You can view the list here.
The SEC lost a little bit of coaching star power with the departures of Phil Fulmer and Tommy Tuberville. That being said, the SEC still has the best collection of coaches in the country.
Numbers 1 and 2 are obvious.
I think numbers 3-6 are interchangeable. I still have no idea how good Les Miles is as a coach. I thought we would know for sure after this season, but it's kind of hard to blame Miles for going 7-5 when he had no starting quarterback, was breaking in new defensive coordinators, and had to replacemost of his defensive backfield. It looks like he has the defensive coordinator thing figured out and the QB situation looks like it will be under control for next season. The romp over a good Georgia Tech team in LSU's bowl game was certainly impressive. Mark Richt looks like he will go down as one of the best SEC coaches to never win a national championship. Petrino had some impressive wins this season and his Arkansas teams will only get better. In two or three years I think he will solidify himself as the #3 or #4 guy (if he sticks around that long). Houston Nutt will do well with Orgeron's players... once they are gone Ole Miss will go back to being Ole Miss.
I am not sure I would put Spurrier higher than Bobby Johnson or Rich Brooks at this point. Both Johnson and Brooks have produced similar records to Spurrier, but with less overall talent. Spurrier has wasted some pretty good defenses with his terrible offenses. South Carolina has also put some RBs and WRs in the NFL draft, so it seems that the real problem is QB, which is supposed to be Spurrier's specialty. It looks like Urban Meyer will easily surpass Spurrier's accomplishments at Florida, so a little bit of Spurrier's legacy has also taken a hit.
And that leaves us with the new hires. I think Dan Mullen screwed up big time taking the Mississippii State job. If he would have held out another year or two (especially with Tebow coming back) he would have been able to get himself a top tier job. I am not even old enough to remember the last successful Mississippii State head coach. Has there ever even been one? Mullen will need to recruit his ass off to turn the program around. Unfortunately, that is not one of his strong points. He was regarded as one of the weak links on Florida's otherwise strong recruiting staff. According to Rivals.com, Mullen was only responsible for bringing in 1 or 2 recruits a year. Still, though, he was a part of Meyer's staff and that has to count for something. If he is only half as good a coach as Meyer, that will still be better than what MSU is accustomed to.
At first glance, Lane Kiffin and Gene Chizik look like very questiobale hires. Luckily for Tennessee and Auburn both guys put together tremendous staffs. I'm not sure you can rank either guy ahead of the other one at this point.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Ahh, the offseason...
Well, that awful time of the year is upon us. No more games to watch, no more polls to debate over, no controversy, no story lines. We've got National Signing Day coming up in a couple weeks, and then spring practice will begin a few weeks after that. The most interesting part of the offseason is, of course, watching to see which players from which schools will end up driving drunk, committing armed robbery, getting into fights, beating their girlfriend, and buying/selling drugs. Who could forget Alabama's Jimmy John cocaine drug ring? Or Florida's Ronnie Wilson firing an AK-47 into the air after being chased by some unknown assailant?
If you feel that your life is not complete unless you have some kind of poll to analyze each week, you can always keep an eye on EDSBS' Fulmer Cup to see which school's band of thugs comes out on top for most crimes committed.
If you feel that your life is not complete unless you have some kind of poll to analyze each week, you can always keep an eye on EDSBS' Fulmer Cup to see which school's band of thugs comes out on top for most crimes committed.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
2009 Preseason Top 10
I always wanted to make a ridiculously early top 10 list before anybody knows exactly who is staying and who is going. Here goes.
1. Florida
I thought the championship game would be the last time Percy Harvin and Brandon Spikes suited up for the Gators. I am not so sure now. Even if they don't come back, the Gators have a bunch of guys ready to step in. The defense might be even better next year than it was this year.
2. Texas
Texas was a young team this past season. Most thought they were a year away. With McCoy coming back they will be in good shape for a title run.
3. Oklahoma
They lose a lot on the offensive line, but the Big 12's defensive lines are pretty terrible so it shouldn't matter. If Bradford comes back, the Texas/OU game will probably be for a spot in the national championship game.
4. USC
Their whole defense is gone, but we all know USC's reserves are better than most team's starters. Sanchez will be back and the Pac 10 will still be bad. That said, USC will once again lose a game they shouldn't and be locked out of the title game.
