Finebaum Ranks the SEC Coaches

Shiny-headed blowhard Paul Finebaum ranks the SEC coaches in his latest column. In a shocking development, he pulls his lips off Nick Saban's ass long enough to rank him #2 in conference.

Bad YouTube Week for Auburn

Don't mess with The Brando

Not really words for this one

SEC vs Big 12: A Comparison

Click to make it bigger. That's what she said.
The Sporting News pulled together this comparison between the 2 conferences. While it offers no insight on Thursday night's Championship game, it's still an amusing read.

'Cause it's 1... 2... 3 strikes you're out...

Can we have some sort of moratorium imposed on Ohio State when it comes to BCS Bowls? For 3 straight years, we've had to suffer through the Buckeyes slogging through one of the biggest games of the season, and for 3 straight years, we've watched them fail. And while I typically enjoy watching the Sweater Vest lose big game after big game, it's actually starting to get a little tiresome.

While some will argue that it's impressive the Buckeyes have made 3 straight BCS games, I propose that it's an indictment of the (lack of) quality of football in the Big10. As you watched that game last night, did you honestly say to yourself, "Wow, I'm watching one of the best football teams in America right now"? Or did you think "How bad is the Big10 that this team won 10 games?

The Big 10 went a pathetic 1-5 in bowl games this year. Their lone win was Iowa's thumping of South Carolina, a reeling team that hasn't beaten a team with a winning record since early October. The 6 losses included blowouts and heartbreakers, but all 6 ended up losses. I recognize that Big10 has some history and tradition, particularly when it comes to being a sacrificial lamb for the Pac10 in the Rose Bowl, but right now, that's all it has. It's a subpar conference that's won just 1 BCS game in the last 5 years.

I'm Back in the Blogosphere

After an extended absence preparing for, celebrating, and recuperating from Christmas with a hyper-stimulated 3 year old, I'm back. SEC Bowl season starts in a couple of days and I'll start getting previews up this afternoon.

Thanks to those who emailed during my hiatus. It's good to be back.

Thursday Afternoon Linkage

* It’s meaningless and inherently flawed, but quick… name the SEC school ranked highest in the New America Foundation’s 2nd Annual BCS Academic Standings. For the 99% of you that said Vanderbilt, you’re wrong. It’s Ole Miss.

The NFA’s formula starts with the team's most recent federal graduation rate, which includes four classes of players who entered college between 1998 and 2001 and graduated within six years of initial enrollment. Then, each team gains or loses points based on (A) the gap between the team's graduation rate and the overall school's graduation rate and (B) the gap between the team's black-white player graduation rate disparity and the overall school's disparity. Finally, the team gains or loses points if its Academic Progress Rate exceeds or falls below the Division I-A median.

* Chris Low runs down the Top 25 players in the SEC. Alabama leads the way with 7. Florida, Georgia, and Ole Miss check in with 3 a piece, while LSU and Tennessee have 2 each.

* Auburn’s questionable hire of Gene Chizik has raised more than a few eyebrows across the SEC and the blogosphere ( I know, who knew?). Pat Forde grades the recent SEC hires and drops this gem:

Maybe Chizik will be the next Bill Parcells -- he went 3-8 in his first year as a head coach, at the Air Force Academy in 1978 -- before turning out all right. But until that happens, this has the makings of the worst hire in SEC history.

Dan Wetzel shares a similar viewpoint.

* Jason Whitlock is dead on again. While race may or may not have been a determining factor in Auburn’s passing on the more-talented Turner Gill for the Ed Orgeron Redux that is Gene Chizik, Auburn may not have been the right fit for Gill at this point of his career.

Move over Archie Griffin

Shotgun Spratling at the Blue Work Horse hosted voting for the Sports Blog Heisman Trophy Winner. More than 70 bloggers from across the blogosphere submitted votes and Tim Tebow brings home the e-trophy.

For all the insight and detailed voting, check out the Blue Work Horse.

See my ballot here.

Some links and thoughts on Championship Saturday

* Most of you have probably seen this, but if you haven't, the Orlando Sentinel has a look at how college football would be different if Tebow had chosen Alabama over Florida. The effects would have been far reaching, sure, but it's really just a fluff piece about Tebow.

