Sept. 28--Week 5's Power Rankings

Lots of movement in the top half of the rankings, but the biggest mover was Ole Miss jumping from 39th last week to 23rd this week with its win over Florida. Those close to me know that I am no fan of Houston Nutt, but I do like that the team can sometimes win despite his best efforts.

Seven new teams, including 5 from the ACC. Fl State is back, along with Maryland, California, Boston College, GA TECH, Duke and Cincinnati.

Bye-bye to East Carolina, Colorado, and Clemson as they leave the top 40.


HOW THE RANKING WORKS:

Wins over teams ranked 1-10 earn 5 points, teams ranked 11-20 earn4 points, teams ranked 21-30 earn 3 points, teams ranked 31-40 earn 2 points, teams ranked 41st and higher earn 1 point, and wins over 1-AA teams earn 0.5 points. Additional points are earned if games are earned if the games are won by a controlling margin of 17 points or greater. The number of points vary with the relative ranking of the opponents. A 17 point margin over a 1-AA team earns an additional 0.25 point. Since I believe every major team should beat every 1-AA team by over 17 points every time, a win over a 1-AA team that is within 17 points results in 0.5 points being deducted.

Losses to teams ranked 1-10 lose 1 point, to teams ranked 11-20 lose 2 points, teams ranked 21-30 lose 3 points, teams ranked 31-40 lose 4 points, and teams ranked 41st and worse lose 5 points. Teams that lose to 1-AA teams lose 10 points. Additional points are lost by teams that lose their games by 17 points or more.

The subjective portion of this ranking is the assignment of preseason points. The following teams were assigned 5 points for being projected as top 10 teams: CLEMSON, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, LSU. MISSOURI. OHIO ST, OKLAHOMA, USC, VIRGINIA TECH, and WEST VIRGINIA.

The next 10 teams were assigned 4 points and projected to be ranked between 11-20: AUBURN, MICHIGAN, OREGON, PENN ST, RUTGERS, SOUTH FLORIDA, TENNESSEE, TEXAS, WAKE FOREST and WISCONSIN.

Teams projected between 21-30 were assigned 3 points: ARIZONA ST, BOISE ST, BYU, CINCINNATI, FLORIDA ATLANTIC, FRESNO ST, ILLINOIS, KANSAS and UTAH.

The final teams in the preseason top 40 were assigned 2 points: CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, FLORIDA ST, LOUISVILLE, MISSISSIPPI ST, NEBRASKA, SOUTH CAROLINA, TEXAS TECH and UCLA. The remaining 80 teams were assigned 1 point.

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RANKING AS OF SEPTEMBER 28 & LAST WEEK’S GAME

Current rank----------Cur.-----Prev.---Prev.-------Last week's ---Opp.---------17 Pt.
Rank-------------------Pts------Rank----Pts----------Opp.----------Rnk----W/L--Mar

