1.  You know that line in the trailer for “The Blind Side” where Sandra Bullock’s character says she finds Nick Saban to be handsome?  Saban says that really happened.

2.  Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Georgia and South Carolina are starting more young players than any other teams in the conference.

3.  Tony Barnhart of The AJC has posted his weekend predictions.

4.  Barnhart’s AJC mate Jeff Schultz makes his predictions, too.

5.  There’s nothing normal about Les Miles’ football decisions.

6.  Tommy Hicks of The Mobile Press-Register is the latest writer to tackle Urban Meyer’s initial half-game suspension of Brandon Spikes.

7.  Charles Hollis of The Birmingham News has made his weekend picks.

8.  Ivan Maisel of ESPN.com writes that this year’s Alabama-LSU game has a lot more at stake than just bragging rights.

9.  The name of the game in the SEC?  Defense.

10.  Pat Dooley of The Gainesville Sun makes his predictions for this weekends games AND the SEC’s bowl bids.

11.  Jon Solomon of The Birmingham News has as in-depth one-on-one with excellent CBS analyst Gary Danielson.  (Seriously, name me another announcer who so routinely predicts game action before it occurs.  The guy is good.)

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Just wanted to do a little pimping for Josh Ward and the great work he does over on our Recruiting page.

For those of you who like to keep track of what’s being written about each SEC school’s recruiting, our Recruiting page is the perfect place hang out.

Josh has a number of new stories, bits, blurbs and links up today as a matter of fact.

Check it our right here.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

1.  This writer still thinks the Razorbacks are heading toward a 7-5 finish.

2.  Brandon Marcello of The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette thinks the Hogs will outgun South Carolina 28-24.  (With all the mergers and name-changes in Arkansas, I can’t keep up with who writes for who… so take this as a guess.)

3.  Bobby Petrino says Michael Smith is expected to play tomorrow, but the status of cornerbacks Ramon Broadway and Andru Stewart is much cloudier.

4.  In basketball news, good communication was the key to Arkansas’ 102-69 win over LeMoyne-Owen last night.

5.  Here’s a quickie breakdown of the game.

6.  There might be reason to be concerned about the Hogs’ defensive effort, but there are also reasons for optimism.

7.  Athletic director Jeff Long still needs approval of funds before he can begin working on new facilities for the Razorbacks.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

1.  Tony Barnhart of The AJC wonders what the fallout will be for Brandon Spikes… and for Urban Meyer.  He also says that last week’s suspension/fine plan was put in place to stop coaches from questioning officials’ integrity, not their judgement.

2.  Kevin Scarbinsky of The Birmingham News writes that Mike Slive must suspend Meyer of else undermine his own tough guy policy.

3.  Jeff Schultz of The AJC says that Spikes has more of a conscience than Meyer.

4.  Good luck finding an Alabama-LSU ticket.

5.  Gentry Estes of The Mobile Press-Register writes that schools like Alabama are correct in honoring tradition and not switching to black helmets, jerseys and pants.  (He also includes a MUST SEE Photoshop image of Bama wearing Houndstooth jerseys against Tennessee.)

6.  Pat Dooley of The Gainesville Sun writes that postgame handshakes are getting shorter and colder in the SEC.

7.  Here’s yet another look at this week’s LSU-Bama game.

8.  Ivan Maisel of ESPN.com writes that Rolando McClain’s “football smarts” are “off the charts.”

9.  Jevan Snead might have fallen from the top of the first round to the top of the second round in next year’s NFL draft (if he comes out).

10.  Chris Low of ESPN.com tells you who’s up for the SEC’s Freshman of the Year award…

11.  What to watch for in this weekend’s games…

12.  And who’ll win this weekend’s games.

13.  Ron Higgins of The Memphis Commercial-Appeal brings the high, hard one and dares critical fans to do a better job than the SEC’s officials.  (You should read this one.)

14.  Finally, here’s the weekly look around the conference from Travis Haney of The Charleston Post & Courier.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

1.  Arkansas coaches are going to allow Brandon Mitchell to play basketball for John Pelphrey, but they also called him a “quarterback for the future.”

