College Football
NY6 Predictions
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Break out the pork chops, black-eyed peas, fried okra, and cornbread which is the traditional New Year’s Day meal in the Branch Family.
The meal will be ready to eat at 12PM on Monday, which is also the best football day of every year.
You also have the College Football Playoff that starts at 5PM that day in Pasadena, California with Georgia and Oklahoma and ending with Alabama and Clemson immediately after in New Orleans.
Under the playoff format you have the two playoff games that rotate between the Sugar, Rose, Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, and Peach Bowls annually; these are now called the New Years 6 Bowls.
Here are my predictions for the NY6 Bowls.
Cotton Bowl: #5 Ohio State vs. #8 USC
In this matchup you have two conference champions in OSU and USC that got snubbed by the playoff committee in favor of a one loss non-conference champion in Alabama.
Both teams will come to Dallas with a chip on it’s shoulder. I personally thought OSU would get in the playoff over Alabama if the committee was going to put a two loss Auburn team in the playoff. Which would have happened if the Tigers would have beat UGA in the SEC title game.
I think OSU has something to prove in this game and the Buckeyes handle USC pretty easy, 34-20 and Urban Meyer proposes a new playoff system in his postgame presser.
Fiesta Bowl: #9 Penn State vs. #11 Washington
Penn State might be the best team in the Big 10 after blowing the 15 point 4th quarter lead in Columbus against OSU and then sleepwalking into a loss to Michigan State the following week.
I think Penn State will be too physical for the Huskies and they will handle Washington 38-27. James Franklin is about to kick it into high gear in State College, PA.
Orange Bowl: #6 Wisconsin vs. #10 Miami
Former Glynn Academy standout Dee Jay Dallas is named Orange Bowl MVP after he scores 2 TD’s and has 140 yards rushing against the Badgers who will not beat Miami in Miami at the Orange Bowl. Too many athletes and Mark Richt owns Big 10 teams during his coaching career.
Peach Bowl: #7 Auburn vs. #12 UCF
Which Auburn team shows up? The one who beat UGA and Alabama in November or the one who blew a 20 point lead at LSU in October? Is Kerryon healthy? Does Auburn even want to be in Atlanta for the Peach Bowl?
I can guarantee you that UCF is thrilled to be there. If Auburn is motivated to play this game they win.
I think Auburn’s defense will be ready to play and the Tigers find a way to win 27-21. If Auburn comes out flat then look out for the upset, which I would be thrilled to see.
Rose Bowl: #2 Oklahoma vs. #3 Georgia
Oklahoma has the Heisman winner in Baker Mayfield at QB. UGA has the best defensive player in the country in Roquan Smith. What gives here?
For UGA to win they must control the clock and line of scrimmage with the running game and that will keep Mayfield on the sidelines.
The Sooners will score points but I think UGA gets enough stops and wins 38-34 and Nick Chubb is named Rose Bowl MVP with 175 yards and 3 TD’s, and will eventually have his #27 retired in Athens.
Sugar Bowl: #1 Clemson vs. #4 Alabama
Nick Saban lobbied to get the Tide in this year’s playoff and it is going to pay off.
Clemson’s DL is better than a couple of NFL teams and points in this game will be at a premium; so this one will come down to another heart stopping drive in the final minute with Jalen Hurts leading his team to victory 20-17 and being named Sugar Bowl MVP.
Georgia vs. Alabama in Atlanta for the NC on January 8th. Oh, my goodness what will the ticket prices be?
Rose Bowl Preview
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Georgia and Oklahoma have been matched in the Rose Bowl, one of the two national semifinals in the College Football Playoff. The winner goes to the National Championship Game.
It matches two relatively new coaches: Kirby Smart is in his second year at Georgia and Lincoln Riley is in his first year coaching Oklahoma.
It also matches two teams that got marquee nonconference road wins the second week of the season: Georgia at Notre Dame (20-19) and Oklahoma at Ohio State (31-16).
But on paper it’s pure offense vs. defense: Oklahoma has the nation’s most prolific offense with Baker Mayfield, who is the Heisman Trophy winner while Georgia has a great defense led by linebacker Roquan Smith.