* There's a good read in the Wall Street Journal about Southern football and its rise to prominence.

* Army's camo uniforms are awesome.

* It's hard not to root for Buffalo head coach Turner Gill. His post-game interview and subsequent man-hug with his AD after last night's shellacking of Testicle Tech Ball State are what the passion of college football is all about.

I can't imagine he's going to be at Buffalo much longer. The Bulls joined D1A in 1999 and were an underdog in every game for 7 years. They'd won 17 games in their first 9 seasons and are now MAC Champions. It's a remarkable feat what Gill accomplished in 3 seasons.

* I still don't agree with the Tuberville firing. I disagree more with how Auburn AD Jay Jacobs is handling it, claiming it was Tubby's choice and that Auburn paid the $5M+ buyout because they "felt it was the right thing to do".

That said, his firing will also resonate in Starkville. First off - Bulldog fans - there is absolutely no chance that Tommy Tuberville is you head coach next year. It's not going to happen. Secondly, it knocks the MSU job down another notch as Auburn will certainly have first choice over MSU. While getting rid of Croom was the right thing to do, it's not going to be easy to convince someone to move to Starkville to compete with Saban and Miles and Nutt and Petrino for recruits.

* The line for today's SEC Championship game has held steady at 10 points all week, so the money's been split pretty evenly. I think it's a fair line and if each team plays their game, it's about what the margin would be.

It’s Hard Out There for a Blimp

If you think the heavyweight division of boxing is struggling to find an identity and maintain relevance in the world of sports, stop and consider the plight of the heavyweight college football coach. Over the past couple of seasons, these jolly old souls endeared themselves to us with their facial contortions and jiggly belly gyrations. But now, sadly, many of these portly gentlemen have fallen on hard times.

2006 and 2007 will long be viewed as the pinnacle for the OBCs. No, not the Old Ball Coach Steve Spurrier, but a secret union of former Christmas Parade Santas known as the Overweight Ball Coaches. For two magical seasons, hypertension and blood sugar be damned, these hefty heroes captivated our minds the same way this morning’s Grand Slam Breakfast at Denny’s captivated theirs.

The collective accomplishments of the OBC over those two glorious seasons are impressive. In 2006, Ralph “The Fridge” Friedgen led the Maryland Terrapins to a 9-4 record and a victory in the Champs Sports Bowl. That same season, Charlie “Decided Schematic Advantage” Weis led Notre Dame to 10-3 record and a Sugar Bowl bid.

Then, last season, in the legendary basketball town of Lawrence, KS, Mark “Mega Man” Mangino led the long-irrelevant Jayhawks to national prominence and a victory in the Orange Bowl. And, in our own SEC, two OBC members enjoyed their own shining moments. Phil “The Great Punkin” Fulmer led Tennessee to a 10-4 record, an SEC East Championship, and a victory in the Outback Bowl. Meanwhile, in the SEC West, Sylvester “The Walrus” Croom guided Mississippi State to an 8-5 record and a Liberty Bowl Victory. Goo goo g’joob indeed.

Unfortunately, in 2008, the OBC has fallen on its hardest times since the Twinkie shortage of 1985 (and I think we all remember how that turned out). Both Fulmer and Croom were unceremoniously shown the door after lackluster 2008 seasons. Kansas slipped back to mediocrity this year at 7-5. Maryland has yet to reach those heights again. And the struggles of poor, pitiful Charlie Weis have been well documented. Although it’s not his fault at all (Damn you Ty Willingham!), Weis was fortunate to maintain his job after consecutive mediocre seasons.

So please, this month, while you’re celebrating the religious holiday of your choice, pause for a minute to reflect on the ill fates of the fallen members of the OBC. Its members are people too, just bigger. And rounder. And they probably breathe through their mouth. But they are people and they need your thoughts and positive energy in these trying times.

Thoughts from an eventful weekend in the SEC

* First things first: Love him or hate him, it was the end of an era as the final seconds ticked off the clock in Neyland Stadium Saturday night. While Fulmer was certainly an easy target, his record - particularly early in his tenure - speaks for itself.