5. Ohio State
Beanie and most of the defense will be playing in the NFL next season. That probably won't matter much. Tressel owns the Big 10 and that will continue. Pryor will be a much better player next season. I don't know if he'll ever develop into an elite passing QB, but his current skill set is still good enough to terrorize most of the Big 10. They'll probably make a BCS bowl and lose to either USC or the Texas/OU loser.
6. Virginia Tech
The ACC champs were supposed to be rebuilding this season. They lose a great CB in Victor Harris but not much else. If they can get passed 'Bama at the beginning of the season, they could go on a run similar to Penn State's this year.
7. Oklahoma State
Zach Robinson and Kendall Hunter will be coming back. Points will be scored. Lots of them.
8. Utah
They don't really belong here because they lose a lot of important seniors. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now, I guess.
9. LSU
I really don't know what to make of this team. They could go undefeated or they could lose five games again. The defense will be much better under John Chavis, but they need to find someone who can make plays at the QB position.
10. Mississippii
Could Ole Miss be the best team in the SEC West? They return a lot of starters and they finished the season with a lot of momentum. Alabama loses a lot of senior leadership. See above for LSU. Auburn will be better but not by much. The combonation of Ed Orgeron's players and Houston Nutt's coaching ability is tough to beat.
Other teams that will probably appear in the top 10 at some point in the season: Penn State, Boise State, Alabama, TCU, Georgia Tech, Oregon.
1. Florida
I thought the championship game would be the last time Percy Harvin and Brandon Spikes suited up for the Gators. I am not so sure now. Even if they don't come back, the Gators have a bunch of guys ready to step in. The defense might be even better next year than it was this year.
2. Texas
Texas was a young team this past season. Most thought they were a year away. With McCoy coming back they will be in good shape for a title run.
3. Oklahoma
They lose a lot on the offensive line, but the Big 12's defensive lines are pretty terrible so it shouldn't matter. If Bradford comes back, the Texas/OU game will probably be for a spot in the national championship game.
4. USC
Their whole defense is gone, but we all know USC's reserves are better than most team's starters. Sanchez will be back and the Pac 10 will still be bad. That said, USC will once again lose a game they shouldn't and be locked out of the title game.
5. Ohio State
Beanie and most of the defense will be playing in the NFL next season. That probably won't matter much. Tressel owns the Big 10 and that will continue. Pryor will be a much better player next season. I don't know if he'll ever develop into an elite passing QB, but his current skill set is still good enough to terrorize most of the Big 10. They'll probably make a BCS bowl and lose to either USC or the Texas/OU loser.
6. Virginia Tech
The ACC champs were supposed to be rebuilding this season. They lose a great CB in Victor Harris but not much else. If they can get passed 'Bama at the beginning of the season, they could go on a run similar to Penn State's this year.
7. Oklahoma State
Zach Robinson and Kendall Hunter will be coming back. Points will be scored. Lots of them.
8. Utah
They don't really belong here because they lose a lot of important seniors. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now, I guess.
9. LSU
I really don't know what to make of this team. They could go undefeated or they could lose five games again. The defense will be much better under John Chavis, but they need to find someone who can make plays at the QB position.
10. Mississippii
Could Ole Miss be the best team in the SEC West? They return a lot of starters and they finished the season with a lot of momentum. Alabama loses a lot of senior leadership. See above for LSU. Auburn will be better but not by much. The combonation of Ed Orgeron's players and Houston Nutt's coaching ability is tough to beat.
Other teams that will probably appear in the top 10 at some point in the season: Penn State, Boise State, Alabama, TCU, Georgia Tech, Oregon.
Champs
Pretty strange game last night. I didn't think either defense would play as well as they did. Here's my observations:
1. The Gators used a simple formula to slow down the OU offense. They lined up correctly and they tackled well. OU's offense had been feasting all season on defenses that could not keep up with their fast pace, but with a month to prepare Florida's defense adjusted just fine. OU even slowed their offense down when they realized that they weren't going to be able to outpace the Gator defense. I think Oklahoma averaged something like 90 plays a game, but managed just 76 in this game. Watching replays of the game, it's kind of funny because Fox obviously had this whole thing setup with a clock to show how fast OU gets their plays off. I don't think we saw that clock again after half time.
