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Kentucky WildcatsWhile No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Alabama each play glorified scrimmages on Saturday and continue their march to the SEC Championship game next month, one of the more intriguing conference match-ups features Kentucky at Georgia. Yes, Kentucky. Football.

The Wildcats have done an impressive job of persevering this season.

They will be searching for their first victory in Athens, Ga., since 1977 and can improve their bowl berth in the final two games of the regular season. Kentucky has also won its last two road games for the first time since 2002 and has won four of its last five overall.


Head coach Rich Brooks frequently talks to his team about doing things that have never been done at Kentucky, or haven't been done in a long time.

The Wildcats (6-4 overall, 3-3 SEC) haven't disappointed -- Saturday's win over Vanderbilt marked the first time since 1953-56 that UK has won at least six games in four consecutive seasons -- despite contending with an array of injuries.

But let's not get too excited. Setting expectations, reaching expectations and exceeding expectations are three different agendas.

Kentucky fans, who have not seen their football program finish in the Top 25 since it was the top 20 in 1984, have applauded the first two. They want more, and have the opportunity to inch closer to that goal with a win over the Bulldogs. Kentucky last beat Georgia in 2006 but has dropped 11 of the past 12 in the series.
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"We all know that the fans have a different expectation level now, and that's a good thing," Brooks said Monday.

"Sometimes they express it in very negative ways, but by and large, I think the expectation level of this football program has changed dramatically, and I would like to think that that's a really good thing.

"I hope our players are willing to work like they worked in the last 30 minutes of the Vanderbilt game all week this week, and during the Georgia game so you can have an impact, if you will, so we can climb up the SEC East ladder a little bit higher."

Kentucky might be enjoying even a better season without injuries.

Quarterback Mike Hartline will undergo knee surgery Tuesday and will not be available until a projected bowl game. Cornerback Trevard Lindley, projected as a high-round NFL draft pick, missed four games with an ankle injury. Tailback Derrick Locke and wide receiver Randall Cobb, the team's top play makers, each missed a game and have been banged up much of the year.

Regardless, work remains against Georgia and in the regular-season finale at home versus Tennessee.

"It feels good to know you're bowl eligible but you can't get complacent," senior offensive guard Christian Johnson said.

"If you look in the SEC there are a few six-win teams. If we didn't win another game, six wins possibly couldn't get us into a bowl game. We really need to win another one. Not just for the bowl game, but a seven- or eight-win season would be huge for Kentucky, it's my last year and it would be huge to go out on that note."

Brooks said becoming bowl eligible for a fourth straight season is a tribute to the senior class. The Wildcats have certainly hit some historical milestones this season:

o. Kentucky's 42-0 win vs. Miami (Ohio) was the Wildcats' first shutout in 13 years.

o. Kentucky's 31-27 win over Louisville was the third-consecutive triumph over the Wildcats'in-state rivals, the first time that has been accomplished since the Governor's Cup rivalry was renewed in 1994.

o. UK defeated Auburn for the first time in 43 years. It also marked UK's first win at Auburn since 1961.

o. UK had no penalties and no turnovers in the win at Auburn, the first time in school history that had been accomplished, dating back to single-game statistics available since 1946.

o. Kentucky's win over Eastern Kentucky was UK's 18th consecutive non-conference victory, which is a new school record. The previous record was 17 straight wins from 1954-60.

On the flip side, there was the team's disappointing homecoming defeat to Mississippi State, which, at 4-6, is the lone team among Kentucky's blemishes that has a losing record.

While Brooks was delighted with the Wildcats' ability to run the ball for more than 300 against Vandy, he knows Kentucky must throw the ball to have any chance for an upset victory over Georgia.

Freshman Morgan Newton will stay at quarterback with occasional doses of Cobb in the Wildcat formation. Newton has started the last five games, completing 58.9 percent of his passes (43 of 73) for 402 yards and two touchdowns with three interceptions while rushing for 86 yards and two scores.

"I think I said after the Auburn game we have to throw the ball better moving forward," Brooks said.

"And since then we haven't, but we have won three out of the last four. We threw it better against Eastern [Kentucky] obviously, but in my mind this game, if we don't throw the ball well, we are going to struggle to win it. We have to open it up a little bit, take some shots. We have to keep people backed off a little bit, but we will see how it goes."

It has gone well for the senior class. But it can be better, too.

"It feels good, this is one of the reasons we all came to Kentucky," Johnson said.

"We're still a program on the rise; we're not where we need to be but the fact that we've done something that Kentucky hasn't done with the possibility of winning four bowl games, I believe you leave a certain legacy. I want to be able to say I played in four bowl games and I won four bowl games."


For Kentucky Football, Survive and Thrive originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Rich BrooksRichBrooksJim HenryTue, 17 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST SEC Notebook: Auburn Ignoring Criticshttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/sec-notebook-auburn-ignoring-critics/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/sec-notebook-auburn-ignoring-critics/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/sec-notebook-auburn-ignoring-critics/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Auburn's offensive struggles in October have been discussed and dissected.

The Tigers have dropped three of their last four games this month, including last Saturday's 31-10 stinker against LSU. Auburn gained a season-low 193 yards on a season-low 61 plays in that game, igniting a wave of criticism from fans who are still smarting from last season's collapse that saw the Tigers open 4-1 before losing six of their last seven.

Auburn (5-3 overall, 2-3 SEC) is determined to snap out of its funk Saturday against visiting Mississippi (5-2, 2-2), which marches into Jordan-Hare Stadium on a two-game win streak and winners of three of its last four.

A strong start has helped Auburn maintain its lofty national rankings on offense -- the Tigers are seventh in rushing offense (230.3 yards), 19th in total offense (430.9) and tied for 26th in scoring offense (31.8) -- but recent struggles are hard to ignore.

Chizik points to mistakes across the board and says he's not ready to push the panic button.

"I don't think that there is one thing that you can pinpoint," Chizik said.

"Nine guys can be doing everything right and two get beat. It's a little everywhere, a breakdown here or there that causes certain things to be exposed. And when you play teams like we're playing - the LSU's of the world - seemingly little things turn into big things. We're not panicking by any stretch of the imagination."

Quarterback Chris Todd has been the target of the fans' displeasure.

Todd threw for only 47 yards at LSU before giving way to backup Neil Caudle, who directed the Tigers to a late touchdown. Caudle completed 3-of-5 passes for 34 yards and hit tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen for a score. Todd, meanwhile, completed 8-of-14 passes with an interception. He was also sacked four times.

Chizik re-affirmed his commitment to the embattled Todd early in the week, saying his quarterback can handle the heat.

"Really and truly I just think that a quarterback has to be a tough-minded person," Chizik said.

"It all comes with the territory and they all mentally have to be prepared for it. If you're not mentally tough enough to get through those things then more than likely you shouldn't be a quarterback in this league. That's just the way it is. I mean it's no different than coaching, right? You get the good and you get the bad and it all comes with the deal."

Todd stressed -- no, he's not stressed out -- that he remains focus and confident.

"Anytime things happen, as a quarterback, you have to take that on your shoulders and take some blame when things are going bad," Todd told the Montgomery Advertiser.

"When things are good you get some credit for some stuff and when things are bad, you take that, too. I'm definitely working myself and trying to improve things that will help us move on and win some ballgames."

Chizik also doesn't believe outside criticism will affect his team.

"We can't control any of that, so it's what you choose to hear and what you choose to listen to and what you choose to watch," Chizik said.

"I hope they weren't listening to it when we were 5-0. I really do. Now we've dropped three. If they choose to listen to it, that's something I can't control, but I highly advise them to keep doing the things, keep working to win."

Welcome Home Billy

On a muggy Halloween night in 1959, LSU's Billy Cannon caught a punt and, shaking off a seemingly endless array of Ole Miss tacklers, raced 89 yards to a touchdown and into Louisiana folklore.

That run, the definitive play of the halfback's illustrious career, is the reason Cannon will make a are appearance Saturday at Tiger Stadium as LSU meets Tulane on Halloween.

Behind Cannon's run and two goal-line stands, the top-ranked Tigers won that game 7-3 against the third-ranked Rebels. LSU went on to win the national title and the play helped Cannon clinch the Heisman Trophy -- he remains the only LSU Tiger to win it.

"It's been a fun thing to live with, " Cannon, 72, told The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune. "But did I know that night it would be 50 years later and we'd be here talking about it, no I didn't."

Protection Is Key

Kentucky's experienced offensive line has picked up where it left off last year in protecting its quarterback.

The Wildcats are tied for 14th nationally and second in the SEC in the sack-allowed category. In seven games, UK has allowed just seven sacks.

Last year, the offensive line gave up only 13 quarterback sacks and ranked fourth in the nation in fewest sacks allowed per game. The UK line also helped the team rank eighth nationally in fewest tackles for loss allowed per game.

The Wildcats play Mississippi State in their Homecoming Saturday, one that will help determine Kentucky's postseason fate. Last week, UK defeated the ULM 36-13 to record its 17th consecutive non-conference victory, matching the school-record streak previously set from 1954-60.

"This is one of the biggest games of the season, if not the biggest," offensive guard Christian Johnson said. "If we win this it could put us ahead where we need to be and help us accomplish our goal of going to the best bowl game that we can."

Lighter in the Britches

If Florida and Georgia appear a tad faster in Saturday's showdown in Jacksonville, Fla, it might be because they were both able to shed nearly a pound from their uniforms.

Last season, UF athletic trainers approached McDavid Inc., the world's leading manufacturer of protective athletic apparel, about redesigning the pads players wear under their uniforms. They wanted the least amount of restriction without sacrificing protection.

The next day, McDavid presented them with the HexPro Performance Mesh Supporter with HexPad, affectionately referred to as the "Elephant Jock."

McDavid's HexPad technology protects the hips and tailbone without excess weight or fabric, while it's material holds a cup in place to protect the groin. At 3.5 ounces, the "Elephant Jock" is nearly a pound lighter than the pads many players wore last year.

Other collegiate teams that have purchased the undergarment include LSU, Arkansas, Indiana, Cincinnati, Texas, Virginia and Oklahoma.

SEC Notebook: Auburn Ignoring Critics originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Jim HenryFri, 30 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST SEC Notebook: Polls Not Tide's Concernhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/23/sec-notebook-tide-not-worried-about-polls/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/23/sec-notebook-tide-not-worried-about-polls/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/23/sec-notebook-tide-not-worried-about-polls/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When it comes to debating rankings, Alabama head coach Nick Saban is a fuddy-duddy.

So there's no need to waste your time, even if the Crimson Tide leapfrogged SEC rival Florida into the top spot of this week's Associated Press poll. Of course, Alabama is also ranked second behind the Gators in the initial installment of the weekly BCS poll that will determine national title invites by early December.

Saban doesn't mean to be a killjoy -- or does he? -- but his game-at-a-time mantra is focused on Saturday's showdown against visiting Tennessee.

"If anybody asks me any questions about where we're ranked or what the poll is, what matters?" Saban asked. "Why does it matter? What's changed from this week to this Monday to last Monday? What's changed? We've got another game. This is the most important game of the year."

OK, agreed.

The Crimson Tide (7-0) is determined to finish October with a flourish. Off next Saturday, Alabama closes out a three-game homestand with a visit from LSU on November 7 before it positions itself for the regular-season's final stretch.

Of course, Alabama could have its hands full with the Vols (3-3) if not careful. But if the Crimson Tide is need of a hero, a shining star has risen from the Crimson Tide's backfield, and his name is Mark Ingram.

The sophomore has rushed for 905 yards and eight touchdowns for 129.29 yards per game average to rank fourth nationally and first in the SEC. Ingram's flashy -- he leads the nation with 30 rushes of 10 or more yards and also has chipped in eight receptions for 10 or more yards. And Ingram's tough -- he has gained 580 yards after first contact.

Best yet, Ingram is coming off his best performance of the season, rushing for 246 yards against South Carolina last week.

"He's a great competitor and a driven guy," Saban said.

"He works hard in practice every week. He plays fast all the time. He has a great competitive spirit and certainly will stay focused on the things that are going to help him continue to satisfy his goals."

Don't look for Alabama to change its goals, or its approach, according to the philosophical Saban.

"I'm very hopeful that we can stay on the positive side of it and be positive about our approach to what we are trying to accomplish and what we're trying to do and not get risk-aversive and start playing to keep from getting beat and a lot of negative motivation about what's going to happen if this happens and all that kind of stuff," Saban said.

"Not to avoid but to gain, is the way we'd like to approach it."

FINALLY, A STRONG FINISH?

South Carolina has been down this road before.

The Gamecocks are 5-2 and positioned nicely to make this coach Steve Spurrier's most successful season at South Carolina. The Gamecocks can continue their surge with a home victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday, a win that would give Spurrier 105 conference wins and tie him with Vince Dooley for third-most in SEC history.

Spurrier isn't one to relax, even if Vanderbilt has lost five straight conference games. Let's not forget the Commodores have beaten the Gamecocks the past two years.

"We're not a real dominant team," Spurrier said. "I think we're a real good team. We can play with almost anybody. We have to play a lot harder. We have to play with courage, effort and smarts."

That approach could help the Gamecocks avoid an unsettling trend of poor finishes. They lost their final three games last season, their final five in 2007 and, for the record, are 10-15 from the midway point of October under Spurrier.

"The pressure is on us to play the best we can every week," Spurrier said.

"We don't get too much in what happened last year or the year before. They outplayed us the last two years. They were better than we were. Give them credit. We'll try to play better this year and coach better, and see if we can come out on top against Vanderbilt."

ROAD TRIP

Save the postcards.

Florida hasn't enjoyed its past visits to Starkville, Miss.

The Gators travel to Mississippi State on Saturday seeking their first win at Davis Wade Stadium since 1985. They have dropped their last four games there, losing to the Bulldogs in 1986, 1992, 2000 and 2004. Second-ranked UF entered three of the games ranked, and two of the games are among the 12 conference defeats that Spurrier suffered as Florida's coach.

The showdown is also a reunion for Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, a former assistant coach under UF's Urban Meyer since their days at Utah. Mullen last served as the Gators' offensive coordinator, helping quarterback Tim Tebow win the Heisman Trophy and UF a pair of national titles.

"We're coming in, planning to win the football game," Mullen said.

"You never go to play a game that you think you can't win. Our guys are focusing on winning the game this Saturday, and focusing on doing the things you have to do to win the football game. There's nothing quite like winning a football game. It isn't anything crazy we need to do to win, we just have to focus on the game plan at hand in order to come out victorious."

OFFENSIVE OUTBURST

LSU and Auburn tangle in a game where both teams need their offense to set the tone.

LSU, which was off last week, is 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the SEC. The Tigers are one of two SEC West teams -- the other is Alabama -- to control its own destiny in the division race.