2.  The Petrino brothers both have high praise for Steve Spurrier and his offensive mind.

3.  According to this notes column, Razorback players apparently learned last week just how serious Bobby Petrino is about starting the guys who work the hardest in practice.

4.  The effort-based grading system also looks like it’s in place to stay.

5.  This writer believes that empty seats at last week’s game send a clear message: the South Carolina game “is a must-win game” for Petrino.  (He also writes that it’s inevitable that defensive coordinator Willy Robinson will be fired at year’s end.)

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

1.  I’m not a big follower of the college football awards scene, but here are the semifinalist lists for the Bednarik Award, the Maxwell Award, and the Thorpe Award.

2.  Mark Wiedmer of The Chattanooga Times Free Press wonders if Mark Richt will step down soon at Georgia. 

3.  David Ching of The Athens Banner-Herald makes his bowl projections for the SEC.

4.  Auburn’s Zac Etheridge — wearing a bulky neckbrace — had an emotional reunion with his team yesterday.

5.  Jim Kleinpeter of The New Orleans Times-Picayune has posted his weekly SEC power rankings.

6.  Pat Dooley of The Gainesville Sun ranks the SEC, too.

7.  Tony Barnhart of The AJC lists five questions that Richt should ask himself during the offseason.

8.  Mike Griffith of The Knoxville News Sentinel got a coach from one of Tennessee’s future opponents to (anonymously) break down Lane Kiffin’s offense.

9.  Doug Segrest of The Birmingham News looks at which SEC teams have overachieved and underachieved based on their recent recruiting classes. (Take a look at Ole Miss’ recruiting and tell me how they were picked to finish in the Top 10 this year.)

10.  And Jon Solomon — also of The Birmingham News — tells you what to watch for this weekend.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Notes from Bobby Petrino’s teleconference:

* Arkansas is “as healthy as we’ve been all year long.”  Michael Smith will be back on Saturday.

* The Razorbacks need to move the ball well on early downs to stay out of third-and-longs.

* Last week, Petrino graded every down of practice and then started the guys who graded out the best… which resulted in eight new starters.  He says he’s continuing that approach this week.

* Asked about Brandon Mitchell playing basketball, Petrino said he’s done a good job during his redshirt year so “in the best interest of Brandon,” he’s allowing him to try to help the basketball team.

* Petrino wouldn’t comment on the league’s threat of suspensions and fines.

* Petrino avoided talking about Alabama’s defense by saying that Bama shut his team down so he must not have much to offer.

* Stephen Garcia can drop back and throw the ball well.  “Garcia can run the ball… make plays with his legs.” 

* Eric Norwood is used in a lot of different ways and they’ll have to get help to their tackles when he’s used at defensive end.

* Petrino does talk about “personal bests” because he believes if guys are out setting their own personal records, it will obviously benefit the team.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

1.  Bobby Petrino said back-to-back losses led him to use several new starters last Saturday.  “Sometimes when you don’t do well, you come back and say, ‘If I’m going to get beat, I’m going to get beat with 22 guys who want to practice hard every play.’”

2.  Running back Broderick Green says he got too to a slow start this season because he was “thinking too much.”

3.  Tailback Michael Smith believes he’s just about ready to leave the training room behind and get back in action.

4.  Freshman quarterback Brandon Mitchell will be joining the Hogs’ basketball squad when the football season ends, but John Pelphrey said he would be joining the team full-time on Thursday.  Hmmm.

5.  In other basketball news, Arkansas used just nine players in their exhibition opener on Monday night.

6.  The suspensions of a number of Razorbacks will finally be made public next week.

7.  Arkansas’ athletic department is soliciting proposals on a number of facilities upgrades.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

He has kept a low profile for most of the season, but former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville has now opened up on a number of topics with David Ching of The Athens Banner-Herald.

Some of the highlights:

* Tuberville has watched every Auburn game on TV or delay, but he has turned down offers to attend.  “I don’t want to be a hindrance.  A lot of people will say, ‘Come on, let’s go to a game,’ but I’m of the opinion that you just kinda stay out of the way.  These guys are in a different situation.  Let them take full control — not that I would interfere, but just being around (would) — so I just try to stay away.”

