Cranking up the narrative to 11

So, based on this, this and this, by which game will it be when you expect ESPN crosses the line into outright skepticism about Kirby’s coaching acumen if Jacob Eason hasn’t been named the starter?

This does not compute.

Kevin Scarbinsky dares suggest that Verne Lundquist, Charles Barkley’s “the nicest man in the world”, might be the most hated figure in the SEC.

Uh, dude, here’s a hint:  when’s the last time you heard anyone refer to the SEC Commissioner as “Uncle Greg”?  And let’s not even get started on Saban’s nicknames.  Or Lane Kiffin’s, for that matter.

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If it’s so easy…

… then why are there only four programs on this list?

The only four FBS teams over last 15 years to have won 8+ games 90% of seasons from 2001-2015 are: #BoiseState #LSU #Sooners and #UGA.

— SportSourceAnalytics (@SportSourceA) April 27, 2016

Face it, kids.  It’s harder to pigeonhole Mark Richt’s legacy than some of you like to admit.  That’s not exactly a low bar for Kirby Smart to exceed, either.

Say what you will about Ole Miss football…

… it’s nothing if not entertaining, albeit in a trashy, reality-TV kinda way.

(h/t)

The Pac-12’s got bigger problems than Larry Scott’s genius.

The West Coast comes up a little bit short in the fan enthusiasm department this spring.

But let’s be fair: The Pac-12 will never be on equal footing when it comes to Tier 1 money … assuming all three conferences are in the same contract cycle … because of the difference in fan passion and market penetration for advertisers, and there is a very clear and recent example to illustrate this situation:

Spring game attendance.

It’s not the only measure of passion — and passion means ratings and market penetration and advertising dollars for the networks — but it’s a pretty darn good one.

Nobody should expect the Pac-12 to draw at SEC and B1G levels, but the difference is more striking than you might think…

Oregon scrimmages this weekend and should have the largest crowd in the conference, by a significant margin. I’ve included the Ducks below, even though it’s a projection, because it paints a more complete picture of the Pac-12’s spring attendance relative to the other conferences.

It would have been unfair to exclude the biggest crowd just because of timing.

But even with the Ducks, the Pac-12 has just two of the top-25 crowds … and seven of the bottom 10.

If the fans don’t care, the cable service providers won’t either.

The door’s open, but the ride it ain’t free.

One thing about an expanded postseason:  more playoff games means more playoff trips and more playoff trips means more playoff expenses.

The national champion Crimson Tide totaled $7.3 million in costs for two CFP trips, while runner-up Clemson spent $5.4 million, according to NCAA postseason expense reports for all four playoff teams obtained from the universities by CBS Sports…

Alabama spent the most on a single playoff game this past season, totaling $4.8 million in costs for the CFP National Championship in Glendale, Arizona. That equates to $5,555 per person who made the trip, easily the highest per-game average in the two-year history of the CFP.

To put Alabama’s 2016 title game costs in perspective, the school spent $4.3 million for the 2010 BCS Championship Game in Pasadena, California. Back then, the NCAA required schools to count bonuses for coaches and administrators in bowl expense reports. That’s no longer the case. Alabama spent $6.7 million on the 2016 CFP National Championship game itself when counting bonuses.

If you got it, flaunt it, baby.  Besides, all that support staff isn’t showing up for free.

The Crimson Tide sent a traveling party of 904 people to Arlington, Texas, for the Cotton Bowl and 857 to Arizona. Alabama brought 908 people to the semifinal at the Sugar Bowl in 2015, 881 to Miami for the 2013 BCS Championship Game and 778 to New Orleans for the 2012 BCS Championship Game.