SB Nation User Blog: T Kyle King

Arkansas goes to the Big 12, so we get to pick up another school. Enter Clemson. I’ve said since I w...

T Kyle King — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:12:43 -0000

Arkansas goes to the Big 12, so we get to pick up another school. Enter Clemson. I’ve said since I was a freshman in college that Clemson is more of an SEC school than an ACC school. They are the Land Grant University of South Carolina, have SEC ties, and make a better fit than many of the current schools. That would be a very smooth transition for everyone. We could move UT to the West, where they have natural rivalries with Alabama and Auburn anyway. Clemson would fall into an SEC East schedule, and with games against UGA, UF, USC and Vandy every year would make for some very good matchups.

Great minds think alike . . . but, whether you agree or disagree, you can vote in the poll!

Here Comes Herschel! Here Comes Herschel! Oh, My God, a 46-Year-Old!

T Kyle King — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:24:03 -0000

Here Comes Herschel! Here Comes Herschel! Oh, My God, a 46-Year-Old!

If you're like podunkdawg, you're already well into the offseason doldrums and wondering how you're going to fill the time until the 2010 football season and the debut of Uga VIII.

Personally, I'm looking forward to the five-time defending national champion Gym Dogs' first season of the post-Suzanne Yoculan era and another season of Diamond Dog baseball in an even-numbered year, but there's something else to which to look forward:

Herschel Walker is tentatively scheduled to begin kicking tail and taking names in January.

Go 'Dawgs!

College Football Rivalries Extend Into the Courtroom; It's As It Should Be

T Kyle King — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:58:50 -0000

It should go without saying that two of my great loves in life are football and the law, so I am particularly fond of intersections between the two.

There was a time when the leaves of absence I annually filed with the courts in which I had cases pending carved out the days immediately before and after the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, and gave as the reason for my unavailability the fact that I would be "traveling to Jacksonville, Florida, for the purpose of watching the Georgia Bulldogs win a football game." I believe University of Georgia alumni who spend significant amounts of time in courtrooms are "trial attorneys," on account of the offending last five letters of "litigator."

Consequently, I was pleased to read Holly's recent posting regarding a motion for continuance filed by Alabama fans and opposed by Auburn fans with respect to a trial in the Yellowhammer State which conflicts with the national championship game.

Were I the judge in this case, I would rule in favor of the Crimson Tide faithful before gazing down upon the Tiger fans from the bench and saying, "I hold you in contempt." If the partisans of the Plainsmen expressed incredulity that I had determined them to be so out of order as to be sanctioned, I would clarify: "Oh, no, I don't mean you're in contempt of court. I just don't like you Auburn people!"

For what it's worth, I'm sure that fans of Alabama's national championship game opponent would be just fine with this motion.

Go 'Dawgs!

Could Big Ten Expansion Force the SEC to Bring In a New School?

T Kyle King — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:50:54 -0000

Big Ten expansion talk is all the rage, even here in SEC country, and, while the Notre Dame Fighting Irish remain atop the list despite being obviously unattainable and the Pittsburgh Panthers make the most sense, much attention is being paid to the apparently interested Missouri Tigers, with respect to whom Big Ten aficionados not only have an idea, they have a plan.

Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that happens. Short of the Golden Domers climbing down from their high horse (which isn’t going to happen now that the arrival of Brian Kelly has ensured Notre Dame’s inevitable return to ~~relevance~~ ~~competence~~ dominance), conference expansion is a zero-sum game; if the Big Ten increases from eleven teams to twelve by poaching Mizzou, the Big 12 decreases from twelve teams to eleven. The Big 12 is going to need a new team.

Maybe it’s just the traditionalist in me, but it seems to me that there can be only one choice for Big 12 expansion should Missouri bolt for browner pastures. The Arkansas Razorbacks have a longstanding rivalry with the Texas Longhorns, currently have a series going with the Texas A&M Aggies, and have deep Southwest Conference roots. Turnabout is fair play, so a Big Ten that includes Missouri could mean a Southeastern Conference sans Arkansas.

