Dawg Sports

Week 14 S.E.C. Power Poll Ballot Submitted

2008-12-02T01:45:04Z

Let’s be honest, now. This year, "S.E.C. Power Poll" is a bit of a misnomer. "S.E.C. Weakness Poll" would be more like it, complete with a countdown from worst to first, from "weakest" to "least weak team of the week." Unfortunately, I don’t have the ability to change the format of the balloting, so here are the teams of the Southeastern Conference, arrayed from best (such as it is) to worst:

1. Florida: Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings, and, every time a prominent Gator coach or player mists up in public, the Orange and Blue cut a swath of destruction through all in their path. If word gets out of Gainesville that Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow plan to spend Friday night watching the Lifetime Network with a box of Kleenex and a Sara Lee pound cake sitting on the table between them, you’ll know a truly epic thumping is coming in the Georgia Dome.

2. Alabama: The Crimson Tide finally took out their frustrations on someone by hauling Auburn behind the woodshed. As impressive as it was, though, ‘Bama was only approximately as dominant as Florida was against a much better team. Nevertheless, the Red Elephants are undefeated . . . and I seem to recall a Sugar Bowl at the end of the 1992 season that pitted poor old overmatched Alabama, a team that just scraped by and hadn’t beaten anyone, against an invincible squad from the Sunshine State that was going to ruin the Tide’s unbeaten season. Does anybody remember how that game turned out for Alabama?

Oh, right!

3. Ole Miss: The Rebels, who beat the Gators in Gainesville and very nearly defeated the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, are the third-best team in the conference. That’s not exactly a sign of the Apocalypse, but it ain’t far off. (I hope it’s just far enough off, though, because the last thing I want is for the world to end with Georgia Tech holding a one-game winning streak over Georgia, because you know we’d be hearing about that for all eternity, to the point where, ultimately, we’d have to have a "Best of Times"-style loser-leaves-Heaven rematch between the Bulldogs and the Yellow Jackets in the afterlife. Hey, if we’re going to sing "to Hell with" each other, we might as well make it literal.)

4. Georgia: This ranking should be taken as indicative of the fact that eight S.E.C. teams are even worse than we are and should in no way be confused with a compliment to the most disappointing Red and Black club since 2000. Nothing I’ve seen this season has been on a par with the Quincy Carter five-interception game in Williams-Brice Stadium or the ignominy of an O’ahu Bowl berth, but it’s worse than anything I’ve seen in the interim.

5. Louisiana State: How does that work, exactly? If you lose your starting quarterback, you start giving up 30+ points per game to every opponent with a pulse? I guess, if your new starting quarterback was designed in a Cal Tech laboratory to be a perpetual-motion pick-six machine, it could cause some scores to get out of hand.

6. South Carolina: I think some school consolidation is in order in the Palmetto State. As distasteful as it might be to both fan bases, think of the advantages of combining Clemson and South Carolina into a single school. That way, the university could field the Gamecocks from Labor Day weekend through mid-October, then field the Tigers from mid-October through Thanksgiving. The team would never go worse than 10-2!

It’s possible you could duplicate that effect by combining Vanderbilt’s early season with Tennessee’s late season.

7. Vanderbilt: A quarter-century of tireless effort has allowed the Commodores to break through the glass ceiling and achieve the genuine mediocrity of which every Vandy fan has dreamt for as long as he can remember.

8. Kentucky: The Wildcat fans are going to basketball games, the rest of us are ignoring U.K. completely, Rich Brooks is pouring himself a Scotch, and Joker Phillips is counting the days. The fact that this team merely inspires utter indifference from all concerned earns Kentucky a No. 8 ranking in the league, because it’s better to be inconsequential than bad.

9. Tennessee: When the Volunteers’ rallying cry became, "Let’s go out and beat Vandy and Kentucky!" it was official that Rocky Top had hit rock bottom. The Lane Kiffin hire doesn’t impress or scare me. If you think hiring an underwhelming coach is a good idea because of who his father is, I’d like to introduce you to a fellow by the name of Mike Shula.

10. Arkansas: The win over L.S.U. was huge. Good for the Razorback players for sending Bobby Petrino out a winner in his last game before bolting for whichever job he’s taking later this month.

"I’m proud to be the new head coach at ~~Tennessee~~ ~~Clemson~~ Auburn! Wait . . . the Auburn job isn’t open yet? Well, that never stopped me from accepting it before!"

11. Auburn: It’s a good thing the Plainsmen lost last Saturday, because, if they hadn’t, the Yellowhammer State would have reverberated for the next year with the cry, "Fear the ring finger of the other hand!"

12. Mississippi State: Class act that he is, Sylvester Croom recognized that last season was a statistically anomalous aberration and fell on his sword like a good soldier should. Sly, you have just been self-Croomed.

That’s how it looks from here, but, then, I’m cold and mad and dejected, and that may have affected my judgment, so, by all means, let me know whether and where you take issue with any of the foregoing.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Week 14 BlogPoll Ballot Submitted

2008-12-01T03:59:17Z

It’s official: 2008 stinks. More specifically, both the S.E.C. generally and Georgia specifically stink in 2008, and, frankly, if both the S.E.C. and Georgia are going to be down in the same year, well, to my way of thinking, that’s synonymous with the whole year stinking in toto.

Perhaps for the first time ever, being a member of the Southeastern Conference actively operated against a team’s prospects for being ranked in my top 25. At the end of the day, this is the BlogPoll ballot I cast, which remains open for revision through Wednesday morning, so I invite your critiques of the following:

Rank	Team	Delta

1	Oklahoma	2
2	Texas	--
3	Florida	1
4	Texas Tech	1
5	Alabama	4
6	Penn State	--
7	Southern Cal	--
8	Utah	--
9	Ohio State	1
10	Boise State	2
11	Georgia Tech	4
12	Cincinnati	2
13	Michigan State	3
14	Boston College	4
15	Oregon	6
16	Pittsburgh	4
17	Mississippi	7
18	TCU	4
19	Ball State	6
20	Missouri	7
21	Oklahoma State	12
22	Virginia Tech	4
23	North Carolina	--
24	Georgia	13
25	Oregon State	8

Dropped Out: Florida State (#19).

Yes, Oklahoma (11-1) lost to Texas (11-1) head to head. The Sooners also annihilated Texas Tech (11-1) and the Red Raiders beat the Longhorns. Accordingly, the retort to everyone brandishing a "45-35" sign is: "39-33."

Texas beat Oklahoma, Missouri (9-3), and Oklahoma State (9-3), in that order of impressiveness. That is a weightier set of victories than that compiled by Texas Tech, which beat Texas, Oklahoma State, and Nebraska (8-4). However, the ‘Horns also assembled a resume less impressive than that put together by Oklahoma, which beat Texas Tech, Cincinnati (10-2), Texas Christian (10-2), Oklahoma State, and Nebraska. Thus, the Sooners are No. 1, the Longhorns are No. 2, and the Red Raiders are No. 4.

The only team able to keep the Big 12 South from locking up the top three spots on my ballot was Florida (11-1), which continued to make good on Tim Tebow’s teary-eyed promise to beat the crap out of everyone after the Gators’ increasingly forgivable loss to Ole Miss (8-4). Despite U.F.’s devalued wins over Georgia (9-3), Florida State (8-4), and Miami (7-5), the thoroughness with which the Saurians are dominating the opposition enabled them to inch up a notch.

Alabama (12-0) fell to fifth despite the Crimson Tide’s dominant performance against the Plainsmen because the team’s marquee win at Georgia looks increasingly meaningless, leaving as the only sparkling jewel in the Red Elephants’ crown a four-point home win over Mississippi.

Admittedly, that win’s looking better and better.

The sixth, seventh, and eighth spots on my ballot remained the property of Penn State (11-1), Southern California (10-1), and Utah (12-0) because their respective resumes remained unchanged. The Nittany Lions and the Utes had open dates and the Trojans faced Notre Dame (6-6), which has been the functional equivalent of a bye for most of the last decade and a half.

