The silly side of COFH…
Boy, is he in for a surprise when he sees the home crowd at next year’s Georgia game.
And he throws a bone to the Stingtalk crowd.
Yawn.
Daily Archives: December 7, 2018
Their work is done here.
I wouldn’t say it’s a cause for celebration, but I assume the NCAA has greeted this news with a sigh of relief.
The NCAA says the number of enforced targeting penalties in the Football Bowl Subdivision this season was the same as in 2017, ending four straight years of increased calls.
NCAA national coordinator of officials Rogers Redding reported 179 enforced calls in 817 games compared with 179 in 816 games last season.
Presumably, that means there won’t be much, if any, tinkering with the rules or enforcement protocol this offseason. Although, curiously, the SEC saw the number of such calls climb precipitously, from 27 in 2017 to 39 this season. I’m sure Steve Shaw will get right on that any minute now.
Filed under The Body Is A Temple, The NCAA
Boys, there’s a new sheriff in the Flats.
Even a blind pig finds an acorn now and then, so I have to say my basic reaction to the hire is the same as Mark Bradley’s (!), which can be summed up in one sentence: “All things considered, Geoff Collins is as good as the Jackets were going to do.”
He’s not Ken Whisenhunt, which is a shame. He’s got coaching experience at big time programs. He’s got ties to Tech. (I know, I know, but work with me here.) At one point, he was Saban’s director of personnel, which means he’s probably got a clue about talent evaluation.
He brings two other things to the table that should be even more valuable to Tech. One, he’s an enthusiastic guy and, Lord knows, if there’s one thing Georgia Tech has been in short supply of for the better part of two decades, it’s enthusiasm. Two, he worked for two years under Dan Mullen at Mississippi State and so got some good exposure as to how a program with limited resources in comparison with its top conference peers can maximize redshirting and roster development to have a competitive program now and then.
Let’s face it: Georgia Tech isn’t going to become Clemson’s chief conference rival any time soon. It’s simply not built for that. Nor is Tech going toe to toe with Georgia year after year, for the same reason. What Tech can do, though, is start grabbing some of those in state kids it’s been letting slide to programs in neighboring states for the past few years and building up some roster depth, à la MSU and Kentucky, to allow it to emerge every so often as a legitimate dark horse threat, especially in the weak division it occupies.
There’s no shame in that and I would anticipate that the Jacket faithful wouldn’t mind that.
From my selfish standpoint, the hire is worthy of celebration simply because we’re done seeing the Dawgs prepare for that offense again. Speaking of which, good luck on that roster rebuild, Geoff. You’re gonna need it for the next few years.
Filed under Georgia Tech Football
A marriage made in heaven
This is what Gawd’s will looks like, I guess.
How long will this particular redemption tour last, I wonder. Not exactly like working as Nick Saban’s intern…
***********************************************************************
UPDATE: Someone has a weird way of winning the presser.
Although I have to admit “handle my junk” has some real potential as a GTP catchphrase.
Filed under Freeze!
Zen and the art of conference management
Greg Sankey has some invaluable advice for Central Florida.
Sankey was asked about UCF and its place in the playoff picture during a radio interview at the Learfield Intercollegiate Athletics Forum on Thursday. The commissioner compared UCF’s situation to when the SEC placed only three teams in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in 2016.
“We weren’t living up to our expectations. Rather than point to the selection committee, other people … we looked inward and said: ‘How do we adjust to the circumstances around us?’” Sankey said. “I would observe that’s the challenge for everybody at the FBS level.”
See there, UCF? All you need is a cash flow about ten times the amount you’re getting now and everything is fixable.
Greg wants to say it’s about scheduling upgrades, but it’s a lot easier to stick another game or two in a thirty-game or so basketball schedule than it is in a twelve-game football one. Besides, how many schools want to dump Directional State A&M to play UCF right now? (Florida just dodged that bowl game matchup.) If Sankey wants to be helpful, maybe he can push his member schools into scheduling Central Florida.
Just when I was really unsympathetic to the Knights’ national championship silliness, you had to go and say that, Greg. Well played, you smug bastid.
Filed under It's Not Easy Being A Mid-Major, SEC Football
There’s never a Coke bottle around when you need one.
Nick Saban’s explanation for how he voted Georgia fifth in the coaches poll after labeling the team one of the four best in the country is every bit the nonsensical word salad you’d expect.
“Well, I do think they are one of the top four teams in the country,” Saban said. “But I don’t think they were going to get in the playoff with two losses, so I voted the teams that I thought had the best chance to get in.
“What this basically indicates is that the SEC Championship game was a playoff game,” Saban continued. “It was a heck of a game. They played a great game, and they have a great team. I think they are one of the best four teams in the country, and that’s no disrespect to any of the people that are here. But I didn’t think they had a chance to get in with two losses.”
Follow-up question: So you’re saying the playoff teams aren’t necessarily the four best teams?
“I’m not saying that. I’m just saying what I said, and I’m not changing what I said,” Saban said. “I thought they were one of the four best teams in the country. That doesn’t mean they are any better than the teams who are here, and I voted for the four teams that are here.”
Tl;dr version: of all the two-loss teams, Georgia is certainly one of them.
Filed under Nick Saban Rules
You know, this team might have a future.
Georgia led the conference with five selections (made by the coaches) on the 2018 SEC All-Freshman Football Team.
The rest of the SEC East combined for eight.
Filed under Georgia Football
Musical palate cleanser, for medicinal purposes only edition
Today, you’re being treated to one of my more favorite video clips, truly a surreal moment in rock music, Tom Jones covering David Crosby’s “Long Time Gone”, backed by… CSN&Y.
What slays me when I watch this is the look on Crosby’s face as he watches Jones sing the song as only Jones can. Now there’s a man functioning on a massive quantity of ingested drugs. How massive? Only he and his supplier could say for sure. (And, yeah, Neil Young looks like he might have shared Crosby’s stash.)
Filed under Uncategorized
Get The Picture 