A Gator tradition unlike any other

Here’s something I bet you weren’t aware of.  Florida, at 50.59%, is dead last in the conference in defensive third-down conversion rate, and dead last by a pretty wide margin.  Well, you may not have noticed, but this Florida blogger has.

And in years past, Florida giving up multiple third and longs against Missouri and allowing the Tigers to keep themselves in the game would have prompted the “Third and Grantham” refrain heard across Gator Nation the last few seasons. But some fans believe that we may have moved on to a new catchphrase, as “Third and Toney” was blasted all over social media and message boards by the sawed-off hot take shotgun after the game.

It’s good to see a torch carried like that.  You have to admit “Third and Toney” has a nice ring to it.

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Today, in the free market is a beyotch

Ladies and gentlemen, behold great minds at work:

U.S. Senators Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) released initial feedback from stakeholders as they work to draft bipartisan NIL legislation.

Story from @AndyWittry: https://t.co/jk2Qaxv5qF pic.twitter.com/CYTthH8mwn

— On3 NIL (@On3NIL) October 13, 2022

For some reason, Tuberville professes to be shocked to learn about the existence of bag men in college football.  Considering where he came from, that’s pretty fucking rich.

The high cost of winning

For the 2019 season, there were four college football head coaches making at least $7 milllion, including two making more than $8 million.

This season, there are 14 making at least $7 milllion, including nine making mor than $8 million.https://t.co/DWT5hBPeaw

— Steve Berkowitz (@ByBerkowitz) October 13, 2022

Either head coaching has gotten significantly better in the last three years, or athletic directors have more money than they know what to do with.  Think I’ll have to go with Occam’s razor here…

First Vandy thoughts

I’m not gonna BS anyone by suggesting Vanderbilt constitutes a serious threat Saturday — the ‘Dores are too legitimately shitty on defense for that — but there are signs that they are a well-coached bunch.

• It is perfect in the kicking game. Through 6 games, the Commodores are 5-for-5 on field goals and 24-for-24 on extra points.
• As mentioned above, Vandy is No. 18 in the country in turnovers.
• The Commodores’ 45 penalty yards a game rank 34^th
• Their 7 sacks allowed rank 25^th.
• They are 15^th in punting average.
• They are tied for first – first! – nationally in red-zone conversions. Vanderbilt has converted all 21 of its red zone attempts into points, 17 for touchdowns and 4 for field goals. Georgia, by comparison, is 5th.

Also, for a true freshman starting quarterback, AJ Swann is certainly credible.  He currently sports a higher passer rating than Stetson Bennett.

In short, they look like a team that will make Georgia beat them without giving the Dawgs much help.

There’s a fine line between stupidity and trolling…

Our current coach power rankings

This is ONLY based on the 2022 season pic.twitter.com/5QEnC4kjFy

— Saturday Down South (@SatDownSouth) October 11, 2022

… and I’m not sure which side of that line this falls.

Zeal of the convert

Boy, ACC commissioner Jim “now is not the right time to expand the College Football Playoff“ Phillips has gone from being part of the Alliance that blew up the P5’s first crack at a 12-team playoff to this:

The CFP’s board of managers voted in early September to expand the playoff to 12 teams in 2026, but the 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick have been working toward expansion two years sooner.

“We’re trying. We’re committed to doing it,” Phillips told ESPN at ACC basketball media day. “We really are, across 10 conferences and Notre Dame. We feel really good about the work that’s been done across all 10 conferences and Notre Dame these last five, six months. We’re really unified in trying to get it done. It’s just the logistics of this thing are difficult. Not insurmountable, but time is not a friend of ours right now. Time is not on our side.

“There’s a lot of push to try to get this thing done.”

Just to show you his heart is pure, he’s also in favor of March Madness expansion.

In college athletics, the only thing that’s undefeated is money.

Blowing by the Admiral

Damn, Seth.  This ($$) is cold.

It’s Vanderbilt week. Feel the excitement. Quite a comedown from Auburn week, that long and storied rivalry that during the past decade has been just as competitive as … well, the Vanderbilt rivalry.

Georgia vs. Vanderbilt since 2011: 8-2

Georgia vs. Auburn since 2011: 11-2

And similar results if you take it back to 2006:

Georgia vs. Vanderbilt: 12-3

Georgia vs. Auburn: 15-3 (NOTE:  edited)

Not that there’s anything wrong with pointing that out, of course.