Why Alabama Wins the West and Why Bama Doesn't Win the West

The next several posts will focus on the top three SEC west teams(LSU, Ole Miss, Bama) and why or why they won't win the west. Feel free to rant about my rant.

Bama wins the west because of:

1. Defense, defense defense. The Tide only lost 2 starters from last years extremely physical and talented squad. Mt. Cody will return to the D-line, while Javier Arenas will resume duties at CB and Ronaldo McClain will return as WILL LB. This defense will be every bit as good as they were last year and probably a lot better. They could be the #1 defense in the nation. Watch these guys totally shut down Virgina Tech in the season opener.

2. Nick Saban. This cat will have the Tide ready to Roll by the opening game against Virgina Tech. This is what Saban does best, gets his team ready to play. Also another year under his system will make them a lot better.

3. They are ticked off that they blew it last year in the SEC championship game. Add to that getting curb-stomped by a Mountain West BCS buster in the SEC's house and you have a group of guys that really want to redeem themselves with some very physical punishing play. Mark it down, they will lead the nation in personal fouls and just ugly nasty rattle your ancestors hits! I'd hate to be a Vol or a Tiger this year, the Tide defense is gonna dish out some serious pain!

Bama does not win the west because of:

1. Offense, offense, offense. The offense is Bama's most glaring weakness, losing 7 starters, including all but 2 O-linemen from one of the best O-lines in the nation. Not good at all. Also there are holes at QB, RB, FB, TE. Ouch! The good news is the game tested Mark Ingram should be in the backfield and Julio Jones is back at WR, and that is really good news. But despite the good news, the offense has just lost too much, especially at O-line. The defense will do its job and keep Bama in every game, but the offense will not have the depth it needs to finish the job consistently week in and week out.

2. A very deep and much improved SEC west. Ole Miss will be much better than last year and LSU will be greatly improved. The Tigers started to come around toward the end of last season when Les Miles finally pulled interceptopotamus (Jarrett Lee). Arkansas is the dark horse in the west that could give Bama an unexpected loss. Circle that game on your calendars and Bama better circle it too.

This team will be classic Bama, truck loads of defense and very simple straightforward offense. My prediction in the opening game against VT is 7-3 Bama. As much as I'd like to see a rematch of last year's SEC championship game I can't see the Bama defense being able to compensate enough for the lack of depth and experience on offense. Bama won't get it done in the west. Not this year. In fact I see them coming up short in at least 2 conference games. Sorry to all my Bama buds, but me calls them like me sees them.

SEC Sports Reports SEC Leads all Conferences in NFL Players

The Southeastern Conference had 260 of its former players on opening day playing rosters in the National Football League, which leads all college football conferences.

The Big Ten was second with 215 followed by the ACC with 212, the Pac-10 with 196, Big 12 with 80 and the Big East with 78 former players on NFL rosters.

Tennessee led all SEC schools with 38 former players in the NFL followed by Florida and Georgia with 36 each, LSU with 31, Auburn with 22 and Alabama with 20. Ole Miss and South Carolina each had 17 former players on NFL rosters, Mississippi State had 16, Arkansas 13, Vanderbilt 10 and Kentucky had four.

SEC PLAYERS IN THE NFL

http://www.secsports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=2&url_article_id=4512&change_well_id=2

Let the Trash Talk and the Beat Downs Begin!

That time of year that we have all grown to anticipate like a spoiled child on Christmas eve is finally upon us. College football is competitive sports at its finest and nobody does it better than the SEC. Despite, Bama being put on probation. and Lame Kiffin trying his best to get Tennessee in the same mess, the SEC will without a doubt dominate again this year.

And of course we'll hear the usual sports writers claiming the end of SEC dominance and the resurgence of the Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 10 . . . only to see said conferences humiliated once again by a clearly superior SEC in the post season.

And we'll hear THE Ohio State fans and the Texas and Oklahoma slugs heralding that this is their year. Whatever, just lay down and take your beating! Let the trash talk and the beat downs begin! This is going to be a great season!

First rant on tap is the the wild, wild west. Bama is back with a serious attitude, Ole Miss is smokin', LSU wants redemption, and Petrino has the hogs looking like they can make some serious noise. Add to that Mississippi State adding a new head coach that is arguably one the best offensive minds in college football today and you have a very interesting situation in the SEC west. The way I see it, the west is a toss up between Bama, Ole Miss, and LSU.

The east, on the other hand, has a lot of question marks and the talent level has gone down considerably from last year. The dawgs lost a ton of NFL talent, Tennessee is trying to adjust to a new coaching staff, and the Cocks are supposed to be much improved, but of course we hear that every year. And then Kentucky and Vandy are . . . well . . . Kentucky and Vandy. The bright spot in the east are the Gators who bring back their entire 2-deep defense and 9 starters on offense, including Tim Tebow. Urban Meyer's boys will no doubt represent the east in Atlanta again this year.

This might tick off the kool-aid drinkers in Tuscaloosa, but my way too early prediction is Ole Miss and Florida in the SEC championship game.

Here's how I rank the conference this year:

1. Florida
2. Ole Miss
3. Alabama
4. LSU
5. Georgia
6. Arkansas
7. South Carolina
8. Tennessee
9. Kentucky
10. Auburn
11. Mississippi State
12. Vandy

What say the ranters? Give your rankings and predictions in the comments below.

Some really funny stuff from Colin Cowherd

This is Colin's rant on how pathetically soft Virginia football is. This is nothing less than hilarious and is what we have come to expect from The Herd.

Why hippie schools like Colorado, Cal, and UCLA will never be dominate football programs. This is seriously funny (sorry but the embedding is disabled on these for some reason):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6t3VKLL-OY

Here's part 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQWqCBuITA4

Hitler Reacts to the News that Tim Tebow is Coming Back

Just some fun stuff. Enjoy!

