Sorry for the long list of headines today.  Business takes me elsewhere.

1.  The Chick-fil-A Kickoff games for 2014 are set: Alabama-West Virginia and Ole Miss-Boise State.  (Gee, I wonder which game will get the best time slot.)

2.  The NCAA is working on a number of rule changes…

3.  But transfer rules won’t easily be lifted. 

4.  College basketball refs are getting a refresher course on block/charge calls.

5.  Alabama and West Virginia have never played each other in football.

6.  Tony Barbee has lined up games in Chicago and Charleston for his Auburn Tigers this season.  (Chicago’s great, but give me Charleston.)

7.  Mike Anderson has added a juco star to his basketball squad at Arkansas.

8.  NikeBlog.com has a teaser photo suggesting the Razorbacks could be trotting out new football uniforms this year… complete with two different helmets and what appears to be a navy/charcoal/black design.

(Sidenote — Another tradition goes up in flames as Michigan’s going to be using more uniform variations this fall.)

9.  Bobby Petrino broke even in selling his $600,000 lake home.

10.  LSU’s coordinators don’t want their players to forget their BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.

11.  Speaking of not forgetting that night… the Alabama fan videotaped placing his genitals on the face of a passed-out LSU fan has been indicted on sexual battery and obscenity charges.

12.  Ole Miss is trying to find and grow new revenue streams.

13.  Here’s a look at Florida’s offensive line coming out of spring practice.

14.  No surprise: tailback Isaiah Crowell will be an important man at Georgia this fall.

15.  UGA has named a long-time Georgia high school coach as the football program’s new director of on-campus recruiting.

16.  Kentucky hoops transfer target Montrezl Harrell has been given a release from Virginia Tech.

17.  This writers says Joker Phillips is one of several SEC coaches who need to rally before 2013.

18.  This writer believes the SEC wants to get to 16 teams and will do so soon.  (We disagree and from everyone we’ve spoken to at SEC schools, they’d prefer to see how the additions of Mizzou and A&M play out first.)

19.  The Florida State-Big 12 story won’t go away…

20.  Even though Bobby Bowden thinks FSU should stay put.

A little less than two week ago, Alabama’s Nick Saban was asked about his schools success recruiting the state of Georgia.  He joked that he still had a lake house in the Peach State (though it’s for sale).

We pointed to two factors that we believe have played a role in Bama inking 20 Georgia natives in the past four classes:

1.  Georgia produces too much talent for UGA and Georgia Tech — until this year the only FBS-level programs in the state — to be able to keep it all at home.

2.  Saban has repeatedly played games in the Georgia Dome, smack in the heart of Atlanta.

In 2008, Bama faced Clemson in the first Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at the Georgia Dome.  A year later, Virginia Tech served as the Tide’s opener in that same game.

Next year, Alabama will once again face the Hokies in Atlanta.  And yesterday we learned that the Tide’s 2014 opponent in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is expected to be West Virginia.  Nick Saban told a Bama booster group yesterday that a game against his home state’s top university was on the docket.  The Charleston (WV) Daily Mail reports today that a West Virginia official has confirmed that a UA-WVU game “is in the works.”

For Georgia fans tired of seeing Alabama play a primetime game on the opening weekend of the season in their home state year-in and year-out, get used to it.  Saban’s done it twice before and now two more are officially lined up for future dates.  Expect more of the same moving forward.

Let’s play bank examiner and use USA Today’s latest financial data report to see how SEC athletic budgets (meaning: expenditures) have changed over the years.

Below you’ll find the total expenses for each public SEC school — as a private school Vanderbilt doesn’t share its budget — from 2006 through 2011.  In the end, we tally the numbers to see who’s spent what on athletics over a six-year span.

Remember, Missouri and Texas A&M were Big 12 schools during this stretch.  So here are your total athletic expenses year-by-year for 13 of the SEC’s 14 schools:

Observations:

* Combined, the SEC’s schools have spent $5,595,974,982  on athletics since 2006.  That’s billion with a B.  Somewhere an economics professor just fainted.

