Where the falling satellite SHOULD land

Rivalries and trash-talk are one thing that makes college football so wonderful. It can be a fun slap in the face to your hated opponents who are down, or it can be the the hot coffee spilt into your lap when you're already having a bad morning if your team falls short. I (most of the time) try to stay away from it on this blog, and focus on the things I love more than the things I hate..... BUT..... we are faced with a rare opportunity to exhibit our hope for a little help in our hatred of others, courtesy of NASA, circa: 1991

To set up this list, you first need to know that YOU ARE NOT SAFE at the moment. A 6 ton Satellite which has been spinning out of control for the better part of 2 decades is scheduled to come crashing down to earth sometime Friday, or Saturday, or even before.... And we have NO CLUE where the pieces (or the whole thing) will hit.

So why not use this opportunity to voice our desires as to where exactly we wish for this thing to land, and obliterate* the immediate surroundings.  (* and by obliterate, I mean while nobody is physically there, only major structural obliteration)......

Cheerleaders perform for the Georgia Tech crowd at Bobby Dodd
Click to enlarge to see all the fans!!

1. Bobby Dodd Stadium: Atlanta, Georgia
Home of the gnats, a giant piece of the satellite would be doing great justice by demolishing this piece of crap stadium which was recently outdone by Grady High School a couple miles away. Those people hate us, and by golly, we hate them just as much (we are just not as vocal and obsessed over it). How amazing would it be for the "Rambling Wreck" hunk of metal to be parked midfield while the satellite comes screaming down like a comet and destroys the entire lot. It would then be appropriate for the nerds to go play their home games at Grady High, so they can know what it feels like to play in front of a sellout. The atmosphere will also suite the High School level talent they host on a regular basis. And wouldn't it just plain be appropriate and ironic for a fanbase who likes to pretend all their football players go on to work for NASA, to have their stadium annihilated by the wrong-doings of.... NASA.

2. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium: Gainsville, Florida
Even though the Dawgs do not ever play here (ok, except for 1994), it still couldn't have a more appropriate nickname.... "The Swamp". In fact, I consider the entire town of Gainsville to be one giant swamp, minus the beautiful cypress trees, but crawling with people resembling Glenn and Mitchel, the famous brothers on Swamp People. A benefit of getting rid of this should-be condemned piece of land, would mean moving the Gators to their "other home field" in Jacksonville full time, meaning the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party would have to be moved to the Georgia Dome, or just a home and home like it should be.

3. Jordan-Hare Stadium: Metro Opelika, Alabama
By knocking this stadium into smithereens, the Auburn War-Tiger-Eagle-Plainsmen could officially stop trying to impersonate Sanford Stadium. In the new stadium they would have to build, they can bypass the eerily similar hedges surrounding their field, and perhaps come up with a fight song that doesn't sound so much like Glory, Glory.. also played in Sanford Stadium. The way things have been going on "the plains", perhaps "Jailhouse Rock" or a nice thugged out song by T.I. would be better suited. And while they are at it, don't put in glass which your Tiger-Bird might attempt to fly through.... (too soon?)

Nobody is here, because nobody likes being cooked alive

4. Williams Brice Stadium: Hell, South Carolina
Only because it's too damn hot there. I am pretty sure if we moved this series to Thanksgiving weekend, they would set the kickoff time for noon, and the temperature would still be 113 degrees. May they build their new stadium with a roof and a thermostat. 

5. Neyland Stadium: Knoxville, Tennessee
I really do not hate Neyland Stadium. I just don't like it nearly as much as I used to. All the satellite needs to do, is knock out the eastern side of the grandstands, to re-create the beautiful view of the Tennessee River, which they wanted to cover up for some reason.

6. The Horseshoe: Columbus, Ohio
Mainly just so they can have something else to blame on the SEC.

Leave the cowbells to the pros, MSU

7. Davis Wade Stadium: Starkville, MS
There really is no need to hate this place, but the hope here is that the impact will cause every cowbell within 100 square miles to immediately malfunction beyond repair. Build a new stadium that holds a SEC-like 70 or 80 thousand, and beat a SEC team regularly other than Ole' Miss in order to fill it, so you can stop crying because your fans cannot generate as much noise as the rest of the SEC, trying to justify your bells.