Why the Florida Gators will repeat as National Champions in 2009

And everyone of them and their backups are coming back for 2009! Nuff said.

Mississippi State Revival

Could Bama and LSU have something to worry about? Uh, yeah I think they do and his name is Dan Mullen and he is amassing a very nice recruiting class loaded with the kind of talent that will make his spread option the scourge of the SEC West.

Before arriving at Starkville, Mullen was helping Urban Meyer create the beast of the SEC East and bagged 2 crystal footballs in the process. Now he is at Mississippi State and all I can say to the SEC West is, be afraid, be very afraid.

But Mullen's offense genius revolves around certain kinds of players and he is collecting them in a very big way. And 3 words characterize them all: speed, speed, and speed. The first is four star recruit Tyler Russell from Meridian Mississippi, he is the 12th ranked QB in Rivals100. This kid is very good pro-style QB and not particularly fast, but he has enough athleticism to work into Mullen's offense. He really impressed the coaches and scouts at the Elite 11 at Tuscaloosa with very accurate passes and great touch on the football. This kid is a lot better than anyone thought. One thing is certain he is has more talent and more tools than anyone on the Bulldog roster. He could start this year.

But great QB's are nothing if they don't have great WR's to throw to. That's where four star recruit Chad Bumphis comes in. Ranked 16th among WR, he runs a very fast 4.4 40 and has moves that are a lot like like Percy Harvin. Mullen has said that Bumpis is that kind of player. Well Bama you missed Harvin in the SEC championship game, but that's okay you get to play against Bumpis every year! Have fun containing him.

Then there is speedy 4.4 40 RB LaDarius Perkins. He will provide a very potent threat out of the backfield, somewhat like Demps and Rainey provide for the Gators.

But the one I am really excited about is Dennis Thames, 5-11 and 185 pound athlete from Louisville Mississippi. This kid is really special. He is another 4.4 speedster, but the thing that really sells him is his versatility. He played almost every position in high school, RB, WR, S, KR and even wildcat QB. It looks like they want him on defensive, but I would love to see him running those crazy Dan Mullen routes! Man, the Bulldogs are going to be very, very good. Here's a video that says a lot about this incoming class.

AMP: Big weekend for the Bulldogs @ Rivals Video

Gary Brown: The Gator's New Wrecking Machine

One of the the things the Gators have been lacking the past two years is a serious disrupting force at the defensive tackle position. This is about to change with the addition of five star recruit Gary Brown, defensive tackle from West Gadsden in Quincy Florida. He is the 3rd ranked DT in the nation according to Rivals100. Standing at 6-3 and 275 pounds, he is still able to rip off consistent 4.67's in the 40! In case you're wondering, that is scary fast for a defensive tackle!

In the Under Armour AA game he was in his opponent's backfield constantly, recording 1 sack and 3 QB hurries. None of the offensive tackles in his squad could stop him. In fact, after watching him in the game and the combines Rivals moved him up to 5 star, calling him the most athletic defensive tackle they had seen that year.

Like I said this is the kind of player the Gators need on the D-line. When you watch the video below ask yourself what other D-lineman he reminds you of. I'll give you a hint: He played at Thug U, the Tampa Bay Bucs, and the Oakland Raiders.

Andre Debose: The New Percy Harvin?

I don't know how many of you have heard of Andre Debose from Seminole High in Sanford Florida. But this kid is AMAZING. He has committed to the University of Florida. He is a five star recruit, ranked by Rivals as the #2 WR (best after catch) in the nation. He is 6-0 and 170 pounds and runs a blazing 4.43 40, but by the beginning of the CFB season, he will in the 4.3's no problem.
Everybody knows how special this kid is. He had offers from USC, Thug U, F$U, UGA, and LSU. This kid is smoking hot. And of all the WR's coming out this year, he is by far the closest thing we have seen to Percy Harvin.

Debose is tall, so he'll work well in the slot. He is also very quick, elusive, slippery and has great down field vision, so he could be that motion back that Harvin mastered so well. In other words, you get the ball in this kid's hands and he can take it to the house, count on it!

But the thing that really stands out is his versatility. He can play almost any offensive skill position. In the video below you see his WR skills, but he is also a pretty decent QB too. He has a decent arm and good accuracy. Debose is wicked good in the wildcat and is lights out in the RB position. I see Debose getting more than a few snaps in his first season with the Gators and mark it down, this will be one of the Gator greats. What say you?

The Sunshine State Dominates in the Rivals Top 100

As student athletics from across the country participate in regional combines and all-star games, it's becoming clear that the state of Florida is dominating the rankings. In fact, Florida has 18 athletes out of the 100, with second place going to Texas with only 10. This year is confirming what previous years have that the Sunshine State rocks when it comes to high school football. Nobody does it better.

When I was checking out the incoming recruits I came across a video that demonstrates just how dominating Florida high school football has become. It was taken at the 2007 Annual "Muck Bowl" between the Pahokee High Blue Devils and the Glade Central High Raiders. Between these 2 high schools they have sent a total of 48 players to the NFL. You might remember that these teams were featured in ESPN's Muck City where the football players chased rabbits through sugar cane fields to improve their speed and quickness. You can see the whole program here. You'll love it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R_0FryVRNk

In the video below we see both teams playing in the "Muck Bowl," but the amazing thing about this game is there were no less than 9 players (3 to 5 star recruits) on that field that were taken by division one football programs, including Florida, Florida State, Miami, Michigan and FIU. It is amazing that that much talent was on one football field at the same time. And one of the players, Janoris Jenkins started at CB as a freshman on the Florida Gators national championship defense and was one of the most dominating players on the squad.

Muck Bowl: Pahokee at Glades Central @ Rivals Video

High School Bragging Rights: Lakeland High School

This has been a story that really hasn't gotten the attention it deserves. Everyone knows that the Sunshine State is absolutely loaded with future division one and NFL talent.

