Well, it has been quite an interesting week for the Dawg nation and the college football landscape as a whole. From the Mettenberger situation to the NFL draft, there are a lot of interesting stories going on right now. Here are my thoughts as well as some links for your Friday:
- Coach Richt has released the post spring depth chart and the biggest story is Aaron Murray on top of the depth chart at quarterback. This was all a forgone conclusion after the Meetenberger dismissal, but I am glad that Richt stated that Murray would have been #1 even if Mett was still around. Here's the quote from Richt (courtesy of David Hale):
“I’m not out to hurt anybody worse than they might have been hurt to this point, but Aaron would have been the No. 1 quarterback.”
- Check out the full post spring depth chart HERE.
- Christian Robinson at the top of the linebacking depth chart was a surprise. As Earl said to me this morning:
Good to see Robinson listed as a #1 (over Dowtin no less). Seems like he's using his smarts and work ethic to move up the depth charts. Dowtin will see plenty of playing time b/c he's athletically gifted, so I hope Robinson being ahead of him motivates him. But in no way do I expect Robinson to lose his job to Dowtin b/c I don't expect a guy like Robinson to lose his job to anyone once he's secured it.
We have so many LBs. It's great.
- The NFL Draft began last night with a new format of having the first round on Thursday night. As expected, there were no Georgia players taken in round 1.
- Tim Tebow went #25 overall to the Denver Broncos. There has been much debate about how his skills transfer to the NFL. I am not sure what to think at this point, but I certainly do not think he should have gone in round 1. I also can't fathom the idea of Tebow sharing a backfield with Knowshon. It just makes me a little queasy. Here is Smart Football's take on Tebow going to Denver
- Why did the Falcons pass on Dez Bryant?!? I know they needed a linebacker, but when a projected top 10 pick falls that far, I think sometimes you just have to take the best player available. I really wish Derrick Morgan had continued to fall as well. In the end, the Falcons appear to have gotten the player they wanted all along.
- What is it about Florida guys kissing other guys?!? (Even if it is your twin.)
- I received a pretty big response to my SEC expansion post yesterday. It seems most of you think that the SEC would go after other high profile school like Florida State. When I wrote the post, I only considered schools not currently part of a BCS conference and Big East teams (because if the Big 10 pulls anyone from the Big East, it would most likely disband). Here's Michigan blogger MGoBlog's look at what the new Big Ten could look like.
- And lastly, here is an interesting read I found on Sports Illustrated's SI Vault, which allows you to view articles from any previous SI Issue. This is the article that appeared in Sports Illustrated following Georgia's victory over Notre Dame to win the 1980 National Championship.
Have a great weekend and GO DAWGS!!!
Friday, April 23, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
SEC Exapnsion? What would a super sized SEC look like?
With all of the Mettenberger junk going on, I think many Georgia fans have failed to pay attention to what may be a game changer in the world of college football - the expansion of the Big 10. The Big Ten may be known for its slow, plodding players and inability to win BCS games, but if the conference expands to 16 schools, it will change college football forever. The next logical step would be the expansion of all of the major BCS conferences to 16 teams, setting up the perfect scenario for a playoff. I won't go any further into the playoff vs. BCS debate, but I have to wonder what an expanded SEC would look like.
If the SEC did expand from 12 to 16 teams, what schools would join the best conference in the land? Here are the schools I see as the most likely candidates (Note: if the Big 10 goes to 16 schools, I am pretty sure that will signal either the end of the current Big East football conference or some major realignment, so Big East schools are included in this list. Also, I assume all current SEC schools are staying and schools from other big conferences, i.e. Clemson, will not be available).
- East Carolina - The two-time defending Conference USA Champions have proven to be a quality program that can hang with some of the best teams in the country. They would provide a new, in-conference rival for South Carolina and also give the SEC a presence in ACC territory (North Carolina).
- South Florida - The Bulls have reached as high as number 2 in the rankings in recent years but have been unable to finish the climb. South Florida would give the SEC its second school in the state of Florida and provide an in-state challenger to the Gators.
- Troy - The Trojans have played a number of SEC schools over the past few seasons and showed the ability to score with the best of them.
- Louisville - Already a big rival with Kentucky, the Cardinals have been a top team in the Big East (until recently). Georgia already has a two game series booked with Louisville in the coming years.
Others considered: Tulane, Central Florida, Memphis, Southern Miss
Here is how I would align the divisions:
East-
Georgia
South Carolina
East Carolina
Tennessee
Florida
Vandy
Kentucky
South Florida
West -
Alabama
Auburn
Arkansas
LSU
Louisville
Troy
Ole Miss
Mississippi State
What would your new SEC look like?
