The SEC Championship Game ~ Should UGA show up?

The season started vastly different for these two teams. LSU played Oregon on neutral turf (although much closer to Baton Rouge) and beat the ranked Oregon team. Georgia also played on neutral ground (yes, much closer to Athens) against a ranked Boise State team. Georgia was not as fortunate. Boise State thumped the Dogs rather handily. Georgia went on to lose to ranked South Carolina to begin SEC play and Mark Richt was supposedly going to finish the season coaching at Siberia U.

I watched both the Boise State and South Carolina games and saw marked improvement in UGA's effort. Were it not for a couple of unfortunate ball bounces and trick plays, UGA would have likely won. The look on Steve Spurrier's face during the game would not have landed him a job on the popular deoderant commercial ~ he let a national TV audience see him sweat.

That was almost three months ago. LSU has continued their march to an undefeated season ~ 12-0. That's no slouch by anyone's standards, let alone to go unscathed through the SEC West. UGA has also gone on their impressive run of 10 straight wins, through the SEC East. Say what you want, the SEC is the most grueling college football schedule in the country. To get to the SEC Championship Game at the end is a monumental milestone for both teams.

Much has been said about a possible LSU - Alabama rematch for the National Championship. I have an opinion about that, however not to be shared in this space. Since LSU and UGA have not met on the football field in a couple of years, I did some research on their 2011 seasons. Their schedules included at least six common teams. LSU and UGA won all six of those games. Since teams can (and should) improve throughout the season, I wanted to choose games that were relatively close to one another to compare. I chose the Mississippi State and Auburn games.

Without boring you with all the specific numbers (go to ESPN.com and look them up yourself if you're that interested), I noticed these games were remarkably similar.

For example, against Mississippi State, Georgia had 20 first downs while LSU had 21. Incidentally, both allowed MSU 13. LSU amassed 361 total yards to UGA's 315. The time of possession was within three minutes of each other. Final scores? LSU won 19-6 while UGA won 24-10.

In the Auburn game, UGA had 30 first downs, holding Auburn to only 9. In that category, LSU had 23 and Auburn had 18. Total yards ~ Auburn racked up 195 against UGA's defense, while gaining 248 against LSU. Incidentally, LSU looked strong against that Auburn defense, gaining 393 yards! But hold on to your hat, Lee Corso . . . UGA rolled up 528 yards against that Auburn defense! The possession time for LSU and Auburn were within 1:10 of each other. Georgia's offense stayed on the field almost 41 of their 60 minute game. The final scores were almost identical. LSU 45-10; UGA 45-7.

All things considered, LSU may have a better team on paper. LSU may win the game, we don't know yet. But that's why they play 'em. And so, to our friends at ESPN who so aptly predict college football games so well during this time of year, NOT SO FAST, MY FRIEND!! I wouldn't be so quick to write off a strong showing by the Georgia Bulldogs this weekend in Atlanta. Win, lose, or draw, I think it will be a completely different team's showing than what the Nation saw in the opening week against Boise State.

Friendships and College Football

Watching college football is a hobby of mine. I am particularly fond of Georgia Bulldog football, but believe me when I say that if I'm channel surfing and come across a football game on television, I'll pause before even considering moving to the next channel.

The Georgia Bulldogs are playing in the Independence Bowl on Monday. Because of working a third shift, kick-off is at a bit of an inconvenient time for me, but rest assured, I'll roll out of bed in time to make it to a television set to watch.

Here are a few rules to remember when watching a football game with me: One rarely hears smack talk from me before a game. I save that for after the game. That way, if the game doesn't go UGA's way, I don't have to swallow nearly as much crow. That bird just doesn't have good taste! During the game, there is very little conversation. After all, I might miss some nuance of the game that is very important. Nevermind that if that happens, the television will show it fifteen dozen times. After the game, if UGA wins, I'm in a really good mood. Let's go out to eat, get some pizza or a burger...enjoy life! If the Dawgs lose, it's a different story. At least for a little while, I'll wear that loss on my sleeve. "It's just a game," some say. If someone says that to me, I'll kindly and gently remind them to please tell me that in a day or three ~ after the sting of the defeat wears off.

