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.
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.
Mark Fox Is SEC Basketball
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
If any SEC program had a winning basketball team, excluding Kentucky and Florida, would their fan base even care?
Actually, if they were winning the fan base would probably get behind them. I guess the better question is: If any SEC basketball program were a smidge better than mediocre, would anyone truly pay attention?
I ask this because for the most part SEC fans will alter their weekend schedule depending on what time their football team plays, but will really only watch basketball if the alternative is “Once Upon A Time” and even then it may come down to whether or not the latter is a rerun.
It’s kind of shame to be honest, because over the last few seasons the level of talent and competition within the conference has continued to grow.
One of the reasons for this semi-resurgence has been coaching. While football has taken a hit over the last couple seasons, relative to where it was because of missing out on some coaching hires at high profile programs, basketball has seemingly done a much better job with who they have brought in.
Take Tennessee for example and their hiring of Rick Barnes; who after prior stops at Clemson and Texas must have a wardrobe made up completely of different shades of orange.
Even though it feels as if Barnes bases his diagramming of plays and clock management off of NBA 2K18, he does a good job of recruiting and at least gets his teams into the tournament.
Avery Johnson is looking to be the correct hire at Alabama and even though Florida is off to a less than desired start, I don’t think anyone is questioning their choice of Mike White.
Throw in proven coaches like Ben Homeland, Bruce Pearl, and Frank Martin (coming off an unexpected Final Four 4 last year) and you can see why teams have started to close the gap with Kentucky, which a few years ago seemed insurmountable.
That being said, no one coach personifies SEC Basketball more than Georgia head coach, Mark Fox.
Fox is currently in his 9th season as the Bulldogs coach, and entered this season with an overall record of 145-118 (.551), 70-68 (.507) in conference play and zero tournament wins in their only two appearances in eight years. Yet, there doesn’t seem to be much rumbling about his job security, at least not with any regularity.
Personally, I think this is for 3 reasons:
- Fox is the anti Jim Harrick. Basically, he’s a genuinely good guy that runs a clean program, and won’t embarrass the entire athletic department and university.
- Even though Fox hasn’t had all that much success in Athens, he hasn’t been an object failure, either. If Georgia were to let him go, would they really be able to bring in someone better? He’s more less become the Ryan Tannehill of college basketball coaches.
- He wasn’t that big of a name when Georgia initially hired him, so what Fox has been able to accomplish is fairly realistic to the expectations coming in. Bigger name, bigger expectations.
My point is, when you’re sitting on your couch, or laying bed, trying to decide if you should watch yet another episode of “Duck Dynasty” or something a little different, give SEC Basketball a try.
They’re still a work in progress, but it will be well worth your time. I mean, at the very least you’re guaranteed to see Barnes make a fool of himself, which is well worth the price of admission.
Brave Move
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I have to admit, I didn’t think it was possible, but the Braves traded away Matt Kemp to the Dodgers, got players in return, and didn’t have to eat his salary.
Now, it’s a slightly more complex deal than that, so let’s dig in.
The Braves shipped Kemp back to his old haunt in La La Land and in return the Dodgers sent first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, shortstop Charlie Culberson and pitchers Brandon McCarthy and Scott Kazmir, along with some cash considerations.
So, what’s the logic here? Well the Braves needed to make room in the outfield, which meant that either Kemp or Nick Markakis (or both) needed to go. I, for one, preferred to see Kemp draw the short straw but had honestly anticipated needing to eat all or most of his salary in either a trade for very little or straight up releasing him. So, I’m genuinely surprised to see this move.
Now, it’s not that the Braves are getting away with this scot free. Adrian Gonzalez only waived his no-trade clause because he was told he’d be a free agent.
The Braves obliged that caveat almost immediately, releasing A-Gone right after news of the trade broke.
So, they are still eating a big contract for a player that won’t be playing for them.
However, Gonzalez’s contract is up at the end of 2018, whereas Kemp’s was through 2019; so what Alex Anthopolous accomplished here was maybe the best-case scenario: taking a year off the financial burden that was Matt Kemp’s deal.
As for the other players, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Brandon McCarthy was a solid player for Los Angeles when he was healthy, going 6-4 with a 3.98 ERA. Injuries are his cross to bear, not having pitched over 100 innings since 2014.
Regardless, he’ll start the season in the rotation for Brian Snitker, until the time comes that a younger pitcher with upside usurps his position.
Kazmir is going to be a shot in the dark. He missed all of 2017 and the Braves will essentially just be hoping that they can get something out of the lefty.
Culberson will likely end up being the most useful of the acquisitions. He’s a backup infielder with experience at all three positions. You may know him from starting in the NLCS this year while Corey Seager was hurt. He’s arbitration eligible this season for the first time.
If you’re wondering why Anthopolous went for these four players, the answer lies within their contract expiration dates.
Gonzalez, as I mentioned, will be off the books next offseason and is already off the roster. Kazmir and McCarthy both have contracts that end after 2018 as well.
