Dabo disses Corch.

I can feel a whole new book of grievances coming on.

… Swinney said he doesn’t watch many Big Ten games during the season but felt the conference was overrated after watching Ohio State in preparation for the bowl game.

“Go back to last year. We’re trying to figure out a way to put four Big Ten teams in the playoff,” Swinney said. “And I didn’t pay no attention to the Big Ten. You just kind of buy it (the Big Ten hype), right? That’s just what’s out there. And then we get ready to play Ohio State and I start watching the tape, I watch every single game and I go in and tell our guys, I’m like, ‘Boys, these guys are in trouble.’ I mean, I’ve watched the whole league, I’ve gone through the whole league both sides, these guys are in trouble. And that’s exactly what happened.”

Next time your teams meet, Dabo, I’d keep an eye on how many timeouts Meyer keeps in his pocket in the second half.  Just sayin’.

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My favorite year

Without a doubt, in my lifetime as a college football fan (as opposed to a Georgia football fan), there’s no season I have enjoyed more than the 2007 one.  It was absolutely and unpredictably nuts from start to finish, with plenty of stops along the way.

So, it is with great pleasure that I share with you SBNation’s tribute to that season.  Check out the following pieces in particular:

• Bill Connelly, on CFB’s 11 wildest seasons (2007 being #1)
• ULM 21, Alabama 14
• Les Miles, ladies and gentlemen
• How would a four-team college playoff have looked?
• The Celebration, and Corch’s “stunning pettiness“
• Steve Spurrier reminisces about 16-12, and Georgia in general

The end result:  the only national champion to lose two regular season games in multiple overtimes.

Crazy as hell.  But great.  I doubt we’ll see another season like it again.

“… year in and year out, it’s still Saban and Meyer versus the field.”

This year’s Georgia class is certainly something worth getting excited about, but when you read this David Wunderlich piece comparing the talent of Alabama, FSU and Ohio State, you realize Kirby Smart still has a long way to go.

I mean, this is friggin’ impressive/depressing, depending on your point of view.

Looking more at the top end, I counted how many players each team had rated at 0.9400 and above. That will tell me how many players the programs have in the 5-star and top half of the 4-star range. Alabama wins, of course, with 45 such guys — more than half of its 84 scholarship players. Ohio State has 35, and Florida State has 28. These truly are three of the most talented teams in the country, yet Alabama outpaces the other two with startling ease in some ways.  [Emphasis added.]

This goes to show how much Saban and Urban Meyer are sitting on top of the game right now. Florida State is a consensus College Football Playoff contender and the expected champion of what was arguably the game’s best conference last year. It has a roster that nearly every other FBS program would gladly trade for its own. Yet Alabama and Ohio State have noticeable talent advantages over it.

When you recall what David had to say about Georgia’s roster, in comparison, it’s hard to avoid the depressing option.  You could make the argument that Alabama’s second team is talented enough on its own to make a run to win the SEC East.

Kirby’s got to keep grinding, that’s all.

How the rich stay richer

Is it wrong to think that if Nick Saban and Urban Meyer are against something, I should probably be in favor of it?

Two marquee coaches who have remained steadfast in their opposition to adding an early signing day are Alabama’s Nick Saban and Ohio State’s Urban Meyer.

Saban’s objections are that an early signing period reduces the amount of time coaches have to evaluate prospects athletically, academically and socially. Also, he said a player signing early may not play as motivated his senior high school season and added there might not be any available scholarships for late-blooming prospects.

“We would probably make some academic, character and maybe evaluation mistakes, because you aren’t even seeing a guy play during his senior season,” Saban said several months ago. “The other thing from a high school coaches’ standpoint, I mean what is really the guy’s motivation to play, and really work hard to get better to play for his team in his senior year?

“Ultimately, every player should have the opportunity to make official visits, to develop relationships.”

Meyer has been even more outspoken opposing an early NSD.

“I hear the reasoning is because there’s so many decommitments,” Meyer said. “What the hell does that mean? So because 18-year-olds – excuse me, 17-year-olds – are decommitting, let’s give them a legal document so they can’t decommit? That’s not very smart. Young people have a right to choose where they want to go to school. Period. Let them decommit a hundred times. That’s why they’re called 17-year-olds.

“So I don’t understand, whether it’s lazy, whether it’s, you know, I don’t understand why this big push. Now they want to move junior, like have official visits in their junior year. There’s some kids that don’t even have ACT scores. They’re bodies are gaining 18 pounds. Why not move it back to their sophomore year? It’s bizarre. You’re going to see more transfers and more mistakes made in recruiting than ever if they keep pushing this thing up.”

Chaos, I tells ‘ya!  And that can’t be good for Alabama and Ohio State.

By the way, Nick’s doing great in the character evaluation department.  He just needs more time.

The sweetest salty tears you’ll ever taste.

Damn, this just breaks my widdle heart.

“Ohio State is not used to this. I’m not used to this, and we will not get used to this,” Meyer said after the game.

Corch ought to be a real blast at his next few pressers.  I’m looking forward to it.

I’m also betting there are a couple of assistant coaching positions on suddenly shaky ground this morning.

From 2012-14, Ohio State’s three seasons with coordinator Tom Herman, the Buckeyes averaged under five yards per play in just three of 41 games. Since Herman left, they have done it six times in 26 games.

Yeah, that’s not a good look.

The Book of Corch

Dabo’s trying to find any edge he can for this week’s semi-final game against Ohio State.

Dabo Swinney is looking for a little extra insight into his opponent and friend in the College Football Playoff. The Clemson Tigers coach is hoping to find it hidden in Urban Meyer’s book.

No, not that book.

Damn, it’s early.

This is how we motivate fans in an era when TV calls the shots.

Get up! It's game day. pic.twitter.com/zuAXg0DV2d

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) November 19, 2016

Get up. Wear black. It's Game Day. pic.twitter.com/bLHda0vuKA

— Georgia Bulldogs (@UGAAthletics) November 19, 2016

Believe it or not, those were back-to-back in my Twitter feed this morning.

I think I’m gonna roll over and go back to sleep now.