Mountain Dog

Given the population and concentration of elite athletes of every kind in Florida, Georgia and Texas, along with the resources available, it's no surprise to see these as the top three overall schools. But then there's one of the least populous states in the league coming in at 4th place. I am a bit surprised to see Missouri dagging up the rear.

I'd classify #3 as Really, Really Bold. As mentioned above, aside from the talent at RB, UGA will be sporting a massive, uber-talented O-line. Also, if you're going to run the ball as well as Georgia, ALL your RBs better be on point. One bellcow won't give you anywhere near the production UGA gets from it's stable of backs. The only way I see UF outperforming Georgia in rushing is if the Dawgs' passing game goes off the chain and Mullen stays mostly on the ground.

;-)

I think most real fans would agree that a new HC - especially one in in his first go-around and inheriting the type of mess Pruitt did - should be judged on development and recruiting more than anything else the first couple of years. There's a shelf life for that kind of patience but if the kids are getting better, exhibiting solid fundamentals, buying in to the philosophy/system, and playing hard for 60 minutes, good times are coming as long as the HC is improving his skill set as well.Maybe the Vols win 10 games in 2018, maybe they win 6, but eyes should be on how they finish the season versus how they start the season, and how the 2019 signing class shapes up. That's the real barometer in Year One.

Yeah, but he would have gotten paid regardless of which way he jumped. He did Saban and Bama a big-time solid. Some Georgia fans were irked that he didn't cut ties immediately and begin 100% with UGA recruiting. Personally, I was pleased to see him honor his commitment, even though he didn't have to and it wasn't an expectation. Says a lot about his character.

I do miss the entertainment he provided. I don't miss seeing him on the other sideline.

That was a strangely arranged contract. He made 11.5M last year and will make 12.5M in 2019, but just 10.5M this year. I’m sure Blank will re-work it.

I’d say that was at least a fair trade for staying on to help win another natty when he could’a/should’a been out the door the day he got the UGA job and on the recruiting trail. Bama still got the top class that year so, yeah, no biggie.

Been there, done that. Smart to go let the pros extract it rather than trying to do it yourself - really easy to make a mess of it.

I'd love to hear your justification for that comment. What "dirty, backstabbing things" did Kirby do before he left Bama?

SG, it’s not about UGA or me, it’s about Bama. Despite your desire to throw in zingers like a 12 YO, try to stay on task - Saban is.As for trouble finding quality opponents “dying to add an L” to their schedule, ND and Texas sure seem to be no problem. You should have no problem finding upper-tier schools willing to accept a deal that actually calls for Bama to come to their home field.

You mean like Florida vs Georgia Southern, LSU vs Troy, or Bama vs Monroe? It’s not a lock, even with such a wide chasm in talent.I can think of 5 neutral-site games Saban has lost since he hit his stride in 2008, and at least 4 away games. How many home losses? Ole Miss, A&M, Auburn - anyone else? He loses on the road at at least a two to one clip vs at home. It’s the nature of the beast, even for Saban. Which is why you can’t stay at home (Florida) or stick to neutral sites (which are anything but in Atlanta, and even Dallas, for Bama) in a playoff era when your competition is increasingly taking their show truly on the road. It’s a risk/reward proposition, and for more prestigious teams the potential reward is outweighing the risk. Who’s a more powerful voice in CFB than Saban? The playoff committee. They’ve spoken loudly and Nick has received the message. Last year’s selection was uncomfortably close for Bama and vigorous changes are being made.

Oh please, BT - we all know that no optional game gets scheduled without Saban’s full support. Completely disingenuous to suggest otherwise.

But not the SAME credit. The road win is always more significant than the home win - by exactly a 60/40 ratio. Half of A&M’s cred in beating Bama a few years ago was that it was done in Tuscaloosa.You’re stuck in Saban’s old profitability position of a few years ago. He’s seen the light, recognized the lay of the land in the playoff era, and changed his position - why can’t you?

MBS is not Sanford Stadium. 45,000 Dawgs and 35,000 Bama fans is NOT the same as 88,000 Dawgs and 5,000 Bama fans. That was the perfect neutral-site game - a razor’s edge difference in the results. In Tuscaloosa it would likely have been a 7-point Bama win, in Athens a 7-point UGA win. That’s pretty much my point. The opponent is not the same “quality” regardless of location. That’s just about the most ludicrous thing I’ve ever heard regarding CFB. The gaming industry knows the score better than anyone. FBS home teams win at a 60% clip, with about a 10% better chance of posting a W than at a neutral site. CFB home field advantage is one of the strongest in American sports. That’s why when a team wins a really significant away game - Oklahoma at Ohio State and Georgia at Notre Dame last year - it earns more cred than any other type of W. You can’t win a prestigious away game unless you schedule it, and that’s what Nick is doing. The playoff committee doesn’t consider a school’s profitability when making selections, and that’s the endless (and only) argument I hear from Bamatime regarding Bama’s neutral sites vs home-and-home series. Kudos to Saban. He’s proven once again he’s smarter than Bamatime.

