Regrets? Montana has a few.

I had to chuckle when I read Stewart Mandel’s opening to this week’s Mailbag ($$):

Brand​ bias is a very real​ thing among​ those​ of us who​ cover​ college​ football.​ It’s​ why we continually​ overrate teams​​ like Texas and USC while assuming Clemson would revert to the mean as soon as Deshaun Watson left the building.

And it’s probably why ostensibly informed writers like me and Bruce Feldman thought South Carolina was going to give Georgia a game last weekend.

Does that mean the Gamecocks don’t have a brand bias?

BTW, Mandel’s all aboard the Kirby train now.

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Never let facts get in the way of a juicy narrative.

Easily my favorite thing about Dennis Dodd’s “The nation’s top three teams face quarterback conundrums, and there’s no end in sight” thought piece (using the phrase loosely) is this:

The starters at Alabama and Georgia still seem entrenched for now.

Yeah, but there’s no end in sight, or something.

You break it, you bought it.

I won’t say I got my knickers in a twist over the widespread upset meme that barreled its way through the week before the Georgia-South Carolina game — more puzzled than anything about it, given the apparent talent disparity that seemed obvious to me — but I will say that if you’re a pundit who grabbed on to that and can’t make the effort to acknowledge that you whiffed spectacularly…

The Bulldogs (2-0, 1-0 in the SEC) rocket into the bracket and up to the top spot after the most impressive win thus far this season — total domination on the road at South Carolina, a team many believe was poised to challenge Georgia in the SEC East. The Bulldogs led 14-0 after three minutes, then pushed the lead to 31 points in the third quarter. It was a definitive statement about the pecking order in the SEC East.

… then I don’t have much time for your opinion about Georgia going forward.

Here’s how you do it.

I did Bear. Fully admit it that this team appears to have all the tools again and with loaded recruiting classes, stocked for quite a while

— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) September 11, 2018

It's all good Wade. I've got no issue saying when I'm wrong, I always thought Georgia had more talent than SC, just thought it might jump up and bite them on the road.

Nope, they are title contender again.!

— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) September 11, 2018

On your way down

I’m still trying to wrap my head around the speed with which the perception of the Georgia-Florida rivalry has been turned on its head.  Take Spencer Hall as an example:

Georgia had seven five-star recruits in their 2018 class. SEVEN. It’s not happening against them for a while, and by “it” I mean “competing with them, much less beating them.” They’ve been working smart and hard. Working smart and hard when the competition is working dumb and not-much equals some very, very bad things over time for the competition.

I haven’t heard Gator pity like that in thirty-five or so years.  It’s sad enough I almost feel guilty pointing out that Todd Grantham is the defensive coordinator.  Almost.

What’s all the hubbub, bub?

The two best takes on why we’re seeing the pundits twist themselves in knots with an Upset in Columbia meme come from Dan Wolken…

The hype for Georgia-South Carolina has a distinct whiff of the media talking itself into something

— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) September 5, 2018

… and Bill Connelly.

Does South Carolina have a legitimate shot at an upset, or are we just talking ourselves into the Gamecocks because everyone else has an even smaller chance at an upset?

Look, big picture-wise, I get it.  If you don’t think Georgia’s gonna roll through the regular season unscathed, Saturday’s as good a time as any to point to a loss (unless you’re following advanced stats closely, that is).  But I am somewhat surprised that there has been so little argument of substance as to why it’ll happen, given the prevalence of the narrative.

Nice work if you can get it, SEC Network edition

Man, talk about mailing in your analysis (using that word loosely) of the Georgia-South Carolina game.  That is some lazy shit there, fellas.  And to think you actually get paid for that…

Brent Musburger’s greatest hit

There’s nothing like getting the opportunity to refresh that time you got to display your inner horndog on national television.