Tag: SEC football

Texas and Texas A&M need to stop bickering, renew the rivalry

After recent comments, it seems as if the rivalry with Texas A&M is further away than ever. The schools need to make up and play each other.

Ever since Justin Tucker hit a rivalry ending field goal in 2011 at Kyle Field, there has been nothing but bitterness between Texas and Texas A&M. With constant back and forth through athletic director comments, recruiting, and especially through social media, the Longhorns and Aggies have not stopped hating each other for the past nine years.

Recent comments from Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte have once again stirred the pot, with an indirect shot being taken at Texas A&M.

Texas A&M athletic director made comments back, confirming the rivalry will not be coming back any time soon.

Before the final game in 2011 occurred, questions arose when the two schools play again. Since then, no progress has been made.

As of now, Texas A&M’s non-conference schedule is filled until 2025. However, the Aggies are playing Notre Dame and are unlikely to schedule multiple Power 5 opponents in the same season.

For Texas, the schedule is booked until 2027 with upcoming series against Alabama, Arkansas, Michigan, and Ohio State. Even then, the Longhorns would have 11 Power 5 opponents on their schedule with the Aggies, Wolverines, and a full Big 12 schedule.

Within the SEC, two teams in the East have figured out how to play a big-time opponent, while maintaining in-state rivalries.

Georgia and Georgia Tech have played each other every single year since 1925. Even when the Yellow Jackets left the SEC in 1964, the two teams never missed a beat.

The other team is Florida, which plays in-state rival Florida State every single year. The Gators and Seminoles have been competing since 1958, despite never being in the same conference.

Even old Big 12 rivals who took a hiatus have found ways to make it work. Nebraska and Oklahoma will play each other in 2021, 2022, 2029, and 2030. Missouri and Kansas recently announced a four-game series starting with 2025 and 2026, while meeting again in 2031 and 2032.

Other sports have also played each other in regular-season affairs, as recent as the two men’s basketball teams agreeing to a one-off neutral site game in Fort Worth.

It is time the petty comments between athletic directors, fans, and players stop and everything is settled on the field. A long nine years have passed since the last game, with both teams struggling to find a suitable replacement for each other.

Texas has had a merry-go-round of Thanksgiving weekend opponents with Kansas, TCU, and Texas Tech all playing in Austin. Texas A&M has started to develop a rivalry with LSU, but it seems a bit one-sided since the Aggies have only beaten the Tigers once since 2012.

In the College Football Playoff era, strength of schedule is an important part of a team’s resume. Playing as many Power 5 opponents to pick up as many quality wins could be the difference between making the playoff and not making the playoff.

Nobody will ever hate Texas like Texas A&M and nobody will hate Texas A&M like Texas. The schools need to play each other, it has been long enough.

Here is a proposed schedule from Kyle Umlang:

At this point, playing on Thanksgiving should not be a priority. Just getting Texas and Texas A&M on a field in Austin, College Station, Houston, or Dallas is the priority.

Chris Del Conte and Ross Bjork, please quit the pettiness and make it happen.

Until then, enjoy this video.

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What would CFB season look like without fans in attendance?

Even if schools were to return for classes this fall, would fans even be allowed to attend games in person? Time will tell.

Honestly, I can’t even believe this is a conversation we are having to have. A few months ago, life seemed normal. People were going to work, traveling, watching sports, and so on. A few months ago, this question never existed. But here we are. A few months later, due to the coronavirus, life is definitely not normal anymore. Sports are basically on stand-by, the majority of the country is at home, and many wonder when life will ever return back to “normal.” 

But, what does this mean for the fall? Will there even be a football season? After all, spring sports were cancelled, as was spring camp for football, and so much more. Will schools even return for classes this fall? So many questions, and honestly, there are no answers. Even if schools were to return for classes this fall, would fans even be allowed to attend games in person? Time will tell.

ESPN released a study where they surveyed sports fans and asked whether they are in favor of watching televised sports without fans or if they would rather wait for sports to resume only when fans can be in attendance.

Their answer?

Out of the 1,004 fans who were surveyed, 65% were in favor of sports returning even if fans can’t be in the stands. 

So the question has to be asked. If the NCAA announces that college football season would be played, but without fans, what would this look like? 

First off, it would be eerily quiet. Some of the best parts of the games are the fans. The loud cheers, the louder boos, and the singing of the fight songs and celebratory cheers. If that was gone, would the players be as intense and excited to play? Majority of football players will tell you that the fans contribute so much energy into the game. The players feed off the fans. 

I’m not saying that the players wouldn’t enjoy playing the game without fans, but it would certainly be different for everyone. 

But another has to be the money revenue for each university. Many schools depend on their football program to make money.

A 2017 report by Business Insider shares that,

“According to data obtained from the Department of Education. To nobody’s surprise, football is the sport that is most responsible for total sports revenue. For example, at the University of Texas, the school with the most revenue from athletics ($182 million), 70% comes from football. However, the gap between football and the rest of the sports is jarring. While the average school generates $31.9 million in football revenue each year, the next 35 sports on average generate $31.7 million combined each year.” 

If the stadiums are closed to the public, that means they’re losing out on costs of tickets, parking, concession, and so on. 

Just imagine how much that would add up per home game, NOT open to the public.

Sure, schools will still make money from media rights and contribution, but in 2017, tickets accounted for 35.9% of Alabama’s revenue. In dollars, the equates $37.3 million. 

These are just a few of the many concerns and questions those in charge of making these decisions will have to think about.

Will the players enjoy playing without fans?

How will they keep the players safe if the coronavirus has another outbreak wave this fall?

Is it worth it financially to play without fans in attendance?

The list could go on and on.

And like I said earlier, only time will tell what will happen.

Maybe the coronavirus will disappear and life can return to normal, somewhat.

That would be ideal.

But that may not be the case, and there has to be a solution in case of that.

So the decision will come down to two options: Play football without fans, or delay until a later date.

Both have pros and cons, and both have risks.

At the end of the day, it will have to come to this: what’s best for the players. After all, they’re the reason we watch on Saturday anyway.

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4-star WR JJ Jones includes Georgia football in top-five

Saturday, 2021 4-star receiver JJ Jones took to Twitter to announce his list of top-5 schools and Georgia football made the cut.

Saturday, 2021 4-star wide receiver JJ Jones announced his top-5 schools on Twitter.

North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Mississippi State and Georgia made the cut for the Myrtle Beach High School prospect.

247Sports has Jones ranked as the No. 2 player in South Carolina and No. 49 receiver overall in the 2021 recruiting class.

Per the composite rankings, he is ranked as the nation’s No. 414 overall player.

In 2019, as a junior, Jones caught 45 passes for 707 yards and 15 touchdowns while being named to the All-Region team and 3rd-team All State.

Right now, 247 has South Carolina as the favorite to land the home-state prospect.

Jones holds 35 scholarship offers from across the country.

CBS CFB analyst predicts Alabama to go 12-0 in regular season in 2020

CBS Sports analyst Barrett Sallee decided to go ahead and break down the SEC for 2020, and share how he sees each team doing this fall

Everyone is hoping that the college football season will not be cancelled like so many other sporting events in 2020 due to the coronavirus. The NCAA cancelled all spring sports, ended winter sports early, and many professional sports such as MLB, NHL, and NBA are in standstill as well since the coronavirus has taken the world by storm. But college football fans all over the country are hoping that the 2020 football season will not be affected. 

At this point, there’s no certainty on what will happen this fall, but as of right now, the hope, planning, and desire for college football is there. And CBS Sports analyst Barrett Sallee decided to go ahead and break down the SEC for 2020, and share how he sees each team doing this fall.

