ATHENS — Mark Richt is a man of faith. It’s a source of pride and inspiration that he believes strongly in things he can’t completely understand. The important thing is that he believes.
(more)

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

Bill King, who does an excellent job with his Junkyard Blawg for The AJC, has had quite enough of media guys (like me) talking about Mark Richt being on the hot seat.

In his view, there’s no way Richt will be fired this year, “So let’s can all this ‘hot seat’ talk.”

Fair enough.  Saying someone is on the hot seat can mean a couple of different things:

a)  The man on the hot seat is about to be fired

b)  The man on the hot seat is facing a whole lot of pressure, more than anyone else.

I, for one, don’t think there’s any way that Richt will be fired, either.  In fact, I think the amount of panic going on inside the state of Georgia over a 4-4 team that lost two mega-stars early to the pros is downright amazing.

However, there are some ways to tell if your coach is on the hot seat:

a)  If you do a Google search of your coach’s name and the words “hot seat” and “fire” appear in numerous entries… your coach might be on the hot seat.

b)  If something as silly as your coach’s demeanor is becoming a major negative for him… your coach might be on the hot seat.

c)  If the athletic director of your school has to make TWO statements of support for your coach during the season… your coach might be on the hot seat.

d)  If fans and media believe the coach will HAVE to fire one or more assistants from his staff in the offseason… your coach might be on the hot seat.

e)  If your coach has to remind angry fans on his radio show of his excellent resume and record… your coach might be on the hot seat.

So let’s see… a, b, c, d, e… yep, Richt is on the hot seat.

Or put it another way: What SEC coach is taking more guff and facing more fan anger than Richt right now?

That would be no one.

Richt won’t be fired this year.  (He shouldn’t even be in trouble, if you ask me.)  But he’ll need to have a good year next year.

And that’s the definition of a hot seat.

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

1.  Georgia’s defense has managed to collect just six takeaways this year… the lowest total of all 120 FBS schools.

2.  The Bulldogs’ strength and conditioning coach is hot over TV analyst Randy Cross’ decision to say Georgia players look “weak.”  Indeed, Dave Van Halanger has been in Athens since 2001 and no one has complained about their strength until now.

3.  Mark Richt says Georgia works hard to keep up to date on the latest strength and conditioning techniques.

4.  Richt is happy to be back between the hedges this week…

5.  But that doesn’t mean he’ll see a full house of happy faces for UGA’s homecoming game with Tennessee Tech.

6.  In basketball news, the Mark Fox era tips off tonight in an exhibition game against North Georgia.

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.  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.  Athletic director Damon Evans had to come to the defense of Mark Richt yesterday.  (Good thing he’s not on the hot seat, eh, Dawg fans?) 

“… Our head coach is very good at what he does, and I have the utmost confidence Mark Richt will continue to lead us in the right direction. … I know (Richt) will evaluate his program at the end of the season, as he always does.”

2.  Mark Bradley of The AJC interprets Evans’ comments to mean, “I’m with you, Coach, but I also want action.”

3.  At least one Georgia player thinks criticism of Richt’s calm demeanor is silly.

4.  Former UGA quarterback Buck Belue took on the Georgia fanbase yesterday. 

“How do you leave early, when the LSU-Georgia game outcome hangs in the balance?  What’s up with the showing up tardy?  How lame is all that garbage that was left behind by tailgaters?  Embarrassing.  Have another 6-pack and scream about firing (Willie) Martinez and (Mike) Bobo some more.”

Wow.

5.  Will Tavarres King or Rantavious Wooten be able to replace AJ Green’s numbers in Georgia’s offense this weekend?  (Against Tennessee Tech, will it matter?)

6.  Wooten will actually be filling the position left open by Green’s lung injury.

7.  This writer believes punter Drew Butler could earn All-American honors.

8.  Richt thinks he might have the best punter and the best placekicker in the nation.

9.  The Bulldogs are baffled by their own on-field mistakes.

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

Urban Meyer vs. the officials.  Lane Kiffin vs. Urban Meyer.  Nick Williams vs. Tim Tebow.  Now Williams vs. Meyer.