1 ALABAMA--------------19----------2-----15----------GEORGIA------12-------W----N
2 TEXAS------------------18----------1-----16----------ARK-------------60-------W----Y
3 OKLAHOMA-----------16.75-----12----10.75-------TCU-------------17-------W----Y
4 VANDERBILT---------14----------3-----14----------OPEN
4 UTAH-------------------14----------3-----14----------WEBER ST---200------W----N
6 LSU----------------------12.75------9-----11.75------MISS ST--------98------W----N
6 PENN ST---------------12.75-----12-----10.75------ILLINOIS------34-------W----N
6 MISSOURI------------12.75-----12-----12.75-------OPEN
6 SO FLORIDA----------12.75-----12-----10.75------NC ST-----------89------W----Y
6 BYU---------------------12.75-----12-----12.75-------OPEN
11 GEORGIA--------------9.75------12------10.75-----ALABAMA------2-------L-----N
11 CONNECTICUT-------9.75-----17------8.75-------L'VILLE-------46-------W----N
13 AUBURN---------------9---------20-----8-----------TENN----------64-------W----N
13 FRESNO ST------------9---------20-----8-----------UCLA----------89-------W----N
15 KENTUCKY------------8.75-----24-----6.75-------W. KENT------88-------W----Y
15 OKLAHOMA ST-------8.75-----24-----6.75-------TROY----------76-------W----Y
15 TULSA-------------------8.75-----20-----8-----------C. ARK------200-------W----Y
15 BOISE ST---------------8.75-----17------8.75-------OPEN
15 BALL ST-----------------8.75-----24-----6.75-------KENT ST----116-------W-----Y
20 WISCONSIN-----------8----------5----13-----------MICH---------77--------L-----N
20 USC----------------------8----------5----13-----------ORG ST-------81--------L-----N
20 OREGON---------------8---------29-----6----------WASH ST----116-------W-----Y
23 MISSISSIPPI-----------7.75-----39-----2.75------FLORIDA-----10-------W----N
23 N'WESTERN-----------7.75-----24-----6.75------IOWA---------46-------W-----N
23 VIRGINIA TECH------7.75-----34-----3.75------NEB------------20-------W----N
26 FLORIDA---------------7---------10----11----------MISS-----------39-------L------N
27 OHIO ST----------------6.75-----34-----3.75------MINN---------29-------W-----N
28 TEXAS TECH----------6.5------28-----6.5--------OPEN
29 WAKE FOREST-------6---------10-----11----------NAVY---------78-------L------N
30 MICH ST----------------5---------33-----4----------IND-----------66-------W-----N
31 KANSAS-----------------4.75-----32------4.75------OPEN
32 FLORIDA ST-----------4.5------43-------1.5-------COLO---------31-------W------Y
33 NEBRASKA-------------4--------20------8----------VA TECH----34--------L-----N
34 TCU-----------------------3.75----34------8.75------OKLA---------12-------L-------Y
34 AIR FORCE--------------3.75----34------3.75------OPEN
36 MARYLAND-------------3--------44------1----------CLEMSON--40-------W-----N
36 ARIZONA----------------3--------38------3----------OPEN
38 MINNESOTA-----------2--------29------6----------OHIO ST----34-------L------N
38 CALIFORNIA-----------2--------51-------0----------COLO ST----74-------W-----Y
40 ILLINOIS----------------1.75----34-------3.75------PENN ST----12--------L-----N
40 BOSTON COLLEGE---1.75----44-------1----------RH IS-------200-------W-----Y
40 GA TECH----------------1.75----42-------1.75-------OPEN
40 DUKE--------------------1.75----54-----(-0.25)------VIRGINIA--86-------W-----Y
40 CINCINNATI-----------1.75----46------0.75--------AKRON-----89-------W----N

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

The Pac 10's average opponent ranking is 58.3 (since few conference games have been played, watch for this average to increase) The SEC's average is 63.4 (this average should drop with more conference play), The SUNBELT's average is 65.8 (since its members PAY FOR PLAY, this average should start to plum-met soon), The MWC's average is 81.8 (it's members have beaten up on Pac-10 teams lately making its average look very bad, unfortunately, conference play shouldn't move the average very much), the Big 12's average IS A HORRIBLE 91.3 (their average will start to drop rapidly with the start of conference games, but come on--48 games played with an OPP AVG OF 91.3????)

UCLA, OREGON STATE, VANDERBILT, NORTH TEXAS and TEXAS have played the hardest schedules so far.

TEXAS TECH, TEXAS A&M, SAN DIEGO STATE, NORTHERN ILLINOIS and CLEMSON have played the easiest schedules.

41 teams still haven't played a 1-AA team including 8 Pac-10 teams. I guess I should be giving credit to the Pac-10, but its opponent ranking is only 4 points better than the SEC's where 7 teams have played 1-AA teams all ranked 200 here. This conference truly schedules horrible competition, and the teams are losing to this competition. The decision for the conference to play all other conference members in a 12-game season looks more like a cop-out than an effort to bolster the teams' strength of schedule.

AVERAGE CONFERENCE MEMBER'S RANKING: SEC--31.25; BIG 12--37.25; BIG 10--41.09; BIG EAST--51.75; ACC--52.08; MWC, PAC 10 AND WAC IN THE 60s, CONF USA AT 70, AND THE REST ARE IN THE 80s OR HIGHER.

Week 4's Power Rankings

Well, I was wrong. It's still moving time on this poll. conference opponents change the competitve landscape, as USC found out last night (this ranking DOES NOT reflect USC's loss to Oregon St). I'm still trying to figure out the spacing issues in pasting the ranking from Excel, but here is an expansion to help show the weekly change of points.


