Timing is everything

UGA doesn't have a MNC to show for their efforts during the Richt era. Going into the '08 season as one of the contenders is reason for hope, but there are alot of factors that must go our way just to make it to the dance.

Consider this list of SEC champions and their records for the season in this decade

1. 2000 Florida 10-3
2. 2001 LSU 10-3
3. 2002 UGA 13-1
4. 2003 LSU 13-1 MNC
5. 2004 Auburn 13-0
6. 2005 UGA 10-3
7. 2006 Florida 13-1 MNC
8. 2007 LSU 12-2 MNC

Three MNC's for the SEC this decade for arguably the best conference in cfb, but it also shows that having a great season doesn't necessarily guarantee you a shot at the crystal ball. Hell, winning 'em all doesn't even guarantee it.

The Theory of Evolution

Sometimes.......most of the time.........nope, make it EVERY time a message board gets started involving UGA, the swampdwellers must appear to point out their dominance over the Dawgs.
Let's face the facts, it has been quite ugly. What was once an automatic win has been a pure nightmare for the last 17 years or so. In fact, if you were born after the mid 70's, you probably don't have a recollection of it being any other way. But trust me, once upon a time, it was a different story.

The most common line of reasoning behind this momumental collapse is that Dooley retired and UGA hired a bonehead while UF hired the Evil Genius and a mismatch was formed. Where there's smoke there's fire and those two events happening in the same timeframe didn't help.

But, more importantly, and the largest underlying reason for the trainwreck that has become the UGA / UF rivalry is simply the "Florida Factor". We too often think only of the University of Florida when we recall the recent history of this series. You have to look a little deeper to find the entire story. A history lesson follows.

The State of Florida is home to 3 BCS schools; Florida, Florida St., Miami. A study of the history of their programs, prior to 1980, is a study of futility for the most part. Miami had limited success in the 40's & 50's, Florida was actually a top 10 program in the 60's but struggled otherwise, and FSU didn't have a team prior to 1954.

(OK, technically 4 bcs schools but USF doesn't have a history at all)






Times change and the state's population exploded.

Why does Canada produce more superstars in hockey than the USA ?......it's what they do

Why does everywhere else in the world produce more superstars in soccer than the USA?.....again, it's what they do

Why do inner-cities pump out elite basketball players.........ride thru & count the number of basketball goals vs. baseball fields vs. football fields.........or in simpler terms, it's what they do

What do the best male athletes in Florida do?.......they play football.
Couple that with the population explosion and all of a sudden, you have mucho college eligible talent. Those two roads crossed in the early 80's. Add great coaching to tremendous talent, and the "Florida Factor" is born. Major beatdowns follow shortly thereafter.

The top program and #10 program of the decade are included for comparison.

Hopefully, you can see quickly that it wasn't just UF that has been kickin ass for the last 25 years or so. The 3 big Florida programs made the entire country their personal whippin posts, especially in the 90's. The only joy the rest of the country could garner was when we could watch these 3 beat up on each other.

Thankfully (for everybody else), things seem to have planed out a little. It only takes 20 years or so for the rest of the SEC and the nation to realize that recruiting Florida = success. Based on the numbers provided by the major recruiting services, either Florida or Texas (always very close) provide the highest number of elite college football recruits. California is usually not far behind with Georgia 4th and actually taking the 3rd spot on occasion.

Ok, back to UGA/UF. 15-3 over the last 18 meetings. Pure unadulterated hell. Especially when it follows a period that UGA had gone on a 15-4 run. Those were better times. Then came the 90's. The ol' ballcoach came along and had us outmanned and outcoached. Jacksonville, commonly referred to as "Athens South", now became the Swamp from Hell. Our starting 22 may have compared favorably with theirs, but hell, they had 40 more on the sidelines that were just as talented. In the 90's we won 1 freakin game........ONE!! Six of those losses were absolute behind-the-woodshed ass whuppin's of Biblical proportions.

