The magic of a second year

Unlike the case with several of his predecessors, I don’t dislike Billy Napier.  But I do wonder if he’s in a little over his head down there in Gainesville.

This year’s Gator squad isn’t talentless, but, then again, neither was last year’s 6-7 team and look where that got them.  Billy’s got a plan for Year Two, though.  Sort of, anyway.

“I think we execute better. We’re in year two. We are going to do everything systematically. We’re going to be a lot better in every part of what we do,” Napier said. “We’re going to communicate better. And we’re going to be aligned properly more often, play with less mental errors. Less loafs. We’re going to have less fundamental and technique flaws. I think that we’ll be a lot better coordinated and execute better in those critical moments.”

If that’s all he’s got, makes you wonder if there will be a year three.

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Heroes and villains

I dunno.  Maybe it’s just me, but this “us against the world” shtick Ohio State is trying out smacks a little bit of being fake juice.

“I do feel like people are counting us out, but that’s fine,” Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud said during a news conference on Tuesday. “We’ve been counted out plenty of times … This isn’t nothing new. I definitely think this is the path that God wanted us on and I’m just rocking with that. If that means we’re the underdog, I’m cool with it.”

…

“I always thought it was ‘Ohio Against the World,’ even before this game,” Buckeyes receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. said. “I’m glad we can play them in Atlanta, in kind of their home arena. Kind of always like being the villain and underdog going into the game, so it’s exciting to be able to do that.”

C’mon, guys.  Who are we kidding here?  OSU isn’t some schlub outfit lucky to be in Atlanta.  The Buckeyes are third in 247Sports’ Talent Composite, right behind Georgia.  (For some perspective, Michigan is 13th and TCU is 32nd.)  If people are taking the Buckeyes lightly, it’s because they showed their ass taking Michigan a little lightly in their last game, not because they have a history of being counted out.  Besides that, if the Buckeyes think the woe is us approach is going to fire them up, well, it didn’t work so well the last time they came in as an underdog this late in the season.

The No. 1 Bulldogs opened as 6 ½-point favorites, according to Caesars Sportsbook, and the line hasn’t budged. It’s the first time No. 4 Ohio State has been an underdog since a 52-24 loss to Alabama in the CFP National Championship after the 2020 season. The Buckeyes were 9 ½-point underdogs in that game but then were favored in each of their 25 contests since.

That’s nice of you to say.

No doubt Stetson Bennett deserves his share of praise (more on that to come), but there are limits.  Like this:

… Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White dropped this line when talking about the challenge the Bulldog quarterback poses to the Wildcats Saturday afternoon (3:30 p.m., CBS).

“Facing Bennett in college is kind of like facing Brady in the NFL, in that he’s seen so much,” White said. “He’s got so much experience. We’ve got to try to find a way to give him something he hasn’t seen.”

My eyes, they rolled a little reading that.  Brad’s problem is that his comparison won’t faze Stetson in the slightest.

Ah, but the pre-snap penalties… that’s where they had us!

If it hadn’t have been for that damned crowd…

This is good stuff from Alex Golesh. Not bending the knee to Georgia, just basically saying “hey in that 60 minutes they were better than us”. That’s why players believe in this staff. There is no “oh it’s gonna take 5 years to build this”. pic.twitter.com/xRDOFRL6aI

— zach ragan (@zachTNT) November 9, 2022

… Tennessee could’ve been a contendah, I tells ‘ya!

If they get a rematch with the Dawgs, I hope it’s in the Peach Bowl.

Moving the Urnge goalposts

Tennessee fans went from “we’re scoring fiddy, bitch” before the game to this afterwards:

Waking up today, yesterday sucked but Georgia scored 3 points in the second half. Everyone acts like it was a beat down but I believe they don’t wanna see us on a neutral site. Home field is everything in college football, dawg fans better pray we don’t make it in the playoffs

— VolnationRecruiting (@VolRecruiting98) November 6, 2022

Which begs the obvious question:  how would Alabama fare in a rematch on a neutral field, Vols?

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UPDATE:

Since Hendon Hooker became the starter for the #Vols:

18 non – #UGA games: 91.9 overall grade, 90.6 passing grade, 9.8 ypa, 49 TDs, 3 Ints, 128.1 passer rating

2 games vs. #UGA: 60.8 overall grade, 53.6 passing grade, 5.8 ypa, 1 TD, 2 Ints, 71.7 passer rating

— Brent Rollins (@BrentRollinsPhD) November 8, 2022

No doubt he’ll really shine in a rematch on a neutral field without rain.  He might even be as good as he was in Knoxville last season.

Always be… ‘crootin’?

Well, this is one way to spin a 3-4 record:

Texas A&M's struggles on the field might be all part of the masterplan to help recruiting:

"They see opportunities. Everybody says, 'Why go somewhere that's winning all the time? I may not play in awhile.'" pic.twitter.com/39Qu7sB38D

— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) October 26, 2022

The stupid things you get to say when you’ve got an $85 million buyout…

The opposite of We Want ‘Bama

There’s setting low expectations, and then there’s setting no expectations:

Sark on facing Bama: "My goal is to be in Dallas on Dec. 3. This game has no impact on that. We don't impact them going to the SEC Championship. But it's an awesome opportunity. Great setting for college football."

— Longhorn Network (@LonghornNetwork) September 5, 2022

Enjoy the game, Coach.

Bo knows expectations.

Oregon fans, you’re adorable.

Beating #Georgia is going to be Bo Nix’s Heisman moment. pic.twitter.com/Pe7JRjhVqa

— Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) August 6, 2022

Gosh, where have we heard that before?

TFW “rebuilding” is the new “throwaway”

El Oh El.

Despite winning the SEC, beating Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl and competing in the College Football Playoff National Championship game, Alabama coach Nick Saban looked back on last season Wednesday and called it “kind of a rebuilding year.”

Tell that to Metchie and Williams, boss.

Today, in always be ‘crootin’

That may be Kirby’s motto, but Nick’s right there with him, or maybe even past him, when it comes to selective puffery.

At this event last year in Hoover, Ala., Alabama’s Nick Saban raised eyebrows when he casually mentioned that at least one of his players had inked an NIL deal approaching $1 million. The Crimson Tide’s legendary coach offered some numbers again Tuesday at SEC Media Days.

Unsolicited, Saban mentioned that Alabama players have garnered name, image and likeness deals totaling more than $3 million. He proudly proclaimed that as “better than anybody in the country.”

Yeah?  And exactly how does he know that?  Did he survey his peers at the 130 other programs to find out?

I guess we’ll all have to take his word.