* It’s no surprise that the traditional “Big Six” football programs in the SEC — Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU and Tennessee — would have been the top six spenders if not for the addition of Texas A&M.  (Before sending angry emails about my reference to a “Big Six,” note that the SEC in 1992 put Auburn in the West Division and Vanderbilt in the East Division despite geography in an effort to put three powers in one division (Bama, Auburn, LSU) and three in the other (Florida, Georgia, Tennessee).

* It is surprising that Arkansas’ athletic outlay has been so low compared to its SEC rivals, but remember, numbers can be tweaked.  As any Hog fan can tell you — and will likely shout at you — the UA athletic department never goes into debt thanks to donors who are down with paying up front, in cash (in most cases).

* How long before someone in the Magnolia State reads this chart, sees that Ole Miss and Mississippi State have spent about $350,000,000 less on athletics over the last six years, and starts a push for those schools to leave the SEC for the Big 12?  (Kidding, of course.  The SEC’s even-Steven revenue share actually aids those schools.)

Now let’s take a look at the increase in athletic spending for each school from 2006 to 2011, just those two years.  And since we’re looking at those two years only, the percentage increase we’ll show you should be used as only a ballpark indicator of budget growth.  Mississippi State, for example, had been remarkably steady in its growth until making a big jump in 2011.  That doesn’t mean they will spend the same amount of cash in 2012.  You can see in the chart above that several SEC schools have seen spikes and declines over the past six years.

Still, here’s a look at the total dollar increase from 2006 to 2011 along with the percentage growth for each school:

As you can see, the percentages can be a little bit deceiving.  Mississippi State basically doubled it’s budget from 2006 to 2011.  But the Bulldogs grew from just — just? — $25 million in ’06 to $36 million in ’10.  In 2011 came the bounce to $51 million.

Similarly, big-spending schools like Florida and Tennessee didn’t show a big percentage growth, but overall they’ve been the league’s spendthrifts over the last six years.

After looking at all these numbers, it becomes more and more evident why the board of trustees at Missouri pushed their school toward the Southeastern Conference.

Due to departures, dismissals and suspensions, Georgia is having to move star sophomore receiver Malcolm Mitchell to defensive back for the start of the 2012 season.  That doesn’t mean he won’t get snaps on offense, too.

In fact, Mitchell is set to become the Dawgs first two-way player since Champ Bailey.  Said Mark Richt:

“He’s a very good football player obviously as an offensive player.  He may be just as good or better on defense. We’re going to have our first true two-way player. (Brandon) Boykin was a two-way player and Branden Smith was, but they really couldn’t run every single play in the offensive system. Malcolm will know every play offensively. He’ll know every defense defensively so he’ll have a chance to play a lot of football for us.”

Bailey played at least 100 plays for Georgia in seven game during his junior season in 1998 and put up better numbers than 1997 Heisman-winner Charles Woodson in doing so.

1. Do all SEC schools benefit in recruiting from the league’s six consecutive BCS titles?

2. Here’s a look at how Georgia will be able to bring in more than 25 players in 2013.

3. Defensive end David Bellamy put the work in to receive an offer from Georgia.

4. Running back Trey Rodriguez was wearing a Florida shirt when he met a rival school’s coach.

5. Florida has offered in-state defensive end prospect Joey Ivie.

6. Here are the top performers at this weekend’s Baltimore NFTC.

7. Wide receiver Ryan Jenkins of Marietta, Ga., will cut his list of schools soon.

8. 2014 running back Joseph Yearby has committed to Florida State.

Thirty-nine weeks from yesterday.

That’s how long it is until we’re tracking the faxes on National Signing Day 2013.  And since it’s already May — wasn’t it Christmas last week? — we think it’ll seem like a blink of the eye until that day arrives.

It’s been three weeks since our last check of the Big Board and several schools have picked up commitments in that time.  Below we’ll show you how your favorite team — and your hated rivals — are stacking up to date in terms of committed prospects.

As usual, we’ll use Rivals.com’s rankings.  For each star they assign, we’ll dole out a point.  But we’ll also award a point to 0-star recruits because sooner or later those commits will be graded, too (and if they wind up in the SEC, they’ll most likely receive no less than two or three stars).

