Number of sacks by David Pollack during the 2002 season in which he was named SEC Player of the Year. Pollack would become a first round draft choice by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2005 NFL Draft but his career was ended after he suffered a broken neck during a preseason game in 2006. Pollack can now be heard as a co-host on the afternoon radio show on Atlanta sports talk radio station 790 the Zone.
... and just crown Florida champions. At least that is what the Mark Schlabach of ESPN seems to think.
I know Florida is going to be good, but to make statements like these is ridiculous:
"The Gators are going to win the SEC East in 2009. And it's not even going to be close. It's up to the Gators to determine how difficult it's going to be. "
and
"The SEC East is nothing more than a formality for Florida. The Gators are going to end up where they start the season -- on top of the division. "
This is the SEC, where one slip up can cost you a division title and we all know that being the best team does not automatically make you the champion. (See the Where's the Hardware posts by Bubba and Earl for further proof.)
Disclaimer: This list and subsequent blog posts were formed to create conversation between SEC fans about teams that were very close to having championship seasons. Looking at the teams listed and thinking about the teams that were left off further proves the depth of the SEC and the focus needed to win week in and week out. Teams were chosen and ranked based on significant wins/losses, star power and old school opinion (because we're opinionated SEC fans).
BNE Top 10 List so far... #10 - 2001 Florida #9 - 1997 Florida #8 - 2006 LSU
BNE's best teams to not win the SEC title (post-1992): #7 2007 Georgia Bulldogs
AP Preseason #13
Record: 11-2 (6-2) Final AP Ranking: #2 Final Coaches Ranking: #3
Star Power: QB Matthew Stafford, RB Knowshon Moreno, FB Brannen Southerland, WR Mohamed Massaquoi, WR Sean Bailey, OT Trinton Sturdivant, OG Clint Boling, DE Marcus Howard, DT Jeff Owens, DT Geno Atkins, LB Rennie Curran, CB Asher Allen, K Brandon Coutu
Why Ahead of '06 LSU? Both '06 LSU and the '07 Dawgs had the star power and a #1 NFL draft pick at quarterback. The '07 Dawgs, though, hit their stride harder down the stretch than '06 LSU. While Georgia lost to two unranked teams early in the season, it defeated every ranked team it faced (5-0) - one of only two teams on this list to do so. Georgia also had an argument for being the best team in the country at the end of the 2007 season.
Bubba says: To be honest, I don't have much to say about this team. The majority of the readers of this blog know the exploits of this squad and they were red hot to finish the season. Unfortunately, they were very inconsistent early and you can't rank a team with a blowout loss to unranked Tennessee any higher. Once 2007 UGA found their identity in Jacksonville, they were playing some of the nation's best football and had the ability to match up with any team in the country. Mark Richt's most intriguing team, in my mind, at UGA as they were a unique combination of agressive attitude and raw young talent.
The 2007 season in pictures from the Athens Banner-Herald
Earl says: Once the Dawgs were shutout of the National Championship Game, we all wanted to see a matchup with USC in the Rose Bowl. Unfortunately, the Pasadena boys are still living in the past with their preferred Pac-10/Big Ten matchup and freakin' Juice Williams was chosen to get maimed by the Trojans. That left Colt Brennan with a bad diagnosis in New Orleans as well.
After the blowout loss to Tennessee, nobody could've predicted that this Georgia team would leave Dawg fans with such great memories such as sacking Tebow six times, the Auburn blackout and showing the Rainbow Warriors a dance of our own.
Ultimately, we couldn't rank '07 Georgia any higher due its two losses to unranked opponents - the first team we've run across on this list to do so.
Disclaimer: This list and subsequent blog posts were formed to create conversation between SEC fans about teams that were very close to having championship seasons. Looking at the teams listed and thinking about the teams that were left off further proves the depth of the SEC and the focus needed to win week in and week out. Teams were chosen and ranked based on significant wins/losses, star power and old school opinion (because we're opinionated SEC fans).