Ugly losses (and subsequent plummets) by the teams I had ranked ninth, eleventh, and 13th enabled Ohio State (10-2) and Boise State (12-0) to sneak upwards slightly and, after sitting out in the cold and rain for four hours on Saturday watching it all unfold, I had no choice but to rank Georgia Tech (9-3) eleventh, awarding the Yellow Jackets the ranking previously belonging to the ‘Dawgs. Yes, that makes me want to puke, too. We lost to a guy named Josh Nesbitt who kneels down so far under center that he looks like a duck being stuffed inside the turkey’s butt in preparation for the cooking of a turducken. If we were Japanese instead of Georgian, we’d have to kill ourselves with seppuku swords to restore the lost honor of our ancestors. Did I mention that 2008 stinks?

Incremental gains were made by Cincinnati, Michigan State (9-3), and Boston College (9-3), who remained in the same sequence relative to one another, and performances of varying degrees of impressiveness and significance allowed reasonably large leaps to be made by Oregon (9-3), Pittsburgh (8-3), Ole Miss, and Ball State (12-0). Due to a dearth of otherwise qualified teams, T.C.U. came along for the ride, landing at No. 18.

Nothing in the win over Duke posted by North Carolina (8-4) gave me cause to move the Tar Heels, who stayed parked at No. 23, and canings of various levels of severity and shame caused a substantial drop in the value of the stock of Missouri, Oklahoma State, Georgia, and Oregon State (8-4).

The Civil War, brought to you by "What Not to Wear."

That left me with 24 teams for 25 spots, so Virginia Tech (8-4) sneaked into the No. 22 slot, just ahead of the U.N.C. squad V.P.I. defeated. Yes, I know the Hokies lost to the selfsame Seminoles whom I dropped from the poll, but Frank Beamer’s bunch beat Georgia Tech and Nebraska in addition to the Tar Heels, whereas F.S.U.’s only other even vaguely impressive pelt was that of the Hurricanes.

I gave thought to ranking Northwestern (9-3), Iowa (8-4), Brigham Young (10-2), and Nebraska, who, respectively, are my de facto 26th through 29th teams.

I watched the Ball State-Western Michigan game on Tuesday and the Texas-Texas A&M game on Thursday. On Friday, I watched all of the Mississippi-Mississippi State and Arizona State-U.C.L.A. games and parts of the Pitt-West Virginia, Arkansas-Louisiana State, and Boise State-Fresno State games. On Saturday, I attended the Georgia-Georgia Tech game and was not thereafter tempted to watch any college football for the remainder of the day.

Let me know what about that ballot appears to you to be amiss or uncertain. I will happily answer any questions, address any constructive criticisms, and make appropriate adjustments if presented with sufficiently persuasive arguments.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 45, Georgia Bulldogs 42

2008-11-30T04:15:12Z

I begin in the only way it is appropriate for me to begin, by congratulating Paul Johnson and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on a well played game of football in which they were the better team and received the victory they had earned.

Having said that, let me also say this: I have had a long day. We had out-of-town relatives in the Atlanta area for Thanksgiving, one of whom went with me to the game. Despite the weather and the outcome, we had a nice outing, as I went to Sanford Stadium with the husbands of both of my sisters-in-law---I call them my brothers-in-law, although, technically, that is not correct; they are the men who are married to the women who are my wife’s sisters---but, because different people had to be gotten to different places afterwards, I left my house at 7:30 this morning and returned home around 9:45 tonight.

Consequently, I have not read any FanPosts or comments left at Dawg Sports since roughly 11:00 last evening. If anything needs addressing, it will be addressed tomorrow; if any of what follows repeats points already made, I regret the redundancy, although I believe these points bear making and reiterating, so I will not be saddened to learn that others are entertaining similar thoughts---not visceral reactions; thoughts, arrived at over a period of years and after sober reflection---and I hope a cogent conversation follows.

This posting might have been, but is not, the 82nd installment of the Mark Richt Victory Watch. Certainly, Mohamed Massaquoi, playing in his last game between the hedges, performed at a level fully deserving of victory. Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Rockwell Moreno, also probably playing in Sanford Stadium for the final time, showed grit, heart, and determination that were worthy of a win. The Bulldogs’ much-maligned offensive line generally played capably and the criticisms of Mike Bobo as an offensive coordinator hopefully were silenced by the former Georgia quarterback’s fine play calling. The offense, in short, played well enough to have produced an eighth straight victory over our in-state rival.

Offense, however, is not the only phase of the game. It’s just the only phase of the game at which the Bulldogs performed as well as or better than the Yellow Jackets.

The following facts all are facts:

In the first century of Georgia football (1892-1991), the Red and Black lost two games in which they scored at least 28 points. During that same period, the Classic City Canines never lost a game in which they scored at least 29 points.

During the Ray Goff and Jim Donnan eras (1989-2000), the Bulldogs lost seven games in which they scored at least 28 points, falling 34-31 to Tennessee in 1992, 42-28 to Auburn in 1993, 29-28 to Alabama in 1994, 43-30 to Vanderbilt in 1994, 37-31 to Auburn in 1995, 45-34 to Auburn in 1997, and 51-48 to Georgia Tech in 1999.

During the aforementioned Ray Goff and Jim Donnan eras, Georgia had five defensive coordinators: Richard Bell (1989-1993), Marion Campbell (1994), Joe Kines (1995-1998), Kevin Ramsey (1999), and Gary Gibbs (2000).

During the four years in which Brian VanGorder served as Georgia’s defensive coordinator (2001-2004), the Bulldogs lost ten games. In those ten games, the ‘Dawgs scored nine, ten, 17, 16, 13, ten, 13, 13, 14, and six points, respectively.

During the four years in which Willie Martinez has served as Georgia’s defensive coordinator (2005-2008), the Bulldogs have lost twelve games. In those twelve games, the ‘Dawgs scored ten, 30, 35, 33, 22, 14, 20, twelve, 14, 30, ten, and 42 points, respectively.

To reiterate: Georgia scored 28 points in defeat just twice in the first 100 years of Red and Black football; Georgia never scored more than 28 points in defeat in the first 100 years of Red and Black football; Georgia scored 28 or more points in defeat seven times in the twelve years of the Ray Goff and Jim Donnan eras, during which the Bulldogs had five different defensive coordinators; Georgia never scored more than 17 points in defeat during the four years that Brian VanGorder served as Georgia’s defensive coordinator; Georgia has scored more than 28 points in defeat five times during the four years that Willie Martinez has served as Georgia’s defensive coordinator; and Georgia has not scored 28 or more points in defeat more than twice during the tenure of any previous defensive coordinator in Bulldog history.

Injuries have played a role in the failure of this Georgia team to live up to expectations. However, the offensive line has been hit hard by injuries, yet Stacy Searels appears to have found a way to get his players who are healthy enough to play to perform well as a unit and Mike Bobo appears to have found a way to put together an effective offense despite the loss of some key players. This is called coaching.

Injuries do not excuse all shortcomings. Injuries do not explain defensive players being out of position. Injuries do not justify an inability to make open field tackles. Injuries cannot account for why teams are able to outscore Georgia in the second half when Brian VanGorder’s defenses made a habit of slamming the door after intermission. Injuries are not the reason why an option team is able to make big gains despite the fact that everyone in the stadium knows (or ought to know) that the ball is going to the pitch man.

Georgia Tech had possession of the ball seven times in the second half in Athens this afternoon. The Yellow Jackets’ first drive went 60 yards in one play for a touchdown. Their second drive went 56 yards in ten plays for a touchdown. Their third drive went 23 yards in one play for a touchdown. Their fourth drive went 76 yards in seven plays for a field goal. Their fifth drive went six yards in three plays and ended in a punt. Their sixth drive went 70 yards in six plays for a touchdown. Their seventh drive picked up the first down that allowed the visitors to run out the clock.

