Is there anyone out there who would rank Notre Dame higher than seventh in a SEC power poll?
- Alabama. Call ’em a dynasty; call ’em what you want. All I know is that three national titles in four years is pretty damned impressive, no matter what the label.
- Georgia. The difference between first and second? About fifteen feet, give or take a few inches.
- Texas A&M. Helluva debut, fellas. Now we’ll find out if you have staying power.
- South Carolina. Give Spurrier credit. There aren’t many coaches who have built two top ten programs in the history of this conference. And with the ‘Cocks, it was essentially from the ground up.
- Florida. Given the state of the Florida offense, Muschamp was working all season with a thin margin for error, as the bowl game showed. Getting eleven wins out of this team was good coaching.
- LSU. There’s something almost comforting about watching a Miles-coached team get back to losing a game or two it shouldn’t.
- Vanderbilt. James Franklin is the toast of Nashville. It’ll be interesting to see where this program’s ceiling is.
- Mississippi. I’m still wrapping my brain around Ole Miss winning seven games this season.
- Mississippi State. Second half fade and Egg Bowl loss are concerns. If Freeze can recruit decently, you have to wonder if Mullen is in for some tough sledding.
- Missouri. This season exposed the Tigers’ personnel shortcomings. Pinkel’s got some work to do in that department to make the program consistently competitive.
- Arkansas. I suspect we’ve heard the last of John L. Smith.
- Tennessee. I have this mental image of Derek Dooley sitting in a leather recliner in front of a warm fireplace with a glass of whiskey in his hand asking himself, “Sal Sunseri? WTF was I thinking?”.
- Auburn. Has any coach fallen faster than Gene Chizik? And you can’t say he didn’t earn it – that was the worst Auburn team I’ve ever seen in person.
- Kentucky. Even Joker Phillips knew he was presiding over an epic dumpster fire.
Get The Picture 
I’ve said all along (in a post somewhere, probably here) that ND was not even a top ten team and that at least five or six teams in the SEC would give them similar treatment that Alabama gave them. Now I believe that ND would finish no higher than fourth in either division of the finest conference in the world…and very possibly no higher than fifth. I do think they would beat Auburn in a squeaker. ND is a media-hyped, great Northern Hope sensation that is now thouroghly exposed. Just look what Ole Miss did to Pitt, who took ND to trip overtime and lost on a missed chipshot FG.
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I don’t know if I’d go that far. Bama is the best team in the conference and had a month to prepare for them. Florida is a similar team to Notre Dame, and they managed to win all but one game.
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You definately jumped the shark on the “beat Auburn in a sqeaker” line their UD,
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I don’t recall Florida ever looking that slow and inept. But I do tend towards hyperbole in my remarks…sometimes.
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Did you see their bowl game?
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I agree with your assessment, they were very similar to Florida, decent defense and a very dysfunctional offense. When you look at how badly the ND schedule performed you have to wonder how that was touted as such an impressive gauntlet. USC, Pitt, Michigam, MSU, Navy, Wake, BC, Purdue,Oklahoma all were exposed. Stanford was the only decent win and it was in OT with a questionable call saving them. And Stanford is a mirror of ND, not much offense and a decent defense.
The polls are just a terrible way to determine how good teams are. You only have to see USC as the pre-season #1 and now ND being left as #4 after what you saw last night. ND and Big 10 bias have always distorted how programs are perceived.
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And did you see that idiot Corso dressed up like a fool leprechan before the game. I hope we’ve seen the last of that old fart.
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When asked after the game what he learned, Corso said “nothing”. I have absolutely no trouble believing that.
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Better still was to watch Urban having to hold back the “you know my OSU team was 12 – 0 this year” comments.
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Hate to say it but expect to Urban Legend in the championship game next year. They have practically the whole team back and a weak Big 10 schedule. Plus, they will be the great white hope in the eyes of the media next year to unseat the SEC. They will be preseason #2, maybe #1 in the AP poll. Just watch.
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And now I’ve posted three times under the wrong thread..early. sorry.
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Who would rank ND higher than 7th in the SEC you ask? Why the AP voters of course, who despite all evidence to the contrary have ranked ND ahead of Georgia and Texas A&M in their final poll. What a joke.
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+1.
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+100
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It was ND’s “quality” win over Navy in Ireland that made the difference. Can’t forget the media’s need to over-hype.