Chief among them being Glades Central High which has filled the NFL with more talent than any high school in the nation, notable among them being, Fred Taylor, Santonio Holmes and Reidel Anthony.

Their tiny cross town rival the Pahokee Junior Senior High Blue Devils is also something of a football factory themselves also sending several players to college and the NFL. Arizona Cardinals Anquan Boldin is a Blue Devil. Florida high school football is what legends are made of. Everyone knows that.

But it is extremely rare to see one class from one high school contribute so much talent to one team in one year. That's what we see in Lakeland High School, class of 2007. The Lakeland High Dreadnoughts won back-to-back national championships (2005, 2006) and three straight 5A state championships (2004-2006), a huge accomplishment by any standard.

And if that wasn't enough, Lakeland High sent 5 of their seniors to the University of Florida, 4 of which started on the Gators 2008 national championship team: Ahmad Black (DB), Maurkice and Michael Pouncey (C, OT), and Chris Rainey (RB). And not only were these kids contributors, but without any one of them, Florida no doubt would not have made it. You should remember that it was Ahmad Black that made the back-breaking interception in the BCS championship game that sealed the victory for Florida (Sammy Bradford will have Ahmad Black in his nightmares for the rest of his life!)

What more can be said about the Lakeland High program? I guess just amazing. The Florida Gator's 2008 national championship definitely gave the Dreadnoughts some bragging rights.

Russell Shepherd: The next star at LSU?

Now with recruiting season in full swing and high school phenoms from across the nation signing to schools of their choice, I want to start highlighting some of the top incoming freshman.

The first is Russell Shepherd, a very quick dual threat QB from Cyprus Ridge in Houston Texas. He is the number 1 ranked dual threat QB in the nation and 8th overall and could be the next Michael Vick. There simply is no other more dangerous running QB than Russell Shepherd.

His highlight tape looks like the defenses are standing still. And this kid flat out flies with a 4.40 40 time and will no doubt be in the 4.3 range by the end of his freshman year. And are you ready for this LSU fan? Last season he rushed for 1,525 yards at 8.7 yards per carry! Wow!

It remains to be seen how dependable he will be in the pocket, but in the Under Armour game he stayed in the pocket long enough to connect with Andre Debose for a 94 yard TD despite being leveled by DT Gary Brown. So he's got more toughness than most Big12 seniors. He seems a little cocky, but that might be a good thing.

All I can say is this kid has everything to be great. And Lord knows LSU needs some greatness. Russell Shepherd might just be what the doctor ordered. Here's some of his game tape from high school.

Russell Shepard Highlights 4 @ Rivals Video

Mount Fluker? Bama likes them Big

We've all come to know Mount Cody, the massive NT for Alabama. But get ready for Mount Fluker! O-lineman, D.J. Fluker, out of Foley Alabama, stands at 6-7 and weighs in at 350 pounds, but runs an amazingly quick 4.9 40!

In spite of his size he is pretty agile too as the video below shows. This kid makes you say, "Andre who?" With the right coaching this kid could be destined for greatness, maybe even another Outland Trophy winner.

Now having said that, Fluker will not be able to replace Andre Smith at tackle. Scouts say that his skills simply are not up to that level and may not be for a couple years. Andre Smith was simply the best OT I have ever seen at the college level. But at guard Fluker could probably start right away and contribute in big way.

In the Army combine he handed D-linemen and defensive ends their behinds all day long and has been ranked as the #1 O-linemen in the country. He also roomed with another Bama commit, A.J. McCarron, a pro-style QB from Mobile. Mount Fluker will no doubt become McCarron's best buddy in Tuscaloosa. Great catch Bama, this one is gonna be great.

Check out this video from the Army combine. This kid has some serious moves for a big guy.

AMP: Fluker shows skills @ Rivals Video

Florida Gators: National Champs! Oklahoma and the Big12: National Chumps!

Like all Gator fans, I have been basking in the glory of a second national championship in three years and the third straight national championship for the SEC. What else can be said about this Gator squad and their fearless leader Tim Tebow? Maybe just . . . amazing.

The Florida Gators went into the National Championship game to face what many said was the most prolific offense in the history of college football, an offense that averaged 54 points per game, over 60 points in 5 straight games, a Heisman trophy winner in Sam Bradford who had passed for nearly 4,500 yards, 48 TD's and only 6 INT, and the Florida Gator defense shut them down holding them to a season low 14 points. The Sooner offense moved the ball inside the Gator 10 yard line twice and were shut down both times coming away with a turnover on downs the first time and an INT the second time with only 3 seconds left in the first half.

And what was up with that "no-huddle" offense? That was about the stoopidest (pun intended) thing I've ever seen. The purpose of a no-huddle offense is to pick up the tempo and not give the defense a chance to get set. But what difference does it make if the offense hurries up, but then the QB takes another 30 seconds to get the play from the sideline before the snap? Hey coach Stoops that is not a no-huddle, that is not huddling. Stoops looked like an amateur out there!

And what about little Sammy? He didn't exactly look like a Heisman trophy winner. But of course he had never had to play against a defense before and, as most predicted, as soon as the Gator D hit him just a couple of times, Sammy crumbled like a house a cards. What a sissy! Brandon Spikes pretty much summed it up when he said of the O-who offense, "the defenses they play against are kind of like our scout team.” Ouch!

And what about the Gator offense? Anyone who watched the game could see that they were less than perfect, scoring only 7 points in the first half, a season low. But like real champs the Gators went into halftime, made adjustments and then let Tim Tebow go Tebow on the Sooner D and like the Sooner offense, they crumbled. Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin put on one of the most impressive ground assaults that we have seen all season, netting 250 yards on the ground! And then if that wasn't enough, Tebow and company finished it all off by punking the Sooner D with the famous "jump pass."