They will need solid performances from quarterback Jordan Jefferson and running back Charles Scott. Jefferson has been inconsistent as a passer and Scott is in search of a breakout game. LSU figures to rely heavily on the run because Auburn is allowing 181.4 yards per game, 11th in the SEC and 99th nationally.

Auburn, meanwhile, is coming off its worst offensive performance of the season, managing just 315 yards in its 21-14 loss to Kentucky.

Auburn (5-2, 2-2), which opened the season with five consecutive wins, has scored a combined 37 points in its past two games; it scored at least 37 in each of its first four. The passing attack is struggling, too. Quarterback Chris Todd threw 11 touchdown passes in the first four games but just one in the past three.

"You can't pinpoint our struggles on one thing. I don't believe in that," Auburn coach Gene Chizik said.

"There are a lot of things that can go wrong. I still feel that we can fix some of the mistakes and get back on track. There's a lot of issues in there, and we really feel very strongly that we're going to get that rectified. But it has been off the last two weeks."

SEC Notebook: Polls Not Tide's Concern originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Jim HenryFri, 23 Oct 2009 13:15:00 EST Feel-Good Wildcats Keep on Survivin'http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/21/feel-good-wildcats-keep-on-survivin/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/21/feel-good-wildcats-keep-on-survivin/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/21/feel-good-wildcats-keep-on-survivin/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Kentucky has been besieged by bad breaks and injuries this season.

Of course, just when you thought it was time to toss dirt and plant daisies on the Wildcats, they responded with their biggest victory of the year. Their first win over Auburn in more than four decades last Saturday helps validate what head coach Rich Brooks has preached about his team since preseason drills.

"I have said all along that I thought that we were a good football team and we still were a good football team even though we weren't healthy and didn't have all of our parts -- and we still don't," Brooks said.

"Having said that, the fact that we can go on the road and break one of the infamous streaks in Kentucky football history speaks to the fact that this is still a good football team. How close we are to being better than that, or how close we are from being better than that I will leave to [the media] to judge."

The jury still might be out, but one can't argue over the Wildcats' performance against the Tigers.

They committed no turnovers and turned in their first game since 1991 without a penalty in the 21-14 win.

They rushed for 282 yards, the most by a Wildcats team against an SEC opponent in 14 years, including rushing touchdowns from three different Kentucky players lined up under center -- Morgan Newton, Will Fidler and Mr. Everything, Randall Cobb.

And their talented defense held Auburn to 14 points and 315 total offensive yards, both season lows.

OK, just how badly did the Wildcats need that win -- the program's first over Auburn in 43 years?

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"Bad, bad, bad. Everybody on the team knew it," said linebacker Micah Johnson, who had 14 tackles and earned SEC defensive player of the week honors for his effort.

"Everybody needed it, and it was huge. It was huge to get a win down there and I was happy for Coach Brooks and this team because we've been so close after a lot of little things here and we haven't gotten many breaks. It was a game where we were close and we kept fighting and won. It was a great win and the team is very excited but we still have six more games left and we need to continue to win."

The Wildcats (3-3 overall, 1-3 SEC) are a feel-good story for a number of reasons.

No. 1, starting quarterback Mike Hartline has been sidelined by a knee injury.

No. 2, they have also played the last two weeks without All-SEC cornerback Trevard Lindley.

And, No. 3, their recent stretch against Florida, Alabama and South Carolina -- teams currently ranked No. 2, No. 1 and No. 23 in the Associated Press poll -- wasn't for the timid. In fact, Kentucky played one of its best games of the season in a 28-26 loss at South Carolina two weeks ago.

The Wildcats refused to rattle.

"Some people like to dwell on our shortcomings in the games that we have lost, but if you look over the last three and a half, four years, we have won probably more close games that we have lost," Brooks argued.

"We have come back in the fourth quarter numerous times over the last three or four years as well. There is a belief in our team and in our locker room that we can make it happen. The old attitude that is so hard to shake, that you can't get it done, no longer prevails on our football team.

"All you have to do is look historically at how difficult it has been for Kentucky to win under any circumstances with any type of team regardless if you think Auburn is a good team or an average team this year. There have been other average teams that Kentucky hasn't beaten down there. This year this team found a way to do it missing their starting quarterback and best defensive player by most estimations."

Despite the impressive win at Auburn, Kentucky players realize they can't relax -- even if their upcoming four games appear far more accommodating, starting with Saturday's home date against Louisiana-Monroe of the Sun Belt Conference. The Warhawks (4-2) are on a three-game win streak and off to their best start as a Football Bowl Subdivision School. (They started 5-1 in 1987, when they won the Division I-AA national title).

Home games against SEC foes Mississippi State and Eastern Kentucky and a road date at Vanderbilt follow for the Wildcats. They end the regular season against Georgia and Tennessee.

"Every game is a must-win game," offensive lineman Brad Durham said.

"Just because they're from the Sun Belt Conference and just because of this and that, we still have to come together. Just because they're not an SEC team doesn't mean they can't beat us. Three years ago they came in here and lost by two points (42-40). We have to come out focused and ready to play."

Johnson agreed, saying it shouldn't be difficult for players to put the Auburn victory behind them and focus on the season's second half.

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Notre Dame receiver Robby Paris (82) is injured on a hit by Southern California's Taylor Mays (2) and Kevin Thomas (15) late in the fourth quarter during a college football game, Saturday, October 17, 2009, in South Bend, Indiana. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/MCT)

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    Notre Dame receiver Robby Paris (82) is injured on a hit by Southern California's Taylor Mays (2) and Kevin Thomas (15) late in the fourth quarter during a college football game, Saturday, October 17, 2009, in South Bend, Indiana. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/MCT)

    Iowa State quarterback Jerome Tiller dives for extra yardage during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game against Baylor, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009, in Ames, Iowa. Iowa State won 24-10.

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    Mississippi State running back Anthony Dixon, top, dives into the end zone for a touchdown over Middle Tennessee State defenders, from left, Antwan Davis, Danny Carmichael and Cam Robinson, in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. Mississippi State won 27-6.

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    Connecticut football coach Randy Edsall, center, leads his players during NCAA college football practice in Storrs, Conn., on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009. Practice was scheduled as usual despite the on campus slaying of player Jasper Howard over the weekend. (AP Photo/George Ruhe)

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    Connecticut football coach Randy Edsall, center, leads his players during NCAA college football practice in Storrs, Conn., on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009. Practice was scheduled as usual despite the on campus slaying of player Jasper Howard over the weekend. (AP Photo/George Ruhe)

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    Connecticut football coach Randy Edsall, center, leads his players during NCAA college football practice in Storrs, Conn., on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009. Practice was scheduled as usual despite the on campus slaying of player Jasper Howard over the weekend. (AP Photo/George Ruhe)

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    Camouflage design football cleats are displayed during a news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009, in Columbia, S.C. Maryland and South Carolina will wear uniforms with camouflage designs during their NCAA college football games on Saturday, Nov. 14, to honor military veterans and promote the Wounded Warrior Project. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

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    South Carolina's football coach Steve Spurrier holds up a jersey with camouflage designs during a news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009, in Columbia, S.C. Maryland and South Carolina will wear uniforms with camouflage designs during their NCAA college football games on Saturday, Nov. 14, to honor military veterans and promote the Wounded Warrior Project. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

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    South Carolina's football coach Steve Spurrier, center, flanked by Sgt. Jeremy Hale, left, and Master Sgt. Pete Lara, both from Fort Jackson, as he holds up a jersey with camouflage designs during a news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009, in Columbia, S.C. Maryland and South Carolina will wear uniforms with camouflage designs during their NCAA college football games on Saturday, Nov. 14, to honor military veterans and promote the Wounded Warrior Project. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

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    A UConn Huskies player pats a teammate on the shoulder as the team is called to "play hard in honor of Jasper" by another team member, at the start of practice on the UConn Storrs, Conn., campus on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009. Practice was scheduled as usual despite the slaying of Jasper Howard ( 6) over the weekend. (AP Photo/George Ruhe)

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"Coach has been doing a great job of making us understand that we're mid-season right now and that game came at a critical point," Johnson said.

"That was our sixth game of the season, we could have been 2-4 or 3-3, and 3-3 makes it a lot easier to do what we need to do. It's not the end of the season; we have six more and other good opponents we have to go up against. We have to stay focused and take each game one at a time."

Though Kentucky's quest to reach a fourth straight bowl game suddenly looks more realistic, Brooks is determined to keep his team focused. Even so, it's neat what an important victory can for for a program.

"All last week it was gray and cold and wet, but an amazing thing happened Sunday morning," Brooks said.

"The sun was out, vibrant colors on the trees. It's amazing what a win will do for you."

Feel-Good Wildcats Keep on Survivin' originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Rich BrooksRichBrooksJim HenryWed, 21 Oct 2009 14:15:00 EST Starting 11: When a Wedding Causes a Football Separationhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/20/starting-11-when-a-wedding-causes-a-football-separation/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/20/starting-11-when-a-wedding-causes-a-football-separation/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/20/starting-11-when-a-wedding-causes-a-football-separation/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

On Saturday, I didn't see a single snap of a single college football game. Not one. This has never happened before in my life. Instead I was an usher at my friend's wedding in Atlanta. This means that this week's ClayNation Starting 11 is going to be a primer on my day in a fall wedding.

The wedding featured a bride who had graduated from Auburn and a groom who had graduated from Kentucky. Are the alarm bells going off yet? The two teams played Saturday night. Seven of the 11 groomsmen and ushers graduated from Kentucky, all of the bridesmaids went to Auburn. The result was a near riot. But that comes in the future. First, the beginning.

9:30AM CT

Departure from Nashville. It's freezing. Seriously, freezing. It has to be the coldest Oct. 17 in the history of Tennessee. Another couple arrives to ride down to the wedding with us, my friend Kelly, and his girlfriend Erin. Kelly is also a groomsman. As we load up for the trip, my wife asks me to clear out the rear of the car so we can put the third seat down and someone can sleep on the way back.

I forget.

As we walk to the car, I realize this fact, and tell the other couple to say they asked me not to put down the third seat or clear out the trunk. We arrive at the car.

My wife immediately notices: "Clay! I told you to put down the third seat."

"They said we didn't need to do it." I nudge the other couple.

They both nod.

My wife narrows her gaze, fiery in my direction. "Did he tell you to say that?" she asks.

Kelly changes the conversation, "How come our tuxes cost $150?" he asks.

Interlude:

Has anyone ever had to pay $150 for a tux before? Here's a comparison. In 1999, oral sex cost $50 in Amsterdam. So a decade ago, you could leave the red light district with a smile on your face for $150. Now I can rent one tux to be an usher at a wedding?

Takeaway: The tuxedo rental business is insane. How are the margins this high for a 24-hour rental? Why isn't there an online tux rental place that FedExes you the tux, does away with the physical store location, and charges like $50?

Basically, why doesn't Amazon rent tuxes?

And if they do have physical stores, why are they such pussbuckets at these places? Do they really need your overarm measurement? Who am I, Tony Siragusa? How many people have ridiculous overarm measurements that change what size jacket they should be wearing?

And why are their hours so bad? The place in Nashville is only open from 10-5 every day.

10-5!

The bank is more convenient. I don't really have any reason to complain about this since I work from home, but my friend Kelly has to take off work to get measured for his tux.
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Meanwhile, I tried to submit my measurements online. I'm a normal-sized guy. Give me a 34 waist, a 42 regular jacket, and I'm ready to go. Yet the measurements won't submit until I give an overarm measurement?

I entered seven feet. Or seven inches. I'm not really sure how that form worked.

10:15

I'm pulled over for speeding, going 90 in a 70. Bad news, it's a Tennessee state trooper. Worse news, my tags and registration are expired. Also, I don't have my insurance card in the car. Basically, all I have is my driver's license.

My wife fumes in the back seat. "I hope they don't arrest you," she says.

"If you did get arrested," Kelly says, "that would be pretty funny."

I attempt to make friends with the state trooper, a man with a shaved head, one working eye, and a slight stutter. My tax dollars at work.

"We're on our way ..."

He cuts me off. "Sign this, please."

In my entire life, I've only gotten away with speeding once after being pulled over. Why then? Because I had a Virgin Islands license plate on the car and the cop had no idea how to write me a ticket. I considered keeping the Virgin Islands plate for the next decade. The only time I ever wish I was a woman is every time I get pulled over for speeding.

Also, if a war happens.

Anyway, and I'm not making this up, the speeding ticket and other two violations add up to $784.48.

How is this not cruel and unusual punishment? People pay lower fines for murder.

Truly.

10:30

My wife has spent the past 15 minutes ridiculing my driving. She has been in two car accidents in the past year. But if I mention them, she gets very angry.

In one of them she totaled a car, in another "accident" she lightly bumped a car in front of her at a stop sign. There was not a scratch on their bumper, yet the entire family went to the hospital on a stretcher.

11:00

We stop for lunch. The best part of my day? The Mushroom Swiss Angus burger at McDonald's, number 14 on the value meal. I'm not exaggerating when I say it's the greatest sandwich in the history of fast food. It's like sex meets McDonald's ... aka Louisville basketball.

11:45

We plug in the GPS to check our time situation. After 10 minutes my wife says, "Uh oh." We're scheduled to arrive at 2:55.

The bus taking us to pictures departs the hotel at 3:00.

Now, we have to arrive, get changed into our tuxes, and depart in five minutes.

1:05 PM

Twenty minutes later, the time changes. We're now on the East Coast.

I hate the timezone change.

Firmly.

For my entire life as an adult, I'm only ever driving from the central time zone to the eastern time zone. I'm always losing an hour. And don't give me that crap about gaining it when you come back. I never need to rush back to something in the central time zone.

Nashville is fairly close to the time line. It gets dark early in winter, the sun goes down earlier in summer, basically the only thing worth gaining in the central time zone is an hour earlier late-night television. And now that I have a kid I'm too tired to stay up for that anyway. Plus, thanks to dawn arriving in Nashville at 4:55 every morning, he gets up as soon as the sun rises.

So, as you can see, even time is lined up against me.

1:15 PM

My iPhone is losing battery life, which means I may not have any ability to keep tabs on the scores. Two issues with the iPhone. A.) The battery life is shorter than a Wizard of Oz munchkin and B.) You can't read anything when you use the Internet browser. How do you zoom on Web pages if you don't have the app downloaded?

Yeah, it's great that there are 85,000 apps, but if you could just read a Web page by using the Internet browser you would need like 18 apps.

For instance, the only app I have that is designed to do anything other than read a Web page is paper football.

How is this not noted as a flaw?

1:15-2:50 now ET

My wife says, "Stop driving so fast." Repeatedly.

2:51

We exit near the hotel. The road to our hotel is only there because the Perimeter Mall is also there. The entire road, and this is the complete truth, is just a loop around the mall.

This is my issue with Atlanta, the entire city's road system seems to exist so you can reach a shopping center that didn't exist before.

We stop at eight consecutive lights, all bordering the mall. With this rate of speed, now I know what the immigrants felt like crossing the Atlantic.