One of the best big play offenses vs one of the best defenses at preventing big plays
Stats vs Power 5 Opponents (out of 65 Power 5/Notre Dame teams)
Oklahoma Offense vs P5 Teams
Plays of 10+ Yards Per Game : #3 (19.6)
Plays of 20+ Yards Per Game : #1 (8.2)
Plays of 30+ Yards Per Game : #1 (4.4)
Plays of 40+ Yards Per Game : #2 (2.6)
Plays of 50+ Yards Per Game : #2 (1.6)
Georgia Defense vs P5 Teams
Plays of 10+ Yards Per Game : #2 (8.4)
Plays of 20+ Yards Per Game : #3 (3.0)
Plays of 30+ Yards Per Game : #5 (1.3)
Plays of 40+ Yards Per Game : #11 (0.6)
Plays of 50+ Yards Per Game : #12 (0.3)
Oklahoma Defense vs P5 Teams
Plays of 10+ Yards Per Game : #31 (13.8)
Plays of 20+ Yards Per Game : #35 (4.8)
Plays of 30+ Yards Per Game : #57 (3.1)
Plays of 40+ Yards Per Game : #57 (1.6)
Plays of 50+ Yards Per Game : #58 (1.0)
Georgia Offense vs P5 Teams
Plays of 10+ Yards Per Game : #21 (14.6)
Plays of 20+ Yards Per Game : #10 (6.0)
Plays of 30+ Yards Per Game : #14 (2.8)
Plays of 40+ Yards Per Game : #25 (1.2)
Plays of 50+ Yards Per Game : #14 (0.9)
So, basically, OU is good at scoring and UGA is good at stopping teams from scoring.
UGA is good at scoring and OU is not good at stopping teams from scoring.
What does all of this mean? Absolutely nothing. Both teams earned their way to the playoff. I think both teams are equally talented and it will probably come down to who has the ball last.
Hard to believe Georgia and Oklahoma have never met in football isn’t it?
On defense, linebacker Roquan Smith leads the Bulldogs with 113 tackles and 5.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
Lincoln Riley was just 33 years old when he took over for Bob Stoops in June. He’s now 34 and has taken the Sooners to the College Football playoff in his first season. Outside a loss at home to an improved Iowa State team on Oct. 7, the Sooners have outscored teams 553-287.
On defense, OLB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo leads the Sooners with 8.0 sacks and 17 tackles for loss, adding three forced fumbles.
Prediction: Mayfield is a stud and looks unstoppable at times. Georgia’s best defense may be controlling the ball and the clock on offense.
The Bulldogs have the personnel to do so, as Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and D’Andre Swift have combined for well over 2,500 rushing yards this season.
The biggest issue for Georgia is avoiding falling behind because it will be difficult to be successful in a shootout pitting freshman quarterback Jake Fromm against Mayfield.
This Georgia team looks like a team of destiny and they seem to rise to the occasion whenever they need to. UGA gives up some points and yards, but in the end, they find a way to win.
UGA 38. OU 34.
Dawgs play in the NC game on January 8th.
Sugar Bowl Preview
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The ‘good’ bowl games have always happened on that day and with the College Football Playoff, it’s no different.
Number 1 Clemson takes on Number 4 Alabama in the prestigious Sugar Bowl. This is a rematch of the last two national championship games.
I’m on record as saying Clemson is the best team back in October. I still feel the Tigers are the most talented team in all of college football. I think they have the toughest matchup because Alabama is the second best team.
The Crimson Tide only have one loss on their resume, which happened in the final game of the season. Because of this, they fell out of the top four before the conference championship games. After the conference championships they moved back into the top four.
Clemson is the most complete team because their strong on both sides of the ball. They rank sixth nationally in total defense, giving up an average of 277.9 yards per game. They lead the nation in sacks with 44. They can also take the ball away because they have 14 interceptions and recovered 5 fumbles.
The Tigers rank 30th in total offense, averaging 448 ypg. My biggest surprise is that they were able to successfully replace Deshaun Watson.
Kelly Bryant is a better dual threat quarterback because he’s faster than Watson. Bryant has thrown for 2,678 yards and 13 touchdowns while completing 67% of his passes. He also ran for 646 yards and 11 TD’s.