About a a third of the way through the fourth quarter that feeling of inevitability started to settle over Dolphin Stadium and everyone including the hapless Sooners knew it was just a matter of time before they went down in history as the latest chumps that thought they stood a chance against a clearly superior Gator team from a clearly superior conference. Haven't we seen this movie before? The Gators clearly demonstrated that they are the National Champions and the Sooners demonstrated that they are the National Chumps for the fifth year in a row.

So what does this say about the SEC? Well between this game and the others, the SEC came away from the post season with a 6-2 record, clearly making them the toughest conference in the NCAA (and this was a down season for the SEC). And what about the Big12? They finished the bowl season with a very average and very unimpressive 4-3, with their only signature win coming in the Fiesta Bowl where the Longhorns barely beat a Buckeye team that they should have beaten and beaten by a lot more. And in their 2 matchups with the SEC, Texas Tech and O-who they were beaten convincingly. Bottom line, like the Big10, the Big12 looks good when they play against themselves, but as soon as they have to play real competition outside their conference, they just can't hang. Congrats Gators, on another championship. And Sooners, nice try, better luck next time!

Embarrassed in the SEC's House!

I'm not even sure what to say about this game. I like everyone else considered this a gimme for Alabama and the SEC. It was anything but. Utah simply walked into the SEC's house and laid a beat down on the pride of the SEC! And I think I speak for all SEC fans when I say I am embarrassed. I mean the Utes hung 21 on the Tide in the first quarter!

How could this have happened? I want to suggest 3 factors. First, Bama listened to their press clippings about how all they needed to do was show up and the Utes would crumble. Well it was Bama that crumbled. And they crumbled like a 1-AA scrub facing the National Champion. Well, you can hang a portion of the blame on Saban. He could have actually made this a game if he wasn't as full of himself as his team was.

Secondly, Bama's O-line got dominated in about every way they could be dominated, giving up 8 sacks, 8 sacks! And where did they get beat the most? On the left side where the Outland Trophy winner Andre Smith would have been if he and his parents hadn't been so greedy they couldn't wait for 2 weeks to talk to an agent!

And as the head ranter of this blog I hereby confer upon Andre Smith the infamous "Most Horrible Person of the Year Award," for conduct becoming a truly selfish athlete. Hey Andre, maybe you and T.O. could hook up and he can show you the ropes in the NFL! Unbelievable! Enjoy the NFL Andre, but your name is mud back in T-town!

Thirdly, Utah just wanted this game a lot more than Bama did. This is a Ute team that is filled with a bunch of 2 star recruits that couldn't walk-on to a PAC10 team if their lives depended on it, and they went in and pimp-slapped the #2 team in the SEC and dared them to get back up. Bama went into the Sugar Bowl like the were doing everybody a favor just showing up and Utah went in like it was the biggest game they ever played and the better team won. I know, I know Bama fan, you still think you're the better team, but you just might want to take a look at the score board, the better team always gets the most points. And furthermore, the best team is not the one with the most 4 or 5 star recruits and the highest paid coaches. The best team is the one that loves and respects the game enough to actually show up and play it.

Thanks Bama for giving the SEC our second loss of the bowl season. You are now sharing a spot with the Spurrier's Lamecocks. And if you decide to not close the season next year, do us all a favor and decline a BCS slot and go hang at the Independence Bowl with the MAC champ! What do you Ranters think about Bama's performance in the Sugar Bowl?

Beat Down in the Cotton Bowl!

Well I have to start off by saying, I told you so! What else can be said other than Ole Miss SPANKED Texas Tech and exposed the Big12 as simply a BCS version of the WAC. This Texas Tech team is about as soft and non-physical a team as I have ever seen. In fact, look up the word "finesse" in the dictionary and you see a picture of Graham dropping back for a pass. I mean Tech was soft and effeminate at every position.

All year we have been talking about the lame defense or even lack of defense in the Big12 and that was confirmed in a very big way in the Cotton Bowl. Get this: Ole Miss hung over 500 yards on the Red Raiders, highest total yardage of the season. Not only that but they also put up 47 points, another high for the season! If this is an indicator of the kind of defense the Gators will face on Thursday night, they might hang half a hundred on the Sooners by the half! Most of the game I just laughed and shook my head and wondered how in the world Texas Tech was tied for first in the "mighty" Big 12. Well I guess we all know why.

And what about about Graham Harrell? The next big NFL QB? Please. If this guy thinks he might get some pressure on the next play he falls apart on this one! Hey Harrell, that's what happens when you actually have to play with a defense on the field! And if you think the Ole Miss D took you to the woodshed, you're gonna get jacked up in the NFL!

Well Ole Miss is for real and Houston Nutt is one of the best coaches in the SEC. Go Rebels! So Ranters what say you about the first Big12 vs. SEC matchup?

Let's Rock! Bowl Games That Will Surprise

So far all is as it should be, the SEC is rolling, the little-10 is pathetic, and Big-12 defenses get smacked down. We gotta give it up for Vandy and LSU, both made huge statements about SEC dominance. Vandy was a defensive machine and Boston College didn't know whether to crap or go blind! I mean Vandy didn't score a single offensive TD and only had 200 yards of total offense and still took home the hardware! I'll be the first to admit I never gave Vandy any love to this year, even when they went 5-0, but today I gotta give it up: Vandy, you guys rock! You guys started the SEC beatdown for this year's bowl season and we all salute you. BTW this was the first bowl win for the Commodores since 1955, wow.

And LSU? What happened here? All we heard from the beginning (and I predicted below) was, "LSU will get curb-stomped (my words) by Tech's indefensible triple option." Well the only team that got curb-stomped was the Yellow Jackets! This was a Yellow Jacket team that hung over 400 yards of rushing on Miami and spanked Georgia the same way. But what about the much maligned LSU D? They held Tech to only 64 yards of rushing! Wow! To hold offense triple option to less than 100 yards is phenomenal. LSU looked very good in this game. Gotta give it up for the Hat and his boys: Geaux Tigers!

