Flat, (in a) funk and stupid is no way to go through life, Coach.

Just when I think they’re about to get back to being a competent football team…

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UPDATE: So is this the problem?

UGA K Blair Walsh: "It was UCF, it was Conference USA, I think we felt like we were entitled to win this game. We can’t feel that way."

— Seth Emerson (@SethEmerson) January 1, 2011

Or is this?

Mark Richt: “They just did what they needed to do when it counted the most. It wasn’t a lack of fight or effort on our guy’s part.”

— Seth Emerson (@SethEmerson) January 1, 2011

I really am sick of this shit.

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Last game of the season thought

I mentioned in an earlier post that UCF’s quarterback Jeff Godfrey has displayed a knack for getting off to good starts this season, something that could be problematic given Georgia’s track record of being accommodating to opposing offenses on their first drives.  I’ll admit, though, that overall, Central Florida’s offense isn’t particularly scary, as it’s built more for control than running the other team off the field.

The Golden Knights’ defense, however, looks pretty competent.  And before you go dismissing them on the basis of strength of schedule, note that they did a pretty good job against the two BCS conference teams they faced.  UCF held NC State’s offense to its lowest yards per play average of the season, and that by a pretty wide margin.  (NC State is ranked higher than Georgia in total offense in 2010, by the way.) And while Kansas State fared better in that regard, they were limited to their lowest number of offensive plays for the year.

Admittedly, Mike Bobo has more weapons at his disposal today than either of those two schools.  Let’s hope he deploys them wisely.

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UPDATE: For what it’s worth, Steele likes Georgia big today.

At 6-6 Georgia has 2 options: either a positive finish or a losing season, which would put added pressure on HC Richt. There is a big talent disparity between these teams and while UCF’s D can potentially slow GA, they will not stop them. UCF’s offense has looked impressive but that was vs CUSA opps and on the year they faced 5 defenses in the bottom 20 and found their success without having to face a D rated in our Top 50. Georgia should win rather impressively here.

PHIL’S FORECAST: GEORGIA 34 UCF 17

One thing worth mentioning that he picks up on – if it’s a close game that comes down to field goal kicking, you have to like Georgia’s chances.  UCF is 10-20 on FG attempts this year, “forcing the Knights to go for it on 4th down a few more times than they wanted”.

Spare the rod and play the child.

Shorter Jim Tressel:  kids, I’ll let us all scarf down dessert now, if you promise to eat those nasty brussels sprouts afterward.

Tate Forcier ignores his own advice.

It’s pretty impressive to go from this quote (h/t SPORTSbyBROOKS)…

“I’ve never been the greatest student. My brothers were always the geniuses. I was always the kid who was street smart but not that smart classroom-wise. You really have to try to flunk out here. All you have to do is go to class, it’s not that hard…”

to this fate in a few hours.

It’s amazing how much drama Michigan, which I used to think was one of the most staid, boring programs in the country, has gone through under RichRod.  I have no idea if he’s coaching for his job in the Gator Bowl, but if his fate winds up being sealed, Brian Cook’s anguished question neatly sums up what a waste his tenure will have been.

… If there is a change you can go start the Denard transfer watch at DEFCON 2, since Robinson knows what he is—the Big Ten offensive player of the year as a sophomore at quarterback—and where he fits. How screwed up is a program that manages to get both Ryan Mallett and Denard Robinson to transfer away from certain starting QB jobs in the course of three years?

Stupid pet tricks

I mentioned the other day that this was the best college football metaphor of the season:

Dawgs, don’t make me regret saying that.

I gave up, you did too.

You can say one thing for Derek Dooley now – he’s got more experience celebrating a phantom win than any other head coach in the country.

And Steve Spurrier has absolutely no sympathy for how last night’s game played out.

“Wrong choice, buddy.”

Bill Snyder, we Dawg fans feel your pain, especially after watching Tyler Bray’s unpenalized antics in the Music City Bowl.

By the way, is there some sort of officiating analogue to the common practice of coaches visiting other coaching staffs in the offseason to pick up some new wrinkles?  I have this vision of referees dropping in on Marc Curles to get some special insight into calling silly penalties at crucial times in a game.

See what he did there?

Tom Osborne invokes the one-size-fits-all defense to the NCAA.

… Osborne told The Associated Press on Thursday that “the arrangement was done before we even knew about Taylor Martinez or that we knew he was a football player.”

No word on whether Osborne was smirking when he spoke with the reporter.

All in.

War Damn Eagle, indeed.

“Oregon was basically the anti-Georgia…”

Bill Connelly explains.

I keep telling you guys it’s hard to understand Georgia’s 2010 results based on the statistical story.