Somewhere Mike Slive is sitting in an office shouting “Serenity Now!”



Williams, the Georgia linebacker who slammed into Tebow during Saturday’s game doesn’t feel he did anything wrong.  “Emotions were flying, and I was just trying to make a play.  Tebow is a great player, and it’s obvious you got to get him on the ground or he’s going to spark something.

“I didn’t think anything of it.  I wasn’t trying to hurt him or anything, but was just out there playing.  Emotions got going.  It’s Georgia-Florida, you know.”

Mark Richt came to Meyer’s defense yesterday saying, “I agree with (what Meyer said).  (Williams) could have gotten called for that.”

We would show you the play here… as we did yesterday… but the SEC and XOS Technologies have removed it from YouTube.  To see it, you’ll have to go over the SEC’s official website and search through the entire Florida-Georgia game.

And that makes me want to say, “Serenity Now!”

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 Mark Richt’s teleconference:

* AJ Green will be out this weekend.  Justin Houston is nicked up, too.

* Richt was asked about the SEC’s freshman of the year award.  He said he didn’t know if his team had a candidate for that award, though he did say he had some guys who might make the all-freshman team.

* Nationally, defenses are doing better this year than they did last year.

* Asked about the frustration of dealing with questions regarding his program, Richt said, “If you don’t think it’s gonna happen you’ve got your head in the sand.  What separates us from any other league is the rabidness of our fanbases.  When they’re team doesn’t do well some get sad, some get mad and some ask questions about how to fix it.  When you add the multiple, multiple media outlets and internet chatrooms then all of a sudden you add a dimension of fans who can spew things out without any accountability.  But that’s what happens when things don’t go the way you want them to go.  We do need to learn how to handle adversity.  Our job as coaches is to educate these plays in how to handle adversity in life,” so they need to show them right now just how to do that.

* Only two people had questions for Richt today… Mike Herndon of The Mobile Press-Register and myself.

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

1.  Joe Cox was nervous as he waited to find out if he would still be the starting quarterback this week.  “When I walked in, Coach (Mark) Richt was like, ‘You sweating on the way over here?’  He told me that I was the guy and I was who they wanted to be under center.”

2.  Georgia’s two freshman quarterbacks didn’t “earn” the right to replace Cox.

3.  Richt had to defend his record yesterday — against imbeciles who are up in arms over a single disappointing season.  “Let’s face it, we’ve had the best winning percentage in the history of Georgia football.  We’ve done pretty well.  This year we have not, okay.  So we’re averaging 10 wins a year and won the SEC twice and they hadn’t won one in 20 years.  It’s not like we’ve just been floudering around.  This year we have been, let’s face it.  And I don’t like it.”

4.  Jeff Schultz of The AJC — who is apparently in full-blown panic mode right along with many Bulldog fans — writes that Richt’s “methods have to change.  Everything that might affect direction and atmosphere has to change.”

Yep.  A season that looks 7-5ish but could still wind up 9-4 is a clear call to blow up everything at Georgia but Sanford Stadium’s hedges. 

Certainly, coaches must adapt and change with the times, but the overreaction from Mr. Schultz and the Georgia fanbase is amazing. 

Personally, I think it would be good to see Richt put himself on the open market and the leave the Dawgs searching for a new coach.  Richt would be the first coach hired this offseason.  But you have to wonder what coach would come running to Athens… if Richt’s stellar record wasn’t viewed as satisfactory.

5.  Allow me to mention once again — before posting the next link — that I was absolutely bombarded by angry Georgia fans last summer when I said that Richt would be on the hot seat if he had a bad season this year. 

Now, here’s what former Dawg quarterback Buck Belue had to say yesterday: “It’s tough to tell who’s having a worse year, the team or the fans.  It’s gotten really ugly as far as the fans go — the ‘fire everybody” stuff.  It sort of compares to the penalties and the turnovers you see from the team.”

6.  As we told you yesterday, Waushaun Ealey doesn’t believe Brandon Spikes should have been suspended for his eye-poke on Saturday..  “I had my eyes closed.  He really didn’t gouge my eyes.”

