Keeping Up With The Joneses

On Friday the University of Tennessee hired Butch Jones to take over their football program after firing Derek Dooley nearly three weeks ago. After rumors of John Gruden, Mike Gundy and Charlie Strong, the Vols ended up with the 2011 Big East Coach of the Year. Shortly after several outlets confirmed the report Friday morning, Vol fans did what Vol fans do best as of late.
Flip out.
Sports talk radio was flooded with calls from some of the most idiotic fans that Southern Appalachia has to offer. Facebook and Twitter exploded with post from some of the finest arm chair Athletic Directors in the country. Messages boards went into full fledge meltdown mode.
This has been an almost daily occurrence for the past five seasons on Rocky Top. Vol fans are angry. They're angry because they've had four losing seasons in five years. They're angry because they've had five head coaches in five seasons. (Including Jim Chaney). They're angry that they haven't seen a bowl game in two years and haven't won one since Bush was in office. "This is Tennessee", they say.
They're right. This is Tennessee.
Gone are the days when Phil Fulmer roamed the sidelines of Shields Watkins Field. Gone are the days when the real UT was playing for a spot in the SEC championship game every year. No longer is there 102,000 plus packed into Neyland Stadium for every home game.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
No longer are they beating, or even competing with Bama, Florida, and Georgia. They have been embarrassed by Mississippi St, ran out of Nashville by in state Vanderbilt and lost to Kentucky for the first time in 26 years.
They're down. And they've been down so long that being down is all they know.
They're so used to being down that all they knew how to do when AD Dave Hart made the decision to hire the 2011 Big East coach of the year, who has won four conference championships in six seasons and has a record of 52-27, was act like a four year old who didn't get what they wanted for Christmas. They didn't take time to consider the success he has had everywhere he has been. They didn't want to listen to some of the most respected people in the sports world tell them that Butch Jones was well respected among the coaching circles and praised Dave Hart for hiring him to turn the program around.
They forgot that they love the University of Tennessee because of what it is. They love it because of the Orange and White. They love it for the Vol Navy, Vol Walk and Neyland Stadium on fall Saturdays. They sing Rocky Top to the top of their lungs while they salute the Pride of The Southland Band. That's Tennessee football. The wins brought them tradition, and that tradition isn't going any where.
Is Butch Jones John Gruden? No.
But his credentials suggest that he could have any number of jobs, and he choose, no he begged for this one. In four days on the job he has embraced everything that Derek Dooley didn't in three years. He's not intimated by Saban, Miles or Richt and he doesn't care that he wasn't UT's first pick.
Butch Jones has won everywhere he has every been, and Tennessee needs a winner right now.
Vol fans We may not have the mansion on the hill, but in order to keep up with the Joneses, we need Butch Jones.

Fandom In The SEC

As #2 Alabama gets set to take on #3 Georgia this afternoon in Atlanta for the SEC Championship most SEC fans focus is on that matchup because the winner will earn a trip to Miami to play top ranked Notre Dame for the BCS National Championship. And for Tide and Dawgs fans it's the biggest game of the year.
Alabama is looking to get back to the title game after winning it last season, and Georgia is looking to play in the national title game for the first time in decades.

Both have a tough loss on their résumé and both should feel fortunate that winning this game affords them the luxury of getting the chance at a BCS title shot.
If your an Alabama or Georgia fan, you were elated when Kansas St. decided not to play defense at all against Baylor and Oregon's high powered offense was shut down by Stanford.
But if your not, and your school resides in the SEC, you were, or should have been, pissed.

Why?

For the first time in seven years we were going to get a BCS champion that wasn't in the South Eastern Conference. One of these two teams could have put an end to Nick Saban's back to back title run. One of these two teams could have, and should have, left Alabama and Georgia fans whining about how a one loss SEC team should be playing in the title game over an undefeated "weaker conference" champion.
But these two teams decided that wasn't going to happen. They decided to waste a golden opportunity, a possible once in a lifetime chance to win a national championship. Flat out blew the chance to put SEC dominance on notice.
I could go on and on and on. But I won't.

