The NCAA’s Double-A Zone weblog has an audio interview posted with Georgia athletic director Damon Evans. They discuss the Athletic Association’s academic policy which made headlines recently when three basketball players were suspended.

Hyatt’s “Hyatt Place” chain is doing one of the first promotions I’ve seen from a major hotel group aimed at the traveling football fan:

Traveling during football season? Hyatt Place’s Sports Package has everything for us sports and high-def fans need to enjoy college / pro football. They allow guests to check in earlier and stay later, give ’em a bigger room with an eight-foot sectional couch, a choice of either the college or pro DirecTV package, and even a pizza with two 20 oz. beverages (read: non-alcoholic). The package is available now through December 30, 2007 – bowl games and the Play-Offs are on national stations after that anyways – at 70 Hyatt Places nationwide.

If you check the list of participating hotels, several potential bowl destinations are covered. I might try this chain out just for the 42″ HDTVs with DirecTV in the rooms. I’ve about had it with higher-end business hotels that think it’s OK to still give you 15 channels on their fuzzy in-hotel cable networks and charge you upwards of $10 per day for Internet access.

(h/t: Engadget)

Earlier this summer, I questioned the assumption that the Georgia Tech passing game had nowhere to go but up with Taylor Bennett (or anyone not named Reggie Ball). No less a writer than Furman Bisher said that Gailey owed Tech fans an explanation for sticking with Ball after watching Bennett’s Gator Bowl performance. I pointed out that Gailey had in fact opened the door for someone like Bennett to take the position during Ball’s career,

Bisher asserts that “Chan Gailey stubbornly stuck with Ball,” but Gailey did try someone else when Ball was struggling, even if it wasn’t Bennett. Damarius Bilbo got a chance against the Dawgs and was even worse. 3 completions, 10 attempts, and 29 yards. Gailey eventually gave up and went back to his starter. The quarterback position was up for grabs several times during Ball’s four years, and each time he held off the competitors. Against challenges from Bilbo, Pat Clark, and Bennett, Ball stood out time after time. Tech’s own official site declared the position up for competition entering the 2005 spring practice, but Ball emerged again with a clear-cut victory.

It’s finally Bennett’s turn, and we’ve now had half of a season to see if that grass really was greener. Get the Picture looks at the results so far and concludes, “I think it’s safe to say at this point that, at least with regard to choosing his starting quarterback, Chan Gailey isn’t a stupid man.”

As expected, the weak passing game doesn’t make a bad team. I wasn’t the only one thinking that “behind Choice and another quality defense, I think they’ll be rather good.” Tashard Choice and, to a greater extent, the defense are proving to be the biggest factors keeping Tech above water this year and likely headed for another bowl bid.

Poor, misunderstood Dink NeSmith.

After last week’s column met with criticism, he follows up with a response published in the Red & Black. Given the distribution list for his first column, you’ll also probably find his response in the Florida Times-Union, Boston Globe, Financial Times, and in among the coupons in your local Pennysaver.

He seems surprised that the column generated debate and pushback. Could his intent have been anything other than stirring the pot? The Journal-Constitution, Banner-Herald, and Red & Black didn’t come to him begging for a rudimentary analysis of the Georgia football program. He went looking for them and the Bulldog fans who read them. Other than suggesting that the Bible is a hoax, I don’t know of many other Dawg fans who could get the same opinion piece published in three unaffiliated newspapers. All hail the power of the First Amendment!

My issue with NeSmith’s column remains the same even after this response.

NeSmith sought out publication in (at least) three newspapers to basically tell Mark Richt that his team needs to hustle a little more.

He does a nice job of marginalizing those who disagree with him. If you agree – good news! You’re clearly in the majority of fans who can see the "truth." If not, you’re some hothead who can do little but hurl insults at a poor, loyal Bulldog who’s just trying to offer a little friendly and constructive advice to the ol’ coach we all love.

I admit that I have not been watching football or doing much of anything else for all of 41 years. When I reach that age, perhaps I’ll be able to identify that a close loss turned on defensive hustle and intensity and not on athletic ability, experience, execution, preparation, scheme and playcalling, or any combination of those. There is no question that the Dawgs have looked pretty bad at times lately. To conclude that the root cause is a simplistic question of "giving it all we’ve got" is barely the stuff of a message board rant let alone "constructive criticism" worthy of publication in Georgia newspapers. Even if you do accept that intensity is a problem, does he really think that the coaches won’t recognize it without his help?

