of Mississippi State is averaging 4.6 assists and has helped his team to a 3-0 start in the SEC.

Point guard Terrico White of Ole Miss has averaged 20 points in the last two games replacing the injured Warren.

With a drop in talent, we’ve seen a drop in performance.

Maybe the SEC will cycle back up next season. But this season, the league might have to make do with as few as three or four teams in the NCAA Tournament.

You can blame seniority – and a shortage of precocious freshmen.



Johnson was overcoaching Mitchell

After LSU junior forward Tasmin Mitchell exploded last week for 30- and 17-point outings, first-year coach Trent Johnson blamed himself for Mitchell not being more productive earlier.

“At times, I sort of hurt him or hindered him,” Johnson said.

What did Johnson mean? Simply that he was overcoaching Mitchell, who missed all but a few games last season due to a knee injury.

“Tas was always looking over (to the bench), wanting to know what the call was,” Johnson said.

Finally, Johnson just figured: “If you throw it in to him, he’ll just score.”

That’s been the case in recent games.

“He gets as much out of his game for a guy that’s not explosive as anyone I’ve seen,” Johnson said. “He scores in a multitude of ways.”
 


Calathes helped by Greek National Team experience

Florida coach Billy Donovan was asked if he thought guard Nick Calathes benefited from playing last summer with the Greek National Team.

The answer, basically, was yes. But the explanation was a bit surprising.

You figured Donovan would say international experience helped Calathes grow as a player. Not so. It’s what Calathes didn’t have that helped the most, Donovan said.

Donovan wanted Calathes to be in Gainesville the second semester of summer school to work with his teammates and become a leader.

But Calathes spent that time in Greece.

“Going through that experience, I hope he’s thankful and appreciative of what he has,” Donovan said. “He didn’t have rapport with any (Greek) players. He didn’t know the coaches. It was a different style, a different system, a different role.”

Donovan pointed out that Calathes was in a foreign country where he had a language barrier, even when it came to finding a place to eat.

“I hope he came back and appreciates playing in his home state and enjoys playing with his teammates and playing a lot,” Donovan said.     


 
Stallings surprised by Vandy defense

Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings was caught off guard to find his team ranked #1 in the nation in field goal defense last week.

“It’s been quite a surprise, to be honest with you, with our youth,” Stallings said. “Our players bought into what we asked them to do from a defensive standpoint. They’re an extremely coachable group.”

Stallings said the Commodores are more athletic and longer than in previous years. But he added: “We’re still maybe not as athletic as some people we compete against.”
 

In the aftermath of a disappointing 18-point home loss to Kentucky, Tennessee assistant Jason Shay tried to make light of a tough situation.

“I think if Jodie Meeks doesn’t play,” Shay said, “we’d have won the game 72-36.”

Alas, Meeks did play, and the brilliant junior guard set a Kentucky school and Thompson-Boling arena record with 54 points.

Tennessee couldn’t stop him.

And the Vols haven’t been able to stop several high powered backcourt players this season. An opponent has scored a career-high six times against Tennessee this season – five of them guards. And six different guards have scored at least 26 points.

That underscores the biggest problem for these underachieving Vols – lack of defense.

Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl says the problem is fixable.

But is it? Tennessee tried six different defenders on Meeks. None had success, although I think Bobby Maze held Meeks without a basket for 45 seconds.

“Maze did a good job (on Meeks),” Shay said. “We told him, `You have no other responsibility than to put your nose on his numbers.”’

That only worked for a short period of time.

If you keep getting burned by perimeter players, that tells me you don’t have the personnel to stop them – or your players aren’t trying. And I don’t think it’s a lack of effort.

How do you fix that? Can you get a fifth year of eligibility for JaJuan Smith?

Maze seemed to play solid defense earlier this season and Josh Tabb is supposed to be a defensive stopper. Neither has played good defense over the past few weeks.

“If we shore up our defense,” Shay said, “we can turn it around.”

In Tennessee’s five losses, each opponent has shot over 50 percent from the field.

“You can’t give up 50 percent shooting this day and age, not with the 3-point line,” said Pat Forde of ESPN.com. “I know they want to play at a certain tempt, but you can’t sacrifice defense along the way.”

It was evident that Kentucky was playing with more energy than the Vols.

“Kentucky has a lot of pride,” Shay said. “I’m sure they’re tired of hearing about Tennessee and Bruce Pearl. They were hungrier than we were.”

You wonder if this Tennessee team isn’t as hungry as it needs to be. You wonder if some of the talented newcomers play with a chip on their shoulder the way Dane Bradshaw, JaJuan Smith and Chris Lofton did.

I asked Pat Forde if Pearl is better off coaching a less talented team that is motivated or a more talented team that isn’t quite so hungry.

“That’s a good question,” Forde said. “I think he (Pearl) thrives a little bit off the underdog role and gets players who thrive off that. But I think every coach in the history of sport will tell you, `Give me more talent and I’ll take my chances.’

“If you want to play for it all, you want talented players. Maybe you can make them hungry or they’re already hungry on their own. But talent is the bottom line. You’ve got to have players who are really, really good. So I wouldn’t tell him to change his ways in recruiting.”

Perimeter defense isn’t the only concern. Three-point shooting has been horrible. The Vols are making 27 percent from long range over the last 10 games.

Shay said UT is down two made threes per game, or six points per game. Shay said UT’s guards shoot well from 3-point range in practice but it isn’t always carrying over to games.

“We need guys to have confidence making the threes,” Shay said. “When the game is on the line, they’ve gotta step up and make it.”

Shay said Kentucky packed in it and left open the outside shot against certain Vols, in essence, playing zone out a man to man.

One thing that seemed to bother Shay was that when Gonzaga snapped Tennessee’s 37-game home winning streak last week, “one guy tried to step up” – Wayne Chism, who had 19 rebounds.

“Hess was battling as best he could to preserve the win streak,” Shay said.

That’s a compliment to Chism. But what does it say about his teammates?

Georgia coach Dennis Felton coveted Jodie Meeks as a prospect.

Meeks is from Norcross, Georgia, but he picked Kentucky over UGA.

“We wanted him very, very, very badly,” Felton said. “I always had tremendous respect for his fierce competitiveness and toughness and fight.”

Felton then had this observation.

“If he had a hole in his game, it was shooting from the perimeter,” Felton said. “He did start to turn the corner (as a shooter) in high school. But he didn’t exhibit the ability to shoot outside like now.”

Meeks is the SEC’s top scorer and 3-point shooter. And he made 10 of 15 treys against Tennessee.
 

Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings has seen enough of Mississippi State jumping-jack Jarvis Varnado to pay him a high compliment.

“He’s probably the most prolific shot blocker in college basketball history,” Stallings said.

My first reaction: Stallings is crazy.

After doing some research, maybe Stallings isn’t so far off.

The SEC has been keeping shot blocking stats since 1984. No SEC player blocked more shots in a season than Varnado’s 157 last year. LSU’s Shaquille OoNeal blocked 157 in four fewer games in 1992. O’Neal also blocked 140 as a sophomore and 115 as a freshman.

Varnado (6-9, 203) has blocked a nation’s best 90 shots. That’s more than eight SEC teams. That’s double the #2 shot blocker in the SEC, Kentucky’s Perry Stevenson at 39.

And Varnado is on pace to shatter his mark from a year ago. he averaged 4.6 blocks per game last year. This year, he’s averaging 5.4.

He might indeed go down as the SEC’s top shot blocker ever.

Vanderbilt will see him up close tomorrow night in Starkville.

In today’s column:

ESPN’s Pat Forde changes his SEC favorite,

More on Jodie Meeks’ 54,

UK fans are paranoid,

ESPN hates everybody,

and Florida has replace Marreese Speight’s numbers, but not his presence.



Like the rest of us, sportswriter Pat Forde of ESPN.com is entitled to change his mind.

After one look at Kentucky versus Tennessee, he has.

Before this season, Forde picked Tennessee to win the SEC.

“I thought Tennessee was definitely the best team in the league,” Forde said.

