Lots of little niblets for you to sample:
- The power of the blogosphere: hiring Phil Fulmer as Tennessee’s AD is a bad idea because Spencer Hall created the Fulmer Cup rankings.
- Greg McGarity is ditching the Damon Evans approach to scheduling in favor of Jeremy Foley’s. (h/t Leather Helmet Blog)
- Maybe I should have thought of this before last Saturday’s game. (h/t The Wiz of Odds)
- PlayoffPAC is at it again. The best part is the punch line: “As to whether the complaint, even if successful, will help the PAC’s goal of a playoff system, Sanderson argued that “when we raise awareness about these types of irregularities, the need for change becomes more apparent.”” Yes, because if there’s one thing we can count on, it’s that the next set of people in charge of the postseason won’t be consumed by greed.
- I’m not sure if Georgia’s any worse than most schools about this, but Nick Williams is getting frustrated about being Tripped.
- Gary Williams thinks paying players a $200 a month stipend will fix something. He’s just not very clear about what that might be.
- The Pac-10 looks to reinvent itself as a post-modern conference: “Another concept to be raised is splitting the northern and southern schools but using three scheduling “pods” of four teams to provide a rotating schedule that would allow northern teams to play in California regularly. Under that scenario, each team would not be guaranteed to face each divisional opponent each season.” Why even bother with divisions, then?
- USA Today takes a look at student athletic fees.
- It looks like Georgia’s not the only team playing in Starkville Saturday night with an experienced offensive line that’s been struggling.
Get The Picture 
Is there a good place to participate in any pregame drinkage in Starkville?
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Sounds like a valuable topic for Aggro-Tourism if there ever was one. I have to say, I’m sorta looking forward to the one on USF. I mean, how can that work? Commuter school, pro stadium… blech.
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I was at a game there last year. The campus is pretty far away from any drinking establishment. And other than trying to emulate The Grove right next to their stadium, there does not seem to be a lot of tailgating going on. We found an on campus pay for parking lot three blocks from the stadium. We paid the $20 to park and found a nice grassy area to set up our tailgate tent, generator, satellite and TV, grill and cooler and were the only ones in that lot to tailgate, even though a lot of football fans parked there. It was a very strange atmosphere
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Thanks Mike
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I wonder what position Williams was playing when he let the punter run for a first down on Saturday?
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I don’t think paying players roughly $6 a day is going to fix anything. While that’s not much money in the student athletes pocket it’s still another $2400 a year, per student athlete, out of someone’s pocket.
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It’s too bad the anti-Fulmer-as-AD-expert did not read further on the blogosphere to find out it was not UT, but Arkansas who dropped the dime on Bama, the Fulmer-as-undercover-NCAA-agent was, apparently just smoke blown by Cottrell’s legal defense team.
Is there anybody who does not agree that Fulmer’s assessment of Kiffin’s chops to get two big time jobs are kind of suspect?
Bad Phil…telling the truth.
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Does anyone else get the feeling that when Phil talks about Kiffin, Mrs. Fulmer has to “brang a mayonaise sammich” and rub his belly till he calms down.
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+1
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And while he’s relaxing during the belly rub, Phil can think about the next prong in his attack plan to capture the flag on top of Mike’s outpost: Operation Pearl
http://www.onlinebasketballbetting.net/bruce-pearl-comes-clean-tennessee-volunteers-coach-stares-at-an-unclear-future/
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again, i will come to the o-line’s defense. i agree they could be blocking somewhat better. however, the major source of not being able to run effectively is that our highly touted tight ends are getting demolished.
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Well, if our TEs aren’t blocking, and they aren’t catching passes, then what are they doing?
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I already hate our AD. Are we serious about dropping the home and home with games out of region? That is disgusting….so we get one more freakin Idaho State at home and play a schedule as crappy as Florida’s gutless scheduling?
Sorry, there is a way to get 7 home games and still play decent OOC games. Bring Georgia-Florida to campus. Ths is nothing but gutless.
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Gutless is a little strong. He is just doing the smart thing for the program in my opinion. I understand from a fan’s perspective, we would like to play Texas, Michigan, and Notre Dame every year, but Florida, LSU, and Alabama have won national championships with 1 quality OOC opponent. When you have to play UT, Florida, Auburn, LSU, Bama, Ark, USC, etc week in and week out, it is good to have a “break”. I have enjoyed making the trips to Arizona St, Okla St, and I am really looking forward to heading to Boulder next week…but it does take a toll on the team. Why continue adding tough OOC opponents when it doesn’t seem to benefit us with our already difficult schedule? And please don’t bring up Auburn in 04…they started way back in the pack and could never leapfrog 2 other undefeated teams. I don’t think their weak OOC schedule was their ultimate downfall. Just my opinion.
