Best of the Best Part II

Today I’m looking at two more categories for my top 17 teams in the modern era of college football (post 1969). You can see the list here.

Head to Head Overall Wins

This is one of the few categories that reward a team for playing tough schedules. Here’s the list.

FLORIDA 121
ALABAMA 109
AUBURN 96
NOTRE DAME 79
TENNESSEE 71
USC 68
FLORIDA STATE 64
GEORGIA 61
LSU 61
MIAMI 60
OKLAHOMA 55
MICHIGAN 53
NEBRASKA 50
PENN STATE 45
OHIO STATE 41
TEXAS 37
UCLA 35

The bottom feeders on this list will greatly benefit in future categories when conference strength / weakness takes effect.

National Championships

This one gets triple points, because, let’s face it, this is what it’s all about. In ranking from 1-17, I’m giving a consensus MNC 10 points and a split title 7. I dunno where I came up with those numbers, but it sounds fair to me. Any USC fans that want to scream for a split title in 2003, sorry, you’re a BCS member and an agreement has been made that the MNC is the winner of the BCS Title game.

MIAMI 4 CONSENSUS, 1 SPLIT, 47 POINTS
NEBRASKA 3 CONSENSUS, 2 SPLIT, 44 POINTS
OKLAHOMA 3 CONSENSUS, 1 SPLIT, 37 POINTS
ALABAMA 2 CONSENSUS, 2 SPLIT, 34 POINTS
USC 2 CONSENSUS, 2 SPLIT, 34 POINTS
NOTRE DAME 2 CONSENSUS, 1 SPLIT, 27 POINTS
FLORIDA 2 CONSENSUS, 20 POINTS
FLORIDA STATE 2 CONSENSUS, 20 POINTS
LSU 2 CONSENSUS, 20 POINTS
PENN STATE 2 CONSENSUS, 20 POINTS
TEXAS 1 CONSENSUS, 1 SPLIT, 17 POINTS
GEORGIA 1 CONSENSUS, 10 POINTS
OHIO STATE 1 CONSENSUS, 10 POINTS
TENNESSEE 1 CONSENSUS, 10 POINTS
MICHIGAN 1 SPLIT, 7 POINTS
AUBURN 0
UCLA 0

Coming soon.....conference championships

Dawg Day Afternoon

Congrats to the Dawgs that were picked in the NFL Draft yesterday. There weren’t any real shockers in relation to what round any of them went in. It was a surprise that Chester Adams was picked and Fernando Velasco wasn’t. I had that figured as happening the other way around. I do think that Velasco will get a look, and may land a spot on the roster if he ends up with the right team. Kregg Lumkin might find a spot somewhere also.

And now for my less than expert analysis of the Falcons Draft.

WHAT IN THE BLOODY BLUE HELL WERE THEY THINKIN’?

1st Round, 3rd overall pick (the equivalent of an NBA lottery pick)……. Here’s where you can get a player with the “wow factor”, and the Birds pick Matt Ryan. Do the Falcons have a need at QB? Yes. Is Matt Ryan the best QB in this year’s draft? Maybe. Has Matt Ryan ever made anyone say “WOW”? I don’t think so. The Falcons could’ve picked up Flacco or Henne much later. Please prove me wrong Matty, but I think this was a major waste of a very high pick. You’ve gotta stink it up real bad to earn that 3rd pick and to spend it on Matt Ryan here doesn’t give me the feeling that they’re moving in the right direction. McFadden, Dorsey, Ellis, or Gholston would’ve made more sense here to me. Grade C-

1st Round, 21st overall pick…..We trade to get back into the first round and pick up OT Sam Baker from USC. I think the Falcon’s brass has all of the pre-season cfb rags laying around and that’s where they get their info. Sam Baker was a pre-season All-American, but got hurt and didn’t have a monster year. Still, there was a need at tackle, and he was probably the best available at the time. Grade B-

2nd Round, 37th overall pick……MLB Curtis Lofton, Oklahoma. Another wasted pick. This was a very weak year for MLB’s and the Falcons took the 1st one off the board at this spot. OU’s defense didn’t impress me one bit this year and this was their field general. But, his scouting report says he’s “football smart”. Grade D

3rd Round, 68th overall pick…….Chevis Jackson, CB, LSU. Played in a tough league, plays the run well, doesn’t have great speed, and doesn’t thrill me at all. Grade C

3rd Round, 84th overall pick……Harry Douglas, WR, Louisville. Skinny WR with decent skills. Decent pick. Grade B

3rd Round, 98th overall pick…..Thomas DeCoud, S, Cal. Who?? Grade D

5th Round, 138th overall pick….Robert James, OLB, Arizona State. Who? Grade D

5th Round, 154th overall pick….Kroy Biermann, OLB, Montana. Who? Where? Grade D

6th Round, 172nd overall pick….Thomas Brown, RB, UGA. Ahhhhhh. That’s a relief. Good value pick here. If TB can stay healthy, he should have a nice career. Grade B

7th Round, 212th overall pick….Wilrey Fontenot, CB, Arizona. Decent scouting report for a corner this far down in the draft. Grade B

7th Round, 232nd overall pick…..Keith Zinger, TE, LSU. Just shoot me now. Grade F

I’m reading the scouting reports of these players as they’re picked and for the life of me, I can’t figure it out. Not one of these players stands out as a future superstar. Every stinkin’ scouting report was the same. Undersized, not fast, can’t stop the run, played DE in college but will move to OLB at the next level……I forgot how many times I puked.

The Falcons had a chance for a great draft. 11 picks in 7 rounds with 2 first rounders. There were some pretty good names still on the board when we picked up the no-names in the middle rounds. The two undersized DE / OLB’s really sealed the deal. A chance to pick 20% of your entire team in one draft, and I don’t see one spot that they really nailed. Overall grade D, and that may be generous.

Best of the Best

I realize that I didn’t post yesterday, but I wasn’t exactly goofing off. Here's a post of T. Kyle King proportion. (UPDATE, 6:00 PM; I just read this.....I'm not worthy. Mr. King has just earned double billing over in the sidebar>>>>>>>>>>>>>)

A couple of weeks ago, I started a series of posts on the top 16 programs in college football history. You can check those out here, just remember that the bottom of the page is first.

I’m gonna rank ‘em again, but this time only using numbers accumulated during the modern era, post 1969. Is that relevant? I think it is. Integration began sweeping college football and the NCAA actually started to impose scholarship limits. The screwed up system that awarded MNC’s was starting to stabilize a little. As a point of reference, I’ll list the MNC’s for the top 10 programs pre 1969. These are all taken from the NCAA’s website.

1. Princeton 18
2. Yale 17
3. Michigan 9
4. Harvard 8
4. Notre Dame 8
6. Minnesota 6
7. Alabama 5
8. Army 4
8. Ohio State 4
8. USC 4

Even into the 60’s, MNC’s were awarded before the bowl games and often a team had the trophy in hand and lost their bowl game. The system was also heavily biased, often using the Tom Lemming ranking system (does anyone need a heads-up on that definition?). As screwed up as our system is today, it’s the best that it’s ever been.

I’m also going to include a 17th team this time around. UCLA has posted some pretty good numbers across the board. If not for the 2 MNC’s in the last 5 years, LSU would definitely be OFF the list. For any GA TECH fans, sorry, but the overall 44% win pct in the head to head numbers went to 29% in the modern era. That don’t cut it. The only other team that was close was Texas A&M, and the numbers weren’t quite strong enough.

THE TEAMS
ALABAMA
AUBURN
FLORIDA
FLORIDA STATE
GEORGIA
LSU
MIAMI
MICHIGAN
NEBRASKA
NOTRE DAME
OHIO STATE
OKLAHOMA
PENN STATE
TENNESSEE
TEXAS
UCLA
USC


Here are the criteria that will be scored, in no particular order. The top team in each gets 17 points in each category, 2nd gets 16, ……etc.

