geechee
05-31-2008, 03:02 PM
By Tony Barnhart | Friday, May 30, 2008, 08:15 AM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Destin, Fla.-The SEC Spring meetings come to an end this afternoon when the league’s presidents make their final decisions and the revenue checks are passed around. This is always a happy day in the conference.
The end of the SEC meetings also marks the end of the work year for your humble correspondent. I’ll be going away for a while to catch up on my reading and tackle the growing list of projects Mrs. Barnhart has for me at home. I’m also going to work on my golf game but those of you who have seen me play know that it’s pretty hopeless.
I’ll be back in July before the ACC and SEC preseason meetings. But before I go I want to thank the regular readers of this blog.
I don’t get a chance to read all of the blogs on our website but I don’t think there is a more passionate group of people about their sport than you. Yeah, I get a little discouraged sometimes when the conversation evolves into the written version of a food fight. But that only happens because people care and they want to stick up for their school or their team. I’ve written before that in the South, bragging rights about college football are more important than oil rights in Texas. You folks prove that every day.
You have supported this blog, kept me on my toes, and corrected me when I needed it. And I appreciate it.
I could be wrong, but when I get back I think we’ll be getting ready for one of the most competitive college football seasons we’ve had in a long, long time. And if gets any wilder than the 2007 season, we are all in for quite a ride.
Here are a few parting thoughts to ponder:
**—Georgia will be the favorite in the SEC East but I have to tell you that based on my conversations down here, Florida and Tennessee think they are going to be pretty good. I don’t worry about the Bulldogs being able to handle the hype because of their head coach, who is as level headed as they come. “I’ve told my guys that if being No. 1 (in preseason) motivates you to work hard and live up to that ranking, then it’s a good thing,” Mark Richt told me late this week. “But if it gives you the sense that you are entitled to victories just because of what people are saying about you, then it is a bad thing.”
Richt knows that there are high expectations for Georgia this season. And he also knows he can’t keep that from his players. Managing those expectations and making sure they are not counterproductive to the play on the field is an issue that Georgia will have to manage every single day. Starting today.
**—I still say Auburn is going to be the surprise team in the league and win the SEC West. LSU will be so good up front on both sides of the ball that the quarterback position might not matter but the road schedule for the Tigers is much less friendly this time. If you play Alabama, you want to play them early. By the end of the year the Tide could be pretty good.
**—Clemson will be the favorite in the ACC but the offensive line still concerns me. We’ll know a lot more after the Tigers play Alabama in the Georgia Dome on Aug. 30. Georgia Tech will struggle early but finish well. Florida State will be better but not that much better. I think 2009 will be the come back season for the Seminoles.
**—I think the odds are good that the Southern Cal-Ohio State winner on Sept. 13 will be in the BCS championship game. I also think that the opponent will be either Oklahoma or the SEC champion.
Now, that should be enough to keep the conversation going until I get back. Thanks again for your support. See you in July.
Richt will help UGA manage great expectations | Mr. College Football | ajc.com (http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/cfb/entries/2008/05/30/thanks_for_a_gr_1.html)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Destin, Fla.-The SEC Spring meetings come to an end this afternoon when the league’s presidents make their final decisions and the revenue checks are passed around. This is always a happy day in the conference.
The end of the SEC meetings also marks the end of the work year for your humble correspondent. I’ll be going away for a while to catch up on my reading and tackle the growing list of projects Mrs. Barnhart has for me at home. I’m also going to work on my golf game but those of you who have seen me play know that it’s pretty hopeless.
I’ll be back in July before the ACC and SEC preseason meetings. But before I go I want to thank the regular readers of this blog.
I don’t get a chance to read all of the blogs on our website but I don’t think there is a more passionate group of people about their sport than you. Yeah, I get a little discouraged sometimes when the conversation evolves into the written version of a food fight. But that only happens because people care and they want to stick up for their school or their team. I’ve written before that in the South, bragging rights about college football are more important than oil rights in Texas. You folks prove that every day.
You have supported this blog, kept me on my toes, and corrected me when I needed it. And I appreciate it.
I could be wrong, but when I get back I think we’ll be getting ready for one of the most competitive college football seasons we’ve had in a long, long time. And if gets any wilder than the 2007 season, we are all in for quite a ride.
Here are a few parting thoughts to ponder:
**—Georgia will be the favorite in the SEC East but I have to tell you that based on my conversations down here, Florida and Tennessee think they are going to be pretty good. I don’t worry about the Bulldogs being able to handle the hype because of their head coach, who is as level headed as they come. “I’ve told my guys that if being No. 1 (in preseason) motivates you to work hard and live up to that ranking, then it’s a good thing,” Mark Richt told me late this week. “But if it gives you the sense that you are entitled to victories just because of what people are saying about you, then it is a bad thing.”
Richt knows that there are high expectations for Georgia this season. And he also knows he can’t keep that from his players. Managing those expectations and making sure they are not counterproductive to the play on the field is an issue that Georgia will have to manage every single day. Starting today.
**—I still say Auburn is going to be the surprise team in the league and win the SEC West. LSU will be so good up front on both sides of the ball that the quarterback position might not matter but the road schedule for the Tigers is much less friendly this time. If you play Alabama, you want to play them early. By the end of the year the Tide could be pretty good.
**—Clemson will be the favorite in the ACC but the offensive line still concerns me. We’ll know a lot more after the Tigers play Alabama in the Georgia Dome on Aug. 30. Georgia Tech will struggle early but finish well. Florida State will be better but not that much better. I think 2009 will be the come back season for the Seminoles.
**—I think the odds are good that the Southern Cal-Ohio State winner on Sept. 13 will be in the BCS championship game. I also think that the opponent will be either Oklahoma or the SEC champion.
Now, that should be enough to keep the conversation going until I get back. Thanks again for your support. See you in July.
Richt will help UGA manage great expectations | Mr. College Football | ajc.com (http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/cfb/entries/2008/05/30/thanks_for_a_gr_1.html)