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I agree that 3 a year is a bit much. But two OOC games against good, not great opposition is good for the program. We have not been hurt by playing these games.
And Bama and LSU are playing 2 this year and 2 over the next couple of years. Two cupcakes a year is enough for anyone. Scheduling like someone with a pair hasn’t seemed to hurt USC over the past decade. FSU made their name by playing tough OOC road games. We gain nothing by beating the crap out of LA Lafayette and the like.
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I agree there should be a happy medium. I think 1 a year (not including Tech) would be great. I would like to see us schedule a little better with our follow up game from a trip out west…Alabama after Ariz St., USC after Okla St, and now Tennessee after Colorado. I would also like to see some Big 10 opponents on the schedule.
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Look at the conferences USC and FSU play in.
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No that is a cop out. If you want to do that look at the PAC 10 record vs SEC last 10-12 years. That is a conference homer argument.
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Actually Griff, Auburn caught OU after the Georgia game. They only fell back again after struggling with Bama. And in the end, the voters looked at their horrific OOC and that sealed the deal. It was ashame because OU’s wasn’t much better and Auburn probably had a tougher overall schedule having played LSU, Georgia and Tennessee twice. But somehow playing The Citadel didn’t stir the emotions.
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Bob, i agree with you about dropping the home & home games out of region, but at the same time, that “gutless” schedule of Florida’s got them a national championship while our tougher schedule got us losses.
I’ll take the national championship. Just sayin.
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Tell me how Florida’s OOC got them crap? Or how did Georgia’s OOC cost them crap? Nada. Specious argument.
If you enjoy watching us schedule Georgia State, Kennesaw State and North Georgia, then fine. But please spare us the Florida schedule got them a National Championship. It had nothing to do with it. But the schedule MIGHT have cost Auburn a shot.
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Bob, are you having a bad day? If you were our AD, what would our schedule look like? Just curious.
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Not having a bad day at all. 😉
I would pretty much leave it as is. Agree last year was a bit much. But nothing wrong with playing Tech and one out of region decent team. I realize that when scheduling a team several years out, we cannot be sure how good or bad they are going to be…ie. Colorado and Louisville on one hand or Oklahoma State and Oregon on the other. Then go ahead and schedule a couple of easier games at home…preferably not an FCS team but since that is what folks do these days so be it. But three home garbage games is exactly that….garbage.
Basically the status quo on scheduling works for me. The Florida model has not helped them win a National Championship. Players, coaches and being better than anyone else in the SEC has.
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The right way to accomplish what you are saying without negatively affecting the team is to play, like Bama has done, a one shot bowl type game first game of the season against a good opponent on a neutral field. Those of you who read this blog regularly know that I was highly critical of playing Okie State in Stillwater, first game of the season, dedicating their new facility, with Big-12 refs calling the game and said so BEFORE the game. It was a trap that DE got us into. That said, I would have been totally in favor of playing Okie State in Dallas at the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium with neutral refs as was proposed by Jerry Jones. Okie State turned down the Jones offer even though Okie State would have made $6 Million more for the game in Dallas. Why? Because they wanted to get the Dawgs into Stillwater where they could homecook them with homer refs. That scenario is what really needs to be avoided. So do not be pissed at our new AD because he is smarter than his predecessor. We won’t have any blunders with Greg McGarity doing the scheduling. Be happy for that.
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Sorry, but I don’t buy that for one iota. We lost because we were not as good as they were. By that logic why should ANYONE ever come to Sanford Stadium and have to play with what are the worst bunch of officials in CFB? That is a cop out. There is nothing wrong with home and home.
The only problem I had with it was that we had three such games last year and that is a bit too much especially in the light of how so many other SEC teams schedule OOC. But to only play decent OOC teams at neutral sites is not good. What makes the game so great are the cathedrals of CFB, not some plastic dome in Atlanta or Dallas.
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And Bama is now playing Penn State and Michigan State home and home. LSU is playing Oklahoma and Arizona State and WVU home and home. Tennessee is playing OU, Nebraska and Ohio State home and home, unless Mike Hamilton backs out of those like he has with the UNC series.