BNE Top 10 List so far... #10 - 2001 Florida #9 - 1997 Florida
BNE's best teams to not win the SEC title (post-1992): #8 2006 LSU Tigers
AP Preseason #8
Record: 11-2 (6-2) Final AP Ranking: #3 Final Coaches Ranking: #3
Wins vs. Ranked Opponents: @ #8 Tennessee 28-24 @ #5 Arkansas (Little Rock) 31-26 Sugar Bowl: #11 Notre Dame 41-14 (what a joke of a team)
Star Power: QB JaMarcus Russell, ATH Trindon Holliday, FB Jacob Hester, WR Dwayne Bowe, WR Early Doucet, WR Craig Davis, DT Glenn Dorsey, DE Tyson Jackson, LB Ali Highsmith, S LaRon Landry, S Jessie Daniels, S Craig Steltz
Why Ahead of '97 Florida? Star power. Les Miles' second year at LSU bore the fruits of Nick Saban's recruiting classes just like '05 LSU did. To his credit, Miles has continued LSU's dominance on the recruiting trail during his four years in Baton Rouge. The '06 version of the Bayou Bengals could compete on a Who's Who list with any other team in BNE's Top 10.
Bubba says: 2006 LSU was a big time team that didn't perform up to their talent level in their two biggest moments, at Florida and at Auburn. Based off of on field results, 2005 LSU could easily hold this spot with their 7-1 conference record, but this team was virtually the same, only a year older and stronger. The Bayou Bengals had the unfortunate privilege to face all of their ranked opponents on the road while all four were ranked in the top 10, and funny things happen on the Plains no matter who you are (some questionable officiating in that one). This team was over loaded with talent and you could easily include DC Bo Pelini and OC Jimbo Fisher as stars of this squad as well.
Holtz plugs Notre Dame (surprise!), while Corso wouldn't want to play LSU even with the Indianapolis Colts.
Earl says: "That was a war!" Those words were proclaimed by Kirk Herbstreit after ESPN's highlights of the 7-3 defensive struggle between LSU and Auburn. That was/is the SEC. The '06 Bayou Bengals faced four teams ranked in the top 8 all on the road. They split those contests 2-2. The other game that LSU dropped featured the very first Tim Tebow jump pass and the national media fawned.
LSU was trending up at the end of the season with road wins over ranked opponents Tennessee and Arkansas. Ultimately, the tough schedule tripped up this LSU team though, and while JaMarcus Russell had a tremendous arm, his leadership skills as a quarterback were tremendously lacking.
Basically, the '06 Tigers are ranked this high because of their talent level. Even with the tough schedule, I just don't believe they should've lost two games. However, LSU perfected losing twice the very next year and proved a two-loss team could still win the national championship. Of course, Les would remind us that LSU was undefeated in regulation in 2007.
Today I got a call from the Georgia Tech Athletic Association asking me if I wanted to purchase Georgia Tech football tickets for the upcoming season.
I unpolitely told the ticket agent over the phone that I'd rather castrate myself than purchase season tickets to Georgia Tech. After an awkward silence, I told him to not have a great day, and hung up the phone.
In 2007, I purchased the flex pack of three Georgia Tech games in order to get tickets to the Georgia game.
I've since gotten calls from the Techies the past two years begging me to buy tickets. Two weeks out from the start of the season, and the program that is "back" and "taking over" still can't sell out their stadium. Two friggin' weeks away from the first game, and you're still trying to sell tickets!
Sheesh. I can't even think of anything funny and demeaning to say. In fact, this is so sad, I don't even have to, and that really is the biggest insult possible.
Interceptions by Jake Scott during his career, Georgia's all-time leader. Scott would go on to a career in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins and was named Super Bowl VII MVP as a part of Miami's undefeated team in 1972.
Just watch this from this year's "Bid Day" and you will miss all the "sights" Athens has to offer.
The last minute is the best, because it's pretty much non-stop footage of the ladies screaming and hollerin' (with a little Jackson 5 spiced in at the end).
Disclaimer: This list and subsequent blog posts were formed to create conversation between SEC fans about teams that were very close to having championship seasons. Looking at the teams listed and thinking about the teams that were left off further proves the depth of the SEC and the focus needed to win week in and week out. Teams were chosen and ranked based on significant wins/losses, star power and old school opinion (because we're opinionated SEC fans).