Times change. We've closed the gap talent-wise to the point of being even, and probably deeper in alot of areas. Our coaching staff stacks up favorably with anyone. The 2-6 record this decade still sux, but 4 of the losses were 7 points or less. A couple of those games we lost due to the fact that our team didn't believe that they could win. Maybe this little gem will change that attitude.

Better days are ahead.

Baseline

Ok, the new blog is up & running.

I've uploaded some old posts. Hopefully, between the kid's practices and work, I'll have time to add on a reasonably frequent scale.

Thanks & enjoy

Recruiting 101.........or is it 151?

I'm still waiting for my offer


Ok, so I'm a month behind, but crap like this interests me, so you've gotta suffer through it too.

I was looking through some recruiting numbers and noticed that UGA offered 60 scholarships this year and signed 23. That made me a little curious to see how many scholly's were offered by other schools. Quite an eye-opening experience. Before long, I had poured through the top 25 recruiting classes as listed by Scout.com and found a very wide range from top to bottom.

The most shocking number was the 151 offers made by Florida while signing 23. Are you kiddin' me? Talk about putting out feelers. If a kid has a pulse, he has a UF scholly offer. I'm a little pissed that I didn't get one.

On the flip side, Texas offered only 33 while signing 20. UT definitely has a lock on the State of Texas.

This is not a list that ranks the recruiting classes. It simply shows how many scholarships that the schools offered this year. Also, there's a couple that are not top 25 classes (i.e. North Avenue Trade School & "the other USC"), I was just curious.

1. Florida............................151
2. Nebraska.......................145
3. LSU................................137
4. Tennessee......................125
5. South Carolina...............120
6. Alabama.........................119
7. Auburn...........................113
8. Michigan........................111
9. Oregon...........................110
10. Clemson.......................106
11. Arizona State................104
12. FSU..............................100
13. Miami............................95
13. Arkansas........................95
15. Illinois............................91
16. Georgia Tech.................88
16. Oklahoma......................88
18. Boston College.............. 84
19. Virginia Tech.................68
19. Washington....................68
19. Texas A&M.....................68
22. Georgia...........................60
23. UCLA..............................59
24. PITT...............................58
25. USC................................55
26. Notre Dame................... 53
26. Ohio State......................53
28. Texas..............................33

Looking at the numbers, it seems that there's alot of competition for recruits in the southeast (go figure), with the SEC taking 6 of the top 7 spots. However, it also shows that there is more than one successful recruiting philosophy.

The Florida approach - Throw out a huge net and see what we catch. I don't prefer that method because it seems like they aren't targeting specific needs. However, it seems to be successful for them.

The Texas approach - Identify your needs, interview the prospects, decide their level of interest, make the offer. This method requires an excellent eye for talent by the coaches, and again, has been successful.

The USC method - #### it, we're USC. Make the offer, they will come. Very successful.

The Notre Dame method - Magic. There's no other explanation for a recruit wanting to play there at this point in time.

The Auburn method - Lower your standards because Saban grabbed all of the top local talent. Preach to the media that recruiting services don't know what kind of heart your recruits have.

Different strokes for different folks. There's no 1 "right" way to recruit. The proof is 3-5 years down the road.

ALABAMATHEMATICS

A recent pi$$in match between a Michigan blogger:http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/02/13/nick-sabans-the-real-snake-oil-salesman-around-these-parts/

and an Alabama blogger;http://www.rollbama%20roll.com/story/2008/%202/14/9229/08863

With all due respect to the Alabama faithful, I've gotta side with the Wolverines on this one.

Columbus, Georgia (my hometown) is on the Georgia / Alabama state line, and Auburn University is a 30 minute trip. Georgia / Alabama / Auburn fans are very well represented here and college football trashtalk is a year round affair.

