Already????

Well...It looks like the NCAA Coaching silly season is already underway. Reports on ESPN say that Syracuse is ready to can current head coach Greg Robinson. And frankly, I can see why. But, this early in the season? That's quite a way to motive your team and staff there, Mr. AD. Especially since he is your hire. Guess that means I have to go ahead and get that possible list of new hire canidates ready.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3604094

I'm back...and just time for week 5.

Week 4 observations

Well, it’s been four weeks the SEC season got underway. Everyone now has at least one conference game under their belts. So now it’s time to look at where we stand.

SEC East

Georgia: So far, the Bulldogs have done everything that I predicted they would, albeit in a less than stellar performance. Struggles against South Carolina and huge wins against weak non-conference (or in some cases, non-D-1A teams) haven’t impressed the voters. If the Bullies still want to play for a BCS National Championship, they must continue to win. And in a few of those cases, they may need to win big.
Key Game(s) remaining: Tennessee, Florida

Florida: The Gators are looking like title contenders once again. And they are doing so with less than stellar performances out of their Superman backfield (under the alias of Tim Tebow). But a 30-6 over a less than qualified Tennessee isn’t a great win over Georgia. And the Gators still have that one on the schedule.
Key Game(s) remaining: Georgia

South Carolina: In case you haven’t figured out, I’m writing this with the teams in the order in which I had them to start the season. That said, I think my faith in the Ole Ball Coach may have been a little too much. A decision in the summer not to go with Chris Smelley or Stephen Garcia hasn’t exactly worked out, and now it looks like the Gamecocks may just be playing for a winning season, rather than an Eastern Division title.
Key Game(s) remaining: the rest of the season

Tennessee: The Phillip Fulmer Years: Life without David Cutcliffe, Vol. 2 looks more and more like the actual last chapter of the ole Phil’s tenure in the Volunteer state. Yes, he won a national title in 1998…but this is 2008…and a “What have you done for me lately conference. And from the looks of it, he ain’t gonna do too much unless they drastically improve on offense.
Key Game(s) remaining: the rest of the season (if they want to go to the postseason)

Kentucky: The Wildcats don’t have the magic QB this season as compared to last year. But with their defense playing the way they are, they don’t really need it.
Key Game(s) remaining: Florida, Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt: The Commodores are 4-0 for the second time in four years, but only for the third time in over 20 years. Could this be the year that Bobby Johnson and the Dores finally advance to the postseason? History says no (but my heart/guilty desires say yes…just so I can go and say I went to a bowl game with Vanderbilt in it.)
Key Game(s) remaining: the rest of the season (sound familiar?)


SEC West

Auburn: The offense continues to struggle adjusting to the new spread. But that was to be expected with personal designed more for a pro-style playbook. The Tigers must now take a wait and see approach with the West after a heart-breaking loss to LSU. The defense has played to championship-level status, and if one slipup allows Tommy’s Tigers back into the hunt, watch out.
Key Game(s) remaining: Alabama

LSU: I may have been wrong about the “Mad Hatter.” The Bayou Bengals are playing on a National Championship level. If they continue this trend, watch out. And they had better continue this trend, because something tells me the Tigers of Auburn are pissed and ready to pounce at a moments notice.
Key Game(s) remaining: Alabama (against the former LSU rent-a-coach)

Alabama: The good news for Alabama fans: The Crimson Tide is back. The bad news: they haven’t played anybody yet. And trust me, a win over that Arkansas team isn’t that impressive and not enough to hang a season of victory over. (unless you’re Arkansas State, maybe).
Key Game(s) remaining: LSU, Auburn

Ole Miss: Well, the good news is that the Rebels are showing marked improvement under new head coach Houston Nutt. The bad news is that the season is far from over….with a lot of good teams remaining. Can the Rebels rebound after a tough loss against Vanderbilt? Only time will tell.
Key Game(s) remaining: the rest of the season

Mississippi State: “Snap back to reality. Oh, there goes gravity.” Enimem. So much for that Western Division title. It’s back to reality for the Bulldogs.
Key Game(s) remaining: Alabama, LSU

Arkansas: The Hogs are living up to my expectations. Have fun in Fayetteville, Bobby. Looks like Christmas vacation is coming a bit earlier this year for ya.
Key Game(s) remaining: Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss

Bout damn time....

Well, since the season is only a few days away, I figured I might as well go on and get the picks for the SEC in. I know I have been slacking off, but everyone who knows me knows that a: I try to do a little research before posting, and b: I'm lazy as hell when it comes to blogging. But I digest, that is for another blog. So, without further ado, as the Joker from the Dark Knight put it: "And here...we...go."