BNE Top 10 List so far... #10 - 2001 Florida Gators
BNE's best teams to not win the SEC (post-1992): #9 1997 Florida Gators
AP Preseason #2
Record: 10-2 (6-2) Final AP Ranking: #4 Final Coaches Ranking: #6
Wins vs. Ranked Opponents: #4 Tennessee 33-20 (eventual SEC Champion) @#6 Auburn 24-10 #2 Florida State 32-29 (ACC Champion) Citrus Bowl: #11 Penn State 21-6 (AP Preseason #1)
Star Power: RB Fred Taylor, WR Jacquez Green, OT Mo Collins, OT Zach Piller, DT Reggie McGrew, LB Jevon Kearse, LB Mike Peterson, LB Johnny Rutledge, CB Fred Weary, S Tony George
Why Ahead of '01 Florida? More meaningful wins. Defeated both teams that participated in the SEC Championship Game, Tennessee and Auburn, while both were ranked in the top 6. But, most importantly, ruined Florida State's undefeated season and #2 ranking in what many Florida fans consider the best game they've experienced in the Swamp...EVER (when your history begins in 1990, EVER isn't a long time though).
Bubba says: 1997 was probably the most entertaining year in terms of quality teams and competition that the SEC saw in the 1990s. As much as it pains me to say it, the Florida team was probably the strongest team in the confrence that season with dominant wins over both the West and East champions. Yes, UGA beat this team by 20, but how did the Dawgs handle Tennessee and Auburn?
This was the first Florida team that really saw the results of the Ole' Ball Coach bringing Bob Stoops to his staff. The defense was outstanding and would only get better with the young stars listed above. The biggest knock on this team was the simple lack of good quarterback play and inconsistencies at that position would haunt the Gators for the rest of the decade. The offense was loaded with little Quizzy and Fred Taylor, but Doug Johnson was a head case and Noah Brindise was not a scolarship player for a reason. If this team has Rex Grossman, Shane Matthews, or even an upperclassmen Jessie Palmer on the roster, the Gators most likely would have been SEC Champions. In my mind this team won in spite of Doug Johnson and as much as it kills me, deserves to be here over 1997 UGA due to their quality wins.
Eighty yards in three plays to beat FSU. Sean McDonough and Terry Donahue on the call for CBS. Best part of the video? Sebastian Janikowski mocking the chomp at the beginning...
Earl says: The 1997 SEC season was incredibly competitive. Five teams finished with two conference losses or less: Tennessee (SEC Champion), Florida, Georgia, Auburn and LSU. Because of that, I had some difficulty with this selection of 1997 Florida in the top 10, especially with the 20-point loss to Georgia. A loss in which the Gators were a 20-point favorite (of course, Florida was always about a 17- to 20-point favorite against every other good SEC team in the '90s). Ultimately though, the Gators defeated four teams in the top 11, including handing their first losses of the season to Tennessee, Auburn and Florida State.
When Florida won on the Plains in mid October, Tennessee people thought the SEC East was done. The Gators had locked it up again. Peyton Manning wouldn't get his SEC championship. But along came the Dawgs on the St. John's River for the first time since 1989. How good was Georgia? How good was Florida? How good was Auburn? How good was LSU? For that matter, how good was the eventual SEC Champion Tennessee? I think the answer to those questions is the same. They all deserved their top 10 rankings in 1997 at some point during the season. They were all good. But it can be argued that Florida had more meaningful wins than any of those other four SEC teams in 1997. And for the first time under Spurrier, the Gators relied on a stud senior RB in Fred Taylor and a stingy defense under the direction of Bob Stoops.
When you haven't made a bowl game since 2004 and have a combined record of 10 wins and 37 losses in the last four seasons, I guess you will do anything to draw up interest in your football program. Syracuse is apparently trying to take advantage of its fan base's love for basketball by naming former Duke point guard Greg Paulus their starting quarterback.Paulus has not played football since high school, when he was a top prospect with scholarship offers to Notre Dame and Miami. Good luck Syracuse, but most likely Paulus will end up spending most of the season on his back just like he spent a lot of time on the floor at Duke over the last few years.
Disclaimer: This list and subsequent blog posts were formed to create conversation between SEC fans about teams that were very close to having championship seasons. Looking at the teams listed and thinking about the teams that were left off further proves the depth of the SEC and the focus needed to win week in and week out. Teams were chosen and ranked based on significant wins/losses, star power and old school opinion (because we're opinionated SEC fans).
