No, this ain’t a misprint.
I’ve never seen any other team listed 10-21 — or anywhere even close to those odds — to make the CFP. Have you?
Daily Archives: June 25, 2018
Hotty Toddy
It’s not every day you see a kid commit based on the strength of a school’s tailgating.
Filed under Recruiting
UCF’s gonna UCF as long as it can.
Seriously, these guys are gonna carry that national championship torch longer than Tommy Tuberville has for the ’04 Auburn Tigers… and with as much chance at succeeding.
Let’s check in with quarterback McKenzie Milton, shall we? (h/t)
“I think the main thing the playoff committee is looking for is sustained success,” he said. “Alabama, sustained success. Georgia, sustained success. Clemson, sustained success. Alabama and Clemson have been in the playoffs all three years. I think they want to see teams be consistent, year in and year out. For us, we kind of came up out of nowhere, going from 0-12 to 6-7 to 13-0. I think if we sustain that success next year, going undefeated again, or maybe losing one game, it will matter. They want to see teams be consistent.”
UCF operates under an additional handicap, being located in Florida, home to such legendary programs as the University of Florida, Florida State and University of Miami.
Milton said eventually people will notice the product on the field.
“Look at the talent. Look at the film. They should consider us with those guys,” he said. “I think we were a better team than all three of them last year. We can compete with any of those guys. We have to keep working, keep recruiting good guys, guys who are going to buy in and stay true to what we’re doing.”
Brother, your team played Sagarin’s #72 strength of schedule last season, compared to Alabama’s #27, Clemson’s #4 and Georgia’s #6. Despite that, Alabama was first in total defense, Clemson was fourth, Georgia was sixth and Central Florida… was ninety-fourth. On the flip side, Oklahoma’s SOS was seventh and the Sooners finished ahead of UCF in total offense. (The Sooners were 67th in total defense, so better there, too.)
And Georgia’s “sustained success” was a one-year jump from an 8-5 season that saw the Dawgs come uncomfortably close to being embarrassed at home by an FCS team.
Look, I get that your team beat Auburn. I get that Alabama didn’t. But Clemson did and so did Georgia. In any event, that’s what’s great about college football: it’s more than a one-game season. Get that strength of schedule up 25-30 spots and then you can talk.
Filed under It's Not Easy Being A Mid-Major
Today, in searing hot takes
In case you haven’t heard yet, Maryland is set to name Damon Evans its next athletic director. [Insert snarky red panties comment here.]
Chip Towers is positively thrilled for him.
Ummm… who’s this “you” you’re referring to, Chip? I doubt anybody down our way cares one way or the other. By the way, couldn’t you have at least modified “setbacks” with the adjective “self-imposed”? There’s nothing more impressive than watching a guy pull himself up by the same bootstraps he used to hang himself first.
Meanwhile, back in reality, here’s a take that really is hot.
I wonder if Evans authorized the expenditure. LOL.
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UPDATE: I’m gonna run this one up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes it.
Filed under ACC Football, It's Just Bidness, Media Punditry/Foibles
“What are the chances your coach will be there in five years?”
He isn’t just the dean of SEC coaches, he’s the only one with strong job security.
Saban’s the only one? Sure, buddy.
Filed under Nick Saban Rules, SEC Football
Steele’s 2018 unit rankings
As promised, here we go. To start with and establish a baseline, let’s go back and look at Steele’s 2017 state of affairs first:
- Quarterbacks: 24th
- Running backs: 2nd
- Receivers: 21st
- Offensive line: 46th
- Defensive line: 11th
- Linebackers: 6th
- Defensive backs: 16th
- Special teams: Unranked (Steele ranked the top 55)
Add it all up and it didn’t look particularly exceptional, but then again, after an 8-5 2016, nobody thought this team was particularly exceptional going into the season.
Anyway, here’s the story from Steele for this season:
- Quarterbacks: 6th
- Running backs: 11th
- Receivers: 8th
- Offensive line: 2nd
- Defensive line: 15th
- Linebackers: 16th
- Defensive backs: 16th
- Special teams: 8th
Things are looking up, I’d say. For a little more context, I’ll list the SEC teams he ranks higher than Georgia at each unit.
- Quarterbacks: Auburn, Missouri
- Running backs: Alabama
- Receivers: Ole Miss
- Offensive line: None
- Defensive line: Mississippi State, Alabama, Auburn, Florida
- Linebackers: Alabama, LSU, Auburn
- Defensive backs: LSU, Alabama
- Special teams: None
When you’re ranked ahead of Alabama in as many categories as Alabama’s ranked ahead of you, that’s pretty solid.
The quirky thing about his unit rankings is at quarterback, where Georgia ranks several spots higher than ‘Bama. Go to Steele’s preseason all-SEC teams, though, you’ll find Tua at third-team and you won’t find Fromm mentioned at all. Only thing I can draw from that is that Steele really, really likes Fields.
Filed under Georgia Football, Phil Steele Makes My Eyes Water
Multiple is the new balanced.
Really, if Mike Bobo and Mark Richt had come along about fifteen years later, I swear this is what we’d be hearing about.
“We’re going to be multiple on offense,” is probably the most common response you hear from offensive coaches at new stops when asked if their scheme will be “pro-style” or “spread.” When a coach hears that question he knows that it basically amounts to “will you use more than one TE or FB at a time and run at people or play three or more WRs all the time and fling it around?” In response, many want to say “well, we want to do both.”
To some degree nearly everyone wants to be “multiple” on offense.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course.
Filed under Strategery And Mechanics
Fun times in Gainesville
This Brian Edwards preview of Florida is worth reading simply for the nickname he bestows upon Jim McElwain: ‘The Swamp Donkey’. No, it’s not a compliment.
Neither is what he has to say about Jeremy Foley.
Foley’s failed hires have decimated the program. This space has been explaining to loyal readers what a moron Foley has always been for decades. We were right the entire time and have never looked more accurate than we do today.
If there’s been anything more enjoyable about this offseason than the way Gator fans have looked at their program, I’m hard-pressed to come up with it.
Filed under Gators, Gators...
The Fromm abides.
Forget the seven stages of grief. Jake Fromm knows how to cope after losing the natty on the last play of the game.
“It was a super tough game, but I went duck hunting the next weekend and I got over it pretty quick,” Fromm said, via Nola.com. “I was good to go, back home with my family, and ready to move on and prepare for the next season.”
If Georgia ever plays Oregon while Fromm’s the starting quarterback, the quotes will write themselves.
Filed under Georgia Football
Get The Picture 