AGAIN, HOW THE RANKING WORKS:
Wins over teams ranked 1-10 earn 5 points, teams ranked 11-20 earn4 points, teams ranked 21-30 earn 3 points, teams ranked 31-40 earn 2 points, teams ranked 41st and higher earn 1 point, and wins over 1-AA teams earn 0.5 points. Additional points are earned if games are earned if the games are won by a controlling margin of 17 points or greater. The number of points vary with the relative ranking of the opponents. A 17 point margin over a 1-AA team earns an additional 0.25 point. Since I believe every major team should beat every 1-AA team by over 17 points every time, a win over a 1-AA team that is within 17 points results in 0.5 points being deducted.

Losses to teams ranked 1-10 lose 1 point, to teams ranked 11-20 lose 2 points, teams ranked 21-30 lose 3 points, teams ranked 31-40 lose 4 points, and teams ranked 41st and worse lose 5 points. Teams that lose to 1-AA teams lose 10 points. Additional points are lost by teams that lose their games by 17 points or more.


SEPTEMBER 21 & LAST WEEK’S GAME

Current rank----------Cur.-----Prev.---Prev.-------Last week's ---Opp.---------17 Pt.

Rank-------------------Pts------Rank----Pts----------Opp.----------Rnk----W/L--Mar

1 TEXAS-------------------16----------1-----14----------RICE---------54-------W-------Y
2 ALABAMA--------------15----------3-----13----------ARK----------45-------W-------Y
3 VANDERBILT---------14----------6-----12----------MISS---------38------W-------N
3 UTAH-------------------14----------7------11----------AIR FOR.---29-------W------N
5 WISCONSIN----------13-----------3-----13----------OPEN
5 USC---------------------13-----------3-----13----------OPEN
7 MISSOURI------------12.75-------8-----10.75-----BUFF.--------102------W-------Y
7 BYU---------------------12.75-------8-----10.75-----WYOMING---84------W-------Y
9 LSU---------------------11.75------19-------7.75-----AUBURN------11------W------N
10 FLORIDA-------------11----------13-------9--------TENN---------45-------W-------Y
10 WAKE FOREST-----11----------13-------9---------FL ST---------40-------W------N
12 GEORGIA------------10.75------16-------8.75-----ARIZ ST------53-------W------Y
12 PENN ST-------------10.75------16----8.75--------TEMPLE-----82-------W------Y
12 OKLAHOMA--------10.75-------8----10.75--------OPEN
12 SO FLORIDA--------10.75------12-----9.75-------FL INT------109-------W------N
16 E CAROLINA---------9-----------1-----14----------NC ST-------110--------L-------N
17 CONNECTICUT------8.75-----19-----7.75-------BAYLOR------70-------W------N
17 TCU---------------------8.75-----22-----6.75-------SMU---------110-------W-------Y
17 BOISE ST--------------8.75-----29-----4.75-------OREGON-----13-------W------N
20 AUBURN--------------8---------11-----10----------LSU------------19-------L-------N
20 NEBRASKA-----------8---------18-----8----------OPEN
20 TULSA-----------------8---------25-----6----------NEW MEX----91-------W------Y
20 FRESNO ST-----------8---------21-----7----------TOLEDO------75-------W------N
24 KENTUCKY-----------6.75-----22-----6.75------OPEN
24 N'WESTERN----------6.75-----26-----5.75------OHIO U------98-------W------N
24 OKLAHOMA ST------6.75-----22-----6.75------OPEN
24 BALL ST----------------6.75-----29-----4.75------INDIANA----42-------W------Y
28 TEXAS TECH----------6.5------26-----5.75------MASS-------200-------W------Y
29 MINNESOTA----------6---------33-----4----------FL ATL-------96-------W------Y
29 OREGON---------------6---------13-----9----------BOISE ST----29-------L-------N
31 COLORADO------------5---------33-----4----------W VIRG------47-------W------N
32 KANSAS----------------4.75-----33-----4----------Sam Hous--200-------W------Y
33 MICH ST---------------4---------50-----1---------- N DAME-----33-------W-------Y
34 OHIO ST---------------3.75------47-----1.75------TROY---------42-------W------Y
34 ILLINOIS--------------3.75------38-----3.75------OPEN
34 VIRGINIA TECH-----3.75------42-----2.75------N CAR--------41-------W------N
34 AIR FORCE------------3.75------29-----4.75-----UTAH----------7-------L-------N
38 ARIZONA--------------3----------50-----1----------UCLA---------68-------W------Y
39 MISSISSIPPI----------2.75------38-----3.75------VANDY--------6-------L-------N
40 CLEMSON-------------2.5-------47-----1.75-------SC ST-------200------W-------Y

Week 3's Power Rankings

Let me stress that this power ranking is not a ranking of which teams I think are the best. This is just a look at how the teams have fared so far.