8. Pro-Player/Landshark/Dolphin/Sun Life Stadium: Miami Gardens, Florida
Because it will take nothing short of a falling satellite to take the attention off Nevin Shapiro at "The U"

9. Kyle Field: College Station, Texas & Faurot Field: Columbia, Missouri
By landing on both of these places, it will render Texas A&M and Mi(zz?)ou football-stadium-less, and should automatically disqualify them as suitable additions to the SEC, and we can continue to keep the SOUTHeastern Conference a "Southern thang".

Jesus is actually showing the satellite where to land

10. Notre Dame Stadium: South Bend, Indiana
By falling here, there is a good chance the fans and alumni of the Irish will stop feeling like they have the "luck o' the Irish" on their side.... since they are indeed in Illinois, United States... not in... well... Ireland. And in a related effect, the holier than though attitude might go away since we could just as easily claim that Jesus pointed the satellite at them, as much as they claim Jesus wants them to win on Saturdays.

Your Turn: 
Where would you like to see this rabid satellite land in order to drastically improve the landscape of college football?? 

Isaiah ALREADY better than Knowshon

NO WAY Richt knew how good #24 would be

Knowshon Moreno was a name not too many had heard of at the start of the 2006 season. He literally showed up at UGA's doorstep during his recruitment process, after putting himself on a train from New Jersey to come let the Dawgs know he was interested (true story!). He landed his offer, accepted it without hesitation, and came to the great state of Georgia to play close to some of his family. 

One thing many of the Mark Richt pessimists love to reference is the redshirt which was left on the back of Knowshon Moreno back in 2006. What these pessimists fail to mention, however, is the Dawgs were dealing with one of their deepest RB squads the hedges have ever laid eyes on. Topping that list were already proven Danny Ware and Thomas Brown. And if you know anything about the Dawgs of the aughts, those boys could move the damn football!

So with the depth already at the position, and a season which didn't exactly go the way Dawg fans and coaches would have liked (losses to Vandy, UT mid season), there was very little need to burn the shirt off of Knowshon's back. Nobody had a clue what he would progress into, and there was certainly hope he would be a 3 or 4 year starter beginning in 2007.

I blame NOTHING on Coach Richt for the decision to keep Knowshon on the bench. This is just the way college football works. In fact I don't think Knowshon would have gotten any better by playing in the 2006 season, rather than just competing in practice and gaining multiple Spring Practices before he saw the big field.

And today, the hedges are feasting its eyes on Isaiah Crowell, who has already reminded me of Knowshon... but better!

Expect this a LOT, from #1

Isaiah got more attention during his recruiting process than Knowshon could have ever imagined. Isaiah was on the Dawg's radar long before he took his first unofficial visit. Isaiah played in his first game as a true-freshman. And when I look at Isaiah run the ball, I see what I saw from Knowshon, half way through his red-shirt-freshman season. I have absolutely no doubt that at this point in Isaiah's career, he is better than Knowshon was as a true-freshman.

Then to stop and think, that the bursts of greatness we have already seen from Isaiah have arguably come against the best 2 defenses he will see all season. The skills are already there. And like Knowshon, he will get better in time. We have a VERY special kid in Athens, folks.

While I will never declare ANYBODY the next Herschel, I will gladly go on record to declare Isaiah the next Knowshon. As an always optimistic Dawg fan, I have never been this excited to watch an 0-2 team, and I get giddy thinking about what Isaiah is going to look like come Tennessee, Florida, Auburn, and Georgia Tech.

There is a taste of fall in the air today. And there is a sense of change in Athens right now that goes well beyond the colors in the trees. And the best way to sum it up is from our favorite raspy voice in all the land.... "My God a Freshman!!!!"

less than 24 hours til the next kickoff!!
GO DAWGS!!!


ps...  I have not had much time to write recently, with school back and session, and as my twitter followers know, my fiance has been in Emory Hospital for the last couple weeks with kidney failures. We feel we are very close to a certain diagnosis, but a long road is ahead for us with treatments and rehabilitation. Thank you guys SO MUCH for outpouring thoughts and prayers sent our way!! She is a Damn Good Dawg, and will fight through this!!

Hate On, Haters.

For anybody who spends time reading anything online which allows comments, it has become painstakingly clear that UGA football has its fair share of haters. And so many have come out of the woodwork to revel in UGA's misfortunes the last couple of years. 