Head to head games played
Head to head win pct
Head to head overall wins
National Championships
Conference championships
Conference win pct
BCS opponents overall games played
BCS opponents win pct
Overall number of wins
Overall win pct
OOC BCS opponents games played – higher is better
OOC BCS opponents win pct
OOC Non BCS opponents games played – lower is better

Ok, time for the first round. When these teams have played head to head, here are the winning percentages.

USC .581
ALABAMA .565
OKLAHOMA .556
FLORIDA .548
NOTRE DAME .537
NEBRASKA .526
MICHIGAN .525
AUBURN .503
TEXAS .500
FLORIDA STATE .492
GEORGIA .480
MIAMI .465
TENNESSEE .461
OHIO STATE .456
PENN STATE .441
UCLA .407
LSU .399

Of all of the stats that you’ll see posted, this is the one that I feel is the most important. Once there is a sufficient number of games played, there’s really no spin that can be put on pure winning percentages. The best playing the best, and USC wins round 1.

Every other category is heavily influenced by strength of conference, even MNC’s. If anyone has doubts on conference strengths, I’ll post this for reference. Here are the winning percentages versus these 17 teams for each BCS Conference.

The ACC
FLORIDA STATE .492
MIAMI .465
CLEMSON .328
VIRGINIA TECH .293
GA TECH .289
VIRGINIA .275
BOSTON COLLEGE .272
NC STATE .255
UNC .222
WAKE FOREST .154
MARYLAND .129
DUKE .116

Analysis
Coaching issues at Miami and FSU have them struggling recently. When they get it straightened out, and I think it will be soon, look for this to be a two horse race again. They simply have too much talent. The rest of the conference, historically, has been weak.

The BIG TWELVE
OKLAHOMA .556
NEBRASKA .526
TEXAS .500
TEXAS A&M .381
COLORADO .298
TEXAS TECH .244
KANSAS ST .211
BAYLOR .200
MISSOURI .184
KANSAS .134
OKLAHOMA ST .129
IOWA ST .086

Analysis
Since the merger of the Big 8 and SWC, this conference has 3 good teams at the top with Texas A&M lurking in the shadows. Before the merger, there were two very weak conferences. Since…….still pretty crappy, the bottom is horrid, but the top is strong.

The BIG EAST
PITTSBURGH .282
SYRACUSE .246
SOUTH FLORIDA .200
WEST VIRGINIA .164
LOUISVILLE .111
RUTGERS .049
CINCINNATI .027
UCONN .000

Analysis
This conference gets an automatic BCS bid each year. Go figure.

The BIG TEN
MICHIGAN .525
OHIO STATE .456
PENN STATE .441
WISCONSIN .284
MICHIGAN ST .254
IOWA .243
PURDUE .197
ILLINOIS .177
NORTHWESTERN .115
MINNESOTA .113
INDIANA .047

Analysis
Not to hard to see how a conference can consistently produce 12 game winners when 8 games are automatics every year. With 5 teams under 20%, that almost counts as 5 bye weeks during the season.

The PAC TEN
USC .581
UCLA .407
WASHINGTON .381
ARIZONA ST .329
STANFORD .325
OREGON .300
ARIZONA .292
CAL .260
WASHINGTON ST .226
OREGON ST .138

Analysis
I’m actually quite surprised. Of course USC is heads and shoulders above the rest, but through #6 there’s not a dog in that bunch. Far and away the 2nd strongest conference top to bottom. When I put together my original top teams list, I just shot from the hip and it just so happens to match the top 17 teams when using this stat. How far out are the PAC TEN’S 3-6? WASSOU 19th, ARIZONA ST 20th, STANFORD 22nd, and OREGON 23rd.

The SEC
ALABAMA .565
FLORIDA .548
AUBURN .503
GEORGIA .480
TENNESSEE .461
LSU .399
ARKANSAS .294
MSU .279
OLE MISS .242
SOUTH CAROLINA .209
KENTUCKY .168
VANDY .075

Analysis
The 6th place team is dominating the college football landscape. Enuf said.

As I’ve often said, it doesn’t matter how many wins you get versus Vandy, Indiana, Duke, Iowa St, or any Big East team, it’s how you do against the big boys that matter. To USC……kudos.


OOC NON-BCS OPPONENTS

Since the SEC takes a lot of heat for this subject, let’s see the numbers.
Here’s a list that doesn’t get scored, but it bears mentioning.
Division 1-AA (or FCS since well enough can’t be left alone) opponents scheduled by each team.
MIAMI 14
AUBURN 13
GEORGIA 9
FLORIDA 8
FSU 8
NEBRASKA 6
ALABAMA 5
LSU 4
TEXAS 4
OKLAHOMA 3
PENN STATE 3
TENNESSEE 2
MICHIGAN 1 and probably the last
OHIO STATE 1
NOTRE DAME 0
UCLA 0
USC 0

Sometimes when you play with fire, you get burned. 3 times as a matter of fact. Here’s the list of Division 1-AA losses by our illustrious 17.

10/16/1970; Tampa 31 Miami 14
10/6/1979; FAMU 16 Miami 13
9/1/2007; Appalachian St 34 Michigan 32

Ok, the SEC is guilty of scheduling more of these schools than the other big boys. But…..some of these 1-AA schools are better than your conference bottom dwellers, that’s for sure. Just ask Michigan.

Now for the official list of out of conference games played versus non-BCS conference members. These are the automatics that teams schedule. Many considerations have to be made for Notre Dame and the fact that they are not a member of a conference. No consideration is given in the patsy scheduling department. Texas suffers the most here because half of their SWC games got wiped out with the Big 12 merger. Remember, less is better.

The List

USC 32
MICHIGAN 39
OHIO STATE 42
OKLAHOMA 43
GEORGIA 46
UCLA 54
NEBRASKA 57
FLORIDA 74
TENNESSEE 75
PENN STATE 76
AUBURN 79
ALABAMA 87
FLORIDA STATE 87
LSU 92
NOTRE DAME 94
MIAMI 102
TEXAS 142

Once again, USC is on top. As a Georgia fan, I can defend our position on this board rather easily. The SEC as a whole is middle of the pack and should make efforts to upgrade the level of competition in the future.

Here’s the last category of the day. Head to head total games played with these 17 teams, otherwise known as opposite of the previous list. More is better.



FLORIDA 224
AUBURN 195
ALABAMA 195
TENNESSEE 159
LSU 157
NOTRE DAME 147
FLORIDA STATE 132
GEORGIA 130
MIAMI 129
USC 121
OKLAHOMA 103
PENN STATE 102
MICHIGAN 101
NEBRASKA 97
OHIO STATE 92
UCLA 90
TEXAS 77

Hah…..USC is not #1. Ok, does banging heads with the big boys make up for some softer OOC scheduling? Maybe a little. You make the call.

For those keeping score at home, after 3 of the 13 criteria, USC has the early lead.

More to come……….

How's it Hangin? Vol. V

The week that was...................

UGA Football
Had some major recruiting news this week, here and here. Fall practice starts in August, exact date TBA. 128 days until kickoff.

UGA Basketball
Practice cranks back up in October. The 2008 recruiting class is full. Recruiting news here.

UGA Baseball
Went undefeated for the week, but didn’t win every game. WTF?....Yup, Sunday’s game ended in a tie with LSU. A time limit was imposed due to the SEC’s tavel curfew. So, two wins over LSU, one tie, and one win over Kennesaw State have us finishing the week at 3-0-1. A 3 game weekend set with Florida (25-15, 10-8) begins tonite @ 6:30 pm. Ok, so here’s the damage. Overall record 27-12-1, 14-3-1 SEC, currently in 1st in the SEC East, 3.5 games ahead of South Carolina.

Atlanta Braves
Chipper gets hot at the plate. Chipper tweaks a quad. Déjà vu. This time, however, he actually doesn’t miss a game. 5-2 on the week to get back to .500. Smoltzie reaches 3,000 K’s. Next up, da Mets starting tonite. Current record 11-11, 4th in the NL East, 2 games behind the leader (Florida).

Atlanta Hawks
The good news….we’re in the playoffs. The bad news…..Boston has kicked our ass by 20 in the first 2 games. We come back to Atlanta for the next 2, on Saturday @ 8 pm, and Monday @ 8 pm. Maybe some home cookin’ will help…….thazza big maybe.