The teams are starting to become entrenched at the top and at the bottom of the rankings. It's still hard to judge since several teams haven't had their first open dates yet, and there are still a lot more 1-AA teams on the schedule. As a matter of fact, after three possible games, 55 teams (45.8%) of the 1-A teams still haven't played a 1-AA team. What are you waiting for????

Florida State has earned special distinction by having already played 2 1-AA teams--and they had the first week of the season open. Way to go. I wish I was a season-ticket holder.


SEPT 14 RANKINGS

RANK
1 TEXAS------------------------------14
1 EAST CAROLINA------------------14
3 ALABAMA-------------------------13
3 WISCONSIN-----------------------13
3 USC---------------------------------13
6 VANDERBILT----------------------12
7 UTAH-------------------------------11
8 OKLAHOMA-----------------------10.75
8 MISSOURI-------------------------10.75
8 BYU---------------------------------10.75
11 AUBURN---------------------------10
12 SOUTH FLORIDA--------------------9.75
13 FLORIDA-----------------------------9
13 WAKE FOREST----------------------9
13 OREGON----------------------------9
16 GEORGIA----------------------------8.75
16 PENN ST-----------------------------8.75
18 NEBRASKA--------------------------8
19 LSU-----------------------------------7.75
19 CONNECTICUT----------------------7.75
21 FRESNO ST--------------------------7
22 KENTUCKY---------------------------6.75
22 OKLAHOMA ST----------------------6.75
22 TCU-----------------------------------6.75
25 TULSA--------------------------------6
26 IOWA---------------------------------5.75
26 NORTHWESTERN--------------------5.75
26 TEXAS TECH--------------------------5.75
29 KANSAS ST---------------------------4.75
29 AIR FORCE----------------------------4.75
29 BOISE ST------------------------------4.75
29 BALL ST-------------------------------4.75
33 MINNESOTA-------------------------4
33 KANSAS------------------------------4
33 COLORADO--------------------------4
33 SOUTHERN MISS--------------------4
33 NOTRE DAME------------------------4
38 MISSISSIPPI--------------------------3.75
38 ILLINOIS------------------------------3.75
40 FLORIDA ST--------------------------3.5

I'm glad we're starting to really get into conference play because I am ready to see some of these pretenders (Florida St) get off my top 40.

Power Rankings after Week 2

It's still way too early to fairly judge any team, but we can at least see what beating two 1-A teams does. We can also see who is playing tougher schedules. So far, UCLA, Rutgers, Tulane, East Carolina and Fresno State have played the toughest schedules.

So far, three conferences stand way above the rest regarding average team ranking. The SEC's ranking is 30.92, the Big 12 is 31.83, and the Big 10 is 37.18. The Pac 10's average ranking is 54.1, and no other conference is below 61.

On the flip side, the Pac 10's avg opponent ranking is 52.62, the SEC's is 74.49, The Big 12 is 85.9, and all of the rest are too awful to mention.

The standings are:


SEPT 8 RANKINGS
RANK
1 TEXAS-------------------------14
2 EAST CAROLINA-------------------------13
3 ALABAMA-------------------------11
4 AUBURN-------------------------9
4 FLORIDA-------------------------9
4 FRESNO ST-------------------------9
4 UTAH-------------------------9
4 WAKE FOREST-------------------------9
9 MISSOURI-------------------------8.75
9 OKLAHOMA-------------------------8.75
11 OREGON-------------------------8
11 WISCONSIN-------------------------8
13 GEORGIA-------------------------7.75
14 KANSAS-------------------------7
14 USC-------------------------7
14 VANDERBILT-------------------------7
17 OHIO ST-------------------------6.75
17 PENN ST-------------------------6.75
19 ARIZONA-------------------------6
19 NEBRASKA-------------------------6
19 OKLAHOMA ST-------------------------6
19 TULSA-------------------------6
19 UCLA-------------------------6
24 ARIZONA ST-------------------------5.75
24 CONNECTICUT-------------------------5.75
24 KENTUCKY-------------------------5.75
24 LSU-------------------------5.75
24 SOUTH FLORIDA-------------------------5.75
29 CALIFORNIA-------------------------5
29 NORTHWESTERN-------------------------5
29 RICE-------------------------5
32 BYU-------------------------4.75
32 GA TECH-------------------------4.75
32 KANSAS ST-------------------------4.75
32 TCU-------------------------4.75
36 COLORADO-------------------------4.5
37 MINNESOTA-------------------------4
38 AIR FORCE-------------------------3.75
38 BOISE ST-------------------------3.75
38 IOWA-------------------------3.75
38 IOWA ST-------------------------3.75
38 TEXAS TECH-------------------------3.75

Power Rankings after the first week

Man, some of the teams in my preseason rankings looked awful--Tennessee, Clemson, Michigan. And there were some pleasant surprises like UCLA and ECU.