But I would like to remind the haters who love to talk crap, that at the end of the day, what you speak is just that.... crap.

In the past, I have been more than guilty of exchanging unpleasantries with fans of other programs. It was hard not to after Georgia Tech won the sloppy, rainy game in Athens a few years ago, when every, single, one of their fans decided to overtake any UGA blog or article to remind us of the final score. It got extremely annoying, and words were exchanged back and forth which I far from regret, but which I am glad I have grown out of.

Every college football fan has some sort of die-hard allegiance to one program or another. Many are based on where they went to school. Others base it on where they are from. Some just base it on which teams have been winning lately. Not a single one of them are wrong for it. Having any inkling of passion for a team is what makes the sport of College Football so wonderful for all.

So as the season is about to get revved up, I would like to remind the haters who are chomping at the bit for UGA to slip up, that there is not one damn thing that can make my undying passion for the Dawgs fade. Not the least bit. So you can hold your breath when it comes to letting me know your joys after any loss or any other hiccup this season.


I personally expect some early hiccups this year. We have a lot of inexperience which is about to be thrown into the fire. While this very well may translate into GREAT success either later on this season, or next, the early games are susceptible for disappointment. I expect to be 1-1 going into week 3, but like every other Dawg die-hard, I am hoping and praying for 2-0.

So when such a hiccup happens, haters, just keep in mind that there are no words you can speak which could EVER take away the feeling I get when I think of Athens, GA on a fall Saturday. There are no words that could ever erase the chills I get when the lone trumpeter plays their solo to begin the Battle Hymn of the Bulldawg Nation. There are no words which could dilute the memories I have of Larry Munson calling the plays of the Red and Black during my upbringing in north eastern Georgia. There are no words which can make me feel less at home when I take my seat inside Sanford Stadium with 92,746 of my closest friends and family. There are no words that can take away the emotions I get when I see the silver britches break through that beautiful, elongated G to enter the field between the hedges while the redcoat band plays "Glory Glory to ole' Georgia". No words can take away the spark that ignites inside of me when the redcoat band plays "Krypton Fanfare" before the start of the 4th quarter. No words could ever replace the joy I feel when hearing the Chapel Bell being rung after victory. No words can make me less excited to read whatever news or blogs comes out regarding MY Georgia Bulldawgs. 

So save your breath, haters. I don't care if UGA doesn't win a game for 10 years. I will still proudly wear my G, while counting down the hours until the next kickoff. I will still look forward to the good times spent with friends and family that comes along with college football.

So each of you haters who wish to chime in on my Dawgs, I am sure you have some allegiance for one reason or another to a rival program. So I ask you kindly, that while I pledge allegiance to mine, and you pledge allegiance to yours, please do not try and change my mind, as I surely am not trying to change yours.

Because frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.

6 short days til' kickoff!!
Go Dawgs!!

The 2008 #1 ranking ruined UGA (for a moment)

When the 2008 Dawgs were ranked #1, I believe it ruined the attitude of the football team in Athens.

hard to see here, but their heads are HUGE

Granted, we had about 36 season ending injuries before that team ever hit the field. The blackout fiasco didn't help them much, either. By the time they got to Jacksonville, they lacked any ounce of confidence. And by the time Tech came to Athens, they simply didn't care anymore.

But the worst thing that came out of that (underachieving) season, was the sense of entitlement that lingered over the program for the next couple of years. Without naming any names, there were more than a healthy handful of players who felt they were just bigger than the program. They felt the entire world bowed down to them even if they were not producing wins.

The media can be your best friend, and your enemy. And the effects from positive and negative media can work adversely. When every media outlet in the nation declared the 2008 team "preseason national champions", I feel the positive media negatively effected the attitudes of many. As time would prove, many "cancers" that lingered from that 2008 squad continued to let the combination of the media's effects and the lack of caring at the end of that season inhabit themselves and the ones around them beyond that year.

"And now a new breed of bulldawg stands ready to take the field of battle"

I strongly feel that the 2011 Dawgs have successfully ridden themselves of the lasting effects of that 2008 team, which was also the core of the grueling 2009-10 teams. The media has been tilting toward the doom-and-gloom stance for some time now, and the new leadership on this team is sick of it. The adverse effect of this seems to be an entirely new attitude lining up between the hedges.

