The SEC needs a nine-game conference schedule

Beyond the transfers, the head coaches, the stadium reductions and the backhanders to recruits, the NCAA can change something else that would really take the sport a step forward: The schedules. The ACC and SEC play 8 in-conference games and 4 non-conference games, while the Big Ten, Pac-12 and Big XII all play nine. Gus Malzahn and Nick Saban both expressed a preference for nine games. In fact, Nick Saban has been lobbying for it since 2012, while Gus Malzahn last year admitted he’s had a Damascus experience on scheduling (probably because Auburn’s is so arduous year after year): “Nine I think is best for us moving forward to make the schedules more equal across the conference.” Kirby Smart of

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The most Twitter-melting SEC moments before Twitter

I read a riveting tweet to Sports Illustrated’s Andy Staples which read: “What would be the most Twitter-melting CFB moments before Twitter was around?’ In other words, moments in college football history prior to March 2007, when Twitter exploded on the scene at South by Southwest (March 2007) I added a few things, which included the B.S. call against Miami in the National Championship Game of 2003 (NCBS), any of the FSU-Miami ‘Wide Rights’ (#WDR) and ‘Wide Lefts’ (#WDL), the Convicts vs Catholics (#ConvictCath), and – of course – Vince Young (#VY) running the ball in against USC in the 2006 National Championship Game (#VYvsUSC). I also wanted ALL of Barry Sanders’ highlights from the 1988 season (#Barry) because he

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Alabama OC Mike Locksley leaving for Maryland

Alabama offensive co-ordinator Mike Locksley is leaving to become the new head coach at Maryland. Locksley was given the Broyles Award earlier this week for being the country’s top assistant coach, helping the Crimson Tide to be one of the country’s best offensive teams. His crowning glory may well be on Saturday with Tua Tagovailoa is given the Heisman Award. “I am thrilled to be returning home and to have the opportunity to lead the Maryland Football program,” Locksley said in a statement. “This has always been a special place for me and my family, and I am honored to take on this role at the state’s flagship institution. Our goal is to create an atmosphere and environment focused on the

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SEC players going in their junior years for NFL Draft 2019

Right, this time of the year is a sad one, because we say goodbye to our greatest SEC playmakers, wishing that they would have one more year in college to make us smile. Some are seniors, but what the SEC Blog is focussing on is the juniors, who have decided to forgo their senior year, in an effort to make cash instead of being exploited for it (!). We don’t expect Alabama to have any declarations because they’ve got two big play-off games coming up (potentially), but otherwise… Alabama: Arkansas: Auburn: Jarrett Stidham (QB) Florida: Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (DB) Georgia: Kentucky: LSU: Greedy Williams (CB) Mississippi State: Missouri: Ole Miss: AJ Brown (WR), DK Metcalf (WR) South Carolina: Deebo Samuel (WR) Tennessee:

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Should Georgia or Oklahoma be in the College Football play-off?

And so, it happened. Georgia didn’t have to beat Alabama in the SEC Championship Game to cause bedlam….they just had to play the Crimson Tide close. Close? The Bulldogs damned nearly beat them, ramming the ball down their throat during a first half whirling dervish. The second half was your usual tale of Alabama adjusting, Georgia being a little more conservative – an assinine 4th-and-11 call side – and Alabama have two National Championship-winning quarterbacks to use to take home a 35-28 victory. Earlier in the day, Oklahoma had righted the wrongs of a Red River Shoot-Out by exacting revenge on Texas 39-27, and after the SEC Championship Game, Clemson took care of business against Pittsburgh to win the ACC Title

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Iron, Egg, Bourbon and Hate: SEC Rivalry Week Preview

Of all the rivalries in the SEC, the best name for a rivalry is the Georgia – Georgia Tech game: “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate”. Nothing comes close. However, there are some badass hatred flowing through the SEC. Alabama and Auburn despise each other. Ole Miss and Mississippi State may be on a par with that….maybe worse. There’s no love lost between Clemson and South Carolina or Florida and Florida State. Tennessee – Vanderbilt always seems to pit the ‘Public School Hillbillies’ and the ‘Private School snobs’, and Louisville and Kentucky certainly aren’t fond of each other, even though the ‘Governor’s Cup’ makes it sound like a place where the fans drink sweet tea before the game, not ludicrous amounts of bourbon.

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NEWSFLASH: Alabama did NOT impress on Week 12

Breaking News: Alabama did not impress us on Week 12. At half-time of the game against Citadel in Tuscaloosa, with the much-less-than-the-reported-101,000 inside Bryant-Denny Stadium still sleepy, the game was tied 10-10. The Tide couldn’t deal with the triple-option, and the offense was poor to say the least. In the second half, Alabama adjusted themselves, scoring 40 to Citadel’s 7, and everything seemed good. I even posted on my Twitter that after Alabama’s putrid performance Clemson should be made No.1 if they comfortably beat Duke. And Clemson was awful in its first half against Duke before exploding for 45. Obviously, Clemson’s victory over an above-average Duke said counts for more than Alabama’s victory against a Citadel team, but the Play-Off

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Is every SEC team that’s not Alabama ordinary? Week 12 SEC Rankings

We didn’t want to admit it, but 85% (12 out of 14) of SEC teams are really, really ordinary. Some might be even worse than that. SEC fans will tell you that the ‘ordinariness’ isn’t in fact that, it’s the fact that ‘anyone can beat anyone on ANY GIVEN SATURDAY IN THE SEC’, and that’s what makes the SEC so great, and other conferences so suck-worthy. Of course, it’s the notion of ‘Every Given Saturday’ that makes college football so awesome, and not just the SEC. But in fact, the SEC, B1G and ACC have something in common: They all boast a team that hasn’t won an in-conference game all season (Arkansas, Louisville, Rutgers). And apart from Georgia and Alabama, everyone

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It’s Spurrier Bowl Time In The SEC: Week 11 Preview

Despite the SEC East and SEC West races being over, there is interesting stuff going on the SEC this week. There is Georgia vs Auburn, who really dislike each other. Then there’s Alabama vs Mississippi State, with Cowbell’s excellent defense. Then there Missouri trying to be bowl eligible, LSU trying to rebound against Arkansas and, er, something else in The Swamp, featuring the world’s most entertaining, quotable retired college coach. Fun fact: I met someone who said that the only reason why Spurrier came to South Carolina in the first place is that one of South Carolina’s biggest boosters, Augusta National head Hootie Johnson, could make him a member at August. I then met someone in about 2008 who actually

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Alabama feels unstoppable – Week 11 SEC Rankings

It was meant to be ‘The Game Of The Century’. It was No.1 Alabama, going to the most evil place alive….Baton Rouge. No.3 LSU was waiting, the crowd was off-the-hook…..and Alabama coasted to a 28-0 victory. Although LSU’s defense played mightily, the offense simply didn’t show up, struggling with Quinton Williams and Bama’s devilishly-effective pash rush, and Joe Burrow spent most of the game running for his life. On the other side of the ball, Tua was also running – but showed he was as happy making a throw off the run as anyone else in football. And when Bama’s running backs came into play, it was frightening. The thing about LSU is that they weren’t bad on Saturday. They

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