The most common defensive scheme in college football is the 4-3.  Football junkies know that this alignment uses four down linemen, three line-backers, and four defensive backs.  Georgia has used this defense for as long as it’s been around.  Most teams do.  However, this year the Bulldogs will be one of only 14 teams  using the 3-4 defensive scheme.   This alignment uses three down linemen, four line-backers, and four defensive backs. 

If you’re wondering why this is such a big deal, well, only one other team in the SEC uses the 3-4; the Alabama Crimson Tide.  That’s right, the defending National Champs. 

Will the change pay off of the Bulldogs?  Use the links to find out more about the change and tell me what you think.

The Associated Press released the Top 25 football rankings today.  As usual, the SEC is well represented with six teams making an appearance.  Alabama owns the top spot while Florida comes in at number four.  Arkansas at 17, LSU at 21, Auburn at 22, and Georgia at 23 round out the conference’s presence in the rankings. 

South Carolina and Mississippi also received votes. 

The importance of these rankings can’t be overlooked.  Unlike basketball rankings where teams can play their way into the Top 25 over the course of a long season, football teams have to play their way out.  Being placed in the Top 25 pre-season is a huge accomplishment in football.  Once again the SEC shows its dominance.

Nice hat, you're fired!

The General Manager for the station pulled no punches when talking about the organization’s loyalty: “This radio station is Hog Sports Radio. We are very biased. We support the Razorbacks 100%.”

I could personally take it or leave it. I can see that Hog Sports Radio doesn’t want any of its employees sportin’ a conference rival’s hat. Especially while on the clock at a press conference. However, I would hate to get fired for grabbing the wrong hat.

My question to you is simple.  Should Hog Sports Radio have fired Renee Gork for wearing the hat? There are some reports that there might be more issues beneath the surface, but I was not able to find anything other than mere speculation.

After watching the video, (more for curiosity than real information) convince me I should take your side!

If you are anything like me you cannot stop thinking about the upcoming college football season. There is something so absolutely captivating about waking up on a Saturday knowing you have games going all day long.

While the SEC Football season is packed with great match ups, here are a few that piqued my interest (sorted by date):

1. Kentucky @ Louisville, September 4th, 2010

No one will argue that these two teams are powerhouses by any means.  However, for almost all things, and especially sports, it’s Louisville v. the rest of Kentucky.  Living in the state has taught me that much at least.  And besides, if this game can make UK and UofL fans forget about basketball for one afternoon it must be a big deal right?

2. Alabama @ Arkansas, September 25th, 2010

This early season game with the suspected top two teams in the SEC Western Division, one of which is trying to defend their National Championship, should really set the tone for the rest of the season. Both teams will have one tough game before this match up, but since the Nittany Lions (@ Alabama) still haven’t picked a quarterback, and Georgia (vs. Arkansas) has a redshirt freshman at QB along with a new defensive scheme (3-4), this may prove to be the first test for both teams.

3. Florida @ Alabama, October 10th, 2010

A rematch of last year’s SEC Championship Game? Check.  A potential prequel to this year’s conference title game? Check.  Florida players are still reeling from getting embarrassed in last year’s de facto semi-final game, and have apparently been looking forward to this game ever since. Losing this game this early certainly won’t ruin either team’s chances, but winning it could be the spark that sends  the winner all the way.

4. Auburn @ Alabama, November 26th, 2010

This year’s Iron Bowl might sneak up on people outside the two fanbases, but any time these two schools get together it is always a toughly fought game.  Depending on how their season went, going to Tuscaloosa for the last game of the regular season and being a thorn in the side of the Tide’s BCS Championship hopes might be the only thing worth playing for.  Oh yeah, this game is also being played on a Friday night.  Enjoy a belated Thanksgiving gift.

5. Kentucky @ Tennessee, November 27th, 2010

Could you imagine the silence that would creep in Neyland Stadium if the clock was ticking down with Kentucky in the lead?  Neither can I.  That is probably because I was barely four years old the last time UK beat Tennessee. To lose to the northern neighbor would be bad enough, but to do so at home… that would put Vols fans in a coma.

Looking forward to something that didn’t make the list?  Let me know!

College football is just around the corner (thank God!), and you know what that means – SEC Media Day.  With it comes one of the first glimpses into how the teams stack up in the conference.  The media members voted… and the results are in.

From left to right and top to bottom:

Western Division

Rank	School (First Place Votes)	2009 W/L	2009 Conf. Finish
1	Alabama (157)	14-0	1st
2	Arkansas (6)	8-5	4th
3	Auburn (10)	8-5	5th
4	LSU (1)	9-4	2nd
5	Mississippi State	5-7	6th
6	Ole’ Miss (3)	9-4	3rd

The main thing that worries me about Alabama this year is that the last six conference games are against teams that have a bye week right before ‘Bama.  That list includes South Carolina, Ole’ Miss, Tennessee, LSU, Mississippi State, and Auburn.  Now Auburn might not be as bad as you would think considering Alabama has moved the prior week’s game against Georgia State to Thursday instead of Saturday.  Yes, I-AA (or FCS if you are like that) Georgia State.  Don’t bother looking up Georgia State either; this is the first year of football at the school.   Say a prayer for these fine young men.

