Thursday Random Thoughts About Alabama and the SEC

The worst thing about the ruling that comes from the NCAA today about the 300 students (five of whom were football players) that got textbooks they weren't entitled to get, may be the waiting.

I've never seen so many Alabama fans chewing their nails and waiting for news. They re-post each grim fantasy posted by our rivals and dread the news with a morbidity that exceeds reality.

That's worse than the penalties will be.

And talking about vacating wins for penalties—I have to wonder how much that would be talked about if it weren't for Bobby Bowden's problems at FSU (which were much more serious) and the ramifications from those vacated losses.

If Steve Spurrier had taken one recruiting trip for every 18 holes of golf he played, how many SEC championships would he have had at South Carolina by now?

Speaking of recruiting, some coaches see that as just another part of the job. Nick Saban sees it as a competition. And anybody who knows Nick knows he hates to lose at anything.

I like Bobby Johnson at Vandy. He's a humble guy who's better than the school he coaches at. 

Since Vandy just went to its first bowl game in 25 years, will he get complacent from all that back patting, or is this just the beginning of a man destined to get a little respectability for a school whose football program never enjoyed that?

Mark Richt doesn't have the talent he had at Georgia last year, but he doesn't have the injuries either. Last year's 13 big injuries left to the Dogs fighting harder to keep up the wins.

With a healthy squad this year, I think the Dogs could be a much tougher team despite the losses of key personnel. Better watch those dogs this year.

Lane Kiffin will be popular in the South even though he's still acclimating. He's everything Southerners like about NASCAR: fast (with the lip), daring (with the comments and accusations), and you know there's going to be another wreck just around the corner.

The University of Kentucky doesn't really care about football; it's a diversion during basketball's offseason. Funny, but that's how the rest of the SEC sees them too.

Many famous coaches have spouted the famous line, "It's harder to win the second championship in a row than the first." And it's so true.

Will Florida have a let down this year? What happens this year will reflect not only on the Tim Tebow legacy, but on Urban Meyer as a head coach.

Remember when Auburn tried so hard to get the nickname, "The Jungle" to stick for their stadium? It flopped and never took. 

With all the quirky recruiting tactics they're trying, maybe they'll do something else over the top. Maybe they will plant some corn on each sideline (hey, they are an agricultural college) and start calling their team, "Children of the Corn".

I wonder—when Dan Mullen, the new coach at Mississippi State, asks a five-star prospect to come play for the Bulldogs, can he do so with a straight face? 

I also wonder how many times he's been asked, "Why? What did I ever do to you?"

With Les Miles hiring John Chavis to run the defense at LSU, that only leaves the offense for him to screw up.

Will he play musical QBs again this Fall or settle and build on one? I don't think he knows right now, but he better be careful about using too quick a hook if one doesn't shine right away. 

It's better to have someone have a little confidence than two or three nervous QB's.

I wonder...when Houston Nutt came to Ole Miss and got the company cell phone if they gave him one that couldn't do text messaging?  He seemed to concentrate a lot more last year.

Well those are the things that have been on my mind this Thursday.  Let me know what's been on yours.  Post your thoughts below and soon we'll have more interesting things to write about.