Jaguars Roar
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When you look back over the NFL season, it shouldn’t really be all that surprising that the Jacksonville Jaguars were at least able to make the playoffs.
For one, it’s become a yearly ritual for the playoffs to consist of around a half dozen teams that didn’t make it to the postseason the year before. Jacksonville was a hot pick to be one of those teams last year, until Blake Bortles did his best Akili Smith impersonation and the Jaguars season prominently went the way of Kevin Spacey’s career.
Coming into this season, Jacksonville had a favorable schedule, a defense that people thought would be very good (not sure anyone thought they would be this good) and a possible running attack led by Leonard Fournette. As long as Bortles could semi keep it together they would have a legit shot of returning to the playoffs.
However, all that being said, you’re straight up lying if you predicted Jacksonville to be playing in the AFC Championship game.
Yes, I know they had Buffalo at home, another “surprise” team that was more or less a mirror image of how Jacksonville plays.
And sure, they did best Pittsburgh, in Pittsburgh, back in Week Five. But c’mon, if I told you Roethlisberger was going to throw for over 400 yards and the Steelers would put up 42 points, how much a chance would you give Jacksonville to win?
Probably about as much a chance as most will give them in Foxboro Stadium. Well, as a former president once said “Fool me once, shame on – shame on you. Fool me – you can’t get fooled again.” Obviously, that isn’t quite how the saying goes, but you get the gist.
I don’t expect the Jaguars defense to be able to stop Brady completely, but they are stingy enough to slow down the Patriots offense and should be able to keep Jacksonville in the game; barring their offense decides to help them out.
This of course, is the big question. You have to imagine Belichick will load the box in order to stop one of the league’s best rushing attacks, but that’s easier said than done.
The Patriots defense is much improved from where they were at the beginning of the season, but Jacksonville should be able to have success on the ground.
However, like every other conversation concerning the Jaguars over the past two years, it will come down to Blake Bortles and whether or not he can- 1. Make the important throw when needed, or 2. Not turn into Ryan Leaf. At this point, I’d feel more comfortable trying to predict which athlete/music mogul Khloe Kardashian is going to date next. (Officially, my vote is for Kyrie Irving. It just feels right, you know?)
One thing that New England has been able to use as an advantage in home playoff games of years past, but that may not be much of a factor against Jacksonville, is the weather.
As of right now, the skies will be clear and the temperature will be in the 50’s. Granted it’s not Jacksonville, FL weather, but it’s hardly the type of weather that should hinder their play.
I know New England is a heavy favorite, as they should be, but I just can’t shake this feeling Jacksonville will put up more of a fight than most expect.
Regardless, making it to the AFC Championship is farther than just about anyone would’ve imagined before the season started….no matter what they tell you.
Another Mutiny In Darien
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When will it end for the MCA Buccaneers?
Head Coach Terel Toomer was let go/resigned as head coach for the program. The next coach the Bucs hire will be there 5th in seven years.
This firing/resignation feels more disgusting than the rest.
Toomer was brought in to give some stability to the program that was still in the wake of the controversial firing of former Head Coach, Robbie Robinson.
Let’s rewind things a bit. Robinson had just been fired for allegations of misappropriation of money and allegedly instructing a player to intentionally injure another player. By the way, we are over a year removed from those allegations and there is not any concrete evidence of either offense, but that is another story for another day.
MCA was coming off a state championship appearance when the decision was made to fire Coach Robinson after his second year back at MCA.
Coach Toomer, who had been the Defensive Coordinator, was hired to stabilize a program that was in peril. Some even wondered if the Bucs would even be able to field enough players to have a team last season.
This was the right hire, a guy that was familiar with the kids, the community, the system and the school.
Coach Toomer went to work. Toomer convinced kids to stay in the program and was able to hold on to several boosters.
MCA went 3-6 on the season, but with everything that happened no one was concerned about the record. Toomer had brought together a program in disarray and brought back some stability.
So, instead of thanking Coach Toomer, Principal Chris Wolski informed him that he would not be back as the football coach next season.
That decision comes after Wolski had reportedly told Toomer “he did a great job coaching the team under the circumstances”.
I sent a text to Coach Toomer and asked if he had been relieved of his coaching duties. I was told “Correct, this new principal is not having me back, so its best that I resign. Nothing to do with wins or losses. It’s because we didn’t see eye to eye on some issues.”
I called Principal Wolski and left a message with my name and number for him to return my call, which he did and below is a dialogue of our conversation:
Wolski: Hello Mr. Bishop. This is Principal Wolski at MCA returning your call.