This has been a great bowl season so far and today should be awesome as well. But the game I am really looking forward to is the Cotton Bowl on the 2nd. Remember where you heard it first: Ole Miss will absolutely destroy Texas Tech! It won't be close. Remember the Dawgs and Hawaii last year? Well, this will be part 2. We got a glimpse of what will happen when Tech faced Oklahoma (not exactly the a dominating defense) got just little pressure on Graham Harrell and the whole Tech offense crumbled. Tech is all finesse and they will meet up with a very fast and very physical SEC defense, and Ole Miss will dispatch them and unceremoniously dismiss them.

Let's go bowling!

Bowl season has always been bittersweet for me. First, the bowls are sweet because they are always a blast to watch, especially the post-New Years bowls. Bowl season is also sweet because we get to watch those slugs in the Big-10 get smacked around and descend even deeper into irrelevance. But bowl season is bitter because it marks the end of a college football season, a time of the year that I love.

Well, all good things must come to an end and it looks like one of the best college football seasons in recent memory is almost over. I made some picks for all the bowls that the SEC is represented in. Be sure and include your picks too.

National Championship: Florida's defense will put the Sooners away early and the offense will run it up: 41-23

Sugar Bowl: Bama wins an ugly one over BCS buster Utah: 31-21

Cotton Bowl: Ole Miss will surprise Texas Tech with a serious smackdown: 45-17

Capital One Bowl: Georgia barely gets past a very talented Michigan State team: 23-20

Outback Bowl: Iowa will prove to be too much for a lame Gamecock offense that just can't score: 27-13

Chick-fil-A Bowl: Georgia Tech's triple option will curbstomp an LSU team that just wants the season to be over: 35-20

Liberty Bowl: Kentucky will take out East Carolina: 34-27

Music City Bowl: Vandy will surprise an overly confident Boston College: 20-12

SEC 2008 Bowl record prediction: 6-2

Bradford vs. Tebow

Okay ranters, I think most of you are pulling for Tebow to take the He15man hardware for a second year in a row. Superman rocks and is what the SEC is all about, namely our quarterbacks could kick the crap out of most Big-10 defensive linemen. Yeah I know all of that.

But why not Sam Bradford? I mean this dude is putting up Playstation numbers every single week. 4,464 yards passing for 48 TDs only 6 INTs! And if that wasn't enough he led OU to a 65-21 curbstomping of the number one team in the nation. Why is Tebow and McCoy even invited to the party?

As great as Bradford's numbers appear, I'm going with Tebow. Here's why I say that:

1) Bradford plays in the Big-12. You know the conference that doesn't have even one top 50 defense. Oh wait, Texas is 50th, my bad. But Bradford hasn't had to play any real defenses, and when he did play the number one D in the Big-12 (Texas) he lost.

Tim Tebow on the other hand, has had to play top defenses week in and week out, including the number one D in the SEC and 3rd in the nation (Alabama) and hung 31 points on them in the single biggest game of the year.

2) Bradford hasn't had his back against the wall and had to engineer a come from behind win.

Tebow had his back against the wall after Bama totally dominated the 3rd quarter and took the lead. But Tebow personally led not only the offense, but the defense and special teams, actually going into their huddles and firing them up, and led the team to victory in one of the greatest 4th quarter comebacks in the history of the SEC championship.

3) Bradford is in usually in a game for a full 60 minutes, while Tebow is usually pulled out of most games just after the half. Tebow's numbers would be a lot higher if he played as much as Bradford did.

4) Bradford simply can't match the intangibles that Tebow brings to a game.

So ranters, what say you? Bradford or Tebow and why?

SEC Dominates Awards

I've really enjoyed watching the awards this year, particlarly the way the SEC has been dominating in spite of the conference having a "down year" as a whole. Most conferences would kill to have a "down year" like the SEC has. But anyway. The SEC award winners so far are as follows:

Maxwell Award: Tim Tebow, QB, Florida (2nd in a row)

Outland Trophy: Andre Smith, OL, Alabama

Coach of the Year: Nick Saban, Alabama

Tim Tebow also won the Disney Spirit Award for being the most inspirational player in college football.

There were also 11 SEC players to be picked for the Walter Camp All-American team.

First team:

Tim Tebow, QB, Florida

Andre Smith, OL, Alabama

Michael Oher, OL, Ole Miss

Brandon Spikes, LB, Florida

Eric Berry, S, Tennessee

Second team:

Percy Harvin, WR, Florida

Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia

Herman Johnson, OL, LSU

Terrence Cody, NT, Alabama

Rashad Johnson, S, Alabama

Trevard Lindley, CB, Kentucky

Things that make you go hmmm: Where is Antoine Caldwell, C, Alabama? That Kid is a stud and should have been included on the second team at least. For Bama to have only one O-lineman represented is laughable. Also notice the high number of Florida and Alabama players to make the cut. No wonder they faced off for the SEC championship.

He15man this Saturday

Hey ranters! I've been cruising the net and found a poll of 32 Heisman voters that was taken by CBS sports that found Tim Tebow in first place in the Heisman race. He is followed by Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy.

If this poll is indicative of what happens Saturday night, Tim Tebow will become only the second person in history to win the trophy twice, the other being Ohio State's Archie Griffin ('74 and '75).

Think about that. If Tebow wins the the Heisman and the national championship, he will no doubt go down in history as one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

I was listening to the venerable college football historian, Beano Cook, who said that 50 years from now people will be talking about Tim Tebow like we talk about Red Grange today. It is absolutely amazing what this kid has accomplished in his college football career. I can't think of another football player in recent history that has become bigger than life and has become more compelling than Tim Tebow. And he's talking about coming back for his senior year! After the Ole Miss loss there were Gator fans calling for Tebow to be benched. I wrote a post at that time (I've provided a link). Take note of the last paragraph. http://secrant.blogspot.com/2008/10/superman-is-just-fine.html

I'm not sure what everyone else thinks, but a player that has not been getting the Heisman love that he really should get is Percy Harvin. I mean this kid is a stud and a half and is by far the most dangerous player on the field, whether he has the football or not. This might get the fire of some, but Percy Harvin makes Reggie Bush look like he's standing still.