If the first domino falls, the line could topple all the way to the SEC’s doorstep, raising the question . . . where would the SEC turn if it had to replace the Hogs? The options, it would seem, are these, in no particular order:

Louisville Cardinals: U. of L. shares an in-state rivalry with the Kentucky Wildcats and just hired longtime SEC defensive coordinator Charlie Strong. The ‘Ville would bolster the league’s basketball reputation but the Cardinals have been only intermittently good at football. Still, as a current member of an automatic BCS-qualifying conference, Louisville would have to get a look, although it’s too bad the Cards would be brought in to replace Arkansas, because a series between Bobby "Pignocchio" Petrino’s current and former schools would be fun to watch.

South Florida Bulls: I’m not saying they deserve it, but any number of SEC coaches would love another annual opportunity to travel to the recruiting hotbed of the Sunshine State. Tampa is an attractive market and USF has been consistently respectable (albeit no more than that) since making the jump to the Big East. You’d have to think the Florida Gators would scream and howl at having to add an in-state conference rival to their existing slate, though. This brings us to . . .

Florida St. Seminoles: Let’s not mince words here. If you were an SEC football fan in 1991, you thought Bobby Bowden ducked the SEC in order to pad FSU’s schedule with ACC games. It’s time to atone for that gutless decision now that the Jimbo Fisher era is underway. This would make great sense for the Gators, whose season-ender against the ‘Noles would count as a conference game, although it likely would increase the pressure on the Saurians to schedule the Miami Hurricanes more frequently. Regular trips to Tallahassee by the Georgia Bulldogs would please the conspiracy theorists among the Red and Black fan base, who would wonder regularly whether Mark Richt would just stay put once he got back to his old stomping grounds. While we’re on the subject of in-state out-of-conference rivals, I suppose I should mention . . .

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: I would be 100 per cent opposed to this idea, but you’d have to admit it makes sense. The Engineers played in the SEC for many years and were a part of some of the league’s great rivalries at one time. The Ramblin’ Wreck left the conference at the tail end of the Bobby Dodd era and had their efforts to rejoin the league rebuffed, so both sides might be lukewarm on a reconciliation. After both of this year’s ACC division champions fell to middling SEC East outfits that came into their battles for local bragging rights sporting 6-5 ledgers, it’s doubtful whether the Orange Bowl-bound Golden Tornado would want to trade a shot at a big-money bowl in the soft ACC for a lower spot in the league pecking order. In theory, Georgia Tech could enjoy home town advantage in an SEC championship game, but, honestly, that’s not much of a risk.

Clemson Tigers: Admittedly, I’m biased, but this option makes the most sense to me. The Country Gentlemen are comfortably within the SEC’s geographic footprint and share longstanding rivalries with the ‘Dawgs and the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Fort Hill Felines also share a common heritage with several other SEC schools which would make league games intriguing: Walter Riggs and John Heisman established strong ties between Clemson and the Auburn Tigers; the Alabama Crimson Tide have produced numerous coaches for the Orange and Purple, including Frank Howard, Danny Ford, and current skipper Dabo Swinney; Charley Pell landed both Clemson and Florida on probation; the LSU Tigers could host the Country Gentlemen in Death Valley before traveling to face them in Death Valley. Culturally, the Tiger faithful are a much more comfortable fit with the rabid fans of the Southeastern Conference than with the Big Ten wannabes of the Atlantic Coast Conference and an SEC association certainly wouldn’t hurt the proud Clemson baseball program. Should we be willing to trade the Razorbacks for the Tigers? Ken Hatfield certainly was, and he was an Arkansas alum.

If it were up to me, the Big Ten would add Missouri, the Big 12 would add Arkansas, the SEC would add Clemson, and the ACC would . . . actually, I don’t care what the ACC does. I say let’s ship the Hogs back to their old stomping grounds, move the Tennessee Volunteers over from the SEC East to the SEC West (where the Vols properly belong, given their natural rivalries with Alabama and Auburn), add Clemson to the SEC East, and have at it.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Apparently, Hiring Mark Richt Was Kind of a Big Deal

T Kyle King — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:10:03 -0000

Apparently, Hiring Mark Richt Was Kind of a Big Deal

Team Speed Kills takes a fair and even flattering look at arguably the Bulldogs' most successful head football coach.

Go 'Dawgs!

Dr. Saturday Knows a Lot, But He Doesn't Knowshon

T Kyle King — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:17:56 -0000

Dr. Saturday Knows a Lot, But He Doesn't Knowshon

Dr. Saturday's list of candidates for the title "Best Running Back of the Decade" includes Penn State's Larry Johnson, Kansas State's Darren Sproles, Northern Illinois's Garrett Wolfe, and Rutgers's Ray Rice, not one of whom could carry Knowshon Rockwell Moreno's jockstrap. (There's more than a couple of other guys on that list I wouldn't pick over Knowshon, either, but I'm trying to point out the most egregious examples.)

Matt Hinton is a fine fellow and a perceptive analyst, but he just flat dropped the ball on this one.

Go 'Dawgs!

Erk Update: To the Veterans Committee We Go!

T Kyle King — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:12:58 -0000

As you know, Erk Russell’s nomination to the College Football Hall of Fame was received by the National Football Foundation prior to the December 11 deadline. Out of an abundance of caution, I asked the Foundation’s special projects director to e-mail me to confirm that the package had been received.

She was kind enough to notify me that the nomination had arrived, and she added that Coach Russell already had been nominated and she would add the materials I submitted to his file. This caught me by surprise. Over the course of the last week, I have corresponded with Rosemary Carter from Georgia Southern’s athletics media relations office; Georgia sports information director Claude Felton; Ric Mandes, the co-author of Erk’s autobiography and a longtime friend of Coach Russell’s; Erk’s son, Jay Russell; Dr. David "Bucky" Wagner, the former Georgia Southern athletic director; and Statesboro Herald sports editor Matt Yogus, none of whom gave even the slightest hint of being aware that Coach Russell’s name already had been submitted. I was not told, and I did not ask, who else had nominated Coach Russell for the Hall.

Although the Foundation’s special projects director noted that Coach Russell fell short of the Hall’s requirement that a head coach serve for at least ten years, she indicated that Erk was being considered by the Hall’s Veterans Committee.

The College Football Hall of Fame Veterans Committee functions much like the committee of that same name overseeing admission to Cooperstown, examining special cases that otherwise might have slipped through the cracks.

The names of the members of the Veterans Committee are not released publicly, for fear that they will be bombarded with solicitations, but the Committee is chaired by Jack Lengyel, the longtime coach and athletic administrator who was played by Matthew McConaughey in the movie "We Are Marshall."

The Veterans Committee meets annually in early April to consider cases such as Erk Russell’s which involve special circumstances. Frankly, while this is not the ordinary avenue for getting a candidate into the Hall of Fame, I suspect it is the route that stands the best chance of success, as the decisionmakers will be looking at the overall worthiness of the nominee rather than focusing on predetermined criteria which serve an important gatekeeping function yet sometimes backfire in situations like this one.

Stay tuned.

GATA!

Independence Bowl Ranked 16th-Best Postseason Tilt

T Kyle King — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:24:00 -0000

Independence Bowl Ranked 16th-Best Postseason Tilt

At least we're in the top half.

Go 'Dawgs!

I think Georgia wins this one by ten. I am worried we will play them tough, but we'll be trailing...

T Kyle King — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:51:24 -0000

I think Georgia wins this one by ten. I am worried we will play them tough, but we'll be trailing by a field goal late in the game and they'll tack on one more score to win it by double-digits.

Beergut shares his view of the Aggies' prospects in the Independence Bowl

Not Good

T Kyle King — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:41:22 -0000

Not Good

The college football world is enjoying a hearty laugh at our expense. It's big news that Georgia has failed to hire a defensive coordinator. These are not the sorts of headlines we want our program to be making.

We either need to drain the water from Dick Bumpas's swimming pool and fill it with cash or go pluck the next Brian VanGorder from obscurity, but we need to get this deal done.

Go 'Dawgs!