Atlanta Thrashers
Season over. 3rd pick in the draft this June.

Atlanta Falcons
Have the 3rd overall pick in the NFL draft, April 26-27

A work in progress

This post is a follow-up to yesterdays' regarding current Dawgs' chances of making the NFL. The 9 players listed in that post are, barring injury, locks to be playing on Sundays. Additionally, each of those players should be drafted by at least the 3rd round. But the actual number of current Dawgs that will go to the next level should be closer to 20, so I'm going to go through the contenders.


Senior possibles.

In this group, 3 would be great number, but more than likely only 2 will move on. Which 2?....I dunno. Each one of them does have this last chance to put up numbers. Seniors not on this list.......need to impregnate a NFL general manager's daughter to get a shot.

• Mohamed Massaquoi - Talent alone won't get you there. A few more nationally televised highlight catches just might. Needs a big year.
• Tripp Chandler - If the dropsies are truly gone, the numbers will be there.
• Brannen Southerland - Helluva football player. He's a longshot due to the diminishing roles of fullbacks in the NFL.
• Jarius Wynn - Big enough, strong enough, quick enough......must play enough. If he gets enough snaps, I think he'll make an impression.
• Corvey Irvin - Playing behind Owens and Atkins means that you're in a big shadow. Longshot at best.
• Jeremy Lomax - A bit undersized ala Marcus Howard.....will he have the same kind of year?......stay tuned
• CJ Byrd - Solid, solid, solid safety. NFL caliber? It will take a huge year.
• Brian Mimbs - probably won't be drafted but should definitely be invited to camp.

The next group has a very good chance to make it. They have the talent and opporturniy. They are underclassmen which means they're young and getting better. I look for at least 6 of these guys to make it.

• Roderick Battle - Has shown flashes and should have a great year. (note....ran into Roderick after the Auburn game.......damn he's big)
• Chris Davis - Starting on the OL as a Freshman.....the kid's good
• Clint Boling - Ditto
• Demarcus Dobbs - High motor + talent usually = good results.
• Akeem Dent - If you start at LB for UGA, you're NFL caliber......period
• Daryl Gamble - Makes plays.....enuf said
• Akeem Hebron - Monster talent
• Prince Miller - Starter at CB as a true freshman and has improved.

Ok, what about the guys that have the talent, but haven't played enough to get a good picture of their abilities. Realistically, 4 out of this group should make it.

• Walter Hill - Coaches love him
• Israel Troupe - This dude's got skillz
• Justin Anderson - an All-American waiting to happen
• Kiante Tripp - Back & forth from OL to DL to OL.....has found a home at OT.
• Caleb King - Hey, don't shoot the messenger......he still hasn't played a down.
• John Knox - Big hitter, displayed pretty good ball skills in the spring.
• Aron White - Hybrid TE / WR....good speed, needs to bulk up

There's a handfull of other players that will get playing time this year and can make an impression. There's also some very good true freshmen talent hitting Athens this fall.

Ok, I'm gonna do my calcumilationz now. Realistically, 20 players or so on this years team should see the field on Sundays. Optimistically, the number could exceed 30. The talent's certainly there, but with the number of players getting playing time, it's not so easy to stand out in the crowd.

Recap

Next year's draft class looks about as thin as this year's (barring some underclassmen deciding to go pro). The 2010, 2011, and 2012 drafts should feature 7-10 guys each year based on what we have now. I know that we're a good team, but this just shows that we're still a very young team.

Superstars wanted

Josh Kendall confirmed what much of the Dawgnation suspected. This will be a weak year for Dawgs in the NFL Draft.

"For a team to be as developed as Georgia is at its high level of competition and have such a small and marginal draft class is very unusual," said Frank Coyle, publisher of Draft Insiders' Digest and www.draftinsiders.com.

It's actually been a few years since we've had a great draft day.Things are looking up in that respect, if not in next years draft, then certainly in 2010. Geno Atkins and Jeff Owens have made the Outland Trophy watch list and Knowshon has made the Heisman watch list.

But more than that, after reading through several of the pre-season football mags, websites, and a few television reports, several Dawgs are on All-American or All-SEC teams. The following Dawgs made these teams from at least one of the sources.

All-American
Knowshon Moreno
Jeff Owens
Asher Allen

All-SEC
Matt Stafford
Knowshon Moreno
Trinton Sturdivant
Jeff Owens
Geno Atkins
Asher Allen
Dannell Ellerbie
Rennie Curran
Reshad Jones

Each of those guys should be 1st day if not 1st round of their draft classes.

Tomorrow, I'll give my personal opinion of which current Dawgs not on this list have a shot at playing at the next level.

Half-way Home

From everything I've read, UGA expects to sign 17 or 18 players for it's 2009 recruiting class.

If Aaron Murray announces Thursday, as expected, that puts us at the halfway point......for a class that won't see the field for 16 months. 16 MONTHS.....Why do we even care about 2009's team, when 2008 hasn't even started? The answer is simple........we're a sick bunch. In my case, it's probably a terminal illness.

A few quick notes.

Chase Daniel and Todd Reesing are doing everything in their power to dispel the notion that a QB must be 6'5" tall to be successful. At 6'1", Aaron Murray, while not the typical CMR target height, will be a welcome addition if he decides to commit. He seems to have all of the tools to be successful.

I watched Washaun Ealey play 3 times last year, including the 250 yds he put on my high school in the state championship game. He's definitely the real deal. I think he had 43 carries in that game and never looked tired. He strikes me as more of a straight ahead runner and absolutely attacks the line of scrimmage. But.............he turns 20 this summer while heading into his senior season. Richard Samuel turned 17, sitting in a UGA dormitory in February. Hmmmm.....maybe this means nothing, but I'm putting a red flag by Mr. Ealey's name. Ealey just announced that he will take official visits to other schools, which gives opposing coaches (did somebody say Urban?) 10 months to convince him that being a 21 yr old true freshman 5th string RB might not be his best move. Who knows?

I know that were still going after Jarvis Jones, even though we've already picked up 2 LB's for this class. Here in Columbus, he's already reached "legend status". I know that we're not hurting in the LB department, but he's one of those kids that you'd definitely rather have on you're side, than the alternative.

Now for a question. Where does Donovan Tate fit in this class. He's a super athlete. His dad is Lars Tate. He's a lock, right?........not necessarily. He's a good QB and safety prospect, but prefers QB. UGA prefers that he play safety.

If ya can't beat 'em........tie 'em

UGA's Diamond Dawgs had their SEC win streak of 10 games broken by a TIE. There are no ties in baseball!

Ahhhh....the ol' SEC travel curfew rule. Coaches from around the SEC are scrambling to implement this into their gameplan on how to stop the Bulldogs.

Meanwhile, Perno's trying to hypnotize his players and convince them that every team is a SEC team. We seem to play great in conference games and uhhhhhh.......maybe not so great OOC. Gotta change that. Go dawgs.

Sweet 16 - Final Edition

Ok, this is the last edition on the top 16 teams in college football history. I’m going to rank the teams 1-16 (and the nation eagerly awaits) based on the following criteria.

• All time wins – it matters


• MNC’s – 3x bonus for legitimate national championships


• Conference championships – Gotta have ‘em


• Wins vs Sweet 16 – tougher games count more


• Win pct vs Sweet 16 – win the tough ones


• Games played vs Sweet 16 – will affect overall win totals and pct drastically


• Win pct in conference – sets the tone for the entire season


• Games played OOC vs BCS – more is better


• Win pct vs OOC BCS opponents – pretty important


• Games vs Non BCS opponents – less is better, once again affecting overall wins and pct


• Overall win pct – it’s why we keep score

Let me preface this with the Notre Dame factor. They get totally shut out of conference championships and conference win %. Also, they obviously were at the top of Non-Conference BCS games played. I don’t know of a “fair” way to handle this, but since they ended up close to the top of this list, I gave them the average points in those columns of the other 2 programs that were heads and shoulders above the rest. The Florida State results are largely due to the fact that the program didn’t start until 1954. The other programs had a huge head start to rack up numbers, but I did not feel that there was any basis for adjustment. Texas suffers a huge blow with the dissolving of the SWC and loses all of those BCS games played. Penn St suffers in the conference title category due to their being independent for so long. Ditto with Miami and FSU, however they racked up some pretty nice totals playing in their very weak conferences since the early 90’s.