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Not to start a debate, but I’m kinda bummed that we’re going to be crawling back into our corner of the country and not playing any good teams outside of the SEC anymore. I’m pumped about the trip to Colorado next week, and it looks like that sort of thing’s going to be drying up under McGarity. I didn’t like having to play three OOC BCS teams last year, but there’s a happy medium in there somewhere. When pundits talk trash about the SEC just staying down here in the south and never playing anybody, I was happy to point out that we were different. Now I guess we get to be like Florida and play the Citadel every year. I remember the cautionary tale of Auburn ’04, and I don’t like it.
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It really hasn’t hurt Florida much, has it?
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It has not hurt Florida. You are right, it hasn’t. But if you are happy with increasing the number of highschool scrimages we play then I am happy for you.
Other SEC schools are finally picking it up and we are going backwards. It might not hurt, but it ought to be embarrassing.
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What’s embarrassing is our record against Floriduh. If our new AD thinks that will get us improved ….and we can beat gators consistently and compete for the SEC, we can play Marshal and Idaho, and the Citadel– I’ll watch.
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Right. Blame our Florida losses on playing some respectable OOC games home and home.
We definitely need to work with the SEC to monitor the off weeks prior to the Florida game much like Bama has complained about 6 of their opponents having a bye week before their game. It should be more balanced than it has been. But our OOC scheduling has nothing to do with our dismal Florida performance. Nothing at all.
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Well then, would you consider Floriduhs week OOC schedule contributing to their overall health and ability to win? How does playing 8 home games affect the win loss column. Scheduling has something to do with wins and losses. Tennessee is going down that road. Floriduh has stayed in that lane. Apparently the new AD thinks there is something to it. He has been at Floriduh long enough to develop some kind of rationale about scheduling. I’ll take a shot at it.
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I consider that Florida has been better than anyone else. I realize that is a novel concept, but it is what it is.
And we could have an additional home game if we wanted it. But some of us would rather party for a week in Jacksonville.
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“I realize that is a novel concept, but it is what it is.”
Geez …is that smart azz?
And here I was trying to be so polite.
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AthensHomer,
You are correct. I was out of line and I apologize. Just not happy with this news, but I shouldn’t have responded in that manner.
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Has it hurt Florida? No. But I don’t want to be Florida. I want to win like they do, and find a way to do it without playing Coastal Carolina.
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But you are OK with Georgia playing Central Michigan (2008), Georgia Southern (2009), Louisiana Monroe (2005), Marshall (2004), Middle Tennessee State (2003), New Mexico State (2002), North Western State (2002), Troy (2007), Western Carolina (2007) and Western Kentucky (2006),
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I am ok with it because we also played Colorado, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Georgia Tech etc. I am not ok with it if our schedule is filled up with 3 of those each year. Although Central Michigan and Troy and Marshal are not bad.
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+1
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Well, Florida plays FSU every year. Most of the time, that trumps just about any OOC game Georgia plays.
Most of the time.
I realize there are exceptions
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Absolutely FSU trumped anything Georgia played until about 5 or 6 years. But that is ALL they played. They have long since avoided playing Miami with rare exception and rumor is they now want out of the return game in Miami.
Two OOC BCS level opponents is fair and certainly doable. What good is a 7th game if that is going to be another Sisters of the Poor game except for the W that some folks think is more important than the level of competition. If Ws are the only thing, lets petition to withdraw from the SEC and join the SunBelt.
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FWIW I agree with you that FLA should be playing MIA every year. Absolutely chickensh!t for them to avoid the ‘Canes like they do.
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LOL
I’ll be sure and write Jeremy that I read where Georgia fans insist, INSIST I SAY, that Florida play Miami every year.
I am sure he will get right on it.
Folks, Florida has play for four national titles and won three. In each of those four seasons, Florida’s NCAA measured SOS was either the first or second toughest schedule in the nation.
I do not think Florida has anything to apologize for regarding SOS.
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We better hope that Georgia Tech remains credible from a SOS standpoint.
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I’d like to see us keep at least on decent OOC (and out of region) game. I went to ASU, and I’ll be in Boulder. I do agree that we can schedule them a little better, though. We need to avoid having this game followed by a tough conference game.
The other thing I’d like McGarrty to do is get us back to having a week off (or at least a cupcake) before the FL game. I’m ready to flip this series back to where it used to be.