They also have two backs (Travis Etienne & Tavien Feaster) that have rushed for over 650 yards each. They have three receivers with over 500 receiving yards apiece.
On paper Alabama is very impressive. They rank second nationally in total defense and 19th in total offense. There are a couple of noticeable differences from years past though.
They typically feature an elite running back like Heisman Trophy winners Mark Ingram and Derrick Henry or even Trent Richardson. A strong running game and stifling defense is the formula the Crimson Tide have utilized since Nick Saban took over as head coach.
Sophomore Jalen Hurts is a great athlete playing quarterback. He’s only thrown for 1,940 yards with a 61% completion rate. He does have 15 TD’s to 1 interception. He’s the second leading rusher on the team with 768 yards and 8 rushing touchdowns. Damien Harris is the leading rusher with just 906 yards. That takes me back to Bama lacking a dominant running back.
The passing game also lacks the great playmakers we’ve become accustomed to like Julio Jones, Amari Cooper or O.J. Howard. Calvin Ridley is pretty good but he’s their only threat as a pass catcher.
He has 55 catches for 896 yards and 3 TD’s. The second leading receiver (Jerry Jeudy) has 13 receptions, 244 yards and only one less touchdown than Ridley.
The defense has been dealing with injuries, primarily outside linebackers Christian Miller and Terrell Lewis. Without them they have given up a lot of big plays. On the positive side they might be healthy by the time this game is played.
Clemson has the advantage because they have a dominant defense and Alabama only has a couple of weapons to stop. The winner of this game will win the championship so enjoy the game.
Familiar Swamp For Mullen
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
With everything that has transpired in Knoxville over the past few weeks, I imagine the inner sanctum of the Athletic Department is reminiscent of something you would see on The Real Housewives of Atlanta.
While Tennessee’s search for a football head coach has made the Cleveland Browns seem like a stable organization, all the attention being paid the Volunteers has overshadowed the possible game changing hire happening in Gainesville, Fla.
I wrote a few weeks ago that Georgia is set up nicely to dominate the SEC East for the next 2-3 years, possibly even longer, depending on who the Gators brought in the lead their football team.
I know there was a lot of chatter about Florida hiring Chip Kelly or Scott Frost, but bringing in either of those two would’ve been a much more riskier move than bringing back former Offensive Coordinator, Dan Mullen.
Don’t get me wrong, Kelly was fantastic at Oregon, but part of me wonders how well his philosophy would work in the SEC. And Frost has exceeded expectations at UCF, but he has no Power 5 experience.
The one thing Florida needs right now is some stability within their program, and they should get that and more with Mullen.
It’s easy to talk about it being a good hire because of Mullen’s familiarity with the Gator program, as well as his success with Mississippi State, which are both valid points and large reasons why he’s a great fit for the Florida program. I want to focus on the whole “stability” aspect of the hire, though.
It’s been well documented Florida’s struggles since Steve Spurrier left- and yes even though he was extremely successful during his tenure, I’m including Urban Meyer since he left after only six seasons.
Including interim coaches, Dan Mullen will be the 8th Florida Gator head football coach since Spurrier left the school in 2001. Just as a frame of reference, Vanderbilt has only had four different coaches during that same period.
As important as is it to get the Florida program back into the National Title conversation on a regular basis, it’s equally important for the program to have a coach that will be there for a while.
That’s not to say Mullen won’t ever leave, but he had plenty of opportunities to leave Starkville, which one can assume is what most people not from Starkville would be more than eager to do. Yet, it took the Florida head coaching job to pry him away.
Besides getting a coach that knows the program, has experience within the SEC, is aware of the fansbase and their expectations and just a good coach; Florida has someone that probably won’t be looking to leave anytime soon.
Mullen may not have been the flashy hire, like Kelly and Frost would’ve been, but he was the right hire.
Look, I’m not saying the Florida will be vying for the SEC East title along with Georgia next year, but there is enough young talent there it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Mullen has them back in contention within the next year or two.
Then again, I’m also the guy who applauded Florida profusely on the McElwain hire, so what the hell do I know.
Hopefully, I’m at least right on this hire. If not, I guess I can always go back to watching The Real Housewives. Or the Tennessee Athletic Department? I can never tell those two apart.