SEPT 1 RANKINGS

RANK
1 ALABAMA--------------------10
2 FRESNO ST---------------------9
2 TEXAS---------------------9
4 MISSOURI--------------------8
5 FLORIDA--------------------7
5 USC--------------------7
5 UTAH--------------------7
8 AUBURN--------------------6
8 EAST CAROLINA--------------------6
8 OREGON--------------------6
8 UCLA--------------------6
8 WAKE FOREST--------------------6
8 WISCONSIN--------------------6
14 GEORGIA--------------------5.75
14 LSU--------------------5.75
14 OHIO ST--------------------5.75
14 OKLAHOMA--------------------5.75
14 WEST VIRGINIA--------------------5.75
19 KANSAS--------------------5
19 KENTUCKY--------------------5
21 PENN ST--------------------4.75
21 SOUTH FLORIDA--------------------4.75
23 ARIZONA--------------------4
23 BOSTON COLLEGE--------------------4
23 COLORADO--------------------4
23 KANSAS ST--------------------4
23 MISSISSIPPI--------------------4
23 NEBRASKA--------------------4
23 NORTHWESTERN--------------------4
23 OKLAHOMA ST--------------------4
23 RICE--------------------4
23 SOUTH CAROLINA--------------------4
23 SOUTHERN MISS--------------------4
23 TCU--------------------4
23 TEMPLE--------------------4
23 TULSA--------------------4
23 UTEP--------------------4
23 VANDERBILT--------------------4
39 ARIZONA ST--------------------3.75
39 BOISE ST--------------------3.75
39 BYU--------------------3.75
39 CINCINNATI--------------------3.75

With so many teams playing sub-par competition, you can't accurately judge anything about any team yet.

Who's Got the Power?

It's been a while, but I've been working on something. A way of ranking which teams have played the best against the best. A Power Ranking.

I've already changed this several times which is why I'm just now writing about it, but there are three major factors. The first is the pre-season ranking. The top ten teams were given 5 points, and all tied at 1st. The next 10 had 4 points and were tied at 11th. 3 points and 21st. 2 points and 31st. The final 80 teams had 1 point and were tied at 41st.

The next portion is points awarded and subtracted for wins and losses. The amounts awarded and subtracted vary with the teams weekly comparative ranking, including whether or not a team is 1-AA. Teams lose more points from losses than they'll gain from wins. This doesn't matter because the teams with most wins over ranked teams and/or with the most lopsided victories will rise towards the top of the ranking.

The final portion is winning or losing margin. Additional points are added or subtracted if there is a winning margin of 17 or more points. I picked 17 because it represents a margin greater than two touchdowns which should represent control over the opponent.

One aspect of this ranking is that playing 1-AA teams is not rewarded. Teams will not receive more than 0.5 points for the win. I expect teams to beat 1-AA teams by over 17 points, but I will only reward those teams 0.25 points for doing so. I did this because I do not want to value a win over a 1-AA team over a win over a 1-A team. If a team does not win by 17 or more points over a 1-AA team, the 1-A team gets 0.5 points deducted. If a 1-A team loses to a 1-AA team, they have 10 points deducted.

The last point is open dates. No points are added or deducted for open dates. Teams that have early open dates have slipped in the rankings, but this should even out through out the season.

