Do the bowl shuffle. The SEC-Big Ten matchup seems set for Jacksonville in 2010-13, though the Big Ten is slower to confirm the news. Of course. Contrary to earlier reports, the details of which SEC team would go to the Gator Bowl are not clear.
See? Peyton Manning did win a game in Gainesville after all.The slot the Gator Bowl will have among SEC bowls has not been finalized. After the BCS, the SEC pecking order has been the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, the Cotton Bowl in Dallas (which almost always takes an SEC West team), the Outback Bowl in Tampa and the [deleted] game formerly known as the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. [Italics added by editor to conform with TSK style and deny that sponsor its perceived profit.]
It's possible that the Gator Bowl could move ahead of one of those games, depending on negotiations with its title sponsor, Konica Minolta, for a higher payout. Catlett said talks with Konica Minolta had been on hold until conference affiliations and the TV partner were decided. ...
The last time an SEC team played in the Gator Bowl was the 1994 game, when Tennessee and Peyton Manning defeated Virginia Tech 45-23. The game was played in Gainesville because of renovations being made to Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.
The Rivalry, Esq. points out that this could created a Big Ten-SEC tripleheader on New Year's Day.
The casualty is the SEC tie-in with the Independence Bowl, which will take an ACC team and pair it with a Mountain West opponent. Obviously, the citizens of Shreveport are looking to cement the MWC's credentials for a BCS bid. (HT: Roll Bama Roll)
TIM TEBOW INJURY
Yes, but will you still mention him 80 times during the game?
Gary Danielson says Tim Tebow will sit.
"I don't think he's going to play," Danielson told Florida Today. "That's just my gut feeling. I just think he's missed too much time. I think he's too important long-term to the team."
Danielson also makes the significant point that Florida can lose to LSU and win the national title.
Okay. I'm sold
What could possibly make me say that Urban Meyer should make whatever call the medical professionals make instead of just keeping Tebow out? The medical professionals.
"Once someone is fully recovered, the risk is not significantly different whether they return in two weeks after the concussion or one month," Miller said. "The issue is anybody who has had a concussion has increased risk whether it’s 10 days after or six months after."
If that is the case, he should go whenever he's cleared to go. There's nothing wrong with listening to doctors about when someone should play, since they're a heck of a lot more knowledgeable about it than any of us.
Not that we'll know anytime soon
Meyer comes as close as ever to saying he won't be making a decision "until the foot hits the ball down there."
OTHER NEWS
Mark, this is the kind of thing you generally don't share
I can't add much to this.
When his run through UT's offensive lineup got to beleaguered quarterback Jonathan Crompton, Richt said, "I know a lot of people have said this or that about Jonathan, but I can tell you that we recruited him heavily. We wanted him as bad as anybody that we recruited at Georgia at the quarterback position. He's a very, very talented young man who can certainly hurt you if we're not playing our very best."
The similarities with Phil Fulmer grow unsettlingly stronger every week.
Courtney Upshaw must manage his anger
If he does, the legal system will leave him alone.
King out for Georgia against Tennessee
Which one? Both.
Kentucky loses both starting CBs
Not that Spurrier, with an offense that is struggling to move the ball but has had some success through the air, will want to try to capitalize on that at all.
That said ...
It could be harder to do that with Weslye Saunders out.
Don't Bet On It!: Around the SEC
The Mayor's weekly look at games involving SEC teams.
Butt-bumpin'?
Spurrier joins in the criticism of the celebration penalty.
"I think it has to be really excessive. I think you have to go do a dance or shaking around. You have to do something really excessive. The refs have the option.
"I don't like any penalties where the referees have an option, 'Well, in my opinion, that was ...' "
Included for free: Spurrier's soliloquy on butt-bumpin'.
The old Spurrier is gone
But not in the way that you might think.
He showed empathy for Bowden taking heat about retiring.
"It's a tough thing," Spurrier said. "It really is. We wish it didn't happen to coaches near the end of their careers. But if you look at the history of coaching, it happens all the time to coaches that have had tremendous wonderful careers and they are still there later on and not winning, this is what happens."
One wonders if it's sympathy or empathy. Spurrier's position isn't as precarious as is Bowden's, but he also seems to be realizing that it's harder to win the older you are.
Georgia-Georgia Tech opener in Georgia Dome in 2011
Just discussions at this point.
"There have been a few talks, but there’s nothing definitive about doing that right now," Evans said. "There’s been interest expressed about the game, but nothing’s been done to any extent to say we’re going to play there."
Georgia bloggers are divided on the issue, with Westerdawg saying "no" and the Mayor supporting it 110 percent.
NCAA still wants to be exempt from law
I would say they'll get the point eventually, but it's the NCAA we're talking about. I'm not at all confident.
Tony Fein found dead
Brandt:
If there's one thing that defined his career at Ole Miss, it was toughness. His three years in the Army, including service in the Iraq War, probably played a role in that trait. He had a nose for the ball and would make tackles from sideline to sideline, but he was at his best when it was straight ahead, smashmouth football. On the famous 4th and 1 play against Florida, Fein is one of the linebackers who slams into the pile that gives Tebow nowhere to run. He was one of the happiest players after that game.
A former UGA pitcher dead after shooting himself
A somber reminder that sports stars aren't any less human or less flawed than we are. They are just as broken, their faults just play out on a larger stage.