“I want what is best for Georgia.”

I can’t figure it out, honestly.  Which of these is the Mr. Conventional Wisdom take for the Cocktail Party?

Smart knows that he has to recruit at the national championship level to keep pace with Alabama and Nick Saban. To Smart’s credit, he has certainly done that. He won the national championship last season and lost in overtime in 2017—to Alabama.

To be fair, I have to admit that if I was Kirby Smart, I would feel exactly the same away.

But I’m not Kirby Smart. I am just an old guy who cares about college football and is seeing tradition—the foundation on which college football is built–starting to fade away.

Or, is both sides-ing it the real Mr. Conventional Wisdom take?

3… 2… 1…

The definite answer on where they should play the Georgia-Florida game will be here momentarily.

Working on column on whether or not the Georgia-Florida (or Florida-Georgia) game should remain in Jacksonville when the current contract expires. Yes or no? And tell me why.

— Tony Barnhart (@MrCFB) July 27, 2022

Mr. Conventional Wisdom and SEC Media Days

A tradition unlike any other…

Biggest non-story of the week? The conflict between Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher. Yes it happened. It was also over by the Spring meetings in Destin. But the question will be asked.

— Tony Barnhart (@MrCFB) July 18, 2022

Well, we know Greg Sankey would like it to be the biggest non-story of the week.  But I don’t think Barnhart carrying the league’s water is going to convince many media folks to go along.

If you’re wondering if Dan Mullen’s got problems…

Mr. Conventional Wisdom is here to help.

What we learned Week 11: There is something very, very wrong at Florida. That's obvious. The question is: Will Dan Mullen be the guy who fixes it?
Also: The debate about Georgia QB Stetson Bennett is over. Actually it's been over for a while. https://t.co/YwC8HQSoWK

— Tony Barnhart (@MrCFB) November 15, 2021

Some of us figured it out before Week 11, but I guess Tony wanted to be really, really sure before he went out on that particular limb.

Mr. Conventional Wisdom’s take on Georgia’s 2021 season

… is everything you’d expect.  Literally.

“I think the Clemson game is huge, (because) if Georgia can find a way to beat Clemson, the schedule sets up really nicely for them,” Barnhardt said. “You’ve obviously got to play Florida in Jacksonville and you’ve got to go to Auburn, I understand that, but if you beat Clemson you’re in really great shape.

“If you lose to Clemson, then all of your margin for error is gone, and you’ve got to run the table and probably beat Alabama in Atlanta. So I think there’s a lot riding on the Clemson game.”

And to think information like this is just out there… for free.

Thursday morning buffet

Sample the wares, peeps.

• Graham is reporting that College Gameday will head to Charlotte for Georgia’s opener.  Really, it would have been a surprise had it been announced it was going elsewhere.
• I’m old enough to remember when UCF said they’d play a 2-for-1 with Florida over their dead body.
• The best play in football is… (h/t Josh)
• Brent Venables is making serious bank.
• Georgia is sending two players to next week’s SEC Media Days, JT Daniels and Jordan Davis.  What’s the over/under on the number of times Daniels gets asked why he didn’t start sooner last season?
• “Is it now or never for Georgia?”  Narrative, if you’ve lost Mr. Conventional Wisdom…
• Take this for what it’s worth, a post from someone attending a luncheon yesterday at which Coach Smart spoke about the team.
• Geoff Collins, the college football director of player personnel pioneer.

Mr. Conventional Wisdom on playoff expansion

Yes, Tony weighs in on one of college football’s most contentious topics du jour and the results are… well, what you’d expect.

To the idea of an eight or 12-team playoff, I write a sentence I thought I would never write:

Bring it on.

I’m sure it’s pure coincidence that’s what the people running the sport want.

The opposite of an Envy and Jealousy post

C’mon, admit it.  You’re dying to know Mr. Conventional Wisdom’s take on Georgia’s opener.

This is a huge opening game as both teams have national championship aspirations. The winner gets a leg up. The loser can still get back in the race.

Okay, maybe not.

Mr. Conventional Wisdom has some burning questions.

I’ll leave it to you as to whether that concept is oxymoronic.  Instead, I’ll just focus on what he poses about Georgia’s place in the SEC East at the moment.

Burning questions: Is it now or never for Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs? Not only no but hell no. The narrative that the window of opportunity to win a national championship in Athens is closing is silly. As long as you recruit great players in sufficient numbers every year you have a chance. Having said that, does Georgia have a roster that puts them in the national championship discussion? Yep. Georgia has a franchise quarterback in JT Daniels. And if wide receiver George Pickens (ACL) gets back on the field some time this season it could get interesting. Even if Pickens doesn’t return there is a lot of talent (Kearis Jackson) in that receivers room. Georgia’s good. But can the Bulldogs win the East and beat Alabama? We’ll learn a lot about Georgia when it opens the season against Clemson.

You know, he almost had me with the first three sentences.  But he came through like the champ we all know he is in the last two.

Mr. Conventional Wisdom takes a victory lap so Greg Sankey doesn’t have to.

Think about this. If things go as planned today, the SEC will have played 68 of the 70 regular-season games it scheduled. (Texas A&M vs. Ole Miss and Vanderbilt vs. Georgia were not played). It has been a remarkable acheivmet.

— Tony Barnhart (@MrCFB) December 19, 2020

Since I’m not heading up to Athens today, Tony, you’ll have to forgive me if I feel a little empty right now.  But kudos to the SEC for not letting anything stand in the way of getting that sweet broadcast money.