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“We need to avoid having this game followed by a tough conference game.” +1. Also….”get us back to having a week off (or at least a cupcake game) before the FL game.” +10.
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This is what might hurt Florida down the line, if FSU continues to falter.
Having said that FSU has not been all that the last 6-7 years and it has not hurt Florida’s SOS materially. Not so much it kept them out of the BCS hunt anyway.
I think UGA’s SOS will be fine with this change.
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I know people keep wanting to address Florida’s schedule, but remember they were fairly clearly the most deserving team each of the last two years they went. Florida was a conference champ while Michigan had already lost to Ohio State. Seems like a no brainer to me. And two years ago they were a solid #2.
Maybe we should take a different view. What about LSU in 07? How did the Tigers get in….and no, I am not talking about how Georgia got “jobbed”. They had the same record as OU and WVU and Mizzou and USC. But they had one thing that pushed them over the top. They beat the ever living hell out of Virginia Tech who was also ranked in the Top 5. What if they had played, say Idaho State instead of Va Tech? Sorry, no way in hell they go to New Orleans except to the Sugar Bowl as SEC Champs. Without that win , they are not even in the discussion.
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Why not see how we finish this years schedule and see how you feel about it then?
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“Students at the University of Texas are petitioning to change the date of the 2011 Red River Rivalry because the game falls on Yom Kippur, the holiest of Jewish holidays.”
That’s not a petition that Gene Simmons, who his publicist calls one of the hardest working entertainers in music and show business, would sign.
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WTF? It’s Texas. Football trumps EVERYTHING.
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How many Jews are in Texas? 3?
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The article says 10% of UT’s enrollment is Jewish.
Maybe they’re all from New Jersey.
[By the way, I’m from Houston originally, and still have plenty of family back there. So I feel pretty safe in saying there are more than three. :)]
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I was surprised the percentage was that high.
Who knew!
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Really? What part of H-town?
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South side of town. Nowadays, it’s not too far from Reliant Stadium.
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I’m from the other side of the ship channel where the refineries belch their filth into the sky.
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I left Houston when I was four. Every time I go back, I thank my dad for moving.
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Who moved to Texas after some of the Mexicans were run off:
1. The German colonization of Texas.
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/GG/png2.html
2. The Czechs cannot get away from the Germans. Anywhere.
http://www.angelfire.com/tx5/texasczech/Studies/Settlement%20Pattern%20Two.htm
3. Sprechen sie Texas Deutche?
http://austinist.com/2007/06/06/zentrales_texas_hat_es_soll_sprache_besitzen.php
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Pingback: DawgsOnline » Could $200 bankrupt college sports?
I am on the fence about scheduling. It is great as a fan to be able to go to games like the one in Boulder I am headed to, and to see good teams come to Athens is always more fun that watching a game like ULL. That said though does the extra travel take its toll on the team? Does the extra pounding take a physical toll on the team? There is no way to know but did the long trip to Arizona affect the way UGA opened against Alabama in 2008? I would be in favor of if we could open our SEC slate a week later (like most SEC teams) scheduling a tough opener, then a game like ULL then another mid-level/low-level team somewhere along the line as a break in the middle of the SEC schedule. In years where we open SEC play the second week of the season I think there is no good reason to play a tough game the first week. It is not just the game that you play but the game the week after and the week before that is affected as well as the overall health of the team as the season wears on. Had UF scheduled a game at Ok State the first week of this season and had all the problems they did with snapping the ball anybody here think they’d still be undefeated?
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You are right on the money with your post Dawgfan17. When CVD was coach and Joel Eaves was AD the typical UGA season was someting like this: 1st game-Oregon State in Athens (when OSU was a total doormat); 2nd game-Baylor also in Athens; 3rd game-Clemson alternating home and away ; 4th game-SEC opener, always in Athens, Kentucky odd years, Vandy in even years; 5th game-First SEC road game (usually Ole Miss); games 6-8 were SEC games including Homecoming which was either Vandy or UK, whichever we had not already played; game 9-FLA; game 10-Auburn; game 11-GA Tech. UGA always had at least 6 and sometimes 7 home games. Compare the forgoing to FLA’s schedule. Very similar. No wonder FLA does so well. Their schedule is arranged so that they build up to the hard games. They can make learning mistakes early and still win. I would argue that FLA hasn’t played much better than UGA so far this year, yet they are 3-0 and UGA is 1-2. Anybody who says that scheduling doesn’t mean anything does not know what he is talking about..
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