7.  One analyst believes the biggest issue at Georgia is the team’s defensive coordinator, not recruiting.

8.  Georgia’s bowl prospects aren’t looking too great right now.

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

Georgia running back Waushaun Ealey has taken the high road in Poke-gate.  The pokee in Saturday’s game said today that Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes should not be suspended for his attempted eye-gouge.

Spikes was caught trying to jab at Ealey’s eyes when he was on the ground during Saturday’s game.  Spikes has been suspended for the first half of this week’s Gator game against Vanderbilt.



Many, many people in the media feel that Spikes should have been suspended for a longer length of time.  I, too, feel that a full-game suspension should have been the penalty… though I haven’t been as outraged as most.

Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow have both said that Spikes was simply reacting to having Georgia players poke at his eyes.  True or not, that doesn’t excuse Spikes’ actions.

Asked about Spikes’ punishment, Ealey said that he “shouldn’t, I think, get suspended at all.”

Spikes has apologized for his actions.

Time to wrap this one up and move along, folks.

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

Despite the fact that some Bulldog fans have been howling for Joe Cox to move to the bench, Mark Richt is staying with his interception-prone signal-caller.

That shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone.  Not even the columnists who want to see true freshman Aaron Murray get a shot.

The idea is for Richt to start building for next year.  “This 4-4 year is a washout, so let’s move on.”

Richt has said he won’t do that because the focus must remain on winning games this year.  He has seniors who have spent their entire careers building toward this season and those guys don’t want — or deserve — to have their stretch run turned into a lengthy 2010 preseason camp.

But there are other reasons for this move that have surely gone through Richt’s mind.

For one, when the fans are complaining this loudly after ONE bad year, it’s not really the time to start letting losses pile up.

Former UGA quarterback Eric Zeier even came to Richt’s defense this week asking fans to be patient.  “I think what’s surprising a little bit is in a year when you lost Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno and a lot of other guys that were good (that) the criticism is as loud as it is.”

So, would upset Dawg fans — and columnists — cut Richt a break if he went with Murray at quarterback the rest of the way?  You know the answer.

If Georgia went to the freshman and dropped two of their final four to finish 6-6 everyone would be using that record against Richt.  He’d get no free pass for “building toward next year.”

And while it’s possible that UGA could also finish 6-6 with Cox, the coaches clearly feel he gives them their best chance for winning.

That’s just as important for Richt’s staff as it is for Richt.  The farther south the 2009 campaign goes, the more likely you’ll see big changes on the 2010 coaching staff.  Those assistants aren’t interested in throwing in the towel on ‘09 if it means some of them might not be back in ‘10.

There are other considerations, too:

* If Georgia goes to a freshman and stumbles badly as they look ahead to next year, what impact will that have on this year’s recruiting class?  Think negative recruiting from other schools wouldn’t be easier if the Dawgs had truly bad season.  It’s still possible for Richt to keep his 8-wins-a-year streak alive, after all.

* If the Bulldogs win out, they can still go all the way to the Outback Bowl in Tampa.  Do you think AD Damon Evans wants to get the biggest bowl check he can… or do you think he’s good with pulling the plug on 2009?  Money talks.

* Finally, the worse this year’s record is, the more heat Richt himself will feel going into next season.  I’m guessing he’s not interested in hearing what the expectations would be if he drops to 6-6 this year.

That, of course, is a calculated risk.  While Richt might be able to avoid a total drop-off and finish as strong as 9-4 with a bowl win this season, he would still need to have his team prepared for the start of the 2010 season.

And once again, he’ll be breaking in a brand new quarterback.

The heat will be on during Murray’s (or Zach Mettenberger’s) learning curve anyway.  There will be no “get out of jail free” card for having to play a first-time quarterback… whenever Richt elects to do it.

He should realize that based on the level of heat he’s feeling this year in what is his first bad season in Athens.

(Apologies to fans at Vanderbilt, Kentucky, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Arkansas who think a possible 9-4 campaign would look pretty darn good.)

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

1.  In a move sure to upset fans and columnists, Mark Richt has decided to stay with Joe Cox at quarterback.  “It was unanimous among our staff that Joe gives us the best chance to win and that’s where our focus needs to be.”