First, we’ll show you the SEC’s 14 programs rank in terms of total talent points committed on this May 10th:

Next, let’s take a look at the average points per commitment for each program, in order to figure out what caliber athlete is interested in each program (as of now):

And finally, here’s a peek at which schools have picked up the most total points since our last comparator on April 17th:

When you think of SEC football, you think of millionaire coaches with championship rings on every finger.  But when you survey the league’s actual coaching roster these days, in reality there are more guys with business left to prove than men with proven resumes.

Matt Hayes of The Sporting News has ranked the league’s coaches #1 through #14 today and while we’ll show you his list, we won’t steal his thunder and give you the reasons behind his selections.  You can find those here.

What we will say, however, is that after about five coaches — and we disagree with Hayes’ top five — there are some serious question marks.  More question marks than the ever-rich, ever-successful SEC has had in a long, long while.

Hayes’ rankings:

1.  Nick Saban, Alabama

2.  Les Miles, LSU

3.  Steve Spurrier, South Carolina

4.  Mark Richt, Georgia

5.  James Franklin, Vanderbilt

6.  Gary Pinkel, Missouri

7.  Gene Chizik, Auburn

8.  Dan Mullen, Mississippi State

9.  Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M

10.  Will Muschamp, Florida

11.  John L. Smith, Arkansas

12.  Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss

13.  Joker Phillips, Kentucky

14.  Derek Dooley, Tennessee

Saban, Miles, Spurrier and Richt have proven themselves over time to be at or near the top of their profession.  They should all be untouchable at this point.  That’s right, Georgia fans: should… be… untouchable.

Pinkel has done for Missouri what Spurrier has done for Carolina.  He’s upgraded the school’s talent and he’s put his program on the national map for the first time.  Sure, he hasn’t done it in the SEC yet, but Pinkel would be #5 on this writer’s list for having accomplished what he’s accomplished in a BCS conference.

After those five coaches?  Question marks, question marks, question marks.

Franklin had a surprising first year and his recruiting has been stunning by Vandy’s standards, but he’s been in Nashville for just one season.

Chizik has a national title on his resume but if Cam Newton hadn’t signed with Auburn would the Tigers’ coach be entering this season on a hot seat?  Probably.

Mullen was Franklin three years ago and he’s the reason we’re reserving judgement on Franklin now.  At some point MSU’s coach will have to have a breakthrough season and beat someone other than Ole Miss in the SEC West.

Smith did well at Louisville but he was sacked at Michigan State.  Sumlin has had non-BCS-level success.  Muschamp’s resume is short.  Freeze has a short resume and his success came at the non-BCS-level.

Phillips has done nothing to make anyone think he was the brains of Rich Brooks’ outfit and Dooley inherited such a mess at Tennessee that he really shouldn’t be judged before this season is over (though the returns on his first two seasons have been poor).

Overall, the league’s coaching roster is surprisingly average.  Of course, the SEC’s list of coaches would look a lot more impressive if Bobby Petrino hadn’t blown his career to smithereens last month.  But as it stands, there are four guys who’ve proven themselves, one who’s proven himself in another BCS league, and nine others who the jury is still very much out on.

1.  Wanna buy Nick Saban’s $10.95 million lakefront Georgia mansion?  It’s being listed.  And, yep, that’s it at left.

2.  It’s being reported that Auburn O-lineman Thomas O’Reilly will transfer to Georgia Tech.

3.  LSU’s basketball team is adding 6-8 forward Calvin Godfrey who is transferring from Iowa State.  (Justin Hamilton — the last Tiger hoopster to transfer in from Ames – turned out pretty well.)

4.  New Tiger coach Johnny Jones has announced the hire of assistant coach Tom Kelsey.

5.  The top fundraiser for the Ole Miss athletic department is headed to Buffalo as that school’s new AD.

6.  New MSU coach Rick Ray is quickly restocking the Bulldogs’ hoops roster.  (The turnover in Starkville this year will be Calipari-esque in terms of numbers.)

