AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2008 > July > 14
Monday, July 14, 2008
Forget the calendar. College football season is here!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Silly me. After taking some time off I thought we would be able to sort of ease back into our daily visits about the game that we all love.
But this summer has again proven what I’ve been saying for years. There is no off-season for college football any more.
Yes, the calendar says the ACC (July 20-22) and SEC (July 23-25) preseason meetings are just around the corner. It also says that the first games won’t be played until August 28. But gentle readers, you can forget the calendar. Football is already here. And it’s good to be back.
Here are five examples I offer as proof that college football season never ends:
1. UGA VI: Only in college football and only in the South could the passing of a mascot evoke such emotion as when UGA VI passed away in June. I had a couple of friends from newspapers in other parts of the country call to ask why this was such a big deal. I tried to explain but bless them, you have to live in the South to understand.
The reverend Claude McBride gave the final blessing at the funeral at Sanford Stadium and ended it with:
“Sic’em UGA. Woof! Woof! Amen.”
Sorry. But you just don’t get that in the NFL. And you sure as heck don’t get it in the Big Ten.
2. James W. Conradt: Mr. Conradt, a Nebraska fan who should know better at age 36, decided he had read enough smack from Oklahoma fans on a Cornhusker message board. So he wrote a completely bogus story saying that two Oklahoma players, Sam Bradford and Landry Jones, had been busted on charges of cocaine distribution.
In order to give the story an air of authenticity, Mr. Conradt lifted the internet site header for The Daily Oklahoman newspaper and attached it to the story before posting it on the message board.
Needless to say, the folks down at the Daily Oklahoman were not happy and used their vast resources to track down Mr. Conradt. The newspaper is considering legal action. That newspaper also quotes Kevin Jones, father of Landry, as saying that he and Mr. Conradt would have their day in court as well.
In an interview with The Daily Oklahoman, Mr. Conradt said: “I just wanted to get them (Oklahoma fans) riled up, I guess. It was a bad decision.”
No. Wearing one blue and one black sock is a bad decision. Driving through downtown Atlanta during construction is a bad decision. This guy may have broken the law and intentionally defamed two innocent kids for his own amusement. He is getting ready to go down a real bad stretch of road.
3. Rich Rod, Michigan pay the $4 mil: A funny thing happened in the case of West Virginia vs. Rich Rodriguez, the Mountaineers’ former coach. WVU had a contract that said Rodriguez owed them $4 million for bolting to Michigan. Rich Rod said no way. The case appeared headed to court until it looked like Michigan president Mary Sue Coleman might have to sit down for a deposition. Then things got settled in a hurry. Now Rodriguez will pay $1.5 million and Michigan will pony up the rest. This was a huge event. Here’s why: Schools now know that they can hold coaches feet to the fire if there is a big buyout in the contract. They also know they can make life miserable for the other school and therefore get the money. It will make other schools think twice before hiring away somebody else’s coach.
4. Fulmer’s future is off the table: Despite the fact that Tennessee won 10 games and was two bad passes away from beating LSU, the BCS champions, in the SEC championship game, some fans were still questioning the long-term viability of Phillip Fulmer as the Volunteers’ head coach. Athletics director Mike Hamilton essentially took the issue off the table this summer by giving Fulmer a contract extension through 2014 that will pay him $2.4 million this season with a salary that will grow to $3.3 million in the final season of the deal. There is no question that Fulmer wants to reach two big goals: At 147 career victories he needs just 27 more to pass the legendary Robert Neyland as Tennessee’s winningest coach. With 55 wins Fulmer would be at 202, which would make him second only to Alabama’s Bear Bryant in SEC history. There is also no question that Tennessee has not won an SEC championship since 1998. This will make for an interesting dynamic if Tennessee stumbles against Florida (Sept. 20) and Auburn (Sept. 27).
5. Gators take a hit at safety: College football season never ends because at any time something can happen that can change the entire complexion of a football team. Florida’s greatest weakness in 2007 was the secondary and now comes word that starting strong safety Dorian Munroe will miss the season after tearing an ACL in voluntary drills. Florida has lost a bunch of players at that position and it is worth noting that junior Jamar Hornsby was kicked off the team earlier this summer after being arrested for credit card fraud. The Gators appear down to a redshirt freshman, Ahmad Black, Bryan Thomas (who is coming off surgery), and true freshman Will Hill at the position opposite Major Wright. A cornerback may have to switch positions. That is what makes college football different. You can’t go to the waiver wire and pick up another player. You play with what you have.