2.  Therefore, it looks like Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger are still on track to redshirt.

3.  Richt’s players want to go with the QB who gives them the best chance to win now.

4.  AJ Green will NOT play against Tennessee Tech after sustaining a bruised lung against Florida last weekend.

5.  Caleb King “will probably start” at tailback due to concerns about Waushaun Ealey’s ability to pass protect.
 

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

Black jerseys.  Black pants.  Black helmets. 

We had a whole wave of new black fashion in the SEC on Saturday.  And it all started two years ago.

In 2007, Mark Richt broke out black jerseys for a nationally televised game against Auburn.  The Bulldogs took the Tigers behind the woodshed for a 45-20 victory.

Players loved the black duds.  Fans loved the black duds.

So Georgia pulled the jerseys out again for a Sugar Bowl dismantling of Hawaii to close that season.

Ah, but then came Georgia’s 2008 blowout loss to Alabama in a “blackout” game at Sanford Stadium.  Suddenly, the black look wasn’t so popular anymore.  It had become a jinx.

So on Saturday in Jacksonville, Richt went in another direction to inspire his team: black pants and black helmets.  Both looked somewhat cheap, if you asked me.  The Dawgs were throttled.  And now folks across the Peach State (including Tony Barnhart of The AJC) are asking UGA to ditch the black attire altogether.

Win = black is good.

Lose = black is bad.

Up the road from Athens, Tennessee pulled out black jerseys for the first time since the 1920s for their Halloween game with South Carolina.

Athletic director Mike Hamilton had said black jerseys would be a no-no on his watch, but he just couldn’t tell his new coach and two football players “no” when they asked for the duds this week.

Tennessee rolled to victory in their new uniforms, 31-13.

Not surprisingly, Vol fans loved the look by a 10-1 margin according to most media polls, though in my opinion, the jerseys looked like a cross between Vanderbilt practice jerseys and Burt Reynolds’ old Mean Machine unis from “The Longest Yard.”

Win = black is good.

Lose = black is bad.

Now, after Hamilton said on Saturday that the black uniform was a one-time deal (yeah, right), basketball coach Bruce Pearl says he’s eyeballing some black uniforms for his Tennessee basketball team. 

Apparently once you go black, it’s tough to go back.

Could it be that Pearl had asked about black unis in the past only to be rebuffed by Hamilton?  Now, seeing that UT’s new football coach got his way, could Pearl be taking his push for black unis to the media and fans?

It’s possible.

Either way, it’s safe to say that Volunteer fans will like black uniforms… right up until the point their team loses in black uniforms.  Just like Georgia fans.

Tennessee fans have been down this road before, after all.  With orange shoes.

Back in 1986, Tennessee broke out orange shoes for their annual battle with Alabama.  Following a 56-28 home beatdown by the Tide, the shoes were boxed up and shelved.  Four years later they were sent to a group trying to start American-style football in Russia.

While other seems to be embracing the black look, Rich Brooks said before last week’s Kentucky game that his team would NOT come out dressed in black.  According to Brooks — a self-proclaimed traditionalist — black isn’t one of Kentucky’s official colors and therefore would not be featured prominently on a jersey.  (UK did wear some hideous black basketball uniforms last year and look where that got Billy Gillispie.)

Had the Cats worn black on Saturday, their 31-24 loss to MSU would have no doubt resulted in those new black jerseys being trashed or burned.  That’s how it goes with faddish uniforms.  They’re great.  Until you lose in them.

(Now if someone can just talk Brooks out of wearing those full-body blueberry threads that he likes so much.  The all-blue Wildcats look like they need to be rolled to Willy Wonka’s juicing room.)

Join the forum discussion on this post - (2) 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.  Georgia’s first home game in five weeks will be a chance to turn things around for the stretch drive.

2.  Mistakes erased the early gains made by Georgia on Saturday.

3.  This writer believes it’s time for Aaron Murray to get the nod at quarterback.

4.  Despite a 4-4 record, Mark Richt says there is no dissension on his team.

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