The rules. 16 points for leading a category thru 1 point for being last. As noted, legitimate MNC’s get a 3x bonus (it may be worth more, and may have shaken the order up a little). End of rules.

The List

NUMERO UNO

1. MICHIGAN 163


2. ALABAMA 160


3. NOTRE DAME 159


4. OKLAHOMA 134


5. USC 133


6. NEBRASKA 128


7. TEXAS 115


8. OHIO STATE 114


9. TENNESSEE 112


10. GEORGIA 107


11. FLORIDA 89


12. MIAMI 88


13. AUBURN 85


14. PENN STATE 79


15. FLORIDA STATE 77


16. LSU 76

I think that the criteria used for this list is fair. How did my final rankings end up as compared to the Billingsley List?

1. MICHIGAN +1


2. ALABAMA +2


3. NOTRE DAME -2


4. OKLAHOMA +3


5. USC =


6. NEBRASKA +2


7. TEXAS -1


8. OHIO STATE -5


9. TENNESSEE =


10. GEORGIA +2


11. FLORIDA +8


12. MIAMI +3


13. AUBURN +1


14. PENN STATE -3


15. FLORIDA STATE -5


16. LSU -3

That’s not too far off. And no, I didn’t jack any team’s numbers. I did start knowing that Notre Dame, Michigan, and Alabama would be the top 3. That didn’t take any rocket science, but I was pretty sure that Alabama would end up on top. Didn’t happen.

Other numbers that I didn’t jack up (or down as the case might be) that should be taken into consideration.

• Ohio St and Michigan sharing 74 Big 10 titles…….weak conference


• Nebraska and Oklahoma sharing 74 Big 8 titles…..another weak conference


• Texas racking up 27 SWC conference titles vs the likes of TCU, Houston, SMU, Rice, and Baylor….......need I say more?


• FSU winning 12 out of 14 ACC titles from 1992-2005…..no resistance at all


• FSU winning 83 of 88 conference games 94.3% from 1992-2002......8 gimme wins per year

All of this will be discussed in an upcoming post on winning national championships.

This post has been based on opinion. The rest of the series has been all fact, numbers that anyone can look up. Feel free to leave a comment with your opinion of the criteria that I’ve used, the relative importance thereof, or just your opinion of my opinions.

Since it’s going to be a long offseason, I’ll probably put together the stats and do this all again starting with the “modern era” commonly recognized as from 1970. Those numbers will probably take at least a week to put together. Will any new players reach the top 16? How will the rankings change? I’m sure that the 3 Florida schools will jump to the top, but the rest will have to wait.

But as for the Sweet 16…….that’s a wrap.

Sweet 16 - Best of the Rest

Don't ya just love the offseason. About a week ago I started this series by picking the top 16 programs in college football history. This is the 4th in the series, and you can get caught up by clicking here or over on the Sweet 16 label thingy over there >>>>>.

I'm going to re-print one of the charts that I find to be the most important, the winning percentages when these 16 have played head to head.

1. MICHIGAN 58%
1. TEXAS 58% (tie with identical records)
3. ALABAMA 57.8%
4. NOTRE DAME 55.7%
5. USC 52%
6. AUBURN 51.3%
7. TENNESSEE 50.4%
8. FLORIDA 48.7%
9. GEORGIA 48.2%
10. NEBRASKA 47.3%
11. OKLAHOMA 46.8%
12. PENN STATE 46.3%
13. MIAMI 44.8%
14. FSU 44.4%
15. OHIO ST 43.1%
16. LSU 42.8%

In other words, I don't care if a team has an 85% winning pct against Kentucky, North Carolina, or Duke (unless it's in basketball)

Now for the best of the rest. The winning percentages versus the 16 teams on the list and the total number of games played.

1. GEORGIA TECH 44.5%, 424 GAMES
2. UCLA 40.1%, 152
3. PITTSBURGH 39%, 277
4. SYRACUSE 37.4%, 154
5. TEXAS A&M 34.8%, 241
6. MICHIGAN STATE 34.5%, 262
7. NORTH CAROLINA 34%, 155
8. WASHINGTON 33.3%, 131
9. STANFORD 32.4%, 141
10. ARIZONA ST 31.9%, 47
11. MISSISSIPPI 31.7%, 324
12. MINNESOTA 31.5%, 220
13. COLORADO 31.1%, 182
14. MISSOURI 31.0%, 251
15. MISSISSIPPI ST 30.5%, 409

Not exactly, but not too shabby

That's a wrap of all of the teams that have a 30% or higher win pct. As much as I hate to say it, Georgia Tech should have made the original list. If not for LSU and Florida's recent mega-success, they would have. Tech has an all time winning record vs. Florida, LSU, and Miami. Tech has 2 undisputed MNC's (1917, 1928) and a split title in 1990 with Colorado. Adding Tech would also put UGA's winning pct at 50.9, but a list is a list, and I'm not changin' it (and whoever heard of the Sweet 17....it just don't sound right).

UCLA is the only other team on the planet to break 40%. USC casts a mighty big shadow in LA.

Anyway, here's the rest of the BCS schools in order of win pct against the top 16. When I run across a name that's made a splash recently, I'll put up their win pct and games played for reference.

• ARKANSAS


• VIRGINIA TECH 29.7%, 93


• CALIFORNIA 29.4%, 141


• VANDERBILT


• CLEMSON


• DUKE


• IOWA 28.2%, 222


• PURDUE


• VIRGINIA


• WISCONSIN 26.5%, 190


• BOSTON COLLEGE 25.9%, 112


• ILLINOIS 25.7%, 238


• NC STATE


• OREGON 24.7%, 96


• KENTUCKY


• KANSAS 23.6%, 247


• MARYLAND


• TEXAS TECH


• BAYLOR


• ARIZONA


• NORTHWESTERN


• SOUTH CAROLINA


• WAKE FOREST 20.6%, 69


• KANSAS STATE


• SOUTH FLORIDA


• INDIANA


• WEST VIRGINIA 18.2%, 101


• OKLAHOMA ST


• OREGON ST


• WASHINGTON ST


• IOWA ST


• CINCINNATI


• LOUISVILLE 11.6%, 44


• RUTGERS 7.8%, 52


• UCONN

I hope that all of these numbers will give a little perspective to how these programs have performed.

Anyway, I'm sorting through all of these stats and building up to my official ranking of the top 16. Right now, the Billingsley List is the most reputable that I can find since they've had a poll since 1869. I'm sure that mine won't look quite like that (hint....UGA #1...jk).

To be continued..........

Poll results

About 2 weeks ago, I started a poll to see which OOC team(s) the dawgnation would like to see a home & home with. My personal preferences in order were:

1. OKLAHOMA
2. USC
3. MICHIGAN
4. NOTRE DAME
5. TEXAS
6. OHIO STATE
7. PENN STATE
8. NEBRASKA
9. MIAMI
10. FSU

Dawg fans don’t necessarily agree with me, dropping the Sooners down to #6 on the wish list. Thanks for voting. Here are the results and the number of votes.

1. USC (94)
2. NOTRE DAME (64)
3. MICHIGAN (58)
4. TEXAS (50)
5. OHIO STATE (49)
6. OKLAHOMA (31)
7. PENN STATE (16)
8. FLORIDA STATE (15)
9. MIAMI (13)
10. NEBRASKA (10)
11. OTHER (8)

ALABAMATHEMATICS II

Extreme thanks go out to Senator Blutarsky for pointing out the recent Saban interview relating to the scholly cuts.

For anyone not aware of the numbers that Saban's got to meet, check it out here.

How many do we have to dump?........wait, you'll have to count toes too

As mentioned in that post, I hope someone keeps a detailed record of how ol' Nicky gets down to the 85. Any ammunition during recruiting season always helps.