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To me, Texas AM is the team that seems like it has a chance to make a huge impact in this league. The recruiting grounds that they are in is one that could sustain any program’s success, but to dangle the bait of playing in the SEC to these kids seems like they could catch a few championships themselves in quick order.
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That’s exactly what’s going to happen, Biguns3.
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Like the Senator, I would recommend withholding judgement on A&M but the stars may be aligning for the Aggies. Texas is on a baffling slide at the very time Sumlin hits College Stattion, and they join the SEC, and Johnny Football takes the nation by storm. In a huge upset, they catch Bama with their pants down on national TV. Recruits cannot help but notice there is a “local” way to catch “SEC fever” without leaving the state. It won’t appeal to all the D1 athletes but there is a large pool of talent to shoot at, they only have to be mildly successful to field a competitive team every season. The hardest season may be behind them, working in a new coach, having the talent to compete, and believing you can compete. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them make it to Atlanta next December.
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The only potential fly in A&M’s ointment is this…the whole things hangs on one player. If he goes down, the Aggies can’t possibly replace him, can they? It is at least slightly similar to what Auburn had with Cam Newton. I’m hesitant to say “one man team”, but I will say “one man great team”.
The kid really did deserve the Heisman. He was unbelievable against OK.
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“they can’t possibly replace him, can they?” Of course not…well, uhhh… only if Mason transfers out there.
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No question this year was due to Manziel, but parlaying this fast start opportunity could not have worked better for Sumlin. He will not have to have a Johnny Football every year once he builds the infrastructure, and those solid players exist in Texas every year. He will get a bigger share than A&M has in the past.
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Remember Manziel has a redshirt year under his belt. He COULD leave after next year… you know, if he grows four inches and gains 30 pounds.
I can dream, can’t I?
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You can bet your sweet ass Manziel will be gone to the NFL after next season. $$$$$! He will put fannies in seats and eyeballs on TV screens.
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I don’t know, Mayor. I guess we will see. If he has another phenomenal year, maybe. But I have a really hard time seeing the draft stock rise that high for an undersized QB with two years of experience. Time will tell.
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The SEC ESPN bloggers already have SC and A&M ranked above us if their rankings for next year.
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As always, you say it much better than I Mac. Well stated.
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My final poll…SEC and otherwise…Bama, Georgia, and Texas A&M.
If the Dawgs would have been there, here is my thouhgts. Dawgs D would have shut down NDs passing game. Bama gave away 14 points in that game but they gave up some passes while not rushing the QB. They had a good game plan on the D side. They did nothing different on offense against ND than they did in the SECCG. Dawgs 38 – ND 14.
I’d like to see the votes in both the AP and USA polls.
A lot of dishonest voters. Let’s name some dishonest analyst at ESPN.
All year I heard Lou Holtz rave about how good ND’s D was. Lou Holtz should go to confession and admit he is a bald face liar when he says ESPN pays him to a fair analyst. Holtz is a subsidized cheerleader for ND and is paid by ESPN.
Why in the hell is Urban Meyer from OSU on the set for comments? Just how many cheerleaders does ESPN and Kirk Herbstreet need to support their Big 10 teams who once again got the dog crap kicked out of them once again in a bowl. Take a look at the Dawg’s bowl history against the Big Ten. Last year was the first loss I can remember.
I heard conservative talk show host Laura Ingram comment on the game on Fox & Friends this morning. She said she started watching TV sitcoms after the first quarter. She said ND looked and played like some Washington DC prep school. I would pretty well say that sums it up.
ND could probably beat Auburn and Kentucky in the SEC. Toss up with the Vols. Everybody else would light their over-rated ass up.
Do you think their “all award LB” deserves those? Think not. Here is the award I would give him. I have an award for Teo or whatever the hell the name. It is a good SEC award. The Aunt Jemimiah award. Did the full back not pancake his over-rated ass in the end zone on that 3rd TD. He did not even see the play because his ass was in the freaking dirt.
How many stayed to the end of that game vs. the SECCG? And how many honest souls would not think the Dawgs were better than ND in final polls.
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Eh, if Notre Dame had played Georgia’s schedule they probably would have won 8 games. If they got lucky, 10. If they got unlucky, 6. The worst part of the game last night is that Georgia was five yards from being there, beating Notre Dame 38-21 or whatever.
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Keeping in mind that Georgia’s schedule was relatively easy. If they’d played Missouri’s schedule they may have barely made a bowl.
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If Notre Dame had played Missouri’s schedule they would have lost to Georgia, Bama, Florida, South Carolina, Texas A&M and probably to a 9-4 Vandy team as well.
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Thanks for expanding on my point, bro.
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This game is proof that awards should not be given out until after all the bowl games are completed.
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Will Trane..that is the best comment you have ever made!! The truth it is!
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Looks like James Franklin’s season ending ballot was not so controversial in the end. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/sec/2012/12/03/vanderbilt-james-franklin-coaches-poll-ballot-notre-dame/1744029/
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I was thinking the same thing this morning. Ole JF was right on the money. The guy can coach and he’s smart.
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A&M has an extremely favorable schedule next year. Mizzou and Vandy out of the East. Bama at home. With OOC games consisting of power houses such as Sam Houston St, SMU, Rice and New Mexico. They should have the staying power to remain a top 10 team.
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What’s the reasoning for A&M over Georgia? Same record, A&M played a tougher schedule, and beat a better bowl opponent. Sagarin would have A&M as a five-point favorite.
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I like the way Georgia matches up with A&M.
Fremeau suggests the SOS gap isn’t that large, both teams played two of the bigger bowl underachievers in D-1 and TAMU had almost a narrow a brush with ‘Bama as ‘Bama did with Georgia. Georgia handled Florida far better than TAMU did.
I’m not suggesting there’s a huge difference between the two, but I think Georgia wins a neutral site game.
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what separates GA & AL is about 15 feet in one ball game and about one mile of coaching talent Senator. i hope you were able to rock mark to sleep last night with the thoughts of having to face saban for the next few years.
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…well everyones got one but yours stinks a tad more. The truth of the matter is that our staff out-coached bama’s staff in Atlanta. The thing that seperates us from bama is not X’s and O’s but the manner in which their team was built:
Over signing
Medical redshirts
Yanking kids scholly offers at the last minute
Forcing kids who may not contribute out.
In short, it is doing everything to stay at or as close to a healthy and productive 85 schollys as possible. The ethics of doing so be damned. We aren’t and won’t do that. With what 68? Scholarship players and a bunch of walk ons playing special teams we took them to the brink.
I would agree that there is more than 15 feet separating us from bama, but its what’s on the roster not in the coaches that makes the difference. We are slowly but surely addressing that gap and doing so within the letter and spirit of the rules.
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I totally agree we out-coached bama in the secc. DL depth and OL talent was the difference. With a good, deep recruiting class UGA might close the gap between the two programs. Maybe if we had retained DE Lott, or Abry Jones wasn’t injured, or we didn’t redshirt Taylor – lots of “ifs”, but we really needed help in the trenches.
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There you go again, with your snarky little statements from the second row. Please say Hello to skeptic dawg, and STFU! That’s all, carry on!
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The above comment was directed toward “my personal opinion” and no other poster. The rest of you make some sense, but this mealy mouthed lil twit needs to go away!!!
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If one is inclined to believe that UGA would have treated ND very similarly then it is not a huge leap to conclude that our national championship was quite literally within spitting distance. Don’t think about that too hard.
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Grrr… I have once again lost control of my gravatar.
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Anyone see Saban’s ESPN interview after the game? Here’s a quote: “We got here by five yards. Georgia was five yards away from scoring.”
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Saban is never going to be one of my favorite people, but I’ve gain a great deal of respect for him since the SECCG because he has gone out of his way more than once to give the Dawgs the respect they deserve. I wouldn’t be surprised if he put us at #2 in his final poll (if he was part of the coach’s poll this year).
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Crap. I’m not Joe Cox!
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+1
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apparantly the BCS pollsters didn’t see or hear it
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Saban does not do anything miraculous, he just has the total and complete support of his university, a huge and fertile recruiting base, oh and did I mention the total and complete support of his university?
There may be a year win Bama does not win the SEC. But I would not bet against them.
Now you know, that when Gene Chizik blabbered about Awbun being “all in”, the Bama fans stood around and snickered.
Bama is “all in”…nobody else comes close.
Yet, for all that, we came within inches (or feet or whatever) of playing, and beating Notre Dame.
Anybody who thinks Mark Richt is not a great football coach needs a pre-frontal lobotomy.
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“Give Spurrier credit.”
As painful as that is, it’s amazing that he took a team designed around running Lattimore, and won the bowl game running a tailback 5 times for virtually no yards.
The other 12 rushes were by the two QB’s.
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