Some of those qualities are good to possess. Some, well, aren't so good. The bottom line is this: If you have a fan that's loyal to their team, you probably have a good friend. A friend who will be there when no one else will. You'll have a friend who will not leave you when the going is tough. Hmmm, I wonder what team God likes? Now, before you think that to be in bad taste, or think that God happens to like the same team you do, please understand the context of the statement. The Bible says God is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. God promises not to let you down. He will deliver those who put their trust in Him. Can you be called a friend of God?

A College Football Fan's Perspective

College football is filled with tradition and pageantry. Fans of each team in every conference of major college football will be able to give reason after reason why their favorite team and / or conference is the best. I suppose I'm no different. I'm obviously biased and partial to the Georgia Bulldogs and the Southeastern Conference. Whether it is the multiple national and conference championships, the Heisman trophy winners, the Hedges or the line of purebred white English Bulldogs named Uga, I see myriad of reasons to be partial to the Bulldogs.

College football programs (as well as basketball and baseball) are cyclical at best. There are very few dynasties that last more than a few years, before rebuilding must occur. The true fan will ride the wave of the good years and tread the water of the bad. The disappointments of a coaches decision and a players' inability to execute the play on the field can add to the frustration of seasons gone awry. It's easy to point fingers and make excuses, but the fact remains, there must be a winner and a loser. The 'what-ifs' of life will not yield the character that sportsmanship and athletics desire to build in the life of the athlete ~ and the fan.

College football has, somewhat sadly, become as much a business as a tradition. In case you haven't noticed that fact, check the latest ticket prices to attend a game. Somehow, there are 90,000+ fans who are willing to pay exorbitant prices to paint their faces, drive their expensive campers to weekend-long tailgating parties, and spend more money than the average person could imagine are making sure a working, middle-class family of four cannot reasonably attend a game.

Coaches make thousands, if not millions, of dollars annually, and are forced year in and year out to prove their worth. Unfortunately, this sometimes leads to allegations, investigations, and sometimes penalizing innocent young men; for you see, it is always the players who are years removed from the infraction who must pay the price for their predecessors wrongdoings. Much like an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the field, it's always the one who retaliates who draws the yellow hankey to the turf.

"Its just a game," some say. Superficially, those fine folks are correct. Football, basketball, baseball, soccer ~ they're games. Like Scrabble, Monopoly, Rook, and Tiddly-winks ~ they're games. The difference is these games have the timeless tradition, the proud pageantry and the glorious grandeur of serious competition. Week in and week out rivals run deep and bragging rights are on the line. Friends and families are sometimes split for just a few hours on a Saturday afternoon or evening because after the National Anthem plays, until there is no time left in the 4th Quarter, it's strictly competition.

Because of these rivalries, there are some teams in the Southeastern Conference that I cannot, in good conscience, root for unless they are playing in a bowl game against another conference. I have many friends who are die-hard fans of all the teams in the SEC. This past weekend, Gators and Elephants (why they're called the Crimson Tide, I don't know) played for the most prized possession of the Southeastern Conference ~ the Conference championship. Along with it, this season (as in the past several), the winner gets the chance to play for the National Championship. I have dear friends who wore crimson and white as well as blue and orange. Some even in the same family! There are players on each SEC team that I admire and whose abilities I respect. There are coaches who I admire ~ others I loathe. But at the end of the tongue in cheek trash talk, when the clock has said 0:00 the fourth time, we're still friends. Whether you're a Vol, a 'Dore, an Elephant, Tiger (choose whichever version may apply), Hog, Wildcat, Rebel, Rooster, the wrong Bulldog, or yes, even a Gator, I love ya ~ even if I root for the other team. Because there are just some teams I cannot bring myself to root for.