But this is the year of the quarterback, and so all the QB's are getting the love. But, if he comes back for his senior he could be the Heisman front runner.

Here's how the the CBS poll broke down:

Tim Tebow: 69 votes (16 first place)
Sam Bradford: 62 (9)
Colt McCoy: 55 (7)
Graham Harrell: 4 votes, no first place votes
Percy Harvin and Shonn Greene both got 1 vote


So what say you? If you had a vote, who would you vote for and why?

Here's a video from last year when Timmy was just a little guy.

What no love for the Gators?

Now I know that a lot of you ranters are not necessarily Gator fans, but Florida has not gotten even a single congrats for the SEC Championship, not even one! Come on ranters give it up for the Gators, they deserve it and you all know they do.

Florida Gators: SEC Chompians!

They promised us the best game of the year, they promised us the best SEC Championship game ever, they promised us a clash of the titans, an Ali/Frazier kind of matchup. . . and they delivered! The SEC Championship game in Hotlanta was one for the ages. People will be talking about this game for years to come. In fact, the National Championship game will probably be a letdown after this one.

These were two SEC powerhouses engaged in nothing less than a no-holds-barred street fight! In a game that was billed as a contrast in styles, Gator speed against Bama toughness, we saw a lot of speed and plenty of toughness on both sides of the football, and players from both teams are feeling it today.

Urban Meyer confessed that his Gators are really beat up and need some time to heal and get healthy again. The Gators had their 2 starting DTs out before the game anyway. Nick Saban said that the Tide just ran out of gas in the 4th quarter. Alabama CB Javier Arenas said, "We couldn't get off the field, they wouldn't let us." The Gators controlled the football for 12 minutes of the 4th quarter! In other words, they out-Bamaed Bama!

But that takes nothing away from the Crimson Tide. That is a physically tough and dominating football team. The Gators all acknowledged that this was by far the toughest game of the season. "My body was worn out," Gators defensive lineman Carlos Dunlap said. "I knew if I passed out, they would take care of me. I was not coming off the field. Alabama did a good job. They made it tough for us. It was our toughest game this season."

Mark it down, Bama is back and they will be back next year in the SEC Championship game and maybe even the National Championship game.

The big story leading up to the game: Will Percy Harvin play? And I for one feared that if he didn't the Gators could very well lose their edge. Face it, the Tide has been punching everybody in the mouth all season and without a really illusive playmaker like Harvin, Florida could be just the latest victim in Bama's season of smackdowns and curbstomps. But the playmaker that emerged was not Harvin, it was none other than Tim Tebow. This kid is relentless. He is the reason Florida won this game. I don't want to take anything away from the rest of the offense or the coaches who did a superb job, but Tebow was the critical piece that made it all work on Saturday night.

He led the team in rushing (57 yards), threw for 216 yards and scored 3 TD's! But it wasn't just his rushing and passing, it was his leadership, he simply would not allow Bama to win that game. Can anyone say Heisman part 2? Here is a guy who after losing to Ole Miss promised Gator nation that no one would work as hard and drive the team as hard as he would, and then promised, "a lot of good things will come out of this." Talk about the understatement of the century!

But the Florida D needs a little love too. By the middle of the second quarter it became pretty clear that the banged up Gator D-line could not match up with the Bama O-line. Way too big, way too talented, way too dominating. In fact, in the 3rd quarter, the Gator D could not stop the Bama running game and couldn't get enough pressure on John Parker Wilson to slow down the passing game either. It appeared that the Bama O-line would take over the game.

So what did defensive coordinator Charlie Strong do? Corner blitzes and DE stunts, none of which more successful than DE Jermaine Cunningham's delayed stunt up the middle to sack John Parker Wilson on a third and long on the the Bama 43 yard line. If you can't get through the O-line just go around it. Jermaine Cunningham said, Brandon Spikes, "called us together and put it to us plain and simple, 'The game's on us. Go make a play.'" Cunningham made the play. Problem solved.

The key to the offensive victory, as I see it, was simply too many weapons on the field for Bama to cover. The key to the defensive victory was a refusal to play to Bama's strengths. But that said, as a lifelong Gator I have to admit I never want to play Alabama again! By the end of the game my nerves were shattered. That is one tough football team.

How can the BCS top this? It's not likely they will. But one thing we know, the SEC will dominate the BCS again this year. I just hope Bob Stoops and his pretty little finesse offense is ready for the defense that won the street fight in Hotlanta. Go Gators! Roll Tide!

The SEC Championship Game: Let the Trash Talk Begin!

The SEC Championship Game: The X's and O's pt. 2 is below

With the SEC championship game rapidly approaching, it's time to start the trash talk. And to all you F$U fans, remember to keep it clean, use your nice words!

So here we go. We have #1 Alabama coming off a dominating destruction of their in-state rival, Auburn; and #4 Florida coming off their own dominating win against their in-state rival, Florida State. Both games were huge statements that these two SEC powerhouses are clearly the best two teams in the SEC, and maybe in the nation. By all accounts this will be the best and most anticipated SEC championship matchup ever. Contrast the SEC championship game with the Big-12's "JV" matchup (Texas beat both of them, what a joke of a conference). In fact, the SEC Championship is getting more buzz than even the National Championship game this year. This will truly be a clash of the Titans and the winner can all but buy their tickets to Miami. I added a couple highlight videos, one for Bama and one for Florida in their best games. Just a little something to fire everyone up.