Eastern Division

Rank	School (First Place Votes)	2009 W/L	2009 Conf. Finish
1	Florida (153)	14-0	1st
2	Georgia (15)	8-5	4th
3	South Carolina (8)	8-5	5th
4	Kentucky	9-4	3rd
5	Tennessee	9-4	2nd
6	Vanderbilt (1)	5-7	6th

Two things about the East that stand out to me: First, UK is voted in ahead of Tennessee.  Seriously, just look up again.  It isn’t a typo.  I am not saying that to bash UK since they have been silently improving from year to year, but when you haven’t lost to a team in 25 consecutive games, I would imagine having them ahead of you in a poll might sting a little.  Second, who voted for Vanderbilt and why haven’t they been stripped of their credentials?

Have any insight to share?  How do you see the SEC finishing up?

Sophomores Greg King and Marlon Walls were allowed back on the team because Head Coach Derek Dooley said that he was content with their punishment and that they have shown remorse regarding the fight.

It is not publicly known exactly what part these two played in the altercation, so perhaps they should get some benefit of the doubt. However, King said that he threw the first punch after one of his teammates was struck. Several eyewitnesses paint a different picture saying that the UT players attacked Gary Russell after Russell bumped into Hughes while leaving the restroom.

Even if you believe the UT players’ account of the events, can they really believe that a guy getting punched (puncher – 5’8″ 215 pounds; punchee 6’4″ 312 pounds) called for a beat down by six or seven people? Not to mention the fact that they also knocked an off-duty police office unconscious after the first attack was subdued.

We may never find out exactly what happened, but between this incident and the basketball team’s armed robbery, I am definitely glad I live north of the border.

What do you think?

Anyway, about the new look:  I took inventory of my time and also of my requirements.  It was a losing equation.  Therefore, I am making the decision (begrudgingly) to move blickety.com from my custom content management system to the WordPress platform.  This will allow much more time to be spent on content instead of a content/platform hybrid.

Over the upcoming days/weeks I will be moving the original content over to this database.  Since I was using a built-from-scratch system before, there is not a quick way to do that unfortunately.  Anyway, I look forward to winning your web browsing time once again!

Thanks,

Rick

The GMAC Bowl was filled with huge performances on the offensive side of the ball.

Central Michigan quaterback Dan LeFevour threw the ball 55 times, completing 33 of those attempts, and rang up 395 passing yards. Of those 33 completions, 13 went to wide receiver Antonio Brown for a total of 178 yards. Brown didn’t just catch passes. He also ran the ball 4 times for 22 yards and a score. And just for good measure he added a 95 yard kick-off return for a touchdown. All told, Brown had 403 all purpose yards (he had a total of 203 on kick-off returns for the night).

Troy wasn’t going to let Central Michigan steal the offensive highlights. Their quarterback, Levi Brown, threw the ball 56 times, completing 31 of those attempts, for 386 yards. His favorite target of the night, Jerrel Jernigan, caught 9 passes for 154 yards. Running back DuJuan Harris also ran for 112 yards on just 14 carries.

At the end of the night the total yards for each team looked like this:

Central Michigan – 504

Troy – 572

To add to the entertainment, these two teams decided that there wasn’t enough time in regulation to decide this game and treated the fans to overtime…and then double overtime.

Eventually Central Michigan came out on top 44-41. To the players, coaches, and fans of each team, the outcome mattered. To the rest of us, we should just say thank you. That was fun.

This select group of students is not allowed to pursue their trade right of high school. By rule of the respective professional leagues of their chosen sports they must be one (NBA) or three (NFL) years removed from high school to participate. The effect of these rules on the talent level and graduation rates of college athletes has been debated for some time and no consensus has been reached.

That’s not the debate I want to have here. I want to talk about simple fairness. How are those rules fair? Not only is this select group of students not allowed to enter their respective professional leagues right out of high school, but when they were allowed to (NBA), if things didn’t work out they had to choose an entirely different profession.

Let’s break this down.

For those non-elite athletes who graduate from high school and decide to enter the work force the results are often not that appealing. If they spend a few years trying to make it in their chosen profession and are unable to compete they have the option of going back to college and spending some time making themselves more marketable to their potential employers. Then they head back out into the job market to try again.

If the rules of NBA and NFL were not in place, the NCAA still prohibits athletes from joining a professional league and then returning to college in that same sport (Chris Weinke’s situation shows that you can return to college in a different sport).

If a high school senior, who happens to be an elite athlete, decides they want to try their hand in chosen profession without the benefit of college, why should they not be allowed to return to college to make themselves more marketable when that attempt doesn’t work out? How is that any different from any non-athlete doing the same thing?

There are those who claim it wouldn’t be fair to allow a player with years of professional experience to return to play against amateur athletes. I would ask those people what is fair about allowing an individual with years of professional experience in the work force to return and compete against amateur students. In today’s economy academic performance is vitally important to potential employers.

Let’s look at this example. A high school senior goes to work in a fast food restaurant when they graduate. They work in this restaurant for five years. During that time they work their way up to assistant manager. They are responsible for scheduling the regular employees, managing inventory, and preparing various accounting reports. After a few years they decide they want to be a general manager but they have to have a college degree to get that position. They go back to school to get a business management degree. How fair is it going to be to those college students who are 18 years old with no work experience to have to compete academically with someone who has five years of business knowledge coming in?

So my question is why does the NCAA apply different standards to athletes?