Making The Grade In The SEC
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The regular season is over in the SEC for the 2017 football season. Nine SEC teams are going to bowl games, and two are going into the college football playoff.
Overall Conference grade: C
Ole Miss tried to cheat their way to a title and big 6 members Florida and Tennessee are dumpster fires is ultimately what kept this grade from being higher.
For the first time in the new playoff format two teams from same conference, Alabama and Georgia made the final four while the Big 10 and PAC 12 champions got passed over.
Individual Team Grades:
Alabama: B+. The loss at Auburn kept the Tide out of the SEC title game but sitting at 11-1 Alabama will play Clemson in the Sugar Bowl in a national semifinal game.
The LB corps have been decimated by injuries, and Jalen Hurts needs to throw the ball better. Nick Saban is still the best coach in football.
Arkansas: D-. Bret got fired and the Hogs looked awful for most of the season. No bowl and a 1-7 record in the conference and 4-8 overall. Enter Chad Morris to fix this mess.
Auburn: B+. The Tigers beat two number one teams Georgia and Alabama at home in November, but blew a 20-point lead at LSU who lost to Troy.
Kerryon Johnson was the SEC Offensive player of the year and the defense played well all season. The blowout loss to UGA in the SEC Title game kept this from being an A grade.
Florida: F. Worst Florida team I have seen since the late 70’s. The offense was offensive with no QB play and this team mailed it in after the LSU game. Dan Mullen has been hired to fix this huge mess. Mullen has to change the culture in Gainesville.
Georgia: A. 2017 SEC Champions. Roquan Smith is SEC Defensive Player of the year, Kirby is SEC Coach of the year, and Jake Fromm is SEC Freshman of the year. In year two Kirby has won a title and gotten a Rose Bowl against Oklahoma in National Semifinal on NYD. Could be a really special year in Athens.
Kentucky: B. A seven win football season in Lexington does not come often. The Music City Bowl game against Northwestern upcoming. Nice season for the Cats.
LSU: B-. A loss to Troy and getting blown out in Starkville won’t cut it in Red Stick but the season turned with the Auburn win and the Tigers outplayed Alabama everywhere but the scoreboard in Tuscaloosa.
A win over Notre Dame in Citrus Bowl would get the Tigers to 10 wins and set them up for an SEC title run in 2018.
Mississippi State: B: Nice season in Starkville. The loss to Ole Miss was a fluke with the Nick Fitzgerald injury 5 minutes into the ball game.
Missouri: B. Most improved team in the SEC in the last half of the season and a Bowl game against Texas. Drew Lock throws the best deep ball in the league.
Ole Miss: F. Matt Luke will clean up that stinking cheating culture in Oxford.
South Carolina: B+. I like where Coach Muschamp is taking this program. The Gamecocks will beat Michigan in the Outback Bowl to get to 9 wins.
Tennessee: F-. 0-8 in the SEC and it has taken almost a month to find a coach. This program has hit rock bottom. May take 3-4 years to recover from this train wreck. Phil Fulmer is on the job as AD now and that is good unless Steve Spurrier takes an AD job in the conference. Spurrier owns Fulmer.
Texas A&M: C. Kevin Sumlin got fired with a 51-26 record in College Station. Enter Jimbo Fisher at a price tag of $75 million.
Vanderbilt: C. About what I expect from Vandy. Derek Mason is a very good coach who deserves a better opportunity to win at a bigger program.
What if we have a Bama/UGA national title game? The national media will want to blow up this current playoff format.
I Don’t Look Good In Orange
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Last week Tennessee completely botched hiring a new football coach. As you recall they announced they were hiring Greg Schiano. He’s currently Ohio State’s defensive coordinator.
He’s best known for being the head coach at Rutgers and Tampa Bay. There was massive backlash from the fan base. From comments on social media to protests on campus, Vol fans expressed that they were not happy with that move.
This led Athletic Director John Currie to be fired by the University of Tennessee. He just started his AD position April 1, 2017. Currie also courted Oklahoma State’s Mike Leach, NC State’s Dave Doeren, Duke’s David Cutcliffe and Purdue’s Jeff Brohm. They also were interested in Dan Mullen but he accepted the job at Florida.