If two of the Engineers’ seven second-half drives had ended in punts, Georgia would have won the game. Just a pair of three-and-outs would have put the ball back in Matthew Stafford’s hands and the offense would have found a way to finish the drill. The defense did not give the offense that chance. I do not lay this at the feet of the young men wearing silver britches, who played with passion and who managed to avoid some of the foolish penalties that have plagued the ‘Dawgs this season. I lay this failure at the feet of the defensive coaching staff, of the coordinator charged with the responsibility for that side of the ball, and, if sufficient steps are not taken, of the head coach charged with the ultimate responsibility for everything that happens in this program.

Georgia Tech deserved to win the game and a commitment to class even in the face of defeat compels us to tip our caps to the best college football team in the Peach State, which today calls North Avenue and not the Classic City home. However, a decent defensive effort on the Bulldogs’ part would have produced a victory, and that calls upon us as fans to ask reasonable questions in a responsible manner.

As I noted earlier, I have not yet read any of the FanPosts or comments to have appeared at Dawg Sports in roughly the last 24 hours. I will get to them later, but it is my hope that a civil and sensible tone has been maintained. I have not ventured elsewhere in the blogosphere this evening, so I do not know what has been written in other parts of "The Dawgosphere." I regret it if the foregoing is repetitive, although this a subject of sufficient significance to warrant our ongoing attention.

The act of addressing harsh realities requires the act of asking hard questions. Many good men are being compensated handsomely to mold the talented student-athletes enrolled at the University of Georgia into a championship-caliber team and most of these men are succeeding admirably at their jobs.

Georgia gave up 41 points to Alabama, 38 points to Louisiana State, 49 points to Florida, 38 points to Kentucky, and 45 points to Georgia Tech. It is time for one of the good men mentioned above to explain why he deserves to continue collecting a paycheck for serving as the defensive coordinator of the Georgia Bulldogs and it is time for another of those good men to perform his duty as the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs by taking the only appropriate step if that explanation proves to be inadequate.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Georgia Bulldogs v. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Game Day Open Comment Thread

2008-11-29T16:00:04Z

Now that the Bulldogs are done with their lengthy trip away from Athens, it’s time once again to tee it up between the hedges! Feel free to join in the conversation by posting your thoughtful critiques, visceral reactions, and emotional exclamations in the comments below.

This is also the occasion for announcing this week’s honorary game captain. Honestly, it seemed to me that there could be only one choice for this distinction:

Go ‘Dawgs!

Inside Georgia Tech Football: With Special Guest Howard Wolowitz

2008-11-29T06:45:05Z

If you haven't really been paying a heck of a lot of attention to Georgia Tech football this season, don't feel bad. The rest of us haven't either. Thankfully, someone has. Fans will recognize special guest Howard Wolowitz as the suave lady's man from the CBS Monday comedy The Big Bang Theory. Not surprisingly, this hunky aeronautical engineer did his master's work at Georgia Tech. He's graciously agreed to fill you in on all things, um, Techy.

How do you say "menage a trois" in Klingon? I have no idea. But this week we're talking football with the one man who does.

Dawgsports: First things first. Do all Tech students in fact play Dungeons and Dragons?

Wolowitz: Please. Georgia Tech students are far more advanced than that. Why don't you just call us neanderthals? We're an online gaming force. A dynasty. Our Halo team has won the NCAA championship two years running. Chicks dig a guy who gets 40% of kills with his battle rifle. Especially in Halo 3, because with the new artificial intelligence . . .

Dawgsports: Of course. So Paul Johnson seems to have been embraced quickly by the Georgia Tech community. Is that in fact the perception inside the hive?

Wolowitz: Yes, one would think that. But he still must prove himself in several critical facets of the head coaching racket. Unlike Coach Friedgen for example (whose Jabba the Hut outfit was legendary around campus), he has yet to stake out a clear position on the Star Trek/Star Wars issue. Of course, on the Flats, it doesn't really matter which one you're for, just so long as you're consistent. Bill Lewis for example went trick-or-treating as Mr. Spock on Halloween 1994, after showing up at the previous night's faculty party dressed as an Ewok. That's no good. He was canned immediately. Tech fans prize consistency over all other deontological maxims. That last sentence, by the way, explains the Chan Gailey era in far less time than that epoch took to actually unfold.

Dawgsports: Will the triple option be as successful next year once everybody in the ACC has had a chance to see it up close?

Wolowitz: Is DragonCon one heckuva party !?!

Dawgsports: OK, moving on then . . .

Wolowitz: To answer your question, critics of the triple option make the logical mistake of thinking that defenses will learn from their mistakes after the first time they face it. This is incorrect for two distinct reasons. One, it attributes far too much institutional memory to the average college football defensive unit. Two, it attributes far too much intelligence to the average college football defender individually. As I've learned designing apparati for use aboard the space shuttle, building a device that withstands the rigors of space is easy. Building one that withstands the rigors of human stupidity is the real challenge. Take the Mars Rover for example . . .

Dawgsports: Guy who answers with a non sequitur says what?

Wolowitz: What?

Dawgsports: Nevermind. Say, one of the regular features here at Dawgsports is called "5 Things". It's a list of five players or events we think that our readers will see during the upcoming game. How would you like to do the honors and list them this week?

Wolowitz: Certainly, my good man. I'm fairly certain you'll see Roddy Jones. Tech's slippery "A" back. While all of you seem to be worried about Jon Dwyer, it's easy to forget that Jones has 400 plus rushing yards and is averaging in the neighborhood of 20 yards per catch through the air. He should worry you folks like pre-calculus. Haha, a little MENSA humor. Also, don't be surprised to see us throw the ball. We've gained over 1100 yards through the air this season. Usually when you least expect them. Alas, you'll also see us turn the ball over, at least twice. The question is whether you'll be able to do anything with those turnovers. Especially since you'll also see Matthew Stafford throw at least one interception. Unfortunately, I don't think our banged up defense will be able to stop you. In the end, I foresee a final score of UGAG (haha, more humor) 38, Georgia Tech 31.

Dawgsports: Thanks Howard.

Wolowitz: By the way, didn't you say something about introducing me to the cheerleaders . . .

Dawgsports: No. Gotta go. Bye.

Too Much Information: Georgia Bulldogs v. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

2008-11-28T17:47:18Z

I hope everyone had a healthy and happy Thanksgiving. We are on the eve of Clean Old-Fashioned Hate and the time has come for me to offer my weekly pregame statistical and historical breakdown of the Bulldogs’ upcoming opponent.

This time, it’s pretty straightforward:

We’re Georgia. They’re Georgia Tech.

My Prediction: Georgia 31, Georgia Tech 20.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Don't Bet On It!: National Game of Disinterest

2008-11-27T14:30:04Z

Together, we have traveled around the S.E.C. and gone through the national games of interest. Ere I get to my upcoming breakdown of historical and statistical minutiae concerning Georgia’s upcoming game against Georgia Tech, however, I have the responsibility of announcing the national game of disinterest.

This, quite simply, is the least intriguing game of the week, one which features teams about which I do not care in a clash with respect to which I do not feel moved either to declare a rooting interest or even to take the effort to learn the outcome after the fact.

This week’s national game of disinterest is . . .

Florida International at Florida Atlantic

As far as I know, this game may settle the conference championship of the Sun Belt and decide which team goes to the New Orleans Bowl. On the other hand, it could just as easily be a clash of winless teams to determine which will secure its elusive first victory. It also is possible that these are two equally-matched mediocre teams or two mismatched squads at opposite ends of the league standings.

None of that, though, is the point. The point, rather, is this:

I can’t tell these two teams apart, and neither can you.

One of them has Howard Schnellenberger, but you have no idea which. One of them won the conference title last year, but you’re not sure if it was F.A.U. or F.I.U.

Let’s be honest, now. Not only do you not know where either of these schools is located, you’re not even entirely convinced either of them has an actual honest-to-goodness campus. I mean . . . Florida Atlantic and Florida International? Those sound like internet-based correspondence-course colleges whose accreditation is judged suspect even by the folks at the University of Phoenix.