2:57

Arrival at the hotel. I leave the car running and go digging through my bag for black socks. Unfortunately, I mistakenly brought blue socks.

With tiny penguins etched on them.

2:58

Kelly beats me to the hotel desk and gets his key first. Our tuxes are waiting in our rooms.

3:01

The desk clerk takes her time checking me in. I learn that the hotel has a free breakfast, something about Wi-Fi, and am tempted to strangle the clerk with my penguin socks.

Here's the only thing I've ever wanted other than a hotel room: a toothbrush in my hotel room. If you don't have toothbrushes, I couldn't care less about the other accoutrements.

In fact, a promise, the next hotel chain that starts providing disposable toothbrushes and toothpaste, I will stay in for the rest of my life.

3:06

I'm dressed in my tuxedo and nonchalantly waiting in the lobby as if I've been here all morning. Several other groomsmen arrive to inform me that Oklahoma and Texas, while poorly played, is currently tied at 13.

3:10

We all climb into the shuttle en route to the church. Beers are opened.

The groom says there is a television in the church but it doesn't work. "It's only for videos."

Videos of what?

3:15

The groom says there will be no televisions at the reception because the bride believes they would be a "distraction."

The Kentucky grads all groan.

Question: If millions of people choose to do something, i.e. attend or watch a football game, and 125 do something else, say, attend a wedding, doesn't that make the wedding the distraction?

3:31

Drinking inside the church is forbidden. So everyone stands on the curb outside and drinks. Kerry wins the BlackBerry, iPhone shuffle and becomes the first to report that Texas has beaten Oklahoma.

3:55

Florida and Arkansas are scoreless midway through the first quarter. We're seated in a large room with two televisions. A groomsman begins to work on obtaining a signal from the television.

"Who has a flat screen," he asks, "only to watch videos?"

4:05

We confirm the church has a flat screen only to watch videos. Arkansas leads 7-0 on Florida.

4:15

Picture time!

We take eight photographs. In one of them the groom is walking 10 feet ahead of us and we're supposed to chase him. It's only the second most homoerotic shot.

In the most homoerotic shot, the groom stands in front and everyone gets in a straight line behind him and raises their arms in different directions. "I promise it looks really cool," the photographer says.

Kelly shakes his head, "I don't know about you," he says, "but I'm opting out of the teabag shot."

4:25

Most of the groomsmen relocate to the parked bus and, in a silent effort to reclaim their manliness, begin drinking beers heavily.

There is also a flat-screen television on the bus.

But, you guessed it ... no satellite signal.

It's for videos or DVDs as well.

4:59

Outside the groom's room hangs a picture of Jesus that appears to focus on His nipple. I stand looking at the painting for a few seconds.

Another man passes, "You don't really think about Jesus' nipples that much until you see a picture like that," he says.

5:30

Florida leads Arkansas 13-10. Southern Cal is up two scores on Notre Dame. Virginia Tech is down to Georgia Tech.

My iPhone battery hangs perilously on the living side of electronic life, bars vanishing at a rapid rate.

5:35

" 'Can you keep up with the game during the service? ... Here's what you do, if Arkansas scores, give me a thumbs up, if Florida scores, flick me off.' Welcome to a Southern wedding."
We line up to begin ushering guests into the church. Things begin ominously, I take a woman's arm and her mentally handicapped daughter throws a screaming fit.

She pats me on the arm. "It's okay," she says.

As I walk down the aisle, I'm expecting to be tackled from behind. My mind is racing. What's protocol? I have to take the beating without resisting, right?

If I bleed do I owe more money for the tuxedo rental?

5:51

A grown man who shall remain nameless, but who does not have a BlackBerry or an iPhone pulls me aside when he sees me checking scores. "I hate Florida" he says.

I nod.

"Can you keep up with the game during the service?"

I nod again.

"Here's what you do, if Arkansas scores, give me a thumbs up, if Florida scores, flick me off."

Welcome to a Southern wedding ladies and gentlemen.

5:55

We take our seats in the pews. I silence my phone and set it on auto-refresh.

6:02

The bride is lovely.

6:04

Hot damn, Arkansas kicks a field goal to tie the score at 13. The priest has just told a five-minute story that involves a three-word punchline, "Aisle, change, hymn."

"I'll change him," get it!

Are you rolling yet? Priest humor is gold.

Seriously though, how are these homilies so bad at weddings? Think about this, if you did a 20-minute wedding forty times a year, couldn't you have a killer homily? I mean a story that either made people stand up and rend their garments from the emotional power or one that made people roll into the pew floor laughing?

Maybe even both?

I mean, you have enough practice to know what works, right?

Yet why are they all so bad?

6:25

My phone vibrates with a text message. It says only one word, "Petrino."

Moments later the score updates on my phone, Arkansas has scored on a 75-yard touchdown pass on third-and-17. It's 20-13 Hogs.

The wedding ends, the gentleman passes me in the aisle. I give him a thumbs up. He raises his eyebrows and smiles appreciatively.

6:45

Time for the after-wedding photos. The groomsmen and ushers gather in three rows of pews. All of us are madly hitting refresh on the Arkansas-Florida game.

Everyone is rooting for Arkansas.

Play by play spools out from different locations as people get updates at different rates of gametracker speed depending on a variety of factors. Everyone tries to be the first to update the latest play, it's like competitive sports reporting; we're all John Clayton.

My iPhone is running updates slower than everyone else so I take a chance on Twitter.

Paydirt.

I break the news that Arkansas misses a 38-yard field goal before anyone else. I feel like Cronkite delivering the news that Kennedy had died. "He missed it," I slowly intone.

"No!" scream eight voices in unison.

Predictably, after the miss, Florida goes down and scores. As each play is announced to the group, our faces become more dejected.

Our actual conversation after he made the field goal is unprintable on an upstanding-ish site like this, but it involved Jesus, Urban Meyer and a sex act that, impressively enough, has its own Wikipedia page.

7:45

The photos are finished. The groomsmen and ushers have been used for 15 minutes of photographs. We've been here for four hours.

In terms of efficiency, I feel like I'm in the law firm again.

Only then I would have billed for 8.6 hours.

We enter the bus and begin to drink heavily. The Kentucky fans all pull out their phones as kickoff nears. But, wait, the bridal party advances onto the bus singing:

War Eagle, fly down the field
Ever to conquer, never to yield
War Eagle, fearless and true,
Fight on you orange and blue
Go! Go! Go!
On to vict'ry, strike up the band
Hit 'em high, hit 'em low,
Stand up and yell, Hey!
War Eagle, win for Auburn,
Power of Dixie Land!

"I did not f'ing sign up for this," says a UK grad sitting across from me.

"I'm going to throw up," says another. "I hope we beat them by 50."

"I hope Gene Chizik dies," says yet another.

8:03

We arrive at the reception.

Kentucky is lining up for a field goal as we prepare to enter the event. Kentucky fans are madly hitting refresh.

At this point, I get distracted focusing on the Bourbon drinks. But no one says anything for a long time. Finally, I ask my friend Tardio what happened.

"Auburn blocked the kick and returned it for a touchdown," he says.

Kentucky football in a sentence.

8:15

We begin to drink inside the reception.

Heavily.

At some point, I learn that it's 14-7 Auburn at the half. "Should be 10-7 Kentucky," says Tardio.

9:20

I can't find four of the groomsmen.

Then my phone buzzes, "At Mellow Mushroom watching game. Come over."

They've walked across the parking lot to a restaurant. I contemplate leaving, but then get distracted by more drinks and Young MC's 1989 opus Bust a Move coming on.



Kelly's girlfriend, Erin, is six years younger than us. She stands watching us as we dance. "You don't know Bust a Move?" I ask.

"No," she says. "I was 4 in 1989."

1989 was Ken Griffey's rookie year, the magical No. 1 card in the Upper Deck set. There are people who can drink and don't remember this?

Time grows fuzzy.

At the finale of the song, Kelly suggests I attempt the splits.

So I do.

After this I forget about my intent to leave and watch the game.

10:15

The groom takes the mic. "I love you honey, but time for a score update. The Cats have a first-and-goal with under five minutes to play and the score tied 14-14."

Half the crowd erupts. The other half hisses.

Moments later comes the cheering. Kentucky has taken the lead 21-14. There is less than two minutes remaining from the Cats' first victory over Auburn since 1966.

10:45

Several groomsmen return from across the street and begin running around the reception hall doling out high fives like they have just won the Super Bowl. I know, it's happened, Kentucky has won at Auburn.

"Our best road win in decades," exults one Cat fan.

The groom takes the mic and leads the crowd in a cheer. "C-A-T-S, CATS, CATS, CATS," he screams.

Then he gives his bride a kiss.

My wife takes my arm amid the bedlam, "I'm so proud of you for not leaving to watch the games," she says.

I give her a kiss. "Weddings are so much more important than football," I say.

Starting 11: When a Wedding Causes a Football Separation originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Clay TravisTue, 20 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EST Should Tebow Have Been in the Game?http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/26/should-tebow-have-been-in-the-game/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/26/should-tebow-have-been-in-the-game/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/26/should-tebow-have-been-in-the-game/#commentsFiled under: , ,

UPDATE: Tebow's Condition Improving
Tim TebowWe all know Tim Tebow is a demi-god on the football field. His statistics are exceptional and his performance against some of the most fearsome and athletic defenses in college football has been nothing short of otherworldly. But a chink appeared in Tebow's armor Saturday night when Kentucky defensive end Taylor Wyndham came unblocked on a third down play late in the third quarter, sacked the former Heisman winner and drove his head into teammate Marcus Gilbert's knee.

At the time, Florida led comfortably 31-7. Tebow, playing sick, had already carried the ball 16 times for 123 yards.

Superman got whiplashed. And then he got sick on the sideline. Florida pronounced him "fine," but Tebow was taken to the hospital before the game ended and will stay there overnight reportedly with a "bad concussion." Whether or not it was the illness combined with the hit, or just the hit, the question has to be asked: Should Tim Tebow still have been in the game?
Video: Tebow Taken Down

Everyone felt sick when Tebow went down, or at least they should have. The Kentucky defense didn't exactly have a moment of silence immediately afterward; I thought Kentucky's players celebrated for way too long in the immediate aftermath of the hit. Tebow doesn't milk attention. Generally when he gets hit, no matter how hard, he immediately gets back up. That's the kind of player he is. When he went down and stayed down, Kentucky's defenders should have shown a little class and stopped celebrating. After all, they were still losing by 24 points, it's not like they'd just won the game.

Second, what the hell happened with ESPN2 suddenly going to commercial as Tebow lay on the ground immobile? And coming back with an advertisement? This was the potential story of the college football season so far and for about five minutes they completely bungled the coverage. Millions of people were sitting on the edge of their seats when they abruptly cut away. There was no explanation at all. It's rare that ESPN's coverage completely flunks in a crucial situation, but ESPN2 pulled it off.

Finally, the shot of Tebow being carted off the field puking into a bag was borderline too much. In fact, the whole puking angle was way overplayed during this game. Plenty of guys puke before big games, sick or otherwise, why do we need to see it for this game and no other? What's more, why do we need to hear Bob Davie commentating on the puking? I think we know what puking looks like.

But back to the question we began this column with, did Urban Meyer do Tim Tebow a disservice by leaving him in the game too long?

No matter what angle you consider it from, this wasn't an easy call.

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Was the game decided or wasn't it? That really depends on your perspective. So let's break down Meyer's decision to leave his starting quarterback in the game with a classic pro and con style. Remember when we all read the choose your own adventure books, well, this is choose your own quarterback. I'm genuinely interested in what you guys think as well.

Pro: Florida led 31-7. With a little less than 20 minutes left, that's just a three-score lead.

Meyer likely wanted one more score, touchdown or field goal, to put this game away. Going up by four scores with 20 minutes left, the likelihood of a serious contest emerging becomes much less. Then it would have been safe to pull Tebow.

Con: Florida scored 31 points in the first quarter. Since that point, they'd been milking down the game, playing out the thread on a contest they'd already won.

My point, Florida could have named its score. In fact, here's an even more amazing stat for you, adding up the last four quarters of their game last season and the first quarter of this season's game, the Gators had outscored Kentucky 94-5.

Let me repeat that, 94-5!

For whatever reason, Kentucky just can't play with the Gators. This game was over after the first quarter and both sides knew it. Florida took its foot off the gas.

Pro: On the drive he was injured, Florida's took possession of the football with 8:23 remaining in the second half. It was just their second drive of the second half.

The first drive only lasted four plays. So Tebow really hadn't been in the game for that long. If you're not pulling him at the half, why not allow him to go a couple of series into the second half?

Con: Three score lead implies that Kentucky is going to score three touchdowns, convert three two-point conversions, and even then they're only tied. If the game gets close, bring Tebow back in.

This isn't baseball. Once Tebow came out of the game, he's perfectly fine to come back in. Why not go ahead and get him some rest, allow your second-string quarterback to get some live-game action for a change? If the game really tightens up, bring Tebow back in.

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STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 26: Rafael Eubanks #52 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates a 21-10 victory over the Penn State Nittnay Lions on September 26, 2009 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Rafael Eubanks
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    STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 26: Adam Robinson #32 of the Iowa Hawkeyes runs for a fourth quarter touchdown trough the tackle of Josh Hull #43 of the Penn State Nittnay Lions on September 26, 2009 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. Iowa won the game 21-10. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Adam Robinson;Josh Hull

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    STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 26: Rafael Eubanks #52 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates a 21-10 victory over the Penn State Nittnay Lions on September 26, 2009 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Rafael Eubanks

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    STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 26: Ricky Stanzi #12 of the Iowa Hawkeyes along with Adam Robinson #32 and Brett Morse #36 celebrate a 21-10 victory over the Penn State Nittnay Lions with Iowa fans on September 26, 2009 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ricky Stanzi;Adam Robinson;Brett Morse

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    STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 26: Adrian Clayborn #94 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates a 21-10 victory over the Penn State Nittnay Lions on September 26, 2009 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Adrian Clayborn

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    STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 26: Ricky Stanzi #12 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates a 21-10 victory over the Penn State Nittnay Lions with Travis Meade #61 on September 26, 2009 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ricky Stanzi;Travis Meade

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    STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 26: Ricky Stanzi #12 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates a 21-10 victory over the Penn State Nittnay Lions with Travis Meade #61 on September 26, 2009 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ricky Stanzi;Travis Meade

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Pro: Florida has a young receiving corps, a new offensive coordinator, and Tebow needs real game action to get in sync with them before a real road test at LSU.

After the performance against Tennessee when Florida didn't complete a single pass to their receiving corps for more than 14 yards, Tebow needs the reps with these guys. Not to mention their new offensive coordinator, Steve Addazio, is only coaching his second game in the SEC. Finally, after a bye week, LSU looms in a night game. Now is the time to get the reps in.

Con: If your goal is to work on the passing game, then why did Tebow carry the ball at all in the second half. He carried three times, two of the four plays on the first drive, and the play immediately before the injury. Several more carries were called back for penalties.

If you really want to work on your passing game, then Tebow shouldn't touch the ball in the running game. Period.

Pro: Tebow wanted to stay in, and next week is a bye week. He has plenty of time to recover.

No doubt he did. But Tebow would want to stay in if opposing linebackers were armed with machetes. That's the kind of player he is, his coach needed to protect him from himself.

Con: Tebow is going to be relied upon to carry the load in the remaining eight games. Preserve him even if this game ends up a bit closer. Especially when he's already sick.

As I wrote about after Floria's win over Tennessee, Tebow is going to have to play more like his 2007 self, than his 2008 self. He needs to be Tebow as battering ram, the avenging archangel of football. So he needs to take as few hits as possible, and spared whenever possible, such as late in the third quarter of an apparent win. Finally, he was sick. Get him out of the game for that reason. He's already gutted it out to get you a win. Exerting yourself while sick almost certainly takes a greater toll.

But I think Meyer was in the right.

The new offensive coordinator, the new receivers, the upcoming bye week where live action wouldn't happen, the fact that it was the second drive of the second half, the fact that up until now Tebow has been indestructible, all of these things would militate in favor of playing Tebow.

But that's just my opinion, as you can see from the arguments above, reasonable minds can differ when it comes to making a decision in this situation.

The only thing I would criticize Meyer for is Tebow carrying the ball at all in the second half. I wouldn't have allowed it. Tebow was hurt on a passing play, and I think that's a risk worth taking given Florida's offensive shortcomings in the passing game, but there is no way Tebow should have been carrying the ball up by 24. I would have grabbed him by the facemask and said, "Tim, if you run the football for any reason other than to get away from a sack, I am pulling your butt."

But that didn't happen, and let's just hope Tebow is completely recovered in time for the night game at LSU. Concussions are scary business, particularly for a player like Tebow who is making a run at college football immortality and has played the game with reckless abandon to this point.

Let's see how he comes back from the first hit that has shown us he is, in fact, a mortal man.

Should Tebow Have Been in the Game? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Taylor WyndhamTim TebowClay TravisSat, 26 Sep 2009 22:44:00 EST Tim Tebow Hurt Against Kentucky, Taken to Hospitalhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/26/tim-tebow-hurt-vs-kentucky-walks-off-field/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/26/tim-tebow-hurt-vs-kentucky-walks-off-field/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/26/tim-tebow-hurt-vs-kentucky-walks-off-field/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Florida quarterback Tim Tebow was injured after being on the receiving end of a brutal -- but legal -- hit from Kentucky defensive end Taylor Wyndham Saturday, staying down on the field for several anxious moments before eventually walking off the field under his own power.

Wyndham rushed in virtually untouched from his right defensive end position and drilled Tebow when he was looking in the opposite direction -- and as Tebow went down, his head was hit by the leg of a Florida offensive lineman. Tebow at first appeared to have suffered a head or neck injury in the collision, and the entire Florida team walked toward the field to show support for their leader. Video of the hit after the jump.


(Video via Buster Sports)

But after a couple minutes being attended to by Florida's medical personnel, Tebow eventually sat up, eliciting a huge cheer from the crowd at Kentucky's Commonwealth Stadium. The game was in the third quarter with Florida up 34-7 when Tebow went down, and he won't return. Tebow initially sat on the bench but after vomiting he was taken to the locker room.

Tebow was already ailing heading into Saturday's game, having been diagnosed with what Florida is describing as a respiratory problem but what some media reports have speculated could be swine flu.

UPDATE: Tebow was shown leaving the stadium in an ambulance, still in uniform.

UPDATE: Head coach Urban Meyer said he believes it to be a concussion.
Clay Travis: Is Urban Meyer to Blame for Tebow's Injury?

Tim Tebow Hurt Against Kentucky, Taken to Hospital originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 26 Sep 2009 20:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Michael David SmithSat, 26 Sep 2009 20:33:00 EST SEC Notebook: Ole Miss Is Ready for the Ol' Ball Coachhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/24/sec-notebook-ole-miss-is-ready-for-the-ol-ball-coach/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/24/sec-notebook-ole-miss-is-ready-for-the-ol-ball-coach/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/24/sec-notebook-ole-miss-is-ready-for-the-ol-ball-coach/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,


Many are skeptical of Mississippi's No. 4 ranking in the AP Top-25 poll because its wins so far have been against Memphis and Southeastern Louisiana. For trivia buffs, however, the Rebels last reached No. 4 in the rankings on Oct. 12, 1970.

Of course, the country will get a better idea about Ole Miss on Thursday night when it visits the Ol' Ball Coach and South Carolina in its SEC opener on national television.

The Gamecocks and Alabama were the last two teams to beat the Rebels, who are riding their longest win streak in nearly 37 years at eight straight games. (They also have the prestige of being the last team to have beaten defending national champion Florida).

Ole Miss has been counting down the days to this game against the Gamecocks.

"No question about it. You are ready to play a game like this," Rebels head coach Houston Nutt said. "It is going to be a great atmosphere. Our guys are looking forward to it. I know as coaches, we are. I think our players are even more so."

After struggling to a 3-4 start in 2008, Nutt's first year at Ole Miss, the Rebels finally got accustomed to each other and to Nutt's system. After losing to South Carolina 31-24 and Alabama 24-20, they reeled off six straight wins to finish the year, including an impressive Cotton Bowl victory over Texas Tech that got the buzz started about 2009.

The buzz has only increased.

Not only are the Rebels, who breezed through their first two games by a combined score of 97-20, shooting for a 3-0 start for the first time since 1989, they are seeking to snap a five-game skid in SEC openers.

"There is nothing like winning," Nutt said.

"The next game is always the biggest game of the year," Nutt added. "This is the biggest game of the year -- it is the next game and the first conference game. We've got to improve, and our guys know that. Our guys know that we are in for a real battle and everybody has to improve -- special teams, defense and offense. Any set of 11 that we send on the field have to be at their best -- starting with this game here."

For the Gamecocks, this is another chance for coach Steve Spurrier to record that breakthrough win that has been so elusive for him in Columbia, S.C. South Carolina is 1-31 all-time against Top-5 teams.

The Gamecocks' only win came in 1981 at No. 3 North Carolina, they have never beaten a Top-5 team at Williams-Brice Stadium, and, under Spurrier in five seasons, they are just 1-7 against Top-10 opponents and 5-13 against Top-25 foes.

"We're looking to try and pull it together on offense, defense and special teams," Spurrier said. "We haven't done it yet this season, and we hope to Thursday night."

OFFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTS
LSU coach Les Miles is searching for more production from its offense in Saturday's game against Mississippi State.

LSU is 12th out of 12 teams in the SEC and 90th nationally with 325.7 yards a game in total offense. The running game is also 10th in the SEC and 48th nationally with 163.7 yards a game. The Tigers did not get more than 100 yards rushing in a 31-3 win over Louisiana-Lafayette last Saturday until deep into the second half.

"I think we're looking for the best recipe in whatever we do, and I don't think we've hit it just yet," Miles said. "I can tell you that I think we are on things and making strides, but I don't know if we've hit our pace just yet, and we're working at it. I think we have good players, and it will be the offensive staff's task to get the ball in the hands of the play makers. I think we're doing that. We're doing it with a little difficulty, but we're doing it.

"The pace quickens as we go to Mississippi State. We have to get better on offense."

TAKING EVERY PRECAUTION
Florida head coach Urban Meyer has voiced his concerns this week about the flu bug hitting the Gators' football team.

All possible precautions are being taken. Florida spokesperson Steve McClain told reporters Sunday that players received a nasal spray vaccine over the weekend, not flu shots. Hand sanitizers are everywhere -- from meeting rooms to the cafeteria and one was even seen sitting on top of a cabinet during Monday's news conference.

Wide receiver David Nelson told the media there are hand-sanitizer bottles in everyone's locker, that players are constantly being told to wash their hands, take showers and drink fluids.

"We knew it was a problem," Nelson said. "There are Purell bottles probably in everybody's locker, everywhere you turn they're telling you to wash your hands, take a shower. We knew there was something going on and a few players were getting sick but we didn't know the extent of it."

ANOTHER OPINION ON TEBOW
Veteran Kentucky coach Rich Brooks has seen his share of great players. If you are wondering what he thinks about Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, well, here it is:

"Well, to me, he's just one of the all-time great college football players," Brooks said. "I think at quarterback, he's a hybrid. He's a single-wing, tailback quarterback. And there aren't many guys like that playing anymore, and that's why he's so unique right now. I mean, you just don't find that combination.

"Let's face it, he carried the ball what, 25 times last week against Tennessee? How many quarterbacks are doing that in the country? And he can throw it; he can kill you with his arm, he can kill you with his legs. He is extremely unique. There used to be players like that. I played with one, by the name of Terry Baker. He did not weigh 235 or 240 pounds, but he ran the ball and he threw the ball. He won the Heisman Trophy. Those kinds of players in today's football are very unique at that position."

ENOUGH -- AGAIN
For the second time in five months, SEC commissioner Mike Slive has ordered head coaches Urban Meyer of UF and Lane Kiffin of Tennessee to stop bickering at each other.

Slive admonished the coaches at the SEC Spring Meetings in May after Kiffin falsely accused Meyer of cheating in recruiting and numerous coaches needled each other on various recruiting topics. The pair has been at it again following last Saturday's UF-UT matchup in The Swamp.

Meyer said Sunday he didn't think Tennessee was "going after the win" and had "no urgency" in a 23-13 loss. Kiffin pointed out Monday that Meyer "feels he doesn't need to follow" Slive's warning before taking a jab at Meyer mentioning sick players after the game.

RAIN NOT A CONCERN
Storms have pounded Atlanta and surrounding areas, dropping 15 to 20 inches of rain over three days, causing nine deaths and an estimated $250 million in damage. But fans looking forward to Saturday's games won't have to worry about weather being an issue.

Athens, Ga., home of the University of Georgia Bulldogs, has not been damaged by the storms. The Bulldogs are set to host Arizona State Saturday.

STAYING IN JACKSONVILLE
The University of Georgia's Athletic Association Board of Directors voted to negotiate a six-year extension to keep the annual Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville until 2016, the school announced Wednesday.

The current contract expires in 2010 and Georgia fans had pushed for the game to alternate between Jacksonville and Atlanta.

"An extraordinary amount of study has been done on the various options available and a great deal of input has been gathered," Georgia Athletic Director Damon Evans said in a release. "After all the fact-gathering and evaluation of those factors, I'm convinced that moving forward with discussions on extending the contract in Jacksonville is the appropriate way to go. I'm delighted the Board feels the same way."

SEC Notebook: Ole Miss Is Ready for the Ol' Ball Coach originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>steve spurrierSteveSpurriertim tebowTimTebowurban meyerUrbanMeyerJim HenryThu, 24 Sep 2009 09:09:00 EST SEC Notebook: Joe Cox's Many Maladieshttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/16/sec-notebook-many-maladies-of-joe-cox/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/16/sec-notebook-many-maladies-of-joe-cox/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/16/sec-notebook-many-maladies-of-joe-cox/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Joe CoxWeek 1 was the flu. Week 2 was shoulder soreness. OK, what's going on in Week 3?

The health of Georgia quarterback Joe Cox has been discussed, dissected and debated so much this young season that he could be a regular on General Hospital. Despite a jammed finger on his left non-throwing hand this week, Cox is in one piece -- and in good spirits. The rumors were so rampant last week that some believed Cox wouldn't start against South Carolina.

"It's definitely been interesting to see how crazy it can get just based off of what somebody says, but it hasn't been something that has been a distraction," said Cox, who injured his finger on an attempted tackle following an interception in the Bulldogs' win over South Carolina last Saturday.

"It's honestly something that we've all kind of laughed about."

While Georgia coach Mark Richt joked that Cox needed to wear an eye patch to meet with the media on Tuesday -- let's start another rumor -- Cox and the Bulldogs have been all business in their preparation for Saturday's SEC game at Arkansas. The Bulldogs have won the last five meetings against the Razorbacks, including all three in Fayetteville, Ark., and are on a five-game road SEC winning streak.

After losing its season-opener to Oklahoma State, Georgia rebounded with a dramatic 41-37 win at home over the Gamecocks. Arkansas was idle last week.

"It's like that old song," Richt said.

"You have to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative and don't mess with mister in between. That's what we are trying to do. We are trying to really look at the positive things and build off of them, eliminate the negative things and we'll be OK. We'll keep getting better if that happens."

One positive has been Georgia's production in the red zone. The Bulldogs are a perfect 6-for-6 inside their opponent's 20-yard line, scoring four touchdowns (one rushing, three passing) and connecting on a pair of field goals. Another has been the play from junior linebacker Rennie Curran, who leads the SEC with 23 tackles in two games.

And let's not forget Cox, who was slowed by a flu virus in the opening week -- he lost 10 pounds -- and last week Georgia revealed that nerve damage in Cox's right shoulder prevents him from throwing one day each week in practice. While the throwing schedule gives backup Logan Gray valuable time with the first-team offense, Cox finished with a career-high 201 yards passing and two touchdowns in the win over South Carolina.

"Everybody kind of understands that's the way it is," Richt said of Cox's throwing schedule.

"Nobody really gets too bent out of shape. It's always nice to get your second team guy a lot of work. A lot of coaches won't do that, but we've always done a pretty good job of letting our second team and our third team getting a little work, but it's even more so this year because of that situation. It's definitely helping Logan (Gray)."

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Bluegrass Fever

Kentucky has held the upper hand in the state, beating rival Louisville the past two years for the Governor's Cup and winning three consecutive bowl games. Kentucky looks to make it three straight over the Cardinals on Saturday.

The Wildcats enter the home game on a streak of 15 consecutive non-conference wins. It's the second-longest non-conference win streak in the nation and the longest for UK since a 17-game non-conference win stretch from 1954-60. Since mid-season 2006, the Wildcats have won 21 of their last 33 games overall.

Kentucky coach Rich Brooks is well aware how a victory over Louisville makes life so much easier.

"Well, you have to live in a vacuum to not hear about it all year long in this state," Brooks said.

"Any football fan, you hear it on the talk radio, you see it on the message boards, just everywhere and you hear it when you're out in public. You get constantly reminded of what side of that equation you're on but like the last two years we've been fortunate enough to win the game - that really doesn't count - what counts is what happens this year. This Saturday is what is really going to count."

A Familiar Face

Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy will face off against his old high school Saturday in North Texas' Tom Dodge, who coached McElroy at Southlake Carroll High just outside Dallas.North Texas starting quarterback Riley Dodge -- the son of coach Tom Dodge and McElroy's backup in high school -- will miss the game with a separated shoulder, however. Dodge was injured in the third quarter of Saturday's double-overtime loss to Ohio.

