Thursday Thoughts on SEC Football

What a difference a week makes to Alabama. 

Last Thursday, Bama fans were waiting for the shoe to fall, and it wasn't as bad as some feared when the NCAA's decision was finally announced.

Now, the Crimson Tide is ready to fight to overturn much of the penalties handed down. 

Most insiders feel confident Alabama will prevail, but pardon us fans while we sit nervous for a few more months.

It seems Dan Mullen is going to have to storm a television station with a gun to get any headlines this offseason. 

Even people around Starkville are still saying, "Dan who?"

I'm not sure if it's good to fly this far under the radar, so it will be interesting to see how this works out for him.

Speaking of the radar, apparently the muzzle that Tennessee Athletic Director ordered has arrived, because you haven't heard anything from Lane Kiffin lately. 

For all of you that bet it would be a month or more until Kiffin said something else stupid, congratulations!

Speaking of Tennessee, I read an article that said former coach Phil Fulmer had turned down opportunities to work in the pros and was still waiting for a college team that is "ready to contend" to come calling.

Uh, Phil, if they were ready to contend, why would they dump the coach they have and hire you? After watching you phone in that last year, no big-name team will ever come calling. 

Do you even realize how silly your statement is?

You knew Mark Richt started cringing when sportswriters started talking about Urban Meyer's 24 players being arrested. 

Richt knew it was just a matter of time until someone started mentioning that he had 30 arrested over that same time frame.

But of Meyer's 24 players arrested, only six were ones he spent a year recruiting and bringing in. That's just two a year over a three-year period. 

Richt's been at Georgia for eight years. You do the math.

And since we're talking arrests, Tennessee may have had 21 arrested during that same time, but chalk all those up to Fulmer.

I've been accused of kicking Kiffin. Actually, I just report it when he kicks himself.

But I have to give Kiffin credit for doing something right. He's taken the most recent "most arrested" team, and turned them into choir boys.

This is one area that even the staunchest critics of Kiffin should give him some "Attaboys."

Steve Spurrier seems to be getting together a nice little recruiting class. 

Yes, I know it's early, and the class is only ranked the 22nd-best in the country at this point. But he did get Connor Shaw, a very decent three-star quarterback, away from Georgia Tech to come to South Carolina. 

So my question is: Why is South Carolina also signing a one-star quarterback? 

Really Steve? A one-star QB? Aren't you saving a few of the 28 scholarships for something a little better? 

Every time I think Spurrier is taking a step forward at South Carolina, things like this pop up and make me question him all over again.

I hope maybe Spurrier saw the ability that he could be a three-star cornerback or something other than a less-than-good quarterback. 

Even Vanderbilt got three-star player Nash Nance, and they only have four commits right now.

Speaking of recruiting, there's two things Les Miles can do well. One is escape a straight jacket, and the other is recruit. 

The Tigers rank No. 10 right now and have nothing lower than a three-star commit out of their 10 recruits so far.

This year, recruiting could come down to a three-way race between Alabama, LSU and Florida.

Oh well, that's it for tonight. Thanks for taking the time to let me share my Thursday Thoughts about the SEC with you. 

Until next week.