Aaron has been an impressive leader on and off the field

Aaron Murray is fastly becoming my second favorite (David Greene) UGA quarterback of all-time. Coach Richt refers to him as a "coaches dream". Players have come to UGA simply because Aaron did (Orson Charles), because they have been well aware of his leadership and drive. Tagged along with Christian Robinson, referred to by many as the "quarterback of the defense", the team is under some of the best leadership it has seen in some time. As a bonus, Ray Drew has been outspoken as a leader of the freshman class, and an avid recruiter of future Dawgs to come. I feel the team is in mighty fine hands at the moment.

I am excited to see how much the combination of "addition by attrition" and new leadership will translate into performance. I have to be completely honest, and admit that I am more willing than most to accept some hiccups this year, especially early. But the team is on a completely different track than it was this time 3 short years ago. And that track looks to be leading us back to brighter places, in the media and on the field.

10 short days til' kickoff!!
GO DAWGS!!

Jerry Jones will move the SEC Championship Game to Dallas.

Clark Griswold would definitely take the fam here

Reports yesterday all but squashed the rumors that Texas A&M was a lock to come to the SEC. And today more rumors are emerging making it sound as if A&M could indeed be SEC bound.....   Who knows what to believe anymore....

So let's go ahead and say that Texas A&M joins the SEC. Maybe next year, maybe the following, or perhaps even 3 or 4 years from now. As we discussed previously, that would likely mean an Oklahoma or Missouri comes along with them for balance reasons.

So would this mean the SEC Championship game held on the first Saturday every December is safe in Atlanta? Jerry Jones has built himself a pretty big playground out in Dallas. If When the Texas Longhorns do indeed go Independent, and Texas A&M and others bolt from the Big 12, there will no longer be a Championship Game hosted by Jerry World. You cannot convince me for one second that Jerry Jones will not have a mighty-fine sales pitch for the SEC to move their championship showdown to the Lone Star state.

Jerry Jones already couldn't stand seeing the Georgia Dome host the Chick-fil-A Kickoff games the past 3 seasons, and has created his new Cowboys Classic game, beginning this season with Oregon and LSU. You can be assured that more television sets across the world will be tuned into that Top 5 matchup than the game our Dawgs are involved in at the exact same time. And don't look for that trend to change next year, even though there will be 2 games (Auburn/Clemson, Tennessee/NC State) held in Atlanta, because Jerry Jones has already secured a matchup of Alabama/Michigan for his 2012 Cowboys Classic. Where do you think ESPN College Gameday will go that weekend, along with the majority of interest and coverage??

I love to think of Atlanta, Georgia as the capital of SEC football. It's the place a large majority of SEC graduates congregate for work, as well as the central location for all school's destination hopes in December. I think having Texas A&M in the SEC will be a good thing, but I hope what comes to mind when  the SEC is mentioned is southern hospitality, shrimp and grits, peach cobbler, and the true deep south. I would hate for the image of the SEC to transition into deserts, big hair, cattle drives, and John Wayne.

KEEP THE SEC CHAMPIONSHIP IN ATLANTA!!

19 days til' kickoff!!
GO DAWGS!!

1 picture, 1,000 emotions.

I came across this picture the other day, and it made me stop and sigh, while yearning for the temperatures to cool down, and the Redcoat Band to warm up.

the perfect Sanford Bridge picture??

Sure, it is just another picture of an empty Sanford Stadium from the historic Sanford Bridge. We have all crossed it, and we have all stopped to admire its majesty and lore. But this particular picture was the perfect anecdote for my late summer blues. With Georgia temperatures in the mid to upper 90's, matching humidity percentages, and no clouds to provide the slightest glimmer of relief, I was able to obtain comfort getting lost between these frames.

After surviving a brutal Georgia August, the gray skies in this picture seem more than welcoming. The fact there are no leaves on the trees is a tell-all sign that the photographer is snuggled in their favorite blue jeans and soft, warm hoodie.

I would like to believe that this picture was taken on a late friday afternoon, sometime in late November, preparing to host Auburn or Georgia Tech the following day, with some sort of championship hopes on the line.

Yeah, that's where I would like to be today. I would like to be be the person snapping that picture, at that very moment.

23 days til' kickoff!!
GO DAWGS!!!

SEC: "Red Rover, Red Rover, send Texas A&M (and Oklahoma) on over!!.. what Longhorn Network??"

