All 14 SEC football coaches were in Atlanta for the announcement about the new SEC Network yesterday. They took a picture together, which the conference posted on Facebook today.

At first, all I could think was, “Man, this entire thing couldn’t be more awkward.” After looking at it for a few more minutes, though, I’ve made some additional observations:

• The guys in the front row look like they’d rather be anywhere else.
• Nick Saban’s jacket is special.
• I also can’t believe his tie is crooked.
• Mark Richt looks concerned, like he may have just lost control of something.
• James Franklin’s smile is so big because he just offered a kid who’s in third grade.
• Bret Bielema is so happy because he just thought of another witty retort to sling at a Wisconsin fan on Twitter.
• Steve Spurrier appears to have borrowed his suit from someone taller than he is, or he’s starting to shrink.
• Will Muschamp has a funny-looking head.
• Some coaches chose to rep their schools by wearing ties in their school colors. A couple have pocket squares. That was a nice touch.

Happy Friday!

It was reported today that radio personality Paul Finebaum has inked a big-time book deal with HarperCollins, which means the story of his show/career/life will be coming to shelves (of the bookstore and virtual varieties) near you at some point next year. Finebaum told AL.com a little about what the book will include:

“There will be commentary on why the SEC is better than everyone else. It will certainly talk about the dominance of not only Alabama, but the conference. The (radio) show will be woven in and out of the book, featuring little vignettes on the callers.”

The Aerys NCAA crew is full of Finebaum fans, so we’ve got some helpful suggestions for what about the show he might want to include in this masterpiece.

• A foreword by Auburn fan Tammy, as well as at least four chapters from her
• A first chapter consisting of nothing more than “PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWLLLLLLLLLLLLL”
• A chapter by Pat Dye, which features incoherent combinations of words with lots of space in between
• A lengthy chapter from Cecil Hurt that puts everyone to sleep halfway through
• Seven appearances by Darryl from Georgia
• Illustrations of Tim Brando fighting off Alabama fans with a chair
• Illustrations of Tim Brando as a corndog (see example at right)
• Shout outs to all those who classify themselves as haters of the SEC/Bammers
• A chapter detailing the importance of the commercials from Hoover Tactical Firearms and The Furnace gentleman’s club

As Amanda said, if they take our suggestions, this is shaping up to be the best book ever written. You’re welcome, Paul*.

*Please contact us for more info on how you can send us all a check.

The final AP Poll is out, and unsurprisingly, the Crimson Tide finish at the top. After their loss in the national title game, Notre Dame drops three spots to No. 4. Five SEC teams finished in the Top 10, and two more finished in the Top 25. Louisville moved up nine spots, the biggest gain, from No. 22 to No. 13. Northern Illinois fell six spots, from No. 16 to No. 22, the biggest drop. Texas and Vanderbilt entered the rankings at Nos. 19 and 23, respectively.

Well, SEC fans, this is it. Football season has come and gone for another year, so it’s time for a final SEC summary. The conference is again home to the BCS national champion (for the seventh year in a row) and can also claim this year’s Heisman winner, Johnny Manziel. The SEC sent nine teams to bowls and came away with a record of 6-3. Five teams didn’t make it to the postseason: Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Auburn. Of those five, Missouri is the only one who won’t have a new coach next season. None of them finished with more than two wins in the conference or more than five wins overall, and both Auburn and Kentucky went winless in SEC play.

Vanderbilt 38, North Carolina State 24

The Commodores capped off a fantastic season by topping the Wolfpack in the 2012 Music City Bowl. Vandy got the scoring started in the first quarter, as QB Jordan Rodgers hit Chris Boyd with a 5-yard TD pass just over five minutes into the game. The ‘Dores took a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter, when Zac Stacy ran six yards to the end zone, but NC State got on the board with a touchdown of their own with just over six minutes remaining in the quarter. Vanderbilt went back up by two scores on their next possession, but then the Wolfpack’s Tobais Palmer took a kickoff 94 yards to cut the lead. Rodgers found Jordan Matthews for an 18-yard TD with less than a minute remaining in the half, though, to put the Commodores up 28-14 heading into the locker rooms. The Commodores tacked on a field goal in the third quarter before NC State added one of their own to open the fourth quarter. Each team scored once more, both touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough for the Wolfpack to overcome the deficit.

Rodgers went 16-of-25 for 108 yards and two touchdowns. NC State QB Mike Glennon was 35-of-53 for 383 yards, a TD, and three interceptions. Stacy had 25 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown and Matthews had seven catches for 61 yards and a TD to lead the Commodores. Creecy had nine carries for 43 yards and a touchdown and Palmer had eight receptions for 111 yards to lead the Wolfpack. NCSU racked up 24 first downs compared to Vandy’s 17 and outgained the ‘Dores 424-225 in total yardage, but managed only 41 yards on the ground and turned the ball over five times.