Culberson, by far the cheapest of the four, will either prove himself useful or be non-tendered. So, this trade, for the Braves, is less about the players exchanged than it is about the money they’re owed and how long they’re owed it.
Essentially, the trade is for 2019 financial flexibility. It’s a matter of taking on a little unwanted payroll now for the ability to take on wanted payroll later. It may seem like a lot to undertake just to unattached Matt Kemp’s salary, especially given that these players will almost certainly get jobs on the big-league club.
That’s an understandable concern. Braves fans would like to avoid more Bartolo Colon and see more of the farm system that’s been built up.
I would assuage those concerns by guessing that, for Kazmir and McCarthy in particular, the leash will be incredibly short. These are players the Braves acquired to help. If they do, great but are essentially they just monetary maneuverability.
If they don’t perform, well, the Braves’ hopes weren’t pinned on them to begin with.
And were you expecting a playoff run anyway?
This move is unlikely to pay off in 2018 but what is arguably the greatest free agent class of all time goes on the market next November and now the Braves have a better chance at playing ball.
Glynn’s Deep Talent Pool
By: Alex Mathis
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Football in Glynn County has come to an end and a lot of seniors are wondering if they will ever suit up in a football uniform again.
Over the past few years, Glynn County has been the home of some of the top football prospects in the state of Georgia. Just last year, Glynn County had 4 recruits go on to play division 1 football.
Deejay Dallas and Zalonte Hillery both attended The University of Miami. Shawn Smith attended the University of Virginia and Denaja Gammage attended Mercer University. This year’s cycle will have even more Glynn County student athletes attend college to play football next year.
Brunswick High has one of the most talented group of seniors in Georgia. Coach Pender believes he could possibly have double digit players sign scholarships in the spring.
Jaylen Jackson is already committed to Cincinnati. He visited the campus this fall and fell in love with the staff and committed while on his visit.
Since his commitment, he has had several Power 5 conference schools show interest. His recruitment is one to keep an eye on.
Sharrod Frazier is another baller who is being recruited by a lot of top schools in the country. Frazier is set to visit Colorado State in January. If this visit goes well, we could see the BHS athlete move out west. We could also see Frazier end up somewhere closer like Georgia Southern.
Aubrey Williams is another defensive standout getting a lot of interest from colleges. Rice and Elon are recent schools who have offered Aubrey.
Kam Futch has also earned a chance to play football on Saturdays. Valdosta State and The University of West Georgia are two schools who are vying for his services.
There are also several of guys on the BHS roster who are going to play on Saturdays. DJ Whitfield, Telvin Smith, Alonzo Brown are a few names to keep an eye on as National Signing Day approaches.
Glynn Academy also has some 2018 prospects that will play past high school.
Randon Jernigan had a ton of offers to play college football but chose to go the baseball route. Jernigan will play baseball for the University of Georgia next year.
Marvin Dallas is a name that is on a lot of college boards as well. Marvin Dallas received an offer from Valdosta State earlier this week.
Dallas is a long defensive back. He has the measurables that a lot of colleges are looking for at that position.
A sleeper at Glynn Academy this year is Caine Crews. Crews had an amazing year rushing for the Terrors. He was a defensive player last year so he did not have much film running the rock, but this kid is good. Whatever team takes a chance on Crews will be getting a diamond in the rough.
Frederica Academy also has prospects that have been receiving some college attention. Santana Clark has played two great seasons at Frederica Academy. Earlier in the spring, Clark received his first offer from the University of Central Michigan. He has since received a lot of attention from some schools a little closer. Clark is a kid that can go and he will be someone who suits up on Saturdays.
Glynn County also has a very talented rising senior group. Three of those 2019 prospects have a combined for over 50 offers.
Frederica’s Jashawn Sheffield is rated the number 3 wide receiver in the country.
Jaylin Simpson of Frederica is rated the 20th best athlete in the country.
Brunswick High’s Warren MccClendon is rated the number 26 offensive tackle in the country.
All three players are really special and highly recruited. There is also a good possibility that all three players end up playing at the same school in college. It is going to be fun watching their recruitments take place over the next year.
The Human Tackling Machine
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
After leading his team to a 41-13 career record, which by the way is the winningest senior class in Glynn Academy history, “The Human Tackling Machine” Hunter Hall only has three offers to play college football. Are you kidding me college recruiters?
#44 is the most productive defensive player that I can remember in Glynn County history. At 6’0 and 205 lbs. This kid can just flat out play.
Hall was a four year starter for the Red Terrors, who just completed another deep run in the State Playoffs and pretty much did anything Coach Rocky Hidalgo asked him to do during his football days on Mansfield Street.
Hall holds offers from West Georgia, Cumberland, and Faulkner University. If West Georgia has offered where are the Valdosta State, Mercer, Kennesaw, and Georgia Southern offers?
