Mark Richt talks (and talks).

If you’ve wondered why so many folks hold David Ching’s blog in such esteem, get over there and check out this lengthy (8,700 words!) interview with Mark Richt.

Lots of juicy bits in there about Bulldogs past and present, along with the evolution of Richt’s decision to pass the OC reins to Bobo. But the main thing that comes across is how comfortable the man is in his own skin.

Quite a read, one that’s definitely worth your time. Ching is ‘da man.

Oh, Commissioner De-lay-neeee…

You’re an inspiration. The blogosphere/media weighs in some more on your new business venture:

• This guy is ready to pony up for the Big Ten Network. The bad news is he equates it to the Food Network. Bam!
• You’ve proven yourself sensitive to women’s issues, but at least one person thinks you’re coming up short on class issues.
• Tier, schmier – just help a brotha’ out. There’s someone out there who will settle for a direct feed to his apartment.

To add insult to injury, Trev Alberts (h/t Orange and Blue Hue) is dissing your football teams in comparison to the conference with the attribute that dare not speak its name:

… I’m only looking at the top of each conference and I think it’s pretty fair to say that the top of the SEC is dominant and would dominate the Big Ten. That’s not to say the Big Ten in certain games wouldn’t be able to get a win.

 

It’s pretty easy to find some sort of statistic you want to validate whatever it is you believe in. The reality is the SEC is a far superior conference than the Big Ten. It hasn’t been forever, but it’s especially been lately. And I think it’s only going to get worse. We’re just starting to scratch the surface of domination. [Emphasis added.]

Think about the SEC East: Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina…Hello?

You had me at hello.

But Saurian Sagacity has some news for Trev: that SEC superiority isn’t merely at the top and it’s not simply a recent development.

… The 2nd Tier SEC teams have a nearly 7% better winning percentage than 2nd Tier Big 10 teams in the past 10 years. If 7% doesn’t sound significant, realize that it equals about 1 more win per team over a 13 game season.

Similarly, the 3rd and Bottom Tiers of the Big 10 have inferior winning percentages to the SEC, with the 3rd Tier SEC teams having a 3% better winning percentage, and “Bottom Tier” teams having a 4% better percentage. However, the statistics for the “Bottom Tier” are skewed by the SEC having one more team (Vanderbilt) than the Big 10. If you look merely at the worst 2 Big 10 teams (Illinois and Indiana) against the 10th and 11th worst SEC teams (Mississippi State and Kentucky), you find that in the past 10 years Mississippi State and Kentucky have a 9% better winning percentage than Illinois and Indiana.

That’s right – the MSU Bulldogs and Kentucky Wildcats have a combined 22 more wins over the last decade than the Fighting Illini and Indiana Hoosiers.

Ouch.

All in all, it’s a pretty devastating attack, especially when Mergz can compare Ole Miss to Iowa with the Rebels coming off the better for it.

No wonder it’s important to get those volleyball games broadcast.