We’d rather have been a part of Championship Saturday, but staying home gave us the chance to see everything from Cammy Cam Juice to the always-entertaining arrest of a mascot. The regular season was ultimately anti-climatic, but that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing to talk about.

• This is easy to say in hindsight, but Auburn faced their demons in Tuscaloosa, and I never had a doubt that they’d lose the SECCG. It reminded me of Georgia finally getting over the hump in 2002 at Auburn. It’s one thing to be a team of destiny, but it’s something else to see a good team hit its stride. Once Georgia managed that in 2002, Tech, Arkansas, and FSU never stood a chance. I don’t think Oregon will either.
• Cammy Cam Juice might’ve been the most ridiculous, and therefore the most enduring, moment of the 2010 SEC season.
• That said, the Gatorade bath is stale. Cam should have just made it rain on the sideline instead.
• This is the time of year when people gripe about there being too many bowls. They’re wrong. More college football is always the right answer.
• Congratulations to Willie Martinez: he’s now been a part of three conference championships and four BCS teams in the past ten years. When you recall that Martinez originally accepted a position at Stanford after leaving Georgia, he’s worked for not one but two teams bound for this season’s BCS.
• I think everyone was encouraged by the approach outlined by Coach T. late last week. We’re on to the “show me” stage rather quickly. The skepticism Tereshinski will have to overcome is this: was the decision to move forward with Tereshinski so obvious that it required no other interviews or a search of any kind? Georgia’s had some pretty high-profile strength coaches with Eric Fears back in the Donnan era and of course with Van Halenger. I hope Tereshinski is ready for his turn in the spotlight. Ben Dukes has some good additional perspective.
• Two teams from the state of Florida are ranked in the final coaches’ poll, and neither is Florida or Miami.
• Tech is offering Independence Bowl tickets for $14 to the first 5,000 purchasers. Does anyone else find that optimistic?
• Yes, UConn is going to get drilled in front of their 17 fans who make the cross-country trek. I’m glad though to see another school, much like Arkansas, get to experience a BCS bowl for the first time. It’ll be a great time for the fans who do go, and it’ll probably be the most-watched UConn football game ever. Outside of the championship game, the BCS has nothing to do with “best teams”. They won their (wretched) conference, and I hope they enjoy the reward.
• FSU never had much of a chance without Ponder, but Virginia Tech has to be wondering where they’d be now having scheduled Idaho State rather than Boise State. The pleasure of watching a team adjust and develop as the season goes on is one reason why I’m never sorry to see a team with a few early losses go deep in March Madness. It’s also why I wonder how many of the teams ranked ahead of Virginia Tech are really better than the Hokies right now.
• Newton and Auburn’s offense deserve all of the accolades thrown their way. You’ve started to see though an increasing role for Auburn’s defense in their success. They held Georgia to 10 points after the first quarter. Certainly they were adept at adjusting and not caving after Alabama jumped on them. Most impressive was their performance against South Carolina. We can debate whether the pressure put on an opponent by Auburn’s offense creates opportunities for the defense, and I’d agree that it does. Lattimore was limited, and it’s hard to stick with a ground game when you’re down by 14.
• Auburn’s Hail Mary had about the same effect that their onside kick against Georgia had. South Carolina had just scored to get within 7 and would open the second half with the ball. You can’t predict how things would have gone, but you can see an increased role for Lattimore in a closer game, and perhaps Auburn’s offense is kept off the field for a while longer. While we’re at it, is a squib kick ever a good idea? I understand the risks of kicking to the designated return man, but the rare long return seems like a small risk to take versus the field position you’re almost certain to give up. Does Auburn take a knee if they’re starting inside their own 30?