I've taken a little time to count'em up, and here's the latest numbers regarding the recruiting classes for these 3 teams. The number of scholarship athletes that are used for each team are taken from last year's rosters, minus seniors and players who declared themselves eligible for the draft.

First let's get the rules straight.
1. A division 1A football program may give as many as 25 scholarships per year.
2. A division 1A football program may have no more than 85 scholarship athletes.

Very simple math........unless

Dinner at 7? Ok.....btw, do you have a calculator that I can borrow?

AlabamaRoster...................68 scholarships
Signing class.......................32 (is that more than 25?)
Total..................................100 (what happened to 85?)

AuburnRoster......................68 scholarships
Signing class........................29 (just in case they change the 25 rule)
Total....................................97 (hey, Auburn IS a math school)

GeorgiaRoster......................62 scholarships
Signing class........................24
Total....................................86 (damn calculator malfunction)

Ok, so how do these teams get to the 85 scholarship limit?
Good question, glad ya asked.

The first ones, I consider the minor sins........

1. Academics - Some of these signees may not make their SAT or ACT score. Some (hopefully very few) of the upperclassmen may become academically ineligible. Last year, UGA lost Paul Oliver over the summer to the NFL supplemental draft for this reason.

2. Medical Scholarship - A player who is physically unable to play again due to injury. UGA's Antavious Coates has been given a medical scholarship after 2 ACL surgeries on each knee.

3. Voluntary transfer - For whatever reasons, lack of PT, location, coaching changes. UGA recently lost TE NaDerris Ward as an example.

4. The Back-count - If a player graduates early from H.S. and enrolls mid-year, his scholly count's against last year's 25 limit.

now a little more harsh........

5. Academic scholarship - Son, you suck, but the University of Alabama (oops) is going to honor our financial commitment to you. You're off the team. Good luck.


and the really bad.......

6. The Grayshirt - We have a wee problem with oversigning. We can't offer that scholarship, but if you'll pay your own way this year, we'll get you that scholarship next year for sure. Really. No, seriously. Have we ever lied to you?

7. Don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya (for upperclassmen) - Son, I don't know what the hell Mike Shula was thinkin' when he offered you a scholly, but I think it's best if you give Division II a shot.

8. The offer retraction (new signing class) - Son, were sorry, but your name was mistakenly placed in the "good players" stack on my desk. We're withdrawing our offer.

Read'em & weep. If your team just had a major oversigning year, these are the realities of what goes on. Justify it however you like.

I truly hope that someone documents how the numbers get crunched at Alabama this year just to see how the casualties pile up.

The very last Hawaii bashing........I promise ;-)

Damn, dude, I thought you'd be........bigger

i don't remember who posted this link, but i wanna thank them

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/4867%20-College_Football-Ge%20orgia_Bulldogs_Football-Sugar_Bowl_Preview_Hawaii_vs_Georgia

In following several message boards prior to the game almost anything that any UH fan brought up that had any factual basis was stolen from this article

The author would comment on UGA and you'd almost think he had a crystal ball.

Then, he'd switch to UH and start the "what if's", "but's", and "maybe's".

In the end, he screwed it all up and got the islands in a frenzy by picking the Warriors.


"I've read tons of writers and bloggers who said, "If UH played our schedule, they would only finish with a .500 record at best". I might agree to this sentiment, but it can"t just be taken at face value. This has got to be the stupidest thing I have constantly read over the past month or so. The reason is because if UH played in the SEC, they would have an SEC type budget, with SEC type facilities, and be able to recruit top flight, blue chip, NFL quality players."

At least 50 UH fans stole that one and it's also untrue. Other than the fact that Herman Frazier would have no idea on how to appropriate the funds, SEC recruiting is regional. To make the above statement true, you'd have to move the islands to the Southeastern U. S.

However, since this guy put so much time & effort to delve into some important questions, I feel the need to expend the same amount of effort in answering his questions.