Before we break down the entire SEC, let’s start with the Alabama Crimson Tide who is looking to showcase an epic comeback after finishing the 2019 season 11-2 after beating Michigan 35-16 in the Citrus Bowl. But Alabama started the 2019 season with strong hopes and potential to win it all. Led by juniors Tua Tagovailoa, Jerry Jeudy, and Henry Ruggs III, Alabama was the easy favorite, until they weren’t. Tua Tagovailoa’s season ending injury last November was the nail in the coffin for the Tide’s hopes of winning a national championship. But Alabama QB Mac Jones is looking to prove he’s the guy for the job, and with him returns RB Najee Harris, wide receivers DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle. 

Here’s how Sallee sees Alabama doing this fall:

 “The season sets up well for the Crimson Tide to make a run back to the College Football Playoff. Sure, there are several roster spots to replace. But the opener against a reeling USC program and a Week 3 home game against a Georgia team with plenty of roster shakeup itself sets up well for the Tide to gain plenty of experience heading into the thick of the season. They get a bye week before traveling to LSU — a team that just lost 14 players in the NFL Draft — and have home games against Texas A&M and Auburn to close out the regular season. In an SEC that is loaded with question marks, a schedule with tough games at home is crucial. Alabama has one.”

Simply put, Alabama could be even better this season than last year.

But Sallee broke down the entire SEC, so let’s go over his SEC East standings first:

SEC EAST: 

  1. Florida (11-1, 7-1) their only regular season loss? To Tennessee. 
  2. Georgia (10-2, 6-2) losses to both Florida and Alabama
  3. Tennessee ( 9-3, 6-2)  losses to Oklahoma, Alabama and Georgia 
  4.  Missouri (7-5, 3-5) losses to South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi State, and Florida
  5. South Carolina (6-6, 3-5) losses to Florida, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Georgia, LSU, and Clemson
  6. Kentucky (6-6, 2-6) losses to Florida, South Carolina, Auburn, Missouri, Tennessee, and Georgia
  7. Vanderbilt (3-9, 0-8) losses to Missouri, Kansas State, Georgia, Ole Miss,  Kentucky, South Carolina, Florida, Texas A&M, and Tennessee

SEC WEST

  1. Alabama (12-0, 8-0)
  2. Auburn (10-2, 6-2) losses to Alabama and Georgia
  3. LSU (9-3, 5-3) losses to Alabama, Auburn, and Florida
  4. Texas A&M (9-3, 5-3) losses to Alabama, Auburn and LSU
  5. Ole Miss (6-6, 3-5) losses to Baylor, Auburn, LSU, Alabama, Florida, and Texas A&M
  6. Mississippi State (5-7, 2-6) losses to NC State, Alabama, LSU, Auburn, Kentucky, and Ole Miss
  7. Arkansas (3-9, 0-8) losses to Notre Dame, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Alabama, LSU, Tennessee, Auburn, Ole Miss, and Missouri

Could we really see an Alabama vs, Florida SEC Championship matchup? It would be the first time Saban has faced the Gators under Dan Mullen in Atlanta.

That would be incredible to watch. So let’s keep hoping there is college football this year.

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SEC proves status as best conference with record number of R1 picks

the SEC once again proved they’re the best conference in the country after beating it’s own record for the number of first round draft picks

On Thursday night, the Southeastern Conference once again proved they are the best conference in the country after beating it’s own record for the number of first round draft picks.

With 15 selections on Thursday night, including the No. 1 overall, pick Joe Burrow, the SEC broke its previous record for first-round draft picks.

The conference had 12 first-rounders in both 2013 and 2017.

LSU led the SEC on Thursday night with 5 first round picks. The Alabama Crimson Tide had 4 first round picks. Both Auburn and Georgia had two first-round selections, while Florida and South Carolina both had one.

Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa was drafted by Miami as the 5th overall pick, Jedrick Wills Jr. was drafted by the Cleveland Browns as the 10th overall pick, Henry Ruggs III was drafted as the 12th overall pick by the Las Vegas Raiders, and Jerry Jeudy was the last Alabama player taken off the board in the first round as the 15th overall pick to the Denver Broncos.