Sweet 16 III

I started this series by taking what I considered the top 16 programs in College Football history and tracking their all time records, just to see how UGA stacked up. The answer has been “quite well” but there’s a ton of information to sift through. To get caught up you can find part 1 here, and part 2 right about.........here.

Today, I’m going to post the records of the top 16 programs vs. each of the BCS Conferences. Keep in mind that I’m using the current conference alignments when calculating these stats. Here they are in alphabetical order.

ALABAMA
ACC 74-34-4, .694
BIG TWELVE 14-16-2, .467
BIG EAST 11-2-0, .846
BIG TEN 13-9-0, .591
PAC TEN 13-5-1, .722
SEC 413-185-28, .691

AUBURN
ACC 119-75-8, .613
BIG TWELVE 11-15-1, .423
BIG EAST 5-2-1, .714
BIG TEN 6-3-2, .667
PAC TEN 5-3-0, .625
SEC 309-233-22, .570

FLORIDA
ACC 108-93-11, .537
BIG TWELVE 5-6-1, .455
BIG EAST 7-3-2, .700
BIG TEN 9-5-0, .643
PAC TEN 6-4-1, .600
SEC 274-210-15, .566

FLORIDA STATE
ACC 173-74-4, .700
BIG TWELVE 30-13-0, .698
BIG EAST 28-8-0, .778
BIG TEN 8-2-1, .800
PAC TEN 6-1-0, .857
SEC 59-65-6, .476

GEORGIA
ACC 161-91-18, .624
BIG TWELVE 11-7-0, .611
BIG EAST 2-5-0, .286
BIG TEN 7-2-0, .778
PAC TEN 8-4-1, .667
SEC 342-222-24, .606

LSU
ACC 31-28-0, .525
BIG TWELVE 52-40-5, .565
BIG EAST 1-3-0, .250
BIG TEN 7-4-1, .636
PAC TEN 12-3-0, .800
SEC 313-235-25, .571

MIAMI
ACC 109-70-1, .609
BIG TWELVE 32-20-0, .615
BIG EAST 84-21-2, .800
BIG TEN 26-15-0, .634
PAC TEN 9-8-0, .529
SEC 65-82-3, .442

MICHIGAN
ACC 23-4-0, .852
BIG TWELVE 16-8-1, .667
BIG EAST 9-5-1, .643
BIG TEN 500-174-23, .742
PAC TEN 44-22-1, .667
SEC 20-5-1, .800

NEBRASKA
ACC 14-14-0, .500
BIG TWELVE 457-170-17, .729
BIG EAST 14-22-0, .389
BIG TEN 79-73-10, .520
PAC TEN 33-20-3, .623
SEC 19-6-1, .760

NOTRE DAME
ACC 75-29-2, .721
BIG TWELVE 37-18-2, .673
BIG EAST 56-20-1, .737
BIG TEN 216-111-15, .661
PAC TEN 78-41-6, .655
SEC 21-13-0, .618

OHIO STATE
ACC 14-7-0, .667
BIG TWELVE 28-4-1, .875
BIG EAST 42-11-1, .792
BIG TEN 433-186-26, .700
PAC TEN 50-23-2, .685
SEC 7-11-2, .389

OKLAHOMA
ACC 28-5-0, .848
BIG TWELVE 511-213-34, .706
BIG EAST 18-3-1, .857
BIG TEN 10-6-0, .625
PAC TEN 22-15-1, .595
SEC 19-9-3, .679

PENN STATE
ACC 89-21-2, .809
BIG TWELVE 22-13-0, .629
BIG EAST 171-77-11, .690
BIG TEN 89-64-2, .582
PAC TEN 22-11-0, .667
SEC 16-16-0, .500

TENNESSEE
ACC 100-60-7, .625
BIG TWELVE 9-8-1, .529
BIG EAST 15-4-0, .789
BIG TEN 10-5-0, .667
PAC TEN 14-11-2, .560
SEC 361-200-34, .643

TEXAS
ACC 17-9-0, .654
BIG TWELVE 313-137-15, .696
BIG EAST 6-4-0, .600
BIG TEN 11-7-0, .611
PAC TEN 22-11-0, .667
SEC 94-45-4, .676

USC
ACC 11-5-0, .688
BIG TWELVE 29-9-2, .763
BIG EAST 9-4-0, .692
BIG TEN 65-27-2, .707
PAC TEN 397-157-29, .717
SEC 17-10-1, .630

When you look at these numbers, please note that they reflect the conferences as they are today. Here are the recent major conference changes that don’t get truly reflected in these numbers.

In 1996, the Southwest conference was dissolved, with Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and Baylor joining the Big 8, thus creating the Big 12. Left out of the mix for these teams were traditional SWC rivals Houston, Rice, SMU, and TCU, all of which are now members of non-BCS conferences.

In 1993, Penn State’s athletic teams became part of the Big 10 conference. Prior to then, Penn State had been an independent.

In 1991, FSU gave up their independent status to join the ACC. Also in 1991, Miami and Virginia Tech joined the Big East. Miami and Virginia Tech then switched to the ACC in 2004, followed by Boston College in 2005, being replaced in the Big East by Cincinnati, Louisville, and South Florida.

In 1991, the SEC expanded to 12 teams by taking Arkansas from the SWC, and South Carolina from the independent ranks.

To be continued……..

How's It Hangin? Vol. IV

The week that was...................

UGA Football
Very quiet. Fall practice starts in August, exact date TBA. 135 days until kickoff.

UGA Basketball
Practice cranks back up in October. The recruiting class is starting to take shape. Recruiting news here.

UGA Baseball
It ain’t always pretty, but finishing the past week 5-0 is pretty dawggone good. A three game sweep of Kentucky over the weekend and close games against ETSU and Georgia State have moved the Dawgs up to as high as 7th depending on which poll you choose. Le Dawgs travel to Baton Rouge to kick off a 3 game set with LSU tonite. Overall record 24-12, 12-3 SEC, currently in 1st in the SEC East, 3 games ahead of Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Atlanta Braves
Do we have any pitchers left? This week saw Glavine tweak a hammy and Moylan have elbow problems. The Braves avoided a sweep against Florida with a win last nite and finished the week 3-3. Two of the losses were by one run, making them 0-7 in one run games. Current record 6-9, 4th in the NL East, 3 games behind the leader (Florida).

Atlanta Hawks
Sing it with me…….WE’RE IN THE PLAYOFFS, WE’RE IN THE PLAYOFFS, WE GONNA PLAY BOSTON……oh shit. Anyway, the Hawks clinched the last playoff spot in the East despite going 1-3 for the week. 1st round opponent, East leader Boston, Sunday nite @ 8:30. Things don’t look to great but…….WE’RE IN THE PLAYOFFS, WE’RE IN THE PLAYOFFS.

Atlanta Thrashers
Season over. 3rd pick in the draft this June.

Atlanta Falcons
Have the 3rd overall pick in the NFL draft, April 26-27

Totally Unrelated to anything Georgia
Colorado beat San Diego last night 2-1 in 22 innings. 22 INNINGS!

Sweet 16 - Part II

Several articles and television reports have focused on SEC home cookin’ when it comes to OOC scheduling. Much has been made of the fact that UGA hasn’t traveled west of the Mississippi River in recent memory. This year we get rid of that monkey when we play @ Arizona State this year. Personally, I don’t see that travel = tough scheduling. It’s more about “who you play” than “where you play”.

I’m continuing the theme of the “Sweet 16” that I posted here, and I’m going to look at how the other schools on the list compare with their OOC scheduling habits. Here’s the list of how many OOC games each of these teams have played against BCS opponents. Higher is better in this category.