And before you mistaken me for a west coast guy or an SEC hater, you should know this: My team plays in the SEC.
And I am not just your average fan. My fandom goes well beyond most outside of the SEC don't understand. To us, it's the most important, unimportant thing in this world.
Which brings me to my point.
How the hell does any fan that supports an SEC team, support other SEC teams?
I've have wondered this for years. When I ask, I get the common fans responses.

"I pull for the SEC."
"If my team ain't in it I wanna see an SEC team win it."
"It makes the conference look strong."
"It's more money for the conference".

It's ludicrous, idiotic, and downright stupid for any fan who's team plays in the South Eastern Conference to want to see another South Eastern Conference team succeed. If your one of these fans, with all due respect (And I'm saying with all do respect) your not really a "fan."
I mean sure, you wear you team colors, you watch the game on TV, and you know what you know about your team because of the last local newspaper article but that just makes you a normal fan. And normal is okay. If your teams plays in any other conference in America other than the SEC.
In the SEC we real fans eat, breath and sleep for our teams. We live for our teams 24/7-365. We pack parking lots hours before games. We know who the third string QB is and where he played high school ball. We spend countless hours logged on to sites that we pay for just so we can get the latest info on our teams or the 17 and 18 year old kids that they are recruiting.
We do not under any circumstances want to see our rivals succeed. Ever.
It hurts our program more than the average fan can understand. It's hard enough to recruit high school stars, even harder when your rivals are successful, and damn near impossible when their winning National Championships.
The conference is making hundreds of millions in TV contracts alone. They don't need the money.
And nothing bothers me more than to hear a Tennessee fan say they hope one of these teams playing tonight win the BCS title because there in the SEC.

That's exactly why you don't want them to win.

And if your one of these people you should
not ever refer to yourself as a "fan" again unless your understand what it means to be a fan.

Give Thanks

Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving I thought I would take a few minutes to give thanks for some recent events in the sports world.

First off, there is twelve straight hours of football tomorrow.
God bless the Pilgrims.

Lets give thanks to Kansas St and Oregon for ensuring us of another SEC national title this year. Alabama doesn't blow second chances and according to Vegas the Tide would be a 14 point favorite over Notre Dame. That's assuming the Irish win on Saturday. A loss to USC would most likely mean two SEC teams playing in Miami.
As a fan of a team that plays in the SEC that's just what I wanna see. My team struggle while my rivals win titles. That's what troubles me about most "SEC" fans. If their team can't win it all they wanna see another conference foe on top.
Why? I have no idea. Other than stupidity I can't figure out why a fan would want another team in the conference to have an advantage in recruiting.
Guess what, the conference may look good with all these championships, but you don't.

Since we mentioned Oregon, give thanks to the Ducks cheerleaders.

We should definitely give thanks to NHL commissioner Gary Betman. The lockout is in full swing and after 10 straight days of negotiating he decided the best course of action would be too....take a vacation. That's right. The most incompetent commissioner in all of major sports (Rodger Goodell is a close second) thought it would be best to take a break. Its November, and we have no hockey Gary. You need to spend Thanksgiving with the players union, not in the Virgin Islands.

Give thanks to George St Pierre for his impressive return to the octagon last Saturday. Because of his win we may finally see a "super fight" with Anderson Silva.
Give thanks to Anderson Silva for being the baddest man on the planet.

And lastly let's give a special thanks to the best news of the year other than Tennessee's dismissal of Derek Dooley.

NASCAR.
It appears they crowned their champion this past Sunday and that means that activity is finally over. Who won? I have no idea. But I guarantee you it was a very un athletic guy, with a smoking hot wife ( which I will never understand) that spent half an hour thanking his sponsors and talking about how his - insert number here- car was fast all year long.
While I'm saying thanks tomorrow I'm gonna wish that NASCAR would hire Gary Betman to run things. The only thing better than their season being over would be a lockout.

So Happy Thanksgiving.

God bless food, football,cheerleaders and America.

And congrats to my brother Marcus. Or as her prefers to be called, "Mr All District"

Election Day

Head coaches are a lot like presidents right? I mean, they lie publicly, cheat privately, and take large amounts of money from donors to get what they want all the while trying to lead to victory.
So on this Election Day I decided to put together a small list of head coaches who should run for president.
Almost all of them would be a better fit in the White House than the two we have to choose from.

