And with that, we’re off and running.
Remember the mailbag and was this the fastest football season in recent memory? We say yes.
We also say…
From the “Talks too much” studios, we’re locked and loaded for the season of merry.
SEC asked and answered
We’ll have questions as well as projected bowl matchups for the teams that qualified for the postseason.
1. Alabama (11-1, 7-1; vs. Missouri in the SEC title game Saturday in Atlanta): Any chance the Tide come out flat? With Nick Saban directing this bunch’s march on Atlanta, with the stakes as high as possible for the collective and the individuals, with a spot in the college football playoff on the line? Nope. Alabama has become a true pinnacle of success in today’s college football realm. They expect to be in games like this, and they expect to succeed. That’s the mark of a great team. The mark of a dynasty? Everyone else expects them to be in games like this and expects them to succeed, too.
Nick Saban2. Ole Miss (9-3, 5-3): How long before Hugh Freeze cashes in? Well, that was quick. According to the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Freeze and Ole Miss agreed on a contract extension and a raise late Monday night. Here’s the link. Freeze, who was among those being mentioned with the Florida opening, will be in the neighborhood of $4 million a year, and we all know that’s a pretty nice neighborhood. Bowl projection: Outback Bowl vs. Wisconsin, Jan. 1
3. Mississippi State (10-2, 6-2): Where does Dan Mullen’s postage news conference meltdown rank among the all-time postage news conference meltdowns? It was certainly not an all-timer – think Dennis Green’s “They are who we thought they are” and Mike Gundy’s “I’m a man, I’m 40!” – but it got emotional after the Egg Bowl loss to Ole Miss. Mullen’s words were calculated – especially his “We came here to build a championship program” and how no one is laughing about that any more – but his facial expressions relay the emotional investment on rivalry weekend, especially when a potential bid in the playoff was on the line. Bowl projection: Orange Bowl vs. Florida State, Dec. 31.
4. Georgia (9-3, 6-2): Can we put the end of the game squib quick in the file with the prevent defense of sensible ideas in theory that practically are flawed? Take Georgia’s ill-fated decision to squib kick with a three-point lead and less than 20 seconds last Saturday. Now if the other team has a legit home-run threat back deep, maybe you consider squib kicking, but we can still say it’s a bad move. In a late game situation, the “safeness” of a squib kick gives up distance and time – the two things the other team puts the most value on in those situations. (Side question: It’s curious how Georgia fans view this season with the spanking of Clemson and Auburn and allowing 800-plus rushing yards in losses to Florida and Tech.) Bowl projection: Taxslayer.com Bowl vs. Duke, Jan. 2
5. Missouri (10-2, 7-1; vs. Alabama in the SEC title game Saturday in Atlanta): Do the Tigers have a chance Saturday? A slim one, but yes, as our man Lloyd Christmas reminds us, we are saying there’s a chance. It will take some turnovers – and the defensive end tandem of Marcus Golden and Shane Ray will need to show out – and a monster game from Maty Mauk. Still, it seems like a long shot to be counting on Lil’ Maty to beat Nick and the boys, you know? Bowl projection: Citrus Bowl vs. Clemson, Jan. 1
6. Auburn (8-4, 4-4): Can Auburn land WIll Muschamp as its defensive coordinator? We think it is very possible and are starting to lean toward probable, especially if Muschamp calls Alabama offensive coordinator and former USC and Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin to ask about the year experiment of taking a step back for a short time. Kiffin has reshaped his image a great deal with a highly successful season in Tuscaloosa. Muschamp very likely could do the same, it’s just a matter of where. Here’s saying it will be Auburn. Bowl projection: Music City Bowl vs. Louisville, Dec. 30.
Florida head coach Will Muschamp7. LSU (8-4, 4-4): How do we feel about these Tigers? An up-and-down season ended on a high with LSU’s Thanksgiving night win over Texas A&M, and the showcase effort by freshman running back Leonard Fournette. The Tigers likely are as youthful as anyone – a fact that will make the bowl practice interesting for LSU – but there are legit quarterback questions. Still, a rebuilding year that finishes 8-4 is a testament to the status of the program Les Miles has crafted in Baton Rouge. Bowl projection: Texas Bowl vs. Texas, Dec. 29
8. Texas A&M (7-5, 3-5): How do we feel about these Aggies? It seems a fair question considering the roller coaster Texas A&M traveled this year. It was the Week 1 king of college football before imploding and then delivered a knockout gut punch at Auburn before losing in its home finale. The young talent is well-documented but the defense allowed an average of more than 36 points per game in SEC play. And at $5 million per, Kevin Sumlin needs to produce more than postseason excursions to Shreveport. Bowl projection: Independence Bowl vs. Miami, Dec. 27
9. Florida (6-5, 4-4): Is Florida still a top-five job? Absolutely. Facilities, locale, conference, recruiting base, resources, the guy who lands the Gators gig has a chance to win quickly. Among the front-runners are Colorado State’s Jim McElwain and potentially New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Bowl projection: Heart of Dallas Bowl vs. Marshall, Dec. 26
10. Arkansas (6-6, 2-6): How giddy are the Hogs for 2015? We’d say the excitement meter is red-lining for a program that snapped its two-year SEC losing streak and surged through the final month of the season that, depending on draft declarations, could welcome back eight offensive starters, including four linemen and the majority of its playmakers. This could be next year’s Mississippi State. Bowl projection: Birmingham Bowl vs. Memphis, Jan. 3
11. Tennessee (6-6, 3-5): How giddy are the Vols for 2015? Every bit as excited as the Hogs, and maybe even mores. UT will be in the conversation among the favorites in the SEC East next considering the number of players returning, including quarterback Josh Dobbs. The offensive line never improved in 2014, which is a concern, but the pieces everywhere else are shiny and skilled and will be a year older. Bowl projection: Liberty Bowl vs. West Virginia, Dec. 29
12. South Carolina (6-6, 3-5): How much does the Ol’ Ball Coach have left? It’s hard to know how Steve Spurrier will rebound from this massive disappointment. He will be 70 in the spring and will have to replace quarterback Dylan Thompson among others. Still the Gamecocks likely will welcome in a top-10 recruiting class and with newness comes rejuvenation. Now you young kids get off Spurrier’s porch. Bowl projection: Belk Bowl vs. North Carolina, Jan. 3
13. Kentucky (5-7, 2-6): How will the UK fan base view 2014? The excitement that was a 5-1 start that included what at the time seemed to be a monster win over South Carolina has been calmed greatly by the 0-6 downfall. So, what’s UK’s position in the ultimate half-full/half-empty scenario, especially since a salty defensive line will be hurt by graduation and offensive coordinator Neal Brown left for the Troy job? We think the Cats took a small step forward all things considered but Mark Stoops will need another big-time recruiting effort this offseason.
14. Vandy (3-9, 0-8): Where does Vandy turn for an offensive coordinator? After announcing that Karl Dorrell will not be back after a wretched year in Nashville, Derek Mason and Co. need to find someone that can meld the skills of the potpourri of quarterbacks that Vandy used. A quick call to Kurt Roper, the former Duke OC who spent one disastrous year with the malfunctioning Gators might be a wise play for Mason.
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NFL Power Poll
We sprint into the final month, and the NFL cliche of teams being what their records say they are is completely correct. Well, in most cases.
We know the Falcons and the Saints are flawed. We also know that one of them will be a playoff team hosting a postseason game.
There’s also the view from the Arizona Cardinals, who are certainly among the teams with the best records in the league, but with back-up quarterback Drew Stanton now running things, the Cardinals are not as promising or powerful as their 9-3 mark would suggest.
The others, though, are, especially the group that comprises the top four.
Here’s the best teams in the NFL:
Green Bay. Yes, home-field was a huge advantage in Sunday’s win over New England, but still, a win’s a win. How impressive was the Packers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers? Commander Curmudgeon himself Bill Belichick was almost in the locker room before heading back to the field to shake Rodgers’ hand. One day some of the kids from the neighborhood carried my mother’s groceries all the way home. You know why? It was outta respect.
New England. The Patriots are still in the drivers’ seat in the AFC, and that’s a good place to be. That said, New England’s lack of perimeter playmakers was apparent late Sunday in Green Bay. Wow, what would Tom Brady’s numbers look like if he had more than Rob Gronkowski and a whole lot of intramural all-stars running patterns.
Denver. Speaking of scary, how good does the Denver offense look with a legitimate power back in C.J. Anderson? With all the Peyton Manning can do at the line of scrimmage, giving him a serious threat of checking into a running play gives him an almost unfair advantage. Omaha, Omaha.
Seattle. Welcome back Legion of Boom. Wins over Arizona and San Francisco in five days put the Seahawks right back to where we expected them to be. All the distractions and background noise has faded, and Seattle looks the part of contender again.
Indianapolis. We give the slight edge to the Colts over the Philadelphia Eagles, who are a game better in the standings, because the Colts have Andrew Luck. And sometimes it’s better to have Luck than wins. Trust us.
Bottom five
Tampa Bay. Considering the preseason buzz and the moves heading into the year, the Buccaneers are likely the most disappointing team in the NFL. That said, receiver Mike Evans is a beast. Or as J.J. would say, “Dy-NO-mite.”
New York Jets. The Florida Gators of the NFL. Defensive-minded head coach who will have no problem finding work after he moves along. Still, Rex Ryan and Co. have left an absolute hot mess. They only threw 13 passes Monday night. In a loss.
Tennessee. We asked this on Monday on Press Row and we still did not get an answer. If you are a Titans fan, what excites you about the future? Anyone. Bueller. Seriously, Tennessee likely will have a top-five pick in next May’s draft and have a litany of needs. Is this NFL offseason the equivalent of a college football fan being really stoked about recruiting?
Jacksonville. If the Jags moved to say London, how long would it take for the casual sports fan to notice? What if they changed their name to like the Jacksonville Football Club, would people even flinch. At least that way their general lack of production could be mildly blamed on soccer, which is a fine start. Friendly my tuckus.
Oakland. Well, how was that for an encore after the team’s first win of the season? Oakland takes its new sense of confidence and purpose to St. Louis and gets pantsed 52-bagel. To the Rams. E-gad.
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Big 12 decision going into tonight
Big 12 decision going into tonight
We will get the penultimate rankings from the College Football Playoff committee tonight, and that’s important because a) we get to see who has what edge for spot No. 4 going into the final weekend of the season and b) we got to use the word penultimate.
That said, here’s out guess for tonight:
Alabama
Oregon
Florida State
Ohio State
Yes, No. 4 is a surprise there, but the Big 12 being left out could very well be self-inflicted. The Big 12 announced Monday that they will view Baylor and TCU as co-champions if both win their regular-season finales.
WHAT? Co-Champions? Seriously? That’s awful. And cowardly.
The league is going to left the committee view them equally – with co-champion status mind you – despite the fact that Baylor won the game head-to-head. Yes, that’s right, with the simplest tie-breaker of all-time in front of them, the powerless powers that be at the Big 12 will fiddle while Waco burns.
And this is from a conference that says playing every team in your conference rather than playing a title game is the best way to crown a conference champ. In fact, their slogan was “One True Champion” which is swell and all except when there are apparently two true champions. Or maybe three sometime down the road, huh?
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This and that
– Tiger feels great. Insert Frosted Flakes joke here. That said, today is Dan Jenkins’ 85th birthday. Here’s guessing Tiger did not send a card.
– The L.A. mayor is very confident the NFL will be returning to the nation’s second largest city. Here’s a story. The three leading teams mentioned to move to L.A. in the article are Oakland, San Diego and St. Louis.
– Brady Hoke learns his fate today. We see ZERO way he survives as Michigan’s head coach.
– Speaking of that, did the Nebraska decision to axe Bo Pelini after he won at least nine games a year in his seven seasons continue to erode job security among football coaches? Look at it this way, how does anyone make an argument that Hoke’s performance has been acceptable and deserves to keep his gig if Nebraska deems 9-4 unsatisfactory? Wouldn’t you be sending the message that the other program in your league refuses to accept anything less than contending for championships.
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Today’s question
Today is the 25th anniversary of the first Iron Bowl played at Auburn.
It’s also the first birthday of Press Row, drive-time edition.
We’re dealing with a lot of stuff.
In honor of that Auburn-Alabama game is what’s the most memorable sporting event you ever attended?
Go. And, since it’s a True-or-False Tuesday, feel free to offer up a a true-or-false question.