* He thought Auburn had a chance to win eight or nine games when the season started.  “… I still think they have a chance.”

* On Gene Chizik’s first season: “It’s been good.  Anytime you have a transition — you put in a new offense and defense and they got off to a great start — but every year, no matter whether you’re a new staff or an old staff, there’s a lull that your players hit for some reason in the SEC.”

* On wanting to coach again: “I’ve totally stayed out of it.  I know there are some people whose seats are getting pretty hot right now.  I’ll just let happen what happens and if it does, it does and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”

* On Georgia’s season: “They haven’t made excuses.  Defensively, obviously they haven’t played very well.  But you’ve got to look back and realize that you can’t lose a running back like Knowshon Moreno and control the ball as well as you did the year before, so you put your defense out there that much more.”

* On Mark Richt’s situation: “Mark knows as well as anybody that drastic changes don’t help anything.  Players win games.  They’ve got a lot of young players on this team.  A lot of times you learn more from failure than you do from success — and a lot of the young guys that are playing now are gonna be around a couple more years. … So you’ve got to understand, when you play in this conference, every year is not gonna be perfect.  You’re gonna have years that you’ve got to start new quarterbacks and new running backs, and things aren’t going to work out well.”

* On Tennessee: “… They’re getting better.  New staff, new stuff.  They’ve been able to weather some of the storms.  They’re still not a really good team, but (the night they played Georgia) they were.  They’re gonna have their ups and downs just because it’s a new group.”

* On how UT has handled Jonathan Crompton: “In the Auburn game, they tried to drop back and throw it — and in this league, you don’t have that much time.  The defensive linemen are much better.  So they’ve started using play-action and throwing the ball to one or two receivers and he’s looked like a totally different guy.”

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Pat Forde of ESPN.com his posted his weekly “Forde Yard Dash” college football wrap-up column.

In his latest installment he covers:

* Brandon Spikes’ eye-gouge

* Urban Meyer’s punishment of Spikes

* Georgia’s switch to Grambling-esque black helmets and pants (Forde suggests that the Dawgs have worn their “silver britches” for nearly half a century, but in fact Herschel Walker’s famed debut run over Tennessee’s Bill Bates in 1980 featured the Goalline Stalker in bright red pants.)



* Tennessee’s black jerseys

* The fact that Alabama would never trot out a black jersey

* LSU at Alabama

* Florida at South Carolina (in two weeks)

* The fact that Steve Spurrier and Carolina haven’t scored 40 points in a game for 34 consecutive outings

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Just a few more news items for you at lunchtime today:

1.  Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com believes Brandon Spikes should have gotten a stiffer punishment.

2.  Mark McCarter of The Huntsville Times believes the SEC should have upped the penalty on Spikes.

3.  Jay Greeson of The Chattanooga Times Free Press makes his SEC bowl predictions.

4.  Pat Dooley of The Gainesville Sun writes that things can’t get much worse for Georgia.

5.  FoxSports.com ranks the nation’s 10 most disappointing teams and Ole Miss ranks #7 while Georgia ranks #6.  Ole Miss was a Top 10 team to start the season and they’re not as disappointing as Georgia?

6.  Don Borst of FoxSports.com writes that Florida and Texas finally looked like national champoinship contenders on Saturday.

7.  Jeff Goodman, also of FoxSports.com, tells you why Kentucky will be in the Elite Eight at year’s end.  (And why they won’t be.)

8.  Ron Higgins of The Memphis Commercial-Appeal looks at the Alabama-LSU game.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

1.  This notes column covers everything from Michael Smith’s health to the eight new starters who took the field against Eastern Michigan last week.

2.  Regarding the new faces, Ryan Mallett said, “The point was made to not be satisfied.  Just because you’re starting this week doesn’t mean you will next week.”

3.  The Hogs could have their two cornerbacks back for this weekend’s game with South Carolina.

4.  In basketball news, Arkansas topped Dillard 77-59 last night.

5.  While Kentucky drew 21,000 for their exhibition opener, the Razorbacks lured fewer than 2,500 people to Bud Walton Arena.

6.  The Hogs had sever people missing from last night’s exhibition and here’s a rundown of why some of them weren’t playing.

7.  The fact that UA will have to shuffle its lineup from game to game could mean that it takes longer for the team to develop an identity.

8.  The off-field issues aren’t yet over for John Pelphrey’s team as a special prosecutor has been assigned to look into a woman’s claims that she was raped by several members of the UA basketball team.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

I’m not a big fan of awards.  There are just flat too many of them if you ask me.

Therefore I’m really not a fan of preseason awards.  It’s not so much an honor as a guess and I don’t know what those guesses are worth.

That said, everyone hands out preseason awards and the SEC is no different.

Below are the SEC coaches’ preseason all-conference teams:


FIRST TEAM

Devan Downey, G, South Carolina
Tasmin Mitchell, F, LSU
AJ Ogilvy, C, Vanderbilt
Patrick Patterson, F, Kentucky
Tyler Smith, G/F, Tennessee
Jarvis Varnado, F, Mississippi State
Michael Washington, F, Arkansas
Terrico White, G, Ole Miss


Yep, nothing like an eight-man team.  Below are the eight players named to the coaches’ second team.


SECOND TEAM

Dominique Archie, F, South Carolina
Wayne Chism, F/C, Tennessee
JaMychal Green, F, Alabama
DeWayne Reed, G, Auburn
Trey Thompkins, F, Georgia
Alex Tyus, F, Florida
John Wall, G, Kentucky
Chris Warren, G, Ole Miss.


It’s interesting that the SEC coaches voted John Wall to their second team all-conference team.  He’s already been named the preseason national player of the year by CBSSports.com.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

1.  Here are the SEC’s Players of the Week for Week Nine.

2.  Chris Low of ESPN thinks Brandon Spikes should have been suspended for a full game and he takes Mike Slive to task for being willing to suspend officials and coaches, but not a player.

3.  Paul Gattis of The Birmingham News offers up his weekly SEC Rewind column and opens it by asking to hear from ANYONE who like Tennessee’s black jerseys on Saturday.  (I’m guessing his mailbox is already full from folks in Knoxville.)

4.  Tony Barnhart of The AJC covers a number of points in his daily blog:

* Florida (or the league) should have suspended Spikes for at least one game.

* Georgia should never, EVER, EVER wear black helmets, black jerseys or black pants again.

* LSU is still in the hunt for the national championship.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

1.  Ryan Mallett improved his accuracy in a 63-27 win over Eastern Michigan on Saturday.  But it’s just a little easier to throw against EMU than any SEC defense, isn’t it?

2.  The Hogs offense got an A for their effort against the Eagles, but the defense got a C-. 

3.  Arkansas’ bowl hopes can be greatly helped with a win over South Carolina this week.

4.  In basketball news, the Razorbacks take on Dillard tonight in their exhibition opener.  Who the hell is Dillard?

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Every Monday we provide you with a printable rundown of the week’s SEC action, complete with television listings and early odds on each games.

All times are Eastern.

Here are your Week 10 matchups:


SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH


South Carolina at Arkansas
12:21pm
ESPN Regional Syndicated Package
Arkansas -6


Tennessee Tech at Georgia
1:00pm
Pay-Per-View
None


Eastern Kentucky at Kentucky
1:00pm
Institutional Point-to-Point
None


Furman at Auburn
1:30pm
Pay-Per-View
None


LSU at Alabama
3:30pm
CBS
Alabama -9


Memphis at Tennessee
7:00pm
ESPNU
Tennessee -25


Vanderbilt at Florida
7:15pm
ESPN or ESPN2
Florida -32.5


Northern Arizona at Ole Miss
7:30pm
CSS
None

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

We’re 2/3rds of the way through the 2009 football season and already fans are starting to look ahead to next year and beyond.

Since everyone and their brother does SEC power rankings each week, we’ll nix ours this week and instead grade each program based on its overall health.