Now they had to hit the reset button. They hired their legendary former coach Phillip Fulmer as the new AD. That was a great move. Fulmer coached at UT from 1992 – 2008, compiling a 152-52 record. He also won the inaugural BCS National Championship in 1998. It’s interesting to see how things come full circle because Fulmer was forced out of Knoxville in 2008. Since then the program has not had any stability.
Things are so bad that fans actually want Lane Kiffin back. Kiffin was hired to replace Fulmer and he went 7-6 in 2009, his lone season in Knoxville. He bolted for USC in January 2010, which obviously upset many students and fans. He’s currently trolling Tennessee about the vacant coaching position.
I’ve had to wonder with everything going on, is this considered a good job to have? The Vols are coming off a 4-8 season and they went winless (0-8) in conference play. Honestly, in the right circumstances this can be a top 25 job if the fans can have realistic expectations. That’s a stretch with any SEC fan base outside of Vanderbilt and Kentucky though.
I have a few reasons that this can be a good position. The first thing is the recruiting base. Just proximity to Georgia, Florida, Alabama and the Carolinas mean they can attract talented recruits.
Also, the SEC East is pretty weak so a quick turnaround is very possible. Other than Georgia, the rest of the division is struggling. I expect Florida to get better but they also have a new head coach so it will take a couple of years for them to get better.
Unfortunately, the opponent from the SEC West that they play each year is Alabama. They haven’t beaten the Crimson Tide since 2006.
Next year they also play Auburn. If the Tigers are as good or better in 2018 that will more than likely be a blowout loss.
I do think they should realistically win seven games next season. The wins should come against ETSU, UTEP, South Carolina, Charlotte, Vanderbilt, Mizzou and Kentucky. The two games that can go either way are West Virginia and Florida.
There are a few names that are being considered for the job. Former LSU coach Les Miles might be a good candidate. He has experience coaching in the conference and recruiting in the South.
In his twelve seasons in Baton Rouge he went 114-34, winning two SEC Championships and a BCS National Championship in 2007.
Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables and SMU head coach Chad Morris are also in the mix.
I think they all have obvious strengths and weaknesses but I don’t see them as bad candidates. At this point Tennessee needs to hire a coach so they can try to salvage their recruiting class.
The Perfect Playoff System
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Let me start by saying that I have absolutely no issue with Alabama receiving the fourth and final spot in the College Football Playoffs.
It’s not so much because I think the Tide deserve to be in the playoffs, but rather because of this lesson I learned at the age of 14; if you don’t want to be left out of something then don’t give them a reason to leave you out.
In this instance, both Alabama and Ohio State gave the committee reasons not to be chosen as that fourth team. Because of that I would’ve been fine with either of those teams making in.
The issue I have isn’t with who made the playoffs, it’s with the system itself. And no, I’m not listening to the Danny Kanell “Everybody is sucking at the SEC teet” greatest hits that he brings out this time of year.
Most everyone was pleased to get rid of the BCS because it didn’t allow for any subjectivity, so now we have a process that is almost completely subjective.
The guidelines with which the committee follows are reminiscent of a Jackson Pollack painting, they just throw whatever criteria they decide to use that particular season and voilà, by the end of the year they have four teams and a playoff.
One of the things I hate the most is that only the Power 5 conferences truly have a shot at making the playoffs. I have no idea how Central Florida would contend with Clemson in a opening round game, but I’m sure nobody gave the Coastal Carolina baseball team a second thought last year, until they won the College World Series.
And please don’t tell me teams like UCF need to schedule better out of conference games either. Did you not hear the all knowing and powerful Nick Saban talk about P5 schools only playing other P5 schools? No legit playoff contender wants to schedule someone like the Knights; if you win you were supposed to; if you lose it could all but end your playoff hopes.
There’s just something wrong with a competition that basically excludes half of participants before it even begins.
They also need to figure out something with conference championships, too. As I mentioned, under the current rules I have no issue with Alabama being in the playoffs.
However, those rules are stupid if a team that didn’t even participate in their conference title game, makes it the final four.