I’ll give NeSmith this: he is correct when he says that Richt already has an incentive-based contract. Every coach does. If Richt’s teams don’t win and revenues decline, he’ll be replaced just as his two predecessors were. That’s a pretty clear incentive. Apparently that’s not good enough.

Let’s try this: if, as NeSmith says, "football is a huge economic engine for the University," why base our hypothetical incentives on wins? The scoreboard in business is the bottom line. During the successful Mark Richt era, the "Athletic Association’s cash register" is overflowing. Georgia has even earned the title of the nation’s most profitable athletic department. We all know that football drives the bottom line of athletic departments in this part of the world. If we’re going to dangle financial incentives in front of Richt, why shouldn’t they be based on the financial performance of the organization?

Hopefully we won’t get yet another response (look in Sunday’s New York Times Magazine to be certain) because the substance leaks from each subsequent piece like a week-old balloon. He concludes, "We’ll bleed for you and our team." What the heck does that mean? What is this fascination with Erk and blood?

UPDATE: Naturally the Senator is a step ahead of me. Lots of good points in there, including a thought-provoking question about incentives. If pay-per-win would work for Richt, why not for the players? Adding to that thought, if Richt and staff deserve a bonus when players graduate, why wouldn’t the graduates also get a check with their diplomas? It’s not as if Richt is the one going to class and taking the exams.

The final score of an overtime game should award a single point to the winner. If a 27-27 game goes into overtime, the final score should be 28-27. Keep score as necessary during overtime (why not start at 0-0?), but let the record books record a victory margin of one point. I’ve never understood why the system grants a full six (or three) points for a scoring drive that artificially begins on the 25 yard line.

Last night’s 69-67 Boise St. win over Nevada took four overtime periods to decide. The game was tied at 44 following regulation time. But because both teams put up a combined 48 points in overtime, we get statements like this:

The game set a record for most points in an NCAA Division I-A game since 1937, when official record keeping began.

It’s wrong that an overtime game holds that distinction. Over a third of this "record-setting" game’s total points came in overtime.

Strong suffered a career-ending back injury on Sunday against Pittsburgh.  Fortunately, the injury won’t require surgery and should “get better over time,” but his football days are over.

“There was a herniated disk that pinched my spinal cord,” Strong said. “It wasn’t a stinger. It was a lot more severe than that. It won’t need surgery, thank goodness. It should be something that will get better over time and I’m grateful for that.”

Mack, who attended the Brookstone School in Columbus, quietly had one of the most successful professional careers of any Bulldog.  He was in his 14th NFL season in 2007 and had played more games as a Seattle Seahawk than all but one other person.  Strong was a two-time Pro Bowl starter (2005 and 2006) and, by reading the local reaction, seems to be beloved in the Pacific Northwest.

Strong reflects on a great career:

I don’t know if I can put it into words. …. ’93 undrafted rookie free agent. …
I feel like I’ve played a couple of careers and I’ve been apart of an incredible team. Lot of memories of coming to this building, and I was just talking to somebody downstairs about all the players that I’ve had relationships with, guys that have come and gone. … Being able to go to the Super Bowl, going to a couple of Pro Bowls, that’s something I never thought of. In ’93 if someone would have told me all that would have been waiting for me at the end of my career, I would have been like, ‘You’re nuts. No way.’ I feel like I’ve been extremely blessed.

I feel very sober about my situation. It’s funny. For the last three years I’ve always known that, OK, at some point you have to move on. You can’t just keep playing a game for a living. But I never quite thought it would end this way, with an injury, I always thought I would be able to call my own shots and I always wanted to do it that way. But it’s OK. I feel very good about that and I feel like it’s an opportunity for me, for other players to raise up and take ownership and leadership of the team and give other players an opportunity to play. I still want to be very much around the organization and apart of the team this year, and do whatever I can to help us win.

Tony Joiner’s little legal problems evaporated rather quickly during last week. He went from facing a felony charge to missing a single series in Saturday’s LSU game. The victim of Joiner’s “crime” had a little tougher week.

The owner of the towing company involved in Florida safety Tony Joiner’s burglary case said Saturday he received more than 200 threatening phone calls.

