The 2011 Season is Over

Here's what I learned this year:

• The NFL may be all about crazy passing statistics, but in college football, defense still wins championships. Alabama's defense is one of the best ever.
• LSU may have won if Les Miles takes Jefferson out after the first half. The decision to keep him in killed any chance the Tigers had last night.
• Andrew Luck was the best college quarterback I have ever seen. He did things at the line that Matt Ryan is struggling with now.
• The power conferences are really top heavy right now. And the SEC is still the best. It will only get stronger next fall.
• Teams on the rise for 2012: USC, FSU, Nebraska, Virginia Tech, and Georgia
• Teams on the decline in 2012: Stanford, Baylor, Boise State, and Michigan State
• Tyrann Matheiu is one of the most amazing players I have ever seen. The guy just makes plays. Him and Matt Barkley are the top contenders for the Heisman heading into next year.
• The season started and ended bad for the Dawgs, but beating Tennessee, Florida, Auburn, and Georgia Tech in the same season for the first time since I have been a Georgia fan was awesome.
• Grantham getting Jordan Jenkins to come to Athens is the first chip to fall. More good news coming for Dawg fans in the next couple of weeks.
• Georgia Tech will continue to be no better than an 8-4 team until Paul Johnson realizes that just because he can recruit crappy players that fit his scheme on offense it doesn't mean you can have crappy talent on defense and be successful.
• The person I feel sorry for the most is Marcus Lattimore. The Gamecocks had their best season ever despite his injury. Hopefully he can be back at his old level next year, but unfortunately, I don't think that will happen.
• Texas was once again the most underachieving program in the country. How can a school with unlimited money and an unlimited talent pool with their own freaking television network suck.
• Despite their absolute embarrassment in the Orange Bowl, Clemson will be a force to be reckoned with next year. They were very young on both sides of the ball this year and the only real challenge in the ACC is FSU.
• This was not the year for kickers, especially in bowl games.
  
• Florida will still not be Florida next year. They may be better than 6-6, but they won't win the East.
• James Franklin did a great job at Vanderbilt but he is a dick. I hope they get destroyed in every game next year.