1. Nick Saban- For obvious reasons. First, the United States would dominate. Everything. The economy would turn, wars would last days, and gas would cost about $1.00 a gallon. Would you wanna be the Middle Eastern oil kings after Saban got done with you? No, you wouldn't. Because you would loose. And terrorist would issue apologies.

2. Bill Belichick- Again, domination would play a big part in electing Belichick. Most of the same things you get with Saban you get with Bill, and there wouldn't be any speculation as to who tailored his suits since he dresses like a homeless dude.

3. Chip Kelly- The United States would attack everything they did with speed and precision. Giving his tempo, he could repair the economy, erase the national debt, and fix healthcare in about six months. He would spend the second half of the term thinking about his next term.

4. Bobby Petrino- He might get impeached by year two but I think he would be very Clinton like. Especially with the interns.

5. Brian Kelly- If we don't get him, Ireland will. He would run a tight but steady ship and Catholics everywhere would rejoice. America would be fine, unless we ran into actually competition.

Vice Presidential Candidates:

1. Derek Dooley- Never has made it as the Big Man but has always been good in a supporting role. Looks the part of a politician and would use useless bits of American history in his speeches.

2. Bill Snyder- He would bring respect and dignity to the White House. Pair him with the right President and our government would run flawlessly.

3. Mike Leech- Not the best guy to lead, but would be a hell of a right hand man. Could put together an explosive economic game plan, and press conferences and debates would be epic.

Left Of the Ballot:

Steve Spurrier- To brash to lead the nation and The Ole Ball Coach doesn't play second fiddle to anybody. Couldn't you see Spurrier interrupting the Speaker of the House with that sarcastic who do you think you are tone?

Jimmy Johnson- Although he's a proven winner, you can't have a leader with erectile dysfunction. At least not publicly known. Would he run Cialis commercials in between campaign adds?

Bill Cower- Yes he's a winner, but he also looks like he hates everyone. All the time. And I think he actually does. He may be the type of guy to bomb the entire world just because he's having a bad day.

Of course these are just a few candidates that could help our country.

And who knows what will happen tonight.

Nick Saban already has several write in votes in the state of Alabama.

Pay For Play

You have all seen it by now. Even if you weren't watching South Carolina beating Tennessee in the second quarter of Saturdays game, you have no doubt viewed a video on YouTube or seen a picture posted on twitter of the gruesome injury suffered by Gamecock RB and Hiesman Trophy candidate Marcus Lattimore. It was one of the worst looking injuries ever seen in football. There's no disputing that.
But what is being disputed by the NCAA is whether or not college athletes should be paid to play sports.

The NCAA may be the most corrupt organization in America. They make hundreds of millions of dollars per year without any oversight, any restrictions, or any regard for the athletes in which they control. They make there own rules all the while choosing which rules to enforce and how to enforce them. And they do this with one thing in mind. Their well being and their well being only.
Even New Jersey Mob bosses think the NCAA is a scam. And they envy it.