"That is disappointing," McElroy said.

"Riley has had a little run of bad luck. I wish I could be playing against him, but they've got to do what's best for them and their season. If holding them out against us will allow them to be more successful down the road this year, then I totally understand why they're doing it."

A Popular Dude

Branden Smith, a freshman cornerback at Georgia, played every position while at Washington-Atlanta and committed to Georgia to play cornerback. Smith also ran the fifth-fastest 100 meters (10.64 seconds) in Georgia high school history. Naturally, his speed and athleticism made Smith an easy candidate to see time on offense.

The first time Smith touched the ball against South Carolina, on a kickoff return in the first quarter, Smith fumbled. The second time, he was gone -- untouched for a touchdown on a 61-yard reverse on offense. Smith was stunned to discover he was an instant hero on campus.

"It has been hard walking around campus and people asking for autographs and everything," Smith said. "But right now I am just trying to stay focused on schoolwork. It has been a little weird that no one before asked me for my autographs, but I had a good game Saturday and now they ask me for autographs. It felt a little good."

Quick Impressions

Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen wasn't a happy camper following his team's 49-24 defeat to Auburn. The Bulldogs allowed 598 yards of total offense, including 390 on the ground. Mississippi State travels to Vanderbilt on Saturday.

"Not winning is not acceptable. I don't like using the 'L-word,'" Mullen said. "That is not acceptable for us and, when you don't come out on top, that is extremely disappointing."

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Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno answers a question during his weekly news conference on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 in State College, Pa. Penn State plays Temple at home on Saturday. (AP Photo/Pat Little)
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    Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno gestures as he answers a question during his weekly news conference on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 in State College, Pa. Penn State plays Temple at home on Saturday. (AP Photo/Pat Little)

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    Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno answers a question during his weekly news conference on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 in State College, Pa. Penn State plays Temple at home on Saturday. (AP Photo/Pat Little)

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    Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy speaks during a news conference in Stillwater, Okla., Monday, Sept. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

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    Wisconsin head football coach Bret Bielema screams during the second half of an NCAA football game Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, in Madison, Wis. It took two overtimes for a flu-ravaged Wisconsin team to defeat Fresno State. As the Badgers look toward Wofford this week, Bielema gives an update on how his team is handling the flu outbreak that affected 40 players last week. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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    In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, photo, Northwestern's Stefan Demos celebrates after kicking the game-winning 49-yard field goal against Eastern Michigan in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game in Evanston, Ill. Northwestern won 27-24. (AP Photo/David Banks)

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    In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, photo Penn State linebacker Sean Lee, left, walks away after sacking Syracuse quarterback Greg Paulus, right, during the second half of their NCAA college football game in State College, Pa. Lee was so active against Syracuse, it seemed like the Penn State linebacker spent all day leveling opponents behind the line of scrimmage. Any lingering doubts about the health of his surgically-repaired right knee were erased in a dominating performance against the Orange. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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    In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, photo, Penn State linebacker Sean Lee (45) stands with assistant coach Tom Bradley on the sideline during the second half of their college football game against Syracuse in State College, Pa. Lee was so active against Syracuse, it seemed like the Penn State linebacker spent all day leveling opponents behind the line of scrimmage. Any lingering doubts about the health of his surgically-repaired right knee were erased in a dominating performance against the Orange. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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    Oregon State's Jacquizz Rodgers rushes for a key fourth quarter gain on the wiining drive of the Beavers 23-21 win over UNLV in an NCAA college football game on Saturday Sept. 12, 2009 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Daniel Gluskoter)

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    COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 12: Running back Stafon Johnson #13 of the USC Trojans celebrates in the end zone with teammate Jarvis Jones #10 after scoring a two yard touchdown in the fourth quarter over the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on September 12, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. USC won the game 18-15. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Stafon Johnson; Jarvis Jones

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    COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 12: Running back Stafon Johnson #13 of the USC Trojans celebrates in the end zone after scoring a two yard touchdown in the fourth quarter over the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on September 12, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. USC won the game 18-15. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Stafon Johnson

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Improvement must come quickly. Mississippi State is in the middle of a tough stretch. After Saturday's game in Nashville, the Bulldogs come home to host LSU, Georgia Tech and Houston, which just knocked off Oklahoma State.

"Last week, I was disappointed in our coaching staff as far as not putting our players in better positions to make plays," Mullen said. "There were a couple times we did do a good job and we made some plays and missed some plays, but we still have to be in better position to make plays when it comes to game time. We have a lot of things to still improve on."

Ol' Bully

Steve Spurrier, the Ol' Ball Coach, hasn't been able to elevate South Carolina's program to where he wants it -- yet. The Gamecocks lost an SEC heart-breaker at Georgia last Saturday, and they will be looking to rebound in their home-opener on Saturday against Florida Atlantic.

It shouldn't be a problem.

Spurrier is 36-0 against teams outside the six major BCS conferences. The Owls visited Columbia, S.C., in 2006, losing 45-6. The 39-point margin is the second biggest win for the Gamecocks under Spurrier.

Spurrier, the gracious host, pointed out that the Owls have been to bowl games the past two years, beating Memphis in 2007 and Central Michigan in 2008. But he didn't mention that Florida Atlantic opened its season with a 49-3 loss to Nebraska. And, case if you are wondering, Spurrier wasn't in the mood to talk about the Georgia game either.

"That game is history," he said.

"A lot of guys played well; a lot did not play very well. We're trying to get it behind us, that's all we can do now. We lost as a team. We were a play short. Wherever it was, it didn't work out. We're trying to correct a lot of mistakes we had in that game. We had a lot of mistakes in the first game. I still believe we have a pretty good team here. We're trying to put it all together."

By the Numbers ... Trent Richardson ran for 118 yards and two scores, leading the Crimson Tide to an easy 40-14 win over Florida International last Saturday. McElroy threw for 241 yards and a touchdown on 18-of-24 completions. ...Tim Tebow threw for 237 yards and tied a career high with four touchdown passes against Troy. The Gators also tied a school record with its 12th straight win. ... Georgia's kickoff return team set a record with 252 return yards. Brandon Boykin had four returns for 187 yards and a score. ... LSU outgained Vandy, 326-210, in total offense in its victory ... Anthony Dixon paced Mississippi State with 92 rushing yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, but he wasn't able to keep pace with the Auburn backs in defeat. ... Stephen Garcia went 31-for-53 with 313 yards, two scores and an interception and added 42 yards on 10 carries in South Carolina's defeat against Georgia.. ... Vanderbilt scored on a safety for the first time since 2004 in its game against LSU.

SEC Notebook: Joe Cox's Many Maladies originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Branden Smithdan mullengreg mcelroyjoe coxrennie curransteve spurrierJim HenryWed, 16 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EST SEC Predictions 2009: Florida's Dance of The Inevitable, Ole Miss' Stumblehttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/18/sec-predictions-2009-floridas-dance-of-the-inevitable/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/18/sec-predictions-2009-floridas-dance-of-the-inevitable/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/18/sec-predictions-2009-floridas-dance-of-the-inevitable/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

We don't need to tell you what's coming, you saw it plenty with USC in 2005. Worse, we're not here to necessarily tell you to complain about it. Florida's awesome, deal with it. Enjoy it, even, at least as a college football fan. Everyone seemingly gets revved up for the David's of the sporting world but few things should leave us in more awe than a Goliath at peak brilliance.

Whether Florida can repeat the roll it went on to end last season is debatable, but our early guess is their performance in 2009 will be nearly insurmountable. As for the rest of the SEC, they're not too shabby, either, although we've got some brontosaurus femur sized bones to pick with some elements of the early consensus around programs like Ole Miss.

Our standings preview and records predictions after the jump.

SEC East

1) Florida (13-0 overall, 9-0 in the SEC) The Gators are obviously the most championship-ready team since the 2005 USC train that went undefeated through the regular season before falling to Texas in the Rose Bowl. Little else needs to be said. The schedule is manageable and the Gators can probably count on another trip to the SEC Championship Game and a victory over ... well, look below to see who rises atop the SEC West.

2) Georgia (9-3 overall, 5-3) We've got the Bulldogs losing to powerhouses LSU and Florida, but also a surprise road stumble at pesky Arkansas. With Matt Stafford and Knowshow Moreno the pressure's off and Georgia just seems to perform better in these scenarios. Every other word out of players' and coaches' mouths this year has been "team." We should be able to count on 2009 being a more focused, below-the-radar effort.

3) Kentucky (7-5 overall, 3-5) Somebody had to come out on top of the messy lower half of the SEC East and the Wildcats are it. They'll have the obvious losses to Florida, Alabama, Auburn and Georgia, plus drop one to South Carolina but get rescued by a surprise final-game victory at home against Tennessee.

4)Tennessee (7-5 overall, 3-5) Yeah, that loss to Kentucky will cost the Vols a solid third place SEC East showing for first-year coach Lane Kiffin. It should be an up and down season full of inconsistency and sometimes brilliance for a still-powerful program taking a new direction. The upshot is we have them beating UCLA in a national-interest game as well as upsetting preseason darling Mississippi. The receiver situation is scary and quarterback Jonathan Crompton has failed to impress in his four years but the lines will play fierce and there's that Eric Berry, the finest offensive player on defense in college football.

5) South Carolina (5-7 overall, 2-6) Well, at least they beat Kentucky and Vanderbilt. We like Stephen Garcia. A lot. But the last time he played he looked about as bad as a Steve Spurrier quarterback has played in wilting before Iowa in the Outback Bowl. He's had a long offseason to simmer about that performance and should return a new man but the rest of the offense is in shambles and the defense steps down a notch from solid units the last few years. Do the math.

6) Vanderbilt (4-8 overall, 1-7) In his seven seasons in Nashville coach Bobby Johnson has gone 0-8, 1-7, 1-7, 3-5, 1-7, 2-6 and 4-4 in conference play. This year is going to be another of those 1-7 efforts with a new quarterback taking over last year's 7-6 team. They should hustle for four wins in the first half of the season beating Western Carolina, Mississippi State, Rice and Army, but that final six is ugly with Georgia, South Carolina, Georgia Tech, Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee all lining up for battle.

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Louisville's Lincoln Carr, front, puts down a board to get ammo across without touching the yellow parts of the course during an Army leadership development exercise Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009, at Fort Knox, Ky. (AP Photo/Patti Longmire)
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    Louisville's Lincoln Carr, front, puts down a board to get ammo across without touching the yellow parts of the course during an Army leadership development exercise Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009, at Fort Knox, Ky. (AP Photo/Patti Longmire)

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    Louisville's Lincoln Carr, front, puts down a board to get ammo across without touching the yellow parts of the course during an Army leadership development exercise for the Louisville football team Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009, at Fort Knox, Ky. (AP Photo/Patti Longmire)

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    Louisville football players Victor Anderson, back, and Anthony Conner try to get the dummy across the obstacle during a leadership development course at Fort Knox, Ky., Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Patti Longmire)

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    Louisville football players Daniel Brown, front, and Andrew Robinson try to get a dummy across an obstacle course called "Cate's Culvert" during a leadership development course Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009, at Fort Knox, Ky. (AP Photo/Patti Longmire)

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    Staff Sgt. Dennis Kovalchick, center, gives instructions to the Louisville football team before a relay race course Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009, at Fort Knox army base in Kentucky. Members of the Louisville football team took part in an Army leadership development course. (AP Photo/Patti Longmire)

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    Staff Sgt. Dennis Kovalchick, center, gives instructions to the Louisville football team before a relay race course Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009, at Ft. Knox Army Base in Kentucky. Members of the Louisville football team took part in an Army leadership development course. (AP Photo/Patti Longmire)

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    Staff Sgt. Dennis Kovalchick, center, gives instructions to the Louisville football team before a relay race course Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009, at Ft. Knox Army Base in Kentucky. (AP Photo/Patti Longmire)

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    Boston College quarterback David Shinskie, center, takes part in practice during NCAA college football media day, Friday, Aug. 14, 2009, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

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    In this Oct. 25, 2008 photo provided by the University of Miami, Miami Hurricanes football player Chris Hayes (49) hugs his mother Kathie after Miami's win over Wake Forest. Hayes, a walk-on college football player gets word that his father, without warning, has taken his own life. He leaves the team to be at his mother's side for the funeral, is summoned back for game day so he can suit up for the first time, gets lost on the way to the stadium, is sent onto the field for the final play and is carried off atop his teammates' shoulders. (AP Photo/University of Miami, JC Ridley)

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    Photo provided by University of Miami, shows Miami football player Chris Hayes (49) is carried off the field after the Hurricanes defeated Wake Forest Oct. 25, 2008 in Coral Gables, Fla. The low point in Hayes' life came on the previous Monday, when he got the phone call that his dad had committed suicide. The high point of this Miami walk-on's life came five days later when his team carried off the field. (AP Photo/University of Miami, JC Ridley)

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SEC West

1) LSU (11-2 overall, 7-2 conference) The Tigers are back! They won't be as fierce as recent outfits as the defensive line takes it down a notch, but the Tigers will win more behind steady Jordan Jefferson. Two major fixes came about this offseason, with Mr. Pick Six Jarrett Lee losing out to Jefferson in the quarterback battle and coach Les Miles replacing the idiotic two-headed defensive coordinator setup of 2008 with the proven John Chavis who has run excellent SEC defenses at Tennessee for years. That won't be enough to beat Florida in the regular season or in the SEC championship game rematch, but its enough to fend off Alabama and other division foes.

2) Alabama (10-2 overall, 6-2 conference) The Crimson Tide will take a tiny step back this year as they break in a new quarterback. In time, he'll be more effective than the departed John Parker Wilson but the offense will grind until a rebuilt offensive line gets together and the 'Tide figure out who replaces Glen Coffee. The defense will be fierce, but so will Florida's, LSU's and Georgia's. We have Alabama losing to LSU and then dropping to rival Auburn in a final week shocker.

3) Auburn (8-4 overall, 5-3 conference) Where . Is . Ole . Miss ? Well, we'll get to them in a moment, or two. We're talking Auburn right now, patience please. Its not that we necessarily like the Gene Chizik hire but it came with a great offensive coordinator and a schedule in which the Tigers are constantly in a position to ruin others' seasons, something they're adept at. They'll be involved in a pair of SEC shockers this year, losing to woeful Mississippi State in week two but also felling powerful rival Alabama in the final week of the regular season. Oh they'll lose to West Virginia, LSU and Georgia as expected but the rest of the SEC slate is winnable including games against Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky and upstart Ole Miss.

4) Arkansas (8-4 overall, 4-4 conference) OK now we've gone and done it. Again, no Ole Miss. Hey don't blame us, blame the scheduling Gods. Like Auburn, the Razorbacks will play tremendous spoilers all year in the second effort with coach Bobby Petrino and dangerous, dangerous offense loaded with great backs and man-mountain quarterback Ryan Mallett. There won't be much defense here but the schedule sets up nicely. They'll drop the obvious games to Alabama, Auburn, Florida and LSU, but also pick off mighty Georgia at home in week two as well as Ole Miss in late October.

5) Ole Miss (7-5 overall, 3-5 conference) Here's how it will go down: The Rebels will open up 4-0 against the doughy soft slate of Memphis, Southeast Louisiana, South Carolina and Vanderbilt, but then cold hard reality will give way to disappointment. They'll lose at home to Alabama, rebound against UAB at homecoming the next week then stumble at home against sneaky-good Arkansas. That will have effectively ended their season given all the hype and they'll drop the Halloween road game to Auburn. They'll beat up on Northern Arizona the next week and then still crying in their Hotty Toddy's flop against surging Tennessee and powerhouse LSU before a get well road win against hapless Mississippi State. College football is such a psychological game and those two losses to Alabama and Arkansas will be more than enough to engineer a tailspin at a program not used to such great expectations.

6) Mississippi State (3-9 overall, 1-7 conference) Hey, they'll have beaten Auburn on the road so that's good right? Right?

SEC Predictions 2009: Florida's Dance of The Inevitable, Ole Miss' Stumble originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Brian GrummellTue, 18 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST Wildcats Are Stronger, Faster, but Still Underdogs Beyond the Bluegrasshttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/10/wildcats-are-stronger-faster-but-still-underdogs-beyond-the-blue/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/10/wildcats-are-stronger-faster-but-still-underdogs-beyond-the-blue/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/10/wildcats-are-stronger-faster-but-still-underdogs-beyond-the-blue/#commentsFiled under: ,

Rich Brooks, Kentucky coachRich Brooks doesn't take it personally. Even the veteran coach admits there was a time not so long ago when opponents thought they could chalk an automatic "W' in that column when facing the Kentucky Wildcats.

"It's not that way any more," Brooks said.

He's right, too. Kentucky's preseason practice moves into full pads Tuesday, and Brooks hasn't masked his belief that his team is better than a year ago. While expectations vary greatly around the SEC, Kentucky has never been confused for a football power, or semi-power. It's true the Wildcats have come a long way since Brooks took over and still have a long way to go.

But the Wildcats' confidence suggests they will make it, and the college football world always seems to pull for likeable underdogs.

"I know we're a better team than we were at this stage last year," Brooks said.

"In my mind, I think we are clearly better than we were at this time last year. Having said that, we have to go out on the field and win games, Offensively we're a team that virtually lost all of its production going into last season. This year we return virtually 80-percent of it, probably. The experience that those players gained last year is making them better going into this season. We've added a few new pieces to the puzzle that I am anxious to see how they play out in practice."

An important area where the Wildcats have made noticeable strides is in strength and conditioning. The numbers show significant improvement in overall team speed and quickness, along with gains in strength. In the 40-yard dash last spring, for instance, 27.5 percent of the Wildcats were timed at 4.63 seconds or better, up from 23-percent in 2008. In the squat lift, 30.4 percent of the team topped 500 pounds, up from 29.5 percent last season.

"When I got to Kentucky, the first year we had one player that could run [the 40] under 4.5. Last year we had 17," said Brooks, 32-41 in six seasons.

"We have more speed. We have more talent. We have players that are capable of playing at Florida and Georgia and Tennessee. I think that we've closed the gap on the talent level, which is the biggest significant difference in Kentucky football now versus four or five years ago."

Brooks inherited a Kentucky program in 2002 burdened by the effects of a severe NCAA probation. After three years of patience and tireless recruiting, the Wildcats enjoyed a breakout season in 2006. Their 8-5 record included a win over Georgia and a Music City Bowl victory over heavily favored Clemson, UK's first bowl win in 22 years.

The 2007 season produced another 8-5 mark and a Music City Bowl win over Florida State. The season also featured upsets of No. 9 Louisville and No. 1 LSU, which went on to win the national championship. And, despite heavy graduation losses, the 2008 squad clawed its way to another postseason appearance.

The Wildcats went 7-6, capped by a bowl victory over East Carolina. In the process, Brooks joined Paul "Bear" Bryant as the only two coaches in school history to advance into the postseason in three straight years, and marked the first time that UK won bowl games in three consecutive seasons.

To put it further in perspective, Kentucky is one of just 11 teams to win at least three bowl gamTrevard Lindleyes in a row, and boasts the second longest non-conference winning streak in the country, including bowls, trailing only LSU. So, it's easy to see why not even the media selecting Kentucky at the bottom of the SEC East at SEC Media Days last month ruined Brooks' mood. He wants his team to be viable.

"I can't say that I've never seen that, because I've seen some of those things. But I don't take anything personally," Brooks said.

"I think we have accomplished some things at Kentucky that I think are fairly significant in Kentucky football history. But in the grand scheme of things, in the SEC, it probably hasn't been that dramatic. I would say that whoever's coaching at Florida or LSU or Alabama or Georgia or Tennessee is almost always going to be ranked ahead of whoever's coaching at Kentucky and Vanderbilt. Whether that's justifiable or not, you know, who cares? I mean, that's just the way it is."

The way it is this year is that Kentucky does have some bright spots.

The offensive line just might be the best in recent seasons. The defense has its share of established playmakers, anchored by All-America candidate Trevard Lindley at corner. Kentucky also has a favorable schedule -- the Wildcats don't play their first road game until Oct. 10, this after welcoming Florida and Alabama to the Bluegrass State.

"I believe we have people lining up on 11 positions on defense that can start at a lot of schools in our league, and I'm talking about a lot of the big name schools," Brooks said. "So I think that this now has a chance to be clearly the best defensive team that I've had."

Bottom line, Kentucky has enough speed, athleticism and talent that players are demanding nothing less than another winning season.

"Changing the nation's perception of the program has been the goal from Day 1," offensive tackle Zipp Duncan said. "People now look at the schedule and see us as a serious threat. We play with confidence, come to come, and fight until the end."

And let's not forget about the 67-year-old Brooks, who doesn't show any signs of slowing down or has a time table to retire, even if offensive coordinator Joker Phillips last year agreed to become the program's head coach-in-waiting.

"I'm a relative youngster compared to a couple of my good friends in coaching, Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden, but I am still a relatively elder statesman," Brooks said. "I did not want the recruiting efforts of Kentucky to be hurt by the "impending retirement," or old age rumors where there may be a change in philosophy ... we did have a plan, and Joker Phillips is as qualified as anybody in the country to become a Division I head coach.

"I don't have a timetable. I'm not sure. Health is always a concern and an issue. I'm completely healthy. I'm fine. But if I'm not a year from now, I want to have something in place. And it's in place. I'm very encouraged by that."

As are Kentucky football fans.

Wildcats Are Stronger, Faster, but Still Underdogs Beyond the Bluegrass originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>rich brookstrevard lindleyZipp DuncanJim HenryMon, 10 Aug 2009 15:00:00 EST ESPN's Latest Obsession: The SEChttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/09/espns-latest-obsession-the-sec/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/09/espns-latest-obsession-the-sec/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/09/espns-latest-obsession-the-sec/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Last summer, the SEC signed a new $2.25 billion television rights deal with ESPN. The amount was staggering. ESPN is now on the hook for $150 million per year for the next 15 years. Now we know that every SEC football game will be televised on the network's broadcast partners, infinitely more basketball games will arrive on the network, and sundry lesser sports will also be featured.

It's a deal of tremendous implications that catapults SEC sports coverage into the realm of professional sports. What's been left unexamined is how this will change ESPN's news coverage of the league, and how that resulting coverage is going to make the SEC the de facto national college league of choice. Why? Because ESPN has spent so much money on the rights packages, the SEC has to be front and center.

Don't believe me? It's already happening.

Just take a look at Tennessee football and Kentucky basketball. Since Lane Kiffin's hire, Tennessee has soaked up all the world's supply of college football news. For several days in mid-May, five of the top 10 college football stories on ESPN.com were Tennessee features. Last week, six of 10 were Kentucky basketball stories. That means, for a while, Tennessee and Kentucky, just two programs out of the more than 450 combined top-division basketball and football teams, were receiving over half of ESPN's news coverage. In the process, ESPN has already set about making national figures of Kiffin and John Calipari.

You'll love these guys or you'll hate these guys, but no matter what you'll have an opinion.

And ESPN has picked two major figures that already have national profiles outside of the South to help drive ratings across the country. Coach Cal is very well known on the East Coast thanks to his tour of duty at UMass and his turn as head coach of the New Jersey Nets.

Similarly, Kiffin is well known to sports fans on the West Coast. He's got the sexy USC connection in Los Angeles, he's got a messy NFL divorce in Oakland, and now he's come South to take the helm of one of the SEC's most storied programs. Bang, you get two coaches with national renown on different coasts who ESPN can feature as lightning rods for national stories.

All of a sudden, a region's rivalries have become a nation's, as fans everywhere are being indoctrinated into the characters of SEC sports. Love them or hate them, you have an opinion of these two men. And if you have an opinion, you're more likely to tune into the sporting contests, making the upcoming seasons at Tennessee and Kentucky of national interest.

Latest College Football Images

    Former University of Arkansas football player Keith Jackson Jr., appears in a Little Rock, Ark., courtroom Friday, June 5, 2009, where he faced felony drug charges. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)

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    Former University of Arkansas football player Keith Jackson Jr., appears in a Little Rock, Ark., courtroom Friday, June 5, 2009, where he faced felony drug charges. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)

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    Exiled Tibetans attend an annual football tournament played between teams from various Tibetan refugee settlements spread across India at the Tibetan children's village school, in the northern Indian hill Town of Dharamsala June 4, 2009. REUTERS/Abhishek Madhukar (INDIA SPORT FOOTBALL)

    Reuters

    Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, center, smiles as he greets people before the "Evening With Joe" event Wednesday, May 27, 2009, in Fogelsville, Pa. Paterno said he'd like to see either Rutgers, Pittsburgh or Syracuse join the Big Ten. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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    Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno speaks with media in Fogelsville, Pa., before the "Evening With Joe" event on Wednesday, May 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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    Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, center, drops into a three-point stance with Matthew Rauscher, left, and Frankie Rauscher, right, before the "Evening With Joe" event Wednesday, May 27, 2009, in Fogelsville, Pa. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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    Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno speaks with media in Fogelsville, Pa., before the "Evening With Joe" event on Wednesday, May 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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    Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno speaks with media in Fogelsville, Pa., before the "Evening With Joe" event on Wednesday, May 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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    In this undated photo released by the University of Kentucky, Jeremy Jarmon is shown. Kentucky defensive end Jeremy Jarmon has been ruled ineligible for his senior season by the NCAA because of a failed drug test. He said at a news conference Saturday, May 23, 2009, he had inadvertently taken a banned substance that turned up positive during a random NCAA test in February. An appeal was denied, in effect ending his college football career. (AP Photo/University of Kentucky)

    AP

    In this Dec. 27, 2008, photo, Florida State's Corey Surrency signs autographs following the Champs Sports Bowl college football game in Orlando, Fla., against Wisconsin. The NCAA has denied Surrency's final appeal to play another year. The decision Tuesday, May 19, 2009, upheld an April ruling. It means the senior, who played just one year at Florida State, has used up his eligibility. (AP Photo/Reinhold Matay)

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And that is ratings gold.

Put plainly, Kiffin's been a lightning rod because ESPN has decided that Kiffin as a lightning rod of controversy sells really well. That doesn't mean there's not an element of truth to the characterization, but compare Kiffin's arrival and comments to Steve Spurrier in the early '90s. Kiffin is nowhere near what Spurrier was then. Yet Kiffin's received more media attention relative to his peers than Spurrier ever has. And he hasn't even won a college game yet.

Look at the secondary violation issue. Last year, NCAA member institutions reported almost 4,000 of them, the bigger the program, the more likely the violations are to occur. In 2005-06 alone, Oklahoma reported 46. These secondary violations don't really matter. Yet each of Kiffin's has been covered as an individual story.

But Lane Kiffin as a crazy, wild man sells.

ESPN has branded him as such and every minor thing that Kiffin does, whether it's fire a strength and conditioning coach (seriously, that's a national story?) or allow ESPN's own cameras to film him speaking to recruits on Outside the Lines (oops, another violation) feeds that branding fire.

The same is true of Calipari. Cal's gotten more heat since arriving at Kentucky than he got in nine years at Memphis. Part of that is the byproduct of the Derrick Rose mess, but another part of it is that ESPN needed Coach Cal at Kentucky even more than the most diehard Wildcat fan. Why? Because you already have an opinion about Coach Cal. You already think he's the dirtiest coach on earth, or you think he's the best recruiter on the planet. You care whether Coach Cal wins or not, you want to watch his teams play. But you don't want to watch his teams play against Tulane and Tulsa.

You want Coach Cal on that wall, you need Coach Cal on that wall. Just not as much as ESPN does.

I'm not one of those guys who believes ESPN is evil. I think, by and large, corporations make decisions that they believe will benefit their bottom line. But ESPN is so large they have the ability to make their perceptions everyone else's reality. If ESPN reports it as a story, it's not just featured for the tens of millions of viewers who watch ESPN, every other major and minor media outlet in the country is chasing after them.

Here's the real crux of the matter, what makes ESPN's deal with the SEC different than their deals with the NBA, MLB, or the NFL. They've selected one particular conference and anointed them as the all-powerful king. Unlike pro sports where every team gets an equal chance at a championship, college sports are governed by perception. How do we decide who plays for the national championship in football? Our perception of who we think is the best. How do we seed teams in the NCAA basketball tournament? Our perception of which conference or team is the best. How do recruits decide which schools to attend? Their perception of who is the best.

ESPN drives the perception boat in sports, and there's no one bobbing in their wake, no one close behind to challenge them: ESPN is a sports perception monopoly.

For the past decade or so every football conference has enjoyed waging war against each other over who's the best. With the SEC's deal with ESPN, that debate is over. Even if the SEC isn't the best, sports fans will all believe it is. Why? Because ESPN told them so. I'm an SEC fan, born and bred and I'm thrilled that every game I'll ever want to see will be on national television in HD, but I never thought I'd ever get to the point where the loudest, "SEC, SEC, SEC," chanter in the universe was a national sports behemoth.

Strange days are here, just ask Kiffin and Coach Cal.

ESPN's Latest Obsession: The SEC originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>espnjohn calipariJohnCaliparilane kiffinLaneKiffinClay TravisTue, 09 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST Kiffin Shatters SEC Coaching Moldhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/05/27/kiffin-shatters-sec-coaching-mold/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/05/27/kiffin-shatters-sec-coaching-mold/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/05/27/kiffin-shatters-sec-coaching-mold/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lane Kiffin, the SEC's Br'er RabbitThe SEC coaches meetings rolled into Destin, Fla., this week, and Lane Kiffin washed ashore.

