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SEC School Anthem Showdown

Everyone's looking for their two minutes of fame on the internet and college football fans are no exception. At first there were highlights, then compilations to music, and now it seems fans are going out of their way to (usually) humiliate themselves in front of millions (read: thousands). I've scoured the tubes in search of the best and worst SEC school anthems. Some you may be familiar with, and some you'll soon wish you weren't.

I've taken all I could find, rated, and ranked them from top to bottom. I rated each video on five distinct categories by asking myself these questions:
Visual - The video itself. Was is well made? Funny? Or was is just a single photo throughout?
Lyrics - How well are they put together? Is it the same thing for 4 minutes straight?
Music - Does it sound professional or like someone used a midi player in Windows 95? Does it evolve or repeat the same two bars over and over?
Embarrassment - How embarrassed should a fan of this school be due to this video?
Team Pride - Are the artists taking pride in their school and athletic department?

We'll open with the top five.

...more

by Streyeder -- August 25, 2009 3:36 PM

Comments: 2 | Views: 1871

SEC AND ESPN: Making Waves Throughout the NCAA

It's no secret that the SEC has inked a deal with ESPN & CBS over the next 15 years that will put the SEC at the forefront of media exposure in the college sports market across the nation. The landmark deal with the two media outlets will add $3.05 BILLION to the coffers of the SEC schools. That's $17 million/year for each and every SEC school. Think about it, a member school could go winless every year and still pull down the equivalent of winning the BCS Championship Game for the next decade and a half.

You Know the Numbers

$2.25 billion over 15 years with ESPN.
$825 million over 15 years with CBS.
$17 million to each school starting in 2009.
Comcast will add ESPNU to its base package to join ESPN/ESPN2.
5,500 SEC sporting events will be on CBS, ESPN, ESPN on ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Regional Television, ESPN360.com, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN ...more

by Streyeder -- August 7, 2009 8:43 AM

Comments: 3 | Views: 1887

Power-O

The “Power” is a staple running play in most playbooks that employ gap blocking schemes. It’s a tried and true downhill running play that’s been around in football for a very long time. It can be run from a variety of backfield sets, including the spread formation. It’s most traditional look is out of the I formation (the diagram provided), but by tweaking timing and footwork, and using motion to get backs in the right place to make the blocks, it’s effective from many sets. This is the “innovative” side of the “spread offense”. You can line up in 4 wide look, and create a defensive personnel grouping and alignment favorable for running by showing an offensive personnel set and formation that takes defenders out of the box and gives you numbers favorable to run. Or you can use a 2 back shotgun spread set employing one as a traditional fullback, or an H-Back/Tight End type. The variety of personnel groupings and pre-snap looks is what takes this play to the next level for spread teams versus the traditional I formation.

The power blocking is simple, and ...more

by JR4AU -- August 3, 2009 12:38 PM

Comments: 0 | Views: 1066

Mythical Playoffs (Round 3) '96 Florida vs '04 Auburn

* Click the links in the stories for a bit of video nostalgia (they aren't ads, we promise).
Game Fourteen: 1996 Florida Gators (12-1) vs 2004 Auburn Tigers (13-0)

Tournament to Date:
'96 Florida:
Defeated 1999 Alabama 33-20
Defeated 1995 Florida 34-30
(Players of the Game: Danny Weurffel, Chris Doering)

'04 Auburn:
Defeated 2007 LSU 24-20
Defeated 08 Florida 24-21
(Players of the Game: Jason Campbell, Carnell Williams)

Argument for '96 Florida:
This Gator offense is hitting on all cylinders. They ...more

by SECFans -- July 26, 2009 8:47 PM

Comments: 2 | Views: 718

EA Sports NCAA Football 2010 Review

What's New?

