You keep talking about competition. They keep talking about the money.

Here’s what Rep. Joe Barton had to say in response to the fact that the non-BCS conferences received a record payout from this year’s D-1 football postseason:

“So what?” he said. “What is the BCS theoretically about? I thought it was about the best teams playing the best teams. This simply acknowledges the reality that’s it’s not about that, but about revenue sharing. It’s an economic cartel.”

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Silly season, indeed.

Mark Bradley links to an ESPN rumor that’s worthy of footballcoachscoop.com’s attention:

“Tuberville seems very happy to be at Tech and to be coaching again. But you do have to wonder, if he has success in Lubbock and a lucrative SEC job were to open up in the next couple of seasons, whether he’d be able to turn that offer down. Disgruntled LSU and Georgia fans might have to start paying the Red Raiders a little more attention.”

Who comes up with that stuff, Ed Orgeron?  Or maybe it’s this astute observer of the college football scene, who opines that “… Mark Richt has gone from looking like the next great college coach the first half of his career to a bumbler who can’t develop talent, win big games, or manage his staff ever since losing to West Virginia in the Sugar Bowl after the 2005 season.”

Yeah, he’s some bumbler, all right.

There have been 22 programs in the Football Bowl Subdivision that have experienced a change in coaches in this cycle of the college coaching carousel.

That includes Florida State, where Bobby Bowden’s 34-year run ended because he wasn’t winning enough games anymore.

That includes at South Florida and Texas Tech, which fired coaches because of their treatment of players. USF’s Jim Leavitt was fired after 13 years and Texas Tech’s Mike Leach was ousted after 10 years.

All of which makes Georgia’s Mark Richt, already the SEC’s dean of coaches, now tied for 10th among longest tenured at an FBS school.

That this Mark-Richt-isn’t-long-for-this-life-in-Athens meme keeps cropping up after making the changes on the defensive staff that the fan base was restless for makes you wonder how much of it results from wishful thinking, outsiders’ lack of understanding of the program or a desire to stir things up on the recruiting trail.  Depends on the source, I suppose.

It’s just a feeling I have.

Reading this David Hale post from the weekend reinforced something that’s been in the back of my mind since Coach Grantham first discussed his scheme and defensive approach:  watch out for Cornelius Washington this coming season.

Monday morning buffet

Grab that plate and go:

• Mike Hamilton’s management genius continues to shine:  ” … in fiscal 2008-09 UT’s athletics department reported a loss of nearly $3.2 million. The loss was the first for UT’s athletic program since 2005, school officials said.”
• Brian Cook has some thoughts on the (relative) rash of minority head coach hires this offseason.  My feeling is that the fact that we’re not seeing anyone parading around asking for praise for that is the best sign of all.
• This may be the first semi-witty post I’ve ever read on Bleacher Report.
• Of course, with Coach O, truth can be more humorous than fiction.
• Jakar Hamilton does not lack for self-confidence.
• Tom Lemming tells us he’s coming around to the idea that kids commit to coaches, not programs.
• Al Groh scores his first recruit for Georgia Tech.  Recruit describes his commitment as a “business decision”.  Enjoy the CFA Bowl, kid.

I’m gonna ride the serpent.

Eric Burdon’s got Urban Meyer’s theme song right here for you: