Paul Johnson is a funny man.

He’ll be here all week, folks, try the veal.

Nice little shot by Tech coach Paul Johnson the other night at the Macon Touchdown Club. After referencing the Falcons’ losing “65 percent of their payroll” to injuries, Johnson couldn’t help himself and cracked, “I’m not quite sure if the University of Georgia’s lost 65 percent of the payroll. That’s a joke.”

So is that 1-11 run against Richt.

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The SEC, devouring its own

Friend of the blog (and studly political blogger himself) Ed Kilgore asked me an interesting question:

BCS rules require a Top 14 finish for any non-conference-champion to be eligible for a BCS bowl.

Looking at the remaining SEC games (and the championship), there’s a non-trivial chance that no SEC team other than Bama will finish with fewer than 3 losses.  Is it possible Bama will go to the championship game yet the SEC will be shut out of the Sugar Bowl?

Actually, yeah, there’s a decent possibility of that happening if the Tide runs the regular season table.  Take a look at the current SEC standings.  There are five teams with one or two losses:  Missouri and South Carolina in the East, and Auburn, LSU and Texas A&M in the West.  LSU and TAMU will face off; so will Missouri and TAMU.  LSU and Auburn have to face Alabama.  Auburn also plays Georgia.  South Carolina may not have an extremely tough conference game left on its schedule, but it does have the season finale with Clemson.

Then, one of the East squads faces ‘Bama in the SECCG.

To me, if Alabama goes 12-0, it looks like Auburn and whichever of Missouri and South Carolina doesn’t play in Atlanta have the best chances of avoiding that third loss.  Would that be enough to avoid missing out on finishing ranked highly enough?  What do you guys think?

‘There is no downside for you.’

I’ve given LSU grief for how Elliot Porter was treated, so it only seems fair to applaud what they’ve done here.

LSU signed quarterback Brandon Harris of Bossier City (La.) Parkway on Thursday to a financial-aid agreement, one of the first recruits nationally known to have used an NCAA rule interpretation issued last month that allows early-enrolling players to secure their scholarships months ahead of signing day.

Harris, No. 58 in the ESPN 300 and the third-ranked dual-threat QB in the class of 2014, announced the moment on Twitter, saying he was excited to sign a letter of intent with the Tigers.

He did not, in fact, sign a letter of intent. The differences are notable and fall in favor of the student-athlete.

LSU, after receiving Harris’ paperwork, is now obligated to honor his scholarship, unlike the scenario for a traditional recruit who offers a non-binding verbal commitment; however, Harris is not tied to the Tigers. He could enroll elsewhere or sign a binding letter of intent with a different school in February.

Additionally, the Tigers are no longer limited by NCAA regulations that restrict in-person contact with Harris, phone calls and home visits.

Wow… that’s actually decent.  Is it the precursor of a trend?  Too early to tell, probably, although the article goes on to note that Ohio State’s done the same thing.

Of course, we won’t actually know for sure how this plays out until we see what Nick Saban does.

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UPDATE:  Michael Carvell has more on this.

Friday morning buffet

Grab that knife and fork and go, folks.

• I’m sorry, but if you’re a Georgia fan who can’t appreciate morale talk from Gator coaches, there’s something wrong with you.
• Slow, but steady, signs of statistical improvement from Georgia’s defense.
• The Carl Pelini firing story sounds like it’s about to turn ugly.
• The Code of Quayvon.
• Non-defensive points given up by SEC teams in 2013 – it’s as ugly as you’d expect.
• Is this what a Nick Saban kiss of death sounds like?
• Coaches’ buyouts and the IRS.
• I always like to hear talk like this from Georgia athletes:  “To graduate from Georgia, a lot of doors open up for careers and job wise, so you’ve got to think life after football,” Mauger said.
• Non-football, but very cool:  23 newly discovered photographs of The Rolling Stones, all apparently taken during their 1965 tour through Georgia and Florida.

Name that caption: it’s only a penalty if they call it.

I know there’s a word for this, but I can’t remember what it is:

(Photo by Contributed Photo /Chattanooga Times Free Press)

Help me out in the comments.

Down goes Oregon.

Best line of the night:  “On the bright side, think of all those kids in Africa that will get those “We Want Bama” T-shirts.”

Nike, for the win loss!