The kid has a 3.6 GPA and has scored 26 on the ACT so he is going to graduate in four years from any University that offers him a scholarship.
Mr. Hall finished his career with 406 tackles at Glynn Academy. Those are insane numbers and he split time on offense as senior. He runs in the 4.6 range so where are the offers?
I’m pretty sure college football programs need kids with a nose for the football. I talked to a BHS football player recently that said “when we played Glynn it seemed like Hunter made every tackle” and that folks is pretty high praise coming from a bitter cross town rival.
What do college football recruiters look for? Here go my thoughts:
Athletic Ability: Hall is a pretty good athlete. Not only did he put up mind boggling defensive numbers he also played running back on a football team that made the final eight in its classification for four straight years. Hall also is a starter for the baseball region champion Terrors.
Mental and Physical Toughness: Every college coach in the country wants a roster full of players who are mentally and physically tough. They want focused, aggressive competitors.
College coaches’ notice attributes like effort, fearlessness, and confidence. This category has a picture of Hunter Hall beside it in the dictionary, or it should based upon what we have seen in Glynn County over the past 4 seasons.
Academics: There are many reasons why coaches value academics so much in the college recruiting process:
First, students with good grades and high standardized test scores often qualify for academic scholarships and in-state tuition, potentially saving the athletic department scholarship money.
Second, a good GPA and SAT/ACT score indicates to coaches that a student will most likely achieve the minimum college GPA needed to maintain athletic eligibility.
Third, good grades and test scores are an indication of a student’s work ethic and achievement standards for all areas of their lives. Hunter Hall is an excellent student athlete.
Coachability: Being coachable also means having a strong work ethic. Players that work hard in practice generally are more successful in games.
What do you think Rocky Hidalgo would say about Hunter Hall in this area? Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out.
Character: College coaches want kids that will represent their school always in a positive light. Hall comes from a good family and is a yes sir, no sir kid who does not get into trouble.
What more do you need college football recruiters? Hunter Hall is a kid that you need to have a winning football program. What are you waiting on recruiters?
The Human Tackling Machine is looking for a home for the next four years. Don’t miss out.
SEC Hardwood
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We’re starting to get close to conference play in college basketball.
The SEC is the deepest it has been in years. There are currently four teams ranked in the top 25 and at least two more that may join them. I’m going to take a look at these teams.
#8 Kentucky: The Wildcats (8-1) have the same story year after year. They’ve been the gold standard in the conference since the 1920’s. Ever since coach John Calipari came to Lexington in 2009 they’ve been the poster child for the ‘one and done’ players. They reload every season with a top 5 recruiting class and this year is no different.
The 2017 recruiting class was ranked second in the nation with six 5 star recruits. The only loss was to #12 Kansas by four points. The next three games are against Virginia Tech, UCLA and in-state rival Louisville.
SEC play begins December 31st at home against Georgia. I expect Kentucky to be the best team in the SEC again. They should make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.
#9 Texas A&M: The Aggies (8-1) are off to their best start since the 2006-07 season.
They have some pretty impressive wins thus far. They beat #11 West Virginia 88-65 and #10 USC 75-59.
The only loss was against Arizona by three points. The Wildcats were ranked in the top five earlier in the season. They begin conference play Dec. 30th at Alabama.
The remaining non-conference games are easy wins against Savannah State, Northern Kentucky and Buffalo. A&M should be the best team in the SEC West.
#20 Tennessee: The Vols (7-1) had a well-documented awful football season. Fans in Knoxville need something to cheer about so it’s good to see the basketball team playing well. They beat #17 Purdue in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.
The lone loss came against top ranked Villanova. Other than those two games the schedule has been pretty weak. They’ve played Mercer, Clemson, High Point and Presbyterian to name a few.
I think they may not be as good as the schedule suggests. We will get an idea of how good they really are when they play #7 North Carolina at home Sunday December 17th. I expect them to lose that game but they should handle Furman and Wake Forest. Then the Vols will play at Arkansas to open conference play.
#22 Florida: The Gators (6-3) were ranked as high as fifth before going on a three game losing streak. It’s hard to tell if they were overrated or just inconsistent. Their best win is against #12 Gonzaga.
They lost to #4 Duke by three points, which is respectable. But they followed that with loses to Florida State and Loyola Chicago.
They snapped the losing streak by beating Cincinnati. We won’t learn much about them before SEC play begins because they play Clemson, James Madison and Incarnate Word. I’m curious to see how Florida will develop as the season progresses.
There are a few teams right outside of being ranked in the top 25. They are: Arkansas (7-2), Miss State (8-0) and Mizzou (8-2). Missouri signed the #2 recruit in the 2017 class; 6’10 forward Michael Porter Jr.
Alabama (6-3) signed the #7 recruit in the 2017 class, guard Collin Sexton. The Crimson Tide lost to #14 Minnesota by five points. They played with three players, which makes that more impressive. Teams like that with future lottery picks are dangerous because they have a chance to beat anybody.
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.