BNE's best teams to not win the SEC (post-1992): #10 2001 Florida Gators
AP Preseason #1
Record: 10-2 (6-2) Final AP Ranking: #3 Final Coaches Ranking: #3
Losses: @ Auburn 23-20 (UF ranked #1) #4 Tennessee 34-32 (UF ranked #2) - game postponed to Dec. 1 due to 9/11
Wins vs. Ranked Opponents: @ #18 LSU 44-15 (eventual SEC Champion) #15 Georgia 24-10 @ #14 South Carolina 54-17 #21 Florida State 37-13 Orange Bowl: #6 Maryland 56-23 (ACC Champion)
Star power: QB Rex Grossman, WR Jabar Gaffney, WR Reche Caldwell, WR Taylor Jacobs, RB Earnest Graham, DE Alex Brown, LB Mike Nattiel, LB Andra Davis, CB Lito Sheppard, S Marquand Manuel
Why in Top 10? The preseason #1 ranked team and defending SEC Champion was less than a touchdown away from keeping a #1 or #2 ranking all season.
Bubba says: The two premier teams of 2001 were Miami and Florida. It was clear early in the season that those two squads were dynamic and potentially dominant. Florida ended up with two losses, in my mind, because of situations surrounding the two games they lost. The Auburn game was after a hurricane and the Tennessee game was rescheduled because of September 11th. Both teams caught the Gators in the perfect spot, took advantage of the situation and I will forever have an image of Travis Stephens running down the Swamp sideline for over 200 yards. The biggest knock I have on these two losses was that neither Auburn nor Tennessee won the conference. However, a 29-point win over the eventual SEC Champions is something to be impressed with. From a talent standpoint, this could have been one of the all time great SEC teams. The bounces didn't go they way of the Gators in 2001 and the Ole' Ball Coach bounced his way to the NFL.
Poor Alex Brown came back for his senior season and didn't get that National Title. What a pity.
Duval's three field goals in winds left over from a hurricane that beat Florida. Remember when Duval got into a shoving match with the LSU band? What a douche.
Earl says: This team ultimately played three close games and lost two of them. The Georgia game was 17-10 for what seemed like forever as Georgia squandered possession after possession in the second half and Florida finally tacked on the final score. This 2001 Gator team, however, absolutely dominated some quality opponents. Winning by 29 points in Death Valley is nothing to sneeze at. With everything on the line, though, the '01 version of Florida lost at home to the highest ranked team it played all season (#4 UT).
As for the Auburn loss, when doesn't Auburn beat Florida? Really. The Tigers rotating off Florida's schedule is always a Godsend for the Gators. The sin of this particular loss to the Tigers/Plainsmen/War Eagles is that Damon Duval made three field goals in winds due to an earlier hurricane, including the game winning 44 yarder with 10 seconds left, as Rexy taunted the Auburn fans. Of course, Damon Duval was a household name in the SEC, only not for his kicking sometimes.
And what happens to a preseason #1 team when it loses two games? Spurrier's career at Florida ends playing Maryland, that's what. Seriously!?! Maryland!?! At least it would've been poetic if somehow Duke would've risen up in that weak sister conference and the Gators could've played the Blue Devils in Spurrier's final game. Now that would've deserved a top 25 vote from SOS...or from SOS's sports information director...
Seasons in which the Georgia Bulldogs have won at least 10 games. The Dawgs finished the 2008 season 10-3, its sixth 10 win season under Mark Richt in eight years.
A few months ago, this blog post on SECFans.com matching 16 of the past 17 SEC champions since the league split into two divisions in 1992 in a bracket format led Bubba and Earl to their own discussion of the best SEC champions of the past 17 seasons. In turn, this led to another discussion about the best SEC teams during that same time period (1992-present) that DIDN'T win the conference championship. There are many. During the course of the next two weeks, we will present a BNE Top 10 list of the best SEC teams since the 1992 division split that didn't win the SEC title. We began with the goal of having a representative from each year since 1992, but in discovering multiple teams from specific years (i.e., 2001), we needed to set some guidelines and began to eliminate teams with three losses. Unfortunately, that eliminated teams such as 1998 Arkansas, 2003 Georgia (Earl's favorite UGA team of the past decade), 2003 Ole Miss, 2002 Alabama and 2005 Auburn. All teams that were heavily debated plus others.
Disclaimer: This list and subsequent blog posts were formed to create conversation between SEC fans about teams that were very close to having championship seasons. Looking at the teams listed and thinking about the teams that were left off further proves the depth of the SEC and the focus needed to win week in and week out. Teams were chosen and ranked based on significant wins/losses, star power and old school opinion (because we're opinionated SEC fans).
We will begin with an honorable mention list of four teams in chronological order.