In defense of the University of Phoenix, though, their mascot rocks!

Back in the day when the Plainsmen had trouble getting their rivals to come play in the so-called Loveliest Village, Auburn coach Shug Jordan was fond of saying, "College football is meant to be played on campus and on grass." I agree with him about the latter---like most college football fans (and Willie Nelson), I prefer grass to artificial turf---and, while I believe strongly that the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party should be kept in Jacksonville, I will concede Coach Jordan’s point at least insofar as a college football team at least ought to have a campus.

If two Division I-A teams play on any given Saturday and I can’t state for certain that either of them has a home with libraries and classrooms and dormitories and student centers and suchlike, though, that game qualifies as the national game of disinterest.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Cocktail Thursday: Thanksgiving Edition.

2008-11-27T10:45:06Z

Happy Thanksgiving, Dawgsports readers! I don't have to tell you that these are not the best of times. No, I'm not talking about the Florida game. Or the Kentucky game.

The fact is we Bulldog fans have a lot more things to be thankful for this holiday season than we do to be bitter about, including:

The fact that we're 9-2 with some considering it a "down year", while our in-state rivals are 8-3 and feel like they're on top of the world.
Nick Saban is apparently building a powerful program over in Tuscaloosa and rotating the heck off our schedule for the time being.
We have a quarterback who we're publicly beseeching to come back for another year, rather than one everybody wishes had already graduated.
Even with 1/3 of our team on crutches and 1/4 either in traction or suffering from ebola, rickets, or monkeypox, we're still better than we were during the Donnan Era.
Baba O'Reily.
The last time Georgia lost to Georgia Tech, our current freshman class was in the 5th grade.
Speaking of which, A.J. Green is a freshman.
So are Cordy Glenn, Ben Jones and Deangelo Tyson.
We haven't lost to Syracuse.
Or gone 3-9 under our supergenius spread-erific new coach.
Sanford Stadium hasn't been hijacked by Somali pirates.
Or the Dread Pirate Leach. Yar.
Chick-Fil-A sandwiches, waffle fries and an ice cold Coca Cola.
Fried chicken, potato salad and an ice cold Coca Cola (with bourbon).
The Lone Bugler.
Rennie Curran, the Liberian Dream.
Mo Massaquoi not saying "To hell with this" after his sophomore season.
Beating Auburn, no matter how small the margin or inconsequential the result in the SEC title race.
The best crop of bloggers in intercollegiate sports. I don't know if we have any Heisman winners in the bunch, but we've got more quality depth than I could possibly link to. I'm not even going to try.
David Greene's hidden ball play fake. It still makes me smile.
Mark Richt changing his mind and calling Vince Dooley in the middle of the night to accept the Georgia job.

And as for me personally, I'm thankful for my family, especially my wife (who allows me to tell her that my blog posts will take "5 more minutes" when she knows that in fact that's merely how long it will take me to find the right synonym for "palaverous"). I'm thankful that Kyle King gave me a call and said, roughly "Come give this site a try. I can't guarantee you money or fame, but you'll have a good time." He was right. About the money, the fame, and the fun.

I'm thankful for the first time one of my posts was linked by the Washington Post online edition. Because, in all candor, we filthy bloggers do enjoy the occasional hat tip from those mainstream media types, even though we do occasionally give them unshirted hell. I'm thankful for all of you who click over to read this site with your morning coffee. You have no idea what an honor that is. The fact that there are 2,500 or more of you on a daily basis still hasn't sunk in, even now. That's about 2,498 more than I envisioned when I started MaconDawg's Blawg.

And finally, I'm thankful that I live in a country where I can enjoy the tailgating beverage of my choice, so long as I don't set foot on the sidewalk with it or enjoy so many of them that I start dancing like Christopher Wulkan in a Fatboy Slim video.

Therefore, in honor of Thanksgiving, I urge you to imbibe the pregame cocktail of your choice. And I urge you to post its recipe in the comments section, along with a list of the things you're thankful for on this very special day. Here's to you, Dawgsports readers. I'm raising a glass to you today. Until later . . .

Go 'Dawgs!!!

Don't Bet On It!: National Games of Interest

2008-11-27T01:39:29Z

Yesterday, I took you around the S.E.C., so the time has come for me to provide you with the national picks for the upcoming holiday weekend. I actually went 3-1 in last week’s nationwide prognostications to improve to 40-31, but I was way wrong about the one I missed, so my usual disclaimer still very much applies. Whatever you do . . . Don’t Bet On It!

Here are this week’s national contests of note, the first of which will be played on Friday, November 28:

West Virginia at Pittsburgh: Both Big East teams sport 7-3 records. The Mountaineers are half a game out of first place in the league. The Panthers are in fourth place in the conference. Can someone remind me again why I think Pitt is having a better season than W.V.U.? There may not be a game anywhere in America involving two B.C.S. conference clubs that features two head coaches in whom I repose less faith than this ~~chess~~ ~~checkers~~ ~~tic-tac-toe~~ rock-paper-scissors match between Bill Stewart and Dave Wannstedt; there has not been so little sideline acumen assembled in a single stadium since Bill Curry coached alone. I’m going with West Virginia for no particularly good reason.

Maryland at Boston College: The only reason this game doesn’t represent a crucial contest in the determination of the Big East bowl pecking order is that both of these teams inexplicably find themselves in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Go figure. In a league as topsy-turvy as the A.C.C., I’m hesitant to pick the better team to win, but surely nothing in nature suggests that a Terrapin is capable of fending off an Eagle, right?

The namesake of the oldest college of the University of Georgia may have wanted our national symbol to be the bird we’ll all be eating tomorrow evening, but there’s a reason no one ever advocated making a turtle an American emblem.

Fresno State at Boise State: Remember back in the preseason when we thought this one would be worth circling on the calendar? A funny thing happened on the way to the Golden State Bulldogs’ full-fledged return to Western Athletic Conference prominence. The West Coast F.S.U. isn’t a bad team by any means, but the Broncos are the class of the league by a good-sized margin and that fact will not change this Saturday, as Boise State will improve to 12-0. Do not doubt the mojo of the blue turf.

Oregon at Oregon State: This year’s ~~Battle of the Color-Blind Equipment Managers~~ Battle of the Webbed Feet (sorry; "Civil War" is not a term my people use, although I’ll be happy to call it "The War Within the State") carries extra added significance, despite the fact that Jacquizz Rodgers’s shoulder injury may represent a departure from the expected script for the Beavers, who are one win away from plunging over the precipice separating the they-haven’t-been-to-the-Rose-Bowl-in-how-long? feel-good story of the college football season from the they’re-being-rematched-in-a-bowl-with-a-team-that-beat-them-how-badly-in-September? ratings-deflating disappointment of the college football postseason. Although the Ducks have matched their in-state rivals in overall record (8-3) and are but a game behind O.S. in the conference standings, Oregon’s wins have come over teams with a combined ledger of 27-62, which is why I resisted ranking the squad from Eugene for so long. Even with Rodgers sidelined, I like Oregon State to close the deal in Corvallis.

Oklahoma at Oklahoma State: Was ever there a team in a more prime position for a letdown than the Sooners in Stillwater this Saturday? The Cowboys, being the "little brothers" in this series, likely take the game more seriously than O.U. Bob Stoops’s troops are coming down off of a huge victory in Norman that has everyone talking about division crowns, poll rankings, and national championships . . . everything, in short, except for Saturday’s game. The Pokes are coming off of an open date and O.S.U. is playing at home. The problem, though, is that Coach Stoops reminded us last weekend how he got the nickname "Big Game Bob," whereas Mike Gundy’s lifetime record against Oklahoma, both as a quarterback and as a head coach, is 0-7. This weekend will make it 0-8 as the visitors register the victory, Sooner or later.

As long as we’re working a Stephen Colbert theme here, I’d like to remind everyone that Oklahoma is on notice!