Notice I’m not talking about a team that loses in their conference title game, but rather a team that doesn’t even get there. The fact it’s happened two years in a row makes me trust this process about as much as I’d trust a male politician at a high school prom.
The solution is simple, if you don’t make it to the conference title game you don’t make it to the college football playoffs. I know that can be harsh when you’re looking at a team like Alabama this year, who’s only lost happens to be within the conference, but timing is everything.
You think Georgia’s in the playoffs if they win that first meeting with Auburn, but lose by 23 in the rematch? Possibly, but I doubt it.
Of course, I’ll end up watching all three of the games, which is exactly what the NCAA is counting on. So, they win yet again and it’s likely nothing will change.
Sorry UCF, I really did try my best.
Chief-less Noles
By: Alex Mathis
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It looks like the Jimbo Fisher and Florida State relationship has come to an end.
Jimbo Fisher took over for the legend Bobby Bowden in 2010. Jimbo has been pretty successful while being the head man in charge. His record was 83-23 with a national championship to his name.
He has turned a program that was somewhat struggling into a program that is in the top 25 every year and a program that has a top 10 recruiting class yearly.
So, what happened? There are a lot of rumors going around Tallahassee the last few days. Those rumors range from problems with administration, booster members, and also assistant changes.
Whatever the reason is, Jimbo Fisher will be in College Station next year coaching the Texas A&M Aggies.
This breakup has not been a pretty one. Coaches, players, and recruits have been out of the loop.
Florida State will always be Florida State. A program that is expected to compete for an ACC Championship. A program that is expected to compete for a National Title every year as well. The next head coach will have to come in and expect to achieve these same goals.
At this time there have been a few names that have been thrown around for potential replacements for Jimbo Fisher.
The name that you will hear in every conversation is Oregon’s Willie Taggert. Coach Taggert has proven that he can turn programs around and recruit at the highest level.
He was able to turn around a struggling Western Kentucky football team, a struggling University of South Florida team, and a struggling Oregon football team.
Coach Taggert is from Florida and has several connections when it comes to recruiting in Florida. Taggert is supposedly at the top of the list for FSU. Fisher and Taggert both share the same agent.
Surprisingly, another name being thrown around is the once Texas A&M coach, Kevin Sumlin. This one be an interesting move if it were to happen.
Coach Sumlin is a good coach. The expectations at Texas A&M maybe were a little high for him. His Aggies played in the SEC West. It is hard to compete with Alabama, Auburn, and LSU every year. Maybe a change of scenery would benefit Coach Sumlin.
The last name that is floating around is Bob Stoops. Coach Stoops stepped down at Oklahoma this year.
Coach Stoops is a proven winner. He is also a proven recruiter. Maybe Coach Stoops was tired of being in Norman and is looking for a new challenge. Tallahassee could be that challenge for Coach Stoops.
At the end of the day, the Florida State job is a good job. The team is loaded with talent and can compete each year for a championship. Florida State is also a school that recruits tend to gravitate to. Whomever comes in to be the next head coach has to salvage a diminishing recruiting class.
The next coach will have to build a staff quickly in order to get on the road and prove to recruits that Florida State is still Florida State.
Tennessee Rocky Flop
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Earlier this month Tennessee fired Butch Jones in the middle of a dumpster fire season, where the Vols finished 4-8 and 0-8 in the SEC.
Tennessee is a proud football program with over 800 wins and 13 SEC championships. Anyone in their right mind should want to take this job right?
Athletic Director John Currie needed to nail this coaching hire in the worst way possible after botching the Greg Schiano debacle from over the past weekend.
So, every morning I wake up now looking in the news at who the new Tennessee coach will be.
Regardless of who accepts the job, the public-relations damage has been done. And Tennessee is a school that recently settled a Title IX lawsuit regarding several counts of sexual misconduct by football players. It is not a place that needed more negative press.
Now you hear Tennessee is looking at Mike Leach from Washington State. Mike Leach to Knoxville would make the UT Weekly Press Conference during football season a definite landing spot for the football junkies of the world.
Leach is gold with the press. Plus, his offense would cause headaches for SEC Defensive Coordinators.
During a Tennessee football game in the future on CBS could the AFLAC question be: How many head coaches turned down the Tennessee job?