OUT OF CONFERENCE VS BCS OPPONENTS
NOTRE DAME 741
PENN STATE 490
MIAMI 390
NEBRASKA 324
GEORGIA 309
USC 270
FLORIDA 262
AUBURN 256
TENNESSEE 254
TEXAS 240
FSU 233
OHIO STATE 208
ALABAMA 207
LSU 197
MICHIGAN 195
OKLAHOMA 149

Of course all of Notre Dame’s games are OOC. Penn State and Miami were independents for the majority of their history, so they are naturally at the top. FSU, who started their program in 1954, has the youngest program on the list and should be at the bottom.
Here’s my take on this list. The SEC is very well represented when it comes to scheduling OOC games with other BCS schools. Does it really matter if it’s vs the ACC or PAC10 as long as it’s a BCS opponent. Does it make a difference if a SEC school schedules NC State or Washington State? I don’t think so. It seems that most of the negative press on the subject has come from Big 10 country, and as this list shows, their two powerhouses are near the bottom when it comes to scheduling decent OOC games.


Here’s a look at each of these team’s OOC games against NON-BCS opponents. These are the “automatics” that teams schedule each year. Lower is better in this category.

OUT OF CONFERENCE VS NON-BCS OPPONENTS
FSU 200
NEBRASKA 213
OKLAHOMA 220
GEORGIA 251
USC 256
FLORIDA 279
AUBURN 291
TENNESSEE 294
MIAMI 298
MICHIGAN 299
OHIO STATE 301
ALABAMA 311
LSU 347
NOTRE DAME 403
TEXAS 464
PENN STATE 533

Again, FSU’s numbers are misleading due to the fact that they’ve played between 30-45% fewer games overall than the other programs on this list. Notre Dame, Penn St, and Miami don’t catch a break in this category because, independent or not, there’s no excuse for scheduling that many “cupcake” games. It’s worth noting that Nebraska and Georgia make the top of both lists. LSU is near the bottom of both.

To be continued………….

The Sweet 16

My conference is better than yours. My OOC schedule is tougher than yours. Your school sucks. My team is the bestest. That's the stuff that fills up college football tv coverage, newspapers, & weblogs. Of course all of this discussion is heavily biased, depending on the network or the area of the country. Thankfully, somebody (me) has put together some numbers that will bring closure to these discussions, once and for all.

It all begins with the "Sweet 16". That's my list of the top 16 programs in NCAA history. I came up with my list, and it matches this one with the exception of Florida taking the place of Washington, and I don't agree with the actual ranking order. Anyway, I'd challenge anyone to present a valid argument that would replace any of the teams on this list......anyone?......no?.......ok, we agree.

In alphabetical order, here's the 16:

1. ALABAMA
2. AUBURN
3. FLORIDA
4. FLORIDA STATE
5. GEORGIA - The bestest team in the world. All of the other teams on this list suck. We play the toughest OOC schedule on the planet and play in the best conference in college football, the SEC.
6. LSU
7. MIAMI
8. MICHIGAN
9. NEBRASKA
10. NOTRE DAME
11. OHIO STATE
12. OKLAHOMA
13. PENN STATE
14. TENNESSEE
15. TEXAS
16. USC

That's the list of the "cream of the crop" of college football.

During the course of the next week, I'm going to compare how this Sweet 16 has fared against the various BCS conferences. But today, I'm taking a page out of the NASCAR book and having the SuperBowl first. Forget how many times the win totals have been padded by beating up on the Iowa States, Vanderbilts, or Stanford's of the world. Let's compare these 16 teams heads up.

First, let's look at the total games played, which will obviously be weighted towards the SEC. However, this also says alot about the strength of schedule that these teams historically face.

1. FLORIDA 409
2. AUBURN 407
3. ALABAMA 400
4. GEORGIA 359
5. LSU 285
6. TENNESSEE 274
7. NOTRE DAME 228
8. OKLAHOMA 228
9. MIAMI 223
10. MICHIGAN 184
11. TEXAS 184
12. FLORIDA STATE 177
13. OHIO STATE 176
14. NEBRASKA 174
15. USC 161
16. PENN STATE 123

There can be no sane, rational, logical, or reasonable argument presented that doesn't point to the SEC having the highest strength of schedule, and these numbers show that it really isn't close.

What about winning percentages. When the best play the best, you're not going to find any of these ridiculous 80% numbers. In reality, any thing over 50 would be considered outstanding. Here's the list.

1. MICHIGAN 58%
2. TEXAS 58% (tie with identical records)
3. ALABAMA 57.8%
4. NOTRE DAME 55.7%
5. USC 52%
6. AUBURN 51.3%
7. TENNESSEE 50.4%
8. FLORIDA 48.7%
9. GEORGIA 48.2%
10. NEBRASKA 47.3%
11. OKLAHOMA 46.8%
12. PENN STATE 46.3%
13. MIAMI 44.8%
14. FSU 44.4%
15. OHIO ST 43.1%
16. LSU 42.8%

Our most recent participants in the BCS Championship Game don't fare too well historically when they play the big boys.

Finally, a list of the overall head to head records, sorted by most wins. When you look at the all-time win totals of these programs, you'll know that these were the tough ones.

1. ALABAMA 219-160-21
2. AUBURN 200-190-17
3. FLORIDA 194-204-11
4. GEORGIA 164-176-19
5. TENNESSEE 130-128-16
6. NOTRE DAME 122-97-9
7. LSU 115-154-16
8. MICHIGAN 102-74-8
9. TEXAS 102-74-8
10. OKLAHOMA 102-116-10
11. MIAMI 99-122-2
12. USC 79-73-9
13. NEBRASKA 79-88-7
14. FSU 76-95-6
15. OHIO STATE 72-95-9
16. PENN STATE 56-65-2

There's alot to read into these numbers. I guess it depends on what you're looking for. If anything jumps out in particular, leave a message in the comments section.

A Little UGA History

A couple of days ago, in response to reading just a few too many quotes from the South Carolina fanbase, I posted these wonderful tidbits regarding USC's storied football history (or lack thereof).

But in the interest of fairness, here's a list of some of the historical UGA highlights and lowlights.

ALL TIME RECORDS VS SEC OPPONENTS

• ALABAMA 25-35-4
• ARKANSAS 8-3
• AUBURN 50-53-8
• FLORIDA 46-37-2
• KENTUCKY 48-11-2
• LSU 11-14-1
• OLE MISS 30-12-1
• MISS ST. 16-5
• SOUTH CAROLINA 44-14-2
• TENNESSEE 15-20-2
• VANDY 49-18-2

OTHER RIVALS OF NOTE (MORE THAN 25 GAMES)

• CLEMSON 41-17-4
• GEORGIA TECH 59-38-5
• NORTH CAROLINA 16-12-2

MORE STUFF

• 43 BOWL APPEARANCES (6th most)
• 24-16-3 overall bowl record (5th most wins)
• 9 Sugar, 3 Cotton, 3 Orange, 1 Rose Bowl appearances
• 2 National Championships (1942, 1980)
• 12 SEC Championships (3rd)

10+ WIN SEASONS

• 1942
• 1946 (11-0-0 & not recognized as NC???)
• 1959
• 1966 Vince Dooley
• 1971
• 1976
• 1978
• 1980
• 1981
• 1982
• 1983
• 1992
• 1997
• 2002 Mark Richt
• 2003
• 2004
• 2005
• 2007

SEASONS WITH ONLY ONE LOSS OR TIE (CULPRIT)

• 1920 8-0-1 (VIRGINIA)
• 1927 9-1-0 (GA TECH)
• 1942 11-1-0 (AUBURN)
• 1959 10-1-0 (SOUTH CAROLINA)
• 1966 10-1-0 (MIAMI)
• 1971 11-1-0 (AUBURN)
• 1982 11-1-0 (PENN ST)
• 2002 13-1 (FLORIDA)

Auburn with 2 entries makes them #1 on my sh!t list.

SEASONS THAT WE'VE BEEN THE LONE BLEMISH TO RUIN A SEASON

• 1914 AUBURN 8-0-1
• 1915 GA TECH 7-0-1
• 1920 ALABAMA 10-1
• 1921 VANDY 7-0-1
• 1927 YALE 7-1 (back in the day when Yale was a powerhouse)
• 1929 NORTH CAROLINA 9-1
• 1978 CLEMSON 11-1
• 1983 TEXAS 11-1
• 2007 HAWAII 12-1

How's It Hangin? Vol. III

The week that was...................