We’re getting lost in semantics. Bowls (mostly in Florida for the Gators) and the SECCG are not the same as strapping it up in front of an opponent’s home crowd in Clemson, Stillwater, Los Angeles or South Bend. Florida has a well-earned reputation for shying away from any significant away game out of state that they don’t HAVE to play. You can spin it any way you want, but it’s evident to the whole country and contributes heavily to the criticism of the SEC. The risk of taking an L in East Lansing or Eugene is better than getting beat at home by Georgia Southern. Three of the four playoff teams last year had big OOC wins from a home-and-home series on their resume, two on the road. That should tell you everything you need to know about how the playoff era is shaping up. Want in? Get on the road (and I don’t mean I-10).

You’re saying an opponent in their home environs is no more dangerous than the same opponent in Tuscaloosa or at a neutral site? Auburn would have destroyed the Tide just as badly last year in Tuscaloosa or Atlanta? Playing in front of that crowd had no effect on the Auburn or Bama players? It was the same “quality” opponent regardless of location?Right . . .

Even 40% would be a nice improvement - the Dawgs only threw it 32% of the time last year, which was one of the lowest in FBS. The run-first philosophy is not going away but this will be the first season since Aaron Murray left that the team will not have a new QB in place, assuming Fromm starts. Five different QBs in the past five years, the last four being first-time starters - that'll make most HCs run the ball a lot. With a returning QB finally in place, and a Heisman candidate at that, Kirby and Chaney will likely open up the playbook. You could see it developing as last season progressed and confidence in Jake grew. He threw it 32 times in the NCG, and that was with a lead virtually the entire game. I don't think we'll see a 50/50 Bobo-like balance, but I expect to see the ball aired out a lot more this year.

The point he’s making is that, in a conference that catches holy hell from the rest of the country for historically not leaving the friendly confines of the south to play OOC, UF is by far the worst. We get that having FSU on the schedule every year is a ball-breaker, but damn. It doesn’t have to be Ohio State or Clemson. Play a home-and-home with Illinois or North Carolina. Just get out of the state/region like the rest of the conference is trying to do. Hopefully Mullen will make something happen.

Looks to be about 65 yards in the air. Emory didn’t catch as much HS pub in Atlanta due to the top two players/QBs in the country being just a few miles away, but he’s got a great arm too.

NFL avg for RBs last year was one every 125 touches. He’s got some work to do, but if he’s as electric as he was at UGA he’ll get plenty of rope.

Actually, the rating is for the top 33 RB prospects prior to the draft. They’re based on career numbers.

The concern is that, of 33 RBs taken in the draft, he had the 2nd worst fumble rate - once every 55 touches. For comparisons, Chubb’s rate was one every 99 touches. Best in the draft was Darrell Williams of LSU - one every 359 touches.

My bad.

I do recall that. One of those classic “you-want-more?” When I think of Sony’s toughness, I think about the Mizzou game last year. He ran over people like a steamroller. He road-graded a safety as bad as I’ve ever seen. You knew when Sony lowered the boom on him he wasn’t getting up for a while. He’ll do just fine up the middle in the NFL.

I agree. I don’t know that you can place any team with a first-year HC in bet-on-it territory. Lotta speedbumps to work through to get everyone executing on the same page. Throw in a dangerous Gator team with your previous HC walking the other sideline, and an away game out of region against one of the slyest HCs ever to wear a headset - not my money, thanks.

I'd give the early edge to Lock. Not necessarily based on skill vs Stidham, but based on the O-lines. I think Mizzou returns all 5 starters while Auburn has 4 holes to fill. Even if Auburn loads up with studs it'll take a while for them to gel. Lock, on the other hand, has been working with that same front for quite a while and knows what to expect.

Good, stable thinking. Hope it stays that way for them. Be smart with your first contract and set up your future. Splurge some if you want with the second. This is what you worked all those years for - make it count.

Uh . . . actually, if Chubb were to win, it would be 5 in a row. The SEC is already on a 4-year streak. Beckham in '14, Gurley in '15, Prescott in '16, and Kamara last year.

Key point omitted: the Cardinals knew about this BEFORE the draft. Those conversations they had with him took place in February, so they must be satisfied it’ll get dropped.