Honorable Mention:
1992 Georgia
Bubba says: Star laden with Eric Zeier, Garrison Hearst and Andre Hastings but coached by a Zaxby's manager and the spokesman for Aaron's Rents. The big names and a little homerism gets this team on the list.
Damn.
Earl says: Who knew Ray Goff could coach a double-digit winner? Even with the close loss to Florida, it was the disaster against Tennessee earlier in the season Between the Hedges that cost this team a shot at eventual national champion Alabama in Birmingham in the inaugural SEC Championship Game. Unfortunately for us, this team inspired Kirk Herbstreit's current career.
1994 Auburn
Bubba says: This bunch was 9-0 before tying UGA 23-23, a game in which Terry Bowden lost his offensive playbook and a 23-9 lead, but extended their unbeaten streak to 21 games.
A poorly coached LSU team allows Auburn to continue its unbeaten streak. Curly Hallman's team continued to throw the football even after leading late in the game and previously throwing two pick-six's. This is Auburn's third pick-six of the day and put the Tigers in front 30-26.
Earl says: A 20-game winning streak and defeating #1 Florida in the Swamp helps put this team on the list. However, a sour way to end the season, tying Georgia and losing to Alabama 21-14, brought Auburn's latest probation stint to an end. Tater Tot proved he couldn't hold his own when it started to count in 1995...
1996 Tennessee
Bubba says: As talented if not more than 1995 Tennessee (which may just be in the Top 10). A puzzling midseason loss to Memphis holds this group out of the upper echilon of "almost" teams. Still worked a Big 10 squad, although it was Northwestern, in the Citrus Bowl, a UT tradition just like blowout losses to Florida in the mid-90's.
The Memphis kick returner's elbow was clearly down, but we'd give Memphis the benefit of the doubt too. How could we include an SEC team that lost to Memphis!?! But, we did.
Earl says: Possibly the most talented SEC team in the era not to win a title. How talented? They are still on the honorable mention list even with a loss to Memphis!?! Sure, Tennessee couldn't beat Florida in the mid-90's, but just as important to Tennessee people is the fact that the Peyton Manning-led UT teams turned the tide against Alabama on the Third Saturday in October.
2005 LSU
Bubba says: A weird half of football on Monday night against Tennessee kept these Cajun Tigers from an 11-0 regular season. Less (get it) Miles' bunch was star filled and proved it during the next two seasons. Their blowout loss to UGA in Atlanta dropped this team out of BNE's Top 10 even though it had the best SEC regular season record.
This has nothing to do with LSU's 2005 season, it's just Les being Les...
Earl says: You can look at Hurricane Katrina one of two ways as to how it affected this team. It could either motivate them to a great season or let it destroy them, especially with a new head coach. They went 10-1 with an overtime loss to Tennessee. I'd say it brought this team together. However, the 34-14 blowout loss to Georgia at the Dome keeps this team from entering the Top 10. They are the only team that would've won the conference under the old rules (pre-1992) that didn't crack our Top 10.
After many debates trying to decide on five honorable mention teams, we could settle on only four teams. The beauty of parity is that ALL of these teams are flawed including the teams that were left off. Add your own fifth team in the comments, just remember that your team might be covered in our Top 10 list to come later this week, starting tomorrow with #10, the 2001 Florida Gators (10-2).
I forget which blog I originally saw this link on, but this article from Mike Peterson at the Baltimore Sun is a fantastic thing to see about a loyal Dawg, but unfortunately one that went undrafted. The Carroll County Times in Maryland also wrote another article here about Ellerbe's efforts in camp thus far.
Great quotes from Terrell Suggs on Ellerbe's talent in the Sun article, and Ellerbe speaks in both articles on how going undrafted has affected him.
Make sure to check it out, and let's hope the best for Ellerbe.
Rushing touchdowns scored by running back Garrison Hearst in 1992, and SEC record. Hearst finished third in the Heisman voting that year and went on to a successful NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers. The video below is a 96 yard touchdown run by Hearst against the New York Jets. This run came in overtime and gave the 49ers a 36-30 victory.
Number of sacks by David Pollack during the 2002 season in which he was named SEC Player of the Year. Pollack would become a first round draft choice by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2005 NFL Draft but his career was ended after he suffered a broken neck during a preseason game in 2006. Pollack can now be heard as a co-host on the afternoon radio show on Atlanta sports talk radio station 790 the Zone.