So here's what I'm going to do: I will keep this post first in line each day so that you don't have to look for it. Put all your trash talk in the comments below. Let the trash talk begin!

Florida @ F$U: This One is Pure Hate

When trying to name this post, several things came to mind. The "Soak at Doak," or "3-0 on Ron Zook Field." But I got to thinking about what Joe Gibbs said when asked if the Redskins Cowboys rivalry had transcended rivalry and just gone to pure hatred. Joe Gibbs thought a moment and answered, "No, this is an important game to both teams and no doubt it's a fierce rivalry. But pure hate would be Florida vs Florida State!"

Joe Gibbs was a former assistant at F$U and had seen a few of these games. A lot of rivalries are fierce and a few even hostile, but most are usually respectful. But, when it comes to the Gators and the Seminoles, respect is not in the vocabulary of this particular rivalry. This one is pure hate!

And the hate was demonstrated all over the field in one of the wettest and most physical games I have ever watched. One of the most hate filled moments was when Percy Harvin went down with an injury. When he went down and didn't get up, but writhed in pain, the F$U fans cheered, and then when he was helped off the field, they booed. Of course we have all come to expect such a thugish classless response from the likes of Florida State Penitentiary University. I mean when you go to the ghetto, you have to expect ghetto behavior.

But it really bothered Tim Tebow. In fact, after they got Harvin off the field, Tebow went to the sideline and said, "Coach Meyer I want to run the football, I need to hit somebody extremely hard!" And from that point on Tebow racked up 80 of the most brutal bone crushing rushing yards that I have ever seen. There was no running out of bounds, there was no sliding, he simply put his shoulder down and crushed ribcages! He hit a Seminole safety so hard it will rattle his ancestors for generations! This kid is a gladiator, pure and simple!

But Tebow wasn't the only one running all over the F$U D. Chris Rainey rushed for 97 yards at 12.1 yards per carry, Jeffery Demps netted 89 at 9.9 yards per carry and 1 TD, and USC transfer Emmanuel Moody got into the action by posting 40 yards at 8 yards per carry. All told the Gators rushed for 317 yards and netted a total of 502 yards of total offense! That was not expected since the monsoon conditions diminished one of Florida's key advantages: speed and the ability to cut. So how did they adjust? They did it Bama style, went between the tackles and just broke people's bones! And the amazing thing about that was how natural it came to them. This is a very versatile football team.

Just in case you want to see some highlights of the Gators kicking the crap out of that ACC dog I put one below. Enjoy.

Alabama Auburn: The Iron Beatdown

Well I wish I could say I was surprised, but in this season, I'm not. Bama rolled and emphatically reclaimed the top spot in the state with a 36-0 beatdown of their instate rival the Auburn Tigers, or should we say Tiggers?

I have always been a lover of defense. I love nothing more than watching some freak of nature defensive end laying the wood to some pretty boy QB. But I've got to give it up to this Bama D. This unit is an absolute wrecking machine! In fact, they might even be better than the 1992 squad that took the SEC and the National Championships. By the way, that same squad beat the Gators in the 1992 SEC championship game. Hmmm.

I really thought Auburn would put up a few points, but they did have their share of a few things. How about a few total offensive yards (170), and a few passing yards (113), and a few rushing yards (57), and then there were a few turnovers (3)! Taking nothing away from Bama's D, but Auburn has to be one of the most pathetic offenses in the SEC. Hey Tommy, what are you guys auditioning for a spot in the Sun Belt Conference?

While "pathetic" is the word that comes to mind when I think of Auburn's offense, the word "woe" or "wow" or "no way" comes to mind when I think of Bama's offense in this game. If I had to point to one thing that stood out to me it was the Bama running game. This was classic Bama, the Bear would be so proud. Glen Coffee jacked up the Auburn D for 144 yards at 7.2 yards a carry. That's not 3 yards and a cloud of dust that's . . . 7.2 yards and a cloud of dust! And then Mark Ingram added 64 yards of his own, for a total of 234 yards rushing on the day. Nice!

Knowing the tradition and passion behind this rivalry, you'd really think that pride alone would have caused Auburn to step up and at least punch Bama in the mouth every now and then. I mean this is the Iron Bowl, a game that the Tigers have owned for 6 years straight and arguably the most important game of the year for both teams. Granted, no one really expected Auburn to win the game, but we all expected them to man up and at least make Bama work for it. But instead, they laid down and took their beating like a bunch of women!

Thanks Auburn for wasting 3 and and half hours of everyone's time. The next time you decide not to show up, do us all a favor and let us know so that we don't have to show up either! At least LSU had enough pride and respect for the game to try.

Can I get a witness?! HA!

The Right Reverend is having a revival in Oxford! Wow! 45-0 Ole Miss. Go Rebels! What a great win and statement game against an instate rival.

Whatever anyone thought about this Ole Miss team, everyone has to admit this is a really good football team. In fact, watching them play this month makes people wonder, "How did Florida almost beat these guys?" Seriously though, it makes Florida's loss look a whole lot better.

The Ole Miss D held Croom's Bulldogs to 37 total yards of offense and netted 11 sacks! Unbelievable! Bama only held them to 167 a week before. Not only that, but Snead and company gashed a pretty good MSU D for 461 yards of total offense. Sweet! Houston Nutt is the man! And Arkansas is like a dumb trailer trash chick too stupid to know how good she had it. They dump one of the best coaches in the SEC and invite Bobby "always looking" Petrino to move in. Well, let's not make this about Arkansas, even though we all enjoy making fun of them.

Anyway, with this big win and an 8-4 record, everyone's talking about Ole Miss in the Cotton Bowl. That is a game I want to see and the way things are looking we could actually see Ole Miss facing Texas Tech. That could be one of the best bowl games this year. And here's my prediction on that one: If there is an Ole Miss Texas Tech match up in the Cotton, Ole Miss will win that game, mark it down! Those little sissies at Tech have never seen a front 4 like Ole Miss. If Graham Harrell thinks he got his behind handed to him by OU, he ain't seen nothin' yet!