When you look at round 1 of the 2020 NFL Draft in its entirety, the SEC had 46% of the first round picks. And no other conference in college football had more than 5 first round picks.

As Day 2 begins on Friday night, according to the latest round 2 mock draft by USA Today, three Alabama players are predicted to be drafted in the 2nd round.

There’s no doubt that round 2 will be just as interesting to watch as round 1 was on Thursday night. Several teams made surprising trades and picks to spice up the draft in round one.

Alabama safety Xavier McKinney was a first round prediction but is still on the board. Also still on the board for Alabama is QB Jalen Hurts, CB Trevon Diggs, LB Terrell Lewis, DT Raekwon Davis, DB Jared Mayden, LB Anfernee Jennings and S Shyheim Carter.

Stay tuned for more NFL draft coverage from the team at Roll Tide Wire, part of USA TODAY Sports!

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NCAA approves new rule changes ahead of 2020 CFB season

Tuesday, the NCAA released several new rule changes for the 2020 college football season.

Tuesday, the NCAA released several new approved rules regarding targeting, instant reviews, jersey numbering, clock management and referee jurisdiction.

  1. Targeting

Players that are called for targeting will now be allowed to remain on the sidelines with their team. Previously, players that were called for targeting were required to spend the rest of the game in the locker room.

2. Instant Review

Pace of play has been a recent point of concern for the NCAA. As the aspect of video review expands every year, the average pace of play increases and now games approach the four-hour mark more often. To combat the increased game times, the NCAA approved a rule that limits reviews that are not “end of game reviews” and reviews that are “exceedingly complicated” to two minutes.

3. Jersey Numbers

Players are now allowed to wear the same numbers, regardless of position, as long as they are not on the field at the same time. Additionally, the number “0” is now allowed.

4. Clock Management

In previous years, if officials believed there was time remaining at the end of the game, the play could be reviewed and if video proved there was any time remaining, referees held the power to put that amount of time back on the clock. Now, if review proves there was time remaining on the clock, it has to be at least three seconds or the game is over.

5. Referee Jurisdiction

In 2020, referees will hold control over the games 90 minutes before kickoff. In previous years, officials held control of the game 60 minutes before kickoff. The NCAA hopes that the extra time will limit the negative interactions between teams during warm-ups.

How will Todd Monken’s air raid offense translate to Georgia football?

New Georgia football offensive coordinator Todd Monken takes over a talented UGA offense with air-raid scheme.

After a pedestrian year from the Georgia Bulldogs on offense in 2019, Kirby Smart wasted no time making scheme changes, bringing in Todd Monken from the Cleveland Browns to take over for James Coley as offensive coordinator and play caller.

Monken has coached all over the football landscape, including 23 years of college coaching experience and eight years coaching in the NFL.

Most recently, Monken spent a season as the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns and before that, three seasons as the offensive coordinator and receivers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

As offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State from 2011-2012, Monken coached Brandon Weeden, Justin Blackmon and the air-raid Cowboys offense to record breaking seasons, averaging well over 500 yards a game.

So, how does Monken’s air-rade scheme fit with a Georgia team built for defense and a power run game?

In 2019, the Bulldogs struggled with the deep passing game and the blame can’t be all on Coley, as Jake Fromm had issues with his deep ball and other than George Pickens, receivers either struggled with injuries, getting separation from defenders or dropped passes.

In 2020, there will be no shortage of depth or talent on the Georgia offense and in the light of recent off-season moves, it seems Kirby is planning to be more aggressive offensively.

The Bulldogs bring in a great arm in Wake Forest transfer quarterback Jamie Newman, paired with returning receivers George Pickens and Dominick Blaylock and added five receivers in the 2020 recruiting class.

Georgia will have the ability to stretch the field on anyone and that is exactly what Monken’s offenses do. Still, the traditional Georgia run game can only benefit from the space the air-raid creates.

As Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator in 2019, Monken led an offense that saw former Georgia great Nick Chubb run for nearly 1,500 yards, so we can expect that running backs Zamir White and James Cook will get their fair share of touches in 2020.