We’ll provide a reason for optimism and a reason for concern for each program moving forward. 

Enjoy.  And I look forward to receiving your angry emails.



1.  Alabama

Health Equivalent:  Jack LaLanne (at left)

The likelihood of Nick Saban leaving Tuscaloosa is slim.  He’s tried the NFL and there’s no college job better than Bama.  With Saban (and his coaching ability) on hand and yet another great recruiting class on the way, it appears that Alabama will remain healthy for years.

Reason for Optimism:  If Nick Saban can go 8-0 with a new quarterback and a rebuilt offensive line, what can he do with veterans at those positions?

Reason for Concern:  Saban found it “disconcerting” that folks in the Heart of Dixie are finding fault with his squad.  Bama fans better hope they don’t drive Saban to the golf course prematurely.



2.  Florida

Health Equivalent:  Matthew McConaughey

Florida is buff… and they have no problem showing it off — like the too often shirtless McConaughey.  Based in fertile recruiting ground, as long as UF’s head coach even TRIES to recruit, Florida will have one of the nation’s ten best rosters.  There are that many stars in the Sunshine State.

Reason for Optimism:  Two BCS titles and a possible third on the way, UF is once again going to have a Top 10 recruiting class.

Reason for Concern:  Urban Meyer has shown that he can tweak his offense and win with Chris Leak… and he’ll need to do that again next year when Tim Tebow is playing in the NFL.  Also, Meyer has referred to Steve Spurrier’s old “10 wins isn’t enough” line.  Might UF expectations drive him away?



3.  Tennessee

Health Equivalent: This kid…

Lane Kiffin was considered a joke by most when he was hired.  His mouth has often made matters worse.  But there’s no questioning his coaching staff (see our offensive and defensive efficiency ratings) and his recruiting ability (see our commitment comparison).

Reason for Optimism:  If Kiffin can make Tennessee competitive with using holdovers from a team that got Phillip Fulmer fired, what can he do when he brings in another Top 10 recruiting class or two?

Reason for Concern:  Will the staff — including 69-year-old Monte Kiffin — stay together for another three or four years?  And will Lane Kiffin’s mouth eventually get him into serious hot water off the field?



4.  LSU

Health Equivalent:  The healthy jogger who drops dead from a heart attack.

Everything looks good.  Good record.  Great recruiting.  A national title in the trophy case.  So why do I get the feeling folks in Baton Rouge could turn on Les Miles so quickly?

Reason for Optimism:  John Chavis has fixed LSU’s defensive woes and Gary Crowton has had success with the offense in the past.  The talent-base in Louisiana/Texas is outstanding also.

Reason for Concern:  Nick Saban.  Miles — fair or not — will always be judged against his predecessor.  If the program goes into the slightest decline, folks will be quick to say, “He won his title with Saban’s players.”  Miles should ask Tubby Smith about that.



5.  Georgia

Health Equivalent:  George Burns (when he was alive)

Burns smoked cigar after cigar and yet he lived to be a hundred.  As I listen to folks point out all the horrible woes surrounding the Georgia program, I notice the following: They’re 4-4 after their top two players left for the pros early, they’re on the verge of another Top 10 recruiting class, their offense is the SEC’s best (in efficiency) and this is literally the first bad year for UGA under Mark Richt. 

Reason for Optimism:  A good defensive coordinator should be able to fix what ails the Dawgs.

Reason for Concern:  Richt might not want to make a move on his current defensive coordinator.



6.  Arkansas

Health Equivalent:  The drummer from Def Leppard

Bobby Petrino has the SEC’s worst/smallest recruiting base.  The Hogs are also in a division with Alabama, LSU and Auburn.  Those are some serious obstacles to overcome.  But Rick Allen lost his arm in a car wreck and still came back to do this for the past two decades.

Reason for Optimism:  Petrino is a good coach, he just needs to keep finding better players on defense.

Reason for Concern:  It’ll be hard for a team with a tiny recruiting base to climb too high in the SEC.



7.  Auburn

Reason for Optimism:  Tradition and a solid staff of assistant coaches.

