Note to SEC: Texas A&M needs another Thanksgiving Rival

As y’all know by this blog, we love the SEC and we’re really happy that two teams have been added to the SEC schedule. Missouri’s going to be a  cold and difficult place for rivals to play in the East, and Texas A&M’s going to be a deafening place to play in the West. But let’s be honest – when it became known that Texas A&M was not going to play Texas anymore, it ripped a lot out of college football’s soul. For over 118 years, Texas and Texas A&M beat the crap out of each other. Even if both sides weren’t good, they were got off the turf for The Thanksgiving Game of All Thanksgiving Games. Fanbases may not

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Recruiting: Alabama picks up QB from Georgia

It seems that if you’re a four and five-star recruit, you are either heading to Tuscaloosa, Ann Arbor, or Los Angeles these days. Parker McLeod, the highly sought-after quarterback from Walton High School in Georgia, decided that he wanted to go to Tuscaloosa to play his football in 2013 – and so committed to Nick Saban and his Crimson company on Friday. “Alabama was my dream school all along,” McLeod told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I got a firm offer from them on Wednesday and I committed on the spot. They wanted me to wait a little bit, or until Friday, until I went public with it.” Saban had earlier whiffed on quarterbacks Anthony Jennings and Johnathan McCrary, who went to Vanderbilt.

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Recruiting: Alabama adds four-star recruit

Nick Saban added his 15th commitment of the season when Texan cornerback Maurice Smith committed to play for Alabama, Al.com has reported. According to the report, Smith announced the decision via press release. He said: “Maurice Smith II (Fort Bend Sugarland Dulles c/o 2013) has researched, evaluated, and visited and has reached his decision to commit to University of Alabama and play for Nick Saban’s defense.” He added: “I knew this would be one of the biggest decisions in my life, and at 16 it seemed almost too big, and a lot of pressure. But someone told me that I would know when it was right. It just felt right, with no pressure, or expectation, it is just right for

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Recruiting: LSU grabs dual-threat QB commitment

LSU has grabbed a major out-of-state coup when four-star dual threat quarterback Anthony Jennings committed to play for the Tigers. Jennings, who plays his football in Marietta, Georgia, was ranked as a four-star recruit by Rivals. He gained offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky and the two Mississippi schools in the SEC as well as a number of other Big Ten and Big XII schools – including West Virginia, Wisconsin, Nebraskas and Iowa. Steve Kragthorpe did the recruiting. BOTTOM LINE: Les Miles is a fan of dual threat quarterbacks and although Jordan Jefferson had his (many) problems, JaMarcus Russell and Matt Flynn could both run in the purple and gold – and both have gone on to the NFL.   

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Hiring News: LSU coach leaves

Got you, didn’t we? LSU strength and conditioning coach Derrick LeBlanc has left the SEC giant to become the defensive line coach at Wyoming, the Cowboys said today. “What a great opportunity to be here in Wyoming” said LeBlanc. “Coach Christensen has done a great job over the last three years. To be given the opportunity to come here and help build on the success that Wyoming has had over the past several years is something I know will be a great experience for me and my family.” “I am extremely pleased we have been able to add Derrick LeBlanc to our coaching staff,” said Cowboys head coach Dave Christensen. “He comes to us from LSU where he was part of a

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SEC finalizes 2012 schedule

The SEC released its 2012 schedule. We’ll be going through it at a later date, but right now, read, digest, and imagine. And cancel your Saturday weddings. Aug. 30 South Carolina at Vanderbilt Texas A&M vs. Louisiana Tech (Shreveport, La.) Aug. 31 Tennessee vs. N.C. State (Atlanta, Ga.) Sept. 1 Alabama vs. Michigan (Arlington, Texas) Jacksonville State at Arkansas Bowling Green at Florida Buffalo at Georgia North Texas at LSU Central Arkansas at Ole Miss Jackson State at Mississippi State Southeastern Louisiana at Missouri Auburn vs. Clemson (Atlanta, Ga.) Sept. 2 Kentucky at Louisville Sept. 8 Auburn at Mississippi State Florida at Texas A&M Georgia at Missouri Western Kentucky at Alabama Louisiana-Monroe at Arkansas (Little Rock) Kent State at Kentucky

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Spring Meetings: SEC coaches vote in $300-per-game stipend

The SEC coaches might have just done something that could change the course of college football. This tweet came from Scott Hood at Gamecock Central: Scott Hood ‏@ScottHood63 In case you missed it, Steve Spurrier told me last night the SEC coaches unanimously approved giving FB players $300 per game for expenses. This isn’t just big news. This is massive news. This could mean that players are at least paid for playing – taking back some of the money that schools, clothing companies and other parties (yes, even college football blogs!) so happily take from them year in, year out. Hood played this down slightly, saying it probably wouldn’t get through the Athletic Directors and Presidents: Scott Hood ‏@ScottHood63: The key question, though,

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Tiger running scared? Miles not happy about Florida as permanent rival

The biggest news of the SEC Spring Meetings happened right at the end when news came out that LSU and Florida would be paired together for the forseeable future as ‘permanent’ SEC rivals as part of the new 6-1-1 scheduling. One coach was happy about this. One coach was not. LSU’s Les Miles was the one NOT wearing the smile. He said at his press conference in Destin (according to the Palm Beach Post): “This is all based on some vague tradition that is not considering that you’re adding teams to the conference. Tell me about the tradition of the conference when you add teams to it. He added: “I mean, Florida isn’t even a nearby state. This tradition of rivalry

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Recruiting news: Star O-Lineman commits to LSU

Star offensive linesman Ethan Pocic is moving out of Big Ten country and into the SEC, he told his Twitter followers today. “Yo just commited to LSU!” said the 6 ft 7, 285 lb giant offensive tackle. This news was well-timed, as it gave a lot of journalists some time off the SEC Spring meetings, which started in Florida on Tuesday. Pocic, a four-star recruit who’s ranked 36th in the country, will bring more solidity to Les Miles’ offensive line, also helping the running game as well as the future of quarterback Zach Mettenberger, who is almost certain to be playing two years behind the Tigers’ line this year (unless he’s flawless and will immediately start in the NFL, which

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If College Football is Our Religion, the SEC is Our Church

To fans of the Southeastern Conference, the SEC isn’t a conference amongst numerous college football conferences. It’s a religion. Our religion stretches from the swamplands of Florida to the oil fields of East Texas, taking in the States of Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Kentucky and Tennessee. We go to church, both on Saturday and on Sunday, and like to scream our lungs out at both. And we’ll always talk about one or the other all weekend long, sometimes with a cocktail in our hand, sometimes not. And everyone’s invited to the party, as long as you promise not to swear in front of the ladies. Our devotees are loyal, passionate, and when it comes to games

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