Vanderbilt finishes the season 9-4 overall and 5-3 in the SEC. North Carolina State finishes 7-6 overall and 4-4 in the ACC.

» Continue reading “SEC Summary: Bowl Game/2012 Wrap Up Edition”

Eddie Lacy and the Tide had plenty to celebrate tonight.

For the second year in a row, the Tide rolled in the BCS National Championship Game, this year beating Notre Dame 42-14 to claim their second title in a row and their third in four years.

The No. 2 Crimson Tide got off to a fast start, taking a 7-0 lead less than three minutes into the game, thanks to some nice runs by Eddie Lacy, including a 20-yard trot to the house. Six minutes later, Bama found the end zone again, this time on a 3-yard pass from AJ McCarron to Michael Williams.

The second quarter saw more Tide scores, as T.J. Yeldon opened the quarter with a 1-yard run for a TD, and then McCarron hit Lacy with an 11-yard scoring pass right before the half to put Alabama up 28-0 heading into the locker rooms.

The No. 1 Fighting Irish looked lost and outmatched for pretty much the entire first half, and during his halftime interview, coach Brian Kelly seemed to acknowledge that, saying, “It’s all Alabama,” and adding that Notre Dame couldn’t really do anything on offense or defense.

The third quarter saw another Crimson Tide touchdown, this time on a 34-yard pass from McCarron to Amari Cooper. Notre Dame finally ended the shut out on the next drive, when QB Everett Golson took the ball two yards to the end zone. Even with points on the board, the Irish couldn’t find any momentum.

The fourth quarter featured each team scoring once more, a 19-yard TD for Cooper and a 6-yard pass from Golson to Theo Riddick midway through the quarter. Shortly after, Bama’s backups entered the game and basically just waited for the clock to hit 00:00. The highlight of the fourth quarter actually came when McCarron and his center/road roommate Barrett Jones got into it after some confusion during the snap count. McCarron was clearly angry and Jones pushed him, which was honestly the most exciting thing to happen in the entire game. They eventually hugged it out on the sideline, though, so I guess everything’s okay between them.

» Continue reading “Crimson Tide Trounce Irish, Become Back-To-Back National Champs”

Fitz brought the remains of the “bowl monkey” to the postgame presser.

The Wildcats have finally gotten the monkey off their back.

After going more than 60 years without a bowl game victory, No. 20 Northwestern ended the drought and beat Mississippi State 34-20 in the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl on Tuesday.

The ‘Cats took an early lead when Quentin Williams picked off Bulldogs QB Tyler Russell less than a minute into the game and took the ball 29 yards to the house. NU increased their lead to 13-0 when Jeff Budzien hit a 34-yard field goal later in the first quarter and another from 37 yards out to open the second quarter.

Then it was MSU’s turn to score, as Devon Bell got them on the board with a 27-yard field goal of his own. With just over a minute to play in the half, Russell found Arceto Clark for an 18-yard TD pass, which cut Northwestern’s lead to just three points.

The bulldogs tied things up on their first drive of the third quarter, but the Wildcats responded with two touchdowns, one on a 3-yard run from Tyris Jones and another one a 4-yard run by QB Trevor Siemian (a Florida native). That put them up 27-13 with one quarter remaining. Fourth quarters have been tricky for NU all season, but not this time.

After Mississippi State scored on a 14-yard TD pass from Russell to Malcolm Johnson early in the final quarter, the ‘Cats were left clinging to a slim lead. Venric Mark put them back on top by two scores, though, when he took the ball three yards to the house on the next drive. The NU defense held MSU scoreless for the rest of the game and the Cats were able to assume the victory formation in a bowl game for the first time in more than half a century.

» Continue reading “Northwestern Beats Mississippi State, Finally Wins A Bowl Game”

Manziel was all smiles tonight in New York.

Congratulations to Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel, who tonight became the first freshman to ever win the Heisman Trophy.

He finished with 474 first place votes, over 150 more than Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o, who came in second, received (he had 321 votes). Kansas State’s Collin Klein, who was the third candidate present for the ceremony in New York tonight, earned 60 first place votes.

Manziel, who thanked his entire family, his coaches, and his team for their support also apologized to his grandmother for breaking so many things in the house growing up. He choked up towards the end of his speech, too, when he mentioned former Texas A&M offensive lineman Joseph Villavisencio, who died in a car accident last year.

This season, Manziel, nicknamed Johnny Football, racked up 3,419 total yards through the air and threw 24 touchdowns. He also notched 1,181 yards on the ground and 19 rushing TDs to become the first freshman, first SEC player, and fifth player ever to throw for 3,000 yards and run for 1,000 in a season.

If you somehow missed seeing Manziel play this season, you’ve got one more chance. He and the Aggies will take on the Oklahoma Sooners in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 4.

College football was treated to the Oprah effect (“You get a coach and you get a coach and you get a coach!”) today as four programs found out who their new leader will be. So who went where? Here’s a handy recap:

After weeks of chaos, coaching changes, and #collegekickers, the bowl games for 2012-13 have been announced. The line up is as follows:

Dec. 15, 1 p.m. – Gildan New Mexico Bowl: Nevada vs. Arizona

Dec. 15, 4:30 p.m. – Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Toledo vs. Utah State

Dec. 20, 8 p.m. – San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl:  BYU vs. San Diego State

Dec. 21, 7:30 p.m. – Beef O’Brady’s Bowl: Central Florida vs. Ball State

Dec. 22, noon – R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: East Carolina vs. Louisiana-Lafayette

Dec. 22, 3 p.m. – MAACO Las Vegas Bowl: Washington vs. Boise State

Dec. 24, 8 p.m. – Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Fresno State vs. Southern Methodist

Dec. 26, 7:30 p.m. – Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan

Dec. 27, 3 p.m. – Military Bowl Presented By Northrop Grumman: San Jose State vs. Bowling Green

Dec. 27, 6:30 p.m. – Belk Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Duke

Dec. 27, 9:45 p.m. – Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl: Baylor vs. UCLA

Dec. 28, 2:00 p.m. – AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl: Ohio vs. Louisiana-Monroe

Dec. 28, 5:30 p.m. – Russell Athletic Bowl: Rutgers vs. Virginia Tech

Dec. 28, 9 p.m. – Meineke Car Care Bowl: Minnesota vs. Texas Tech

Dec. 29, 11:45 a.m. – Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: Rice vs. Air Force

Dec. 29, 3:15 p.m. – New Era Pinstripe Bowl: West Virginia vs. Syracuse

Dec. 29, 4:00 p.m. – Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Navy vs. Arizona State

Dec. 29, 6:45 p.m. – Valero Alamo Bowl: Texas vs. Oregon State

Dec. 29, 10:15 p.m. – Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl: TCU vs. Michigan State

Dec. 31, noon – Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: North Carolina State vs. Vanderbilt

Dec. 31, 2 p.m. – Hyundai Sun Bowl: Southern Cal vs. Georgia Tech

Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m. – AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Iowa State vs. Tulsa

Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. – Chick-Fil-A Bowl: LSU vs. Clemson

Jan. 1, noon – TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Northwestern

Jan. 1, noon – Heart of Dallas Bowl: Purdue vs. Oklahoma State

Jan. 1, 1 p.m. – Outback Bowl: South Carolina vs. Michigan

Jan. 1, 1 p.m. – Capital One Bowl: Georgia vs. Nebraska

It’ll be an SEC vs. Independent showdown when Alabama and Notre Dame meet in the national title game.

Jan. 1, 5 p.m. – Rose Bowl Game Presented By Vizio: Wisconsin vs. Stanford

Jan. 1, 8:30 p.m. – Discover Orange Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Florida State

Jan. 2, 8:30 p.m. – Allstate Sugar Bowl: Louisville vs. Florida

Jan. 3, 8:30 p.m. – Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oregon vs. Kansas State

Jan. 4, 8 p.m. – AT&T Cotton Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma

Jan. 5, 1 p.m. – BBVA Compass Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. Ole Miss

Jan. 6, 9 p.m. – GoDaddy.com Bowl: Kent State vs. Arkansas State

Jan. 7, 8:30 p.m. – Discover BCS National Championship Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Alabama

The final BCS standings and AP Poll were released today, and the Fighting Irish and Crimson Tide maintained their spots at the top of both lists. Six of the top 10 teams in the BCS are from the SEC, while five SEC teams make the top 10 of the AP Poll. In the BCS standings, Northern Illinois had the biggest gain of the week, moving up six spots from No. 21 to No. 16, to earn a trip to the Orange Bowl. To do that, they beat Kent State, who had the biggest drop of the week, falling eight places from No. 17 to No. 25. Louisville also went from being unranked last week to No. 21 this week. In the AP Poll, Boise State had the biggest jump of the week, moving up five spots from No. 25 to No. 20. Kent State again had the biggest fall, moving down seven places, from No. 18 to No. 25. Texas and Oklahoma State, previously Nos. 23 and 24, respectively, dropped out of the Top 25, while Louisville and San Jose State entered at Nos. 22 and 24, respectively.