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SEC Notebook: South's Oldest Rivalry

Jim Henry — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, South Carolina, SEC

Georgia vs. Auburn.

It doesn't get any better, or older, than this for these two schools. Known as the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry, the series began in 1892 and is the seventh-most played in the country. The mutual disdain has been passed down through the generations, and the 113th meeting Saturday isn't expected to be any different.

"Everybody has their team," Georgia coach Mark Richt said.

"When I go to the Bulldog Clubs, they will say, 'Coach no matter what happens, you have to get this one.' You would think it's just one or two teams, but it's about five of them that they all feel like you've just got to have. It is a big deal and I think our fans will get jacked up for it."

Georgia (5-4) better be jacked up as well, or it may get Uga-ly in Athens, Ga.

The Tigers (7-3) rank 10th in the nation in rushing offense (230 yards per game) and are tied for 11th in scoring offense (35 points per game). Auburn is on pace to set a school record for total offense. The Tigers have had 24 scoring drives this season that have taken less than two minutes, and 21 of those ended with touchdowns.

"You have to get a good, strong plan and get the guys as many reps as you can because they are into creating chaos for you," Richt said. "That's what they want to do; they want to create confusion and bloody your nose in the meantime."

Recent history is on the Bulldogs' side.

Georgia has won three straight in the series for the first time since 1982. The last time the Bulldogs won four in a row was in 1948.Georgia is hoping to exploit the Tigers' defense, which ranks last in the SEC in scoring defense (26.6 points per game).

The Bulldogs gained some needed confidence in their 38-0 win over Tennessee Tech last Saturday. They limited Tech to just 55 yards of offense and posted their first shutout since 2006.

Senior Joe Cox connected on his first 10 passes and finished with 140 yards passing with two touchdowns. Sophomore wide receiver A.J. Green leads the SEC in receptions per game (5.5) and receiving yards per game (91.5).

"He will be a huge challenge for our secondary, which should be fun for them," Auburn coach Gene Chizik said. "He is not the only one, but he is one of those receivers that are going to make you go to work all night."

BIG PLAY ALERT

It might be nit-picky, but top-ranked Florida continues to search for big plays.

In seven SEC games this season, the Gators have produced only two plays of 50 yards or longer -- a 77-yard touchdown pass from Tim Tebow to receiver Deonte Thompson against Arkansas, and a 64-yard pass from Tebow to tight end Aaron Hernandez late in the game against Vanderbilt. UF's three other 50-plus yard plays came against out-manned Charleston Southern.

Last season, the Gators had 10 plays of 50 yards or longer, five coming against SEC opponents.

UF offensive coordinator Steve Addazio defended his unit following practice earlier this week.

"We define big plays as 20 or more yards," he said.

"There are a lot of big plays happening. The same number at this point in time, we're about right where we were, there is really negligible difference, but you're feeling is like we're not having as many big plays.

"Here's what we're doing a good job of, this is what it is: We're moving the ball much more consistently than we ever did. The appearance was we had more big-play strikes a year ago. A big play is defined as 20 yards or more, that's considered explosive, we have the same amount of explosives as we did a year ago at this point in time."

Running to Daylight

Saturday's Alabama-Mississippi State game features the SEC's two most productive running backs.

Alabama's Mark Ingram, right, considered by many as the leading contender for the Heisman Trophy, leads the league in rushing at 127.6 yards per game; Mississippi State's Anthony Dixon is second at 125.1 ypg.

It might be the one chance for Dixon and the Bulldogs to grab the attention away from Ingram and the Crimson Tide (9-0, 6-0), winners of the SEC West.

"It's going to be fun," Dixon said.

"I guess this is what we dreamed about when we were kids. He's in the Heisman race and all props to him. I'm pretty sure he's been over there working hard. I've been over here working hard. Both of us are making the dream come true, and it's just going to be a showcase Saturday. We'll show again what we can do. I'm just excited, pumped up and ready to go."

Mississippi State has won two of the last three against Alabama, which is coming off an emotional home victory over LSU.

Ever-philosophical Tide coach Nick Saban isn't worried about a letdown from his players.

"I think what I talk about all the time is what you try and emphasize to the players," Saban said.

"Take care of your business and your business will take care of you. Focus on what you do and it's about what you do and prepare yourself in practice and the way you need to be the best player that you can be. Do your job for your team and that's going to give us the best chance to be successful."

Spurrier in Charge

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier is moving back into the lead role again of calling plays. Just in time for top-ranked Florida, where the Ol' Ball Coach crafted his reputation as the best play caller in the business.

Business needs to get better in a hurry for the Gamecocks.

The only scoring from South Carolina (6-4) against an Arkansas defense last week that was allowing 27 points per game came on a 23-yard field goal on the first drive of the game, and a Stephen Garcia 1-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarterback and an 80-yard scoring pass from Garcia to receiver Alshon Jeffery to start the third quarter.

UF's defense, directed by former Gamecock defensive coordinator Charlie Strong, is ranked first in scoring defense at 10.1 points per game and second nationally behind Texas in total defense at 232.4 yards per game.

"I call most of the plays and I may be the principle play caller now with suggestions from the other coaches," said Spurrier, who also indicated earlier this week he intends to return to South Carolina next season.

"That's about how we've been doing it."

SEC Notebook: South's Oldest Rivalry originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SEC Notebook: Auburn Ignoring Critics

Jim Henry — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State, SEC

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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Gators Determined to Ignore Critics

Jim Henry — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:30:00 EST

Filed under: Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, SEC

The Florida Gators are circling the wagons.

Even while UF regained the top spot Sunday in The Associated Press poll from Alabama, which was ranked No. 1 for a week ahead of the Gators, UF coach Urban Meyer appears to be growing weary of critics focusing only on his team's blemishes.

Though the Gators pulled away from Mississippi State in the fourth quarter for a 29-19 victory Saturday night to push their season record to 7-0 for the fifth time in team history and first time since 1996, questions continue to outnumber answers.

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"There's a lot to build on and I'm going to build on that, not this other stuff," Meyer said Sunday during his teleconference with the media.

Of course, time also continues to tick as UF turns its attention to Saturday's showdown against Georgia in Jacksonville, Fla.

While the Gators extended the nation's longest winning streak to 17 against the MSU Bulldogs, coached by Dan Mullen, who helped UF win two of the last three national titles as offensive coordinator, they found themselves in a struggle in the fourth quarter for the second consecutive week.

Even Meyer admits to frustration, impatience and pressing to be perfect, but he also wants to make sure his players rally around each other and ignore outside distractions. Meyer addressed that situation following the game.

No finger-pointing and let's enjoy the journey, please.

"Very on guard with the human element," Meyer said.

"I have seen it in the past, I haven't seen it on this team yet. Just like this group of questions I have today [Sunday] I'm not worried about me, I'm worried about the young players and how they handle it and the way questions are sometimes worded and all of a sudden it's front-page headlines so-and-so said this, of course he didn't say that.

"I know how our players feel about each other. I just want to make sure that I addressed it. We had a great meeting and very good chemistry on our team and our guys are going to stick together."

Naturally, a second consecutive victory -- and fourth in the past five meetings -- over rival Georgia would go a long way to soothe Gator souls. Georgia (4-3), idle last Saturday, snapped a two-game losing streak with a 34-10 victory over Vanderbilt on Oct. 17.

Meyer won't have to look very far when he begins his search for answers this week

Once again Saturday, UF faltered in the red zone. Mississippi State kept quarterback Tim Tebow and the Gators out of the end zone on four of five trips into the red zone. UF has scored just two touchdowns in 15 trips inside the opponent's 20-yard line in the last three games.

Tebow, meanwhile, had two interceptions returned for touchdowns and declined requests for interviews and quickly boarded the team bus following the game. It was only the second time in Tebow's UF career that he has tossed two picks in a game.

The Gators' passing game hasn't had much variety to it -- only tight end Aaron Hernandez (33 catches, 392 yards) and receiver Riley Cooper (27-396) have caught double-digit passes. Cooper, in fact, has 19 more receptions than the team's third-leading receiver, David Nelson.

Tebow also has more interceptions (four) than touchdowns (three) in five SEC games.

The good news was at least UF rushed for 249 yards against the Bulldogs, topping the 200-yard mark for the first time in three games.

Meyer's described Tebow as "very frustrated."

"He's used to playing at a certain level," Meyer said Sunday.

"A lot of guys are frustrated. You go down there and win 29-19, 10 points on the road and same old song and dance as the last couple weeks. Guys want to play better. One of the greatest stories of all is when we hold that Arkansas team [last week] and the defense was really upset with how they played.

"Our job as coaches is to coach them really hard, manage expectations and just play, have fun playing the game and not worry about this, worry about that. Today's day and age that's hard because it's just thrust upon you. Not coaches, who cares about coaches? I'm talking about these young players."

The Gators also received another stellar performance from its defense, even without injured All-American linebacker Brandon Spikes (groin) and two defensive linemen.

UF stuffed the Bulldogs' ground game, forced three turnovers as it picked off a season-high three passes and recorded four sacks, pushing its total to 13 over the last three games.

The Gators also survived potential disaster in the fourth quarter when linebacker Dustin Doe returned an interception 23 yards for a touchdown, but replays showed Brandon McRae might have stripped the ball from the celebrating linebacker short of the goal line.

Despite the frustration and nit-picking that accompanies the Gators' struggles, Meyer is not interested in excuses. Much has been made this year of lost play makers to the NFL, injuries and questionable decisions.

"You don't even think about that kind of stuff as far as the expectations and did we foresee an issue," Meyer said when asked if he underestimated the loss of players from last season such as receivers Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy.

"We lost a couple good players. It was a little like in '06, we lost a couple good players on defense. Everybody has that."

While UF didn't look like a national championship team Saturday, it's one of the few that still have a chance to win it as October begins to draw to a close.

"It's part of college football at the highest level," Meyer said.

"Why is one area or two areas or three areas not performing at a high level? There's more focus on that. We're going to work hard to improve that, that's what we do."

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Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, left, congratulates Florida coach Urban Meyer following an NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009. Florida won 29-19. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle)

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Florida quarterback Tim Tebow (15) stiff arms Mississippi State defender Johnthan Banks (13) for a touchdown during the first quarter during an NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009. No. 2 Florida won 29-19. (AP Photo Jim Lytle)

Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, left, celebrates with defensive lineman Terrence Cody (62) after Cody blocked the first of two Tennessee field goal attempts during an NCAA college football game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009. Cody also blocked a field goal in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter to clinch the Crimson Tide's 12-10 victory. (AP Photo/The Birmingham News, Mark Almond)

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Boise State defensive end Byron Hout pokes the ball out of Hawaii running back Alex Green's arms and would recover the ball for the Broncos on Oct. 24, 2009 in Honolulu, HI. (AP Photo/Joe Jaszewski - Idaho Statesman) MANDATORY CREDIT

Hawaii wide receiver Greg Salas is pulled out of bounds by Boise St defensive back Cedric Febis during the fourth quarter at the NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009 in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Boise St wide receiver Titus Young flashes a Hawaiian "shaka" after making a touchdown against Hawaii during the second quarter at the NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct 24, 2009 in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Boise St wide receiver Austin Pettis signals for a touchdown after making a catch in the end zone against Hawaii during the second quarter at the NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct 24, 2009 in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Boise St wide receiver Titus Young points to the crowd after scoring a touchdown against Hawaii during the second quarter at the NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct 24, 2009 in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Boise St quarterback Kellen Moore throws during the second quarter at the NCAA college football game against Hawaii, Saturday, Oct 24, 2009 in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Hawaii wide receiver Jon Medeiros pulls in a touchdown over Boise St defensive back Cedric Febis during the fourth quarter at the NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct 24, 2009 in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Gators Determined to Ignore Critics originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Test Time for Star Pupil Mullen

Ray Holloman — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Mississippi State

In a sport known for its toughness, and at a school whose logo has a five o'clock shadow and a tougher-than-a-bar-brawl growl, Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen seems almost out of place.

He smiles often, speaks in positives, and exudes nice-guy charisma to the point that you might expect him to have a beeper just in case an elderly woman needs help crossing a street somewhere in Starkville.

Were there not ample evidence to the contrary, it might be hard to believe he's the protégé of Urban Meyer, the brash Florida coach whom he'll face for the first time Saturday.

He is, generally speaking, a nice peg in a surly hole.

But for one night, Mullen, should be perfectly in character. No one was ever cut out for the role of student outsmarting the teacher quite like Meyer's former offensive coordindator.

"The thing that makes Dan unique is that he is smart, I mean really smart" said Meyer, who will try and avoid playing Pete Carroll to Mullen's Steve Sarkisian. "He is very intellectual as far as understanding the game.

"We better be ready."

Like no other coach in the SEC, Mullen looks the part of pupil, from the hair cut that would cost you your lunch money in middle school, to the cool-undermining buttoned top button on his polo shirts, to the boyish grin borrowed from the Beav.

He actually used the word "neat" on at least three occasions when describing the opportunity to play the top-ranked Gators. (Kindly step out of the way of the blitzing Wedgie artist).

All of which makes his longtime partnership with Meyer seem purely odd couple. Mullen's buttoned-up apple couldn't have fallen further from the tree of Meyer, the man who stared back at the nation over the top of his sunglasses on the cover of Sports Illustrated like some sort of too-hip-for Grease extra.

Heck, Meyer brought cool to Utah for the first time in state history.

Mullen would settle for bringing the Bulldogs their first SEC title since the United States joined World War II.

But for 10 years, the duo, who met when Meyer was a receivers coach at Notre Dame in 1999 and Mullen was a graduate assistant, innovated the game and won time and time again with style and swagger.

OK, maybe it was Meyer doing most of the swaggering.

But Mullen has never quite faced a challenge like this. Even if Meyer had joined him on campus, winning at Mississippi State would be a tall task. The school has just one SEC title, in 1941, and hasn't had a coach leave with a winning record since Darrell Royal went 12-8 over two seasons in the mid-50s, before becoming the winningest coach in Texas history.

The Bulldogs are just 3-4 this season, but played Top 25 teams Houston and Georgia Tech tough in their last two losses and came oh-so-close to toppling LSU. Mississippi State had four downs from inside the 2-yard-line against Les Miles' team late in the fourth quarter, but just couldn't convert.

