Not enough focus on just how poorly the Ducks performed in 2/3 of the game. Yes, Nix’s skills and Dillingham’s schemes gave us consistent high level offense. But, special teams and defense were unwatchable. It was painful. And, no one on the outside is putting enough emphasis on that. No one knows what’s being said inside the program, but those two coordinators should be gone. Coaching is demonstrated by improvement over the season. We saw zero improvement from game one to game 13.
I still don't understand the kicking game. Early on the kicked the ball out of the end zone and had no kick returns at all. About halfway through the season, they start kicking it short. If they just kicked it out of the end zone against osu, they win the game based on time.
Tonight was just one game, just like the one in September. GA barely beat tOSU just last week. The same tOSU that lost to Michigan, that lost to TCU. What you say about talent being important now was true 30 years ago, with the same dynamic in play - haves and have nots.
But the talent pool and talent acquisition are way different now, as you know. The portal has changed everything. Coaches no longer need to win the recruiting battle to win the recruiting war. That kid you just missed out on could be back in a year.
College football has gotten a lot more interesting - and competitive - than I think your column takes into account. When 12 teams get access to the playoff it's going to be off-the-charts good. Big upsets will happen. Teams we wrote off will march through the playoffs.
Georgia will always have an advantage because it is the 4th best state for football talent [behind TX, FL & CA]. Look at their current roster: the majority of their kids are GA kids.
But expanding the CFP will help to keep some of the fleeing blue chip west coast players home. Brock Bowers, DJU & Bryce Young are all CA kids who chased the playoff with blue bloods. Ohio State pulled Embuka, Tuimalou, & G. Scott out of WA. That sucking sound you have heard for the last 10+ years is the whoosh of blue chip west coast talent rushing out of our footprint.
If blue chip kids think Oregon, Washington or Utah can make it to the CFP, they might stay & play in conference [especially if NIL is used right]. This will marginally weaken the blue Bloods & strengthen the next tier teams.
Also, 9-game conference schedules are tactically stupid. They give half of the conference up to an extra loss that could have been a win against an OOC team. This drops them in the polls & weakens every other conference team's strength of schedule PLUS it adds a more difficult, physical game beating to each conference team's players [vs playing a "cupcake"].
There are practical & functional reasons why the SEC is better positioned in the polls and for the post-season. And it's much more than football "just means more". Mike Slive and Greg Sankey made chess moves while Larry Scott struggled with checkers. Hopefully George Kliavkoff has the capability to recover, but Scott left him a bad board.
Not enough focus on just how poorly the Ducks performed in 2/3 of the game. Yes, Nix’s skills and Dillingham’s schemes gave us consistent high level offense. But, special teams and defense were unwatchable. It was painful. And, no one on the outside is putting enough emphasis on that. No one knows what’s being said inside the program, but those two coordinators should be gone. Coaching is demonstrated by improvement over the season. We saw zero improvement from game one to game 13.
I still don't understand the kicking game. Early on the kicked the ball out of the end zone and had no kick returns at all. About halfway through the season, they start kicking it short. If they just kicked it out of the end zone against osu, they win the game based on time.
Tonight was just one game, just like the one in September. GA barely beat tOSU just last week. The same tOSU that lost to Michigan, that lost to TCU. What you say about talent being important now was true 30 years ago, with the same dynamic in play - haves and have nots.
But the talent pool and talent acquisition are way different now, as you know. The portal has changed everything. Coaches no longer need to win the recruiting battle to win the recruiting war. That kid you just missed out on could be back in a year.
College football has gotten a lot more interesting - and competitive - than I think your column takes into account. When 12 teams get access to the playoff it's going to be off-the-charts good. Big upsets will happen. Teams we wrote off will march through the playoffs.
It's gonna be sweet.
Georgia will always have an advantage because it is the 4th best state for football talent [behind TX, FL & CA]. Look at their current roster: the majority of their kids are GA kids.
But expanding the CFP will help to keep some of the fleeing blue chip west coast players home. Brock Bowers, DJU & Bryce Young are all CA kids who chased the playoff with blue bloods. Ohio State pulled Embuka, Tuimalou, & G. Scott out of WA. That sucking sound you have heard for the last 10+ years is the whoosh of blue chip west coast talent rushing out of our footprint.
If blue chip kids think Oregon, Washington or Utah can make it to the CFP, they might stay & play in conference [especially if NIL is used right]. This will marginally weaken the blue Bloods & strengthen the next tier teams.
Also, 9-game conference schedules are tactically stupid. They give half of the conference up to an extra loss that could have been a win against an OOC team. This drops them in the polls & weakens every other conference team's strength of schedule PLUS it adds a more difficult, physical game beating to each conference team's players [vs playing a "cupcake"].
There are practical & functional reasons why the SEC is better positioned in the polls and for the post-season. And it's much more than football "just means more". Mike Slive and Greg Sankey made chess moves while Larry Scott struggled with checkers. Hopefully George Kliavkoff has the capability to recover, but Scott left him a bad board.