SEC Power Aid

Interesting chart from a Mississippi State beat writer (h/t Andy Staples):

Some real profiles in courage there.   But, really, if you do the math, the new scheduling rule isn’t going to have that much impact.  There are only three schools on that list that have averaged less than one power conference opponent a season.

Georgia, by the way and to its credit, is the only program on the list to come close to averaging two such games a year.  My bet is that average starts coming down, as McGarity picks his spots carefully.  Need those softies.

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Birth of a new meme?

I know Chris Fowler doesn’t speak for all of ESPN, but, still, I could see this taking hold with the talking heads at the WWL quite easily:

I'm hardly singling out SEC scheduling. ALL leagues should take steps to improve quality. SEC just voted down an opportunity.

— Chris Fowler (@cbfowler) April 28, 2014

Say that a few times on a national broadcast and see if it doesn’t start sticking with the public… and the selection committee.

Doin’ it for the kids.

Give Greg McGarity credit for original thinking on one thing.  He’s against a nine-game conference schedule, alright.  But instead of making up the standard flimsy excuse about how it’s for the fans’ sake, he’s thinking of somebody else.

“What does it say if [the players] have to be at their very best for nine conference games a year, plus a 10th (rivalry) game. I think some kids would love to say, ‘Let’s start out with a softy.’”

‘Let’s start out with a softy.’?  They’re not getting that now!

But, hey, Greg, if you’re worried about what the players want, I’m sure they’d be happy to give you a list with some other items to add to your agenda.

Opening line

In case you’re interested, one of the online sports books, 5Dimes, is the first out of the gate with betting spreads for the first weekend of college football action.

Georgia opens as a seven-point favorite over Clemson.

Clemson at Georgia – Saturday, August 30, 2014 12:00 PM
317   Clemson	+7 -120
318   Georgia	-7 -120

So, what do you think? Too much? Too soon?

Monday morning buffet

Rise and shine, campers.  It’s the start of another work week.

• It sounds like Junior’s gonna revolutionize Alabama’s offense.  Right.
• I think people have taken Spurrier’s comment last week about Tennessee wanting to keep the rivalry game with Alabama out of context.  It’s not so much a shot at UT as it is wondering why the Vols wouldn’t want to have more of a scheduling mix with weaker programs in the West.
• Five of the top ten spring game attendance marks came from SEC schools.
• This had to suck:  Ralph Friedgen missed the Rutgers spring game while passing a kidney stone on Saturday.
• Should Alabama host Georgia in 2016, the two teams would not be scheduled to play again in Tuscaloosa until 2028.
• Speaking of the Great Scheduling Compromise, Nick Saban called it a week ago:  “I think there’s a little bit more support for staying with an eight-game schedule and everybody playing a ninth opponent that’s in the five major conferences.”
• Now it’s the NFL that’s got a top official willing to consider a developmental league.
• LSU beat writer sympathizes with Joe Alleva’s fairness whine, suggests moving “Alabama and Auburn to the SEC East and put newcomer Missouri in the West, where it geographically belongs (along with Vanderbilt or Kentucky)”.  Hey, if by “fair” you mean making life easier for LSU, that’s fair.
• Quarterbacks coach Terry Shea, who ran Aaron Murray’s Pro Day and helped Griffin, Sam Bradford and Matt Stafford prepare for their drafts, thinks Murray most closely compares to Stafford:  “But Aaron can drive the ball, and he might even be more advanced than Matthew was because he’s had four years of great SEC football…”

Shaping up

On a more serious note from that Lorenzo Carter interview, you have to wonder what the coaches are telling the kids in Athens if they’re this blunt about it with the ones who haven’t stepped on campus yet:

What expectations do UGA’s coaches have for you this season? “They tell me I need to be ready to play. I need to get into shape. I think that’s a big problem up there right now, trying to get the players in shape so they can play fast for a long period of time. That’s what they let me know: That I’ve got to be ready to play fast.”

For once, it seems we’ll have a way to measure the summer happy talk.  If we hear the players reacting positively to the way offseason conditioning comes off, their bodies won’t be able to lie about it.

Here’s to a chiseled August.

Les loves the ladies.

Lorenzo Carter confirms that Les Miles on the recruiting trail isn’t like everyone else.

What’s your funniest story from recruiting? “Probably Les Miles talking about girls. Girl talk with Les Miles was kind of awkward because you don’t think of him as a ladies man. But he seems like he knows what he’s talking about.

What girl advice did Les Miles give you? “’Don’t be rude when they call late at night.’ So I was like ‘OK, I won’t be rude. I just won’t pick up the phone.’”

Kind of awkward, eh?

Hey, it almost worked.  Carter claims he had LSU as his number one right up until signing day.