Jason: Good afternoon. I was calling in regards to the rumor that Coach Toomer had resigned. Any truth to that rumor?
Wolski: Not be crass, but who are you? Who are you with? I don’t want to give confirmation on anything to anyone I don’t know.
Jason: I am the owner of The Bishop Media Sports Network. I am the publisher of The Southern Sports Edition. I am the host of The Jason Bishop Show with Kipp Branch, which is the most popular sports show in this area. And my company is the company that put on the Terel Toomer Coach’s show this past season. I am very surprised that you don’t know who I am, as principal of your school since I worked so closely with your football program this past season.
Wolski: Ok. I apologize. But Coach Toomer has not as of yet turned in a resignation to me but I can tell you that he will not be coaching track this season.
Jason: Did you tell Coach Toomer you did want him back as the football coach next season?
Wolski: That is a personnel matter and I do not want to discuss personnel matters.
Jason: Ok. Do you expect Coach Toomer to be your coach next season then?
Wolski: Again, that is a personnel matter and I am not going to discuss personnel matters.
Jason: Ok. Thanks for your time.
Wolski: No problem. What station does your show air on?
Jason: 93.7 WBQO. Saturday mornings at 10am. You should tune in and take a listen, we had Coach Toomer on several times this past season and talked MCA Football a good bit.
Wolski: I will.
Falcons Flight Ended
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s a funny thing about sports; most seasons end with heartbreak. After all, there’s only one champion when it’s all said and done. Only one team takes home the Stanley Cup. Only one team wins the World Series. Only one team can be the CFB National Champion (or two, if you count UCF). And only one team can win the Super Bowl.
Atlanta knows that all too well after last year. All but one group of fans stands triumphant after the dust settles, the rest go home empty-handed regardless if they go 0-16 during the regular season or if they get knocked out in the big game itself. They’ve lost.
But, being a sports fan is also eternally optimistic. After all, the seasons keep turning over, resetting everyone’s records at 0-0 and bringing the hope of improvement.
There was a cloud of misery over Atlanta the week after the Super Bowl in 2017. But, as winter turned to spring and spring to summer, Falcons fans began to look ahead to the season yet to come, wondering what the chip on their team’s shoulder would motivate them to do.
The season came and, at best, brought mixed results. Good stretches, bad stretches, blown leads (that without fail brought up that damn Super Bowl again), all manner of praise and criticism. They battled into the playoffs and even past the Wild Card game.
Then they lost again. They lead the Eagles after the first two quarters and saw the game slip away in the second half with a pair of unanswered field goals.
It’s not a collapse that compares to inarguably the worst day in Georgia sports history (still true, UGA fans – sorry), but it was another winnable game that wasn’t won. This one featured a game-winning drive that didn’t deliver the win after the Falcons failed to cross the goal line from the six-yard line.
It really does beg the question: will the Falcons ever be able to win a Super Bowl?
I’ll admit, this is the kind of stupid, broadly nonsensical question that is a great example of sensationally dumb sports writing. I can’t make an actual argument for or against this because this team will consist of entirely different people in ten years.
But I do fear that the Matt Ryan and Julio Jones window is closing.
It shouldn’t be. This team has talent, and lots of it. They weren’t going to live up to 2016’s offensive output in any situation, but they were a mess all year long in 2017.
I’ve already seen people calling for OC Steve Sarkisian’s job. Maybe he should get fired.
Maybe that’s overly reactionary and having yet another OC come in and mix things up so soon would be a terrible idea. I don’t know. But I know that the Falcons have had leads in their last game of the season for two years in a row now and haven’t been able to close the door.
I don’t know if Atlanta has a curse of some kind. Those tend to be more well-publicized in baseball, where Atlanta actually has a championship. But, the Falcons have put good teams on the field several times for Matt Ryan. They put good teams on the field for Michael Vick, too.
For Falcons fans, it can seem like Atlanta is the only team in the world and when they lose, that’s the biggest loss of the year.
But 31 teams don’t win the Super Bowl every year. Only one does.
That may not be much of a comfort, but take some consolation in knowing that you’ve got lots of company, every time this happens.
And remember that while 31 teams don’t win the Super Bowl every year, one team does. And winter will be spring before you know it.
Georgia Is Next
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Imagine the following, what if I told you in August that Georgia would win the SEC East in 2017? Most die-hard Dawg fans coming off of an 8-5 season would have taken that in a heartbeat.
What if I told you Georgia would win their first SEC title since 2005 against rival Auburn? You would have said oh my goodness, yes.
What if I told you UGA would make the College Football Playoff and beat Oklahoma in a classic Rose Bowl and play for a National Title? You would have said I am crazy.