Reason for Concern:  The Tigers are stuck in the same state with an 800-pound gorilla and the jury is still out on Gene Chizik who failed so miserably at Iowa State.



8.  South Carolina

Reason for Optimism:  The Gamecocks are a young team and should improve next year.  Steve Spurrier has also improved USC’s recruiting.

Reason for Concern:  No one has ever had success in Columbia.  I can’t understand why.  They have the talent-base, the fan support, the facilities… just not the history.  And it looks like they’re going to be in that 7-5 range once again this year.



9.  Ole Miss

Reason for Optimism:  I rank the Rebels ahead of Mississippi State based on tradition and the Big Brother factor.  That’s it.

Reason for Concern:  Houston Nutt overachieves when expectations are low, underachieves when they’re high.  I see no reason for that to change in the future.  Ole Miss will have some 8- and 9-wins seasons separated by some 5- and 6-win campaigns.  It is what it is.



10.  Mississippi State

Reason for Optimism:  Dan Mullen has brought energy to Starkville… and he might just be able to recruit on par with Nutt at Ole Miss.

Reason for Concern:  We’re still talking about Mississippi State.  Traditionally, they’re the Worst of the West.  That means there are five programs for Mullen to jump.  Good luck with that.



11.  Kentucky

Reason for Optimism:  Uh… uh… football recruits will enjoy going to UK basketball games more now that John Calipari is in town?

Reason for Concern:  Rich Brooks has made UK more competitive, but they’re just too far down the ladder to make a difference in the SEC.  They also have a poor recruiting base.  And no one knows if Joker Phillips will be able to duplicate Brooks’ “success.”



12.  Vanderbilt

Reason for Optimism:  Vandy has one of their best ever recruiting classes in the works.  And Bobby Johnson — for the most part — has lifted Vandy from laughingstock status…

Reason for Concern:  Except when his team gets hammered with injuries.  Then depth wipes out the traditional Commodore-mat of the SEC.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

There’s been quite a bit of shuffling on our recruiting Big Board since we last checked.  Eight of the league’s teams have seen some amount of movement up the chart.

As usual, we use the rankings provided by Rivals.com.  We give each star in their system an equal point value in our system.  But we count even 0-star athletes as being worth 1 point.  Okay, so we’re softies.

Below are the updated commitment numbers for each team in the SEC, through this morning.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

1.  Florida maintained their top spot in the BCS rankings, Texas leapfrogged idle Alabama for the #2 listing.

2.  The Tide is #3 behind Texas in all of the major polls this week, but if they take care of business, that fact won’t matter come bowl time.

3.  Chris Low of ESPN.com has a list of what we learned this past weekend.

4.  Stewart Mandel of SI.com covers Auburn, Ole Miss, Florida, Alabama, Anthony Dixon’s 252-yard effort versus Kentucky and Lane Kiffin’s “last laugh” in his latest column.

5.  Georgia’s Mark Richt isn’t saying whether or not Joe Cox is about to be benched.

6.  You might have to register to read this one (it’s free), but Matt Hayes of The Sporting News looks at the BCS mess and feels it’s no time for #9 LSU to panic.

7.  Andy Staples of SI.com believes Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes should be suspended for the absolutely scumbag move below.  Eye-gouging?  That’s weak, Mr. Spikes.  Very, very weak.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

When your defense ranks among the best of the SEC, it also ranks among the best in the nation.  And that’s certainly true for the top three defenses in this week’s Pure Efficiency ratings for defense.

To tally this statistic, we take the total number of plays a defense plays in league-games only.  Then we divide that number by the total number of touchdowns a team has allowed.  This tells us how many plays (on average) teams run between touchdowns against the SEC’s defenses in conference play.

This measures a defense’s real stinginess.  It also provides a look at overall team efficiency, as team’s with turnover-prone offenses tend to put their defenses in bad situations.



Pure Efficiency — Defense

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Through nine weeks of the season — though we’re looking only at the results from in-conference games at the behest of some readers –  it’s becoming clear which SEC offenses have what it takes to score.  And which ones don’t.

