“It’s a tradition like no other.”

If by that, you mean Georgia Tech can’t keep its jalopy/mascot in a state of decent repair, well, okay.

Perhaps you remember this mishap from a couple of years ago.

Now, there are more problems.

A Georgia Tech student has filed suit against the school and a Cobb County metal fabricator, blaming them for injuries he suffered when a hand rail broke and he fell of Tech’s iconic car, the Ramblin’ Wreck.

The suit, filed Wednesday in Fulton Superior Court, names Tech, the company and the state of Georgia as defendants.  The suit holds Tech responsible for  “promoting the unsafe use of a vehicle by students.”

Georgia Tech and Eco-Clean Inc., the Cobb County business that installed the railings, both declined to comment Thursday.

You really would think a school full of engineers could do better.

(h/t Jason)

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“I want a university the football team can be proud of.”

One of my all-time favorite quotes, that’s something George Lynn Cross, the University of Oklahoma’s president from 1943 to 1968, once told the Oklahoma State Senate.

President Cross would no doubt sense his kindred spirits at the University of Alabama, which announced that it would cancel classes on Thursday, November 18, the date of the recently moved game with Georgia State.

“It is not logistically possible for the campus to continue to operate in a ‘business as usual’ manner,” said Provost Judy Bonner in an e-mail response to questions. “We must operate as if it were a game-day Saturday.”

To make up for the lost day, administrators shortened fall break. Instead of having Thursday and Friday off the last week of October, classes will be held Thursday, Oct. 28.

“Since we are simply moving an already planned semester break day, there will be no loss of class time,” Bonner said.

UA Athletics Director Mal Moore announced a week ago that the game with Georgia State would be moved back two days to a Thursday to give the team a couple of extra days to prepare for its game on Friday, Nov. 26, against rival Auburn University.

Bonner said there were no reservations about the move from academic administrators.

“President (Robert) Witt and I strongly support Athletics Director Mal Moore’s decision to move the football game…” she said. “We agree that this change is in the best interest of the student athletes and the university.”

I can’t fault the decision from a logistics standpoint.  No member in good standing of the Tide Nation is likely to complain.  And the lost day is being made up by shortening fall break.  But you can’t help being amused by who is deferring to whom in this situation.

Apply. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

If Mark Bradley is going to spend the next six months dispensing advice and opinions about Georgia’s AD search as he did during the defensive coordinator hiring process, just shoot me now.  Please.

Yeah, I’d be less than happy with Les Miles, too…

were I a LSU fan who reviewed this awesome post from Matt Hinton.

Thursday morning buffet

Sample the wares, people.

• You may not agree with every name on Chris Low’s list of the top 25 players in the SEC, but I doubt there’s a name on there you wouldn’t include in a list of, say, the top 35.  So it’s some indication of how recruiting at Tennessee has gone over the past few seasons when you see that of the three players on that list who hail from the state, none are dressing out in orange and white.
• Jonathan Tu pops up out of the ether with this extraordinary post about how a Southern Cal fan struggles to deal with the program’s past, present and future in the wake of Pete Carroll’s departure.  (h/t Jerry Hinnen)
• Speaking of Southern Cal, have we reached the point where you can’t believe anything anyone associated with the program has to say?
• Patrick Garbin digs into a subject near and dear to my heart:  Georgia and turnovers.
• In case anybody’s interested, here’s Jim Donnan’s take on the AD situation.
• The 2010 football ticket cutoff scores have been released.  It looks like there isn’t much cutting off going on this season.
• Seriously, who names their kid “Fudge”?
• In the offseason, there’s a new list to look at every day.  Here’s “Ten scheme changes to watch in 2010”.

Kiffin watch: in defense of Mike Hamilton

A lot is being made on the Intertubes about Tennessee’s decision to turn down an opportunity to play Southern Cal in the 2011 opener at the Georgia Dome, but it’s the right call.

And not because it might be too big a challenge.

It’s that UT is no longer in the promote Lane Kiffin business any more.  Why should it be providing any sort of opportunity to keep his name out in front?

Besides, why would you want to help do anything which might distract from this story?

Maybe we’ve got the wrong guy on the hot seat.

Absurd.  Kafkaesque.

We’ve all mocked the Athens-Clarke County justice system over things like scooters and alleys, but things have crossed into a new realm entirely with the news that the obstruction charge against Jordan Love has been upheld by a magistrate.

… Auslander determined that Love “did obstruct Officer [Kevin] Thompson, a law enforcement officer, in the lawful discharge of his official duties by refusing several requests to provide his date of birth and a correct spelling of his middle name” in issuing a warrant.

This kid has been booked, posted bail, retained counsel and now has to deal with the criminal justice system – either a trial or a plea bargain – over his middle name.  No… sorry… over the spelling of his middle name.

Forget about the civil libertarian in you being outraged.  This is just the cherry on top of the sundae for Mark Richt this week.  He already deals with the hot seat canard on the recruiting trail.  Then he got hit with the Damon Evans dismissal.  And now, this, the best negative recruiting tool ever.

You can hear it now:  “Ma’am, one thing I can assure you of is that if little Johnny comes to our town, he won’t be getting arrested because of his name.  Coach Richt is a good man, you ask him if that’s the case in Athens.”

And the worst thing about that is Richt has no answer, no defense to it.  Unless you think providing a “learning opportunity” for Chief Williamson’s officers is going to carry any weight with little Johnny’s mama.