If the SEC did expand from 12 to 16 teams, what schools would join the best conference in the land? Here are the schools I see as the most likely candidates (Note: if the Big 10 goes to 16 schools, I am pretty sure that will signal either the end of the current Big East football conference or some major realignment, so Big East schools are included in this list. Also, I assume all current SEC schools are staying and schools from other big conferences, i.e. Clemson, will not be available).
- East Carolina - The two-time defending Conference USA Champions have proven to be a quality program that can hang with some of the best teams in the country. They would provide a new, in-conference rival for South Carolina and also give the SEC a presence in ACC territory (North Carolina).
- South Florida - The Bulls have reached as high as number 2 in the rankings in recent years but have been unable to finish the climb. South Florida would give the SEC its second school in the state of Florida and provide an in-state challenger to the Gators.
- Troy - The Trojans have played a number of SEC schools over the past few seasons and showed the ability to score with the best of them.
- Louisville - Already a big rival with Kentucky, the Cardinals have been a top team in the Big East (until recently). Georgia already has a two game series booked with Louisville in the coming years.
Others considered: Tulane, Central Florida, Memphis, Southern Miss
Here is how I would align the divisions:
East-
Georgia
South Carolina
East Carolina
Tennessee
Florida
Vandy
Kentucky
South Florida
West -
Alabama
Auburn
Arkansas
LSU
Louisville
Troy
Ole Miss
Mississippi State
What would your new SEC look like?
Monday, April 19, 2010
Like I said, Aaron Murray will be the starting QB this fall
Following G-Day, many people seemed quick to anoint Zach Mettenberger the starting quarterback based on his performance. I was cautious because while Mettenberger was impressive last Saturday, he was still facing a minimum 1 game suspension and needed to continue to improve other skills such as his footwork. After his dismissal from the team yesterday, I hope that all of the Georgia fans that seemed to give up on Aaron Murray are ready to get back on the bandwagon. While I never want to see a talented kid kicked off of Georgia's team, the actions taken by Coach Richt may ultimately be a blessing in disguise. Let me explain.
With Mettenberger gone, that means there will be one less quarterback splitting reps this summer. Mettenberger had a good chance of being named #1 on the depth chart following a strong spring, but because of his suspension someone else would need to take a large portion of snaps with the first team as well to prepare for the season opener. Now, the coaches will have a clear number 1 going into the season who can become the sole focus point.
This also means we avoid any type of quarterback controversy this fall. I think most of us have come to accept the fact that Logan Gray is not going to be a big time SEC quarterback. With Murray entrenched as the starter, all of the Bulldog nation can get behind him as opposed to people calling for his job the first time he makes a mistake. A freshman QB is going to inevitably make some mistakes and I am glad we won't have to hear the lunatic fringe calling for a QB change after an interception in the third quarter of a blowout against Louisiana Lafayette.
The final reason this is could be a blessing in disguise is that it already seems to have changed the media's mind about Coach Richt's discipline practices. Many people criticized Georgia for player arrests over the last few years, but this year we have removed both of the players from the team who have gotten themselves into trouble.
In the end, it sucks that Mettenberger had to go. He was a talented player who may have become a great quarterback. I wish him luck at whatever school he lands at (as long as it is not in the SEC).
With Mettenberger gone, that means there will be one less quarterback splitting reps this summer. Mettenberger had a good chance of being named #1 on the depth chart following a strong spring, but because of his suspension someone else would need to take a large portion of snaps with the first team as well to prepare for the season opener. Now, the coaches will have a clear number 1 going into the season who can become the sole focus point.
This also means we avoid any type of quarterback controversy this fall. I think most of us have come to accept the fact that Logan Gray is not going to be a big time SEC quarterback. With Murray entrenched as the starter, all of the Bulldog nation can get behind him as opposed to people calling for his job the first time he makes a mistake. A freshman QB is going to inevitably make some mistakes and I am glad we won't have to hear the lunatic fringe calling for a QB change after an interception in the third quarter of a blowout against Louisiana Lafayette.
The final reason this is could be a blessing in disguise is that it already seems to have changed the media's mind about Coach Richt's discipline practices. Many people criticized Georgia for player arrests over the last few years, but this year we have removed both of the players from the team who have gotten themselves into trouble.
In the end, it sucks that Mettenberger had to go. He was a talented player who may have become a great quarterback. I wish him luck at whatever school he lands at (as long as it is not in the SEC).
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