You know Kiffin, the man who brought a Molotov cocktail to the SEC tea party, the guy who coaches like tickets have to be sold for the latest WWE event. You halfway expect for him to enter press conferences wearing orange tights, grab the mike, scream invectives at his rivals, then spike the microphone, kiss his biceps, and leave without taking questions. Kiffin coaches college football like Vince McMahon helms the WWE, it's all about creating a buzz.
In six months, Kiffin has soaked up all the news in the college football atmosphere. We can argue about whether that's deserved, given that he hasn't even coached a game, or whether Kiffin's every comment is being treated as bigger news than it is because ESPN just ponied up a princely sum to carry SEC athletic events, and nothing sells better than a crazed renegade running around with a chainsaw in America's most storied conference. The Southeastern Conference is a place where they name streets after coaches, not where coaches moon opposing teams as they drive by. But what all of this attention has missed is something more profound, Kiffin represents a new generation of SEC coach, and people haven't gotten a handle on that yet

If you wanted to define SEC coaches as if you were an archeologist poring over data, the layers would look something like this (and the dirt would overlap quite a bit, but I think you'd see a clear demarcation):

Regional coaches who graduated from the school --From Bear Bryant at Alabama all the way up to Phil Fulmer at Tennessee. These were Southern men who helmed their schools after graduating from the institutions, homegrown boys who became men on the fields of the colleges they'd grown to love. Men without flash or substance who didn't particularly care for the media. Their quotes are emblematic of the time. Think of Bear Bryant saying, "I left Texas A&M because my school called me. Momma called and when momma calls, you come running."

This era ended in the SEC when Tennessee fired Fulmer. Never again will we see the likes of Fulmer's press conference where he broke down crying on national television. That era is over. The SEC has gone national.

Latest College Football Images

    In this undated photo released by the University of Kentucky, Jeremy Jarmon is shown. Kentucky defensive end Jeremy Jarmon has been ruled ineligible for his senior season by the NCAA because of a failed drug test. He said at a news conference Saturday, May 23, 2009, he had inadvertently taken a banned substance that turned up positive during a random NCAA test in February. An appeal was denied, in effect ending his college football career. (AP Photo/University of Kentucky)

    AP

    In this Dec. 27, 2008, photo, Florida State's Corey Surrency signs autographs following the Champs Sports Bowl college football game in Orlando, Fla., against Wisconsin. The NCAA has denied Surrency's final appeal to play another year. The decision Tuesday, May 19, 2009, upheld an April ruling. It means the senior, who played just one year at Florida State, has used up his eligibility. (AP Photo/Reinhold Matay)

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    In this Nov. 1, 2008, photo, Boston College's Mark Herzlich plays against Clemson in an NCAA college football game in Boston. Herzlich, the Atlantic Coast Conference defensive player of the year, has cancer. Herzlich said Thursday, May 14, 2009, he was diagnosed earlier this week with Ewing's Sarcoma after feeling pain in his leg and will undergo more tests in his home state of Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

    AP

    Josh Halter is swarmed by family and friends after being named the drum major for The Ohio State University Marching Band in Columbus, Ohio, Tuesday, May 5, 2009. (Jeff Hinckley/Columbus Dispatch/MCT)

    MCT

    Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, speaks to the media in Arlington, Va. on Tuesday, May 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

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    Penn State football coach Joe Paterno speaks to reporters in Arlington, Va., on Tuesday, May 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

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    Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, speaks to the media in Arlington, Va. on Tuesday, May 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

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    Taylor Stokes wears his letter jacket on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, May 1, 2009. Stokes was the first black scholarship football player at Vanderbilt, and has returned 40 years later to finish his degree. He will graduate on May 8. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

    AP

    Taylor Stokes wears his letter jacket on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, May 1, 2009, in front of a statue of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the founder of the university. Stokes was the first black scholarship football player at Vanderbilt, and has returned 40 years later to finish his degree. He will graduate on May 8. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

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    Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner and Bowl Championship Series coordinator John Swofford, left, and West Mountain Conference Commissioner Craig Thompson, right, are sworn in before giving their testimony before the House Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection Subcommittee hearing on the football Bowl Championship Series on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, May 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

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Mercenary national coaches -- Florida's Urban Meyer is the quintessential mercenary, a man who arrived at Florida with no connection to the program and cooly selected the Gators over Notre Dame because he believed it would be easier to win a national championship there. Meyer isn't alone, his hiring set off the trend to look towards men like Bobby Petrino or Nick Saban. Proven coaches who ride into town and immediately announce that their word is law. They set up residence in a baronial mansion and set about constructing a team that can compete for a national championship. They aren't Southern, they're just very good at what they do.

Currently, everyone is chasing Meyer. But Meyer and the other mercenaries, men who bear no connection to their schools or states, share the same staid demeanor of the regionalists. They disdain controversy, consider nothing to be more important than football. While they're mercenaries, they play by the public rules of the regionalists, genuflect at the high altar of Southern college football. While the coaches have changed, the game hasn't. No one has walked into the room, thrown their boots up on the table and struck a match off the end of that boot.

Except once before.

And that man was named Steve Spurrier.

Spurrier demands his own crazy circle. He upset the SEC apple cart when he rolled into Gainesville. A regionalist by era, Spurrier played for and graduated from Florida before taking the helm of the Gator program. But he didn't play by the rules of the regionalists. Spurrier was the P.T. Barnum of college football, a one-man band, a wrecking crew of epic proportions who never met a quote he didn't like, or an insult grenade he couldn't flippantly toss over his shoulder as he walked away from a meeting.

After the explosion, he'd grin and say, "What, me?"

Even if your team got crushed by Spurrier, you liked him. Hell, my team could never beat Spurrier and I couldn't help laughing when he said you couldn't spell Citrus without UT or pronounced the 1996 Vols, who lost to the Memphis Tigers, Knox County Champions. That was genius, and it made football fun, helped strip away the overdone grandiosity that can, at times, threaten the fevered excitement of SEC football. We ain't playing golf down here.

On the field, Spurrier's fun-and-gun offense revolutionized the SEC, took a brand of boring rushing football from the 1970's and brought it into a new era. Every SEC team that has won a national championship since 1990, when Spurrier arrived at Florida (Alabama, Tennessee, LSU, yes, Florida under Meyer), owes a portion of their national title to Spurrier's forcing the SEC to step up their offensive and defensive games and redefine the way football was played. He raised the bar across the region. And he represents his own category of coach.

WWE entertainers -- Spurrier and Kiffin

Only now Spurrier is at South Carolina. Being at the conference's 8th best program and going 26-22 over the past four years there has mellowed Spurrier. Now he's offended by braggadocio. As quick to gig a rival as the last man, now Spurrier quietly stares at golf flags and wonders how his great offenses have been reduced to relying on Stephen Garcia --Stephen Garcia !--at quarterback. Football, at long last, has humbled him. The Spurrier everyone in my generation grew up loving, or loving to hate, is gone.

Enter Lane Kiffin.

There's no doubt that Kiffin is a mercenary. I'm convinced he couldn't have placed Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville correctly in west, middle, and east Tennessee one year ago. But he's also something new, something exciting, a coach who doesn't genuflect at the altar of SEC history and never went to school here. He's just 34. When Bear Bryant died, Kiffin was 7. And living outside the South. There's never been any point in time during which Kiffin wasn't watching sports on television. He came of age in a time when sports was a spectacle sold as high entertainment. He probably bought Wrestlemania on pay-per-view, went to bed at night after putting away his plastic Macho Man wrestler. For him, SEC football isn't life, it's entertainment. And guess what, that's exactly how an awful lot of the top recruits in America feel. Why? Because they've all grown up in the same era as Kiffin.

And that's a seismic departure from everyone who has come before him.

Except Spurrier.

And we all know the wave of change that Spurrier unleashed on the SEC. Spurrier paved the way for almost two decades of Southern football dominance. Everyone raised their games to compete with his teams.

You can argue that Lane Kiffin is too brash, too outspoken not to have won a single game, you can argue that he's a fool. You can point to Spurrier and say that even Spurrier kept his mouth shut until he'd won a few games. I can accept all those arguments. You can even say that putting Kiffin alongside Spurrier is a gross exaggeration of Kiffin's abilities as a coach. I just happen to think you're wrong.

The SEC times they are a changin', and sometimes it takes a mercenary outsider who would make P.T. Barnum blush to make us all realize that the reason we all pay so much attention to SEC football is because it's so damn entertaining. Lane Kiffin is the SEC's newest grenade tosser and while he may not know the stories himself, I know exactly who he is: the SEC's own Br'er Rabbit, the wily rabbit of Southern folklore who could talk himself out of trouble as well as he could work himself into it.

The rest of the SEC keeps on throwing up their arms, gnashing their teeth, and tossing him right back into that thorny briar patch. We all know how that turned out. At least those of us who are Southern do. Rabbits do pretty well for themselves amid the thorns.

Kiffin Shatters SEC Coaching Mold originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 27 May 2009 10:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>bear bryantBearBryantbobby petrinoBobbyPetrinolane kiffinLaneKiffinphil fulmerphillip fulmersteve spurrierSteveSpurrierurban meyerUrbanMeyerClay TravisWed, 27 May 2009 10:26:00 EST Turkey Legs to Go: Liberty Bowl Travel Guide, Kentucky vs. East Carolinahttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/12/17/turkey-legs-to-go-liberty-bowl-travel-guide-kentucky-vs-east/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/12/17/turkey-legs-to-go-liberty-bowl-travel-guide-kentucky-vs-east/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/12/17/turkey-legs-to-go-liberty-bowl-travel-guide-kentucky-vs-east/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Turkey Legs to Go is FanHouse's complete travel guide for all of the 2008-2009 college bowl games. Here, we cover the Liberty Bowl (Memphis, Tennessee), which pits Kentucky against East Carolina.

Overview/Matchup: A strong finish by the East Carolina Purple Pirates -- including a Conference USA championship -- has them headed to a rare post-New Year's bowl game. Skip Holtz -- who already announced he would return to Greenville next year -- has a tough matchup in Kentucky, if only because the Pirates are so dinged up. It would be tougher but Wildcat signal caller Randall Cobb appears to be out for this contest, and that will make a Beale Street victory that much tougher to come by for UK.

Hotels: There isn't much in the way of luxury accommodation near the stadium, so downtown near Beale Street is the next best thing. The five-mile drive to the stadium is well worth it. The Westin Memphis Beale Street is a trendy new downtown establishment with modern design, luxurious guest rooms and good quality on-site dining. The Doubletree Hotel Memphis is a great midrange hotel with a good location. The guestrooms are comparable with the much ritzier Peabody, but at a much more reasonable price. Budget-minded travelers should stay at the Artisan Hotel. The hotel is just two miles from the stadium and offers rooms for less than US$100 per night.


Restaurants: If you're looking for fine dining, or just need a celebratory steak, try Grill 83 in the Madison hotel. Over time it's earned a reputation for serving the finest steaks in town. Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous (known in town as "The Rendezvous") is one of Memphis' all-time great barbeque restaurants and is known nationwide for its exceptional ribs and superior service. For a cheap delicious meal, head to Interstate Bar-B-Que. Many aficionados consider it the finest spot for a pork sandwich in the city.

Nightlife: While paying a visit to Memphis, taking in some live music is a must. Try B.B. King's Blues Club, Rum Boogie Café, or The Lounge for great Memphis blues on Beale Street. All of the clubs charge a cover (usually around five dollars unless there's a big name) but the money is well worth it for a true Memphis experience.

All travel related information provided by Professional Travel Guide.

Turkey Legs to Go: Liberty Bowl Travel Guide, Kentucky vs. East Carolina originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>randall cobbRandallCobbskip holtzSkipHoltzturkeylegsbowlguideturkeylegstogoWill BrinsonWed, 17 Dec 2008 15:15:00 EST Ty Willingham, Who Would Know, Says Notre Dame Did the Right Thing With Charlie Weishttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/12/06/ty-willingham-who-would-know-says-notre-dame-did-the-right-thi/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/12/06/ty-willingham-who-would-know-says-notre-dame-did-the-right-thi/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/12/06/ty-willingham-who-would-know-says-notre-dame-did-the-right-thi/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

As the coaching carousel keeps turning, the newly-available Ty Willingham might be expected to be bitter. After all, his record at Notre Dame was essentially the same as Charlie Weis' after three seasons. Yet Willingham got the gate from the Domers, while Weis got the dreaded vote of confidence from his athletic director this week. You wouldn't blame Willingham if all of a sudden he started talking like Yosemite Sam with a habanero seed stuck in his throat. Gibbering, barely coherent anger would seem to be an appropriate response to such a regrettable circumstance.

Whatever you may think of Willingham as a coach, he said the right thing about Weis, and about coaches in general.
"It's not just my issue, it's a college football issue - we have to give coaches a chance to do their job," Willingham said Thursday from Seattle, where he recently was fired as the University of Washington's coach after four seasons, the last of them winless.

"Because now we have coaches ... especially some of the minority coaches ... they are losing their jobs after 2 1/2 years. That's not right."
Indeed, it's not right, as I said earlier this year. The situation hasn't gotten better. Who's to blame?

All of us, of course. We're the ones who forget that the NCAA, as a whole, finishes with a .500 record every season. We're the ones who somehow seem to think that every coach is Bob Stoops or Urban Meyer and can be expected to deliver a national title no later than their second season. We're the ones who want every coach to be Johnny Majors on the field and Johnny Carson off of it. Is that too much to expect?

Go ask yourselves how many fanbases in NCAA football are truly happy with their head coaches right now. I would wager you come up with fewer than 20. Sure, every message board has its share of doomsayers, the sort of permanently honked-off crabcakes who aren't happy unless they're upset about something. There are still far too many of us who think every season should be a 10-win season and all our team's bowl games should be played no earlier than January 1st.

Willingham has tried his hardest to stay out of the Weis situation, and he's gone the extra mile to avoid injecting any discussion of race into his comments. There's little question, though, that most of the head coach positions offered to African-Americans recently have been difficult situations. Granted, Turner Gill should have gotten everybody's attention last night with Buffalo's stunning takedown of Ball State. Kevin Sumlin will take Houston to a bowl game in his first season.

But Randy Shannon has found the going difficult at Miami. Sylvester Croom is gone from Mississippi State, a place where success is as rare as subzero temperatures. Ron Prince got a whopping two and a half seasons to prove himself at Kansas State. All those fanbases will claim, with some justification, that their opinion of their coaches has or had nothing to do with race, and they may well be right. It's hard to argue with Willingham's firing after a winless season, after all.

It's also hard to ignore the fact, though, that the trend of naming a top assistant as "head coach in waiting" has only extended to a single African-American coach, Kentucky offensive coordinator Joker Phillips. Maybe Ty Willingham is being too generous.