More than a dozen of the calls were death threats and others were bomb threats, Stan Forron told Florida Today. Several callers even offered to pay the $76 towing bill if Forron would drop the charge.

“I’m just glad it wasn’t Tim Tebow, that’s all I can say,” Forron told the newspaper. “I think I would be covered in 10 feet of concrete right now if it had been Tebow.”

A look around the SEC and college football landscape:

First, a tip of the hat to Jim Harbaugh. The new Stanford coach has been poking Southern Cal with a stick ever since he took the job. Maybe Southern Cal never really took this game seriously, but they usually stomp mudholes in teams that talk up the upset. Not so this time. While the Cardinal have looked awful for most of this season, they backed up Harbaugh’s braying in this one.

While Ohio State is a long way away from breezing through the rest of their schedule, would they be the least-heralded undefeated Big 10 team ever? Teams like Illinois and Wisconsin (and of course Michigan) will have their shot, but the Buckeyes have faced a few moderately decent challenges so far with few problems.

LSU is going to be pushed a few more times this season. The impressive multi-faceted running game is tough to stop, but the offense is going to struggle to put good teams away without a playmaker like Doucet in the passing game. The defense is plenty good enough to keep most teams from challenging them, but an undefeated season for the Tigers might include one or two more close calls.

You’re not hearing as much these days from the Alabama fans who had so much fun at the expense of Auburn a few weeks ago.

Southern Cal, Arizona State, Cal, and Oregon might give the Pac 10 the strongest top four of any conference. Consider some of the others:

• SEC: LSU, Florida, …, South Carolina?, Auburn?
• ACC: Boston College, Va Tech, …, FSU? Clemson?
• Big 10: Ohio State, Illinois, Wisconsin, …, Michigan?
• Big East: South Florida, West Virginia, …, Louisville? Rutgers?
• Big 12: Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Nebraska?

Arizona State gets tested beginning this weekend with Washington and then will play 3 of their next 4 against Cal, SoCal, and Oregon. There’s bound to be some shaking out within the next month. Still, it’s been an impressive six weeks for those four teams (even with Southern Cal’s loss).

Tennessee, South Carolina, and Kentucky currently lead the SEC East with one loss each. I don’t expect that grouping to hold through the end of the season, but Tennessee suddenly has the inside track to win the division. They don’t play LSU, don’t play Auburn, and they’ve already played Florida and Georgia. Their toughest remaining games are against South Carolina, Alabama, and Arkansas. Those games won’t be easy, but the Vols should be favored in at least two of them. Tennessee’s game against South Carolina in Knoxville could determine the East, though the Gamecocks still have Florida remaining.

All that said, I don’t believe too much in reading into a single game, and Tennessee still had plenty of problems earlier this year. I still expect Florida to emerge somehow, but a single loss to Kentucky, Georgia (wishful thinking I know), or South Carolina would sink the Gators.

Is there any conference race less interesting or more difficult to follow than the ACC? Even though BC is undefeated, with the haphazard distribution of the divisions I fully expect to see completely random and irrelevant teams like Maryland and Miami play for the conference title. Maryland and Miami might even be in the same ACC division. Are they Atlantic or Coastal?

A look around the college football landscape after five weeks:

It was, to say the least, an interesting weekend for college football. I won’t go so far as to say "good" or even "entertaining" in many cases. Alabama – FSU was just painful to watch. I’m sorry to have missed out on some of the few watchable games like Cal-Oregon.

Saturday, at least in Athens, was why we live for football in the South. Perfect weather, perfect setting, and (for us, anyway) a perfect outcome. To some, college football heaven is a sports bar with televisions as far as the eye can see. That’s fine for the NFL. College football is all about the immersion – the campus, the outdoors, the partisanship, and the tailgate. I have sympathy, not admiration, for those who hunker down in a bar to watch 111 games each week.

What to think of Auburn? The loss to Mississippi State is still glaring. Beating Kansas State looks a lot better now, and they played South Florida even. Now the win over Florida changes things a little. I was glad to see them beat Florida, but there was also this uneasiness that reminded me of way too many Georgia-Auburn games at Sanford Stadium. Is all of their road magic used up now?

Hey, didn’t you used to be Kirk Ferentz?