7.  Outgoing AD Bill Byrne oversaw a whole lot of success at Texas A&M.  (Link fixed.)

8.  Florida will head into the fall with two quarterbacks running neck-and-neck for the starting job.  (That’s rarely a good thing.)

9.  Mark Fox continues to put this season’s basketball schedule together at Georgia.

10.  Steve Spurrier and Frank Martin hit the road to Myrtle Beach to meet with South Carolina fans yesterday.

11.  Tennessee’s Derek Dooley will be holding his breath until he sees the results of his team’s work in the classroom this spring.

12.  6-4 point guard Eric McClellan is transferring from Tulsa to Vanderbilt.  (VU’s yet another program that’s going through Calipari-esque turnover this offseason.)

13.  This writer says the addition of ex-UConn transfer Alex Oriakhi will make Missouri Kentucky’s biggest SEC hoops threat next season.

14.  6-4 guard Jordan Clarkson — who scored 16.5 points per game for Tulsa last season — will also transfer to Mizzou… though he’ll have to sit out a year.

15.  If you’re looking for a full wrap up of SEC spring drills, complete with notes on all 14 squads, the SEC’s media wing has got you covered.

Nick Saban has Alabama’s Crimson Tide on such a roll that he can pretty much cherry pick the top recruits from any state he chooses.  This past February that meant grabbing eight kids from the state of Georgia as he built yet another top-ranked signing class.

As we’ve pointed out many times before, the state of Georgia produces more SEC signees each year than any other state.  The fact that only three FBS-level programs exist within the state — Georgia, Georgia Tech and upstart Georgia State — means many of the Peach State’s top athletes will cross state borders and play elsewhere.  Schools across the SEC know this and every program from Missouri to Kentucky to Tennessee to Vanderbilt to South Carolina to Auburn try to raid the state.  But Alabama’s having more success than others.

Asked why by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Saban joked, “Well, I still have a home in Georgia,” referring to his palace on Lake Burton.  Then he said this:

“I think we work hard in recruiting and try to have a good program.  We try to help the kids in our program be successful personally, academically, and athletically.  There are a lot of good football players over here in Georgia.

We want to do a good job in a five-hour radius of Tuscaloosa.  Atlanta is the great city with the great population, and has a lot of football players in it.  There’s good high school football in this state and good academics, too.  It has worked out well for us.”

Two of Alabama’s 11 current commitments for the class of 2013 come from Georgia.  In addition to the eight Georgia natives he signed last year, Saban inked two in 2011, five in 2010 and five in 2009.  That’s 20 Georgia signees in the last four years with more on the way.

The Peach State cranks out prospects, as we noted above.  Alabama is thriving and is also nearby.  But also playing a possible role in Bama’s success recruiting Georgia kids — Saban’s decision to open the 2008 and 2009 seasons in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta.  In case you didn’t know it, the Tide is already lined up to open its 2013 and 2014 seasons back in downtown Atlanta, too, against Virginia Tech and an opponent to be determined.

Saban knows what he’s doing when it comes to taking his program across the Georgia state line for its season-opening games.

1. Premature commenting has cost Georgia coach Mark Richt some telephone privileges.

2. If either Georgia or Clemson want to cancel their 2013-14 football series, it’s going to cost millions.

3. Florida sophomore linebacker Graham Stewart will transfer.

4. LSU fan files a lawsuit against an Alabama fan over a BCS championship post-game incident.

5. Ole Miss officials hit the road to rally and unite the fan base.

6. Former Tennessee running back Bryce Brown gets a chance at a fresh start in the NFL.

7. The city of Jacksonville wants to be a player in any expanded college football playoffs.

8, Gary Parrish: “The Kentucky-Indiana series ending is another blow to one of the things that makes college basketball fun in November and December.”

9. Kentucky coach John Calipari gets a raise and a retention bonus

Extras

10. So is new Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby a puppet for conference power brokers? “I would suggest you do your homework,” he said. “I haven’t been good at being a puppet over the years.”

11. If you missed change-your-conference-affiliation-Friday – here’s your update.

12. So exactly how did the horses in this year’s Kentucky Derby get their names?