Right now, Vegas likes Georgia’s chances to return.
LSU at 12-1? That’s… interesting.
Daily Archives: June 19, 2018
Five-star buyout
Booch, still on UT’s dime, lets loose with a “Roll Tide”.
Filed under Because Nothing Sucks Like A Big Orange
Check out the big brain on Brad.
Interesting trend depicted here…
Maybe kids have just gotten smarter. Or maybe there’s a growing realization among football student-athletes that there’s a path to having some control over their collegiate careers. I wonder which… damn, I hate these Occam’s razor puzzles!
Filed under Academics? Academics., The NCAA
Er’rebody gets paid.
Not exactly, but…
Will Murray’s offensive linemen be able to overcome their resentment and block for him this season? I’ll be on pins and needles waiting to see.
Filed under It's Just Bidness, The NCAA
One more thing about Tennessee
I knew Pruitt has signed some transfers, but nine of ’em? Five are from the juco ranks, four are graduates. Only one practiced and played with UT in the spring.
I get that a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do and all, but, boy, when you’ve got more than 10% of your roster coming from the transfer ranks, the odds are a lot of them aren’t going to work out, at least not quickly enough. Sure, Pruitt’s a good coach, but still…
Filed under Because Nothing Sucks Like A Big Orange
Today, in will the SEC move to a nine-game conference schedule?
I think Finebaum is pretty spot on with this:
“Outside of Nick Saban’s office, there is none,” Finebaum said of support for a nine-game schedule. “I don’t see it. There are a lot of reasons for it. I think from their standpoint they are very concerned it would create more difficulty filling the bowl alignment, in terms of the number of SEC schools that go to bowl games. So, when you add another game, do the math: it’s another loss somewhere. I think the feeling at least of the coaches right now is they don’t want that. I think it’s easy to look at the other side, and frankly, I’ve always agreed with Nick Saban that nine conference games offer many positive things, especially for athletes playing to be able to see other teams in the league. Right now, you can go seven, eight or nine years and never see anyone else (cross-divisional teams) outside of the SEC Championship Game.
A ninth conference game that replaces a cupcake match means seven coaches take a loss they weren’t saddled with before. When you’re making $4+ million a year, that could be a problem. So, yeah, there’s always going to be significant resistance.
This part, though, I think Finebaum overstates.
“I also think it creates a degree of negativity outside the league,” Finebaum continued. “David Shaw from Stanford made a big deal about this a couple of years ago. The Big Ten continues to take shots. And I think the SEC leaves itself vulnerable by only having eight conference games.”
Nobody in the SEC gives a rat’s ass what David Shaw thinks. As for vulnerability, last year saw two SEC teams reach the CFP (and play for the national championship); it’s not unreasonable to think there’s a realistic possibility of a repeat in 2018. Could that change down the road? Sure, but if there’s one thing conferences are comfortable doing, it’s putting off worrying about something until it’s a real threat.
Barring expansion, we’re not getting nine conference games any time soon.
Filed under SEC Football
Georgia’s opener
You can find a thumbnail sketch of Georgia’s opening opponent, Austin Peay, here. The Governors are an FCS team that lost all three games against FBS teams last season, and this seems like a perfect take about what to expect on the afternoon of September 1st:
This is a team that hung 26 points on undefeated UCF in the first half of their October matchup but ultimately couldn’t hang in a 73-33 loss.
In other words, it’s not gonna be pretty. Unless you’re looking forward to seeing how deep this year’s Georgia team might be, that is.
Filed under Georgia Football
Musical palate cleanser, you ain’t a beauty edition
Every time I hear this song, I remember how much I loved the opening verse, right from the moment I first dropped needle on vinyl:
The screen door slams, Mary’s dress waves
Like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays
Roy Orbison singing for the lonely
Hey, that’s me and I want you only
Don’t turn me home again, I just can’t face myself alone again
I was lucky enough to hear the Boss play this live, in what seemed like the split second between Born to Run’s release and it exploding (along with his career) commercially, at the old Agora in Atlanta. Small venue, and a stage close to the audience. In a way, it was almost too intimate. I loved every second of it.
“Thunder Road” is one of those songs that’s burned on my soul. It’s a part of my life in some deep-set way. It’s what makes pop music great.
Man.
Filed under Uncategorized
Get The Picture 