I suppose I should be worked up over Trump excusing the Saudis with regard to the Khashoggi murder, but I discovered I’m too embarrassed by the composition of his official announcement to be angry. Winning!
And with that, the Playpen is open for business.
Filed under GTP Stuff
I’m shocked, shocked at the lack of sportsmanship shown by the play call here.
I keed, I keed.
Give Ray Goff credit for one thing — he did his best to keep Tech in its proper place in the world.
Filed under Georgia Football, Georgia Tech Football
Sure, it’s an Eleven Warriors post, so naturally it’s going to take affront at how the selection committee weighs Ohio State’s worth, but after reading it…
So, with all of that in mind, I feel comfortable in saying that in my completely unbiased and objective opinion, the College Football Playoff Selection Committee is worthless. In fact, I believe that their vague, nebulous criteria is actually a step backwards from what we had in the poll-dominated eras of days gone by. Also, the ridiculous media availabilities that committee chair Rob Mullens subjects us to every Tuesday after the weekly rankings are revealed are doing them no favors, as they actually make the process look worse, and undermine what little credibility that the committee has.
Now, I have no problems with the current top four, or even the top five; those teams all seem like legitimate selections to occupy those spots, but when you get down to comparing No. 6 Oklahoma and the No. 10 Buckeyes, that’s when I start to question the methodology of the committee (and I’m not going to get into the absurdity of a two-loss LSU at No. 7).
… ask yourself if the problem with the CFP is over the size of the playoff field or if it’s over the subjective nature of the selection process itself.
Going to an eight-team field won’t calm the waters if things are left in the hands of the selection committee. In fact, there’s a legitimate argument to be made that, since it’s highly unusual in a given season for eight teams to have a valid claim to a national title game, the subjective hair-splitting for the last spots will actually serve to make things worse in that regard.
But, you do you, Cinderella.
Filed under BCS/Playoffs
The prospects for this year’s Georgia-Georgia Tech game are killing Mark Bradley.
Something would have to happen to level this playing field. (Rain is forecast for Saturday morning, FYI.) The noon kickoff two days after Thanksgiving should have a dulling effect on the Sanford audience, but we note that Georgia hasn’t come close to losing at home since Searcy’s leap. The best-case scenario for Tech is that the Bulldogs will realize that, in the macro sense, this game doesn’t much matter. Win or lose Saturday, they’ll have to beat Alabama to make the playoff.
When all you’ve got is the weather, the early start time and looking forward to ‘Bama (how did that work for Auburn, by the way?), you ain’t got much.
This stuff just gets dumber and dumber and dumber…
The Chamber of Commerce in Colfax, Washington, recently decided to stage an event that would pay special tribute to Gardner Minshew, the mustachioed Washington State quarterback.
The celebration even carried his name – “Gardner Minshew Days,” a two-day festivity scheduled for this week on Main Street, 16 miles from campus in Pullman.
But the name is a problem, according to NCAA rules. It’s also another example of how the NCAA and its members control the controversial system of “amateurism” in college sports.
“We just wanted to celebrate him and the Cougs,” said Valoree Gregory, the chamber’s executive director.
The chamber planned to have local businesses give away fake mustaches before Friday’s big game against Washington, joining a local craze that’s seen hundreds of Cougar fans wearing fake mustaches in honor of Minshew, the nation’s leading passer.
It all seemed innocent enough, at least until the chamber received a cease-and-desist notice from the NCAA rules compliance staff at WSU.
“In accordance with NCAA Bylaw 12.5.2.2, Washington State University requests you cease the production and display of advertisements, and the possible distribution of any products using Gardner Minshew’s name and likeness,” WSU’s letter to the chamber said on Nov. 7.
So the event changed its name to “Mustache Madness” and removed his photo. It still will go on as planned and still references Minshew on its website, just not by name.
“We are honoring our favorite WSU quarterback by giving out FREE mustaches” on Wednesday and Friday, the website said.
Colfax (population 2,900) still hopes it adds to the fun surrounding Friday’s Apple Cup in Pullman. Minshew, a graduate transfer from East Carolina, has led the eighth-ranked Cougars (9-1) to one of their best seasons ever, making his mustache so popular that Washington State has tried to capitalize on it, too.
Last week, WSU revved up its Heisman Trophy campaign for Minshew by mailing media members fake mustaches with instructions to “vote for Minshew!”
Minshew can’t control the use of his name. Fans can’t use his name, even in a non-profit setting. Only the school can use his name.
Finally, it dawns on me: amateurism as Animal House.
Filed under The NCAA
As I mentioned in my last Power Poll post, the SEC East has won the 2018 season series against the West. Care to guess how long the drought was?
8 Victories for SEC East teams in 13 games against SEC West teams in 2018, giving the Eastern Division a win in the conference’s interdivision series for the first time since 2008. Vanderbilt’s 36-29 overtime victory against Ole Miss on Saturday clinched the 2018 series for the East. Only one interdivision game remains on the regular-season schedule — the Arkansas-Missouri contest on Friday. In 2008, the SEC East had an 11-7 record against the SEC West. Last season, the East won only three of the 14 interdivision games in the regular season. The West won the interdivision series 9-5 in 2016, 12-2 in 2015 and 10-4 in 2014 and 2013. The divisions split the 14 games in 2012. The West won the series 12-6 in 2011, 15-3 in 2010 and 11-7 in 2009.
Shit, that’s like the divisional equivalent of the Georgia-Florida series in the nineties.
The question is, then, whether this is a sign that the divisions are regaining more of an equal footing, or if this was more of a one-off, like, to continue the analogy, the ’97 Cocktail Party game. It certainly helped that the bottom of the West was worse than the bottom of the East and that’s probably going to continue for at least another season or two.
The medium-term will likely be decided on whether there are any programs in the SEC East that step to a level that’s at least as good as, say, LSU. The obvious candidates for that would be Florida and Tennessee, but, especially in the case of the latter, both have a little ways to go on the recruiting front before really being able to assert themselves on a consistent basis.
What do you guys think?
Filed under SEC Football
Jonathan Ledbetter, ladies and gentlemen, Jonathan Ledbetter.
What’s the first word that comes to Jonathan Ledbetter’s mind when thinking of Georgia Tech’s unique triple-option offense?
“Fun,” the senior defensive end said with a smile.
Another reporter couldn’t see how that was the case: “Really?”
“Not at all,” Ledbetter followed.
He’ll be here all week through Saturday.
Filed under Georgia Football, Georgia Tech Football
What do you get when you combine a thirty-second spoken introduction from an obviously spaced-out George Clinton with a ten-minute guitar solo?
Why, that’s easy: “Maggot Brain”.
Filed under Uncategorized
Get The Picture 