But, Michigan, ctd.

From an Appalachian State beat writer,

“App State earned a share of the Sun Belt Conference title in 2016 and will be favored to go unbeaten in league play this year, especially with a schedule that steers clear of Arkansas State, Troy and South Alabama. Wake Forest travels to Boone, so the Mountaineers have two chances to beat a Power Five program. As much hype as the Michigan upset generated in 2007, Appalachian hasn’t managed to pull another upset, although the near-miss at Tennessee last year was notable progress following a string of one-sided losses…”

I’m beginning to think that 2007 upset has turned into a bedtime story coaches tell their players to scare them.  Which is not to say, after last year’s near-debacle against Nicholls, that some of Kirby’s players don’t need scaring.

One can be certain Appalachian State will have Georgia’s full attention when the two teams square off Sept. 2 at Sanford Stadium. And if the Bulldogs aren’t totally prepared, it could prove to be a long afternoon.

Georgia’s gonna get their best shot, right?

At least there’s one.

If I told you that Georgia had one player make the Southeastern Conference football information directors’ list of the league’s best players by position and overall, who would you guess that is?

Steele, Georgia and returns

Agree with his premise or not, you’re aware that Phil Steele puts a fair amount on emphasis on returning experience and production in his college football projections.  He’s posted data on three specific areas, listed here, along with Georgia’s ranking:

• Career OL Starts Returning:  Georgia 12 (97)
• % of tackles returning:  Georgia 86.6% (3)
• % of Offensive Yards returning:  Georgia 87.1% (16)

I don’t there’s much of a surprise in any of that.  Other than the o-line, here’s a lot of production returning.  Whether that amounts to more than a hill of beans is dependent on — guess what? — the offensive line establishing itself at least as a competent unit and just as a general principal, some coaching up.  It’s the second year for the staff, so that’s not an unreasonable expectation… which isn’t the same thing as a guarantee.

Today’s quandary

Does the news that the Georgia-Notre Dame ticket is currently college football’s most steeply priced in the secondary market mean (1) the fan base is hungry for games with quality opponents; (2) Butts-Mehre has confirmation that the fan base is willing to pay through the nose for access to Georgia football games; or (3) both?