A common theme after this weekend’s carnage is to point to the results through five weeks as evidence that polls shouldn’t be release before (five, six, seven) weeks. My question remains the same as it was the first time I discussed this issue: how much would a poll released for the first time today vary from the current polls?

I know this sounds crazy given all of the Florida and Tebow hype since the season started, but I think many people are underrating Florida’s chances at LSU. Key to the game is LSU’s offense. It didn’t really set the world on fire against South Carolina and Tulane. Playmakers abound, but questions on the offensive line and an unsettled quarterback position keep me from enthusiastically jumping on the Tiger bandwagon. South Carolina showed that points, though not many, can be scored against LSU’s ridiculously good defense. Florida’s offensive system was able to put up points on a good LSU defense last year. A critical LSU turnover last year really changed that game, and this year’s meeting might turn on something similar.

Seeing teams like South Florida, Kentucky, and to some extent Wisconsin ranked so high at this early point in the season doesn’t really bother me. All are deserving of recognition for their seasons to date, but I don’t think any has the staying power to be a factor in the national (or even conference) title picture. Things will begin to sort themselves out in a few weeks. Kentucky has just one SEC game under its belt and will soon run its conference gauntlet. Seeing them atop the SEC East is just a temporary novelty. South Florida feasted on Auburn and West Virginia turnovers, and it’s hard to expect that kind of turnover margin to be there every week.

Ohio State deserves a bit more credit than they get for a win at Washington, but that’s been their only test so far. The Big Ten isn’t easy to read (or watch) this year, and the story might be which team just gets by from week to week. Penn State isn’t much of a factor after two losses. If Wisconsin and/or Illinois (!) stumble, are we looking at Michigan and Ohio State once again?

The way the conferences are setting up, we are looking at some potential BCS bowl matchups that are pretty ugly on paper. Then again, people thought that Georgia and Oklahoma would have an easy time with West Virginia and Boise State.

Washington has been a good story this year, but they are still 2-3. They get props for the tough schedule, the win over Boise, and playing Ohio State and SoCal close. But the program badly needs a win, and they have a bye week to get ready for Arizona State.

Cal has proven enough to say that a loss to Southern Cal, even if it is their only loss of the season, would leave them a good bit empty. They are in the position Texas faced circa 2004.

Finally, Ching points out that Georgia is the only SEC East team to beat Auburn since 2002. Impressive indeed. At the same time, Auburn is the only SEC West team to beat Georgia since 2003. Including the postseason, Mark Richt has just five losses in 6+ seasons to SEC West schools. Richt is currently 18-5 against the West. Coincidently, Richt has the same winning percentage (.783) in all games to date.

You have to give the Bulldog coaching staff this:  they’re not proving to be very complacent this year. 

After cycling through three quarterbacks last season, the QB spot is about the only position that hasn’t been shaken up this season.  We’ve seen the linebackers turned upside-down, a freshman force changes on the offensive line, and Knowshon Moreno continues to lead the team in rushing yards and carries.

The winds of change hit the cornerback position this week. Sophomore Prince Miller might start opposite Asher Allen in Saturday’s game against Ole Miss.  Neither Miller nor Allen were starters at the beginning of the year, but they’ve played well.  Allen had 11 tackles at Alabama, and Richt was complementary of Miller’s performance.

“Prince played extremely well in the Nickel (defense), that inside receiver position. He did extremely well there,” Richt said. “Coach (Martinez) feels like he’s earned the opportunity to play there at the boundary. I think he will still be a Nickel (back).”

It should be noted that Bryan Evans isn’t exactly 100% and hasn’t started since he hyperextended his knee against South Carolina in Week 2.  He played hurt last week, and it showed.  A healthy Evans would be right there with Miller and Allen for a starting job.  Coach Richt wouldn’t commit to Miller starting (that’s Coach Martinez’s decision), so we could still see Thomas Flowers get the nod.  It’s really that close.  As it is, expect to see all four of those cornerbacks get a lot of time on Saturday.

The talk of a strong two-deep at cornerback has a lot of people asking this week what it all means for someone like Vance Cuff (not to mention linebacker Rennie Curran).  The two true freshmen were mentioned quite a bit heading into the season, and they saw playing time right out of the gate.  They haven’t played much in SEC games, and their limited role has fans wondering if their redshirts might have been wasted.  Coach Richt spoke to that point on Wednesday:

“They’re close to getting more time. They’re practicing with the first and second units, which is good. They’re not doing any scout team work. They’re preparing to play. When they get far enough along where the coaches feel comfortable enough, they’ll play and they’ll play more than they have to this point. That’s kinda where they’re at.”