For a franchise with an annual release, the new features that each edition brings are a major factor in whether or not it's worthy of your hard earned cash. Obviously, EA's first foray into "next generation" gaming with NCAA 07 the graphics engine saw significant improvements. However, additional play modes were more or less absent, leaving players wanting more...especially when it comes to playing through more than a season or two. As the designers have grown more comfortable with the advanced technology of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the feature set has grown to rival the finest vintages from the PlayStation 2 era. NCAA Football 10 continues the progress with creative new additions, while retaining the fun-factor that the series has always had. This year’s game is worth picking up even if you already have NCAA Football 09.

First, the Campus Legend mode has been retooled and is now called Road to Glory. In it, you create a high school player who is then profiled in a documentary television show hosted by Erin Andrews of ESPN. She appears in a short vignette when your player has a ...more

by SECFans -- July 26, 2009 11:54 AM

Comments: 0 | Views: 868

Mythical Playoffs (Round 3) '92 Alabama vs '98 Tennessee

* Click the links in the stories for a bit of video nostalgia (they aren't ads, we promise).
Game Thirteen: 1992 Alabama Crimson Tide (13-0) vs 1998 Tennessee Volunteers (13-0)

Tournament to Date:
'92 Alabama:
Defeated 05 Georgia 24-13
Defeated 2003 LSU 20-14
(Players of the Game: George Teague, Eric Curry)

'98 Tennessee:
Defeated 2000 Florida 38-31
Defeated 2006 Florida 14-13
(Players of the Game: Tee Martin, Jamal Lewis)

Argument for Alabama:
For all the buzz that the Bama defense is ...more

by SECFans -- July 26, 2009 11:35 AM

Comments: 1 | Views: 991

SEC Media Days: Day 3

Oh boy, the final day of SEC Media Days has come and gone. Here's a bit of what went down today with the final four coaches taking the stand.

Gene Chizik -- Auburn

Welcome back Tubbs, as we've got yet another young Auburn squad. Chizik explained fall practice will be lighter thanks to depth issues and his want to start a 'fresh' team. He also spoke a bit on the pressures of coaching and being low-key, but really there wasn't much of note coming out of his mouth. The highlight was defending having only 12 verbals, and not many of the highly touted sort. Now, outside of the podium we did find out that Chizik has hired a new agent, Russ Campbell, a change from the notorious Jimmy Sexton.

Steve Spurrier -- South Carolina

Ok, Spurrier didn't read his SEC ballot and his assistant voted for Jevan Snead. WHO CARES. This was the most annoying part of SECMD, grilling every single coach to find the one that voted against Tebow. Spurrier has since "corrected" his vote, so Tebow is now the unanimous first team QB. ...more

by Streyeder -- July 24, 2009 9:10 PM

Comments: 0 | Views: 283

SEC Media Days: Day 2

Welcome back! Day one was just a primer before we get to the real meat of the interviews.

Rogers Redding -- SEC Coordinator of Officials

Rogers was fairly brief today, but he made a few points before heading out. Interestingly enough, the rugby punting will soon become slightly more fun. If the punter gets outside of the box then he's fair game to tackle and loses punter protection. There was another small change to the minimum number of men on the line of scrimmage. Instead, there can now be no more than four men in the backfield which equates to a minimum of seven men on the LOS. Apparently counting to six is out of range for SEC officials, but four is well within their abilities. Also changing is the rule-changing itself. Instead of altering rules each year, they will now make changes every other year. Oddly enough, these aren't considered major rules changes.

Mark Richt -- Georgia

Richt opened things today commenting on how his team must learn to not lean so heavily on its stars and work together to make ...more

by Streyeder -- July 23, 2009 10:51 PM

Comments: 1 | Views: 494

SEC Media Days: Day 1

Ahhh, you know the best time of year is right round the corner when the coaches of the greatest schools in the nation descend upon Birmingham, AL. The SEC Media Days is the yearly event that fills the papers with juicy tidbits and stories that attempt to discern how the upcoming season will play out. Here, and for the rest of Media Days, I'll be providing a nice summary of the juicy bits that flow out of Birmingham for all of you to see.

