Cutting the cord PSA

This… isn’t great.

That’s quite a jump in a relatively short period of time.  For that, you get a few Viacom channels that you probably won’t watch (I know I want).

In short, this is turning into a streaming version of cable.

Sooooo… who’s got suggestions on a more reasonably priced streaming service that has DVR capability?  And access to college football, of course.

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A tale of two secondaries

When ranking CFB secondaries, it's important to diversify the metrics you look at.

Example: The NCAA average of interceptions per passes defended is 19%. If you "defend" a pass, you intercept said pass about 1/5 times.

You can exceed that but variance needs to be warrented.

— The Tailgate Tent (@CFBmaxs) June 30, 2020

Good point.  Any examples come to mind?

And on the other side?

Hmmm… wonder which is more due for a dose of regression to the mean in 2020?

A look from across the field

If you’re looking for a take on Georgia from the vantage of another school, this preview at Rock M Nation is a good place to go.

Spoiler:  judging by this, they’re not very optimistic about Mizzou’s chances.

So here’s what Missouri needs to hope for to pull this one off:

1. The new pass-first scheme takes awhile to take hold and an offense used to running has trouble transitioning.
2. Jamie Newman is merely ok and doesn’t add enough of a run threat to make an impact.
3. The receivers are too young and inexperienced to reliably convert passing downs or create more explosive plays.
4. Having seven straight games – and two against Alabama and Auburn – is enough to beat up the roster and have them limping in to their second true road game of the season where Missouri catches them flat-footed before their Bye week

…that’s a lot of things to go right, huh? And in my mind that would just even the playing field, not make it so that the Tigers can win it.

The decade that was

Dawg fans, with one SEC title and one CFP quarterfinal semifinal win, do you feel like you’ve gotten enough from those 100 wins?

Ivy League, making plans

The plans you make when you don’t have a major deal with a broadcast partner:

According to several sources within the Ivy League itself and in the ever changing world of CFB coaches dealing with protocols involved in a resumption of the sport, the Ivy League is formulating a restart plan, which could be finalized and released in the next few weeks.

The plan has two options, one of which is more radical than the other.

The first would be to open the 2020 season in late September with a 7-game schedule comprised of only conference opponents.

The Ivy League is already different than its FCS brethren by playing only a 10 game (no playoffs) regular season. This plan would eliminate the non-conference opponents and conclude a week before Thanksgiving.

The second plan, which is gaining momentum because of the increasing number of positive Covid-19 cases in the country, would shut down football until next spring, with a start up (for practice) in March and another 7-game (conference opponents only) beginning in April and concluding in mid-May.

The article goes on to say “most of all of the Power 5 and Group of 5 FBS conferences have similar contingency plans in place”, but I strongly suspect those are plans of last resort for now, at least for the P5.  I have a hard time believing Georgia’s walking away from a $4 million check to play in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic unless it’s under severe duress.

Even with what’s going on now, I still think the season will start on schedule, in other words.  Just don’t ask me if I expect it to finish on schedule.

Not too shabby

Today’s Dawg porn:

The highest-graded pass-catcher at each alignment pic.twitter.com/0wlXX6b9bD

— PFF College (@PFF_College) June 29, 2020

Could Pickens be Georgia’s first 1000-yard receiver in what seems like forever?

Teacher, leave those kids alone.

In another sign that Congress may not be so amenable to schools in their quest to maintain control over all aspects of college athletics, two US senators plan to submit a bill later this week prohibiting schools from compelling athletes sign COVID-19 waivers as a condition of participation.

In a draft copy of the legislation obtained by CBS Sports, the senators make four stipulations:

• An institution shall not allow any individual to agree to a waiver of liability regarding the coronavirus.
• An institution shall not cancel a scholarship or financial aid for a player who refuses to participate because of concerns regarding the coronavirus.
• An institution shall inform all athletes at the school when an athlete or staff member tests positive for COVID-19. The person who tests positive does not have to be identified.
• An institution will make sure the athletic department adheres to COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.

I’m sure the NCAA will be in favor of this, since it would ameliorate the problem of multiple jurisdictions having different rules about waivers.  Nobody wants chaos, you know.

Eh, just kidding.  Schools are probably on the phone right now asking Sen. Rubio to pull their nuts out of the fire.

Dough for duds

In light of Under Armour’s move to cancel its apparel deal with UCLA, I found this interesting:

Here's the updated top 20 most lucrative apparel deals. UCLA's was no.1 and Cal's is/was no.12. UCLA was with adidas before going UA while Cal was Nike. pic.twitter.com/LXuwuE5wLl

— Ethan Moore (@_EthanMoore) June 28, 2020

Only two Three SEC teams appear in the top 20, TAMU, Auburn and South Carolina, and both the latter two also have contracts with Under Armour.

Georgia’s deal with Nike, in case you were wondering, pays $3.8 million in cash and product per year.

The gap, she is closing.

At least in the minds of SEC East sports information directors:

In AL.com’s 74th annual SEC Spring Football Report, Alabama ran away with the Overall voting in the poll conducted by the Southeastern Conference’s 14 football information directors.

The Crimson Tide, the West Division pick, topped the field with 12 first-place votes and one second for 168 points. East Division pick Georgia, which has been to three title games in a row, received one first-place vote, six seconds, four thirds and one fourth to finish with 149 points, 10 points ahead of Florida and LSU, which tied for third with 139 points.

A school could not vote for itself in either the divisional or Overall poll.

The East Division voting alone says Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs, who have owned their division since his arrival in 2016, are no longer a gimme against Dan Mullen’s Gators, who have dropped three straight in their annual rivalry game.

In the voting of the East Division football information directors, Georgia received five first place votes and one second for 35 points. Florida totaled two firsts and four fourths for 32 points.

I’ll be honest with you here — I can’t figure the math out.  By my count, two firsts and four fourths adds up to 24 points.  So that doesn’t make sense, but, then again, I can’t figure out how seven votes were cast for first place.

I guess that’s how you “no longer a gimme” the SEC East race.

A measure of mediocrity

So, David Hale tweeted this today:

Yards/Play on 1st down (P5 vs P5)
1 LSU, 9.5
2 Bama, 8.22
3 Okla, 7.6
4 Florida, 7.5
5 Clemson, 7.44
6 OhSt, 7.4
7 USC, 7.17
8 Wisc, 7.0
9 IowaSt, 6.88
10 Minn, 6.85
11 UNC, 6.74
15 Miami, 6.4
21 FSU, 6.21
25 VT, 6.08
41 GT, 5.67
59 Lville, 4.98
63 Duke, 4.15
65 Rut, 3.04

— 😷💫🅰️♈️🆔😷 (@ADavidHaleJoint) June 29, 2020

He also tweeted a link to a spreadsheet he compiled listing all 65 P5 offenses.  Care to guess where Georgia fell?  Answer here.

If you’re too lazy to look it up, well, it was 6.04, good for 28th.  Five SEC teams, including Florida and Tennessee, did better.

At least Coley was better than Georgia Tech.