Ty Willingham, Who Would Know, Says Notre Dame Did the Right Thing With Charlie Weis originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 06 Dec 2008 12:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>joker phillipsJokerPhillipskevin sumlinKevinSumlinron princeRonPrincesylvester croomSylvesterCroomturner gillTurnerGillty willinghamtyrone willinghamtyronewillinghamTyWillinghamMark HastySat, 06 Dec 2008 12:40:00 EST Now It Can Be Said: Bowl Eligible Vanderbilthttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/11/15/now-it-can-be-said-bowl-eligible-vanderbilt/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/11/15/now-it-can-be-said-bowl-eligible-vanderbilt/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/11/15/now-it-can-be-said-bowl-eligible-vanderbilt/#commentsFiled under: , ,

It is not the apocalypse. It is not the end of days. It may have something to do with the global recession, but that is probably just a coincidence. Vanderbilt got that elusive sixth win with a 31-24 win over Kentucky to become bowl eligible.

For the first time since 1982, Vandy will finish with a .500 or better record. They will finish no worse than 4-4 in the SEC this year. They will have their first crack at going to a a bowl game since the 1982 Hall of Fame Bowl (the Commodores lost to Air Force).

Vanderbilt did it much like they did when they started the season 5-0. They ran the ball (44 carries for 228 yards) and controlled the clock (almost 40 minutes on offense). When they did throw, it was short and not particularly pretty (15-27, 156 yards). It worked well enough, and Vandy held on for the win.

Now It Can Be Said: Bowl Eligible Vanderbilt originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 23:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Chas RichSat, 15 Nov 2008 23:40:00 EST Road To Atlanta: Who Can Win the SEC East?http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/10/26/road-to-atlanta-who-can-win-the-sec-east/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/10/26/road-to-atlanta-who-can-win-the-sec-east/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/10/26/road-to-atlanta-who-can-win-the-sec-east/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Most teams are just over halfway through their conference slate and the SEC conference championship picture is starting to take shape. There are teams with relatively unobstructed paths to Atlanta, while others will need an awful lot of help. We're going to run them all down so you don't sound like a moron around the water cooler on Monday. We'll start with the East. Look for the same treatment for the more interesting West later today (Road To Atlanta: Who Can Win the SEC West?).

With virtually every team sitting on at least one conference loss, it becomes important to understand how the SEC breaks ties (this link also covers basketball, so some of it is more complicated than necessary for football) within the division. This can get complicated in a hurry, but the basic gist is this: in the case of a two-team tie, the head-to-head winner gets it. In the case of a 3+ team tie, CBS and ESPN get to pick.

Just kidding. In the case of a multi-tie, the combined head to head record is looked at first. If all of the teams ended up at 1-1 against the other two, they next look at the divisional record. There are more steps, but once the multi-way tie has been broken, it reverts to the head-to-head match up. Okay, now on with the fun stuff:

1. Georgia/Florida (7-1, 4-1 SEC): both teams are coming off pretty big conference wins, have identical records, and will face-off next week. Both of their losses came against SEC West opponents, and it doesn't really look like anyone else is going to catch them. The winner of the rivalry game formerly known as the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party will have the inside track. But does the loser have a chance to get back in? Yes!

The losing team will drop to 4-2 in the SEC, while the winner will move to 5-1. In order for the loser of next week's game to make it to Atlanta, they would have to win their two remaining conference games while the other team loses both of theirs (Georgia has Kentucky and Auburn, Florida faces Vandy and South Carolina). That's an unlikely scenario, although smart money gives Vanderbilt and the Cocks a better chance of both beating Florida than Auburn has of sniffing the end-zone against the Dawgs.

Prognosis: the game Saturday in Jacksonville is for all of the [SEC East] Marbles. Win and you've got a good shot.

3. Vanderbilt (5-3, 3-2 SEC): Vandy is off this week, but being only a game back has its advantages. They will need a loss from the winner of Saturday's Georgia/Florida game. If the winner is Georgia (who has already beaten the Commodores) they'll need two losses in the last three games. Meanwhile, Vandy will, in all likelihood, need to win each of their remaining three games against Florida, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Losing to any of them will likely put Atlanta too far out of reach, although it will take at least two losses before they're mathematically eliminated.

Prognosis: They're definitely a long-shot to win, but it wouldn't take anything to terribly crazy to sneak in. Still probably not going to happen.

4. South Carolina (5-3, 2-3 SEC): Are you ready for things to get interesting? The Cocks can still make it to Atlanta! Here's how: first, WIN OUT. A conference loss will immediately eliminate them from contention as the winner of the Georgia/Florida game will finish the season with at most three conference losses. They also need Florida to beat Georgia. Georgia has already beaten Spurrier's Cocks, so if the Dawgs win this weekend, they would have the tie-breaker over South Carolina if it came down to that. Assuming Florida does beat Georgia, they would then need to both of their remaining games. In order for a 3-loss SC team to get to Atlanta, some other teams would need to lose as well. Here's a quick look at exactly what it would take (unhighlighted games are insignificant):



Kentucky has already lost to South Carolina and therefore, if SC wins out, they would stave off the 3-way tie with UK/Florida by virtue of being 2-0 against them. They also need Vandy to drop their games to both Kentucky AND Tennessee while beating Florida since Vandy beat South Carolina back in week 2. This is the only way it would work out. Anything happens that doesn't match the chart above kills South Carolina's chances.

Prognosis: Dire. While stranger things have probably happened in college football, they need a LOT of help.

5. Kentucky (5-3, 1-3 SEC): In much the same way that South Carolina still has a shot because they haven't yet lost to Florida, Kentucky has a shot because they haven't yet lost to Georgia. They need a Georgia Cocktail Party win and to win all of their games. What's more, since they've already lost to South Carolina, they need the Cocks to pick up a 4th loss, but it would need to come against UT or Arkansas, since a Florida win would lock Kentucky out of the hunt. Here's what Kentucky's chart looks like:



As usual, Tennessee is out of the race. Vandy would be out by virtue of their head-to-head loss to Kentucky (hypothetically) and the rest would fall into place.

Prognosis: Even more dire than South Carolina's.

6. Tennessee (3-5, 1-4 SEC): Eliminated. Having already lost to both Georgia and Florida, and being able to amass -- at best -- a 4-4 conference record, they cannot win the SEC East.

Prognosis: Dead in the water. No chart can save them now.

Road To Atlanta: Who Can Win the SEC East? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 26 Oct 2008 11:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Pete HolidaySun, 26 Oct 2008 11:30:00 EST Rich Brooks is Irritated With Kentucky Fanshttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/10/21/rich-brooks-is-irritated-with-kentucky-fans/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/10/21/rich-brooks-is-irritated-with-kentucky-fans/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/10/21/rich-brooks-is-irritated-with-kentucky-fans/#commentsFiled under: , ,

One team that seems to be operating completely under the radar in 2008 is Rich Brooks' Kentucky Wildcats.

At 5-2, playing without their two best offensive players (RB Derrick Locke and WR Dicky Lyons) the 'Cats are still playing solid, if unspectacular ball and surviving in the dog-eat-dog world of the SEC.

Kentucky's most recent feat was a comeback win over Arkansas. Down 20-7, the 'Cats mounted a furious rally to win in the final moments, 21-20. It was a great game that didn't garner much national attention, but it demonstrated the gritty, tough attitude that Kentucky football has cultivated since the arrival of Rich Brooks.

Now if only the fans could get on the same page.

Down three scores, fan in Commonwealth Stadium began filing out, no doubt expecting the usual futility once associated with Kentucky football. Brooks didn't appreciate it a bit. From his press conference after the game:

"After the last two years? No, I don't (think fans should have left) but that's their prerogative," Brooks said. "I wasn't very happy at that stage of the game either and I'm looking for everything I can on the sideline to get our players back into it mentally. That's part of the cascading affect that can have a real negative attitude on your football team. When those things happen around you you have to be strong enough to not let them affect you.

"I find it interesting about the perception of Kentucky football. What's the 'Bluegrass Miracle'? Now, you would think the Arkansas game might be better termed the 'Bluegrass Miracle' on the positive side so our 'Bluegrass Miracle' is a negative thing with Kentucky football. I find that very interesting. I find it interesting that you get more phone calls after a loss on the call-in shows than you do after a win. You might call that negativity, you know, the old glass half full, glass have empty."
It's a sad state of affairs when a football team can't even rely on their home crowd to help get them back in the game. These 'Cats dug deep and pulled themselves out of a deep hole, with no thanks at all to those who left. Support your team, Kentuckians!

Rich Brooks is Irritated With Kentucky Fans originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:16:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Ryan FergusonTue, 21 Oct 2008 13:16:00 EST Mnnnnoooogod, It's Over: That Was Not Your Slightly Older Brother's Louisville Teamhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/08/31/mnnnnoooogod-its-over-that-was-not-your-slightly-older-brothe/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/08/31/mnnnnoooogod-its-over-that-was-not-your-slightly-older-brothe/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/08/31/mnnnnoooogod-its-over-that-was-not-your-slightly-older-brothe/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


One of the many staples of Louisville Cardinal football for the past few years has been high octane, statistically fueled 50-plus point games. Tonight, in a super-special, happy-fun-time Sunday afternoon football game, they scored ... two.

Yes, two. Hint to Coach K-Thorpe: if I have to type your team's score out in letters, you are doing a poor job with your offensive scheming and gameplanning. Work on that. Quickly.

Kentucky wasn't exactly the Andre Woodson-inspired offensive juggernaut for most of the game either, racking up 17 of their 27 in about the time for me to say "____ this boring ___ ____" and go take a shower. (In actuality, it was a field goal, a touchdown and a defensive touchdown in the span of seven minutes).

Hunter Cantwell, no Brian Brohm he, went 20/43 for 135 yards and three interceptions. Hard to imagine a scenario where Louisville fans would ever want/take Bobby Petrino back, but, yeah, this is it. (Aside: or do they even really hate him? I probably would, but then I have a soul.)

There's still plenty of season left and they could still win the Big East at this point, I suppose -- the defense did look pretty decent -- but Steve Kragthorpe's reign as UL coach is not going spectacularly thus far.

Short Story Short:
The good news: Lousville's offense really won't be that bad because of ...

The bad news: Kentucky's defense is pretty good. Remind me to re-tool this little piece to include "SEC SPEED" as something I'm already sick of hearing.

Mnnnnoooogod, It's Over: That Was Not Your Slightly Older Brother's Louisville Team originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 31 Aug 2008 19:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Andre WoodsonAndreWoodsonSteve KragthorpeSteveKragthorpeWill BrinsonSun, 31 Aug 2008 19:25:00 EST SEC Preview: The Dregshttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/08/07/sec-preview-the-dregs/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/08/07/sec-preview-the-dregs/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2008/08/07/sec-preview-the-dregs/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


As hierarchical as I-A college football is (indeed, much more so than any other American sport), nowhere is the caste system writ larger than in the SEC, where the good stay good, the bad stay bad, and Phil Fulmer stays comically overweight. Were EPL-style relegation ever to be implemented, you may rest assured that no more than two SEC programs would ever be in danger, and we're lucky enough to meet them both again today (plus a few new friends!).

After the jump, the four teams without a prayer of going .500 in the SEC in 2008...

ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS
Here's the worst thing you can say about a college football team's prospects for an upcoming season: their biggest stories are about people who aren't even there anymore. Those who are left are but sideshows to the larger circus that is Arkanas's impending disaster of a 2008 season.

For example: Is Houston Nutt going to be missed? Maybe, though he shouldn't be. Even Herr Wanderlusten Bobby Petrino is an upgrade at the top spot, and Nutt seems perfectly content to crawl into his own SEC grave with the Rebs. Sure, Arkansas is quite vulnerable to a Minnesota-like slide to the muck and the mire, but it was bound to happen anyway.

And why are they bound to regress? Let's ask another question instead: Are Darren McFadden and Felix Jones going to be missed? HOLY LORD YES. To call Arkansas's offense moribund is an affront to the noble institution of death. Between the tailbacks' departure, Freddie Fairchild's descent into criminality, and terrible recruiting, the level of talent at Arkansas is the lowest in years.

Even though Petrino's got a remarkable offensive pedigree, schematic overhauls don't happen overnight--especially not with Casey Dick at the helm. Expect gruesome pain in 2008.

KENTUCKY WILDCATS

Yes, the other team to beat national champion LSU is here in the 2008 Dregs, too. Idiot SEC Partisan Hack asks: "What does this say about Ohio State? Ninth in SEC? LOL LMAO!!!!!" Answer: Go ahead and put Kentucky and Arkansas up against the Buckeyes and see what happens. Thought so.

Anyway, If Darren McFadden isn't the biggest departure in the SEC, then it must be Andre Woodson; losing him pushes Kentucky from "fringe contender" straight back to "punching bag." Their quarterback situation is a disaster, they don't get any scheduling favors, and Rich Brooks isn't a very good coach (though we're sure what he has to say about that appraisal). I don't see a single thing going for the Wildcats this year.

OLE MISS REBELS
>
Let's be clear: it's incredibly tempting to write this part like departed coach Ed Orgeron. But Fanhouse is classier than that. Plus Everyday Should Be Lemsday would sue the nonexistent pants off us.

Ole Miss welcomes Arkansas's coaching jetsam in the form of Houston Nutt this season, and Nutt inherits decades of weakness. If he thought recruiting in Arkansas was tough, imagine what happens when he sees the utter dearth of talent in Mississippi--and that's with an in-state rival, something Nutt enjoyed missing during his time with the Razorbacks.

From a talent standpoint, the Rebs aren't quite in no-man's-land; Jevan Snead is a Texas transfer with a circus cannon for an arm, Michael Oher is an eraser at tackle, and Jerrell Powe is finally eligible. But other than the Jerry brothers, that's about it. BONUS: Check out the over self-congratulatory/despotic picture of Houston Nutt on the side of those pages. He is gregarious! He is above you! Admire his chin! DO AS HOUSTON COMMANDS!

They're still fifth best in the SEC West, though.

VANDERBILT SOMETHINGS
Did you know Vandy was a downright formidable football program before WWII? No? Did you know they've won zero bowl games in the last 50 years? Yes? Yes. The Commodores are going to spend at least one more year pining for the good old days of 48-state America, as 2008 is shaping up to be another absolute zone of pain.

Here's a comprehensive list of Vanderbilt's winnable games this season:

10/25 vs. Duke

That's about it. They have one single all-conference-caliber player on their roster: CB/KR D.J. Moore (he's actually a bit of a badass). They lose four offensive linemen, including first-round human mountain Coach Bobby Johnson's career isn't in danger--it's already done. All that's left is the formalities.

Sort of like Vandy's season, really.

SEC Preview: The Dregs originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>bobby johnsonbobby petrinoBobbyJohnsonBobbyPetrinocollege football preview 2008CollegeFootballPreview2008darren mcfaddenDarrenMcfaddenhouston nuttHoustonNuttjevan sneadJevanSneadmichael oherMichaelOherrich brooksRichBrooksAdam JacobiThu, 07 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EST