Yet the cow bell chorus is roaring for its new coach. And as they host the nation's top-ranked team for the first time in school history, Mullen is eager to make it a historical double, adding the school's first home win over No. 1.

"If you want to build a championship program," Mullen said. "There's nowhere better to start than to face the champions."

Both coaches have said they will adjust their signals this week, but it likely won't be too hard to figure out what the other is doing. These two different coaches run two similar playbooks with similar sets of priorities and problems.

The Gators are sixth in the nation in rushing offense, the Bulldogs are 12th. Mississippi State struggles to throw the ball, Florida is 67th in the nation in passing and hasn't developed a downfield threat. Both have negative turnover differentials, both have struggled in the red zone. Florida, in fact, has scored just 15 touchdowns in 30 trips inside the 20.

Florida's stumbling offense in the first year without Mullen -- and also without Percy Harvin -- has been a sore spot for Gator fans. Outside of a 41-point effort against Kentucky, Florida is averaging less than 20 points per game in SEC contests.

"We are just maneuvering through a difficult part of the schedule," Meyer said of his team's offensive output, diplomatically, "and trying to get some things worked out."

For Mullen, the difference will be containing Florida's big plays. The Gators haven't exactly figured out how to stretch the field with receivers - fortunate for Bulldogs, as they're 76th in the nation against the pass - but with tailbacks like Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey who may as well drink jet fuel on the sidelines, the big-play threat is always there. The Gators have four running backs with runs over 30 yards this year and seven players with a run of at least 20 yards.

"They've got a lot of weapons and a good offensive system," Mullen said. "When they have that type of speed, if you make one mistake, it turns a 10-yard gain into a 60-yard gain."

And then there's the matter of Tebow, college football's most devastating force, who, by the way, was engineered by Mullen.

"It's going to be a real neat experience [facing Tebow]," Mullen said earlier this year. "When you spend three years of your life -- when you spend more time with Tim Tebow than you do with your own wife -- which I did, you get that close relationship, you know that's something that's not going to change."

What Mullen would like to change is the Gators' undefeated record, which may seem like a mammoth challenge for one of the SEC's least storied program against the head coach that taught him everything.

Then again, there's never been a student as good as Dan Mullen.

Test Time for Star Pupil Mullen originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SEC Notebook: Polls Not Tide's Concern

Jim Henry — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:15:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, SEC

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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LSU Survives by a Foot, and by Miles

Clay Travis — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 16:21:00 EST

Filed under: LSU, Mississippi State

Dan Mullen's Mississippi State team was the length of the football from taking the lead with just over a minute to play against No. 7 LSU.

And then the Les Miles magic happened.

On third-and-goal, Mullen went play-action with his quarterback Tyson Lee. A wide-open Marcus Lee stood in the back of the end zone awaiting the ball, but LSU's safety swatted the pass away. Then on fourth-and-inches Tyson Lee kept the ball for the quarterback sneak. His head appeared to cross the goal line, but, inexplicably, he did not attempt to reach the ball out in front of him. As a result LSU, under new first-year defensive coordinator John Chavis, took over on downs.
The Tigers weren't out of the woods yet since Mississippi State still had three timeouts remaining. But after running the ball on three consecutive plays to force the Bulldogs into taking their timeouts, the Tigers took an intentional safety on fourth down -- running their punter out of the end zone. After receiving the free kick, State was unable to move the ball effectively with under a minute to play and LSU won 30-26.

The furious finish masked a game that Mississippi State won by the statistics, outgaining LSU 374 to 264 yards and holding the Tigers to just 30 yards rushing on 31 attempts. As if that weren't enough, LSU finished 2-13 on third down conversions. With all of these statistics in their favor, State couldn't avoid turnovers. They had four, including a fumbled snap at the end of the first half that eliminated a scoring chance and kept LSU in the lead 16-14 as both teams jogged off the field.

For the moment at least, LSU remains unbeaten and poised to climb in the college football rankings. But LSU fans can't be pleased with what their team has shown in four underwhelming performances. In the ultimate irony, LSU may have played their best game of the season thus far in the much-criticized opener against Washington. Certainly the Huskies look to be the best scalp that the Tigers have claimed so far this season. LSU is now 4-0 and set for a game at Georgia that could go a long way towards establishing the balance of power in the SEC.

For Mullen and Mississippi State, it was as close to victory as a team can come and still end up on the losing end. As both teams jogged off the field, the cow bells were still ringing in Starkville. Time will tell whether eventually those bells will ring in victory over a top-10 opponent.

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Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier, top, jumps over Indiana linebacker Tyler Replogle (46) for a touchdown during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

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Connecticut's Cody Endres throws one of his two touchdown passes against Rhode Island during the first half of Connecticut's 52-10 victory in their football game in East Hartford, Conn., on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009. Endres passed for 289 yards in the game. (AP Photo/Fred Beckham)

Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier, center, is congratulated by teammates after converting a two-point play during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game against Indiana in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Florida State defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews yells at his defense during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game against South Florida, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009, in Tallahassee, Fla. South Florida won 17-7.(AP Photo/Phil Coale)

Florida State wide receiver Rod Owens, center, fumbles the ball as he is hit by South Florida's Jerome Murphy, left, during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009, in Tallahassee, Fla. South Florida defensive end Craig Marshall, right, recovered the fumble. South Florida won 17-7.(AP Photo/Phil Coale)

Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly looks up at the scoreboard during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Fresno State, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009, in Cincinnati. Cincinnati won the game 28-20. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

Fresno State head coach Pat Hill checks the scoreboard during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Cincinnati, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009, in Cincinnati. Cincinnati won the game 28-20. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

Minnesota's Lee Campbell, left, and Nathan Triplett tackle Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka, center, during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Evanston, Ill., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009. Minnesota won 35-24.(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Connecticut's Mike Lang scores on a 50 yard reception while being covered by Rhode Island's Jordan Dalton, diving, during the second half of Connecticut's 52-10 victory in an NCAA football game in East Hartford, Conn., on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009. (AP Photo/Fred Beckham)

South Florida punter Delbert Alvarado, right, makes a touchdown-saving tackle in the fourth quarter on Florida State's Greg Reid as he returns a kickoff during an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009, in Tallahassee, Fla. South Florida won 17-7.(AP Photo/Phil Coale)

LSU Survives by a Foot, and by Miles originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 26 Sep 2009 16:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SEC Notebook: Ole Miss Is Ready for the Ol' Ball Coach

Jim Henry — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:09:00 EST

Filed under: Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, South Carolina, SEC

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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SEC Notebook: Joe Cox's Many Maladies

Jim Henry — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, SEC

Week 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)."

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)

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

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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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SEC Predictions 2009: Florida's Dance of The Inevitable, Ole Miss' Stumble

Brian Grummell — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, SEC

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 for the Louisville football team Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009, at Fort Knox, Ky. (AP Photo/Patti Longmire)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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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Dan Mullen Brings Spread Offense, Energy to Bulldogs, but Will They Win?

Jim Henry — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Mississippi State, SEC

Dan Mullen has brought his version of the spread offense to Mississippi State. Now comes the difficult part -- identifying what works.

Look for Mullen, the Bulldogs' energetic first-year head coach, to take bits and pieces from his two previous stops at Utah and Florida. Even though Mississippi State got its first taste of the spread during spring practice, there's plenty more tinkering that needs to be done.

"I don't know if we're spread option, spread passing, spread running or just spread," Mullen said Wednesday during SEC Football Media Days in Hoover, Ala.

"To me, we're a multiple spread team. I want to make sure the defense has to defend the entire field, sideline-sideline. Through personnel and through formations, we want to create advantageous one-on-one match-ups where I get a player in the open field matched up against someone that he's better than. The biggest thing we have to do is make sure our personnel fits that."

While that expects to be a challenge for a team that went 4-8 last year with one of the nation's most inept offenses, the excitement that the 37-year-old Mullen has brought to Starkville, Miss., should count for something. In fact, the enthusiasm Mullen brought to Hoover, Ala., was nearly off the charts. He smiled for cameras, joked with the media -- he pretended to tweet an update when he stepped to the podium for his opening comments -- and even made fun of his former boss, Urban Meyer.

"I've had to put up with him for years," said Mullen, who worked with Meyer both at Utah and Florida, leaving Gainesville, Fla., after last year's second national title to replace Sylvester Croom at MSU. Croom, the first black head football coach in SEC history, resigned under pressure Nov. 29 after five seasons.

Mullen, of course, must change the culture of Bulldog football. It seems to be working from at least the passion standpoint. A record crowd of 31,000 showed for the team's spring game and season tickets could reach the 40,000 plateau.

"There is a lot excitement around Mississippi," offensive tackle Derek Sherrod said Wednesday. "I can't say how many fans have spoken to us about how they can't wait for the first game. I've never seen anything like this before.

"Coach Mullen is the new face of Mississippi State football. A lot of people are expecting big things from us. We are going to take it one game at a time."

One step at a time might be more accurate, but that's fine with Mullen as long as his players give maximum effort. That's one item he brought from his checklist while working with Meyer.

SEC Media Days

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow talks about his senior year to the media during news conference at the Southeastern Conference football Media Days in Hoover, Ala. on Thursday, July 23, 2009. (AP Photo/ Butch Dill)

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow talks about his senior year at the Southeastern Conference football Media Days in Hoover, Ala. on Thursday, July 23, 2009 (AP Photo/ Butch Dill)

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow talks about his senior year to the media during a news conference at the Southeastern Conference football Media Days in Hoover , Ala. on Thursday, July 23, 2009. (AP Photo/ Butch Dill)

Florida coach Urban Meyer speaks to the media during a news conference at the Southeastern Conference football Media Days in Hoover, Ala. on Thursday, July 23, 2009. (AP Photo/ Butch Dill)

Florida coach Urban Meyer speaks to the media during a news conference at the Southeastern Conference football Media Days in Hoover, Ala., on Thursday, July 23, 2009. (AP Photo/ Butch Dill)

Florida coach Urban Meyer speaks to the media during a news conference at the Southeastern Conference football Media Days in Hoover, Ala. on Thursday, July 23, 2009. (AP Photo/ Butch Dill)

"One of the big "do's" that I take from him is that effort, that attitude that a team plays with," Mullen said.

"So I think the most important thing for our football team to do is make sure that we play with that great effort. I'll be proud of my team if you walk out of that stadium and say, 'Wow, did you see how hard those guys played every single snap of that game?'"

That being said, look for the Bulldogs to rely once again on their stingy, aggressive defense to set the tone. While the unit allowed 327.5 yards per game to rank 10th in the SEC, its pass defense (176.6 ypg) was airtight. The linebackers could be the best in the SEC this season with the return of Jamar Chaney from injury and the addition of JUCO transfer Chris White to go along with veteran K.J. Wright.

MSU expects to hold opponents out of the end zone, but will the Bulldogs offense get into the end zone with any consistency? Last year MSU ranked last in the league in scoring offense (15.3), 11th in rush offense (100.6), 10th in total offense (274.9) and seventh in pass offense (174.3). The past five seasons overall, MSU's offense was ranked in triple digits every year out of 119 teams.

Not helping matters, the Bulldogs will likely be without their biggest offensive weapon for the Sept. 5 season-opener against Jackson State.

Running back Anthony Dixon was recently arrested and charged with DUI in Starkville, Miss., after refusing to consent to a breathalyzer test or field sobriety test, according to a copy of the arrest report. (Update: ESPN is reporting that Dixon will be suspended for one game, likely the season opener) Dixon has 2,603 career rushing yards and is just 609 yards away from Jerious Norwood's school rushing record. Mullen has said Dixon's discipline "will be appropriate and handled inside the football program."

Another key question remains at quarterback, the position that holds the key to Mullen's spread offense. The competition between senior Tyson Lee and incoming freshman Tyler Russell isn't expected to be settled quickly.

"Our quarterback battle will go on until I find that we have one true leader and a guy that's going to win football games for us," Mullen said.

"That might be in two-a-day camp, that might be right before the first kickoff, that might be week four for us. That's the most important part of that position, not how you run, how you throw, but how you lead, how you win. Whoever is going to manage our offense to give us the best opportunity to win football games will be our quarterback."

Mullen certainly knows quarterbacks.

Prior to going to Florida, Mullen was Meyer's quarterbacks coach at Utah, where he worked with eventual No. 1 NFL draft pick Alex Smith. At UF he tutored Chris Leak during the Gators' 2006 national championship campaign and also helped coach Tebow to the 2007 Heisman Trophy and a spot as a Heisman finalist in 2008.

Of course, the common thread with all of his quarterbacks has been the spread offense. And Mullen needs to do now is determine where and how the pieces fit into the Bulldogs puzzle.

"I can tell you this, as on offensive coach, we use about 60 percent of our offense each year," Mullen said.

"Take our playbook, only 60 percent of it applies to each given team you have. What we have to do is make sure we pick the right 60-percent of it to apply to the personnel that we have, then use that 60-percent to the best of our ability, have our players execute at a high level. If we do, we'll have the opportunity to be successful."

Dan Mullen Brings Spread Offense, Energy to Bulldogs, but Will They Win? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Is Tim Tebow a Virgin?' and Other Burning Questions for SEC Media Days

Clay Travis — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Tennessee, SEC, Fans, General CFB Insanity

Wednesday, the annual circus known as the SEC Media Days kicks off in Birmingham, Ala. As college football has become a year-round sport, the three media days down in Birmingham have become the official launch date for SEC football fans, a time when our region's football obsession officially begins anew. Even if, you know, it never actually dies. Last season then-Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer arrived and was immediately served with a subpoena in a lawsuit brought by my favorite people on Earth: disassociated Alabama boosters. Getting disassociated from the Alabama football program is like being the only guy in a prison who no one will share a table with.

This season, 25 radio stations will be broadcasting live from inside the event, and over 800 members of the media have been credentialed. It's like Woodstock for people who use the word, goll-durn. And we'll be there for the ride. Goll-durn.
What will I be doing? Liveblogging away with y'all. You can minimize your screens at work and come hang out with us. Because, trust me, I know you don't really care about work when media days arrive. You're just pretending. No one will know. Your secret is safe with us. So is the fact that you don't really care about work when media days aren't going on either. That's why you've already spent 45 minutes this morning searching, "Erin Andrews video."

You pervert.

Here's a list of the 24 players that will be appearing to field questions along with the times that the teams will be appearing over the next three days. Note that Lane Kiffin was given the last time-slot on Friday. Is this to keep his comments from overshadowing everyone else's and in hopes that whatever he says floats into the weekend oblivion? I think so.

Below are 10 burning ClayNation questions that need to be asked in advance of media days. By the way, we need a phrase that's better than "burning questions." That sounds like something your doctor asks after a long weekend in Bangkok. So shoot me your ideas.

Here goes:

1. Is Tim Tebow a virgin?

I think everyone is afraid to ask, but wouldn't this be the ultimate testament to his religious faith? Even if you accept that your average Florida girl is carrying six-to-eight extra pounds of fat on her arms, how many women would Tebow have turned down carnal relations with over the past three years of college? Fortunately, I know.

3,468,946,253.

Yep, Tebow turned down your Mom!

And my mom.

And if he wasn't a virgin wouldn't this at least prove that Tim Tebow has violated a Bible verse? Something that, to be honest, there is no evidence of thus far. Put it this way, if Tebow got shot and we all thought he was dead, and then he came back to life, wouldn't you be convinced that Revelations was unspooling before your eyes? (And, if so, would you expect the disciples to be wearing jorts?)

2. Will Les Miles prove he's a bona fide long-term fit at LSU, or will this be the season when he demonstrates that a temperament consisting of equal parts insanity and supreme self-confidence doesn't work in the SEC?

Miles went 19-5 in the SEC his first three years with an SEC and national title. But then he went 3-5 last season, equaling the SEC losses that he put up in his first three seasons combined. As if that weren't enough, the LSU defense imploded, allowing over 50 points to Georgia and Florida and going 3-5 in the final eight games of the regular season.

The Tigers rebounded to smoke Georgia Tech in the bowl game, but was that indicative of what's to come or was the preceding eight weeks more representative of what LSU has become? We'll know soon.

Secondary question, how much less fearsome would Les Miles be if he went by his given name, Leslie? Is he even a head coach right now? I mean that honestly. Do you think someone gave him advice on this years ago? The name Leslie standing alone probably disqualifies him from coaching everywhere in the SEC except Vanderbilt.

3. Is the SEC still Southern?

I'm going to write on this later this week, but in an era when non-Southerners like Urban Meyer, Bobby Petrino, Lane Kiffin, Dan Mullen, and Nick Saban (although my editor says West Virginia is like Mississippi in the mountains) are five of the most recent seven hires in the SEC, what percentage of coaches would use the word fixin' or y'all and not sound like they were doing it to fit in? Like politicians who develop accents as soon as they leave Washington.

Everyone but Spurrier is my call.

In the ultimate kick in the groin to Southern regionalism, have we outsourced our coaching to the rest of the country?

4. Does Dan Mullen ever watch Mississippi State practice and think to himself, "Dear Lord, what have I done?"

I know that getting an offer to become a head coach is tough to pass up, but why would you leave Florida before this year? You have the potential to be associated with a three-time national championship winning team, lock down another SEC title, and further burnish your credentials as offensive coordinator by coaching Tebow for another year of offensive explosions.

Or you can take over the only SEC football team with an all-time losing record. And, oh by the way, the last SEC title the team has won? 1941.

Isn't this an easy decision? Or does Mullen worry that he's never going to get a head job because everyone will believe that Tebow's success carried Mullen's offense.

Regardless, I guess it could be worse, Mullen could have been ridiculously successful as a coordinator for 10 years and not gotten a head job because he was black and married a white woman. (See, Strong, Charlie)

5. Of John Chavis at LSU, Gus Malzahn at Auburn, and Monte Kiffin at Tennessee, which highly paid, highly touted coordinator hire will have the most early success?

There will be a ton of focus on Auburn's Gene Chizik, Tennessee's Lane Kiffin, and Mississippi State's Mullen, but arguably the three men hired as big-money and big-name coordinators will have more impact on the first-year results of their teams than the head coaches will. Now, down the road the head coaches have more influence, but in a one-year context I think a real argument can be made that coordinators have more impact. Put it this way, if Tommy Tuberville and Phil Fulmer don't hire Tony Franklin and Dave Clawson as offensive coordinators, are they both still coaching at their schools?

I think so.

Given that premise, who will be the most successful? Here's a vote for Chavis. While LSU loses three of their starters on their defensive line, they return the guys in the secondary who were so awful and the linebackers as well. They'll be improved. More importantly, Chavis will instill an attitude that doesn't allow consistent failure. I still think Auburn will be awful on offense even under Malzahn and I still think Tennessee will be good on defense. But LSU will go from awful to solid in the first year under Chavis.

6. How badly could Florida play and still win the league?

I said this last week, and I firmly believe it. Florida is better than the rest of the SEC by a greater margin than any team in the SEC in my lifetime. Florida, in 1996, the year they won the national championship, was dominant, but the second-tier teams were better. This year? Even if you buy Ole Miss as a top-10 team (which I don't), there isn't anyone else within hailing distance.

There hasn't been much attention paid to this issue, but it might be better for the SEC's league image if someone hangs a loss on Florida. Maybe. As it now stands, write this in: the Gators are going to be double-digit favorites in every game they play this season. Including the SEC championship game and Oct. 10 at LSU.

In fact, look at the Gators schedule, and tell me where the upset is coming.

Has any SEC school ever been favored for an entire season by double digits? I doubt it. In fact, there have only been two teams in the past decade to march through the SEC without a loss, Tennessee in 1998 and Auburn in 2004. Both of these teams came out of nowhere to go undefeated. This year, not so much.

Florida may lose a game in the league, but if they do, it will be a bad loss.

7. Who will be the third and fourth best quarterbacks in the SEC?

As noted last week, Kentucky's Mike Hartline and South Carolina's Stephen Garcia tied as the coach's picks for third-team quarterback. I think neither of these guys will actually end up being the third best quarterback in the league. Who are my picks instead?

First, Ryan Mallett at Arkansas. Why? Because Bobby Petrino managed to get Casey Dick to throw for almost 2,600 yards last season. (If you've ever seen Casey Dick throw, this will make more sense to you. Picture your four-year old daughter. Then imagine you just made her carry a block of granite for 10 city blocks. Then ask her to throw. Bingo: Casey Dick's arm strength.) Mallet will go for over 3,000 in a much-improved offense. Book it.

Second, Jonathan Crompton at Tennessee. Don't laugh. The Vols' new Tecmo Super Bowl offense -- four pass plays, four run plays -- may not be complicated, but it will be efficient. Crompton bore the brunt of the criticism for Tennessee's collapse last year, but in reality the entire offense stunk. Every player, no matter their position, was awful. Even with the putrid stench that was Tennessee's offense 2008, Crompton threw for 889 yards and four touchdowns in six starts. Those were better stats than Garcia. And Crompton will have more weapons on offense and a better returning offensive line than Garcia or Hartline.

8. According to the Golden Nugget casino, Florida is currently favored by 27 points over Tennessee for their game Sept. 19 in Gainesville. How much of this line is directly attributable to Lane Kiffin's comments?

Further, have a head coach's comments ever swung a line this much? And by this question, I mean comments that are entirely based on off-field issues and not a press conference where a head coach announces that he's suspending a star player, that someone is injured or that someone just molested a fowl (We haven't forgotten about you, South Carolina).

I don't think so.

Putting this line into context, it's the biggest underdog that Tennessee has been in over three decades. Maybe ever. Nice work, Lane.

9. Is Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez the worst defensive coordinator in the league? And will Mark Richt be forced to make a change there after this season?

Last year Georgia's defense gave up 40 touchdowns. You might not have noticed if you live outside the state of Georgia because most of the attention was gobbled up by Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno on offense. Georgia scored an awful lot of points last season. But as good as their offense was, their defense was just as bad.

How bad?

Kentucky hung 38 on Georgia. Alabama put up 41. LSU nailed down 38. Florida snatched 49, and in the final hobnailed boot to the groin, Georgia Tech came into Sanford Stadium and scored 45 points. The latter was particularly painful, because it came after a bye week when the defense should have been able to prepare for Georgia Tech's offense.

Bulldog fans will hate me for saying it, but Georgia right now has an awful lot of similarities with Tennessee before the wheels came off in 2005. They've been winning close games under Richt for a long time. But what if they get a few bad bounces this coming year? The offense isn't there to rescue them. Change one play in the Kentucky, South Carolina, and Auburn games and the Bulldogs slide from 9-3 in the regular season to 6-6. That's with last year's offense.

Is Martinez the Randy Sanders of Georgia football? Richt's first fall guy?

We'll see.

10. Finally, we want your questions. We'll feature the best. Or at least I'm told by my fearless editor that this is possible. I have no idea how it will work. But it should be fun. Submit them in the comments section.

'Is Tim Tebow a Virgin?' and Other Burning Questions for SEC Media Days originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anthony Dixon's Ride With Bubbly Gets Him In Troubly

Brian Grummell — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:12:00 EST

Filed under: Mississippi State, Police Blotter

Mississippi State senior running back Anthony Dixon was arrested on suspicion of DUI Saturday night. Reports indicate he drove off the side of the road, and was found lacking in insurance but countered with twin champagne bottles in his backseat.

Now I'm all for traveling companions but usually more of the human variety. Its unclear if he was aiming for the Maurice Clarett special, perhaps trading out one of his champagne bottles for an open Grey Goose vodka while adding several firearms and a katana. Fortunately he didn't make that choice, giving him some hope of returning to the team.

ESPN throws in this note about the state of the Bulldog program since parting ways with good guy disciplinarian former coach Sylvester Croom:

Since Dan Mullen succeeded Sylvester Croom as coach in December, four Mississippi State players have been arrested for infractions involving alcohol or drugs.

The cat's away and so far under coach Mullen, the mice are playing. Football can't come soon enough.

Anthony Dixon's Ride With Bubbly Gets Him In Troubly originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:12:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kiffin Shatters SEC Coaching Mold

Clay Travis — Wed, 27 May 2009 10:26:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, SEC, Coaching, Fans

The 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)

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)

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)

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)

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

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

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)

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)

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)

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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Billey Joe Johnson Death Gains Conspiratorial Steam as Family Hires Cochran Law Firm

Will Brinson — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:10:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Media Watch, Police Blotter, Recruiting

Billey Joe Johnson's recent and mysterious death has generated a ton of national attention. First, the NAACP stepped in with an independent investigation, circumventing the normal police process, and determined that Johnson's death was not a suicide.

Now -- likely as a result of the NAACP's determination -- the Johnson family has hired legal counsel in order to manage their best legal interests. And they've hired a firm with pretty large national exposure, The Cochran Firm, founded by late O.J. Simpson defense attorney Johnnie Cochran.

"There has been so much speculation in the community surrounding the circumstances of the death of one the most respected high school athletic stars in the area," says Jerome Carter, with The Cochran Firm Mobile.

"The family cannot understand why their son would take his own life with such a bright future ahead of him," continued Carter. "They are looking for answers."

All of this isn't to say that something related to foul play happened, but as I said before, it would have been shocking if the NAACP conducted their investigation, determined suicide wasn't the cause of death and then just moved on.

And unless there is some striking evidence to counteract the NAACP's conclusion, you can almost rest assured that there will be plenty of noise surrounding the resulting autopsies and investigations.

Sports Deaths in 2008

Dec. 17: MMA fighter Justin Levens and his wife are found dead in their California condominium in what police believe is an apparent murder-suicide.

Jeff Gross, Getty Images

Sammy Baugh, Dec. 17: Perhaps the greatest Washington Redskin of all time and the last surviving member of the first Pro Football Hall of Fame class dies at the age of 94.

Chris Richardson, Dec. 11: The Harlem Globetrotter, and former standout at UNLV, dies in his sleep. It is believed he died of natural causes.

D. Clarke Evans, NBAE / Getty Images

Billey Joe Johnson, Dec. 8: The high school football star from Alabama died during a traffic stop.

Rivals.com

Ted Rogers, Dec. 2: Rogers, the founder of Canada's largest cable company and the owner of the Toronto Blue Jays since 2000, dies in his home at the age of 75.

Adrian Wyld, The Canadian Press / AP

Pit Martin, Dec. 2: The 64-year-old four-time NHL All-Star dies after his snowmobile plunges into an icy lake near his home in Quebec.

Steve Babineau, Getty Images / NHLI

Armand Guidolin, Nov. 24: He was the youngest player to ever play in the NHL and went on to coach Boston and Colorado.

Will Barrow, Nov. 22: The rising lacrosse star was only 22 years old. A cause of death has yet to be released.

Jim Rogash, Getty Images

Bob Jeter, Nov. 20: The NFL cornerback, seen here late in his career with the Bears, started in Super Bowls I and II for the Packers.

NFL

Pete Newell, Nov. 17: The Hall of Fame basketball coach led California to a national championship in 1959 and the United States to Olympic gold in 1960.

Dino Vournas, AP

Billey Joe Johnson Death Gains Conspiratorial Steam as Family Hires Cochran Law Firm originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NAACP Rules Out Suicide in Billey Joe Johnson's Tragic and Mysterious Death

Will Brinson — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Media Watch, Police Blotter, Recruiting

Billey Joe Johnson, a sought-after high school football recruit from the state of Mississippi, died tragically at a police stop a week ago Monday, the result of a shotgun wound to the head. At the time, the police were unsure whether Johnson's death was a suicide or an accidental shooting, presuming that he was pulling the gun out for some reason other than to kill himself.

Sports Deaths in 2008

Billey Joe Johnson, Dec. 8: The High school football star from Missippi died at a police stop.

Rivals.com

Chris Richardson, Dec. 11: The Harlem Globetrotter, and former standout at UNLV, dies in his sleep. It is believed he died of natural causes.

D. Clarke Evans, NBAE / Getty Images

Ted Rogers, Dec. 2: Rogers, the founder of Canada's largest cable company and the owner of the Toronto Blue Jays since 2000, dies in his home at the age of 75.

Adrian Wyld, The Canadian Press / AP

Pit Martin, Dec. 2: The 64-year-old four-time NHL All-Star dies after his snowmobile plunges into an icy lake near his home in Quebec.