Mike Slive -- SEC Commissioner

According to Slive, the SEC is in a "Golden Age". We won 5 national titles and had 6 runners-up in the past year. We were able to fill our football stadiums to an average of 97% capacity and averaged 30k+ at the spring games! In the Summer Olympics we brought home 51 medals with 159 current athletes competing. As Slive said, "If the SEC was a nation, it would have finished fourth in the world in medal count."

Of course, there was the inevitable talk about secondary violations and the such. Basically taking one from Smokey the Bear's book, he reiterated that only the SEC can prevent the SEC ...more

by Streyeder -- July 23, 2009 9:53 AM

Comments: 0 | Views: 509

Mythical Playoffs (Round 2) 04 Auburn vs 08 Florida

* Click the links in the stories for a bit of video nostalgia (they aren't ads, we promise).
Game Twelve: 2004 Auburn Tigers (13-0) vs 2008 Florida Gators (13-1)

Tournament to Date:
04 Auburn:
Defeated 1994 Florida 27-13
(Players of the Game: Carnell Williams, Jason Williams)

08 Florida:
Defeated 2002 Georgia 31-28
(Players of the Game: Major Wright, Percy Harvin)

Argument for Auburn:
What does it take to stop the 08 UF offense? Speed and physicality. This defense had both. Quentin Groves and Stanley McClover were flat out burners off the edge. They were also big enough to handle Tebow one on one. Auburn doesn't want a high scoring affair, and considering their domination of SEC foes in 04, they may be a little uneasy if this one is close late in the game. Campbell is accurate ...more

by SECFans -- July 5, 2009 8:31 PM

Comments: 0 | Views: 977

Mythical Playoffs (Round 2) 96 Florida vs 95 Florida

* Click the links in the stories for a bit of video nostalgia (they aren't ads, we promise).
Game Eleven: 1996 Florida Gators (12-1) vs 1995 Florida Gators (12-1)

Tournament to Date:
96 Florida:
Defeated 1999 Alabama 33-20
(Players of the Game: Ike Hilliard, Reidel Anthony)

95 Florida:
Defeated 2007 LSU 24-20
(Players of the Game: Danny Wuerffel, James Bates)

Argument for 96 Florida:
To be honest, this potential match up has been looming large since the seeding came out. A question among Gator fans has always existed: 95 UF vs 96 UF. The 96 squad sports a senior Danny Wuerffel, but a little less seasoned talent at WR. ...more

by SECFans -- July 5, 2009 7:38 PM

Comments: 0 | Views: 821

Mythical Playoffs (Round 2) 92 Alabama vs 03 LSU

* Click the links in the stories for a bit of video nostalgia (they aren't ads, we promise).
Game Ten: 1992 Alabama Crimson Tide (13-0) vs 2003 LSU Tigers (13-1)

Tournament to Date:
92 Alabama:
Defeated 2005 Georgia 24-13
(Players of the Game: David Palmer, Antonio Langham)

03 LSU:
Defeated 1993 Florida 21-10
(Players of the Game: Matt Mauck, Randall Gay)

Argument for Alabama:
The 92 Bama defense looked really strong against the 05 Georgia squad. Unlike the 93 Florida defense that Matt Mauck and the LSU offense faced in the 1st round, this one imposes a real threat to the passing game. Mauck will have to minimize his mistakes, because this Tide defense will feast upon offensive miscues. Jay Barker will probably have to throw the ball more, and Gene ...more

by SECFans -- July 5, 2009 5:18 PM

Comments: 0 | Views: 718

Mythical Playoffs (Round 2) 98 Tennessee vs 06 Florida

* Click the links in the stories for a bit of video nostalgia (they aren't ads, we promise).
Game Nine: 1998 Tennessee Volunteers (13-0) vs 2006 Florida Gators (13-1)

Tournament to Date:
98 Tennessee:
Defeated 2000 Florida 38-31
(Players of the Game: Tee Martin, Peerless Price)

06 Florida:
Defeated 1997 Tennessee 24-20
(Players of the Game: Reggie Nelson, Chris Leak)

Argument for Tennessee:
98 Tennessee has a defense that can slow down this 06 UF squad. The secondary and linebackers cover well, while the defensive line would be a good match the Gators when they plug Tebow in for short yardage running. To have success, the Vols will have to be balanced on offense with the 1-2 punch of Jamal Lewis on the ground and ...more

by SECFans -- July 3, 2009 5:19 PM

Comments: 0 | Views: 657

Mythical Playoffs Series 95 Florida vs 07 LSU

* Click the links in the stories for a bit of video nostalgia (they aren't ads, we promise).

Game Eight: 1995 Florida Gators (12-1) vs 2007 LSU Tigers (12-2)

Tale of the tape:
'95 Florida Gators:
Points Per Game: 43
Points Allowed Per Game: 20
Avg. Margin of Victory: 28
Key wins: #3 Tennessee, #22 Auburn, #4 Florida State,
Losses: #1 Nebraska

'07 LSU Tigers:
Points Per Game: 39
Points Allowed Per Game: 20
Avg. Margin of Victory: 23
Key wins: #16 Florida, #14 Auburn, #4 Ohio State
Losses: UR Kentucky, UR Tennessee

Argument for Florida:
I know, I know, Nebraska. Let's get it out of the way: Florida got crushed by Nebraska in the title game 62-24. But this Gator team flat out walked the SEC in 1995. Their toughest league game was beating LSU by 18 points in Baton Rouge. They hung 62 on UT, ...more

by SECFans -- June 30, 2009 11:50 PM

Comments: 0 | Views: 444

Mythical Playoffs Series 96 Florida vs 99 Alabama

* Click the links in the stories for a bit of video nostalgia (they aren't ads, we promise).

Game Seven: 1996 Florida Gators (12-1) vs 1999 Alabama Crimson Tide (10-3)

Tale of the tape:
'96 Florida Gators:
Points Per Game: 47
Points Allowed Per Game: 17
Avg. Margin of Victory: 34
Key wins: #9 Tennessee, #12 LSU, #24 Auburn, #3 Florida State, #11 Alabama
Losses: #3 Florida State

'99 Alabama Crimson Tide:
Points Per Game: 29
Points Allowed Per Game: 20
Avg. Margin of Victory: 13
Key wins: #12 Florida (Twice), #13 Mississippi State
Losses: UR La Tech, #9 Tennessee, #5 Michigan

Argument for Florida:
The 96 Florida team is considered by many to be the best Gator team during their exceptional 90s run. The 95 squad was amazing, but didn't get the trophy. Danny Wuerffel won the heisman ...more

by SECFans -- June 30, 2009 10:42 PM

Comments: 2 | Views: 934

Xs and Os, Going Vertical

This is the second in a series describing the Xs and Os, of some base plays. I referenced Gus Malzahn's book in an earlier blog, and the Four Verticals is another base pass concept throughout football, and at all level.

What is the Four Verts concept? Some may look at a play diagram and say: "Looks like the old Hail Mary to me." It is, in fact, in most playbooks it's part of what coaches refer to as "quick game". Or not considered a full 7 step drop concept. In fact the play is designed to get the ball off in about 2.5 seconds. It's designed to hit the wide receiver in the 18-22 yard window. Coverages and blitzes can alter that a bit.

As with all other concepts, each coach will have some slight variations, but most are not far from one another on this concept. At it's base it's a four wide receiver streak route, with an underneath outlet receiver. Although it's called Four Verticals, it's actually a designed horizontal stretch of the secondary. In other words, to cover it you have to have 4 defenders at 18-22 yards ...more

by JR4AU -- June 26, 2009 11:59 AM

Comments: 2 | Views: 457

Mythical Playoffs Series 08 Florida vs 02 Georgia

Game Six: 2008 Florida Gators (13-1) vs 2002 Georgia Bulldogs (13-1)

Tale of the tape:
'08 Florida Gators:
Points Per Game: 44
Points Allowed Per Game: 13
Avg. Margin of Victory: 33
Key wins: #6 Alabama, #5 Oklahoma, #21 Florida St, #13 Georgia
Losses: #16 Ole Miss

'02 Georgia Bulldogs:
Points Per Game: 30
Points Allowed Per Game: 16
Avg. Margin of Victory: 18
Key wins: #11 Alabama, #14 Auburn, #21 Florida State
Losses: UR Florida

Argument for Florida:
We'll spare you the Tebow love-fest. But you know he's a key to a potential Gator victory. With speed to burn on the ground and through the air, guys like Demps, Rainey, and Harvin are always going to put pressure on a defense. Defensively, the '08 Florida squad was stacked as well. Brandon Spikes will make ...more

by SECFans -- June 24, 2009 11:37 PM

Comments: 2 | Views: 506

Mythical Playoffs Series 04 Auburn vs 94 Florida

Game Five: 2004 Auburn Tigers (13-0) vs 1994 Florida Gators (10-2-1)

Tale of the tape:
'04 Auburn Tigers:
Points Per Game: 32
Points Allowed Per Game: 11
Avg. Margin of Victory: 21
Key wins: #16 LSU, #13 Tennessee (Twice), #7 Georgia, #10 Virginia Tech
Losses: None

'94 Florida Gators:
Points Per Game: 41
Points Allowed Per Game: 18
Avg. Margin of Victory: 32
Key wins: #4 Alabama, #22 Tennessee
Losses: #9 Auburn, #4 Florida St

Argument for Auburn:
In a word, balance. The offense could score, the defense could hit. Like the '98 Vols, both sides of the ball were just loaded with NFL talent. The offense was led by Jason Campbell at QB who had an outstanding Senior year. Tailbacks Caddillac Williams and Ronnie Brown shared rushing duties, with Williams going over 1,200 yards ...more

by SECFans -- June 24, 2009 10:36 PM

Comments: 0 | Views: 1154

Mythical Playoffs Series 92 Alabama vs 05 Georgia

Game Three: 1992 Alabama Crimson Tide (13-0) vs 2005 Georgia Bulldogs (10-3)

Tale of the tape:
'92 Alabama Crimson Tide:
Points Per Game: 28
Points Allowed Per Game: 9
Avg. Margin of Victory: 19
Key wins: #10 Florida, #16 Ole Miss, #12 Tennessee, #23 Mississippi State, #3 Miami
Losses: None

'05 Georgia Bulldogs:
Points Per Game: 30
Points Allowed Per Game: 16
Avg. Margin of Victory: 18
Key wins: #6 LSU
Losses: #12 Florida, #14 Auburn, #5 West Virginia

Argument for Alabama:
The '92 Crimson Tide won the National Championship with a conservative offense and a devastating defense. Nearly every Bama starter on defense was ultimately drafted into the NFL. Led by the famous "Book-ends" John Copeland and Eric Curry at DE and defensive backs in George Teague, Sam Shade, Antonio Langham and Tommy Johnson, this defense ...more

by SECFans -- June 23, 2009 10:27 PM

Comments: 0 | Views: 959

Mythical Playoffs Series - 98 Tennessee vs 00 Florida

Game Four: 1998 Tennessee Volunteers (13-0) vs 2000 Florida Gators (10-3)

Tale of the Tape:
'98 Tennessee:
Points Per Game: 33
Points Allowed Per Game: 15
Avg. Margin of Victory: 19
Key wins: #25 Syracuse, #5 Florida, #14 Georgia, #16 Arkansas, #3 Florida State
Losses: None

'00 Florida:
Points Per Game: 36
Points Allowed Per Game: 21
Avg. Margin of Victory: 25
Key wins: #18 Auburn, #19 South Carolina, #20 Georgia, #22 LSU,
Losses: #24 Mississippi State, #2 Miami, #5 Florida State

Argument for Tennessee:
This UT squad, minus Peyton Manning, managed to win the title in '98. Tee Martin led them there with a strong arm and decent running ability. It didn't hurt that his WR corps included ...more

by SECFans -- June 23, 2009 10:17 PM

Comments: 0 | Views: 819

Mythical Former SEC Champion Playoffs

Mythical playoffs are all the rage these days. Everyone loves speculating over 8 or 16 team end-of-year playoffs to determine the NCAA football champion. At SECFans.com, we like playoffs too. What better way to fill the downtime of the off-season than to speculate over a dream backyard brawl of former SEC Championship game winners? That's right, over the next few days we are going to see what could happen if these SEC champs went toe-to-toe.

