ajzepp Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 I live about 30 min from the University of Georgia. Although I'm not a fan of the school or the team, per se, I do enjoy following all the major players in the SEC. Well, I've been following this idea of Mark Richt's (head coach) to assemble a "Dream Team" of sorts of some of the top prospects coming out of high school. Now I don't know a THING about high school players, but as some of you guys know, the south is a hot bed for some of the best football talent in the country. Anyway, as it turns out, Coach Richt's plan has paid off. This week they got their crown jewel in HB Isiah Crowell. They've also recently obtained commitments from a handful of other players who are among the best at their respective positions, and GA has been viewed as having one of the top draft classes this year. There is talk that one DE who had supposedly signed elsewhere was now reconsidering his decision and may end up signing with the Dawgs tomorrow (saturday). Anyway, I thought this whole recruitment effort was a lot of fun to follow, and I'm happy for Coach and the UGA fan base. Coach Richt is a really great guy and while he's not necessarily been on the hot seat, he's certainly been on the warm seat. UGA does have one of my favorite QBs in the country - Aaron Murray - so this should be a very interesting team to watch as early as this September. UGA opens up with a nationally televised game against Boise St and then they play the SEC East champs, South Carolina. Any of you guys have some takes on other college teams that might be making some key moves as of late? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Having lived in Knoxville I know full well that SEC football is like religion to some. We moved to Nashville at one point and if you travel I-40 east towards Knoxville on a Friday evening before a Saturday game it is literally a convoy of SEC (mostly UT) fans flying flags and heading in for football. It is absolutely amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted February 5, 2011 Author Share Posted February 5, 2011 Having lived in Knoxville I know full well that SEC football is like religion to some. We moved to Nashville at one point and if you travel I-40 east towards Knoxville on a Friday evening before a Saturday game it is literally a convoy of SEC (mostly UT) fans flying flags and heading in for football. It is absolutely amazing. Yep, that's a big reason why I have become more a fan of college football than I ever was when I lived back north. As critical as I am of some of the "fans" of the Atlanta pro teams, the college teams in and around this area have some of the most passionate and loyal fan bases in all of sports. Speaking of UT, I was bummed when Lane Kiffin took the USC job. I thought it was great to have a trash talking coach stirring things up down here...calling out the Gators, etc. But yeah, it's nearly impossible to live in the southeast part of the country and not become interested in the happenings among these SEC teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted February 5, 2011 Author Share Posted February 5, 2011 Here's an ESPN write-up on the signing classes of the SEC teams...can't wait til Kickoff 2011!!!! http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/tag/_/name/2011-signing-day-wrap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Yep, that's a big reason why I have become more a fan of college football than I ever was when I lived back north. As critical as I am of some of the "fans" of the Atlanta pro teams, the college teams in and around this area have some of the most passionate and loyal fan bases in all of sports. Speaking of UT, I was bummed when Lane Kiffin took the USC job. I thought it was great to have a trash talking coach stirring things up down here...calling out the Gators, etc. But yeah, it's nearly impossible to live in the southeast part of the country and not become interested in the happenings among these SEC teams. My wife and I are trying to get the house here in Dallas sold so we can move back to Knoxville. When we get there I am probably going to buy a couple of season tickets to the UT games. My wife does not like football (much to her father's dismay) but I would enjoy attending a couple of games. Her cousin is a faithful member of the "Vol Navy." I think "the navy" is one of the coolest traditions in all sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted February 6, 2011 Author Share Posted February 6, 2011 My wife and I are trying to get the house here in Dallas sold so we can move back to Knoxville. When we get there I am probably going to buy a couple of season tickets to the UT games. My wife does not like football (much to her father's dismay) but I would enjoy attending a couple of games. Her cousin is a faithful member of the "Vol Navy." I think "the navy" is one of the coolest traditions in all sport. That's awesome...I have never been there, but I have some friends who are from TN and have been to games...they said it was quite the experirence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodBye Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Having lived in Knoxville I know full well that SEC football is like religion to some. We moved to Nashville at one point and if you travel I-40 east towards Knoxville on a Friday evening before a Saturday game it is literally a convoy of SEC (mostly UT) fans flying flags and heading in for football. It is absolutely amazing. Sounds like I-5 south on game day for either UofO or Or