But after Kentucky’s 90-72 win at Thompson-Boling Arena, Forde is going in a different direction.

(more…)

Before this season, SEC basketball coaches were split in their opinion on the impact moving the 3-point line back one foot would have on the game.

The results thus far: Another split decision.

South Carolina, LSU and Mississippi State are shooting a whole lot better from 3-point range.

Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Alabama are shooting a whole lot worse.

Overall, five SEC teams have hit the three better this season than last.

Why have some teams shot better? Why have some shot worse?

That depends on who you talk to.

Vanderbilt had the best 3-point shooting team in the SEC last year (.399). It ranks eighth thus far this season (.342).

“It’s hard to tell (the impact) from us because my team is not a good shooting team,” Vandy coach Kevin Stallings said.

The main reason Vandy’s accuracy has declined is the departure of Shan Foster, by far the best 3-point shooter in the SEC a year ago at 46.9 percent. Guard Alex Gordon was third in the league at 40.1 percent.

With Foster and Gordon gone, Vandy is attempting four fewer 3-point attempts per game (from 22.3 to 18.1) and hitting fewer.

You can point to personnel at Tennessee as well. The Vols lost two 3-point marksmen in Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith and the team accuracy has gone from 35.7 percent to 30.8 percent and slipping. Since a decent start, the Vols have hit about 27 percent from beyond the arc over the last nine games.

And instead of experienced seniors taking the 3-pointers, Tennessee has seen first-year players take the majority of long-range shots. Cameron Tatum has fired up 76, Renaldo Woolridge 59 and Scotty Hopson 41. Only Hopson (41.5 percent) has hit better than 33 percent. UT has three regulars hitting less than 27 percent; J.P. Prince has made 1 of 14.

Alabama lost its best outside shooter, Mykal Riley, and is last in the SEC at 29.6 percent from long-range.

While losing good shooters has affected Vandy, Tennessee and Alabama, LSU has the same cast of characters, but has found a way to be more effective from the perimeter. Perhaps that’s a result of better shot selection.

LSU has gone from making 32.2 percent to 38.8 percent. The number of attempts has been reduced from 20.1 to 15.5.

Rather than Marcus Thornton and Terry Martin jacking up threes, the Tigers have been more judicious when pulling the trigger.

It’s worth noting that the SEC’s top three 3-point shooting teams are attempting, collectively, 10.8 fewer long-range shots per game. USC has gone from 21.6 to 16.2. LSU has gone from 20.1 to 15.5 and Mississippi State has gone from 20.7 to 19.9.

Kentucky is one of the few teams attempting more threes than a year ago. That’s surprising considering the Wildcats lost Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford from last year’s team. Each fired up more than 150 treys and no returner tried more than 50.

Kentucky guard Jodie Meeks has made up for Bradley and Crawford. Meeks is on pace to attempt well over 250 treys. Last year’s attempts leader, Tennessee’s Chris Lofton, had 307 tries from down town.

Florida coach Billy Donovan noted that 3-point attempts are about the same as a year ago while the accuracy is down.

A longer three “will not deter teams from taking it, but it forces defenses to cover more area in the half court,” Donovan said. “It’s more difficult to pack it back in. … It’s helped with the spacing for good 3-point shooting teams.”

South Carolina coach Darrin Horn said adding a foot hasn’t been a major change to the game but it “separates the guys who can make the shot from the guys that might can make the shot, if you know what I mean.”

Georgia coach Dennis Felton said the arc change “hasn’t changed anything strategically. It doesn’t make any difference to the shooters. Maybe the fringe shooters don’t take as many 3-pointers.”

Tennessee has been among the SEC leaders in 3-point attempts since Bruce Pearl arrived four seasons ago. But even the Vols are taking two fewer threes a game.

Pearl said the longer three was a “double whammy” for Tennessee. The Vols lost their two best 3-point shooters and the shot became more difficult to make.

As for a change of strategy, Pearl said UT used to use more ball screens to get perimeter shooters open. Not anymore.

He also said UT’s inability to hit the outside shoot has alloweD opponents to double down on big men Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism.

Yet, when Tatum was struggling at Georgia, missing his first nine shots, Pearl didn’t want Tatum to become gun shy. Tatum hit a game-tYing 3-pointer late in the contest to help the Vols overcome a 10-point second-half deficit.

Has moving the 3-point line helped field goal defense?

Not really. Thus far, four SEC teams are playing better defense, five not as good and three are about the same.

Alabama seems to have benefited the most. The Crimson Tide leads the SEC in 3-point defense at .279, compared to .355 a year ago. Georgia is also holding foes to less than 30 percent from beyond the arc (.296).

LSU and South Carolina have better 3-point defense numbers.

Kentucky, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Florida are worse. UT has regressed the most, from .312 a year ago to .352.

Here’s a look at how SEC teams are shooting the three compared to last season.

 

FREE THROW

Only one SEC team is ranked in this week’s AP poll, Tennessee at #24.

The last time the SEC didn’t have a ranked team was March 1989.

No SEC team is ranked in the coaches’ poll, the first time that’s happened since the inception of the poll in 1991.

In today’s column:

How the SEC has benefited from the BCS…

How SEC title game losers have fared in bowls (surprisingly well)…

LSU’s weak basketball schedule tied to academics…

Freshman basketball players making a difference…

And Phillip Fulmer gets a new job.



Some SEC teams wouldn’t have been #1 without the BCS

The year after Urban Meyer was hired at Florida, a media friend told me Meyer would win multiple national championships at Florida.

I thought he was nuts. 

Turns out, he was right.

Last night Meyer captured his second national championship in three years, handing Oklahoma a fifth consecutive BCS loss.

Remember when former Auburn coach Pat Dye said the SEC wouldn’t win another national title if it expanded and went to divisional play?

Well, the SEC has won three in a row and seven since Dye’s dire prediction in 1992.

(more…)

Some news, notes and scuttlebutt on the Tennessee salary situation everyone is talking about, on the end of Steve Spurrier’s honeymoon at South Carolina, and on Urban Meyer’s views on undefeated teams.

Tennessee’s salary pool won’t reach $6 million

By the time Lane Kiffin completes his football staff, Tennessee will be the nation’s pace setter for assistant coaches’ salaries.

But the total amount paid to the football staff – including the head coach – will rank between third and fifth in the SEC, according to Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton, who I spoke with this week. (more…)

It’s too early to project how many SEC teams will make the NCAA Tournament field in men’s basketball.

After all, a year ago at this time, you would have said Kentucky had little chance. The Wildcats lost at home to Gardner-Webb and San Diego, but then went 12-4 in a watered down league to earn a postseason berth.

But based on early returns, the SEC hasn’t been very impressive on the court. Tennessee is the only team ranked in the Top 50 of the RPI, and the Vols are #25.

Florida is #58, followed by 67 Kentucky, 82 Vanderbilt, 87 Ole Miss and 88 Auburn. Ole Miss is sure to fall out of the Top 100 after losing point guard Chris Warren and two other perimeter starters.

That’s just six SEC teams in the Top 100.

That means six others are not in the Top 100, with Alabama at 220 despite a 7-3 record. LSU is 10-1 but only 120 in the RPI because of a weak schedule.

The SEC is ranked #7 among conferences, trailing the Big Ten, the Big East, the Pac-10, the ACC, the Big 12 and the Atlantic 10 (in no particular order).

The SEC is only 3-18 against teams in the Top 50 of the RPI. The wins: Tennessee over Georgetown, Auburn over George Washington and Kentucky over West Virginia.
           
While Tennessee has a win over ranked Marquette and Auburn has a nice victory against Virginia, Marquette and Virginia are not in the Top 50 of the RPI.

With the majority of non-conference play over in a week, it’s going to be hard for some SEC teams – and the conference as a whole – to climb out of this treacherous hole.



Only 4 Teams Have Clearly Improved

This marks the second consecutive season that the SEC is down.

In 2007, Florida won the national championship, Tennessee and Vanderbilt reached the Sweet 16 and eight teams won at least 20 games.