I feel ~~pretty good~~ ~~all right~~ utterly uncertain about ~~some~~ ~~most~~ all of those picks, so, if I’m not sure, you clearly shouldn’t be. The lesson to be learned from my self-doubt is simple: Don’t Bet On It!

Coming Soon: National Game of Disinterest.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Don't Bet On It!: Around the S.E.C.

2008-11-26T03:58:22Z

The final weekend of the regular season is upon us, so every team in the league is diving into the deep end for a final 60 minutes’ worth of action. Even with what I erroneously thought was a bold prediction that Ole Miss would beat L.S.U. (with respect to which C&F quite reasonably asked whether it was an upset if everyone saw it coming), I still only broke even in last week’s S.E.C. picks to fall to 62-16 in conference contests. At this point, I shouldn’t even have to tell you this, but, then again, no one should need a warning label anymore to know that smoking cigarettes is bad for their health, so let me reiterate: Don’t Bet On It!

These are the games on the docket for this week, the first two of which will be played on Friday, November 28, in order to make us even more thankful:

Louisiana State at Arkansas: Does anyone else remember when this game used to be a big deal? You know, like, last year? Although the Tiger faithful have concerns about the direction of their program, this is strictly a brief downcycle for an elite team; that’s a very different thing from being in the position of the Razorbacks, who are suffering the consequences of decades of mismanagement by a self-serving athletic director who hung on too long, tolerance for a climate of rabid fan animosity towards a successful coach that got out of hand even by S.E.C. standards, and the hiring of a quick-fix artist whose commitment issues would make him a fit subject for a Cosmo quiz. Add to that the fact that the Bayou Bengals are looking to end their season on a high note and have revenge on their minds, and it all adds up to an L.S.U. victory.

Mississippi State at Ole Miss: My sister-in-law and her husband are University of Mississippi alumni and we’ll be seeing them at Thanksgiving, so this is a game to which I particularly am looking forward, as it combines family, football, and Thanksgiving leftovers. Who among us doesn’t enjoy watching the Egg Bowl while eating from the deviled egg bowl? I’d pick the Rebels on general principle, but it helps that they’re good and M.S.U. is bad.

That David Cutcliffe is doing a fine job in Oxford. Oh, wait. . . .

Florida at Florida State: I’ll admit it; I had given the Seminoles up for dead, not just as a team, but as a program. It had been my belief that F.S.U. might never be good again, and certainly wouldn’t return to national prominence until Bobby Bowden ceased to stroll the sideline. The ‘Noles, however, have improved substantially. They just haven’t improved nearly enough to compete with Florida.

Vanderbilt at Wake Forest: It seems to me the math on this one is pretty simple. The Commodores beat Ole Miss by six points in Oxford. The Demon Deacons beat Ole Miss by two points in Winston-Salem. Taking home field advantage into account, Vandy ought to be about a touchdown better than Wake. Of course, my math skills weren’t good enough to get me into, say, Vanderbilt or Wake Forest, so I’m going with the Deacs to conquer the Commies.

Kentucky at Tennessee: I have an interesting exercise I would challenge you to attempt. Try to identify the latest date on which you would have looked at me funny had I said to you: "Rich Brooks will outlast Phillip Fulmer as a head coach in the Southeastern Conference." For all the disappointments this season has held in Knoxville, however, the Volunteers proved in their win over the ‘Dores that they are not done fighting for the Great Pumpkin, at least insofar as division rivals the Big Orange historically have owned are concerned. This week will be no exception, as Tennessee will send Coach Fulmer out a winner in his last game at the U.T. helm.

South Carolina at Clemson: I will confess to having a disproportionate degree of interest in this game. Because Georgia will visit Fort Hill in 2013, the Tigers’ next head coach almost certainly will be on the sideline in Memorial Stadium when Mark Richt leads the Red and Black back into Death Valley. Although Clemson football owes its genesis to Auburn through such figures as Walter Riggs and John Heisman, it is to the other half of the Iron Bowl that the Country Gentlemen have been beholden in their modern incarnation: Jess Neely and Tommy Bowden both served as assistant coaches at Alabama; Frank Howard and Hootie Ingram both played for the Crimson Tide; Charley Pell and Danny Ford each played and coached for Bear Bryant in Tuscaloosa. That is why I hope Ron Morris is right that Dabo Swinney will be the next head football coach of the Clemson Tigers. Coach Swinney walked on at ‘Bama as a wide receiver in 1990, was a scholarship player for the Tide from 1990 to 1992, made academic all-S.E.C. and earned two degrees from the University of Alabama, served as a graduate assistant at his alma mater from 1993 to 1995, and coached wide receivers and tight ends for the Red Elephants from 1996 to 2000. As an Alabama guy, he’s just a natural fit for a program at which six of the nine coaches to have served since 1931 have had ties to the Tide. Because I’m rooting for the symmetry that Coach Swinney’s hiring would bring, I’m picking Clemson to win by the shores of Lake Hartwell against the Palmetto State Poultry.

I will, however, concede the possibility that I may just like my team’s chances against a longstanding rival if that opponent is coached by someone who looks like Jack from "Will and Grace." (Associated Press photograph by Mary Ann Chastain.)

Auburn at Alabama: Don’t think this one won’t be close. Every last one of the Plainsmen’s S.E.C. outings this autumn has been a tight ballgame. The Red Elephants are winning ugly without really overpowering anyone. Auburn has had the psychological edge in this series for the last several years and the Tigers may be battling to save their head coach’s job. Auburn will give the Tide faithful more than their fair share of nervous moments. In the end, though, ‘Bama isn’t about to have its perfect season ruined by its fiercest rival. Naturally, I’ll be rooting for the Crimson Tide, because anybody who hates Auburn is all right by me.

Those are this weekend’s S.E.C. picks, for whatever limited value they may have. While I hope they kept you at least somewhat entertained, and maybe even made you a little bit better informed, I must emphasize---and I cannot stress this strongly enough---that, whatever transpires, you must remember this one thing: Don’t Bet On It!

Coming Soon: National Games of Interest.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Week 13 S.E.C. Power Poll Ballot Submitted

2008-11-25T02:39:16Z

Whose idea was this S.E.C. Power Poll, anyway? Why did we have to pick a down year for the conference to do this? I mean, for crying out loud, we all know the Big 12 is the tougher league this year, but do we have to advertise it by running through the rogues’ gallery in such embarrassing fashion on a weekly basis? I never should have agreed to this, but, in for a buck, in for a bundle, I suppose. Here are the Southeastern Conference’s member institutions, arranged according to their present strength. As the name implies, this (unlike my BlogPoll ballot) is a power poll:

1. Florida: Yes, it was just The Citadel, but when’s the last time the Gators (or anyone else in the S.E.C., for that matter) hung 70 on someone? The Orange and Blue machine is set on "crush."

2. Alabama: How can the Crimson Tide be the last remaining undefeated team in the major conferences yet not stand atop the S.E.C. Power Poll? Simple; while the Florida team that waxed Georgia in Jacksonville was just getting warmed up, the ‘Bama squad that throttled the ‘Dawgs in Athens hasn’t been seen in weeks.

3. Georgia: Will 2008 go down in history as a disappointment on a level with 2004 or as a letdown on a par with 2000? That question will be answered this weekend, when a record-setting eighth straight win over the Yellow Jackets would lock up a sixth ten-win season in a seven-year span but a loss would mean that the Red and Black squad that entered the Georgia Southern game as the No. 1 team in the nation exited the Georgia Tech game as the No. 2 team in the state.

Losing to Alabama and Florida stunk, but let’s not even go there.

4. Ole Miss: If I were a Rebel fan, I’d really be giving the Arkansas people a hard time over the fact that they treated Houston Nutt as badly as, um, Mississippi treated David Cutcliffe. . . . Uh, nevermind. Anyway, the Rebs appear to have sewn up a Cotton Bowl berth, making them one of the feel good stories of the season.

5. Louisiana State: Anyone who blames the Bayou Bengals’ woes on their quarterback situation is making the same mistake as the Florida fans who blamed Tim Tebow’s sore shoulder for the Gators’ loss to the ‘Dawgs in 2007. Signal-callers don’t play defense. Unfortunately for L.S.U., neither do the Fighting Tigers.

6. South Carolina: A fairly impressive resurgence---or, given the Gamecocks’ history, surgence---by the East Coast U.S.C. was halted in the Palmetto State Poultry’s embarrassing loss to Florida. The coach whose nickname is "Darth Visor" stands a better than 50/50 chance of losing to a coach whose nickname is "Dabo." The former moniker was coined by opposing coaches who could not beat the Evil Genius; the latter moniker was coined by a slightly older brother who was too young to enunciate clearly when saying "that boy." Yeah, losing to Clemson this year would be more shameful than getting thumped by Urban Meyer, wouldn’t it?

That’s Dabo, not Dabney.

7. Vanderbilt: You know, bowl-eligible and bowl-bound aren’t the same thing. Satisfying the minimum standard to qualify for postseason play really isn’t that impressive an accomplishment.

8. Kentucky: I guarantee you that the Wildcat faithful realized it was basketball season a good week before I did. This is not to their credit.

9. Auburn: The Plainsmen epitomize mediocrity with their 5-6 record and their unbroken string of close contests in conference play. The sad part is that the Tigers have at least a puncher’s chance of winning what is sure to be a tight, low-scoring Iron Bowl.

I hate Auburn.

10. Tennessee: Does anyone else remember when a Volunteer win over Vanderbilt didn’t constitute an upset?

11. Mississippi State: The Western Division Bulldogs are so bad, they lost to Tennessee.

12. Arkansas: The Razorbacks are so bad, they lost to Mississippi State.

That is how the league breaks down, at least from my perspective. If you see it differently, feel free to say so in the comments below.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Defending the Triple Option: Some Basic Realities.

2008-11-24T10:30:08Z

As you all know, the Georgia Bulldogs will face off this weekend against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, practitioners of occasional drug trafficking, international terrorism, poor academic oversight, and the triple option offense.

As you (and Miami coach Randy Shannon) also know, that triple option offense can gash even good defenses in a hurry. Defenses (like ours) which struggle with bruising running backs (like LSU's Charles Scott) are in danger of giving up tons of yardage to a guy like Tech's Jonathan Dwyer. None of this is even remotely mysterious.

What is a little mysterious is how you actually can stop the triple option. I propose that it can be done, assuming you first understand some basic realities. Now I'm not a football coach, but I play one on the internet. As such, I hope you'll enjoy this, my list of the six basic realities of defending the triple option:

1) It's just different from the beginning. The triple option is designed to take advantage of defenses by allowing the quarterback to make his reads during the play, not before. This has two important consequences. One is that you will rarely be in optimum position to stop the play. Because if you are, it means the opposing QB has failed to get the ball where it was supposed to be to take advantage of your location. Two, all of the presnap hoodoo in the world is basically useless. When you see Willie Martinez's defense standing stock still, don't be too surprised.

2) It will get its yards. An extension of the "rarely in optimum position rule" is that sometimes there's just not going to be anything you can do to stop this offense. It's designed to allow an astute quarterback, borrowing an old baseball axiom, to "run it where they ain't." Please do not hyperventilate when you see Dwyer and Roddy Jones break the occasional 15 yarder. The key is limiting the number of them. Holding Paul Johnson's offense under 200 rushing yards is a solid accomplishment. Keep telling yourself that.

3) It will put the ball on the ground. Especially with a young quarterback like Josh Nesbitt or Jaybo Shaw. The question is whether the defense can take advantage. North Carolina, Vrginia and Virginia Tech have each beaten the Yellow Jackets this season. Each forced three turnovers. I doubt seriously that this is a coincidence.

4) Blitzing it is a bad, bad idea. The first instinct of fans seeing a team defend the option is that you should attack. This is usually the worst thing you can do. Why? Because blitzing puts you upfield and out of position. Remember, the option is calculated to roll downhill fast and force defenders to make decisions on the fly. There's no quarterback scrambling aimlessly in the pocket. The offense will get to your personnel plenty fast enough. Blitz-heavy gameplans against the triple option mean that eventually somebody's gonna run right past their assignment. And when you're playing one-on-one assignment football, that means a touchdown. Remember this, ye acolytes of the "Willie Martinez never blitzes" faith. This is the one time we actually want Willie to dial it back.

5) The "A" and "B" gaps generally decide the ballgame. The first read the quarterback makes on most triple option running plays is whether or not to give the bal to his "A" back right up the middle on the option's version of the fullback dive. If everything went according to Hoyle in this offense, that play would be the offense. The line would drive the defensive tackles back and they would grind the opposition to a fine powder 5 yards at a time.

The only reason for the ball to ever move laterally in this offense is for the inside gaps to be unavailable. Flushing things outside allows a fast defense to catch up to the option, and it creates the need for the QB to pitch the ball, and potentially put it on the ground (see number 3 above). This means that Geno Atkins, Kade Weston, Deangelo Tyson, Corvey Irvin and Brandon Wood will be the most important guys on the field Saturday. I'm not saying that's a good or a bad thing. Just an existential reality to which you should accustom yourself. They will spend the day tackling the fullback on the dive whether he has the ball or not, and preventing Tech's mobile offensive line from getting back to the linebackers. Watching this personnel group in the early going should give you a decent idea of how this edition of Clean Old Fashioned Hate is going to go.

6) First down is the most important of all. If a decent triple option offense has 3rd and 4 or less, they will convert on a generous percentage of attempts. See Reality Number 2, above. The key to stopping this offense is to limit it to short gains on 1st down then play solid assignments on 2nd and 3rd. The triple option, like all offenses, will generally have trouble converting 3rd and 6 or longer. With the triple option you have the added problem that there's a limited passing arsenal. The goal should be to get them to 3rd and 7, give up 4 on the play, then get the heck off the field. Like so many other things in life, this is much more easily said than done.

Want to learn more? Try these sites:

Defending the Triple Option, by Nate Cochran, University of Wisconsin-Plattville

Football 101: Option Football, ESPN's Bob Davie

Until later . . .

Go 'Dawgs!!!

Week 13 BlogPoll Ballot Submitted

2008-11-24T02:36:09Z

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world. . . .

Surely some revelation is at hand. . . ."

William Butler Yeats, The Second Coming

Yeats was right, of course. The center cannot hold; if he did, his team would incur a ten-yard penalty. However, in a season noteworthy for not being remotely as topsy-turvy as 2007, we finally are starting to see some separation, which accounts for why the top 25 upon which I settled last week has given way today to this, as, surely, some revelation is at hand:

Rank	Team	Delta

1	Alabama	1
2	Texas	1
3	Oklahoma	2
4	Florida	--
5	Texas Tech	4
6	Penn State	2
7	Southern Cal	1
8	Utah	1
9	Oklahoma State	1
10	Ohio State	1
11	Georgia	--
12	Boise State	--
13	Missouri	--
14	Cincinnati	2
15	Georgia Tech	7
16	Michigan State	2
17	Oregon State	--
18	Boston College	2
19	Florida State	4
20	Pittsburgh	5
21	Oregon	5
22	TCU	2
23	North Carolina	5
24	Mississippi	2
25	Ball State	--

Dropped Out: Maryland (#19), Miami (Florida) (#21).

Obviously, Alabama (11-0) has reclaimed possession of the top spot, as the Crimson Tide are the last unbeaten team from a B.C.S. conference. Texas (10-1) edged out Oklahoma (10-1) for the No. 2 spot because the Longhorns beat the Sooners head-to-head at a neutral site and the three best victories recorded by Mack Brown’s squad (Missouri, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State) are superior to those registered by Bob Stoops’s troops (Cincinnati, Texas Christian, and Texas Tech). If O.U. beats the Cowboys, that math will change and the Sooners will move past the Burnt Orange on my ballot.