The SEC’s defenses are clearly dominant this year, which makes those offenses at the top of our efficiency ratings so impressive: they’re putting up good numbers in the face of the nation’s top run-stuffers and ballhawks.

Here’s an example of just how good SEC defenses are.  In five games against conference foes, Vanderbilt has scored just three offensive touchdowns.  On Saturday against 11th ranked Georgia Tech, Vandy tallied — you guessed it — three touchdowns in one game.

The SEC is absolutely brutal when it comes to suffocating defenses.



As always, we figure “Pure Efficiency” for the offense by taking the total offensive snaps run by a unit and dividing that number by the total number of touchdowns recorded by that offense.  That tells you how many plays each offense needs (on average) to score a touchdown in SEC play.

This rank gives a good idea to overall team efficiency as well, because a turnover-creating defense can give an offense short fields with which to work.



Pure Efficiency — Offense

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

FAYETTEVILLE (AP) – Ryan Mallett went 14 of 16 for 248 yards and three touchdowns, and Broderick Green added a 99-yard touchdown run to lead Arkansas to a 63-27 rout of Eastern Michigan on Saturday night.
(more)

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas defensive tackle Zach Stadther admits he doesn’t want to again spend his winter break at home.

(more)

Mike Slive revealed to the Associated Press today that coaches who speak out against the league’s officials are going to get more than a reprimand when they pop off in the future.

It was just a matter of time before Slive got serious on this front.  When coaches (Lane Kiffin and Bobby Petrino) hint that the league is taking care of some teams at the expense of others, it brings the legitimacy of the league and all of its games into question.

We had a poll on this site for more than four days that showed that a small majority of you fans actually believe that the officials in the SEC are trying to influence the outcome of games… despite a stat analysis that showed there to be little correlation between winning teams and the amount of flags thrown.

So, in an attempt to squash this bug before it grows, Slive has said that coaches who criticize league officials in public will face a fine or a suspension rather than getting a reprimand.

“It became clear to me after last week that I was no longer interested in reprimands, and the conference athletic directors and university presidents unanimously agreed,” Slive said.

Some conspiracy theorists will claim that this shows just how far the league will go to crown Florida and/or Alabama as champion, but that’s nonsense.

The league has handed out reprimands in the past.  They used to work.  But when coaches begin to ignore the reprimands, the league has to move on to a stiffer type of punishment.

And all of the SEC’s ADs and presidents agreed.  Not just the guys at Florida and Alabama, but the ADs and presidents at Arkansas, Mississippi State and Tennessee, too.

A conspiracy?  Please. 

Once again Slive has taken the correct course of action.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (3) Posts

Just a few more stories to munch on this Friday afternoon:

1.  The NCAA has passed some new rules aimed at cleaning up college basketball recruiting.  Good luck with that one.

2.  With Tim Tebow on the verge of breaking Herschel Walker’s SEC rushing touchdown record, here’s a comparison of the two players’ legacies.

3.  Tony Barnhart of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution makes his weekend predictions right here.

4.  The AJC’s Jeff Schultz does the same here.

5.  Ron Morris of The State thanks folks need to take a timeout from ref-bashing in the SEC.

6.  Andrea Adelson of The Orlando Sentinel believes coaches who criticize officials should be punished more severely.

7.  Pat Dooley of The Gainesville Sun makes his predictions… and is hoping the refs make a bad call that costs Tennessee’s Lane Kiffin tomorrow.

8.  SEC coordinator of officials Rogers Redding says, “You can critcize our calls.  You can criticize our judgement.  You can even criticize our intelligence.  But you cannot criticize our integrity.”

9.  Charles Hollis of The Birmingham News makes his weekend picks right here.

10.  A Tennessee spokesman says Lane Kiffin wasn’t referring to a Mike Slive reprimand when he said he’d get a meaningless letter from the league this week.  Everyone outside the Volunteer State responds with a “yeah, right.”

11.  Here’s a by-the-numbers look around the SEC.

12.  Here are the predictions from Geoff Calkins of The Memphis Commercial-Appeal.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts