Tuesday Night Dawg Bites: A.J. Green, the Fulmer Cup, and "Team Russ" All Among Georgia Bulldogs Headlines
by T Kyle King on Sep 7, 2010 8:16 PM EDT
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PrintIt was a busy Labor Day weekend during which the Georgia Bulldogs appeared nearer to being in midseason form than anticipated, and I am trying to follow suit. Toward that end, here are a few points to ponder as we head into the week of the first real test of the young season:
- First things first: A.J. Green reportedly will be cleared to play this week after selling a jersey. (The horror!) While this report has not yet been confirmed, I take the view that, until I am given a concrete reason for believing otherwise, I will not attribute to bad intentions that which may be explained adequately by incompetence. We are, after all, talking about the NCAA here. The moral of the story is that, when an unrepentant pessimist like me tells you not to worry, don’t worry.
- Because the draft of my BlogPoll ballot has drawn some criticisms regarding the placement of the Boise St. Broncos, I feel inclined to cite the following passage from Dr. Saturday:
There will also be a not-so-sudden abundance of haters spinning Monday night's win as a fluke, or questioning the value of beating the dominant program in the ACC over the last six years in its own backyard, or belittling Boise's hypothetical prospects against a schedule full of Pac-10 or SEC heavies in some nonexistent fantasy world where that might be possible. This is small and petty. The Broncos came into Monday night 4-1 since 2006 against teams that finished the season ranked in the top 10, with the only loss coming by one point. If Virginia Tech rebounds to finish the season where it started, that mark will be 5-1. Again Monday night, presented with a high-end test, they passed, under probably the most adverse conditions anyone in the current lineup has faced in his career. Handed a golden opportunity to "prove it" on a national stage, they've proven it again and again. On the field, there's nothing left to prove: This is an extraordinarily well-coached team with a chance to beat anyone it encounters at any point.
That doesn't mean they have some kind of golden ticket to 12-0 (they still have to play the games, some of them – Oregon State, Fresno State, at Nevada – more than a little prickly), much less the culminating game in a system that only allows two teams inside the gates of its self-appointed championship game. If Boise State doesn't deserve to be one of those two, that's first and foremost an indictment of a system that can't handle every worthy contender. Whether the Broncos ever get or deserve a shot under the current, two-team championship structure, they've proven worthy (again) of the discussion between the lines. Hate their schedule, hate their nouveau riche hype. But don't hate their game.
I know I’m in the minority, but I agree with the Doc. - I will give Vince Dooley credit; he is doing an admirable job of splitting hairs regarding his loyalties. Like George Costanza, I am very impressed by some of these rules.
- Over the weekend, I received an e-mail from Orson Swindle, who provided a definitive ruling on the Fulmer Cup question:
The points will be added in to this total since they came during the eligible period. As much as I would like to start UGA in the hole for 2011, they don't need the help.
Well, there you go. - In addition to tonight’s ESPN Radio appearance with John Frary, I will be following up last week’s appearance on Kit Kitchens’s podcast with another call in to Kit’s show this week. Keep an eye on Kit’s weblog for the latest podcast.
- Doug Gillett sums up the sentiments of a lot of us in Bulldog Nation regarding Todd Grantham. Also, apparently, Doug looks like Richard Dreyfuss in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" after Saturday.
- Finally, it appears that the movement to make Russ the permanent Uga is gathering steam. A loyal fan has designed a T-shirt, and several points have been raised in Russ’s favor.
Take that for what it’s worth, and consider yourself ready to dive into your Wednesday fully briefed and adequately prepared for the announcement of my predictions in the national games of interest.
Go ‘Dawgs!
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If I may chime in on Boise State
I know I missed the big discussion earlier, but why not? Everyone else who has ever used the word “football” in a sentence properly is voicing their opinion, so here goes. I can’t argue with Boise at #1. Based on their performance last year, their absurd number of returning starters, and the fact that I expect them to run the table in the regular season, I would have had them as my preseason #1. Now add to that that they have the most impressive scalp of an admittedly young season. I know that they alternated between brillance and buffoonery last night, but if you are going by resume, they have to be at the top. I don’t think they could hang with a truly elite team at a neutral site, but I can totally understand the argument based on both the guidelines of the blogpoll and Kyle’s stated reasons.