What they do to a large part of student athletes is downright disturbing when it comes to their controlling of a players financial present and future. The upper echelon players on Division 1 football rosters generate millions of dollars for the NCAA, their Universities, and the towns they play in.
What they get in return is pennies on the dollar. Literally.
And before you start with the "their getting a free education" argument, let me stop you right there because this is an idiotic argument.
Why?
Look at Marcus Lattimore. Since bursting onto the scene in 2010 as a true freshman he has wowed the nation with his physically running style, quick cutting ability, and break away speed rarely seen in power back. After a phenomenal freshman campaign he was already on NFL radars. Had he been eligible to enter the NFL Draft after the 2010 season, he would have been a first round draft pick. An instant millionaire. But he wasn't. Because the NCAA wants to keep its prized athletes as long as possible. Why should someone else make the millions off of them when they can do it at no cost to them.
Lattimore started 2011 the same way he ended 2010. Then an injury to the ligaments in his left knee ended his season and raised doubts about his NFL future.
But Lattimore underwent multiple surgeries and extensive rehab to be ready to return to the field at the start of this 2012 season. He not only returned, he picked up right where he had left off in 2011 as the best running back in the country. He had answered the questions of critics who were skeptical on how he would look after the injury. And up until the second quarter of Saturdays game, the injury that occurred a year ago was an after thought.
And then it happened. As Lattimore planted his leg into the ground to take on a couple of Tennessee defenders, a helmet landed directly on the knee. What happened next had people nauseous. Lattimore flew through the air, his right leg clearly mangled, and then landed on the field grabbing at his right knee, which was now located on the side of his leg. One Volunteer defender close to the play when it happened said post game that he had to turn away to keep from vomiting. It is easily one of the worst football injuries ever witnessed on TV. The diagnoses is complete destruction of his right knee.
Just like that.
Marcus Lattimore's future as an NFL football player and his ability to secure himself and his family financially is in serious doubt.
But hey, he'll have that degree from the University of South Carolina to fall back on, right? This is where this argument by the NCAA is ridiculous.
In his almost three seasons in Columbia, Lattimore has been the main reason for South Carolina's on the field success. He has helped transform the Gamecocks into a national power, bringing in millions of dollars to the University and the NCAA. He has also had an economical impact on the state. Because of Lattimore, Columbia, South Carolina restaurants, hotels, and shopping malls have raked in extra cash.
Thousands of people showed up on campus yesterday to show support for their fallen star. Professional athletes, actors, musicians, and politicians took to twitter to send out encouraging messages. The Governor of the state of South Carolina (who is a Clemson alum) declared yesterday Marcus Lattimore day.
And the reward that the NCAA sees fit to bestow on him for the accolades, accomplishments, and untold millions he has generated. Around $38,800 dollars. And not in a cash payment. In free tuition. At a value of about $9,200 per year.
And the kid can't so much as accept a $5 breakfast from a fan at Denny's without violating the NCAA's ludicrous rules.
These same people that are at the forefront of the "free tuition" argument are probably the same ones who boycott Nike because they pay Chinese workers about $2 a day to make $200 shoes.
And before you slam me for comparing the NCAA to a million dollar corporation who takes advantage of unfair labor wages, do the math.
Average ticket price to see Lattimore play is $64. Multiply that by 144 tickets and you have around $9,200.
Average attendance for a game at Williams-Brice Stadium: 80,000.

I'm not trying to take away the value of an education. Its important, but it's not priceless.

If Lattimore never plays football again and relies on a college degree and makes an average salary of $60,000 per year, it would take him around 500 years to make what he would have made with his first NFL contract.

So the next time you try and make your "free education" argument, think about Marcus Lattimore and do the math first.

You'll probably think twice about sounding so stupid.

CFB: Dominance?

All it takes is a look at the latest BCS standings to see that even though nine weeks have passed in a college football season that has been full of surprise and change, there is one thing that hasn't changed:

The SEC is good.

How good? SEC teams occupy the #1, #5,#6, #7 and #8 spots in the standings. That's more than 1/3 of the conference ranked in the top eight in the country.
Four out of the five rank in the top 10 of at least one of every major statistical category, three in total defense alone. And if that isn't enough, Las Vegas claims that #1 Alabama from the SEC would be a double digit favorite against #2 Kansas St. on a neutral field. In fact, according to Vegas #5 LSU and #6 Georgia would be favored over Kansas and #3 Notre Dame. And Vegas tends to know what there doing. There one if the few that wins more than Nick Saban.

But before we go ahead and crown the SEC with a seventh straight BCS title, lets not overlook a couple of possibilities that could leave the SEC on the outside looking in.
Alabama plays LSU on Saturday in what is all of the sudden a huge game again, especially for the Tigers. After losing to Florida early in the year most had ridden off Les Miles's team. But Saturday is a chance to beat the number one team in the country and put themselves back in the national title picture. It would also make every SEC title contender have 1 loss.
If K State, Notre Dame and Oregon win out then the SEC would be locked out of the championship game.
And before K State fans start to celebrate they had better worry about the two other unbeaten teams. First they have to take care of business but they also will need some help. Notre Dame has to lose a game in order for K State to get in. No way you could argue that the schedule the Irish will have played is not far better than the Wildcats. Hate Notre Dame all you want, but don't disregard common logic. Or common sense.
And although I think Oregon is the second best team in the country they may need more help than K State. The Ducks are about to enter the tough part of there schedule but the "quality wins" won't have as much quality as they thought. They haven't played a top 10 opponent all season and they may only play two ranked in the top 25. If they run the table they will get an extra game that the Irish won't with the PAC 12 title game, but will that be enough? I say no, but will see.
I firmly believe Oregon would give Alabama the best test. Vegas agrees putting the Ducks as only a six point underdog against the Tide. To put that into perspective LSU is getting 11 in Baton Rouge.
There is a lot of football left to be played but this Saturday could really clear some things up.
Or make things really cloudy. An LSU win means the Tigers, Bulldogs, Gators and Tide would all have one loss.
So every team that played against K State and Notre Dame would have a couple million extra fans that weekend.

