So, you’re telling me there’s a chance.

My favorite division in college football today is the ACC Coastal.  Behold, the power and the glory:

ACC – Coastal	W-L	PF	PA	W-L	PF	PA	STRK
Miami (FL)	4-3	231	209	5-5	285	312	L1
Georgia Tech	4-3	278	209	5-5	382	302	W2
Duke	3-3	156	219	6-4	307	326	L2
North Carolina	3-3	216	212	6-4	405	257	L1
Virginia	2-4	141	187	4-6	246	293	W2
Virginia Tech	2-4	146	181	4-6	266	250	L3

I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m rooting for Georgia Tech here.  Nothing would please me more than to see a 6-6 team playing for the ACC championship after a season-ending loss to its in state rival.  I imagine the self-rationalization on StingTalk would be epic.

The Jackets are going to need a little help, though.  They’ve got to beat Duke and then hope the Blue Devils take out Miami, since the ‘Canes hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.  That’s a lot to ask out of a mediocre Duke team. But if it happens, it would be Chantastic.

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Thursday morning buffet

Step right up and dig in.

• This is a weird stat:  David Greene in 2004 was the last Bulldog to throw a touchdown pass in Columbia.
• What would a poll based on teams’ records against the spread look like?  This.
• In the Big 12, bad officiating means never having to say you’re sorry.
• In Dan Wetzel’s world, playoffs make everything in college football better.
• On the other hand, the ACC elects to stay with an 8-game conference schedule.
• Gee, I thought stuff like this was just a Southern problem.
• Man, I love the O’Bannon lawsuit.  Now it’s ESPN’s turn under the microscope.
• Is there a more pointless exercise than blogging about NCAA ’13 game simulations?

Thursday morning buffet

There’s a wee Irish tinge to the offerings today.

• The Dawgs enjoyed a good bit of success running out of four-wide sets against Missouri.  (In fact, I think the TD pass to King came out of a five-wide, empty backfield set.)  Will the offensive line be strong enough for Georgia to keep on doing that?
• If you believe that the biggest difference between the SEC and the rest of college football is the quality of the defensive linemen, then this story will make complete sense to you.
• Mars needs women, but colleges need men.  Football, testosterone and Stanford.
• Tyler Wilson looks like he may be ready to show up for Alabama.  The question is whether his offensive line will do the same.
• Mark Richt has lost control of LSU’s academics.
• Notre Dame’s move to the ACC – and the news that it will schedule five games a year with that conference’s members – means it’s got some scrambling to do on the scheduling front.
• Jim Delany whistles in the dark about the move, even though it’s likely to impact teams in his conference fairly significantly.  (And even though Delany wanted the Irish for the Big Ten.)
• And Ivan Maisel thinks the move signals the death knell of Notre Dame’s independence.
• ACC votes to bump exit fee to a whopping $50 million immediately;  FSU voices displeasure after voting against the change.

Sunday morning buffet

This, that and the other:

• One of college football’s life lessons:  ”Squeeze your butt cheeks.”
• One of Phil Steele’s power rankings:  Plus/Minus ratings.  Georgia is third in the SEC and eighth nationally.
• As a ‘Hoo, I appreciate Virginia Tech embracing its inner gobble.
• Good to see there’s as much happy talk coming out of Missouri’s fall practice as there is out of Georgia’s.
• Merritt Hall, who was invited to walk-on at Georgia Southern and Jacksonville State, is Georgia’s #1 fullback right now.  He’s also got a scholarship.
• John Lilly says Georgia doesn’t need a dedicated special teams coach.  (Interestingly, no team in the SEC has one.)
• A bulldog blogger predicts an undefeated Georgia will win the SEC.
• Oh, Lord.

@#()*&% activist judges!

Before you dismiss Ray-Ray Armstrong’s chances for reinstatement at Miami, I cite you the case of Reuben Houston v. Georgia Tech.  (And Ray-Ray hasn’t been indicted – at least not in the judicial system.)

One question:  if Armstrong does get reinstated and Golden refuses to play him, do you think he could get a court order requiring that, too?  I’ve always wondered whether judges would make good defensive coordinators.

America is a great country, friends.  Anybody can sue anybody over anything.

If you can’t join ‘em, beat ‘em.

Virginia Tech’s athletic director proposes an ACC-SEC football scheduling partnership.  Given that three members of each conference already face off against each other annually (they’d stay locked and everyone else would rotate matchups), it’s not a bad idea.

Although I wonder if Les Miles will be able to sleep at night in those years when LSU plays Duke.

Something else Mark Richt has lost control of.

Jimbo Fisher confirms Greg Reid dismissed from #FloridaState—
David Hale (@DavidHaleESPN) August 01, 2012

Anybody know what South Alabama’s secondary looks like?

Thursday morning buffet

A few nibbles here, a few nibbles there:

• Mark Emmert is keeping his powder dry on whether to put Penn State on double secret probation.
• September could be a cruel month for some schools.
• Edward Aschoff calls Mark Richt a “bargain-priced” SEC head coach.
• Hey, Mark Bradley!  Over here!
• Today in stupid athletic director tricks:  Hawaii AD gets suspended for a $200K scam involving a fake Stevie Wonder concert.
• Patrick Garbin explores the issue of whether Aaron Murray is a “gamer”.
• A Bobby Bowden statue… in Birmingham?
• A.J. Green’s “agent” goes to jail.
• Leonard Floyd is going to prep school, hopes to be back in Athens in January.
• Bobby Petrino, teaching experience.

Notre Dame, the bowls just can’t quit you, baby.

Here’s more of what settling things on the field is going to look like, post-BCS style:

Notre Dame officially confirmed discussions with the ACC about entry into the league’s anchor bowl game in the new college football postseason landscape, which is perhaps a slight departure from athletic director Jack Swarbrick’s initial vision of flexibility in bowl destinations.

“Since the development of the new plan for post-season football, the ACC and Notre Dame have had discussions relating to the Orange Bowl,” spokesman John Heisler said Monday. “While presidents have been consulted, the discussions have been between ACC conference staff and Jack.”

You should see this as the ACC’s version of the Champions Bowl alliance.  As such, it’s a brilliant move.  It makes the Orange Bowl relevant from a marketing standpoint – and don’t forget, the ACC controls that now.  It also forges a tie with the school that every conference wants.

That the game itself will often match little more than a couple of better than average teams, at least based on recent history, pales in comparison.  People will watch.  And that’s the kind of performance that’s the coin of the realm these days.

I’d like you to meet Robert Nkemdiche, our director of recruiting.

I know this sort of outsourcing goes on all the time.  It’s just that it’s not usually acknowledged so openly.

“Clemson said they like Ryan a lot and that he’s at the top of their board. Yes, sir, if Clemson offers Ryan, it would seal the deal. There’s no ifs, ands or buts about it. David and Ryan, those guys are like family. They are like brothers to me. I’m close to them. We’ve had success playing football together and I don’t want to change it.”

Carter said he’s had limited contact with Clemson but would probably commit rather quickly if they offered a scholarship. “Yes, because that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do, to play with Robert in college. I’ve been best friends with David and Robert since the eighth grade. We’re like family.”

Not a word about the coaches in there.  I guess Nkemdiche will worry about them in a couple of years if things don’t turn out as well as he expects.