If at the end of the season
VaTech and Oregon State are ACC and Pac 10 champs respectively, I’ll have no problem with Boise playing for the MNC.
If, on the other hand, they both end up with 3 or 4 losses, my opinion will not have changed.
For now I have no problem with them being #1
"I want anything wearing red and black to tear the head off anything that isn't."
- Lewis Grizzard
by RedCrake on Sep 7, 2010 8:58 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Well, the argument is still going to be that a much softer schedule leaves them much fresher
for the big games when they do play them. Yes, they have proven their starters have what it takes. I would still have a tough time ranking them high at the end of the year, though, because they just don’t have to play USC and Arizona and Cal back to back to back, much less Georgia, Alabama, Texas A & M, Auburn, and Mississippi in five straight Saturdays (Arkansas later this year).
My primary problem...
Is based primarily on what we want in a national championship contender. Are all undefeated teams equally good because they are undefeated? Are all one loss teams equal? Presumably that’s why we have the human element… to introduce judgment that only a human can provide.
I was gonna use Georgia as my example here… but to avoid being homer-tastic, I’ll use South Carolina instead. Let’s say South Carolina loses to us on Saturday (without several of their top players no less) and then proceeds to run the table. They would have wins over Florida, Clemson (ACC Victory=MNC), Arkansas, Auburn, and Alabama (twice – for the sake of argument)). Boise would have “marquee” wins over Virginia Tech, Oregon State, Fresno State, and Nevada.
I would have an immense problem with saying Boise State deserved to be in that game more than South Carolina.
Maybe I just don’t value being undefeated as much as Brent Musberger.
"I want anything wearing red and black to tear the head off anything that isn't."
- Lewis Grizzard
I would agree that being undefeated does not itself trump all else, . . .
. . . as I indicated when explaining why I ranked Florida ahead of Utah on my final 2008 BlogPoll ballot. At this point, I think Boise State has the fewest flaws, but that could change; Florida and Texas did much to confirm my doubts about them, but Alabama and Ohio State acquitted themselves well, and both will have the opportunity to impress me this Saturday.
Go 'Dawgs!
Agreed.
This was just a generic rant… As I said earlier, given what we know right now, they are a reasonable #1. Unfortunately I don’t have faith in the majority of poll voters (AP in particular) to continually reevaluate the body of work of each team in the way you do.
"I want anything wearing red and black to tear the head off anything that isn't."
- Lewis Grizzard
I don't disagree with this...
but I would like to see them play USC or Nebraska in say October after they play at Hawaii and see how they fair. Boise State is a talented team, they definitely “looked” like the better team on Monday night and deserved to win. I just wonder how they would do against LSU, Florida, and Auburn in consecutive weeks, or even Miami, FSU and VaTech in consecutive weeks. They are playing the schedule that they have and I understand that, I just don’t agree with them being able to book a trip to Glendale after one week of the season. Come on Oregon State and Nevada…we are counting on you.
the biggest problem i had
is that everyone acted as if they were in the MNC game after the win last night. The fans acted it, the players acted it, the announced acted it…. that it was a one game season and they just prevailed. I’ve never seen a #3 team act like that after beating a lower ranked team in September… ever. But they all knew what it meant, their season is over – time to coast into AZ.
That sense of accomplishment or entitlement is what really gets under my skin. If we beat number 25 SC, we still have to play number 16 ARK, a number 5ish UF, maybe a middle ranked AU and GT (possible ACC champion) and then a number 1 bama. You can never breath a sigh of relief in the SEC til you’ve won that last game and I think fans of major conferences are almost a bit bitter towards BSU that there is no fear left for that team or for the fans.
by knowshon loves legos on Sep 7, 2010 9:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Right.
I’ve never seen a team get this many accolades after one big win. I mean, most teams that make the MNC game have to win several games against teams like Va Tech, and only when they start doing it late in the season is their spot in the big game assured.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.
The best point I've seen made about it
is not whether Boise State has the ability to beat the big boys (they clearly do), it’s whether they can do it on a weekly basis. I like Doc Saturday, but I think he’s got a bit of an inherent bias in this one. Perhaps the schedule argument is small and petty, but the “their defense looked horrible” and the “what would happen if they played another good team next week” arguments certainly aren’t.
by hailtogeorgia on Sep 7, 2010 9:55 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't even need them to do it on a weekly basis...