That said, I'm not sold that Lane Kiffin is the right fit yet at a BCS school. He's assembling an impressive staff, but the SEC East is hardly the ideal scenario to learn the ropes.

* Though his 5-year performance certainly merited it, I'm surprised Mississippi State pulled the plug on the Croominator. While his hiring was certainly an intriguing story for a week or two, it was hard not to tire of the media adoration even as his teams failed miserably on the field, mostly due to his poor recruiting and strategizing. In his 5 years in Starkville the Bulldogs never ranked in the top 100 in total offense.

In his swan song Saturday in Oxford, the Bulldogs had 14 drives: 12 punts and 2 interceptions. The never had a drive of more than 14 yds. I'm not sure who the Bulldogs are going to be able to afford, but aside from being probation-free, the program is in no better shape than when Croom was hired.

* The dominating performance Saturday capped a remarkable 4-game run to close the season for Ole Miss. They've given up just 20 points over the last 4 games and set a school record with 11 sacks Friday afternoon. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the Capital One Bowl select the streaking Rebels over the porous Georgia Bulldogs.

* Speaking of UGA, that was just ugly yesterday. The Bulldog offense certainly got the preseason memo about the talent level of this team. It seems though it never reached the defensive coaches. The 2008 'Dawgs are more reminiscent of 2007's Florida team than either program would want to admit.

* Tommy Tuberville will be the first to admit that he's the primary reason for Auburn's disappointing 5-win season this year. While it's certainly not the season he or Auburn fans, I'm not sure it merits a pink slip. His recent track record is significantly better than Fulmer or Croom's is. But with the ridiculous pressure he's under - particularly with Saban's success at Alabama, it wouldn't surprise me to see him end up somewhere next year. The Auburn fanbase isn't as fractured as Arkansas' was before Nutt left, but it's certainly within walking distance.

* I think LSU fans were a lot happier with "2-loss Les" than "5-Loss Les". It's ugly when you don't have a serviceable QB in this league.

* Spurrier can't be having any fun in Columbia. I gotta figure he's done after this season. The Gamecocks are 4 years into the Spurrier regime and there's been 4 5+ loss seasons. I can't imagine that's sitting well with the OBC's psyche.

* Going to be a helluvan SEC Championship Game Saturday afternoon. Mike Slive and his staff couldn't have asked for anything more.

Shameless Pandering (but a good deal)

For those looking to avoid the long lines inherent to this time of year, online shopping is the way to go. I've got a cool site (BigFlySports) that has agreed to offer free shipping to anyone who uses promotional code DEADGUY8 when you're checking out. They specialize in NCAA Merchandise so you won't find a better selection of stuff out there. You'll find some real nice stocking stuffers and if you decide to make a purchase, be sure to use the code DEADGUY8 for your free shipping!

See below links to directly access merchandise from all 12 SEC teams:

Alabama
Arkansas
Auburn
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
LSU
Mississippi State
Ole Miss
South Carolina
Tennessee
Vanderbilt

Random Bits

* There were 4 SEC baseball stadiums named to Rivals Top 10 list, though it may not be the ones you thought it would be. The site offers this disclaimer:

LSU and South Carolina were omitted from our list because both schools have ballparks that still are under construction.

As for the ones that did make the list:

Baum Stadium – Arkansas
Baum Stadium is the palace of college baseball stadiums. Though many schools now are building new stadiums, they still are playing catch up with the Razorbacks. When Baum Stadium was erected in 1996, it was the class of college baseball. Not much has changed, as the capacity currently is 10,500 and luxury suites extend from the left-field foul pole to the right-field foul pole. Arkansas fans also pack the house rain or shine and provide a premier home-field advantage for their baseball program. Everyone aspires to have a facility like the University of Arkansas.

Polk-Dement Stadium -- Mississippi State
No school blows out a postseason party in a regional or super regional quite like Mississippi State. While the Bulldogs struggle to fill the stands until the weather warms up, Polk-Dement Stadium is an excellent venue to watch a game. In addition to a roomy grandstand, the Bulldogs also have what is called the "Left-Field Lounge", where patrons line the outfield wall with barbeque pits, coolers and whatever else they can get in their possession. The official capacity for the stadium, including outfield seating, is 15,000. Those that watched the Starkville super regional two seasons ago know exactly what the Bulldogs are about at Polk-Dement Stadium.