There are several scenarios that could play out before the season ends.
Im pulling for the one that ends with Alabama and Oregon in Miami.

Another Shot?

It's obvious at this point that Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky and Tennessee are all going to be coach shopping at seasons end.
It's also obvious that Bobby Petrino is going to get another shot, and it won't be a bad job no matter where he ends up.There all in the SEC. All are gonna pay pretty well. And all will have university employee's that are as hot,or hotter than Jessica Dorrell. https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRBFajObGbyYwdQ3mC0ee_2gZCxWmALWw73hFVY12EA_KRwnLWyGQ

For Petrino, it's a win win.

I mean lets be honest, things looked pretty bleak for the guy not that long ago. The motor cycle accident, the affair, the firing. Most people would have probably climbed back on the bike and ran off the nearest bridge. But not Petrino. And you know why? Because he's a hell of a football coach. That's why.
You see, in the world of college football there is always a place at the table for a good coach. And Petrino knows this. Despite the mistakes that he made, his services are gonna be in high demand in about two months.
And speaking of the mistakes, lets not try and sound like a couple of baptist ministers here. It's not like he committed some violent crime of epic proportions. In fact, he didn't commit a crime at all. Lets face it, if every man lost his job because he had an affair with an above average looking women, the unemployment rate would be ten times what it is right now. And before you people start with the whole " I wouldn't have Petrino if he was the last coach on earth" talk, stop and think about one thing.... winning. That's what you want right? Those four teams wanna win, and three of them wanna win now. And ironically the one team who just wants to be a 7-8 win team every year (Kentucky) may be the best fit for Petrino.
If Petrino can win and win big at Louisville, than he can surpass the Wildcats expectations. He still has recruiting connections in the state and surrounding areas. He would instantly get more out of the players they have, and ticket sales would increase in a hurry. Whoever lands Petrino will have to deal with some media backlash and negative publicity for a short time. UK hired John Calipari so, they shouldn't have a problem with any of Petrino's baggage.

The top job will be at Tennessee. Say what you will, The Vols haven't been successful as of late, but if they had been they wouldn't need a new coach. UT is still a top 15 coaching job. A passionate fan base, one of the largest stadiums in the country, and facilities that are second to none. Add in the largest recruiting budget in the nation and the fact that this programs wants to win more than any of the others and you should be able to see why it will be the best job available. I'm not saying Petrino ends up in Knoxville, he wouldn't be my first call, but he would be pretty damn close to the top of the list. With Petrino, the Vol faithful would get more than moral victories.

And I know Auburn fans are arguing that there the better job. First off, it's not like its a great argument. Arguing over which program has the better job opening is about as dumb as arguing over who's team is better. You both suck. The Tigers have won a national title lately and Chizik has been able to recruit at a pretty high level but let's be honest, that was all luck. Every bit of success that Chizik has had can be attributed to pure, old fashioned luck. Now its not that Pertrino is a bad fit here. He showed he could compete in the SEC west at Arkansas and he would reenergize the rivalry with Alabama. This actually could be the most likely destination. Auburn could care less about his reputation (or theres) and it's not like they have a problem paying coaches a big chunk of money (or players).

Would Arkansas even consider bringing Petrino back. They should. Look at what has happen to them. There's really no need to put up any more of an argument than that.

So what we do know with out question is that Bobby Petrino will get another shot.

We don't know where yet, but it'll be a winning affair.