UGA Football
The G-Day game was short & sweet. It provided a little peek at some of the freshmen that we’ll see in the fall. Spring practice is officially over and opening day is only 142 days away. It will be very interesting to see………arghhhhhhhhhh…….142 DAYS…..$%@$#. That sucks.

UGA Basketball
Practice cranks back up in October. Recruiting news here.


UGA Baseball
The Diamond Dawgs jumped into the polls at #14 and promptly swept a 3 game set from #12 South Carolina last weekend. How do ya follow that up.....by losing consecutive games to Winthrop and Tech. 3-2 for the week gives the Dawgs an overall record of 20-12, 9-3 SEC. Kicks off a 3 game set with Kentucky tonite. UGA currently leads Florida by 1 game in the SEC EAST.


Atlanta Braves
2-3 for the week with last nites game postponed due to snow. Overall record 3-6, dead last & 2 1/2 games out in the NL EAST. 4 of their losses have been by one run, no reason to panic. Closer Raphael Soriano was put on the 15 day DL retroactive to Monday. The road trip continues with a 3 game set @ Washington this weekend and heading down to Miami on Tuesday.


Atlanta Hawks
Lost to Philly, beat Philly, lost to Indiana.....The 4 game cushion for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference has shrunk to 2 games with 4 left to play. @ NY tonite, home vs Boston tomorrow, home vs Orlando on Tuesday, and closing out the regular season @ Miami on Wednesday.


Atlanta Thrashers
Finished the season with a win vs Tampa Bay. Has the 3rd pick in the draft this June.


Atlanta Falcons
Have the 3rd overall pick in the NFL draft, April 26-27

gameCOCKY

I don't get around to all the SEC articles, posts, & blogs as much as I'd like.....and I should be ashamed. But when I do get to catch up, I try to concentrate on the UGA posts first and foremost, then I'll drift around to see what's goin on in the rest of the college football world.

Here's something that I've found to be as certain as death & taxes. When there's a story on UGA, there will be some South Carolina fans puttin' their two cents in. 16-12, 16-12, 16-12.......yeah, we get it. South Carolina won a football game. Be proud. Puff out the ol' chest. And shut the f*** up.

Scary.....very scary

I know that pre-season expectations are high every year in Columbia. The Ol' ballcoach has you believing that you're going to be contenders. He's convinced the University to allow....uhh.....academically challenged atheletes to enroll. He's convinced the State Department of Parole to allow your prize QB to stay on the team. There's no reason not to be optimistic.

USC Fun Facts:

• 14-44-2 vs. UGA.....really pitiful. But 16-12, 16-12
• 37-64-4 vs. Clem[p]son.......2nd best in the state is something to hang your hat on
• 17-24-3 vs. DUKE.....I thought I'd throw that one in because (a) it's hilarious and (b) it's true
• 0 SEC Championships in 16 tries
• 0 SEC East Championships in 16 tries
• 0 National Championships in 101 tries
• 13 Bowl Appearances overall
• 4-9 Bowl Record overall
• 0 Appearances in Rose, Orange, Sugar, Fiesta, Cotton Bowls
• definitely not the best team with the initials USC
• 7+ win seasons since 1960......11
• 8+ win seasons since 1960......5
• 9+ win seasons since 1960......1
• 10+ win seasons since 1960....1 (1984 was a damn fine year)
• 10+ win seasons all time.........1

But, never fear. This year will be the year of the Cock just like 1984.

Opinions Wanted

Things have been a wee bit hectic the last several days, so I've gotta do the "short & sweet" post.

Last week I went through my list of the OOC teams that I'd most like to schedule a home & home with. I picked out some traditional powerhouses that we rarely play, or in one instance, have never played.

Check out my picks here, then check out the poll over there somewhere>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Pick a couple of your faves and maybe we'll get an idea of where the dawgnation stands on this issue.

As always, comments are welcome.

Attention to Detail

It's the little things that make a difference between average, good, and excellent.

I heard something during yesterday's radio broadcast that may have not mean alot to some, but it caught my attention.

Loren Smith mentioned a tour of the locker room with some of the members of the 1958 SEC champ Bulldog squad. He happened to be near Tommy Paris, #22 on that team when he walked up to Richard Samuel's locker.

I don't know when CMR did this, or where he got the idea, but Loren credits Richt for putting every UGA letterman's name on the locker of his respective number. So when Mr. Paris, who has to be in his 70's now, looked at Samuel's locker, he had an emotional moment when he saw "Tommy Paris #22".

That might not seem like much to some, but it obviously means alot to everyone who's put on the Red & Black. It gives today's players a link to the past and certainly links the past players to the present.

Just one of the many reasons that make me realize the program is in good hands.

Got change for a $20?

The curtain goes up, the show gets pretty good........and you run out of quarters, dammit. Curtain down.

That sums up yesterday's G-Day game. The first half, while short, was pretty entertaining. The 2nd half didn't offer too much information due to all of the non-scholarship players on the field. Those guys don't get a chance to play in the fall, and it's great that their hard work is rewarded with some snaps in the spring game. It's just a shame that with the 8 minute quarters, we didn't get to see a few more series with the #1's & #2's.

The results weren't shocking at all. I was concerned with the number of playmakers on the black's offense, but a little pregame switcheration putting Caleb King and Walter Hill over there evened that out a little. The biggest problem, as I mentioned yesterday morning, was the black's O-line. 14 total games played between the 5, going against a front 7 that had 53 games was a bit of a mismatch, and it showed early and often.

The Good

Red Team
-Stafford's first drive was excellent. But, for all the talk about taking what the D gives him, he still didn't hesitate to try to thread a needle.
-Knowshon didn't look rusty at all. A couple of good runs and the cut on the screen play were all the coaches needed to see.
- The re-tooled O-line had a decent game. I did focus on Justin Anderson for a couple of plays and dayum, he moved both DT's by his lonesome.
-Logan Gray looked pretty dawg-gone good. He showed the speed and the arm. That TD pass was a laser. Did he grab the #2 qb spot? I dunno, but it's a matter of time.
-Richard Samuel did a pretty good job, although he had a chance at a TD with just Asher Allen to beat...advantage Allen.
-The defense spent more time in the backfield than Joe Cox.
-Vance Cuff made the shoestring tackle on CK that kept the UGA faithful from goin' absolutely nuts.
-Greg Blue.....oh...i meant John Knox absolutely crushed Kalvin Daniels on a dump over the middle. Knox also had a pick & a nice return for 20 yards.
-Walk-on Brian Behr boomed a 52 yd field goal at the end of the first half.
-The game ball goes to Michael Moore. Nothing like 2 TD receptions to make up for an entire spring of being left out of the headlines.

Black Team
-Caleb King's coming out party was greatly hampered by his inexperienced O-line. Overall, he had a decent day. A couple of tough runs up the middle and the "Oh what might have been" screen pass was the appetizer....dinner time is August 30th.
-I was glad to see Israel Troupe have a good day, since I've been pumping him up since he committed.
-Aron White made a nice grab between the safeties.
-Joe Cox (or any QB for the Black) had absolutely no time to throw the ball, but got some decent results.
-Kalvin Daniels, he of no scholly, no hype, & no 4 star rating had a very good G-Day. With his experience, he has to be the #3 tailback coming out of spring.
-Chad Gloer, I direct your attention to #6 on the black team roster. The kid made a couple of very good plays and deserves a mention.

The Bad

-I wasn't overly impressed with the 1st team D. In what amounts to 1 qtr of game time they gave up 17 points. The safety play (of which I have noted as a strength) must improve and is directly responsible for the 2 TD's. C'mon boys, don't make me eat crow. CMR has harped on consistency this spring. 4 great plays, then 1 bad one is enough to add up to 1 loss.
-Inexperienced depth on the O-line. I think the talent is there, but the #2's didn't mesh too well.
-The injury to Vince Vance. Reports are it's just a sprain, which is good news.......320 pounds on the sprain makes it a little worse.