Last season, Florida didn’t make the NCAA field, only Tennessee reached the Sweet 16, and six teams won 20 games. Only Tennessee and Mississippi State were clearly better. Vanderbilt won four more games but had the same SEC record and lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament by 20 points to Siena. Arkansas won two more games. Every other team was about the same or worse.

Entering SEC play, it appears Kentucky, Florida, South Carolina and LSU will be improved over last season. Auburn and Alabama might be better. The others will be about the same or worse.  
          


By The Numbers
 
Mississippi State leads the nation in blocked shots per game (10-2) and Bulldog Jarvis Varnado is first at 6.0 blocks per game. Kentucky is second in blocks (8.3) and LSU is fourth.
           
South Carolina is second in the country in steals per game (11.8) with Devon Downey #3 at 3.4 steals. Florida is eighth in steals (10.5).
           
Kentucky ’s Jodie Meeks is the nation’s #6 scorer (24.1) and the Wildcats’ Patrick Patterson is fourth in field goal percentage (.685).
           
LSU is fifth in field goal defense (34.9) while Vanderbilt is 10th (36.0), Mississippi State 12th (36.2), Kentucky 16th (36.7) and Alabama 10th (37.0). Alabama is 12th in 3-point defense (26.9).
           
LSU is first in rebound margin (13.3) with Arkansas third (12.4).
           
Tennessee is eighth in scoring (84.1).
           
Florida and Tennessee are tied for 10th in assists (18.3).
           
Arkansas’ Michael Washington is 10th in rebounds per game (11.1).
           
Nick Calathes of Florida is fifth in assists (7.1).
           
 

Free Throws

Alabama has held seven opponents to less than 40 percent shooting.
 
Arkansas has started 8-1 three consecutive seasons; the Hogs were 9-1 entering the Oklahoma game December 30th.

Florida’s Alex Tyus has had a seven-game stretch in which he averaged 16.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and shot 65 percent from the field. He averaged 4.3 points and 2.6 rebounds as a freshman.

Jodie Meeks’ 46 points were the most by a Kentucky player since Dan Issel’s 47 in 1970. Meeks has the top three scoring games in the SEC this season.

Ole Miss has just nine healthy scholarship players, four of them guards.

Mississippi State sophomore guard Ravern Johnson has made more 3-pointers (27) than he attempted all of last season.

South Carolina (9-1) combined for just 28 wins the last two seasons.

Tennessee has started nine different players and had six different starting lineups.

Vanderbilt is 23-2 when junior guard Jermaine Beal scores in double figures. 

At about midseason, I realized the SEC was down in football.
           
My first hint was poor quarterback play. Eight teams started at least two quarterbacks, and three started three. Only three offenses in the league ranked among the top 45 in the nation and six rank among the bottom 25.
           
My second hint was the league’s non-conference record. The SEC was 6-9 against other BCS teams and suffered losses to Louisiana Tech and Wyoming.
            
My third hint was the coaching fires. Auburn, Tennessee and Mississippi State were so bad, they got rid of Tommy Tuberville, Phillip Fulmer and Sly Croom. Those three teams won 27 games in 2007. They won 14 this past season.
           
Moreover, only three teams were appreciably better this season than last: Alabama, Florida and Ole Miss.

LSU went from 12-2 and a national championship to 7-5. Tennessee went from 10 wins to five. Auburn went from nine wins to five. Mississippi State went from eight wins to four.

Seven teams have at least two fewer wins going into the bowl season.
           
When more than half the teams in your conference are worse than the year before, your league is down.
           
Based on records and rankings and quarterback play, I think the Big 12 and ACC were better than the SEC this season.
           
But the SEC, year in and year out the best football conference in the nation, can gain a measure of respect based on bowl performances. It’s got two matches against Big 12, Big Ten and ACC teams.
           
And with the right results, the SEC could win a third consecutive national title and finish 1-2 in the final polls for the second year in a row. Last year’s 1-2 finish was a first. The SEC had teams finish 2-3-5 in 1959, 1-4-5 in 1961, 2-3 in 1995 and 1-3 in 2006.
           
The SEC has won three consecutive AP national titles once (1978-80) and gone back-to-back three other times (1957-58, 1964-65, 2006-07). And from 2003 to present, the SEC has won three national crowns with a shot at a fourth, and had a 13-0 team that wasn’t given a chance to play for the crystal football.
           
Many times, the bowl result isn’t about matchups. It’s about which teams cares the most. Which team is excited about playing. Which team has something to prove.
           
Almost 10 years ago, Kansas State was left out of a BCS bowl and pouted all the way to a bowl defeat. In 2003, Tennessee felt it should have made a BCS bowl and played uninspired against Clemson in a Peach Bowl loss.
           
That’s what makes predicting bowls a tricky business.
           
Here’s my forecast on how the SEC will fare in bowl games.
           


Music City: Boston College (9-4) v. Vanderbilt (6-6)
           
Boston College played for the ACC title. The Eagles have been the winningest program in the ACC over the past five years. Vanderbilt had a strong 5-0 start, but limped to the finish line, losing six of seven, with defeats to two four-win teams — Mississippi State and Duke. The Commodores have the SEC’s worst offense and fourth-worst defense.

Boston College 27-13.
           


Chick Fil A Bowl: Georgia Tech (9-3) v. LSU (7-5)
           
In two games against those overrated SEC defenses, Georgia Tech averaged 41.5 points and over 420 rushing yards. The Yellow Jackets scored 21 or fewer points in five ACC games. LSU appeared to pack it in after an overtime loss to Alabama, allowing 31 points to Troy, Ole Miss and Arkansas. Plus, the Tigers will start a true freshman quarterback. LSU has more talent, Tech more desire.

Georgia Tech 38-28.
           


Outback Bowl: Iowa (8-4) v. South Carolina (7-5)
           
The Hawkeyes’ Shonn Greene won the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s best running back. Iowa won five of its last six, including a huge upset over Penn State. All four losses were by five or fewer points. The Gamecocks allowed 87 points in their last two games and their top tackler, safety Emmanuel Cook, is academically ineligible. Steve Spurrier questioned the desire of some players down the stretch.

Iowa 24-20.
           


Capital One Bowl: Michigan State (9-3) v. Georgia (9-3)
           
The Spartans’ Javon Ringer was a Doak Walker finalist. But MSU lost to Ohio State and Penn State by a combined 94-25. This might be the last game for Georgia quarterback Matt Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno. Georgia went from preseason No. 1 to out of the top 15. The Bulldogs want to make up for a disappointing regular season.

Georgia 34-20.
           


Cotton Bowl: Texas Tech (11-1) v. Ole Miss (8-4)
           
Will the 7th-ranked Red Raiders and be down about not going to a BCS bowl? Or will Mike Leach and Graham Harrell be determined to ring up 40 against an SEC team? The Rebels are on a roll, having won five straight. Ole Miss had the SEC’s worst pass defense until playing Mississippi State. The last time the Red Raiders played an SEC team in a bowl, Alabama shut down Leach’s attack (13-10).

Texas Tech 34-30.
           


Liberty Bowl: East Carolina (9-4) v. Kentucky (6-6)
           
The Pirates were resilient in winning Conference USA over high-powered Tulsa. Coach Skip Holtz’s team opened the season with impressive wins over Virginia Tech and West Virginia before losing three straight, only to regroup. Kentucky went from the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense to the 40s. Losing athletic Randall Cobb will hurt an already inept offense.

East Carolina 24-17.
           


Sugar Bowl: Utah (12-0) v. Alabama (12-1)
           
Four years removed from Urban Meyer, the Utes racked up a terrific season, led by quarterback Brian Johnson. Utah beat two 10-win teams (TCU and BYU), a team that beat Southern Cal (Oregon State), an eight-win team (Air Force) and a team that’s already won a bowl game (Colorado State). Alabama won’t let losing the SEC title game deter from a marvelous season. The Tide should be able to power through Utah’s defense.