UGA did all of this in 2017 and came up three points short against Alabama in OT; the same Alabama team that many picked to win the Natty in the preseason.
So, what is next for Georgia? Fact is UGA is ahead of schedule. Coming off a 13-2 season in year two of the Kirby Smart era, the Dawgs are way ahead of schedule.
This UGA team reminds me of Alabama in 2008 in year two of the Saban era; then the Tide took off in year 3 and have won 5 National Titles in 9 years. I’m not saying UGA will go on that kind of run but a national Title will come to UGA within the next 2-4 years.
Here is what is next for UGA:
Recruiting: Georgia currently has the number one class in America and Kirby is the best recruiter in the business.
UGA needs to use all of this national exposure to its’ advantage and Kirby needs to continue to work his magic on the recruiting trail.
Smart has built a fence around the State of Georgia and Alabama, Auburn, and Florida are not coming into the State and cherry picking top talent anymore.
Strength and Conditioning: Alabama wore the Georgia offensive and defensive fronts down in the 4th quarter of the title game because they were bigger and stronger. Georgia has made huge strides in this area since Smart has arrived but Dawgs are not quite there yet.
Develop Justin Fields quickly. With Jacob Eason leaving for the University of Washington the Dawgs must get Fields ready quickly to back up Jake Fromm.
Fields is the number one rated QB in America and he enrolled early so he should be ready to play in 2018.
UGA must get better at CB. Mel Tucker needs shut down corners to run his system. UGA gave up too many deep balls in 2017.
The Dawgs must start using their Tight Ends again. Did a TE have a catch in the National Title game? This area must develop to improve the passing game.
Georgia just finished an outstanding season and will be the SEC East favorites along with South Carolina in 2018. The SEC slate will be tough playing all of the east rivals and LSU and Auburn from the west. The Dawgs travel to Death Valley in Baton Rouge in 2018, which will be no picnic.
The 2018 Dawgs will be Jake Fromm’s team and Fromm will be the leader and face of the program. The kid is a gamer and will continue to get better with Fields coming in to push him. Georgia will miss Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, and Roquan Smith if #3 decides to turn pro.
What is on the horizon for UGA football is a magic carpet ride of SEC Titles and maybe a Natty or two with these studs Kirby keeps landing in the Classic City.
The future is so bright for UGA football that you need a brand-new pair of shades to see it all. Kirby Smart is just flat out getting it done in Athens, Georgia.
Tide Rolls In Another Title
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The college football season is officially over which is a bittersweet moment. The national championship game started slowly but got better in the second half. #3 Georgia (13-2) was on a quest for their first national championship since 1980.
They dominated in the first half but they had to settle for field goals early on to take a 6-0 lead. Mecole Hardman scored a 1-yard touchdown right before halftime to give the Dawgs a 13-0 lead.
On the opposite side #4 Alabama (13-1) struggled on offense in the first half. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is 25-2 as a starter and led the Crimson Tide to their second consecutive national championship game.
He struggled again, only completing 3 of 8 passing attempts for 21 yards. He did a good job running, gaining 47 yards on 6 carries.
Nick Saban made a bold move by benching Hurts at halftime in favor of true freshman QB Tua Tagovailoa. He led Bama to the end zone with a 6-yard TD pass to Henry Ruggs III to cut the deficit to six points.
The Bulldogs answered that score with a big play from their true freshman quarterback. Jake Fromm threw an 80-yard touchdown to Hardman to extend the lead to 20-7. Fromm played pretty well, throwing for 232 yards, 1 TD and 2 interceptions with a 50% completion rate.
The Crimson Tide would go on to tie the game 20-20 with 3:49 remaining in the 4th quarter after Tagovailoa tossed another touchdown to Calvin Ridley. They had a chance to win the game in regulation.
Kicker Andy Pappanastos missed a field goal in the first half, which foreshadowed what he would do later in the game. He missed another field goal as time expired in regulation.
UGA received the ball first in overtime and scored a field goal to take a 23-20 lead. At that point I thought Alabama was in trouble because they could not trust their kicker.
Tagovailoa took a horrible sack on Alabama’s first play in overtime, losing 16 yards. On the next play he threw a 41-yard TD pass to freshman DeVonta Smith to win the game.
“I could not believe it,” Saban said. “There’s lots of highs and lows. Last year we lost on the last play of the game and this year we won on the last play of the game. These kids really responded the right way. We said last year, `Don’t waste the feeling.’ They sure didn’t, the way they played tonight.”
Tagovailoa finished with 166 yards, 3 touchdowns and one pick with a 58% completion rate.