The top 40:


PRESEASON RANKINGS

RANK POINTS


1 CLEMSON----------------------------5
1 FLORIDA-----------------------------5
1 GEORGIA----------------------------5
1 LSU-----------------------------------5
1 MISSOURI---------------------------5
1 OHIO ST--------------------------5
1 OKLAHOMA--------------------------5
1 USC--------------------------5
1 VIRGINIA TECH--------------------------5
1 WEST VIRGINIA--------------------------5
11 AUBURN--------------------------4
11 MICHIGAN--------------------------4
11 OREGON--------------------------4
11 PENN ST--------------------------4
11 RUTGERS--------------------------4
11 SOUTH FLORIDA--------------------------4
11 TENNESSEE--------------------------4
11 TEXAS--------------------------4
11 WAKE FOREST--------------------------4
11 WISCONSIN--------------------------4
21 ALABAMA--------------------------3
21 ARIZONA ST--------------------------3
21 BOISE ST--------------------------3
21 BYU--------------------------3
21 CINCINNATI--------------------------3
21 FLORIDA ATLANTIC--------------------------3
21 FRESNO ST--------------------------3
21 ILLINOIS--------------------------3
21 KANSAS--------------------------3
21 UTAH--------------------------3
31 CALIFORNIA--------------------------2
31 COLORADO--------------------------2
31 CONNECTICUT--------------------------2
31 FLORIDA ST--------------------------2
31 LOUISVILLE--------------------------2
31 MISSISSIPPI ST--------------------------2
31 NEBRASKA--------------------------2
31 SOUTH CAROLINA--------------------------2
31 TEXAS TECH--------------------------2
31 UCLA--------------------------2

Why I think the Georgia Tech--Jacksonville State game could be interesting

About 15 years ago, I watched a Division 1-AA playoff game between NLU and Alcorn State. NLU won the game something like 80-28. Alcorn's QB was Steve McNair. I had heard of McNair and was aware of the Heisman hype around him, but I wasn't ready for what I saw. He was SO much better than everybody else on the field that if it had been a 5-lap race he would have lapped the rest of the field. I truly believe that if Alcorn would've had one additional player of McNair's size and talent to catch the ball and another to play linebacker, they would have won the game.

I am not going to say that Ryan Perriloux, Jacksonville's QB, is that good or that Jacksonville's talent is that close to Tech's, but it could be fun to watch for a while.

So, who's the next big winner in the SEC--Florida? Part 2

Can Florida pull it together this season to win the SEC and the big prize? Offensively, if key players stay healthy, I'd give them a strong maybe. I'm not going to automatically give this to them because I think that if teams really try to get a helmet on Tebow they can significantly limit what Meyer will call offensively. Kind of like what we saw in the first half against Georgia last season when Tebow was hurting from the beating he took from Kentucky the week before. Coordinators have a season's worth of film to try to learn how to break down their offense, and I think at least a few of them will find something to exploit. We'll also have to see if any of their running backs will step up to take some of the pressure off of Tebow. Chris Rainey has gotten a lot of love from the media since the spring, but he's tiny. Percy Harvin needs to stay healthy. Is Moody the answer? He didn't have a great spring, and having transferred from USC, we'll have to see if he's willing to work for playing time.

Defensively, your guess is as good as mine. Last year, their overall defense was pretty bad. They were very young. They have changed defensive coordinators. I don't know if the terminology and timing has changed. If so, it may take a few games for the squad to get it going. Young teams can mature together, but that's no guarantee that the play will significantly get better.

On the field talent-wise, Florida is in a great position. They are in a talent-rich state, and with Florida State struggling there should be no reason why Meyer can't continue to have the recruiting success he's had the last few years.

Sidelines talent-wise, Meyer's success is starting to catch up with him. He has begun to lose coordinators and assistants to other programs. This is where we'll see if he really has recruiting talent.

Their schedule should play in their favor this season, especially getting LSU in Gainesville. The game in Jacksonville could be extra special this year.

Luck. Florida has already had its share of bad luck this season having lost its starting tight end and at least four other players to ACL tears. The only positive about losing these players is that they were lost early.

They can win it all, if the coaches can coach up the running backs and defense, diversify the offense, and if the team is undefeated after its Nov 1 game against GA.

So, who's the next big winner in the SEC--Georgia? Part 1.

Winning the SEC championship, and possibly the national championship, depends on several factors. These include: talent on the field, talent on the sideline, the right schedule, and some luck. In my awesome opinion, the true contenders each year should include LSU, Auburn, Florida, Tennessee and Georgia. Alabama could be there soon.


Georgia
On paper, they have the talent on the field. They really might have the talent, but we'll have to see whether there's chemistry between Stafford and the wide receivers this year. That lack of chemistry has hurt the offense the last couple of years.

I still don't know whether there is enough talent on the sidelines or not. The staff clearly did a better job the second half of last season than the first, but we'll have to see how they handle an entire season with expectations so high.

Georgia's schedule this season is not conducive to big winning. Georgia could be exactly like LSU was two seasons ago when they finished the season with two losses and was possibly the toughest team to beat at the end of the season. Unlike last year, LSU's two losses kept them from playing for the SEC and national championships.

We'll have to see how their luck goes. They've had some bad luck the last few years regarding injuries to their offensive linemen, and that has already started again this season. Last season, their season turned around with that win over Florida. They were also VERY lucky to catch Florida the week after Kentucky nearly knocked Tebow out of the game. Tebow and the coaches were very cautious against Georgia, so cautious that Tebow didn't have any carries until the end of the first half. T is a great passer (his passing is overshadowed by his running), but Florida's offense didn't move unless he was a legitimate threat to carry the ball.

Georgia can win a championship, and possibly win one soon. They may need their schedule to ease up some, like it will next season.

College football thoughts--mid August

The question of the day is whether or not Georgia can win the national championship. Sure they can. Maybe. If luck is on their side.

Luck? There's always some luck involved whether it's a tipped pass or missed field goal or bad call. Every team seems to win one game that was slipping away.

Georgia has already some good and bad luck. The losing of their left guard Sturdivant was pretty unlucky, but it was lucky for them that they lost the player in August instead of during a game where it could have cost them a win. Georgia has also been lucky that Kentucky and LSU have had to dismiss potentially starting QBs, and that at least five Florida players have had ACL tears.

Georgia will be pretty lucky if it avoids any other major-player injuries through out the season.

Their schedule is very tough, but it is possible for them to have one loss and win the championship--especially if that loss is not to Florida or Tennessee.

We'll see.

A Few Views on the Olympics

I may have been idealistic as a youngster, but that doesn't mean that I was wrong. I remember happily believing that the United States sent amateurs to the Olympics to take on pros from the Eastern Bloc. I didn't realize that some of our track athletes were professionals.

Though the collection of talent on the first Dream Team was amazing, I still wanted us to send college players. I was (and am still) fine with the fact that some country's professionals could beat our amateurs some of the time. That's part of playing the games. Fielding our amateurs against foreign professionals was just another reason to believe we were the GOOD versus the EVIL.

I'm also a little tired of the posing of the high profile athletes. There is no one that played or plays basketball that can touch Michael Jordan on the court, but was it really necessary for he and some of his teammates to cover the Reebok logo on their sneakers because of their Nike connections? Michael Johnson's golden shoed-performances in the sprints in 1996 were incredible, but they weren't nearly as remarkable to me as Keri Strug nailed that final vault WITH A BROKEN ANKLE. Remarkable. In a day when players skip games with twinges and blisters, she competed at the highest level WITH A BROKEN ANKLE.

SO SAYETH THE HIGHER POWER OF SPORTS

Why is Atlanta freaking out about Josh Childress?

So the Hawks lost this kid to that Greek team. I don't blame Childress for two reasons:

1. The money. $2-3 million more per year. Anybody that doesn't think this is a big factor isn't thinking straight. In addition, all of his living are covered by the team, and he has annual opt-out clauses with no buy-outs.

2. For the first time as a pro, he'll be a starter. Who would rather ride the pine than hit the hardwood? Nobody. You play to play.

The Spirit group could have handled this better, but, really, what's the big deal? Atlanta media types are talking about Childress being a "special" player; one tha will be hard to replace. I disagree. Childress has been over-rated and over-paid from the outset. He's a 6th man on a sub .500 team. Unlike great 6th men, he's not good enough to start for the lower 3rd of the league. No other teams were seeking his services. Maybe the Hawks can use his big salary for a more complementary player.
SO SAYETH THE HIGHER SPORTS BEING
SO IT SHALL BE!

Has Tuberville Learned From The Past?

Will he maintain control of his staff and his players this year on the field? His staff and players better not let anyone commit any blatant chop blocks like what was pulled on Dorsey last year. If any chop blocks are given, the team may see some of their own defensive linemen receive a few themselves. If two or three of their starters get hurt, their backups will not control any SEC offenses. Then the pressure will shift back to the same offending offensive linemen to protect their new quarterbacks and enable them to score with their opposition.

I'm not writing this to encourage other team members to deliver chop blocks against Auburn; only so the Auburn offensive coaches and linemen realize some consequences of their actions.

SO SAYETH THE SPORTS HIGHER BEING
SO SAYETH IT SHALL BE!