It’s the first day of the second-to-last month of the year. Can you believe it?
Time flies quickly, eh?
Let’s cut to the chase and go around the SEC.
Derek Dooley got compared to politician. No, it was not in a good way, either. (SB Nation)
Perhaps a more current approach would be to point out how Butch Jones has struggled under the weight of expectations as Tennessee heads to another sub-standard season. The ship looks like it’s truly falling apart after a loss to Will Muschamp’s South Carolina Gamecocks.
A Nick Saban coaching rumor. Fun! (SB Nation)
Nick Saban has been reasonably successful in his 10 seasons coaching Alabama, where he’s more or less the king of the college football universe. But that hasn’t stopped his name from coming up for other jobs before, and now that’s happening again.
A girl got trucked by a Georgia LB, and then got interviewed by Tim Tebow. (SB Nation)
Remember the first rivalry game you went to at your alma mater? Your story is nothing compared to Savanna Collins’.
A Tennessee football player made people thought he was quitting football. He was actually just talking about FIFA video games. (SB Nation)
“Cryptic tweet casts doubt on future of Tennessee DL Jonathan Kongbo,” read one headline. “Jonathan Kongbo muddies future with Vols,” read another. We wrote about Tennessee’s ugly couple of days, including the transfer of running back Jalen Hurd, and referenced the tweet, too. This is the world we live in.
Not a single vote for Alabama in the AP poll. For basketball. Slow down, folks. (Roll ‘Bama Roll)
Despite winning eight games against NCAA teams last season, and having a more talented cast in 2016-17, Coach Avery Johnson’s Alabama Crimson Tide basketball program is getting precisely zero respect from AP voters.
These are the faces you need to know for Arkansas hoops. (Arkansas Fight)
With that in mind there is this breakdown to familiarize yourself with the plethora of new players for when you tune into your first Razorback basketball game of the year and ask “who’s that?” about all five guys on the court.
Is Kentucky’s strength and conditioning coach an impact player? (A Sea of Blue)
Kentucky is one of the best teams in the country. They have the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, they’re highly-ranked in every preseason poll, and they’re one of the favorites to win the National Championship in betting odds. They’ve got a good chance at getting their ninth title, thanks to guys like Isaiah Briscoe, De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk and Bam Adebayo. However, one guy that many people don’t think of when looking at Kentucky’s biggest factors is Rob Harris, the strength and conditioning coach.
Ed Orgeron is using Pete Carroll-like tendencies at LSU (And The Valley Shook)
I like Pete Carroll. I realize that makes me an anathema around these parts, but I’m an admirer of his work. And look, however you feel of him personally, there’s no arguing his track record. He’s one of the best, most successful coaches of his era. Carroll, more than a lot of other coaches, has a very philosophical approach to football.
The Ole Miss Rebels’ defense is going backwards (Red Cup Rebellion)
Through eight games, the Rebels are 60th in Football Outsiders’ defensive S&P+, but rank in the mid-80s in both defensive efficiency and defensive explosiveness. The run defense has been especially bad, allowing 5.26 yards per carry (116th in the country) and 237 rushing yards per game (118th). It’s something Freeze admitted he was worried about coming into the season.