The win is Alabama’s fifth national title in nine years. Saban now has six major poll national championships, which includes one at LSU. That matches the record set by another legendary Crimson Tide coach, Bear Bryant.
This was an interesting year for Alabama. They lost the championship last season on the last play of the game. They reeled off 11 wins to begin this season before losing to archrival Auburn to finish the season.
There was some controversy when they were selected to the College Football Playoff because they did not win their conference. Some people felt that Ohio State was more deserving since they won the Big Ten, even though they had 2 losses. It looks like the decision to pick the Tide was justified.
New Chief In Tallahassee
By: Alex Mathis
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Florida State has found their new coach. Willie Taggart will take over the head coaching job at FSU.
Taggart has had an interesting coaching journey. Taggart got his first head coaching job at Western Kentucky. After leaving Western Kentucky, Taggart moved on to University of South Florida.
He was able to turn the Bulls around and make them a powerhouse in Florida. His work at USF led to him taking the head coaching job at Oregon. Though only spending a year at Oregon, Taggart was able to turn the struggling Ducks program around.
Now, the next program he has to turn around is Florida State. Florida State is coming off one of their worst seasons in decades. The team is loaded with talent and now it is Taggart’s job to lead it.
In Taggart’s introduction interview he said that FSU was his dream job. He grew up a Noles fan and told stories of wearing garnet and gold and pulling for the Noles when he was coaching at USF.
FSU has a guy who loves FSU now. Current players are saying there is a different attitude in Tallahassee now. Deion Sanders, Peter Warrick, and other past FSU stars are back around the program. Taggart has the support from current players, past players, and the fans. All there is left to do now is win.
Taggart has also done a great job assembling his staff. He has raided Michigan State of their defensive coordinator, Harlon Barnett.
Bennett is a proven defensive coordinator and has had Michigan State ranked high in a lot of defensive categories nationally. With the speed and talent at FSU, the defense should reminiscent of the Mickey Andrews defenses of the Bowden era.
Donte’ Pimpleton will coach the running backs. He is following Taggart from Oregon. Telly Lockette will coach tight ends. He coached with Taggart as well. Greg Frey will coach the offensive line. He coached at Michigan last year. Odell Haggins will be the only member to from the previous staff. Haggins has been at FSU 20 plus years coaching defensive line. The linebackers will be coached by Raymond Woodie. Woodie is also coming from Oregon. Alonzo Hampton will be the special teams coach. Hampton has some Georgia ties, where coached at Tift County. There are a few more sports left open on Taggart’s staff. He is in the process of filling out that staff now.
Taggart was also able to come in during December and get some big recruits to sign letters of intents to play at FSU. He is known for being able to recruit and he will definitely be able to do this at FSU as well.
FSU is ranked outside of the top 25 in recruiting at this moment. I expect the Noles to be in the top 25 and maybe top 10 when the February signing day gets here.
There is definitely a different feel in the Tallahassee air. There will always be high expectations in Tallahassee and their new coach is a big name that has assembled a bunch of big names to accompany him in Tallahassee. Now it is time to see if this hire will be a homerun or a strikeout.
National Championship Game Breakdown
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The SEC takes center stage in the biggest game of the college football season, with the conference’s two best teams finally getting an opportunity to settle it on the field.
This matchup should have taken place the first weekend of December, but Auburn ruined that as the Tigers upset the Tide at Auburn on November 25th.
This championship game between Georgia and Alabama has a lot of twists and plots. Georgia with second year coach Kirby Smart going against his mentor Nick Saban, who holds a perfect 11-0 mark against former assistants. Smart served as Saban’s defensive coordinator for years in Tuscaloosa before coming home to UGA.
Alabama beat up Clemson 24-6 in the Sugar Bowl and UGA outscored Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl 54-48 to get to this game which will be played in brand new Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
Ticket prices are through the roof and this ticket may be the priciest in the history of sports events in the state of Georgia.
Keys to the game:
Which Quarterback plays the best? Alabama QB Jalen Hurts has taken some heat from the Tide nation recently with his play but all he does is win as a starting Tide signal caller and has his team playing in the title game for the second year in a row as a starter.
Georgia freshman Jake Fromm looks like a seasoned veteran with the Bulldog offense and the game tying TD drive with Oklahoma in regulation is the stuff legends are made of.
Fromm is a better passer and Hurts is a better runner. In the end this game may be decided by the mobility of a QB. Advantage: Hurts and Alabama.
Which Offensive line holds up best? Both of the units were dominated by the Auburn defensive front in the Iron Bowl, and first UGA/AU matchup at Auburn. Both groups learned something from it.
