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