State. It's jammed with cars, fans, and flags. Pretty cool to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills99999 Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 I live about 30 min from the University of Georgia. Although I'm not a fan of the school or the team, per se, I do enjoy following all the major players in the SEC. Well, I've been following this idea of Mark Richt's (head coach) to assemble a "Dream Team" of sorts of some of the top prospects coming out of high school. Now I don't know a THING about high school players, but as some of you guys know, the south is a hot bed for some of the best football talent in the country. Anyway, as it turns out, Coach Richt's plan has paid off. This week they got their crown jewel in HB Isiah Crowell. They've also recently obtained commitments from a handful of other players who are among the best at their respective positions, and GA has been viewed as having one of the top draft classes this year. There is talk that one DE who had supposedly signed elsewhere was now reconsidering his decision and may end up signing with the Dawgs tomorrow (saturday). Anyway, I thought this whole recruitment effort was a lot of fun to follow, and I'm happy for Coach and the UGA fan base. Coach Richt is a really great guy and while he's not necessarily been on the hot seat, he's certainly been on the warm seat. UGA does have one of my favorite QBs in the country - Aaron Murray - so this should be a very interesting team to watch as early as this September. UGA opens up with a nationally televised game against Boise St and then they play the SEC East champs, South Carolina. Any of you guys have some takes on other college teams that might be making some key moves as of late? With that big, dark cloud hanging over Auburn, you should expect to see the other SEC schools steal some pretty good recruits. I hope they can stay under budget with the higher salaries they will have to pay all those blue-chippers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted February 6, 2011 Author Share Posted February 6, 2011 (edited) With that big, dark cloud hanging over Auburn, you should expect to see the other SEC schools steal some pretty good recruits. I hope they can stay under budget with the higher salaries they will have to pay all those blue-chippers. Yeah, Auburn probably should enjoy this victory cause it'll need to last a while... Supposedly Florida State had what is considered the best draft class in the country this year...too bad they don't play in the SEC! (Although there are rumors about SEC expansion and Florida State has been one of the teams they would target...) EDIT: I just checked...the Dawgs ended up signing the dude they were hoping would reconsider, NT John Jenkins. This signing pretty much means they will have had the top ranked draft class this year...pretty exciting! Dawgs Dream Team Edited February 6, 2011 by ajzepp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmwolf21 Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Supposedly Florida State had what is considered the best draft class in the country this year...too bad they don't play in the SEC! (Although there are rumors about SEC expansion and Florida State has been one of the teams they would target...) It was a great signing day for the Seminoles. It was a jubilant scene on a jubilant day for Florida State, which finished with one of the top recruiting classes in the nation. Near the end of National Signing Day, ESPN.com ranked the Seminoles' 29-man class No. 1 nationally. So, too, did Scout.com. Rivals.com ranked Florida State No. 4. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/college/seminoles/os-florida-state-signing-day-roundup-20110202,0,5294354.story Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 It was a great signing day for the Seminoles. It was a jubilant scene on a jubilant day for Florida State, which finished with one of the top recruiting classes in the nation. Near the end of National Signing Day, ESPN.com ranked the Seminoles' 29-man class No. 1 nationally. So, too, did Scout.com. Rivals.com ranked Florida State No. 4. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/college/seminoles/os-florida-state-signing-day-roundup-20110202,0,5294354.story Very cool....this is the first time I've ever really paid attention to recruiting in college, so it'll be fun to see how these top classes pan out over the next couple years. I already can't wait for the 2011 Kickoff Classic in the GA Dome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmwolf21 Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Very cool....this is the first time I've ever really paid attention to recruiting in college, so it'll be fun to see how these top classes pan out over the next couple years. I already can't wait for the 2011 Kickoff Classic in the GA Dome This was a real exciting recruiting class for FSU fans. For a long time we recruited real well, and then over the last decade it started to slip. Word was that the staff got complacent and lazy and started relying more on the rankings and stars for who to target rather than doing their own recruiting and scouting to find stud players at positions of need. Chasing the stars led to recruiting a lot of talented players with disciplinary and character issues, and a lot of guys never made it on the field for FSU, flamed out, were kicked out or never made the grade to get in. This year it showed how the new coaching staff busted their asses getting out and about and recruiting the guys they wanted and needed. Obviously you can't assess a class until a couple years down the road (at least) but on paper it looks and feels like a much different class and attitude from this group (both coaching staff and players). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 This was a real exciting recruiting class for FSU fans. For a long time we recruited real well, and then over the last decade it started to slip. Word was that the staff got complacent and lazy and started relying more on the rankings and stars for who to target rather than doing their own recruiting and scouting to find stud players at positions of need. Chasing the stars led to recruiting a lot of talented players with disciplinary and character issues, and a lot of guys never made it on the field for FSU, flamed out, were kicked out or never made the grade to get in. This year it showed how the new coaching staff busted their asses getting out and about and recruiting the guys they wanted and needed. Obviously you can't assess a class until a couple years down the road (at least) but on paper it looks and feels like a much different class and attitude from this group (both coaching staff and players). That's great for FSU fans....I've always liked that team...In fact, even though I rarely watched much college ball back when I was living up north in the late 80s and 90s, I did used to watch a lot of those FSU v. Miami games since both teams were pretty solid back then. I also remember when we drafted Sam Cowart from FSU and how awesome that guy was prior to his injury. After we drafted him I took more of an interest in FSU for a bit... But anyway, yeah, the next couple years will be fun to watch for some of these teams down here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmwolf21 Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 That's great for FSU fans....I've always liked that team...In fact, even though I rarely watched much college ball back when I was living up north in the late 80s and 90s, I did used to watch a lot of those FSU v. Miami games since both teams were pretty solid back then. I also remember when we drafted Sam Cowart from FSU and how awesome that guy was prior to his injury. After we drafted him I took more of an interest in FSU for a bit... But anyway, yeah, the next couple years will be fun to watch for some of these teams down here Yeah, like you said - a lot of good talent throughout the South. If teams can recruit their backyard they will usually do OK. The SEC is definitely the 800-lb gorilla in college football, so it makes me feel good to see that a lot of the guys we signed and recruited were also heavily chased by SEC teams. If the NFL locks the players out or there is some work stoppage I won't miss it. I'll spend half as much to order the ESPN Gameplan and get my football fix that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 Yeah, like you said - a lot of good talent throughout the South. If teams can recruit their backyard they will usually do OK. The SEC is definitely the 800-lb gorilla in college football, so it makes me feel good to see that a lot of the guys we signed and recruited were also heavily chased by SEC teams. If the NFL locks the players out or there is some work stoppage I won't miss it. I'll spend half as much to order the ESPN Gameplan and get my football fix that way. That's one of the reasons I'm glad I've really gotten into college ball...the lockout thing. If they do end up locking the players out and no agreement gets done in a timely manner, they're just a bunch of jagoffs....no excuse for that. But I'd say there's a reasonable chance they won't get it done in time for the season. I don't know where you stand on the issue, but if college ball had a playoff format, I really think I'd become just as big a fan as I am of the NFL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmwolf21 Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 That's one of the reasons I'm glad I've really gotten into college ball...the lockout thing. If they do end up locking the players out and no agreement gets done in a timely manner, they're just a bunch of jagoffs....no excuse for that. But I'd say there's a reasonable chance they won't get it done in time for the season. I don't know where you stand on the issue, but if college ball had a playoff format, I really think I'd become just as big a fan as I am of the NFL. I'm definitely a playoff guy for college football. I would even settle for a +1 format if necessary but I am tired of the debate over who got screwed out of the BCS championship game each year. I think there's got to be a way they can integrate the current bowl format with a brief playoff bracket of 4-8 teams max. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 I'm definitely a playoff guy for college football. I would even settle for a +1 format if necessary but I am tired of the debate over who got screwed out of the BCS championship game each year. I think there's got to be a way they can integrate the current bowl format with a brief playoff bracket of 4-8 teams max. That's exactly how I feel. It's embarrassing to have to debate over who deserves a shot at the national championship. I end up enjoying the regular season and then hating the post-season. I agree that it would be simple enough to fix this....after all, pretty much every other sport in the country has a playoff system. They don't have to re-invent the wheel. Morons... Oh well....lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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