Oxford-University Stadium -- Ole Miss
Ole Miss has one of the hidden gems in college baseball. Though observers in the Southeastern part of the country know about the great atmosphere at Oxford-University Stadium, people nationally just now are getting a taste of what the Rebels are about. O-U Stadium holds about 3,500 spectators in the main grandstand, but thousands of fans often line the grassy areas down the left and right field lines and the outfield. In 2005, a record 10,119 fans were in attendance as the Rebels played Alabama. Ole Miss currently is in the midst of a renovation campaign that will increase grandstand seating.

Plainsman Park – Auburn
When the Tigers decided to renovate their facility in 1996, many schools, including Baylor, took notice of the project. Plainsman Park is one of the nation's best stadiums and has a wonderful façade to go with a cozy atmosphere. Plainsman Park has a capacity of 4,096 fans. However, the record attendance for a single-game was set in 2002, as 4,715 fans packed the stadium to watch Auburn play LSU. Recently, the Tigers have installed a new drainage system for the playing surface and a state-of-the-art strength and rehabilitation center. Auburn certainly is a trendsetter.

* ESPN has their first Bracketology up for the 2008-09 season and Lunardi projects just 5 SEC teams to dance this year:

Florida (2-seed)
Tennessee (4-seed)
Kentucky (8-seed)
Alabama (11-seed)
LSU (13-seed)

I’ll throw out that Ole Miss will make the tournament in the form of an 8-10 seed as well. They’ve been on the bubble the last two seasons and will pull it through this year. Lunardi projected them back in April in his first post-tourney Bracketology listing, so I’m not sure why they dropped.

Hard to believe the season kicks off in earnest this weekend. I’ll get a preview up sometime next week.

I Can't Say I'm Surprised...

but it doesn't make this news any less mind-boggling.

EVERGREEN, Ala. — Authorities say an argument over Saturday's Alabama-LSU football game led to the shooting deaths of a couple at a home in southern Alabama.

Prosecutors identified the victims as Dennis and Donna Smith of Brewton. The shooting happened about 7 p.m. Saturday at the home of Michael Williams in the rural community of Owassa.

Williams was arrested and charged with two counts of murder.

Investigators told the Press-Register newspaper in Mobile that Dennis Smith, an LSU fan, called Williams, an Alabama fan, after Alabama's 27-21 overtime win and an argument ensued.

The Smiths went to Williams' home. Investigators said Smith had a pistol and Williams had a shotgun and fired. Donna Smith was a relative of Williams' girlfriend.

I can't even begin to wrap my mind around the idiocy of this. My guess is that neither the Smiths or Williams have ever stepped foot on the campus of Alabama or LSU (or any institute of higher learning for that matter). In my mind, in Williams' mugshot, I'm picturing unkempt facial hair and a mullet and possibly an "I'm With Stupid -->" shirt.

I just hope the state doesn't implode following this year's Iron Bowl - whatever the result is.

Creativity Abounds in Oxford

After a questionable ending to the Ole Miss/Alabama game last year in Oxford, a local band called the Lexington Brothers penned this little ditty called "It's Okay to Hate Doyle Jackson". Last week, before the Rebels took on Auburn and their former HC, they sang a song called "Wasting Away in Tommy Tuberville". Pretty funny stuff.



* H/T to the 2 Ole Miss fans who sent this my way

Sunday Morning Musings

Here's what I came up with during the extra hour of sleep last night:

* 43 pass attempts with Kodi Burns? Really? I know Tuberville was trying to take advantage of Ole Miss' weak secondary, but that's more than double his previous career high in pass attempts.

* No one will argue that Houston Nutt is a great Xs and Os guy, but he's won as many SEC games in 3/4 season as Ed Orgeron did in 3 years in Oxford. You've got to give Nutt a lot of credit for changing the losing attitude there in Oxford.

* Not a good day for the SEC's Bulldogs yesterday. Special teams breakdowns and UK's stout running defense were too much for the offensively challenged Bullies from Starkville. And what to say about the WLOCP but a simple "Wow".