Steve Babineau, Getty Images / NHLI

Armand Guidolin, Nov. 24: He was the youngest player to ever play in the NHL and went on to coach Boston and Colorado.

Will Barrow, Nov. 22: The rising lacrosse star was only 22 years old. A cause of death has yet to be released.

Jim Rogash, Getty Images

Bob Jeter, Nov. 20: The NFL cornerback, seen here late in his career with the Bears, started in Super Bowls I and II for the Packers.

NFL

Pete Newell, Nov. 17: The Hall of Fame basketball coach led California to a national championship in 1959 and the United States to Olympic gold in 1960.

Dino Vournas, AP

Herb Score, Nov. 11: The Indians pitcher was named AL Rookie of the Year in 1955 and found a second career on the team's radio broadcast team from 1968 to 1997.

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Preacher Roe, Nov. 9: The pitcher went 127-84 in a 12-year career with Brooklyn, Pittsburgh and St. Louis, but it was with the Dodgers that he enjoyed his greatest success and acclaim.

Hulton Archive / Getty Images

Well, the NAACP has stepped in and, through the course of an independent investigation, decided that Johnson's death was not suicide (via Drudge).

"The NAACP, along with the family, have determined that Billey Joe Johnson did not commit suicide," Clark said.

The NAACP's conclusion does not rule out the possibility that Johnson accidentally shot himself, Clark said.

"At this point, nothing is concrete until the results of the autopsies have been made known," Clark said.

The organization based its findings on interviews with people who knew Johnson and on physical evidence, Clark said, although Clark declined to detail the physical evidence, citing legal concerns. Clark said nothing supports the notion that the junior running back was in the state of mind to kill himself.

Obviously there are a lot of bizarre circumstances involved here, the most bizarre of which is clearly the reason for Johnson's death. Johnson, by all accounts, had everything going for him and was heading to college soon. The only feasible explanation for him panicking at being stopped by the police would involve him being involved in some other pseudo-criminal-related activity (or even simply possession of a gun), yet the police have made absolutely no mention of the possibility that he was violating a law.

Of course, the NAACP appears to be playing a bit of a political game as well; it states that the death wasn't suicide, but then mention that an accidental shooting "has not yet been ruled out," although it still could be following an autopsy. And, unfortunately, when a gun is involved, there are three options for cause of death. Once "suicide" and "accident" are gone, "murder" is the only option remaining, and considering that we're talking about a young, talented African-American in Mississippi, well, let's just say that this probably won't be the last you hear of this story.

NAACP Rules Out Suicide in Billey Joe Johnson's Tragic and Mysterious Death originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dan Mullen is Mississippi State's Man

Chris Burke — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Florida, Mississippi State, SEC, Coaching

Mississippi State needed about two weeks to fill the void left by Sylvester Croom's resignation, reportedly tabbing current Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen as the Bulldogs' new head coach.

The Jackson Clarion-Ledger reported earlier this week that a group of Mississippi State athletic department administrators wanted to make a splash with its next hire. Assistant media relations director Joe Galbraith said the group wanted to "do something exciting" when hiring its next coach.

There's no word yet on whether Mullen will stick around for the Gators' national championship tilt with Oklahoma.

If this turns out to be true, that mission is certainly accomplished. Mullen should provide a spark for a Mississippi State program that was fairly stagnant -- especially offensively -- under Croom.

Mullen has been an assistant under Urban Meyer for the past eight seasons, spanning stops at Bowling Green, Utah and now Florida. His spread offense continues to thrive at Florida, where the Gators are third in the nation, averaging more than 45 points per game this season.

Mullen also deserves a lot of credit for grooming Tim Tebow into the superstar, and possible repeat Heisman winner, that he is today. As proof, Tebow recently said that his 2009 status could hinge on whether Mullen was back at Florida or not.

"I don't know," Tebow said. "That would be something I'd look at. I know he's a really good coach and he'll get looked at because what he's done and his history with quarterbacks is really good. That's something I'd really have to look at though."

Mullen's experience at Florida should help him to recruit well in the SEC areas, while his time at Bowling Green and Utah could open some other doors for Mississippi State -- avenues the Bulldogs might want to consider in the highly-competitive SEC recruiting world.

Beyond his presence and personality, though, Mullen's offensive prowess has to be at the forefront of this decision. While Florida scored at-will basically all season, Mississippi State found the end zone with all the regularity of a spike in George W. Bush's approval rating. The Bulldogs tallied a mere 183 points on the season, an average of 15.3 points per game, good for 116th out of 120 FBS teams.

With Mullen at the helm, one would expect the Bulldogs' focus to switch from grinding out low-scoring wins to trying to outgun some foes.

Mississippi State hosts Florida in 2009, and the Bulldogs travel to Gainesville in 2010.

Dan Mullen is Mississippi State's Man originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chris Petersen Is Not Heading to Mississippi State or Anywhere Else -- for Now

Chas Rich — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 22:08:00 EST

Filed under: Boise State, Mississippi State, SEC, WAC, Coaching, General CFB Insanity

The rumor today on the coaching carousel was that Boise State head coach Chris Petersen was heading to Mississippi State. This was an early rumor since the Mississippi State athletic director, Greg Byrne worked at Oregon at the same time that Petersen was an assistant coach there. The rumor gained "legitimacy" when an Idaho TV station (KVIV-TV) started reporting an posting that Petersen had been offered a four-year, $9 million deal.

Then Boise State and Chris Petersen issued a statement.

"I have a lot of respect for director of athletics Greg Byrne and the Mississippi State athletic program, but I am not taking the head coaching position at Mississippi State. Mississippi State has not offered me the head coaching position. I normally do not comment on coaching positions at other schools, but felt I needed to do so in this situation. We are very happy here at Boise State and look forward to our upcoming bowl game later this month."

That tanked the rumor and KVIV completely changed the story -- scrubbing any reference to a contract offer in the story. (No one appears to have a screen shot, but at least a couple sites had linked to the article and cited it as mentioning the contract length and money.)

It seems very likely that Petersen is indeed staying at Boise State. At the very least, he is not taking the Mississippi State job. The Bulldog job just does not fit Petersen from a geographic profile. With the exception of one season as the QB coach at Pitt in 1992, the California native's history is all based on the West Coast and Boise.

Petersen, considering how good a coach he is and where he coaches, will continue to be the subject to plenty of rumors and wish lists when there is a coaching change. It seems very likely that eventually he will take a bigger job, just not today.

Chris Petersen Is Not Heading to Mississippi State or Anywhere Else -- for Now originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 05 Dec 2008 22:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sylvester Croom Resigns at Mississippi State

Chris Burke — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 14:09:00 EST

Filed under: Mississippi, Mississippi State, Coaching

The Sylvester Croom era is over at Mississippi State. One day after a 45-0 loss at arch-rival Mississippi, Croom announced his resignation today.

"Five years ago, Mississippi State gave me the unprecedented opportunity to be a head football coach in the Southeastern Conference and to build a program based upon a strong foundation," Croom said in a press release by the university. "I want to thank (then-president) Dr. Charles Lee and (then-athletic director) Larry Templeton for that opportunity. I also want to thank the assistant coaches and all the players who had faith and trust in me. We have tried to build a program the right way that can compete for conference championships. I believe the foundation has been set for those goals to be reached under the leadership of someone else, and it was my decision to resign."