Georgia dominated Auburn up front in the SEC title game, and Alabama handled the great Clemson DL in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama is dealing with an injury to a starting OG Cotton Jr. and UGA is coming in healthy. Advantage: Georgia
Coaching? Nick Saban is the best head coach in football. Kirby knows the Alabama way and has changed the culture at UGA, but in the end Nick has five national titles. Advantage: Alabama
Atmosphere surrounding game? Yes, Alabama has been here before. This game is in Atlanta and is the biggest game for UGA since the 1983 Sugar Bowl. Georgia looks like a team of destiny. Advantage: UGA
Positional Group Analysis:
QB: Hurts or Fromm? Slight advantage to Alabama.
RB: Both teams are loaded here. Chubb, Michel, Swift, Holyfield, Herrien. Advantage: Georgia
OL: Both groups are solid. The Tide is dealing with an injury to a starter. Advantage: Georgia
WR: Calvin Ridley is the best WR on the field during this game for Alabama, but who else steps up for the Tide? Wims, Godwin, and the TE’s make it tilt UGA’s way. Advantage: Georgia
DL: Alabama is better than UGA here. Advantage; Alabama
LB: Two words for you. Roquan Smith. Alabama is beat up here. Advantage: Georgia
DB: Minkah Fitzpatrick is the best DB in America. Advantage: Alabama
Special Teams: Alabama is slightly better at punter and UGA is light years better at FG kicker with Rod Blankenship. Mecole Hardman is ready to explode on the national stage for UGA. Don’t be surprised if he has a big kick return in this game. Advantage: Georgia.
Vegas has Alabama as a slight favorite, but Lorenzo Carter, Sony Michel, and Nick Chubb all came back to UGA for their senior seasons and turned down big NFL money. This is a magical season for UGA and the championship game is in Georgia’s capital Atlanta.
Prediction: Georgia 24- 20. The University of Georgia your 2017 College Football National Champions in a season that will never be forgotten in state of Georgia.
Black Monday
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFL regular season ended Sunday. Changes were made immediately after that, which brings us to the aftermath of Black Monday. Some moves were obvious, while others have been very puzzling to say the least.
The Chicago Bears fired John Fox. Fox is a pretty decent coach, winning the NFC and AFC Championship with Carolina and Denver. He suffered double digit losses every year in his three seasons in Chicago. His overall record with the Bears is 14-34.
The coaching change makes sense but another move by the Bears is a head scratcher. The general manager Ryan Pace has been with the organization for the same amount of time as Fox and he received a contract extension.
I’m not sure why he was rewarded for not building talented teams but if Chicago doesn’t mind why should I? His replacement will likely be an offensive coach like New England’s Josh McDaniel’s or Minnesota’s Pat Shurmur.
Jim Caldwell was fired by Detroit. Caldwell has been there since 2014 and he’s done a decent job. His only losing season was in 2015. The Lions were 9-7 the last two seasons and his overall record with the franchise is 35-28 (.556). That’s the best winning percentage for a Lions head coach since Buddy Parker in the 1950’s.
The Lions have asked for permission to interview Texans Defensive Coordinator Mike Vrabel.
Chuck Pagano has been fired by Indianapolis. He’s been in Indy since 2012 and this year was his first losing season. Starting quarterback Andrew Luck missed the entire season and the Colts went 4-12.
I think most teams would struggle without their starting quarterback. Their roster had glaring weaknesses even when Luck was healthy. The Colts were 8-8 in 2015 and 2016. I think the GM should also be fired with the coach in most cases and this is one of them.
The Colts will also interview Mike Vrabel but Jim Harbough is their top candidate.
Oakland fired Jack Del Rio after three seasons. The Raiders finished 6-10, which was disappointing because they were 12-4 in 2015. That was Del Rio’s only winning season in Oakland.
Their top candidate is their former coach and current analyst Jon Gruden. I think that would be a terrible hire but it would bring a lot of attention for the franchise.
Marvin Lewis was in the final year of his contract in Cincinnati coming into the season. He’s been there since 2003, making him the second-longest tenured coach in the NFL behind Bill Belichick.
The Bengals were one of the worst franchises before he got there so he did help them improve into a winning team. I have to mention he also never won a playoff game during his tenure.
For that I think he should have been fired a while ago. The Bengals went 6-9-1 in 2016 and 7-9 in 2017.
This next move was very confusing to me. New York Jets coach Todd Bowles has been with the team since 2015. His first year the team was 10-6. The last two seasons they were 5-11. He and GM Mike Maccagnan signed contract extensions to continue through 2020.
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.