2. What a monster play by Torrey Davis on that fourth and goal play. He shed TWO blockers AND made the tackle. That was about as good a play as you will ever see out of the DT position. Ahmad Black's interception was also outstanding. Black was a third string corner back going into spring practice, and now he is one of the best safeties in the nation.
3. The game ball has to go to Percy Harvin. He was maybe 80%-85%. Percy usually glides all over the field, but even on his long runs you could tell that the ankle was bothering him. Tebow will get most of the offensive credit, and he did pick up some key first downs, but the Gators don't win the game last night without Percy Harvin.
4. The refs were terrible in this game. Florida's defense was ready for OU's fast paced offense; the refs were not. Half the time they could not get the ball set on time and they continually had problems with the game clock. The excessive celebration/taunting penalties in college football are getting out of hand. It's not that they're calling too many of them, it's that there is no consistency. Louis Murphy gets flagged for making a first down signal, but there is no flag when Tebow is running and jumping all over the field while waving his hands up and down? This is like foul calls in the NBA. If you're a well known player you can celebrate all you want and not get penalized, but the other guys get flagged for the smallest things. It's been like this all season for every team, though, not just last night.
5. The Sooners really missed DeMarco Murray. I thought it was ridiculous when the media tried to act like him not being in the lineup was no big deal. His replacement, Chris Brown, had a very good game, but Brown is not the type of back that can get you points against this defense. Brown is a grind-it-out, move the chains kind of running back. The only way to score on this defense is with big plays. DeMarco Murray is OU's best playmaker. You can't methodically drive down the field on the Gator defense because they will eventually force a turnover or get you in a third and long situation. I believe the Gators are the best defense in terms of stopping teams on third down. If they're not #1 they're in the top 5.
6. Tebow is not ready for the NFL. He played his worst or second worst half (first half of Auburn 2007 being the other stinker) of football to open the game. The only reason he was effective in the second half was because he decided if his primary receiver wasn't open he was just going to tuck it and run. This works great in college (Vince Young did the same thing against USC a few years ago), but it's not going to fly in the NFL.
On a side note, Nic Harris is a total douche bag. What an embarrassment. He intentionally used Tebow's head as a stepping stool to get off the ground once. There was no doubt that he did this on purpose. He also held on to Harvin's legs on the play Harvin tweaked his ankle. I don't think it had anything to do with the injury, but it was still a bush league move. You know he must have been playing dirty for Tebow to taunt him at the end the way he did. I don't think Tebow is as saintly as everyone makes him out to be, but Tebow would not do what he did unless Harris really deserved it.
1. The Gators used a simple formula to slow down the OU offense. They lined up correctly and they tackled well. OU's offense had been feasting all season on defenses that could not keep up with their fast pace, but with a month to prepare Florida's defense adjusted just fine. OU even slowed their offense down when they realized that they weren't going to be able to outpace the Gator defense. I think Oklahoma averaged something like 90 plays a game, but managed just 76 in this game. Watching replays of the game, it's kind of funny because Fox obviously had this whole thing setup with a clock to show how fast OU gets their plays off. I don't think we saw that clock again after half time.
2. What a monster play by Torrey Davis on that fourth and goal play. He shed TWO blockers AND made the tackle. That was about as good a play as you will ever see out of the DT position. Ahmad Black's interception was also outstanding. Black was a third string corner back going into spring practice, and now he is one of the best safeties in the nation.
3. The game ball has to go to Percy Harvin. He was maybe 80%-85%. Percy usually glides all over the field, but even on his long runs you could tell that the ankle was bothering him. Tebow will get most of the offensive credit, and he did pick up some key first downs, but the Gators don't win the game last night without Percy Harvin.
4. The refs were terrible in this game. Florida's defense was ready for OU's fast paced offense; the refs were not. Half the time they could not get the ball set on time and they continually had problems with the game clock. The excessive celebration/taunting penalties in college football are getting out of hand. It's not that they're calling too many of them, it's that there is no consistency. Louis Murphy gets flagged for making a first down signal, but there is no flag when Tebow is running and jumping all over the field while waving his hands up and down? This is like foul calls in the NBA. If you're a well known player you can celebrate all you want and not get penalized, but the other guys get flagged for the smallest things. It's been like this all season for every team, though, not just last night.