And if Ole Miss could take out Texas Tech, that would be one of the clearest expressions of the SEC's dominance over the little-12. Great game Rebels you guys are gonna be a beast next year. Can I get a witness?

Auburn at Alabama: The Iron Grudge Match

So here we are, the Iron Bowl! For Bama fans this day could not get here fast enough. And for Auburn fans? Well, they just want this season from hell to be over! Well Auburn fan, it’s not only not over but tomorrow is a day that will seem to never end for you. Nick Saban will no doubt take his time to make sure that you feel the pain that Bama has felt for the past 6 years.

But don’t worry Auburn fan the bloodletting and the season will be over this Saturday. You can go ahead and focus on your finals and get your Christmas shopping done and decide which grandparents you’ll be spending time with on New Years, because you’re not going anywhere. But look on the bright side at least you will be spared the indignity of serving as tackling dummies for some 6-6 C-USA dog in the New Mexico Bowl trying to salvage their year by knocking off an SEC team, nice!

That said, I do think Auburn will put some points up and will have some big plays this Saturday. But most of those will be due to Bama looking past the Tigers to the Gators next week in the SEC championship game. Hey Auburn did that sting or what? Bama is looking past you? What are you just some stat padder now? The answer is yes. And don’t forget it.

Wow how things have changed in the land of George Wallace. But don't worry Tigers, after you dump Tommy, get another head coach and break him in, then maybe, just maybe you might win the Iron Bowl again . . . in 2012.

Anyway, I'm looking for Bama RB’s Glen Coffee and Mark Ingram to torch Auburn’s D over and over and over and over again. These guys are gonna have a huge day as they grind it out on the ground just to rub the Tiger’s nose in it! And then not to be outdone, the Bama D will have an even bigger day. I can see 2 INT’s and at least 5 sacks!

Well Auburn it was nice knowing you, be sure and tell your grandma we said hello and have a great holiday! Roll Tide!

Picks Thursday 11-27-08

All right Ranters, its time for "Picks Thursday." I've been sick all week which explains the sporadic postings, this week and the previous. Sorry about that. In case you're not sure what this is all about here's the deal: Every Thursday we give you the opportunity to tell the world your predictions for all SEC games for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Take a few minutes and post your picks this week or you can bag rag on me about mine. Here's my picks:

Ole Miss takes down Croom's bulldogs in the Egg Bowl 31-13

LSU gets a much needed win from Arkansas in Little Rock 24-14

The Dawgs will barely get past Tech 38-35

The Cocks smack down Clemson in their house 28-10

The Gators will chomp F$U on Ron Zook Field for 5 straight 52-20 (sound familiar?)

Bama drills their arch rivals for sweet revenge at Bryant-Denny 33-3

Kentucky seals the Vols' season to forget in Knoxville 21-20

Wake Forrest will whack Vandy 23-15


Kenny's Record 34-12

The SEC Championship Game: The X's and O's pt. 2

Hey Ranters! I've started an X's and O's so that we can all compare notes as to what we think Bama and Florida have to do offensively and defensively to win the game. I've given you my two cents and you can put yours in the comments below.

What Bama has to do to win (as I see it):

Defensively

1) Let's get real Bama, you can't stop Florida's offense, no way, no how. As I said above, in the last 4 games Florida has played (UK, UGA, Vandy, USC), they have scored 6 TD's before their opponents scored their first! So you can't stop them, but you can slow them down and that's what your strategy has to be.

And the first and most important part of that strategy is Tebow, Tebow, Tebow and oh yeah . . . Tebow. You have to get pressure on Tim Tebow. This is a great offense with really scary playmakers all over the field, each one fully capable of taking it to the house at any moment. But all that said, Tebow is still the heart and soul of this offense. Neutralize Tim Tebow and you win. Neutralize him not and it's "would like to have sugar with that?"

Now here's the hard part: When you pressure Tebow and push him out of the pocket that opens you up to another threat, he is one of the best power runners on the offense and can always be counted on for at least 4 yards no matter what. So, you will have to figure out a way to put pressure on Tebow, but also keep a spy in the middle to stuff him if he tries to run. That will go a long way toward slowing Tebow and this offense down.

2) All of that said, if you are successful doing that, it will leave you with a very thin secondary which will open you up to screen passes to Percy Harvin who is simply the most dangerous ball carrier on the field. If he gets lose in your secondary it's lights out and touchdown Gators.

So keep your very best DB locked on Harvin all day. Do not play zone with Percy Harvin he will have huge gains if you do. Besides you have the talent and speed to to play man coverage with anyone, including the Gators. Play man on every down until they prove to you that they can beat you with it.

3) The X factor in this game is Jeffery Demps. The more you focus on Harvin, the more you will see Demps being brought in to the game and if he gets into your secondary he's almost as dangerous as Harvin. But here's the clue to stopping Demps: He is not very good at getting through the offensive line. In fact, there have been whole games where he was a non-factor. When he has had his biggest games is when the O-line spread out and created wide gaps. They do that to give Demps room to get through (it is more dangerous for Tebow which is why they don't do it all the time). But, when you see the linemen spread out with wide gaps and Demps is in the backfield pull your safeties up because Demps is coming through, guaranteed.

4) Florida rushed for 346 yards against South Carolina, 167 of those yards by Percy Harvin. And don't forget that was against the number 3 defense in the nation. Your best strategy might be slowing down the run. That doesn't mean the pass is not a factor, but stats are stats and the Gators are clearly a rushing team this year. And don't forget, you have the #3 ranked rushing defense, which means that you can slow down that rushing attack. The best thing you can work on is solid tackling and stick to assignments.