We’re #1!

Leading the pack in college football programs’ profitability (technically, an oxymoron, since schools are non-profit organizations under the law) is Georgia, at a whopping $44.1 million. I say whopping, because Florida, the next SEC school on the list, trails by almost $12 million.

In case you’re wondering, those numbers are based on the most recent figures available (ending June 30, 2006) from the Office of Postsecondary Education.

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Today’s Georgia-Auburn factoid: don’t panic.

Did you know that Auburn is the only major college team to lead every game at halftime this season?

Not that Mississippi State or South Florida seemed to care.

You can’t win.

That’s what I love about pundits like TSN’s Tom Dienhart. In throwing out another one of his execrable coaching job columns, here’s what he has to say about the rumor of Tuberville going to TAMU:

Adding credence to the storyline is Tuberville’s refusal to deny the talk. He could have diffused the subject with a denial. He did not.

Now I’m not a big fan of Tuberville, but give me a break here. If Tubs “denies the talk” now, but takes the job later, he’ll be immediately branded a lying SOB (which is pretty much what happened when he left Ole Miss for Auburn). But if he keeps his powder dry by refusing to add to the speculation, he makes the rumors more credible in the minds of douche bags like Dienhart.

Next up: Tom Dienhart asks Tuberville if he’s stopped beating his wife.

Grade inflation

At Florida, maybe you can give 110 percent:

This was evidenced Monday when coach Urban Meyer announced Harvin graded out at more than 100 percent [Emphasis added.] during Florida’s 49-22 win over Vanderbilt…

That is so special.

More love for Stacy

In the “for what it’s worth” department, CFN’s Richard Cirminiello has some nice things to say about Georgia’s offensive line.

13. Georgia – Considering that freshmen Trinton Sturdivant and Chris Davis are starters, the Bulldogs have held together extremely well, allowing 11 sacks and clearing a path for another rookie, Knowshon Moreno, to rush for over 150 yards in the last three games.  Someone hurry up and promote O-line coach, Stacy Searels.
Grade: 3.28
Big Kahuna: Chester Adams

That’s “13” as in the thirteenth best offensive line among all BCS teams.  (Although he’s not very forthcoming about his methodology.)  He only has three SEC lines ahead of Georgia’s.

Again, at the beginning of the season, who’da thunk it?

Matthew, this one’s on you.

Will Muschamp, quoted in today’s Athens Banner-Herald…

“Georgia’s able to spread you and run it and spread you and throw it,” Muschamp said. “Georgia offers a lot because I think Matthew Stafford is a gunslinger. He’s a really outstanding quarterback. He’s got tremendous arm talent. His best days are ahead of him and he is a guy that certainly you can’t totally load the box against him because of what he can do down the field to you.”

Maybe there’s some wiggle room in “totally load the box” – no, I don’t expect to see both safeties up on the line in an attempt to shut down Moreno – but, especially after seeing what Georgia did to Florida’s defense in the first half when the Gators (unsuccessfully) left their safeties back in coverage, if Muschamp chooses not to bring up help to attack the line of scrimmage and make Stafford beat his defense, I think Georgia’s offense will do just fine.

Except I don’t expect Muschamp to game plan like that.   Which means that Stafford has to come up with a good enough game in response to make Muschamp back off…

The best things in life are free.

Revisiting Dink NeSmith’s proposal for just a moment – “Next year, I want to give you a chance to double your pay and make $6 million” – I’m struck by a couple of thoughts.

First, Dink needs to polish his math skills. Mark Richt doesn’t currently make $3 million per year.

Second, what if all that money doesn’t matter? Now, by that I don’t mean that MR doesn’t want to earn a good living. What I’m asking is more on the margins: what if he honestly doesn’t care much about the difference in making $2 million a year versus $6 million?

I’m prompted to ask based on this post about the five most underpaid coaches in college football at Coaches Hot Seat Blog, particularly this part:

Mark Richt – Coach Richt just signed a 8 year – 16 million dollar contract this past summer which pays him $2 million dollars annually, and he is already at least 1 million dollars a year underpaid relative to other coaches in the SEC. Only one coach in the SEC has a career winning percentage better than Richt’s (.782), Urban Meyer (.817), and Urban Meyer is making over $3.25 million a year. If Mark Richt is willing to leave over $1 millions (sic) dollars on the table more power to him, but clearly Richt is one of the most underpaid coaches in the country.