5. The Sooners really missed DeMarco Murray. I thought it was ridiculous when the media tried to act like him not being in the lineup was no big deal. His replacement, Chris Brown, had a very good game, but Brown is not the type of back that can get you points against this defense. Brown is a grind-it-out, move the chains kind of running back. The only way to score on this defense is with big plays. DeMarco Murray is OU's best playmaker. You can't methodically drive down the field on the Gator defense because they will eventually force a turnover or get you in a third and long situation. I believe the Gators are the best defense in terms of stopping teams on third down. If they're not #1 they're in the top 5.
6. Tebow is not ready for the NFL. He played his worst or second worst half (first half of Auburn 2007 being the other stinker) of football to open the game. The only reason he was effective in the second half was because he decided if his primary receiver wasn't open he was just going to tuck it and run. This works great in college (Vince Young did the same thing against USC a few years ago), but it's not going to fly in the NFL.
On a side note, Nic Harris is a total douche bag. What an embarrassment. He intentionally used Tebow's head as a stepping stool to get off the ground once. There was no doubt that he did this on purpose. He also held on to Harvin's legs on the play Harvin tweaked his ankle. I don't think it had anything to do with the injury, but it was still a bush league move. You know he must have been playing dirty for Tebow to taunt him at the end the way he did. I don't think Tebow is as saintly as everyone makes him out to be, but Tebow would not do what he did unless Harris really deserved it.
Monday, January 5, 2009
STOP IT
Just noticed Terelle Pryor is sporting the initials on the back of his arms. THIS ISN'T COOL NOW AND IT'S NOT GOING TO BE COOL 40 YEARS FROM NOW.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
One Week To Go
I decided to start posting my thoughts on the 'ship since we are officially just a week away and Iowa is turning this Outback Bowl into a yawner.
This post was inspired by this Bill Simmons column.
Basically, the 2008 Oklahoma Sooners are college football's version of the Mike D'Antoni/Steve Nash led Phoenix Suns from the middle of this decade. They score a lot of points. They're fun to watch. They never made it to the NBA Finals.
Yes, this Sooner team made it to the college football equivalent of the NBA Finals, but only because they played in a conference full of other Suns type teams.
Most NBA fans are familiar with those Suns teams. They won 55-60 games while scoring a bajilion points, but then ran into the defensive minded San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs. The Spurs slowed the game down and Phoenix's inability to play a slow tempo, half court game became their undoing.
No doubt, the Florida Gators are going to slow the game down. They're going to run. And run. And run. And run. Oklahoma is down a defensive tackle and might have to start their third string middle line backer. If Urban Meyer has his way, Tim Tebow will put the ball in the air 15 times at the most.
The ingenious part of this strategy is it takes OU's biggest offensive advantage (their fast paced offense) and turns it against them. If Florida is going on 12 play, seven minute scoring drives, can OU afford to run the up tempo offense and risk putting the OU defense back out on the field? Oklahoma is going to have to slow down to give their defense time to rest.
Most people believe that the OU offense vs. the UF defense is the key matchup, but in reality this game will be decided by how well OU defends UF's rushing attack.
This post was inspired by this Bill Simmons column.
Basically, the 2008 Oklahoma Sooners are college football's version of the Mike D'Antoni/Steve Nash led Phoenix Suns from the middle of this decade. They score a lot of points. They're fun to watch. They never made it to the NBA Finals.
Yes, this Sooner team made it to the college football equivalent of the NBA Finals, but only because they played in a conference full of other Suns type teams.
Most NBA fans are familiar with those Suns teams. They won 55-60 games while scoring a bajilion points, but then ran into the defensive minded San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs. The Spurs slowed the game down and Phoenix's inability to play a slow tempo, half court game became their undoing.
No doubt, the Florida Gators are going to slow the game down. They're going to run. And run. And run. And run. Oklahoma is down a defensive tackle and might have to start their third string middle line backer. If Urban Meyer has his way, Tim Tebow will put the ball in the air 15 times at the most.
The ingenious part of this strategy is it takes OU's biggest offensive advantage (their fast paced offense) and turns it against them. If Florida is going on 12 play, seven minute scoring drives, can OU afford to run the up tempo offense and risk putting the OU defense back out on the field? Oklahoma is going to have to slow down to give their defense time to rest.
Most people believe that the OU offense vs. the UF defense is the key matchup, but in reality this game will be decided by how well OU defends UF's rushing attack.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)