* I think the win over Tulsa is more of a signature win than the win over Auburn was. Even though Tulsa is from a non-BCS, the Hogs lost an emotional game last weekend to their former HC, yet came out focused in this one, jumping out to 17 first quarter points.

* I would not want to be Phil Fulmer about now. Or anyone on the offensive side of the ball for the Vols. They had 34 yds rushing last night with a long of 8 yds.

* As for the Gamecocks, I bet they wish they had a mulligan to use on that Vanderbilt game. Of course you could say the same for Ole Miss and Auburn as well.

* LSU and Alabama made quick work of Tulane and Arkansas State last night in advance of one of the most anticipated games of the year.

* The ending to the Texas/Texas Tech game last night was insane. It also opened the door a bit wider for Florida to make a run to the BCS title game.

Happy Halloween

How Fulmer hopes to treat Spurrier tomorrow night
Happy Halloween. Enjoy your weekend. My advice, put down the candy and grab yourself a nice Punkin Ale tonight. It's tastier than you think it would be.

Your Captions, I Need Them, Give Them to Me

I'm sure somewhere there is a legitimate explanation for this photograph, I just can't fathom one right now. Can someone please explain this to me? Why is there an old man wearing an LSU cheerleader outfit?

Or better yet, post your caption in the comments area.

Saturday Morning Randomness

- What is going on at Auburn, seriously? Much like the Vanderbilt game, the offense started out strongly, pounding the ball right at WVU. In the 2nd quarter, they jumped up by 2 TDs and recovered a surprise onside kick… and then it seemed they ran every play out of the shotgun. Why didn’t they just continue to take the ball right at WVU’s DL?

- Part of me believe that Tuberville has earned the right to have a down year after the 10 year run he’s had at Auburn. But there’s another part that’s gaining some serious momentum that says he realizes it may be time to move on. You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

- I’ve taken heat from Arkansas fans on this site over some of the things I’ve said about Petrino. I can only image the emails Greg Doyle is getting after this piece. FTA:

Run it up, Houston Nutt. That's what I'm saying. That's what would be appropriate. That's what the lunatic fringe in Arkansas deserves. Run it up so badly that Arkansas fans in attendance leave in the third quarter because they can't stand the sight of your fist in the air. Run it up so badly that Arkansas fans elsewhere turn off the television and the radio and even the computer, because not even the cowardly company of the meanest message board will get them through this beatdown.

- My guess is that Nutt will be happy to get out with a 1-point win. The Rebels can’t seem to stay out of their own way this year having already dropped 4 close games this year, most of which can be traced back to careless turnovers.

- I hope the rumblings surrounding Eric Berry playing offense this weekend are true. The Vols need a playmaker on the offensive side of the ball and Berry’s proven he’s a star time and again on interception returns. He not only leads the country in picks, he also averages 35 yds per return. Here's another cool Eric Berry story.

- Senator Blutarsky at Get the Picture offers his final thoughts on today's uber-matchup between LSU and Georgia.

- Corso is feeling particularly frisky this morning. He just declared that "USC kicked the crap out of Ohio State" and he's wondering "what the hell is going on".

- Guns n' Roses actually set a release date for the long-talked-about Chinese Democracy album and released the title track. It doesn’t suck nearly as much as you thought it would…

Random Request for Tide fans (or anyone)

In 2002, after Dennis Franchione left the Tide for Texas A&M there was an epic rant by some lady on a call-in show. She ripped "Fran" a new a-hole and - as I remember - it was one of the best fan rants ever. It seemed to last forever and she only gained momentum as she went along.

Does anyone still have the audio file to that? I swore I still had it somewhere in my email, but apparently I was wrong. Any assistance would be much appreciated.

Tommy Tuberville's gmail account

With all the hoopla surrounding the kid that hacked Sarah Palin's email, I had my investigative staff lay low for a while. As the Palin story cooled down and things on the Plains heated up, they were able to hack into Tuberville's gmail. See below.


*Click on image to see for full size

Other examples of their work:
Sylvester Croom
Phil Fulmer
Houston Nutt
Bobby Petrino