Hitting the mule with a two-by-four

How it started:

In a league awash in both revenue and passion, schools that violate the policy tend to laugh off the financial penalties. (The first violation of the SEC event safety rules merits a $50,000, the second is $100,000 and each subsequent violation is $250,000.) Tennessee was docked $100,000 for the Alabama field storm, but school president Randy Boyd declared, with a victory cigar in hand, “It doesn’t matter. We’ll do this every year.” Even a pair of quarter-million-dollar fines for LSU last year after field storms against Mississippi and Alabama doesn’t create much of a disincentive for fans who aren’t paying the bills.

How it’s going:

Picture this potential scenario in the Southeastern Conference this fall: On Sept. 30 in Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn takes down undefeated, No. 1–ranked, two-time reigning national champion Georgia. Tigers fans celebrate their first victory over the rival Bulldogs since 2017 by storming the field.

And in response, the SEC moves Auburn’s next home game against Georgia, in 2025, to Athens. The Tigers would play the Bulldogs between the hedges three straight seasons, 2024 to ’26. That would be the price for storming the field.

Sound like a draconian penalty for something that has been part of the fabric of college sports for decades? Well, it’s on the table as a possible sanction as the SEC searches for a stronger deterrent to field storming than six-figure fines.

A conference working group on event safety was appointed by commissioner Greg Sankey last November—less than three weeks after Tennessee fans tore down the goalposts following a victory over Alabama and just a day before LSU fans flooded the Tiger Stadium field to revel in an upset of the Crimson Tide. The working group, headed by Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne, Georgia AD Josh Brooks and Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart, has been gathering input and weighing options for several months.

Losing a home game would be a lot more costly to a school than the current fines, but beyond that… well, I’m not saying I’d want Georgia to lose to Auburn, but getting three straight home games sure would take some of the sting out of that.

70,000,000 and still going

Hard to believe GTP has registered its seventy millionth hit.

All I can say is thanks for sticking with me.

The year of the (new) quarterback

This is a twist worth keeping an eye on this coming season:

Clemson, UGA, Bama & Ohio St have 21 total playoff appearances.

This year, UGA doesn't have a QB w/starting experience. OSU, Clem & Bama's most veteran QBs have 1 start each.

The last time all 4 entered a year with less combined starting experience was 2014 (H Mason, 2 starts).

— 💫🅰️♈️🆔 (@ADavidHaleJoint) April 24, 2023

Mason wound up finishing second in the conference in passer rating that season.  I’m trying to remember who his offensive coordinator was…

Bear down

Generally speaking, I’m not one to speak ill of the dead, so let’s just say after reading this, I understand why the program didn’t react to Bear Alexander’s entry into the transfer portal the way it did Amarius Mims’.

“Not to brag on myself, but everyone wants the Big Bear,” Alexander told ESPN. “Everyone needs a big 300-pounder that can move with the twitch, the burst, the explosion that I bring to the game. Everyone needed that as a part of their defense.”

It wasn’t an easy decision for him to leave Georgia, he said, but after one season under his belt, Alexander felt as though it wasn’t the right fit and it was time to move on.

“I feel as if there wasn’t a significant amount of snaps [at Georgia],” Alexander said about why he entered the portal. “I was more of a pass-rush specialist in year one, so coming into the spring, I wanted to be in a position where I could show my versatility as a player. I felt like I wasn’t able to do that at Georgia. I was a third-down specialist, and I’m more of a first-, second-down player. I can play every down.”

Sounds like he was a real treat to coach.