The rumors are probably a good, solid 3 years old now. And in the last 48 hours I have seen or heard more rumors about Texas A&M attempting to knock down the doors of Mike Slive's office in search of an invite to join the SEC. While those rumors have seemed to be debunked, for now, I couldn't help but to put on my "what if" goggles.....

Love the creativity, and the desire

It makes complete sense that the embers of such rumors are being fanned more than ever at this time. With only 15 days until the Big 12's "Doomsday" (aka the launch of the Longhorn Network), the remaining members of the Big 12 (is that what they still refer to themselves as?) are feeling the heat to do something drastic to keep their competitive stance as well as money in their athletic association's pockets. And what better direction for A&M to look than to the SEC? 

I think it would be nothing but a good thing for the SEC to extend an invite to A&M. With College Station geographically located smack between Houston and Dallas, the SEC would cash in greatly by adding interest in those two major media markets. I don't care who has doubts about swaying the loyalties of longtime Big 12 faithfuls to the SEC, just wait and see what happens when the UGAs, Alabamas, Auburns, Floridas, LSUs, and Tennessees begin making trips out to College Station every week. The local TV's will be locked on way before they find the Texas/Baylor or Kansas State/Missouri games. And what better way for A&M to continue their success in recruiting the state of Texas, despite the Longhorn Network, by baiting their propaganda hook with the sweet smell of playing in a SEC schedule. Convince a kid of the massive, national exposure he will be getting in comparison to the mostly regional Longhorn Network. The addition of A&M would be a very profiting one. There are SERIOUS dollars to be made here, folks.

OK's feelings on the Longhorn Network

But the SEC shouldn't stop there. Before Oklahoma gets any ideas about a "Sooner Network", a signed, stamped, and sealed invitation to join the SEC should be hand delivered on a silver platter to the folks in the front offices in Norman, OK as well. This will provide the chance to maintain balance in the SEC conference divisions, as well as reel in yet another huge college media market in the state of Oklahoma. Just like the A&M scenario aforementioned, the SEC teams paying visit to Norman on a weekly basis could easily compete with the Longhorn Network game featuring Texas vs Rice, or Texas vs whatever teams they are going to have to start scheduling after they are bound to go Independent. Oklahomans already have a nice fued with Texans, and I believe the chance to divert attention from the Longhorn Network will be appealing to the rich talent pool in the state of OK. The Sooners would be a perfect fit for the SEC, so long as A&M agrees.

With 14 teams, I would also encourage the SEC to follow the lead of the Big 10, which will begin a 9 game conference schedule beginning in 2017. The model for how to do that can be found right here...

And while the SEC is reaping the unforeseen benefits the Longhorn Network is creating, I believe it is way past due to make a simple trade with the ACC to create the true super-conference the SEC is capable of being. Vanderbilt... put away your SEC logos. You've been traded for Virginia Tech. No conference in America likes to pound their chests while bringing academic arguments into a football debate like the ACC. Just tell a Georgia Techie that UGA "owns them on the football field" and sit back and listen to how their players "take calculus and design rockets", with no football rebuttal (see: any childish blog over at the ajc). Vanderbilt, with it's rich academic attributes, more than descent basketball program, and Nashville media market would be more than ideal for the ACC! And who doesn't find it appalling that an SEC school, Vanderbilt, doesn't even have an athletic department?! The SEC would continue to pull well in that area with the statewide Vol fanbase.

would look good in the SEC

Virginia Tech being the other part of the trade, would create another large, brand new media market for the SEC in northern Virginia and Washington, DC. And with the statewide fanbase of the Virginia Cavaliers, the ACC loses little in terms of viewership in this region. Virginia Tech is a very, very rich football tradition and power, which will only grow with the appeal and lure of the SEC and the schedule which will come its way. The ACC/SEC trade would truly be a win/win situation for both conferences.

While this idea is nothing more than my football driven mind creating a scenario as I watch a Braves game, I do feel it is a bit closer to reality than most would believe. I admit the Vandy/VT trade is the most unlikely, but would be completely awesome if it ever took place.

With the SEC reshaping itself in this manor, who would really need a playoff? Because there should be very little doubt that the Champion of that SEC, should have an automatic BCS bid..... in the BCS Championship Game, that is.

24 days til' kickoff!!
GO DAWGS!!