Alabama 27-17.
           


BCS Championship Game: Oklahoma (12-1) v. Florida (12-1)
           
Oklahoma has a fantastic team. It has scored at least 60 points in five straight games. It scored at least 50 in four others. It beat two 10-win teams in non-conference (Cincinnati and TCU). Its defense is much better than the numbers suggest because many of the points allowed have come with the game no longer in doubt. Florida led the SEC in scoring with 44 points per game. Oklahoma has faced better passing attacks, but not a team with Florida’s overall offensive speed.

The Gators went from worst to first in the SEC in pass-defense efficiency. Oklahoma is without its best running back. Florida’s Percy Harvin could play but might not be 100 percent. You won’t find a better matchup of quarterbacks. Both offenses are explosive, both defenses solid. Florida gets the nod on special teams.

Florida 35-31.

Should an assistant coach who has taken a head coaching job with another school stay with his former team through the bowl game?
           
Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen has decided to coach the Gators in the national championship game against Oklahoma on January 8th, rather than take the controls at Mississippi State in mid-December.
           
LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini coached the Tigers in the national championship game last year against Ohio State, rather than jump right away to Nebraska.
           
But Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe left the Vols before the national title game to coach Ole Miss in December 1998.
           
What’s the best route to take?
           
Each situation is different.
           
Cutcliffe was hired by Ole Miss in early December. The Rebels were headed to a bowl game after Tommy Tuberville exited for Auburn. So, Cutcliffe left Knoxville to coach the Rebels for two weeks in December to prepare for a bowl game. That gave him a jump on preparing for his first season in Oxford.
           
In the case of Mullen, Mississippi State is not going to a bowl.
           
In the case of Pellini last season, Nebraska was not bowl bound.
           
So the advantage of Mullen and Pellini taking over immediately at their new schools was minimized.
           
You can still assemble a staff and do some recruiting while helping your former team prepare for a major bowl. Remember, much of the bowl season is a dead period in recruiting.
           
But if you’re a fan of Mississippi State, are you upset that your newly hired coach is coaching another team until January? Do you feel he’s getting behind on recruiting? Are you bothered that he’s wearing two hats instead of your favorite team’s hat?
           
Or, does the possibility of your new coach winning a national championship (in the case of Mullen, a second national title) further enhance his credentials?
           
If your new coach is on the national stage for a few weeks, if he’s winning another championship, maybe it’s worth the wait. Maybe it helps recruiting in the long run. And maybe it helps your current players buy in just a little bit more.
 


Tennessee’s Hits Sacrifice Fly With New Hire
 
           
ESPN analyst Jim Donnan isn’t fond of successful coaches being fired.
           
Maybe that’s because of the way he got axed at Georgia. Donnan won 35 games and all four bowls in his final four seasons with the Bulldogs, only to be fired.
           
Donnan said he has a great deal of respect for former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer, and Donnan said UT athletic director Mike Hamilton better not hit a single, double, triple or home run with Fulmer’s replacement. He better hit a grand slam, Donnan told a quarterback club last month.
           
Asked if UT hit a grand slam by hiring Lane Kiffin, Donnan said: “It was a sacrifice fly.”
           
Bringing Monte Kiffin as the defensive coordinator ups the swing to a double, Donnan said.
           
Donnan, like many others, does not believe Tennessee or Auburn made an upgrade in coaching.
           
Time will tell. But nowadays, coaches don’t get as much time as they used to. Two decades ago, a coach got five years to build his program. That went to four. Then to three with the ousters of Ron Zook and Ty Willingham and Ed Orgeron, among others.
           
Then Army, of all places, fired a coach after TWO seasons.
             


New Coach, Scheme Can Help A Quarterback
 
It will be hard for Monte Kiffin to match the defensive production at Tennessee of former coordinator John Chavis, just as it will be hard for Chizik to make the defensive numbers at Auburn under Tuberville.
           
Both programs need an offensive spark, not a defensive overhaul.
           
Before last season, Auburn and Tennessee hired offensive coordinators from smaller schools to revamp offenses that had been in place for years. The experiment in both cases was a miserable failure.
           
Much of the blame was placed on poor quarterback play. But that doesn’t mean the quarterbacks at Auburn and Tennessee can’t be productive with a different coach and a different system.
           
For example, Auburn’s Al Borges help turn Jason Campbell into a first-round draft pick in 2004.
           
David Cutcliffe tutored Erik Ainge into two solid seasons at Tennessee. Ainge was drafted by the Jets and made the team.
           
Shane Mathews was buried on the depth chart at Florida before Steve Spurrier tutored him into being the two-time SEC Player of the Year.
           
Charlie Weiss turned Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn into a first-round pick.
           
Norm Chow turned USC’s Carson Palmer into a Heisman Trophy winner.
           
Can Chizik get production out of Kodi Burns or Chris Todd?
           
Can Lane Kiffin mold Jonathan Crompton, Nick Stephens or B.J. Coleman into a successful player?
           
That will be the key to immediate turnarounds at both Auburn and Tennessee. 

Few would argue that the SEC is traditionally better in football than basketball.

Even fewer would argue that the SEC traditionally has better football coaches than basketball coaches.

Going into this past football season, five SEC football coaches have won a national championship.

One SEC basketball coach had won a national championship.

And the pay scale is tilted heavily in favor of football.

The average annual pay for the top seven SEC football coaches entering this season was more than $3 million.

Nick Saban, Les Miles, Urban Meyer all make over $3.5 million. Mark
Richt and Bobby Petrino each make over $2.8 million. Phillip Fulmer
averaged $3 million but his successor, Lane Kiffin, comes in making $2
million the first year. Tommy Tuberville made $2.8 million last year.

The average annual pay for the top seven SEC basketball coaches is less
than $2 million. Only Billy Donovan, Billy Gillispie and Bruce Pearl
make over $2 million. In fact, Donovan is the only hoops coach who
ranks among the top eight of football salaries.

We’re going to compare the football and basketball coaches at each SEC
school. For the purpose of this exercise, we’ll take the football coach
from this past season and last season’s basketball coach.

Here’s a look:



Alabama: Saban just won
national coach of the year honors after guiding Alabama to a 12-0
record before losing the SEC Championship. He won two SEC titles and a
national championship at LSU. He is one of the top five coaches in
college football.

Gottfried has had two winning SEC records in 10 years. He has won just
12 SEC games in the past two years combined. He has one SEC title and
he’s on the hot seat.

Advantage: Football.



Auburn: Tommy Tuberville won or
shared the West Division four times in five years, captured one SEC
title and turned in a 13-0 season. Against the other elite SEC teams,
he had the best record of any SEC coach over the past eight years.

Jeff Lebo has had three 4-12 SEC records in four years. He hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament and he’s clearly on the hot seat.

Advantage: Football



Arkansas: Bobby Petrino went
5-7 in his first year with the Hogs, inheriting a weak team from
Houston Nutt. But Petrino did finish strong, beating LSU, and he won 41
games in four years at Louisville.

John Pelphrey was 23-12 in his first year at Arkansas and won an NCAA
tourney game with a talented roster. He made the NCAA field once in
five years at South Alabama. 

Advantage: Football.



Florida: Meyer has won two SEC
titles and a national championship. He was successful at Bowling Green
and Utah before going to Florida. He could win his second national
crown in three years.

Donovan has won two national championships. He has won 20 games 10
years in a row and had a streak of nine consecutive NCAA Tournament
appearances snapped last season.

Advantage: Push.



Georgia: Mark Richt has won two
SEC Championships, was No. 2 in the nation in 2007 and had a streak of
four straight seasons in the top 10. No current SEC coach has achieved
that.

Dennis Felton’s job was on jeopardy until the Bulldogs (4-12 in SEC
play) won the SEC Tournament and made the NCAA field for the first
time. But Felton remains in trouble if his team doesn’t do well this
season.

Advantage: Football.



Kentucky: Rich Brooks guided
the Wildcats to three straight bowls for the first time since 1949-51
when a coach named Bear Bryant patrolled the sidelines in Lexington.
Brooks also had back-to-back eight-win seasons.

Gillispie had great success at UTEP and Texas A&M, orchestrating
remarkable turnarounds. In his first year, Kentucky, after losing at
home to Gardner Webb and San Diego, went 12-4 in the SEC.

Advantage: Basketball.



LSU: Les Miles won 34 games, a
national title and an SEC Championship in his first three seasons. The
Tigers slumped to 7-5 this past season.

John Brady took the Tigers to the 2006 Final Four but he got fired two
seasons later after his team had back-to-back SEC records of 5-11 and
6-10.

Advantage: Football.



Ole Miss: Houston Nutt did a
terrific job in his first season at Ole Miss, guiding the Rebels to an
8-4 record, the Cotton Bowl and the lone victory this season over
top-ranked Florida. Ole Miss won six of its last seven games.

Andy Kennedy was named SEC Coach of the Year his rookie season in
Oxford, but the Rebels didn’t make the NCAA Tournament and he is two
games under .500 in his first two seasons at Ole Miss.

Advantage: Football



Mississippi State: Sly Croom
was the 2007 SEC Coach of the Year when his Bulldogs won eight games,
but his team dropped to four wins and he resigned under fire. Croom was
20 games under .500 in five seasons.

Rick Stansbury is one of the SEC’s most underrated coaches. Folks, it’s
not easy to recruit to Starkville. Stansbury has been to five NCAA
tournaments in the past seven years and he’s won or shared the West
Division four times in 10 seasons as head coach.

Advantage: Basketball



South Carolina

Steve Spurrier is 28-21 and four games below .500 in SEC play in four
years at South Carolina. But his body of work is impressive, especially
at Florida and at Duke. He’s not the coach he used to be, but his teams
are still capable of pulling big upsets.

Dave Odom failed to have a winning SEC record in seven seasons at the
Gamecocks coach. He won two NIT titles but got into the NCAA field only
once.

Advantage: Football



Tennessee: Phillip Fulmer won
two SEC titles and a national championship, but he went 10 years
without either, and after a second losing season in four years, he was
forced out. He was 100 games over .500, no small accomplishment in the
SEC.

Bruce Pearl has done a terrific job in three seasons. He won the SEC
regular-season outright for the first time in 41 years, he won the 2006
East Division over eventual national champion Florida, and he’s
finished ahead of Kentucky three straight seasons. Pearl still has a
job. Fulmer doesn’t.

Advantage: Basketball



Vanderbilt: Bobby Johnson is
recognized as one of the SEC’s better coaches. You wonder how many
people could win as many games at Vanderbilt as he has. Yet, in seven
years, Johnson has yet to go .500 in SEC play, and if Vandy doesn’t win
its bowl game, it will finish with a losing record for the 26th
consecutive year.

Kevin Stallings went to one NCAA Tournament in his first seven seasons
in Nashville, but the Commodores have done better of late, making the
Sweet 16 in 2004 and 2007.

Advantage: Basketball



If you’re keeping score, that’s 7-4-1 in favor of football — and a couple of those nods in basketball are debatable.

Triple doubles in the SEC are about as rare as perfect games in Major League Baseball.
           
You just don’t see many of them.
           
The SEC has 10 on record. We say “on record” because some stats, like assists and blocked shots, weren’t kept by the NCAA or some schools until around 1970.
           
Still, to have only 10 on the books in the past 38 years seems like a remarkably low number. But a triple-double — double figures in any combination of scoring, rebounding, assists, blocked shots or steals — is a unique accomplishment.
           
Tennessee’s Tyler Smith did it last week with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. It was the first triple-double in school history. Not Bernard King nor Ernie Grunfeld nor Allan Houston nor Dale Ellis was able to accomplish the feat.
           
Two other active SEC players have recorded triple doubles.
           
Florida’s Nick Calathes did it against Creighton in March of last season: 11 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists.
           
Mississippi State’s pogo-stick jumper Jarvis Varnado also did it earlier this year — on January 15th — against Kentucky. Varnado had 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks.
           
The Bulldogs have had three players reach the milestone. Lawrence Roberts had 18 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists in 2004 against Nicholls State. Jamont Gordon had 15 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in 2007 against Vanderbilt.
           
Florida’s Corey Brewer turned the trick in 2005 with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists against Jacksonville.
           
Only two SEC players have recorded two triple-doubles: Alabama’s Roy Rogers and LSU’s Shaquille O’Neal.
           
Rogers did his thing one week apart. He had 15 points, 15 rebounds and 12 blocks against Georgia in 1996 and seven days later, he had 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks against LSU.
           
LSU’s sports information department said O’Neal had four, but they didn’t have the numbers.
           
One of the most unlikely players to score a triple-double was Chuck Eidson of South Carolina. Remember him? South Carolina State might. Eidson had 25 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists in 2002.
           
Chris Mills got Kentucky’s only triple-double in 2008 against Austin Peay: 19 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists.
           
Alvin Robertson got a triple-double before Arkansas joined the SEC. Against Texas in 1984, Robertson garnered 23 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists.
           
Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt have yet to have a player record a triple-double.
           
Considering assists, steals and blocks weren’t exactly well kept stats before 1970, you’ve got to think more than just 10 SEC players have managed the feat. Surely Cotton Nash or Dan Issel at Kentucky, Bailey Howell at Mississippi State, Neal Walk at Florida, Tom Boerwinkle at Tennessee or Bob Pettit or Pete Maravich at LSU turned the trick.
           
There just aren’t any official records to support that.
          


Melick Believes Tuberville Fired
 
Usually what momma says goes. And Momma Tuberville says her son Tommy was fired at Auburn. He didn’t resign, she claims.
           
Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs said he asked Tuberville three times to stay aboard, but Tuberville said no.
           
Ray Melick, columnist for the Birmingham News, believes Tuberville was fired.
           
Melick said Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs “isn’t always accessible to the media and when he is, he’s not always forthright.”
                       


Alabama Fans Hot After Tickets
 
Few coaches have ever milked as much out of their talent as Nick Saban did at Alabama. He took a team with good — not great — talent and went 12-0 before losing a terrific game against Florida in the SEC Championship.
           
Even though Alabama had one of the nation’s youngest teams with just nine scholarship seniors, don’t expect a repeat. The Tide will lose three offensive linemen — provided junior tackle Andre Smith turns pro — and senior quarterback John Parker Wilson, who made enough key plays at key moments to help the Crimson Tide to a #1 ranking through the end of November.
           
Alabama’s turnaround from a 7-6 record last year has fans ecstatic. Melick told me that Alabama’s ticket manager believes the Tide could have sold 100,000 tickets to the SEC Championship Game.

Alabama should easily sell out the Sugar Bowl allotment of 15,900. Fans might request another 20,000.
           
Alabama hasn’t played in the New Orleans bowl since defeating Miami for the 1992 national championship. The Tide played in five Sugar Bowls in seven years (1974-80).
 


SEC Basketball Notes
 
* Arkansas freshman point guard Courtney Fortson has been one of the league’s biggest surprises. Fortson leads the Hogs with 14.7 points and 5.7 assists and is shooting 51 percent from the field.
           
* The first time Mississippi State trailed at home this season, the basket was scored by an Alabama State player named (I’m not making this up) Chief Kickingstallionsims.
           
* Georgia scored less than 65 points in six of its first eight games, yet a win over Virginia Tech boosted the Bulldogs’ record to 6-3.
           
* Auburn lost to Dayton when the Flyers set an NCAA record for 3-point ineptitude, going 0-for-24. Dayton missed 35 consecutive treys bridging three games.
           
* The SEC’s leading scorer so far is Kentucky’s Jodie Meeks (22.9). Meeks has the two highest scoring games in the league at 39 and 37 points.
           
* Ole Miss is the only team with two 20-point scorers — Florida transfer David Huertas (21.4) and Chris Warren (20.4).
           
* Florida was 104-0 under Billy Donovan when holding an opponent to less than 60 points… until a 57-55 loss to Florida State.
           
* Which SEC team has the longest current winning streak? LSU, which is off to a 6-0 start against a weak schedule. By the way, LSU has won 69 straight games against other Louisiana schools, dating back 20 years.
           
* Alabama’s Ronald Steele, who missed last season due to knee surgeries, is playing OK. He’s averaging 13.7 points and shooting 88.6 percent from the foul line.
           
* Vanderbilt went undefeated at home last year but the Commodores are 2-2 at Memorial Gym thus far, losing to an Illinois-Chicago team that hit 12 of 16 from 3-point range.
           
* Mississippi State’s Jarvis Varnado, who led the nation in blocked shots last year, is averaging 6.6 blocks this season. He has 53 blocks, 34 more than any other SEC player.
           
* The SEC has some rather embarrassing losses thus far: VMI over Kentucky, Mercer over Auburn and Alabama, Illinois-Chicago over Vanderbilt, Missouri State over Arkansas, Northern Iowa over Auburn, Loyola Chicago over Georgia, and College of Charleston over South Carolina.
 
          

Florida coach Urban Meyer did an outstanding job with his football team.
           
He turned the worst pass defense in the SEC into the league’s best. He tweaked the offense to limit Tim Tebow’s carries and hits. He found a way to lead the SEC in rushing by 30 yards per game thanks to speedy ball carriers.
           
And he made special teams a weapon.
           
Florida has blocked eight kicks this season and has 45 in Meyer’s tenure as head coach. The Gators have an outstanding return game. They’ve scored seven non-offensive touchdowns this season.
           
All of that contributed to Florida leading the SEC in scoring (45 points per game) and winning the SEC Championship despite losing eight players to season-ending knee injuries, including valuable tight end Cornelius Ingram, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in August.
           
Meyer has done a terrific job this season, but he’s not my SEC Coach of the Year.
           
Houston Nutt took an Ole Miss team that was 0-8 in SEC play last season and went 5-3 to finish second in the West Division.
           
The Rebels averaged 45 points in their last three games, upset LSU in Baton Rouge and routed rival Mississippi State 45-0.
           
Nutt turned players with a defeatist attitude into a Cotton Bowl team that won five in a row and didn’t lose a game by more than seven points. Furthermore, Ole Miss beat the last two national championship teams on their home fields (Florida and LSU).
           
But Nutt is not my SEC Coach of the Year.
           
Nick Saban inherited an Alabama team that went 7-6 in his first season and didn’t have a player drafted in the NFL.
           
Saban had more talent when he took over at LSU in 2000 than he did at Alabama. And this Crimson Tide team is one of the youngest in the nation with just nine seniors.
           
Yet, the Tide rolled through the regular season at 12-0 and ranked #1. It outscored opponents in the first quarter 120-10 before the SEC title game, an indication the team was ready to play. It was underdog to Clemson and Georgia yet won those games convincingly.
           
Alabama doesn’t have as much talent as Florida or Georgia or LSU.
           
But the players bought into what Saban was selling, and Saban has restored Bama’s program to national prominence.
           
Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said before this season he wasn’t sure if another SEC team could go through the league undefeated like his Tigers did in 2004. Alabama came close, thanks to a brilliant coaching job by Saban.
           
Saban is my SEC Coach of the Year.
           


Who is the SEC Offensive Player of the Year?
           
Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno led the league in rushing and touchdowns (16). He is a finalist for the Doak Walker Award. He’s a whirling dervish with a great spin move, wonderful vision and great balance.
           
Georgia’s Matt Stafford led the SEC in passing yards per game and total offense. He is projected to be a top five NFL draft pick if he bypasses his senior season.
           
But my pick is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner: Tim Tebow.
           
Tebow’s numbers are down from a year ago, when he led Florida in rushing and accounted for a stunning 55 touchdowns. This season, he has accounted for 40 scores, led the league in passing efficiency, helped his team top the SEC in scoring and total offense and carried the Percy Harvin-less Gators on his shoulders to the SEC title.




The SEC Defensive Player of the Year?
           
Alabama nose tackle Terrence Cody made a tremendous difference in his team’s defense. He is the best run stopper in the nation. He commands double-team blocks. He’s the main reason Alabama leads the league in run defense and is third in the nation.
           
Vanderbilt’s D.J. Moore is one of the nation’s most underrated players. He is tied for third in the nation with six interceptions and is fourth in the SEC in passes defended. He also caught two touchdown passes and ranks 12th in the nation in punt returns.
           
South Carolina outside linebacker Eric Norwood leads the SEC in sacks and Ole Miss defensive tackle Peria Jerry is second in tackles for loss.
           
But my Defensive Player of the Year is Tennessee sophomore safety Eric Berry. He leads the nation with seven interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. He holds the SEC record for interception return yards in a season and career. He is 14 yards shy of the national record for career interception return yards. He’s also a vicious hitter. Just ask Moreno.




The Freshman of the Year is a tough call.
           
Kentucky’s Randall Cobb started the second half of the season at quarterback and helped spark an anemic offense. He accounted for more than 1,000 yards with his passing, running and punt returns.
           
But the two most deserving candidates are wide receivers: A.J. Green at Georgia and Julio Jones at Alabama.
           
Green led the SEC with 80.6 receiving yards per game on 51 catches. He scored seven touchdowns.
           
Jones, who had five catches for more than 100 yards in the SEC Championship game, was fourth in receiving yards per game (62.5) and sixth in receptions per game (3.91) before the Florida game. He has four touchdown catches.
           
But Jones was more valuable to Alabama than Green was to Georgia because the Bulldogs have other good receivers. Bama doesn’t. Jones’ presence and production helped open up Alabama’s run game and make defenses respect the pass.
           
My vote: Julio Jones.
           


Most Surprising Teams: Alabama followed by Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.
           
Most Disappointing Teams: Tennessee and Auburn followed by LSU.
           
Most Underrated Coaching Job: Bobby Petrino at Arkansas.
           
Most Underrated Player: Glen Coffee at Alabama followed by running back-receiver Dexter McCluster at Ole Miss and cornerback Trevard Lindley of Kentucky.
           
Most Overrated Player: Defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois at LSU.
           
Best Former Walk-on: Safety Rashad Johnson of Alabama.
           
Best Offensive Line: Alabama
           
Worst Offensive Line: South Carolina
           
Best Backfield: Florida
           
Worst Backfield: Vanderbilt
           
Best Defensive Line: Alabama
           
Worst Defensive Line: Arkansas
           
Best Linebackers: Florida
           
Worst Linebackers: Arkansas
           
Best Secondary: Florida and South Carolina
           
Worst Secondary: LSU and Ole Miss
           
Best special teams: Florida
           
Worst special teams: Kentucky
           
Best play call: Ole Miss fake punt vs. LSU
           
Worst play call: South Carolina lateral on kickoff vs. Florida
           
Best hire: Houston Nutt at Ole Miss followed by defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson at South Carolina
           
Worst hire: tie between offensive coordinators Dave Clawson at Tennessee and Tony Franklin at Auburn
           
Best game: SEC Championship game between Florida and Alabama.
          

When is the best time to fire a football coach?
           
What is the best way to fire a football coach?
           
The answers to those questions aren’t simple.
           
You could argue that you should wait until the last game of the season to evaluate.
           
You could argue that if you know your decision, pull the trigger to get a jump-start on the coaching search and recruiting.
           
Tennessee fired Phillip Fulmer with three games and four weeks left in the season. It fired Johnny Majors with three games left in the 1992 season.
           
Florida fired Ron Zook with three games left.
           
Mississippi State forced out Sly Croom after the season.
           
Auburn waited until after the season to meet with Tommy Tuberville, who then resigned.
           
LSU fired Gerry DiNardo with one game left.
           
Terry Bowden wasn’t assured he would return at Auburn , so he resigned in October.
           
Alabama fired Mike Shula after the season.
           
“I don’t think there’s a magic formula on when to fire a coach,” said former Tennessee athletic director Doug Dickey. “It’s a case by case situation.”
           
Given a mulligan, Tennessee’s administration would not have fired Majors with three games left. It would have waited until after the season.
           
“There is an awkwardness to having a coach who is not your coach the last two, three, four games,” said someone involved in the Majors’ decision.
           
Fulmer called his last month on the job “a four-week funeral.”
           
For a month, Tennessee players were left hanging, emotionally drained. Assistant coaches were left hanging as well.
           
Yet, you could argue that if the athletic director knows he’s going to make a change, do it now. Don’t wait. Begin the hiring process and try to salvage the recruiting class.
           
In Tennessee’s case, the decision could have waited. If you lose to Wyoming, it’s an easier sell to fire Fulmer. If you wait until the week before the Kentucky game, you still have the same two reasons to make a change: Your coach wasn’t competitive enough against his main rivals and apathy had set in with the fan base.
           
Or you could do what Tennessee did 32 years ago. It told Bill Battle he had to win X-amount of games. He didn’t. He got fired and knew it was coming. No debate or anguish waiting on the verdict.
           
I’ve been told Lane Kiffin – not Butch Davis – was Hamilton ’s #1 target. The unemployed former Oakland Raiders coach interviewed at Washington, Syracuse and Clemson. Maybe UT was scared of losing Kiffin to one of those three. It shouldn’t have been.
           
Clemson was waiting to see if Dabo Swinney could earn the job – which he did. And don’t you think Kiffin would have waited on Tennessee rather than jumping on the Washington or Syracuse job?
           
If you had waited another week to hire Kiffin would it have mattered?
           
Let’s examine what’s happened in the week Kiffin has been Tennessee ’s coach. None of the five prospects who de-committed to Tennessee have re-committed. And none of the uncommitted players UT has been pursuing have committed to Tennessee.
           
Moreover, the only blue-chip quarterback you had coming in, Tajh Boyd, was told he doesn’t fit Kiffin’s system, so Boyd de-committed.
           
You can applaud Kiffin for being honest or question why he doesn’t tweak his scheme to suit a talented, athletic quarterback.
           
The point is, have you really gained that much by hiring Kiffin a week sooner?
           
Tuberville left days after being routed in the Iron Bowl. Five players immediately de-committed.
           
The good news for Auburn is, it had over 20 commitments (just like Tennessee ).
           
The bad news: If the Tigers don’t hire a coach soon, it might lose more than just those five.
           
But that remains to be seen.
           
For comparison’s sake, let’s see what happens to UT’s class and Auburn’s class on National Signing Day, provided Auburn gets a coach by December 15th.

That might be a good barometer for judging the effects of firing a coach with a month left in the season – versus pulling the trigger at the end of the year — and the timing of hiring a new coach.
           
Based on the recent trends in recruiting, you can make a case that now – from a recruiting standpoint — firing a coach the last week of the season makes more sense than firing him with several games remaining.
           
Some 10 years ago, most SEC schools didn’t have more than five commitments entering December. It was more important then to get a coach on the road recruiting to get pledges. The rationale: It’s easier to keep a commitment than to get one.
           
While the debate rages about when to fire a coach, two things are crystal clear to me: You don’t have the new coach fire the former coach’s assistants and you don’t keep the former coach around.
           
On a Sunday afternoon after Tennessee ’s last game, Kiffin called in each of Fulmer’s assistants. In less than two minutes, he told 20-year assistant John Chavis he was gone. Kiffin did the same to long-time assistants Steve Caldwell, Dan Brooks and Larry Slade. Kiffin told four of the five offensive assistants they would be retained for the immediate future.
           
Why should Kiffin’s first act be to fire assistants?
           
Couldn’t the athletic director tell each assistant he won’t be retained, unless the new coach calls you into his office within 24 hours? What’s the point of having veteran coaches summoned in on a Sunday afternoon to inform them they’re basically being fired again? That’s not the proper way to handle the situation.
           
On the second point, I don’t think it’s wise to keep the fired coach around in a fund-raising role or as an ambassador to the university or athletic department.
           
Let’s assume Fulmer and Tuberville remain at their schools. When they go out in public to represent their schools, a number of boosters, alumni and fans will tell them how great they are and how they were unjustly treated and how the administration should be ashamed of itself. Old wounds will be re-opened.
           
Not only that, you’ve got a new coach wondering if the former coach is looking over his shoulder – if not literally, at least figuratively.
           
Former Auburn coach Pat Dye wasn’t afraid to criticize Terry Bowden, even though Bowden started his Auburn tenure 20-0. When the Tigers slumped under Bowden, Dye was among the first to second guess Bowden.
           
If Fulmer and Tuberville remain at their schools, they should take a low profile approach. But it’s hard to raise funds if you’re stuck in an office.
           
When a marriage goes bad, you don’t live under the same roof.
           
You divorce.
             

LSU’s defensive coach situation could get interesting

Former Georgia coach Jim Donnan reported on an Atlanta radio station earlier this week that John Chavis has reached an agreement to be LSU’s defensive coordinator.
           
Not so, said Chavis, former defensive coordinator at Tennessee.
           
Chavis told me Tuesday he had not talked to LSU.
           
Would Chavis be interested in going to LSU?
           
“I don’t want to comment on a job unless there is an opening,” Chavis said.
           
LSU coach Les Miles has yet to announce what he will do about his co-defensive coordinators, a situation that clearly failed. LSU ranked 11th in the SEC in scoring defense and 12th in pass defense.
           
Chavis would be a great hire for LSU. He did one of his best jobs at Tennessee this past season, helping the Vols rank in the top five in the nation in total yards allowed and in the top 12 in pass defense and run defense. Not bad for a unit that got no help from an anemic offense that ranked last in the nation with the most three-and-outs.
           
Chavis said he doesn’t want to coach anywhere that doesn’t provide a chance to compete for a championship. So you’d think Chavis would certainly be intrigued to coordinate a defense at talent-rich LSU.
           
Chavis has had numerous calls from other colleges. He’s had feelers from the NFL. He’s turned down at least four offers in the past 10 years to be an NFL assistant.
           
Provided Miles makes a defensive change, and Chavis doesn’t go to LSU, former Ole Miss head coach Ed Orgeron might be a candidate. Orgeron is defensive line coach for the New Orleans Saints.
           
While Orgeron has a reputation as a good defensive line coach and for being a greater recruiter – Nick Saban was concerned about Orgeron recruiting Louisiana when Saban was at LSU – there might be some lingering ill will between Miles and Orgeron when Orgeron was recruiting at Ole Miss.
           
Orgeron’s name has been mentioned as a possible assistant at Tennessee under new coach Lane Kiffin, who worked with Orgeron at Southern Cal.
           
Archie Manning, Mr. Rebel himself, spoke glowingly of Orgeron, even though Orgeron failed as a head coach at Ole Miss.
           
“If I were a head coach, he’s someone I would consider hiring,” Manning said.
          


Dooley may really not be interested
  
Derek Dooley’s name has been mentioned as a candidate for the Mississippi State job, vacated by Sly Croom.
           
Dooley, head coach at Louisiana Tech and son of former Georgia Hall of Fame coach Vince Dooley, has indicated he’s not interested. He’s told sources that he feels you have to recruit the junior college ranks to be successful at State and that’s not the route he wants to take to build a program.
           
Interestingly, Dooley’s Tech team upset Mississippi State in the season opener, setting the tone for a poor season that led to Croom’s ouster.
    

     
Big 12 should adopt SEC system
 
The Big 12 needs to alter its tie-breaker system to determine who plays in the conference championship game.
           
In case of a three-way tie in which each of the teams is 1-1 against the others, the Big 12 advances the highest ranked BCS team to its league title game. In this case, Oklahoma, which lost head-to-head to Texas, gets the nod over Texas and Texas Tech.
           
The Big 12 would be better served to adopt the SEC format. The SEC takes the top three teams, eliminates the lowest ranked team in the BCS standings, then takes the winner of the head-to-head match provided those two teams are within five spots of each other in the BCS standings.
           