SEC East
1. Georgia
2. Florida
2. South Carolina
2. Tennessee
5. Kentucky
6. Vanderbilt

1. Georgia. They are the sexy pick, hands down. And I'm sure that everybody that reads this will say I'm just jumping on the bandwagon. But let's look at the guys in the red hats and silver britches for a minute. They return a talented core of guys on the offensive side of the ball and a bruising style of defense. With a veteran QB and a Heisman Trophy candidate at RB, the Bulldogs have more than enough firepower to tame anybody and everybody they face. The one question mark comes in the form of their season. Under Mark Richt, Georgia has traditionally been strong, but they have never been able to put together a complete season. If they can put together a complete season, look for the Bulldogs to play for the SEC's 5th BCS title in January. Key Game(s): the entire season.

2. Florida. Now, I have never been one to use movie lines in a post/story/release, etc. I save those for personal conversation and texts. But, in this case, I may make an exception. So here goes, "I'll admit your quarterback is the greatest quarterback in the nation if you will admit your defense is atrious." Yes, the Gators do have the superman QB in Tim Tebow, and he has plenty of weapons around him (read: Percy Harvey) on the offensive side of the ball. But, they also have a defense that is young and inexperienced, something that doesn't broad well in this conference. Key Game(s): Tennessee, Georgia.

2. South Carolina. Yes, that's right. I have a three-way tie for second place. The Gamecocks return several key players on both sides of the ball. The question marks come in the form of the coaching and depth. Steve Spurrier is finding it harder than ever to recruit the type of players he needs for his system to Columbia, South Carolina. Without the depth he would like the team to have, USC may be closer to the SEC title game than ever before, but I just don't think they are quite there yet. Maybe next year. Key Game(s): Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Clemson.

2. Tennessee. Like sands through an hour glass, these are the days of our court appearances. In all seriousness, round 2 of the Phillip Fulmer Years, Life without David Cutcliffe is underway. And with a new QB and totally new system, good ole' Phil may find it harder than ever to return to National Title Contender status. Key Game(s): UCLA, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Auburn.

5. Kentucky. It was a good run, Rich. But Andre has moved on. Key Game(s): the whole season.

6. Vanderbilt. It breaks my heart to put them here, but every year, I make them higher, and they just disappoint. They have the talent. They have the skill. They have the staff. They just don't have the depth. Hopefully, they will prove me wrong. But they haven't yet. Key Game(s): the entire season.

SEC West:
1. Auburn
2. LSU
3. Alabama
3. Ole Miss
5. Mississippi State
6. Arkansas

1. Auburn. The Tigers have the most talent they have had in years. And they are bringing in a new style of offense and a new defensive coordinator to match. The one question mark is how well will all the new faces on offense gel in the spread. They have the depth and talent, but this is totally different from anything they have ever run under Tommy Tuberville. But, for right now, I'm buying into this radical new change. And, from what I have heard, so is everyone else on the Plains. Key Game(s): Alabama (Got 6).

2. LSU. "It's sooo hardddd...to say goodbyeeee...to yesterday." Boys to Men. Nick's boys are gone. Now, we get to see if Miles is the real deal. My gut says no. Key Game(s): Auburn.

3. Alabama. They get this spot strictly by default. The alphabet does start with the letter A. No defense and more prison uniforms than jersey's issued means a long year for the 4 million-dollar man. Key Game(s): LSU, Auburn, Clemson.

3. Ole Miss. New coach, new staff, new players. Hopefully, they can do better than Captain Caveman and his bunch of wild boys. Houston Nutt is a proven head coach. But can he return Ole Miss to the days of 7-5 with this bunch? That remains to be seen. He has done wonders with Arkansas. But We are....Ole Miss. Key Game(s): Auburn, Arkansas, at Alabama.

5. Mississippi State. Question marks aplenty on the offense. With only a good running game on offense, and the reason they where so successful last season is now in South Carolina. Key Game(s): The first four.

6. Arkansas. New coach Bobby Petrino has his work cut out for him. No proven running game and no QB to his liking means for a long season in Fayetteville. Key Game(s): The entire season.


OVERALL SEC CHAMPION: GEORGIA

NCAA D1-A Coaching Changes: The return of Tater Tot?

As I mentioned in one of the earlier blogs, this was a wild and wacky season for coaching changes for college football. You can thank Appalachian State for that. So, in honor of this 2007 season, I give you a list of some, with grades. Keep in mind that I factor in the type of hire, the search, the reason for termination, and my own personal opinion of those things as factors for the grades that are dished out. This is just purely for fun, as my opinion doesn't really matter anyway...but nonetheless, I promised, so here goes.

There will be a new post for each fire and hire, with a story/reason explaining the grade given.