Here's some details. We seeded from #1-4, giving preference to final record, ranking, and strength of schedule. The 4 undefeated champions naturally got the four available #1 seeds. Next, we seeded the #4's. Before the #4's were seeded, however, we had to bring the field down to 16 (there have been 17 SEC winners of SEC Championship games). Sorry LSU fans, the '01 squad just didn’t make the cut. There have been multiple 3 loss SEC Champions since 1992, and one had to go. Unfortunately for '01 LSU, their strength of schedule ranking was 23rd that year. '99 Alabama and '00 Florida both had the #1 ranked SOS in their respective ...more

by SECFans -- June 23, 2009 7:25 PM

Comments: 4 | Views: 3076

Mythical Playoffs Series 03 LSU vs 93 Florida

Game One: 2003 LSU Tigers (13-1) vs 1993 Florida Gators (11-2)

Tale of the tape:
'03 LSU:
Points Per Game: 34
Points Allowed Per Game: 11
Avg. Margin of Victory: 26
Key wins: #3 Oklahoma, #7 Georgia (twice)
Losses: #24 Florida

'93 Florida Gators:
Points Per Game: 40
Points Allowed Per Game: 19
Avg. Margin of Victory: 26
Key wins: #12 Tennessee, #14 Alabama
Losses: #1 Florida St, #4 Auburn

Argument for LSU:
First things first: the LSU squad had one of the most impressive defenses to ever grace the league. Allowing a paltry 11 points per contest, the Tigers didn't have to score that many points to win a game. Still, they managed to put up 34 points a game with a talented offense. Loaded at RB with guys like Justin Vincent and Joseph Addai, the LSU running attack would put some ...more

by SECFans -- June 22, 2009 9:35 PM

Comments: 1 | Views: 738

Mythical Playoffs Series 06 Florida vs 97 Tennessee

Game Two: 2006 Florida Gators (13-1) vs 1997 Tennessee Volunteers (11-2)

Tale of the tape:
'06 Florida:
Points Per Game: 29
Points Allowed Per Game: 14
Avg. Margin of Victory: 18
Key wins: #3 LSU, #25 Tennessee, #23 Georgia, #2 Ohio State
Losses: #9 Auburn

'97 Tennessee:
Points Per Game: 33
Points Allowed Per Game: 22
Avg. Margin of Victory: 16
Key wins: #11 Auburn, #5 UCLA, #10 Georgia,
Losses: #2 Nebraska, #4 Florida

Argument for Tennessee:
The 97 Vols were a bit of an anomaly. One one hand, their potent offense led by Peyton Manning had no trouble finding the end zone. But they had a hard time closing out games because their defense allowed 22 points per contest. They matched up well against the '06 Gators in a number of areas. Florida didn't face an offense in 2006 that was nearly as effective as the '97 Vols. Manning was great, but the Gators defense would also have to account for ...more

by SECFans -- June 22, 2009 1:47 PM

Comments: 2 | Views: 667

The Sec, Great And Getting Better

I played for the University of Georgia from 1977-1980. I remember in those days the national football consciousness was focused on the likes of USC, Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas and maybe Alabama. Alabama was the SEC in those days, winning conference championships almost on a annual basis and two national championships while I was at UGA alone. After Bama, who else was there? Georgia won a few SEC championships and the 1980 National Championship. LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn and Tennessee had rich traditions but it had been a while since their glory days. Florida was a decade away from becoming what they are today.