Florida (10-1) stayed put because the Gators’ victory over The Citadel was meaningless---top five teams are supposed to beat Division I-AA teams 70-19 at home---and because the Saurians’ three best victories (Georgia, Louisiana State, and Miami) did not appreciate in value, as the Bulldogs had an open date and both the Bayou Bengals and the Hurricanes lost by double-digit margins.

Despite the magnitude of the beatdown absorbed by the Red Raiders in Norman, Texas Tech (10-1) fell only as far as No. 5 because Mike Leach’s club still owns quality victories over Oklahoma State and Texas. That gives the Raiders two wins over top ten teams, which is more than can be claimed by the next several contenders.

I moved Penn State (11-1) past Southern California (9-1) because the Nittany Lions added a convincing win over Michigan State to a resume that, like that of the Trojans, already contained a victory over Ohio State. U.S.C.’s second-best win is over Oregon and the Ducks are not on a par with the Spartans. Moreover, P.S.U. defeated handily the Oregon State club that upended the Men of Troy.

How were the Lions able to dispatch the Beavers? Simple: Erin Andrews wasn’t there to bring Oregon State good luck.

Although Oklahoma State (9-2) was idle and Ohio State (10-2) administered an historic whipping to Michigan, I elevated the Pokes past the Bucks because the Big 12 O.S.U.’s best win (Missouri) is better than the Big Ten O.S.U.’s (Michigan State). The same could be said for the Cowboys’ losses (Texas and Texas Tech), as compared to the setbacks suffered by the Buckeyes (Penn State and Southern California).

Cincinnati (9-2) rose from 16th to 14th, and Pittsburgh (7-3) dropped from 15th to 20th, after the Bearcats beat the Panthers. Pitt’s fall was arrested by the fact that Saturday’s was a quality loss (28-21 on the road) and Dave Wannstedt’s club has a win over Iowa that has increased in value with time.

At long last, there was some separation among the A.C.C. contenders. Georgia Tech (8-3) leapt to the head of the class with the Yellow Jackets’ complete dismantling of Miami (7-4) on Thursday night. The ‘Canes fell completely out of my top 25, as did Maryland (7-4), because neither team was competitive. North Carolina (7-4) survived its 41-10 loss to N.C. State, falling only as far as No. 23 because the Tar Heels boast victories over the Eagles, the Hurricanes, the Huskies, and the Ramblin’ Wreck.

Boston College (8-3) and Florida State (8-3) rose to 18th and 19th, respectively. Neither caught Georgia Tech because the Engineers beat them both head-to-head; the Seminoles did not overtake the Eagles because the latter beat the former when they met recently.

Dad gum it, don’t look at me that way, Bobby; you know as well as I do that it’s a perfectly reasonable way to draw a distinction.

Wins over Iowa and Northwestern arrested Sparty’s fall, allowing Michigan State (9-3) to hold fast at No. 16, and Oregon State (8-3) held steady at No. 17 after a lackluster win at Arizona. The Beavers’ in-state rivals made it back into the rankings, as Oregon (8-3) managed to capture the No. 21 slot, due chiefly to a dearth of more worthy options.

Texas Christian (10-2) inched up after pummeling Air Force and Ole Miss (7-4) cracked the top 25 because the Rebels, winners of four straight, won at Florida and at L.S.U., and suffered narrow setbacks at Alabama (by four) and at Wake Forest (by two). Mississippi is Oregon State with a drawl. It’s too bad the Rebels and the Beavers can’t meet in a bowl game, because the dueling pregame readings of William Faulkner by Southerners drunk on sour mash whiskey and of Ken Kesey by Pacific Northwesterners tripping on acid would be spirited.

Finally, Ball State (11-0) did not budge from the No. 25 spot because Wednesday’s win over Central Michigan did nothing to persuade me that the Cardinals are anything other than the Hawaii Warriors with worse weather. Consider these scores: 41-17, 45-36, 52-7, 45-22, 70-14, 56-17, and 31-24.

Those, respectively, are the final margins by which the Chippewas have lost to Michigan, Kentucky, Kansas, Purdue, Clemson, Georgia, and Ball State in their last seven regular-season meetings with teams deemed bowl-worthy outside their own regions. Ball State was the only one to beat C.M.U. by a single-score margin and one of only two not to beat Central Michigan handily. In short, what Ball State did on Wednesday is not what good teams do against the Chips.

No, not those CHiPs!

Among those also receiving consideration for inclusion were Cal (7-4), Nebraska (7-4), Northwestern (9-3), and Virginia Tech (7-4), with the Wildcats coming closest to securing an actual spot in the top 25.

Over the course of the week, I devoted my attention to the Ball State-Central Michigan game on Wednesday, the Georgia Tech-Miami (Florida) game on Thursday, and the Fresno State-San Jose State game on Friday. On Saturday, I watched essentially all of the Clemson-Virginia game, portions of the Tennessee-Vanderbilt, Notre Dame-Syracuse, and Louisiana State-Mississippi games, and the entirety of the Oklahoma-Texas Tech game.

As always, I am posting my ballot preliminarily in order to provide each of you with ample opportunity to offer feedback, point out inconsistencies, ask questions, and provide constructive criticism before I revise and submit the final version of my ballot prior to the Wednesday morning deadline. By all means, feel free to leave your thoughts on my top 25 in the comments below.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Searels' Young Pups Will Bite Back in 2009.

2008-11-22T10:30:06Z

In case you missed it, Mark Weiszer of the Athens Banner Herald had a solid piece this week pointing out that our young offensive line is no longer our biggest worry.

It's a good point. While we certainly have plenty of other things to worry us absolutely sick, the front five full of guys barely old enough to shave is no longer one of them. What's more, it looks like that young offensive line may be one of our biggest strengths moving forward.

There's still some very important football to be played in 2008. But think about it. Next season our offensive line will likely consist of the following individuals, with the following levels of experience:

Justin Anderson: Redshirt sophomore, 7 career starts.

Clint Boling: Junior, 25 game appearances, 23 career starts.

Chris Burnette: Freshman

Chris Davis: Redshirt sophomore, 26 game appearances, 26 career starts.

Josh Davis: Redshirt junior, 19 game appearances, 4 starts

Cordy Glenn: Sophomore, 13 game appearances, 10 starts.

Ben Harden: Redshirt sophomore.

A.J. Harmon: Redshirt freshman

Ben Jones: Sophomore, 13 game appearances, 10 career starts.

Dallas Lee: Freshman

Austin Long: Freshman

Jonathan Owens: Redshirt freshman

Kevin Perez: Redshirt junior, 9 game appearances

Tanner Strickland: Redshirt sophomore, 11 game appearances.

Trinton Sturdivant: Redshirt sophomore, 13 game appearances, 13 career starts.

Kiante Tripp: Redshirt junior, 19 game appearances, 3 starts.

Vince Vance: Senior, 17 game appearances, 6 starts.

That's 11 guys with significant game experience, and a total of 102 career starts among them. Let that sink in for a second. 102. As intrepid blog correspondent Darius Dawgberry noted (and I'm paraphrasing here) after the Alabama game: "they may be getting tossed around like a bunch of puppies now, but our litter of puppies is gonna be grown up soon." At least three players with four or more career starts will have to come off the bench. Throw in Kiante Tripp and his three starts, and you have a complete second team offensive line (with the exception of the center) with at least some starting experience.

This is all the more significant given the speculation about whether or not Knowshon Moreno and Matthew Stafford will be back next season. If they're not, their replacements are going to need all the help they can get. Richard Samuel, Caleb King, Carlos Thomas and Dontavius Jackson could be vying to replace a tailback who's consistently turned small holes into 20 yard gains and no holes into 4 yard gains this season. Joe Cox and Logan Gray will be the leaders to replace a quarterback who, while liable to throw a painful interception at a moment's notice, also has shown a solid ability to avoid being sacked and has handled pressure very, very well.

Add to that my solid belief that the team that plays the best along both lines usually wins, and you can understand why I'm excited about 2009 (even if we have a lot of work yet to do in 2008). What else is interesting about that veteran group? Vince Vance will be the only senior, which bodes well for 2010. Just something to think about.