After UT botched the Schiano hire let’s get a count of who turned down the Vols:
John Gruden was never coming to start with. Used car sales should be going through the roof in Knoxville because those people will buy anything.
Dan Mullen picked Florida. Matt Campbell stayed at Iowa State. Tennessee offered Mike ” I am a man” Gundy $42 million, but he chose to stay at Oklahoma State. Dave Doeren of NC State said no. Jeff Brohm of Purdue said no. Who else turned them down?
Former coach Lane Kiffin trolls the Vols everyday on Twitter.
How about throwing $15 million a year at Nick Saban? He is not busy on Saturday; fly him up and pitch him during the SEC Championship game.
How about me, UT? I will take the job for $150k a year plus moving expenses. I am a championship coach.
My resume: Championships 3: Brunswick Fatboy Fantasy Football League 2009, 2010, 2011.
Playoffs: 7: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016
Radio Show: I mop the floor every Saturday morning with Jason Bishop when the topic of college football is raised. Like taking candy from a baby on college football picks.
John Currie, call me, I will take your job in Knoxville. Protesters in Knoxville won’t bother me. I will buy them coffee on the way to the office daily.
I will even let Jason Bishop host “This week in Vol Football with Head Coach Kipp Branch”.
Championship football would back in Knoxville instead of burning couches, dumpster fires, and 0-8 in the SEC.
My, how the mighty have fallen. Hurry back Tennessee. On second thought I don’t want the job either.
Rocky Top is indeed Rocky Flop at this day and time.
Just bring back Phil Fulmer if you ever want to beat Alabama again.
AAC To Become Power Conference?
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I’ve always loved college football more than professional for a number of reasons.
One of the biggest is because they play much harder. Losing one game can derail the entire season. Unfortunately, college football has always had its share of flaws.
Previously it was almost unheard of for the best teams to play in the national championship. The BCS guaranteed the top two teams would meet but many times it seemed like that was not the case.
Now we have a playoff with four teams coming from the five ‘power’ conferences. I think we need to rethink that because there are some pretty good teams in the ‘Group of Five’ that will never make the playoffs.
Specifically, I think the American Athletic Conference should be added to make the ‘Power Six’ conferences.
You may remember the former Big East, which is the current AAC. During the BCS era they were one of the power conferences. The heavyweight teams like Miami, Virginia Tech, Syracuse and Boston College left the conference.
The second tier institutions like Louisville, West Virginia, Pitt and Rutgers followed suit. As a result, they were very weak because of that and the conference champion would routinely be blown out in the BCS bowl game.
Over the last few years the conference has vastly improved. With schools in Florida, Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania they have a great recruiting base. They are producing NFL talent which casual fans might not be aware of.
One example of that is Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles. He was picked 3rd overall in the 2014 draft. He led a very good Central Florida team to a 12-1 record in 2013. The Knights beat No. 8 Louisville in the inaugural AAC Championship and No. 5 Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl.
Houston is another program that has had recent success. They were 13-1 in 2011 as members of Conference USA. They beat UCLA and Penn State that year. They finished with that same record in 2015. The Cougars beat Louisville and Vanderbilt during the regular season and No. 9 Florida State in the Peach Bowl. They started the following 2016 season with a victory over No. 5 Oklahoma.
One of the best success stories has to be Temple. The Owls were a charter member of the Big East in 1991 but they were expelled from the league following the 2004 season. They rejoined the conference in 2012 and finally had success. They beat Penn State in 2015 and won the conference championship last year.
Memphis has produced NFL talent like Paxton Lynch, Dontari Poe, Stephen Gostkowski, Akeem Davis and DeAngelo Wiliams.
They shared the conference title in 2014 and in 2015 they upset No. 13 Ole Miss. The Tigers are currently 9-1 including a win over UCLA. They are guaranteed to win the West division and play in the AAC Championship.
UCF (10-0) faces South Florida (9-1) this week and the winner wins the East and advances to the conference championship.
The best thing any of these teams can hope for is a spot in one of the New Year’s Six bowl games. The playoffs should be expanded to at least 6 teams and if that happens the AAC champion should automatically get a playoff spot.