I remember making some All-American teams and having the distinct feeling that I as a Southerner and particularly from a Southern school was looked down upon. Maybe that was my insecurity, but I don't think so. The rest of the country didn't respect the SEC. Maybe it was for good reason, because as I stated earlier Alabama was ...more

by Rex1980 -- June 22, 2009 12:02 PM

Comments: 1 | Views: 274

In Defense of "Weak" SEC Scheduling

With all due respect to Pat Forde, he's wrong. Earlier this week, he wrote quite the incendiary article perpetuating a common misconception: weak SEC scheduling. Clearly, he does a good job echoing the hackneyed perception that the SEC schedules numerous weak OOC opponents to avoid playing the big boys. His omissions in the article, however,
tell an entirely different story.

Five. Five is the number of teams finishing in the top 25 last year that Florida had to play to win the national championship (be it mythical or otherwise). Interestingly enough, those five teams don't include these others that the Gators had to beat: Miami, LSU, Arkansas, South Carolina. LSU was ranked 4th when UF played them, South Carolina was 25th. Florida finished with the #2 strength of schedule in the nation when all was said and done, including back to back games against the #1 teams in the land: Alabama and Oklahoma.

What's considered fair? Forde starts his article congratulating Bama and Florida for their OOC efforts ...more

by GatorChomp -- June 10, 2009 6:45 AM

Comments: 2 | Views: 1243

This is how rumors get started...

When Al Gore was a child, tinkering with electronic communication in his grandparents basement, he couldn’t have envisioned the world he was on the verge of creating. When Gore unleashed his Internet on the unsuspecting globe, he radically changed the way information is transmitted, processed, collected, stored, presented and accessed.

It’s almost impossible to remember a time -- which really wasn't that long ago -- when even the most obscure information wasn’t accessible at the touch of a button. Trying to remember who was Best Supporting Actress in 1993? No need to go to the library or phone your Oscar-obsessed friend. Five seconds of Google nets you the answer: Anna Paquin. Want to learn to make your own sushi? There are seven million answers in thirty seconds or less.

For all the ways Gore’s Internet changed the world for good, there are also negative aspects.

The worst of these is in the news reporting. Time was that the newspapers, radio and television stations had the market cornered when it came to news reporting and particularly the realm of analysis. No more. The advent of instant news has opened the cycle to all ...more

by kstrick9 -- June 8, 2009 4:18 PM

Comments: 0 | Views: 441

Mike Gottfried Gives SECFans.com His Take on the SEC in 2009

Mike Gottfried is a former college head football coach, ESPN analyst, and commentator. After coaching high school football, Gottfried spent twelve seasons as a head coach with stops at Murray St, Cincinnati, Kansas and Pittsburgh. Mike and his wife Mickey founded "Team Focus" in 2000, an organization dedicated to helping young men without fathers. He also released an autobiography "Coach's Challenge: Faith, Football, and Filling the Father Gap" in September 2007.

2008 was a great year for the SEC. We saw Nick Saban's Tide assert itself back into the national picture. Florida, yet again, represented the league in the BCS title game. And other teams like Mississippi proved more formidable than otherwise expected. Some schools, such as Auburn and Tennesee, made their waves in the offseason with highly publicized coaching searches, and subsequent hires.

Not surprisingly, 2009 is poised to be another wild ride in the SEC. Both Alabama and Georgia will have to traverse their schedules with questions at quarterback. Georgia could possibly have a bigger uphill battle, as they ...more

by Mike Gottfried -- June 1, 2009 9:48 PM

Comments: 4 | Views: 1928

SEC Spring Meetings: What We Learned

With the SEC Spring Meetings now only a memory, there are several things fans of the conference can take away. There will be changes forthcoming in our conference, for better or for worse. Here's a quick rundown of the highlights that came out during Spring Meetings:

The SEC will limit member schools to signing 28 total players on National Signing Day. Gone are the days of signing 30+ (plan on seeing this pop-up at the NCAA talks in the future as well).
The 'Ol Ball Coach still has some fire left. Coach Spurrier made a fool of rookie Tennessee Coach Kiffin in front of a room full of press representatives. Check out audio of the exchange here.
Legislation will be proposed to the NCAA to limit on-the-field graduate assistants to those who have earned their BA in the last seven years. Any outside of this time frame currently on staff will likely be grandfathered in.
Mike Slive wants the coaches to ...more
by Grove10 -- June 1, 2009 4:46 PM

Comments: 0 | Views: 406

Another Great Day in the WCWS for the SEC

Georgia put up a damn good fight against the National Player of the Year in Laurie, but Washington's bats just didn't care which pitcher Georgia decided to offer up. They tee'd off on every one of them. Kind of a bummer. I actually caught myself rooting for the spunky little shortstop, Kristen Schnake.