Croom was the first African-American hired to lead a team in the Southeastern Conference. Unfortunately, in five years with Mississippi State, Croom only managed to post a winning record once -- the 2007 Bulldogs finished 8-5 and won the Liberty Bowl, earning Croom several Coach of the Year awards.

That season was, by far, the high watermark for Croom and the Bulldogs. A substantial rebuilding project generated three consecutive three-win seasons (3-8, 3-8, 3-9) from 2004-06.

Mississippi State's surprising uptick last year provided a glimmer of hope, but the wheels fell off again this season. The Bulldogs finished tied for last in the SEC West with Arkansas, posting a 2-6 conference record and 4-8 mark overall.

Included in the 2008 missteps were a season-opening road loss at Louisiana Tech, an ugly 3-2 home loss to Auburn and Friday's shellacking at Ole Miss' hands. Whether or not Croom had made up his mind to resign prior to yesterday's rout is unclear, but it's a fair assumption.

So where does Mississippi State go from here? Having watched Houston Nutt quickly turn Mississippi into a contender, the Bulldogs are plenty familiar that a quick turnaround can occur, and thus will want to make a splash. One possible replacement: Clemson-ex Tommy Bowden.

Bowden's name is an interesting one, but Mississippi State would be wise to take some time here -- Bowden's run at Clemson ended disastrously, Mississippi State is up against it playing in the SEC, and there's that aforementioned race factor. Croom's departure means there are just three African-American head coaches left in the FBS -- Mississippi State was a ground-breaker when it brought Croom in, and it makes sense to at least give consideration to some minority candidates.

Whichever coach inherits Croom's spot has work to do. Even during last year's impressive run, Mississippi State struggled to generate much offense. This season, the Bulldogs scored seven points or less in five losses.

As for Croom, he'll likely have the opportunity to coach again -- if not as a head man somewhere in the college ranks, then back in the NFL, where he spent nearly two decades.

Sylvester Croom Resigns at Mississippi State originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 29 Nov 2008 14:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Road to Atlanta: Who Can Win the SEC West?

Pete Holiday — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 17:02:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State, SEC

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 already covered the path of least (and greatest) resistance in the SEC East race.

A refresher on the SEC tie-breakers can be found at the SEC East entry, but the basic gist is this: head-to-head will decide two-way ties. Collective head-to-head will decide multiple way ties, if possible. Otherwise it moves to divisional records and on down the list.

So how are things looking for teams in the SEC West?

1. Alabama (8-0, 5-0 SEC): Listen, there's no way to put this delicately: Alabama has a 2-game lead in the west with three games left to play, and not a particularly daunting schedule. Barring a complete meltdown -- something with which Tide fans are intimately familiar -- this game is in the bag. Beating LSU in two weeks clinches the division, even if the Tide loses to both Mississippi State and Auburn. Losing to LSU is okay, too, but would then force the Tide to beat both Mississippi State and Auburn. Saban's team has a firm a lock on a division race as any other team in college football... it is truly theirs to lose.

Prognosis: If, at this point, you wager anything of value on a team other than Alabama going to Atlanta, you are out of your mind. It could still happen... but I wouldn't bet on it.

2. LSU (5-2, 3-2 SEC): Job #1: Beat Alabama in week 11. That's it. Lose there and the Tigers are done for. Assuming that win, LSU still needs another Alabama loss, and wins against their last two SEC opponents: Ole Miss and Arkansas. Neither of whom should really pose a substantial threat.

Prognosis: If Miles can get by Saban in a few weeks, LSU fans should begin preparing themselves to become MSU or Auburn fans, if they can stomach it.

3. Ole Miss (4-4, 2-3 SEC): Eliminated. Even if Ole Miss were to win out and Alabama were to lose out, both would still be sitting at 5-3 in the SEC and Alabama would have the tie breaker.

4. Auburn (4-4, 2-3 SEC): Despite having the same record as the Rebels, Auburn hasn't been eliminated quite yet on account of the fact that they have yet to play Alabama. In order for Tuberville to work his way into Atlanta (short of taking a job there when he's fired), he needs a few things. First, for Alabama to lose every conference game they play. Second they need to win every game they play. Losing to either Ole Miss OR UGA would eliminate the Tigers from contention (as would a loss to Alabama, for obvious reasons). In addition, because Alabama losing out would include a win for LSU, Auburn fans must hope that the other Tigers beat Alabama and then go on to lose to both Ole Miss and Arkansas. Like so:

Ole Miss would be elimanted from participating in a tie-breaker in Week 10 by their loss to Auburn, and even if Mississippi State won out, they would lose the tie-breaker to Auburn in this scenario.

Prognosis: Getting to the SEC championship game for Auburn would be fortuitious to the same degree that getting matched up with your wife on a "cheat on your spouse" website would not be.

5. Mississippi State (3-5, 1-3 SEC): Maybe the biggest surprise of this exercise for me was the shocking discovery that Mississippi State can, in fact, make it to Atlanta still. Like everyone else outside of LSU, they need Alabama to lose every conference game they play. Like Auburn, they also need LSU to lose to Mississippi and Arkansas (and for the same reasons). Outside of that, all they need is for Auburn to pick up one loss, either to Ole Miss in Week 10 or Georgia in Week 12.

Prognosis: In the grand scheme of things, it's really amazing that the Bulldogs aren't elminated yet. Who's wants to claim a moral victory?

6. Arkansas (3-5, 1-4 SEC): Hahahahahahahahaha. No. Not possible. Better luck next year.

The final result of this analysis is that the SEC Championship game will almost certainly be the winner of the Georgia/Florida game versus Alabama, with an outside shot for LSU to supplant the Tide. Only Tennessee, Arkansas, and Ole Miss have been eliminated so far... but the rest of the teams would need to play flawlessly and also need several other miracles to punch their tickets for the Georgia Dome.

Road to Atlanta: Who Can Win the SEC West? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 26 Oct 2008 17:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vandy Gets Croomed

Chas Rich — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:03:00 EST

Filed under: Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, SEC

The phrase "bowl eligible" and Vanderbilt have not been together since 1982. It will have to wait a little longer. The 5-0 Commodores went into Starkville and came away with their first loss. The minimalist offense and shaky QB play finally caught up with them as Mississippi State held on for the 17-14 win.

Vanderbilt's offense was worse than even the score indicated. They had only 109 yards of total offense -- with over half the yardage coming on one scoring drive. The Commodores averaged just over three penalties per game, committed ten. Vandy had seven, three-and-outs and only held the ball for just over 23 minutes.

The quarterbacks combined for 8-19 for 62 yards and two very costly 4th quarter interceptions. The first inside their own 15, that the Bulldogs converted for a touchdown. The other with just over 2 minutes left, that allowed Mississippi State to ice the game. That Vandy even had a chance late in the game is a testament to their defense and the play-not-to-lose offense of Mississippi State.

Some credit for the Vandy offensive woes should go to the Bulldog defense, but the Commodores were not helping themselves. The Bulldogs notch only their second win overall, and their first in the SEC.

Vandy Gets Croomed originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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