That seems a fairer way to declare a winner your division than using polls and computer ratings to decide to who plays for a conference championship. Shouldn’t head to head results count for something?
           
After all, Texas beat the two teams — Oklahoma and Missouri — scheduled to play for the Big 12 title.
 


SEC has poor record vs BCS teams
 
I have felt most of this season that the SEC was down. I believe the quarterback play in the league might be the worst I’ve ever seen. I believe the majority of the offenses border on being inept. I believe the defensive numbers are buoyed by playing against weak offenses.
           
Here’s another reason I think the SEC is down: The league went 6-9 against other BCS teams.

The wins: Florida over Miami and FSU, Alabama over Clemson, Kentucky over Louisville, Georgia over Arizona State, and South Carolina over NC State.
           
The losses: Tennessee to UCLA, Georgia to Georgia Tech, Mississippi State to Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt to Wake Forest and Duke, Ole Miss to Wake Forest, Arkansas to Texas, South Carolina to Clemson, and Auburn to West Virginia.
           
In six of those nine loses, the SEC team allowed at least 30 points, three times surrendering at least 38.
           
Moreover, the SEC lost twice to non-BCS teams: Mississippi State to Louisiana Tech and Tennessee to Wyoming.
           
Also, the SEC won’t be able to fill two of its tie-in slots – the Independence Bowl in Shreveport and the Papajohn.com bowl in Birmingham . The SEC should get two teams — Alabama and Florida — in a BCS bowl and only six other teams are bowl eligible.
 
           

Extra Points
           
* Vanderbilt can’t catch a break. The Commodores are bowl eligible for the first time since 1982, but the program might incur a 26th consecutive losing season if coach Bobby Johnson’s team loses its bowl game.
           
* Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said he would consider being a TV commentator to analyze games, but not if it meant second-guessing or criticizing coaches. Fulmer said he would like to coach again, but only at a program that has a chance to win and has passionate fans.
           
* Defending national champion LSU had poor actual attendance, averaging more than 20,000 empty seats for home games against Appalachian State, North Texas, Mississippi State , Georgia , Tulane, Troy and Ole Miss, according to a media member. He said fewer than 30,000 fans were around in the fourth quarter against Ole Miss and Troy

* Two reasons for success at Florida and Alabama: Florida leads the nation in turnover margin at plus-21 and Alabama is second in the SEC at plus-9, while Florida leads the SEC in rushing and Alabama is second. Don’t turn the ball over and run it well and you’ll win a lot of games.
           
* South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier benched tight end Jared Cook for loafing during the Clemson game and wondered if some of his juniors were thinking more of the NFL draft than playing against the Tigers. You’ve got to applaud Spurrier for sitting a player for lack of effort. More coaches should do it.
 

The sporting world is full of what ifs.
           
What if LSU had hired Steve Spurrier instead of Mike Archer in 1987?
           
What if Peyton Manning had signed with Ole Miss instead of Tennessee?
           
What if Gene Stallings hadn’t abruptly left Alabama before the 1997 season?
           
What if Clint Stoerner hadn’t fumbled against Tennessee in 1998?
           
Maybe you don’t wonder about those things, but I do.
           
I wonder how the course of history would have changed if events were slightly altered, events that aren’t far fetched.
           
I wonder what would have happened at Alabama if the Crimson Tide had hired Rich Rodriguez, instead of Nick Saban. After being offered the Bama job in December 2006, Rodriguez left West Virginia the next year and gave Michigan its losingest season ever. Saban has Alabama 11-0 and #1 in the nation. Rodriguez might have a winning record this season, but I can’t imagine him doing what Saban has done.
           
I wonder what would have happened at Auburn if Tommy Tuberville hadn’t fired offensive coordinator Al Borges. Tuberville was enamored with the spread, so he hired Tony Franklin from Troy. But Auburn doesn’t have the personnel to run the spread. Franklin was fired at mid-season and the Tigers have seen their SEC record decline for the fourth straight year. With Borges, Auburn might have beaten LSU, Vanderbilt, Arkansas and Georgia. Instead, Tuberville is on the hot seat.
           
I wonder what would have happened if an Arkansas fan hadn’t requested Houston Nutt’s cell phone records through a Freedom of Information Act. Would Nutt have stayed at Arkansas? Would running back Felix Jones have turned pro? Would the Hogs be, arguably, the worst team in the SEC? Or would Nutt have found a way to make Arkansas bowl eligible during a down year in the SEC?
           
I wonder what would have happened if Tim Tebow had gone to Alabama – his second choice — instead of Florida. Without Tebow, Florida doesn’t win the 2006 national title because he made key runs for first downs in several wins. One more loss that season and the Gators wouldn’t have played for all the marbles. And without Tebow, Urban Meyer’s spread option wouldn’t be nearly as effective and the Gators wouldn’t be playing in a second SEC championship game in three years.
           
I wonder what would have happened if Auburn hadn’t snubbed David Greene on his visit and Greene not signed with Georgia. Greene was the first quarterback for Mark Richt. He went on to become the NCAA all-time leader for wins and Georgia’s all-time leader for career total offense, passing yards, pass attempts, pass completions and touchdown passes. Greene helped Georgia win one SEC title, play for another and finish in the top 10 three consecutive years.
           
I wonder what would have happened at Kentucky if Randall Cobb had gone to Tennessee. Cobb committed to Kentucky in June. Tennessee then offered the product of Alcoa – 15 minutes from Neyland Stadium – a scholarship in December. Cobb was a spark at quarterback for the Wildcats. He was a receiver.  He also returned punts. He’s one of the top three freshmen in the SEC.
           
I wonder what would have happened if Ole Miss had given Ed Oregeron another year. Orgeron won 10 games in three seasons. How many would he have won this year? Probably four or five, considering his SEC record was 3-21. He wouldn’t have won at Florida or at LSU, and he might not have beaten Auburn. Landing Houston Nutt was a big coup for the Rebels.
           
I wonder what would have happened if Derek Pegues had signed with Tennessee instead of Mississippi State. Pegues grew up a Tennessee fan and said he would play for the Vols if offered. He was offered but instead became the first blue-chip signee for Sylvester Croom. Pegues helped the Bulldogs to an eight-win season in 2007 with his interception and punt returns.  Pegues holds the SEC record for most kickoff return yards and is second in total return yards with about 3,300.
           
I wonder what would have happened if LSU hadn’t dismissed quarterback Ryan Perrilloux. Poor quarterback play proved costly against Georgia (two interception returns for touchdowns) and Alabama (four interceptions). Give LSU two, may be three more wins under Perrilloux and this season has a different complexion.
           
I wonder what would have happened if Stephen Garcia hadn’t been suspended from spring practice at South Carolina. Steve Spurrier has started three quarterbacks this season. The musical chairs has led to inconsistent play at the most important position on the field. Spurrier says Garcia is still learning to play quarterback. If Garcia had been ready in August, the Gamecocks might have beaten Vanderbilt, Georgia and LSU.
           
I wonder what would have happened if David Cutcliffe had not left Tennessee as offensive coordinator. Tennessee’s worst offense since 1964 cost Phillip Fulmer his job. UT was 5-6 in 2005. Fulmer hired Cutcliffe to turn things around and the Vols won 19 games the next two seasons with a revitalized Erik Ainge. When Cutcliffe left for Duke, UT’s offense went dormant. I’m convinced Cutcliffe would have gotten more out of quarterback Jonathan Crompton or started B.J. Coleman. And UT would have beaten UCLA, Auburn and Wyoming and maybe Georgia – and Fulmer would still be Tennessee’s coach.
           
I wonder what would have happened if Vanderbilt hadn’t lost receiver Earl Bennett a year early to the NFL. The Commodores managed to start 5-0 and become bowl eligible for the first time in 1982 despite having the worst offense and the worst passing game in the SEC. Bennett would not only have helped the pass game, but opened up the run as well. Bennett might have been worth wins over Mississippi State and Duke.