Alabama lost a heartbreaker against Florida after an almost 2 1/2 hour wait from the first game of the afternoon (and longest game in NCAA softball history) between Washington and Georgia, in which Georgia got the best of Laurie, forcing her to walk the winning run in. I thought initially the waiting would be a big problem for Florida. Their ace pitcher was pulled....PULLED I tell you, before the end of the game, which is just ludicrous. I was fully expecting to see an "if" game between these guys and I wish I would have. Alabama's center fielder and captain, Rogers, made the most ridiculous catch early in the game. If it's not on Sports Center, I'm totally writing in and complaining. Not many dudes could make that catch, so imagine my ...more
by Kinita -- June 1, 2009 7:26 AM

Comments: 4 | Views: 777

SEC Softball at the 2009 WCWS

Looks like the SEC is happy to take over women's domination in softball. There are three SEC teams in the WCWS left: Florida, Alabama and Georgia. GEORGIA for the love of Pete, happens to be the youngest team in the tourney.
They didn't have an easy road by any means. Georgia had to knock off 2005 champs, Michigan, and Alabama had to knock off last year's champs, Arizona State. Not an easy road at all.
We'll see if anyone can get a bat on the ball offered by Washington's Laurie. It's not an easy task, but SEC's batters are hot and there's truth in numbers.
PS, did anyone see the ESPN Top 10 Plays tonight? Georgia's 1st baseman made the list at #2. Congrats!!!
Follow the girls ...more
by Kinita -- May 31, 2009 1:23 AM

Comments: 0 | Views: 309

BCS or Playoffs? How about neither?

It seems to me the college football world retreads two tires year in and year out: Polls & National Championships. Sometimes these overlap, other times they do not. Usually the biggest argument that will strike up between fans is how to handle the post season and crown a national champion. It's in this where I want to offer an argument that's too controversial even for the likes of ESPN. Folks, this argument is so controversial that no person would even DARE utter this at an NCAA meeting. Why? Because it's the least profitable option available.

Let's face it, we will never see a system put into place that will satisfy all those involved. The BCS will never be able to settle on a mathematical formula that makes complete sense, they're just going to sit around tweeking every time something 'unpredictable' happens...and then something else "unpredictable" will happen. Then there's the human vs machine factor that just opens up another can of beans.

Then there's the playoff argument. While this sounds all swell and dandy ("C'mon! Everybody's doin' it!") it's also not going to satiate the appetites of the football nation. No, because then we'll have the people who ...more
by Streyeder -- May 28, 2009 5:21 PM

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SEC Draft Domination

Once again, the SEC beacon shines brightly atop the college football world as we look down from our high perch atop the mountain of which we are King. After dominating yet another season of college football, the SEC has sent another top class into the NFL. Let's size up how we did:
- #1 in draft selections...AGAIN at 37. The ACC was the closest behind at 33 while the Big 12 & Big 10 couldn't even manage 30 (both at 28).
- 11/12 SEC schools had at least one player drafted. That lone school? MSU.
- The SEC leads the nation in draft selections since 1990 (739).
Yes, once again we are the cream of the crop! Rest assured that you'll be seeing plenty more SEC players on Sunday this coming year, and for years to come. In a draft lacking strong QBs, the SEC opened the draft with the number one pick of Matthew Stafford (Lions), giving much deserved attention to a QB that had his year overshadowed by the next UGA pick in the draft, Knowshon Moreno (Broncos) who was drafted 12th overall. UGA would go on to have 6 players drafted ...more
by Streyeder -- May 25, 2009 11:16 AM

Comments: 2 | Views: 404