1. Can Hawaii stop UGA's running game. NO

2. Can UGA capitalize if UH commits 8 or 9 men in the box? YES (although I think the play action pass was implied here, we just ran straight through)

3. Can UH adjust to the speed of a SEC defense? NO

4. Who wins the time of posession battle? Hawaii (surprised?)

5. Can UGA stop the UH offense? Is a bullfrog's ass watertight?

6. When UGA gets to Brennan for sacks, will he hold on or fumble? OR JUST CRY

But here's my favorite part of this article.....

UGA Coaching - HC Mark Richt, DC Martinez, OC Bobo of UGA have a total of zero years coaching in the NFL.
UH Coaching - HC June Jones has 12 years and McMackin has five years in the NFL.

Don't underestimate this point. Although having NFL experiene isn't a prerequisite to success in college football, I think it can be a factor. Why is this important? Giving NFL quality coaches one month to game plan is huge. I am not discounting coach Richt's ability, but I think no one brings this up because UGA is just more physical and fast, plays in the SEC, and Richt has had success over his seven seasons as a head coach, but I think game planning will play a big role.

Just as an example, recently UGA HC Richt said at their Monday press confrence that they have looked at "several" UH games on tape. Both the end zone and coaches tape, as well as the TV tape.

Then I came across a quote from the UH DC McMackin saying that he has charted every single one of UGA's offensive plays that they ran this year. He said that UGA ran a total of 807 offensive plays this year and broke it down into percentage of runs to the left, right, and between tackles to passes on first, second, and third downs. Now that is paying attention to details and analyzing what they are up against. That was the first 2 days after the match up announcement. What will they do with the rest of the month?

I MIGHT KNOW THIS ANSWER

I have access to the notes from the December 9th meeting between Coach Mark Richt and defensive co-ordinator Willie Martinez.

CMR "This is the highest scoring team in the country, have you been working on a game plan?"

WM "I've watched a couple of games on tape."

CMR "A couple? They've played 12."

WM "I know, but there's no tape available on the other 10. In those games neither team had video equipment, & they certainly weren't on tv."

CMR "So, based on these tapes, do you think you can predict what their offense will do in different situations?"

WM "I do."

CMR "Ok. 1st & 10"

WM "They throw it."

CMR "2nd & 4"

WM "They throw it."

CMR "3rd & 1"

WM "They throw it."

CMR "They have a huge lead."

WM "They throw it."

CMR "Big defecit"

WM "They throw it"

CMR "What if they're trying to melt the clock?"

WM "They throw it."

CMR "It seems that you've done your homework. Do you think our scout team can simulate their offense?"

WM "I've got a plan."

CMR "Ok. How do you simulate their heisman candidate QB?"

WM "Logan Gray, true fresman, scout team QB. We make him wear 20 pound ankle weights to slow him down and make him throw a water-logged football so it cuts down his arm strength. That should be pretty close."

CMR "What about their 4 very talented wideouts?"

WM "I've arranged for the Athens Police Dept to loan me four inmates as part of a work-release program."

CMR "Ok, the final piece. How are you going to simulate their offensive line?"

WM "Simple. Wait until the end of band practice & borrow the trombone players."

CMR "Brilliant."

If the shoe fits.......

A great shoestring catch?

APPLICATION FOR SIDELINE ADMISSION - UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS - FOOTBALL

1. Have you ever played football, even recreationally?

2. Have you ever had a relationship with someone of the opposite sex?

3. Are your current job duties necessary for the UT football team to function properly?

4. Do you happen to know the basic rules of football?

5. Do you know what the big white line that encompasses the playing field represents?

6. Do you know the reason that the officials in a game have whistles?

7. Do you know of any reason that 22 men in tight pants would have for scrambling over each other while chasing a bouncing football?

8. Have you ever been employed in a position that was not created for you by your parents?

If you answered "NO" to all of the above questions, you will be allowed to access the sidelines of all UT home games, select road games, and bowl appearances.