1. Michigan
Old Coach: Lloyd Carr
New Coach: Rich Rodriguez
Overall Grade: A-

Reason's: Carr's opening day loss to the defending NCAA D1-AA champs pretty much sealed his fate, and sixth loss to Jim Tressel just put the final nail in the coffin. The Monday following the OSU-Michigan game, Carr announced his retirement, effective after the Wolverines Bowl Game. Several media outlets immediately linked LSU's Les Miles to the job, and had pretty much started that rumor in week two of the season. It certainly didn't help matters that Miles danced around the question and earlier in his career at LSU had stated the Michigan job was his dream job. By championship week, the rumors of Miles to Michigan were a full blown media circus, with ESPN announcing that the deal was already done. Miles denied it, Michigan denied it and by the end of championship weekend, Miles had basically taken his name out of the hat for the job, opting to sign an extension with LSU instead. A few names danced around about the job, and ESPN refused to believe that they screwed the pooch as they still linked Miles to Michigan. It wasn't until Rodriguez flew to a meeting/interview in Toledo, and subsequently danced around the questions concerning the opening in Ann Arbor, that he became a legit candidate. Less than two days following the interview, both Michigan AD Bill Martin and Rodriguez confirmed that he was the new head guy in Ann Arbor.

Search: The media made more out of this than there really was. Overall, the lack of legitimate info from Michigan, followed by speculation and dodging of questions just added fuel to the fire. The actual hire is a good one. Rich will have a large talent pool with virtually no problems of eligibility issues from which to recruit from, and his style of offense (option spread, which is basically just the spread offense) is something that the Big Ten needs (no offense, Illini).

Bottom Line: Rodriguez is the big name hire that the Wolverines needed and means that Carr is able to step aside with grace and dignity. Everyone (with the exception of ESPN and Les Miles) is generally happy with the hire. It may take him some time to build a team around his style of play, but Rodriguez has had success everywhere he has been. And Ann Arbor should be no different.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

No need to thank me...You are welcome.

My, how time sure does fly...

Well, I have been busy over the last few weeks (read lazy as hell) and have fallen behind on the blogging, so let's see if we can catch up on some of the events that have happened over the past few months in the football world.

1. Michael Vick has a new number and team: Federal Inmate #33765-183.
2. Atlanta Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino, as a motivational technique, ordered shirts for the team that said "FINISH", and left before they arrived.
3. Coach O (as in O-for-eight at Ole Miss this season) was given a boosting vote of confidence with three games remaining in the season. He was fired less than 24 hours after the season finale.
4. Alabama nearly turned down their invitation to the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La. They, apparently, are struggling on how to get past La.-Monroe.
5. Michigan's loss to Appalachian State sparked the weirdest, wildest season in College football off-season coaching rumors. Yet, no one offered their head coach a job in DI-A. (excuse me, the Football Bowl Series)
6. Norv Turner, on the hot seat earlier this season, is actually winning.?.?.?
7. The Patriots appear to be indestructible this season.
8. Miami, however, is not.
9. Apparently, old coaches suffer from dementia.
10. Les Miles is still a canidate for the Michigan HC job, according to ESPN and Kirk.
11. That's about it. But I know you don't want to just read about some of the highlights, so I will give you a run-down of all the coaching fires and hires shortly. Until then...

I'm back...and just in time for week 3!

Well, I started this thing mainly as a place to post thoughts concerning football, both college and the NFL.

Since then, I have had exactly one post concerning college football (mainly LSU), and none concerning the NFL, while posting my rage concerning Katrina and my joy over the fact that Aly from the Disney Channel is legal.

So....I guess I need to voice some opinions about this season.

Here goes:

1. Lloyd Carr is overrated.
2. Virginia Tech is too.
3. For the moment, so is Auburn.
4. LSU, on the other hand, is not.
5. Florida appears to have picked up right where they left off, even with a new starting crew on the defense.
6. The best website for prime info this season has none whatsoever.
7. Georgia may struggle again this year.
8. THE Ohio State University, for all their hype, hasn't really played anybody this year.
9. Texas may soon join the list of overrated.
10. As may Mack Brown. (Vince Young is gone buddy, let it go.)


And now...some favorite qoutes:

"Appy State plays in the Division 1-double A, excuse me, the Football Championship Subdivision. No matter how you say it, it STILL sounds like an elementary school kids short-bus joke." - Stewart Scott, ESPN.

"Trust me when I say: we DID NOT over-look Appalachian State." - Lloyd Carr, current Michigan head football coach. (and I use the word current loosely)

After watching Ole Miss QB Seth Adams start to scramble on a play: "This is not a good idea." - Will Bardwell.

"We don't showcase our ass-beatings on national television." - Steven Godfrey

Trust me, more will come.