Until later . . .

Go 'Dawgs!!!

Nice Story on 2009 Defensive Tackle Recruit Abry Jones

2008-11-21T18:00:06Z

The Macon Telegraph does have a nice story on its sports page spotlighting 2009 DT recruit Abry Jones. Jones plays defensive end at two time defending AAAA state champion Northside High School in Warner Robins, which will travel to face perennial south Georgia power Camden County tonight in the state playoffs. If you're in the neighborhood, you have no excuse not to be at this game. It will undoubtedly be one of the best high school matchups of the season. Sidenote: Northside is coached by Conrad Nix, father of current Miami offensive coordinator Patrick Nix, who rocks a faux-rattlesnake skin tie like no one else.

I've had the chance to watch Jones play for the past couple of years, including his performance in the Georgia Dome last year against the loaded Tucker Tigers team that included LSU commit Drayton Calhoun and sought after linebacker Jonathan Davis. The guy is the real deal. He has incredible mobility for a 275 pounder, plays with exceptional leverage, and uses his hands to shed blockers about as well as any high school defensive lineman I've seen. The folks at Northside also indicate that he's a great kid who'll qualify with no trouble. Oh, and he's an Isley Brothers fan. How could that possibly be a bad thing?

Of course the hook of the story is that PA Announcers regularly refer to him as "Arby" Jones, which only makes the guy mad. Note: making 275 pound All-State defensive tackles mad is poor strategy. You should avoid that. Warner Robins Demons fans will tell you: you wouldn't like Abry when he's angry.

However I think it will also make for great gameday sign material. I can only imagine that in 2011 after a big Abry Jones sack against Mike Leach's Auburn Tigers that the ESPN camera crews will flash to the coed holding the "I'M THINKING ABRY!!!" sign. Just remember, you heard it here first.

Don't Bet On It!: National Game of Disinterest

2008-11-21T17:15:05Z

I’ve given you my predictions for the games of consequence, both in the S.E.C. and around the country, so it is time for me to post the final installment of this week’s "Don’t Bet On It!" selections; namely, the national game of disinterest.

For the uninitiated, the national game of disinterest is the least intriguing college football contest of any given weekend. This is the one game that I would least like to watch and am least likely to pick, because forecasting the outcome would imply that I cared enough to look up the final score afterwards.

This week, the choice of the national game of disinterest is obvious:

Michigan at Ohio State

I freely admit that I am ambivalent about Big Ten football on a good day, but surely no one intends to pay attention to this one, much less sit out in what is bound to be weather fit for neither man nor beast in order to see it.

This is pretty straightforward, actually. Ohio State has owned Michigan lately. That period of Buckeye dominance has come during a period in which the Wolverines ordinarily have been good.

"Good" is not a word you would use to describe the Maize and Blue this year.

To put this game into context, try imagining a Georgia-Florida game from the height of the Steve Spurrier era in Gainesville. Now imagine that, instead of playing an average or above-average Bulldog squad, the Gators are playing the worst Red and Black club ever, the 3-8 team of 1953.

Think about the beatdown that would result . . . only don’t think about it for too long, or else you’ll go into catatonic shock, curl up in the fetal position on the floor, and begin babbling incoherently until someone comes to sedate you.

It’s going to be a bad game featuring bad football in bad weather. In other words, it’s going to be bad.

I’m not picking it because I prefer to concentrate on all that is good. You can stick around if you want to, but, with apologies to Bo Schembechler, those who stay will be cold and bored. Can you chant "D-U-L-L"?

Go ‘Dawgs!

Don't Bet On It!: National Games of Interest

2008-11-21T09:30:05Z

Because the ‘Dawgs are idle this Saturday (and, thus, there is no need for me to prepare an installment of Too Much Information), I have been able to take a more leisurely approach to this week’s posting schedule. For instance, I didn’t take you around the S.E.C. until Thursday morning, which means I didn’t get to the national games of interest before now. Had I done this earlier, though, I, uh, would have called Wednesday’s Ball State-Central Michigan showdown and Thursday’s Georgia Tech-Miami (Florida) matchup correctly. Really, I promise I would have.

The credibility of the preceding claim may or may not be bolstered by my 4-2 ledger in last week’s national picks, which improved my season-long record in non-S.E.C. predictions to a middling 37-30. Surely it goes without saying that such a prognosticating resume offers all the incentive you would ever need for following my regular recommendation: Don’t Bet On It!

Will Muschamp proving to be the finest hire of the 2008-’09 coaching carousel? You can bet on that!

Here are Saturday’s national games of note:

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati: This game presents a lot of unanswered questions. Will Brian Kelly’s apparent candidacy to take over at Tennessee distract the Bearcats? Is Dave Wannstedt really on the verge of leading the Panthers to a conference crown? Is this game being played in 2008 or in 2001? Before the season started, I voiced my doubts about Pitt and heeded the apparent wisdom of my brother-in-law, who advised me: "Every time someone ranks Pitt in their top 25, an angel loses its wings." The Mid-American Conference refugee ‘Cats, on the other hand, seem like the odd men out in a Big East otherwise made up of disappointments (Louisville, Rutgers, South Florida, and West Virginia), flukes (Connecticut and Pitt), and disasters (Syracuse). Cincinnati, by contrast, actually seems like a solid program, which is why I’m going with the Bearcats to keep their heads about them while the Panthers inevitably implode.

Brigham Young at Utah: I don’t know whether this year’s edition of the Holy War will be the best game money can buy, but there’s a good chance it will be the best game you won’t get to see. I don’t know that this is such a terrible thing, though, because the Utes clearly appear to be by far the best of the non-B.C.S. conference teams and the Cougars look like the most overrated of the potentially rankable mid-majors. I like Utah to take care of business at home in a game that won’t be particularly close.

When I note that B.Y.U. is the most overrated of the possibly top 25-worthy squads from outside the longstanding power conferences, I am even including the Hawaii Warriors of the Midwest, the Ball State Cardinals, who have played no one but at least have gone undefeated. (Associated Press photograph by Michael Conroy.)

Michigan State at Penn State: I have to give the Spartans credit; I keep waiting for them to collapse, and they haven’t done it yet. It would be more than a bit of a stretch to claim that a loss to the Nittany Lions in Happy Valley followed by a loss to, oh, say, Georgia in the Capital One Bowl would constitute a late-season fade, but, just the same, let’s give it a shot, shall we? Michigan State gets some semblance of a downturn underway with a loss to Penn State; we’ll see how the rest of it plays out come January 1.

Texas Tech at Oklahoma: I know it’s sacrilege for an active participant in the college football blogosphere to say so, but I don’t particularly care for Mike Leach. I respect him as a coach, and I have no basis for disliking the man personally, but he strikes me as being like those guys in high school who tried to be weird strictly for the sake of being able to brag about how weird they were. That’s the hit I get off of Coach Leach’s public fixation with pirates and his purposeful quirkiness. I don’t mind those attributes in a sportscaster or a blogger, but I don’t particularly need to see a Division I-A head coach let his freak flag fly solely so he can make a production out of celebrating how odd he is. It’s like he’s a sports talk radio host caught in a football coach’s body. To give credit where credit is due, though, Coach Leach has put together a complete team in Lubbock and is no longer entirely reliant upon soft scheduling and ludicrous aerial numbers for his success. Can he win on the road against a man who has done little of late to earn the nickname "Big Game Bob"? I’m not sure whether this has more to do with faith in Texas Tech or a lack of same in Oklahoma, but, either way, I’m going with the Red Raiders to cement their claim to the No. 1 ranking with a Norman conquest.

Those are my picks for tomorrow’s college football action on the national stage. Since my track record is what it is, the foregoing forecasts are for entertainment purposes only; no matter what your particular circumstances happen to be, you ought to take my weekly advice: Don’t Bet On It!

Coming Soon: National Game of Disinterest.

Go ‘Dawgs!