I just want them to play a Georgia, an Oklahoma, or even a TCU with no more prep time than we get before playing Florida, or LSU, or even Tech. They beat someone with 1 week prep time/scout team practice etc. and I can start thinking they’re legit.
"I want anything wearing red and black to tear the head off anything that isn't."
- Lewis Grizzard
BSU's secret: coaching up average incoming talent with good intangibles
I’ve lived in Boise for 20 yrs; believe me—no one enjoyed the 2005 beat-down more than me! When BSU lost coach Dan Hawkins to Colorado, the mourning began. However, what’s become readily apparent is that Boise kept the real gem—Peterson and his thinking and philosophies—and especially his approach to recruiting.
BSU recruits pretty average talent, but the kids seem to have good intangibles; they usually have their heads on straight, and we don’t often see the players getting into trouble. By the time they graduate, they have become really smart, solid players—maybe not NFL quality that often—but solid contributors to the team.
What will be interesting in the months ahead is whether BSU can keep Peterson. Defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox was hired by UT’s Dooley at the beginning of the year, but it appears that the linebackers coach has stepped up ably—if the VT game is any indication.
Enough about BSU—go Dawgs!
As far as Boise is concerned:
If you honestly think they are the best team in the country, then I certainly have no place to argue with you. In a resume based approach, however, I have no idea what being 4-1 against teams ranked in the top 10 has to do with anything (also, you’ll notice he cuts it off at 2006 – why? I think we all know what happened at the beginning of their season in 2005…), nor do I know what winning against the “most dominant team in the ACC” has to do with anything either. The ACC has hardly been relevant as a conference over the past 5 years, without a sniff of MNCG talk past November (the Big East has fared better).
I also think Mr. Hinton (a writer and analyst for whom I have deep respect) can sometimes allow his perception to be swayed by his desire for a playoff. The system can’t handle it? Ironically (as has been pointed out by larger minds than mine), Virginia Tech is a shining example of just such a team the system “handled” perfectly well.
If a midmajor is to top your standings, I would much prefer it to be TCU. I think Oregon State the better team compared to Virginia Tech, and TCU just complains less. You never hear them whine about how they’ll play “Anyone in the country” followed by a mumbled “as long as you do a home and home….”, while both they and their supporters blissfully ignore the economics preventing such an arrangement.
So while I disagree with your opinion, it is only week 2 (barely), and there will be plenty of time to prove it on the field.
Thank God for college football….
Not to mention that by seasons end they will also have to play BYU and Utah
Both of whom are head and shoulders above the teams in the WAC as far as I’m concerned.
"I want anything wearing red and black to tear the head off anything that isn't."
- Lewis Grizzard
RE: Vince Dooley
Shouldn’t that be “splitting heirs”?
Nice.
As a father and a lifelong Bulldog fan, though, I really appreciate the way he’s handled this since backing off of his initial announcement that he intended to root for Tennessee from his Sanford Stadium luxury box.
Obviously, I would never expect a parent to cheer against his own child, but Coach Dooley pere is showing respect for the Georgia people by eschewing orange while supporting his son. It’s a fine line, but he’s walked it well after an initial misstep, for which I, for one, am obliged.
Go 'Dawgs!
welcome to the third Boise State thread..........dios mio
"One thing I will never do as long as I’m at Georgia is lose to Florida." - Herschel Walker
As Brent Musberger so brilliantly stated
“Now the debate begins…”
"I want anything wearing red and black to tear the head off anything that isn't."
- Lewis Grizzard
So now the players can't
even have a yard sale?? Sheesh!!! (No I don’t know that AJ sold a jersey at a yard sale, but the principle is the same.)
"Never refuse to do a kindness unless the act would work great injury to yourself, and never refuse to take a drink- under any circumstances." Mark Twain
Veering away to the other controversial topic...
I think that they should just go ahead and make Russ the permanent mascot. Years from now it can be one of those stories about the one off-color mascot that was retained because he was just doing too well on the field to get rid of him. It might be a blip in Georgia football history, but its one of those fun asterisks on a timeline.
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