The key point is that their redshirts were burned not for immediate contribution but for depth.  They must be game-tested and able to step in at a moment’s notice because they are each a serious injury away from much more significant playing time.  As Richt said, “they’re preparing to play.”  I do expect to see more of them this year.  Considering some of the concerns with depth and fatigue late in games, we’ll need the depth of players like Curran, Cuff, and Ramarcus Brown at some point this season.

No one is surprised by a recruiting story coming out of left field. Coaches will go to most any length to secure a commitment. Out-of-control boosters are a dime a dozen. 17-year-olds appear on national TV to pick which hat to wear. Fans who get sucked into the recruiting world are often obsessive and have their day made or ruined by the latest comment from a prospect.

TRIM THE LIST! TRIM IT! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

I thought I had seen it all, but now we have Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com getting on the case of one of the nation’s top basketball prospects because the prospect isn’t making up his mind fast enough. No – really. Greg Monroe has committed the crime of not trimming his list of eight schools.

But I have to tell you that the way the top-rated high school player in the nation is stringing along his recruitment baffles me to no end, nice kid or not.

…Shouldn’t he be further along in the process than this?

Doesn’t it seem excessive?

Because so many other top prospects have committed, Parrish "feel(s) safe suggesting Monroe should have a better idea of what he’s going to do." That’s right, Greg. Won’t someone think of those poor, poor coaches?

The byproduct is a recruiting process that has strung too many programs along for way too long, while giving false hope to coaches who are waiting for a definite rejection before moving on.

My heart breaks for Kansas, Duke, USC, LSU, and the other members of the Angry Eight. When Monroe’s decision (finally) comes giving blessed release to Parrish and one lucky school, I truly hope the others are able to put the pieces back together and face another day.

By the way, Parrish can stop hyperventilating. Monroe will name on Friday the five schools which will receive an official visit.

Now that the games have come and gone, the big national story is Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy going off on local columnist Jenni Carlson for a critical piece about quarterback Bobby Reid.

Gundy’s sin was losing his composure. By doing so, he becomes the story in a clownish sort of way that’s up there with John L. Smith losing it last year or Jim Mora’s famous "PLAYOFFS!?!?!" meltdown. That’s too bad because he has a valid point, and it will likely never resonate because of his histrionics.

The issue isn’t a coach trying to stamp out dissent or criticism, though some would have you believe that every time a coach questions a reporter he’s trying to control the press. There’s nothing wrong with critical opinions, and I think that there were more than a few critical pieces after Oklahoma State’s 1-2 start and the loss at Troy.

The problem here is the journalism. Carlson, in her response, states that her goal was to tackle the question "why have the Cowboys, who so adamantly backed Reid, suddenly switched course, benched the biggest recruit to ever sign with the program and jumped full speed ahead with Zac Robinson?" That’s a clear and reasonable focus; Reid was considered a key element of the Cowboy offense, and his benching raises some questions (and eyebrows). So how should one approach getting the answer?

Let’s think this through. There are a handful of people with some very good insight into the attitude of the quarterback. The first is the quarterback himself. Who better to respond directly to questions about his state of mind? The head coach might be a good person to talk to. The decision of the starting quarterback ultimately rests with him, and he can also evaluate how Reid has played through injuries before. Offensive coordinator Larry Fedora might also get a phone call. He is the mastermind of this high-powered offense, so he might be able to provide some technical analysis of Reid’s struggles as well as a comparison of Robinson and Reid. Of course teammates and other coaches could help, but they are secondary sources in this story.

Isn’t it a little strange that of those three only Reid is quoted in her original piece? And those Reid quotes were taken from other reporters in different contexts. Carlson doesn’t offer a single sourced quote in response to a question that she asked. Unnamed sources and Carlson’s personal observations are of course appropriate and can be sprinkled into the story, but are they really the substantial stuff around which to build a column that reaches such a harsh, personal, and definitive conclusion?