Bulldog fans should be excited to see what 2020 will bring for this young team. In Monken’s system, expect to see much more complex route trees than in previous years, as well as a more aggressive approach to offensive strategy because of the security blanket that is the Georgia defense.

Georgia football offers No. 2 ranked recruit in Pennsylvania

2022 4-star cornerback Keenan Nelson Jr. the No. 2 ranked player in Pennsylvania announced receiving an offer from Georgia football.

Keenan Nelson Jr, a 2022 4-star cornerback from St. Joseph’s Prep School in Philadelphia, took to Twitter to announce a scholarship offer from Georgia.

247Sports has Nelson Jr. ranked as the No. 9 cornerback, No. 2 recruit in Pennsylvania and the No. 60 prospect in the 2022 recruiting class.

At 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Nelson Jr. has the size to be an elite corner in the SEC.

Nelson Jr. holds offers from Duke, Miami and Tennessee among seven others.

Related: Georgia offers scholarship to 2022 4-star CB

Related: Georgia recruiting: Bulldogs offers 2022 4-star safety

Related: Georgia offers top-100 player in class of 2022

Related: Georgia offers 2022 4-star safety Zion Branch

On Nelson, 247Sports wrote:

“Excellent timing and technique. Quick, smooth feet. Comfortable in backpedal and transitions well to turn and run with receiver. Stays tight on hip out of breaks. Can jam and re-route. Good ball skills. Does not panic. Excels against elite competition. Runs well and possesses closing speed.”

Georgia football offers scholarship to 2022 4-star CB

Monday, the Bulldogs offered a scholarship to 2022 top-100, 4-star CB Jaylon Guilbeau from Port Arthur, Texas.

Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs staff are staying busy on the recruiting trail by offering another scholarship in the class of 2022.

On Monday, 4-star cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau from Port Arthur, Texas announced that he had received an offer from Georgia on Twitter.

Related: Georgia offers 2022 4-star safety Bryce Anderson 

The Memorial High School prospect holds offers from Alabama and LSU among 10 others.

247Sports has Guilbeau ranked as the No. 57 prospect in the 2022 class and the No. 9 cornerback.

247Sports wrote:

“Two-sport athlete who runs track (400 meters). Consistently stays low in backpedal. Willing to mix it up at the line of scrimmage. Disruptive at the catch point, thanks in part to length. Shows encouraging competitiveness when the ball is in the air.”

Guilbeau joins Bryce Anderson and Austin Jordan as the most recent Bulldog offers in the class of 2022.

Kirby and staff must have found an area they like, as all three prospects are speedy defensive backs from Texas.

Georgia football recruiting: Bulldogs offers 2022 4-star safety

Monday, Georgia football offered a scholarship to speedy 2022 4-star safety Bryce Anderson from Beaumont, Texas.

On Monday, 2022 4-star safety Bryce Anderson took to Twitter to announce a scholarship offer from Georgia.

247Sports has the Beaumont, Texas prospect ranked as the No. 4 safety and the 14th best recruit in Texas in the 2022 recruiting class.

On a national scale, he is considered the 92nd ranked player in America.

At 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, Anderson now holds offers from Georgia, LSU, Florida and Alabama among 21 others.

On Anderson, 247Sports wrote:

“Speed manifests on the field. Has played both ways as dual-threat QB and DB, but long-term fit is in the secondary. Could provide versatility thanks to athleticism, instincts, and awareness. Capable in man coverage, but also terrific covering territory as a deep safety.”

In addition to football, Anderson also runs track at West Brook High School where he ran a 10.92 100 and 22.03 200 as a freshman.

Related: Georgia offers 2022 4-star CB Jaylon Guilbeau

Right now, LSU looks like the team to beat for Anderson. All seven of 247’s crystal ball predictions are in favor of the Tigers.

Anderson joins a string of recruits that have recently received offers from the Bulldogs. It seems that Kirby Smart and the Georgia staff are targeting speed in 2022.