The Ugly

-The Weather. Although, it could have been much worse.
-The clock. I understand the reasoning, the injuries and the anticipated weather, but we football junkies needed a little more of a fix to get us through the next 5 months.

Pre Spring Fling

Whether it's a flu bug or just a virus that's sweeping my household, I'm relegated to watching today's game on the tube. I got the tickets online, 16 whole dollars, and I'm glad it's going to charity.

The G-Day roster is out, and from the looks of it, the Red Team looks to have a distinct advantage. The Black's offensive threats are Joe Cox, Dontavious Jackson, Bruce Figgins, Israel Troupe, and Demiko Goodman. They'll be facing a pretty good #2 defense with the only weak link over at one corner position. The O line has 2 guys that have actually taken a snap.THROW IT UP JOE......if you have the time.

The field is going to be sloppy, no question. As of right now (11:45 a.m.) it looks like there's a chance the rain might stop by gametime.....with a little luck. The game has been shortened to 8 minute quarters due to the number of injured players.

Stafford's coming out early, so I'm a little anxious to see how Logan Gray does running the 1st team offense.

I just hope it's not a total slogfest.

How's it Hangin? Vol. II

The week that was.

UGA Football
Currently wrapping up spring practice. G-Day, Sanford Stadium, 4/5/08 @ 2 p.m. Next Opponent: Opening day at home vs Georgia Southern in 149 days.

UGA Basketball
Practice cranks back up in October. Recruiting news here.

UGA Baseball
Finished the week with a 4-1 record after taking 2 of 3 from Mississippi St and sweeping a pair from Clemson. Opens a 3 game set with South Carolina today in Athens. Overall record 17-10, 6-3 SEC. Trails Florida by 1 game in the SEC East.

Atlanta Braves
Two losses in extra innings, one loss to a walk off homer in the bottom 9th, and one win adds up to a fantabulous opening week of 1-3. Opens a series in Atlanta vs. the Mets today, then it's on the road to Colorado and Washington. And here's a newsflash......Mike Hampton gets put on the DL with a pulled pectoral muscle (chest strain)......WTF???

Atlanta Hawks
4-0 for the week. Wins over Chicago, New York, Memphis, and Toronto have widened the Hawks cushion on the 8th playoff spot from 1/2 game to 4 games with 7 remaining. Philly @ home tonight, Philly at Philly tomorrow, & Indiana on the road Tuesday. They haven't been playin against the NBA royalty, but I'll take any 5 game winning streak.


Atlanta Thrashers
Last chance to see the Thrashers this season will be Saturday nite, Phillips Arena, 7 p.m.
1-2 for the week.

Atlanta Falcons
NFL Draft, April 26-27

Better Late than Never

When it hurts to read, you know it's gotta be the flu. But, after 48 hours of pure misery, I'm back among the living, if barely. Before I went into a delusional state, I was trying to point out the number of players that UGA will rotate into the game on a regular basis, regardless of the situation or opponent. I wanted to see how we stacked up talent-wise to some of the other big programs.

Here's a summary:

To get a handle on that question, let's look at the number of players that actually see the field in an important, hard-fought game....no blowouts......special teams don't count.....just offense and defense.....and make it a conference game, just to make sure that no holds are barred.My three models from 2007 are UGA vs Florida, USC vs Oregon, and LSU vs Auburn.

UGA used 52 players
Florida 51
USC 53
Oregon 47
Auburn 49
LSU 48

45 looks like a good solid number to slug it out with the big boys. These don't have to be 4 or 5 star players (although that doesn't hurt), just solid D-1A players. Having more than that doesn't seem to matter, since only 50 or so are going to play. Having less.....you may be in trouble.

I'm reasonably certain that the majority of the Dawgnation is aware of how our coaching staff likes to get alot of players into a game. But for the few who may not be aware, I'm going to list the players that, barring injury, will play in every game in 2008.

I'd like to point out that the majority of these guys will get plenty of snaps. Last year, Jeremy Lomax averaged 23 snaps per game as a backup DE. Reshad Jones finished 3rd on the team in tackles as a backup. Knowshon came off the bench for half the season. Geno Atkins did the same.
The point is that these guys don't come off the bench to give the starters an occasional breather. They are part of a rotation, and given their talent level, the Dawgs don't lose much in the way of performance.

Yes, there is a reason that we have a depth chart. The starters earned their positions. But the guys that come off the bench on Saturdays are pushing those starters everyday in practice.

Ok, before I slip back into my flu-like delusions, here's the list.......
Safety (3) - Reshad Jones, CJ Byrd, Quentin Banks
Corner (5) - Asher Allen, Prince Miller, Bryan Evans, Remarcus Brown, Vance Cuff
Linebacker(6) - Dannell Ellerbe, Akeem Dent, Rennie Curran, Darius Dewberry, Daryl Gamble, Akeem Hebron
D-Tackle (4) - Jeff Owens, Geno Atkins, Kade Weston, Corey Irvin
D -End (4) - Roderick Battle, Jarius Wynn, Jeremy Lomax, Demarcus Dobbs

O-line (8) - Vince Vance, Josh Davis, Chris Davis, Kiante Tripp, Trinton Sturdivant, Clint Boling, Justin Anderson, Chris Little.
Tight End (3) - Tripp Chandler, Bruce Figgins, Aaron White
Wide Receiver (7) - Mohamed Massaquoi, Kris Durham, Kenneth Harris, Demiko Goodman, Tony Wilson, Michael Moore, Walter Hill.
Fullback (2) - Brannan Southerland, Shaun Chapas
Tailback (2) - Knowshon Moreno, Caleb King
Quarterback (1) - Matt Stafford

Thats a total of 45 players that look to share the bulk of the snaps in a close game this season. By the time opening day rolls around, I look for 8-10 more players to add their name to the list, especially on defense.

If I've missed someone who obviously should be on the list, leave a note in the comments section.

Rising to the Top - Part II

Yesterday I posted the top 20 schools as they rated in signing 4 & 5 star recruits since 2003, which would have made them 5th year seniors in 2007. Now I've thrown away the 2003 class and counted 2008 and the numbers look like this.
(1) USC 79
(2) FLORIDA 77
(3) FSU 75
(4) LSU 71
(5) OKLAHOMA 66
(6) GEORGIA 63
(7) TEXAS 62
(7) MIAMI 62
(9) MICHIGAN 59
(10) OHIO ST. 54
(10) ALABAMA 54
(12) TENNESSEE 52
(13) NOTRE DAME 49
(14) AUBURN 46
(15) CLEMSON 37
(16) S. CAROLINA 36
(17) PENN ST. 35
(17) CALIFORNIA 35
(19) NEBRASKA 34
(20) TEXAS A&M 33

As a point of reference, I'll include these teams that finished in the top 10 on the field; Missouri 14, WVA 7, Kansas 5.

I'll say it again, these are not the numbers on the actual rosters. Some have graduated, jumped to the NFL, and some never made it to school. UGA for example has 51 of the 63 players on it's 2008 roster. 11 of the missing players have used their eligibility and 1 never made it to campus. Maybe I'll track down the actual players on each team's roster in the future, cuz it's gonna be a boring summer.

There's several ways of breaking down the information on this list. Do you need a ton of highly rated recruits to compete? What does it mean when the super talented teams under perform? Why don't the top 10 on the list equal the top 10 in the rankings? I'm just going to look at one for right now - How many good players does a team need to compete at the highest level?

To get a handle on that question, let's look at the number of players that actually see the field in an important, hard-fought game....no blowouts......special teams don't count.....just offense and defense.....and make it a conference game, just to make sure that no holds are barred.

My three models from 2007 are UGA vs Florida, USC vs Oregon, and LSU vs Auburn.
UGA used 52 players
Florida 51
USC 53
Oregon 47
Auburn 49
LSU 48

45 looks like a good solid number to slug it out with the big boys. These don't have to be 4 or 5 star players (although that doesn't hurt), just solid D-1A players. Having more than that doesn't seem to matter, since only 50 or so are going to play. Having less.....you may be in trouble.

Tomorrow, I'll try to put out the list of UGA players that will likely have legitimate playing time in the close ones.