A few weeks ago, Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz penned a controversial column suggesting that Mark Richt needed to show a little more toughness and fire. Many, including myself, disagreed strongly with Schultz’s position. Others found it spot on. My biggest problem was a distortion of the historical record. But as much as I disagreed with Schultz’s conclusions, he at least got Richt on the record about the subject. He asked Richt on-point questions at the weekly press conference, and he based his column in large part on his evaluation of Richt’s responses. Even though I found fault with Schultz’s reasoning, Richt’s comments on the topic were right there for evaluation.

Carlson claims that she stands by her sources and observations. But she is about as forthcoming with additional information as Gundy seems to be about specific disagreements. Is "trust me" really what journalism is all about now? In both her original piece and her response, Carlson never claims to have asked Gundy or Reid for comment before the original piece ran. Her "show me what was wrong" sideshow is the kind of journalistic legwork she should have done through Reid, Gundy, and other primary sources before the fact.

After a column full of whispers and rumors, she opened the final paragraph of her orignial column by asking "Who knows?" Ms. Carlson, you’re the journalist with the press pass. You have access to these people. Throwing rumors out there to see what will stick and extrapolating from watching the guy eat chicken is amateurish message board territory. Columnists often rely on speculation and opinion, but they are usually backed up by something much less flimsy.

Now let’s look at a few responses from the community of sportswriters:

Football Writers Association of America president Mike Griffith issued a statement about the incident on Monday. "I consider Coach Gundy’s behavior completely inappropriate. It shows a lack of respect for the media and doesn’t speak well for the university and the fans that he represents. Coach Gundy’s actions have brought national attention and further scrutiny to the situation that could have been handled in a more private and appropriate matter."

Association for Women in Sports Media: "The Association for Women in Sports Media (AWSM) is alarmed at the unprofessional manner in which Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy chose to take exception with a column written by AWSM member Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman. Gundy has the right to express his opinion, just as Carlson has the right to express hers. But his decision to air his objections in the form of a personal attack shows a lack of respect for all journalists."

It seems to me that the expectation of respect is one-way here. The two statements didn’t have much to say about the appropriateness, professionalism, or respect demonstrated by a piece that all but called Reid a mama’s boy.

The refrain that the response "could have been handled in a more private and appropriate matter" has popped up in a couple of places since Gundy’s outburst. Writers can splash their columns in front of tens or hundreds of thousands of readers, but objections and responses should be handled out of the public view through the back channels. This kind of column needed and deserved a public response if only to illustrate the lack of professionalism and respect that the FWAA and AWSM demand from the people they cover but not from their own.

Remember that Carlson states that her subject was the question "why have the Cowboys, who so adamantly backed Reid, suddenly switched course, benched the biggest recruit to ever sign with the program and jumped full speed ahead with Zac Robinson?" Did her column do a good job of attempting to answer that question?

Alabama coach Nick Saban had a few admonishments Monday for the same fans who waved palm branches upon his entrance to the stadium on Saturday.

“I don’t think it’s classy to throw something on somebody else,” Saban said. “I don’t think it’s classy to call somebody’s house at night and complain about something. I don’t think any of that’s classy.”

“If anybody out there that’s our fans and our supporters don’t think all the coaches here … work hard and want to win as bad as anybody, as well as the players, trust and believe in that. Trust and believe in doing it right. If you want to do something, do something positive to support the program or don’t do anything at all.”

Are you kidding? Phone calls in the night are play bites. We just hope that the brick-proof windows have been installed. For all the fun Bama fans had with Auburn during Gameday, part of me wants to see the Tigers extend the streak just to see the resulting trainwreck in Tuscaloosa.

A Huntsville writer asks if Bama fans need such “guidelines and instructions” about how to conduct their business with class. When showing up sober to greet the new coach is a problem, I’d have to say, yeah, a nice glossy brochure is probably in order.

2008 opponent Arizona State has moved into the top 25 under first-year coach Dennis Erickson., The Sun Devils are the fourth program that Erickson has coached into the national rankings. Junior quarterback Rudy Carpenter already had 11 touchdowns and a 64% completion rate.

A trip to Tempe is scheduled next season, and the Dawgs have additional games against LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia Tech, and South Carolina. Call me crazy, but I don’t mind if Georgia fills its remaining 2008 schedule slot with Athens Academy.

A pretty generous assessment of a trip to see Georgia Tech play…Samford.

A sure sign of lowered expectations – when running into these guys is a highlight of the experience: