The SEC sent out memos this week clarifying things like marking the spot of a kick and also reminding schools of the restrictions on piped-in noise and music used during games.

In other news, Florida travels to Mississippi State this weekend where artificial noisemakers are a proud tradition and central to the program’s identity.

Mark Fox and Andy Landers were in front of the SEC media this morning, and each offered his outlook on the upcoming season.

Fox talked about the resources available to an SEC program as well as the difficulties of installing his triangle offense with “a group that needs some more offense and that needs to work on controlling the ball better.” He mentioned the motivation that comes from a team looking for a fresh start. “We are not having to fight the battle to get these players motivated,” he added.

Landers focused on the challenges of meshing seven newcomers with a small group of veterans. “How well we do in the season really depends on how well we mix the young and the old.” Fortunately a solid recruiting class should help things. “Our freshmen look a lot better than what your typical freshmen usually look like so that is very encouraging,” Landers explained. Though the media picked Georgia to finish third this year, Landers sees six teams with the possibility of winning the SEC because of the “absence of a great player (in the league) this season.”

For more coverage from Media Days and interviews with other coaches and players, visit the SEC site.

UPDATE: Mark Fox’s debut impressed ESPN’s Pat Forde. “Phenomenal,” he posted to Twitter. “Dawgs made the biggest upgrade in nation in media terms.”

Since it’s a bye week, I’ll go off on a tangent inspired by Mike Tollin’s excellent look back at the USFL as part of ESPN’s 30 on 30 series. It’s been a nostalgic week for those who remember the league, and I even picked up on a few things – somehow I never knew Scott Woerner had a pro career, but there he was returning kicks in the USFL championship game.

Longtime readers and friends know that I grew up a North Carolina fan. Living in the state at the same time that Lawrence Taylor and Michael Jordan owned college sports made it a pretty easy decision for a young kid. (It wasn’t until I enrolled at Georgia that my conversion began, but years of antipathy towards Tech and Clemson made the transition easy.)

In that light, the USFL was one thing to me: Kelvin Bryant vs. Herschel Walker.

Walker needs no introduction, but it’s my “original sin” as a converted Georgia fan that Herschel was the bad guy for fans of Carolina and Kelvin Bryant. History remembers other Heisman winners George Rogers and Marcus Allen as Herschel’s peers, but Bryant had emerged as one of the nation’s top tailbacks in 1981 after being part of a backfield that produced a pair of 1,000 yard rushers in 1980. Injuries slowed him during his last two college seasons, but 15 touchdowns in 3 games to start the 1981 season showed his potential – he finished 1981 with over 1,000 yards despite missing half the season. He entered the 1982 season as a legitimate Heisman candidate and a rival of sorts to Walker.

That “rivalry” (I don’t recall any actual bad blood or anything) got turned up when both players became cornerstones of USFL franchises. Walker usually got the best of Bryant – even at the bank where Bryant was the league’s highest-paid player until Walker signed. Bryant downplayed the role of foil, but it was an inescapable story. Walker led the USFL in rushing in 1983 and 1985, but Walker splitting time with Maurice Carthon gave Bryant the upper hand in 1984. Bryant was the league’s MVP in 1983, and Walker won the award in 1985.

Both players went to the NFL in 1986 and left as the top two running backs in USFL history. Walker had the longer and more successful NFL career, but Bryant earned a Super Bowl ring with the Redskins in 1987 to go along with two USFL championships. Bryant could never shake the injury-prone label and eventually retired in 1990. For a kid who grew up as a fan of Bryant, those few years spent watching those two in the USFL were like watching Kobe vs. Lebron today. You couldn’t enjoy one without appreciating the other, and the competition made an otherwise pass-happy league that much better.

One thing in new coach Mark Fox’s favor is that expectations can’t get any lower in his first season.

Georgia came in 6th in the SEC East in the media’s preseason voting this week. That wasn’t a surprise, but the vote was unanimous: Georgia was in last place on each of the 25 ballots.

Kentucky was the clear favorite to win the division and conference, and Mississippi State was the media’s pick to win the West. Florida was projected 5th in the East, so they start the year already on the bubble after last year’s flop.

Kentucky’s Patrick Patterson is the preseason Player of the Year. Patterson is joined on the preseason all-conference teams by freshman phenom John Wall who is already second team based on pure hype. Georgia had no players on the preseason all-conference teams.

The news was a good deal better for the Lady Dogs who were projected to finish third in the conference. A return to the top of the conference would be welcome after last year’s disappointing 7th place finish, but I wonder whether the media had time to process the impact of Christy Marshall’s injury.

The Lady Dogs were the only team with two players on the first team all-conference squad: seniors Ashley Houts and Angel Robinson. That the Lady Dogs have two first-teamers but weren’t close to being picked to win the conference illustrates the perceived lack of firepower behind those two stars. Georgia will be counting on a half-dozen newcomers to fill in the gaps this year, and the media seems to think that the young team will go as far as their senior leaders Houts and Robinson will carry them.

By the reaction to Mike Bobo’s move from the box down to the sideline, you’d have thought it led to the sharpest performance by the Georgia offense since he took over playcalling duties in 2006. Instead, the running game continued to have its problems until the 4th quarter, the offense managed just two first downs in the first quarter, and Joe Cox was around 50% for the game. If they say it was a sound move, I’d hate to imagine what the offense would have looked like against a poor Vanderbilt team had Bobo stayed upstairs.

The reason for the move, according to Bobo, was “to look into their eyes and try to get a feel for how we’re doing and hopefully relax a little better.” Reviews from the players as well as Bobo and Richt were positive, so at this point there might be some placeo effect. If it takes the offensive coordinator getting down on the sideline to get the offense going, so be it. Interestingly some fans were suggesting a week ago that the defensive coordinator might be more effective by doing the opposite and going from the sideline to the box.

Bobo admitted that it was “a little more difficult to see the play unfold” from the sideline, but Vanderbilt’s defense was pretty straightforward. “They were going to play two deep to our base personal,” Bobo told David Hale. With the strategic advantage of sitting up in the box less important, the decision to move down to the sideline was made. Will that be the case in two weeks? Florida has one of the nation’s most effective and talented defenses and will certainly do more than sit in two deep coverage all day. The indication seems to be that Bobo will return to the sideline for the Florida game, but will the Dawgs get the kind of input and analysis they need against a sophisticated Florida defense with Tony Ball the only offensive coach in the press box?

Florida’s offense turned the ball over four times and lurched its way to 23 points to beat Arkansas. Given a repeat performance in Jacksonville, could Georgia take advantage? The Dawgs have scored at least 24 points against Florida only 3 times since 1994. Not coincidentally, Georgia won each of those games.

Geno Atkins hadn’t made a lot of noise this year until Saturday, and he’s been named the SEC’s Defensive Lineman of the Week as a result. Geno was pushed for a starting job by Kade Weston, but to his credit he’s fighting back. The trio of senior defensive tackles was supposed to be a strength this year, and they might just be coming around. With continued improvement from the tackles and more solid play from Justin Houston, a strong defensive front could be one of Georgia’s few defensive advantages down the stretch.

Comcast steps up. I’ve complained before about Comcast not offering Atlanta customers the Peachtree TV HD feed for the SEC Network game of the week. I’m happy to report that they’ve had the games in HD on channel 802 for the last two weeks. I don’t know if that was just because Georgia was playing or if they’ll continue the arrangement. Unfortunately all was not perfect – it seems that no guide information was updated to reflect the change, so recording the games with a DVR or Tivo was very difficult.

While the SEC prepares its weekly form letter acknowledging another officiating mistake, conspiracy theories abound. Still, football is light years ahead of basketball where “Jordan rules” and favorable treatment for stars is considered a way of life.

Auburn’s losses to Arkansas and Kentucky have them at 2-2 in the SEC with LSU, Ole Miss, Georgia, and Alabama remaining. They’ll have to find a way to win a night game in Baton Rouge to avoid their third consecutive loss. Ignoring the fact that their offense managed just 14 points at home, how did they give up 21 points to a quarterback-less Kentucky team? On the other hand, the Wildcats seem headed for bowl eligibility again. They’re just 3-3 now and 1-3 in the SEC, but they won’t face another ranked team. Yet another bowl bid would represent a level of consistency that many didn’t expect to continue after the Woodson years and seemed out of reach just four or five years ago.

Finally, congrats to Georgia Tech for a big win and a solid season so far, but always remember that celebrating on the field is no time to forget your inhaler.

Recruits are listening.

The point isn’t about one specific prospect – Nickell Robey sounds as much in the Georgia camp as one could hope given the circumstances. It’s going to be an issue with a lot of defensive prospects committed to and considering Georgia. If our own fans are openly campaigning for coaching changes, you can’t blame prospects who want to take a step back and see how things play out. Mark Richt and his staff are spending the bye week out recruiting, and I’m sure a lot of what they’re having to do is damage control. That’s unfortunately the reality when a season takes a disappointing turn, and the competition is more than ready to pounce on any openings Georgia gives them.

That’s not to discourage the talk, though that’s personally not my style. The talk is out there, and I’m sure many are fine with some attrition among recruits if it means getting the coaching changes they want. Just don’t be surprised when some of the quality prospects who have committed to Georgia realize and react to the consequences of the moves you support. With so many good commitments to date, we were wondering if there would be any drama in this recruiting season. In the end Richt and his staff will end up with another highly-rated class, but there might be some turbulence en route to that destination.

The most popular punditry game this week has been pin-the-failed-coach-on Mark Richt. So far he’s been portrayed as:

• Phil Fulmer
• Tommy Tuberville
• …and even contrasted with Paul Johnson

I’m surprised even more people haven’t jumped on the Bobby Bowden decline given Richt’s coaching pedigree.

The comparisons with coaches who pulled out of a nosedive are much more difficult to find although there’s one within our own program. Is that because it’s relatively rare for successful coaches to recover from this position? With more dollars at stake and the pressure to produce right away, is it becoming unreasonable to expect that coaches at major programs will be given much time or latitude to see if they can turn it around?

At Georgia it seems as if the market has already corrected itself to some coaching changes after the season. That is to say that the inevitability of change is so universally accepted among fans that future expectations already take those changes into account. The resulting mood isn’t great, but it is a good more upbeat than it was on, say, Monday. There is enough faith left in Mark Richt to see how he’ll respond and see whether he’ll be able to get back the championship culture that’s been eroding for a few years.

The idea hit the news a week ago, but Damon Evans stated yesterday that Georgia and Georgia Tech will not open the 2011 season at the Georgia Dome.

The sticking point seemed to be the loss of a home game for Georgia. Many of us originally assumed that the neutral site game would simply take the place of Tech’s turn to host the game in 2011. The proposal actually called for the series to resume at Tech in 2012 meaning that Georgia would go two seasons without a home game against Tech.

From the Tech perspective the deal was attractive because it would spread out attractive home games across different seasons and, presumably, level out ticket sales form year to year. Currently Tech hosts Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Georgia in the same year, and the home schedule in the even-numbered years is much less attractive to prospective ticket buyers.

Georgia’s defensive coordinator has become a punch line this week, but you know it’s getting over the top when South Carolina partisans start piling on.

If Georgia has to play South Carolina every year with Martinez as defensive coordinator …
Willie Martinez should absolutely remain defensive coordinator at Georgia as long as he wants.

If Georgia’s defense played other teams as they have South Carolina, Martinez would be named Georgia’s coach-in-waiting. The Gamecocks have averaged just over 13 PPG against Georgia since Richt took over in 2001 and just 15 PPG since Martinez was named coordinator for the 2005 season. Those averages include this year’s 37 points (which itself includes a safety and a pick-six that has nothing to do with the defense). Martinez was also the man behind the shutout in 2006 and the defense that held South Carolina to just 7 points a year ago in a series that has come to be defined by defensive struggles.

We’ve had to learn to laugh at ourselves this week, but you’d think South Carolina fans would be among the first to celebrate the idea of a regime change for the Georgia defense.

There’s a certain clarity that comes from games like Saturday’s loss. There’s no ridiculous penalty, no turnover, no play (unless you count 17 versions of the same bootleg play), and no specific coaching decision on which you can pin a loss like that. In earlier setbacks you could take some solace in the performance of the defense as the offense struggled, excuse points away to field position, or zero in on horrible calls against Rashad Jones or A.J. Green. You could look ahead to the next game thinking how things might finally click if we just stopped those pesky turnovers. That fog has lifted after a weekend that ended with Mark Richt admitting that “where we are right now is a culmination of everyone.”

HR Department

It’s not my place to be flippant with the careers and livelihoods of Georgia’s coaches. We’re customers and not shareholders or managers, and our choice is ultimately whether or not to buy the product (a fact which will be very evident come kickoff of the Tennessee Tech game). That doesn’t imply satisfaction or complacency. It’s Mark Richt’s job to manage his staff and team, not mine, and his program’s success will ride on those decisions. He’s certainly given us plenty of reason to trust his judgment when it comes to building a successful program, but the current competitive landscape and the state of the Georgia program are uncharted waters for this coach. At the very least he’s earned the opportunity to try to navigate these waters.

I will say one thing though to those who still maintain some sort of firewall between their feelings for certain assistants and their reverence for the head coach. If the start to this season has made any difference in the way fans view the program, it’s that their dissatisfaction can no longer be put on a specific area or assistant. There is a program problem now, and it’s Richt’s problem to address.

Calling for changes on defense is nothing new; some have been at it since the first half of the West Virginia game that concluded the 2005 season. Grumbling about special teams (and kickoffs in particular) is also a well-worn path. But aside from the occasional gripe with John Eason whenever a receiver dropped a pass or pointing out the offense’s role in some of the spectacular team meltdowns over the past couple of seasons, most of the vocal critics have been able to target the bulk of their criticism at one or maybe two assistants and reassure themselves that the one simple change is all that’s keeping Richt’s Georgia program from reaching its fullest potential.

Is that possible any longer? Is there an area of the program about which to feel confident apart from A.J. Green’s natural gifts or the legs of Butler and Walsh? I don’t mean that in an emotional fling-poo-blame-everyone sense. There just isn’t a part of the team performing at a high level right now. Even the offensive line – the supposed strength of the team – hasn’t been able to survive the loss of a single player. I’ve even seen calls for Richt to take playcalling duties back from Mike Bobo – a decision that was universally hailed as a success at the end of the 2006 season.

I don’t envy Richt’s position over the next couple of months. Fans would replace coaches weekly if they could with all the cold consideration of managing a fantasy football roster. Richt has to deal with some very difficult decisions regarding men he respects professionally and likes personally. Part of the current level of grumbling among the fans has to do with Richt’s unwillingness to make changes following last season in which some of the same issues manifested themselves. Instead an intact staff (except for voluntary turnover) plus an emphasis on the vague concept of “leadership”, a relatively healthy roster, and even a well-disciplined off-season haven’t added up to much. It could be argued that the program is currently living with the consequences of prior indecision.

You can see the weight of the situation pressing on Richt. It shows up in sharp postgame exchanges with reporters. It shows up in the bunker mentality that has Richt talking about the “honor in being in the arena.” It’s even more frustrating and concerning for the staff and players, but at the same time there are many fans and members of the media still willing to stay in Richt’s corner. Now’s not the time to push them away no matter how high the level of frustration.

This painful situation is of course the tradeoff of a program built on loyalty and family. That’s almost always a feature and not a bug. It’s proven to be a winning culture – a culture that was cited when sought-after assistants turned down opportunities elsewhere to continue on in this working environment. Is part of the appeal knowing that the pressure to produce is sometimes less in such a culture? That’s a question for Richt that will have to be considered even any staff changes that take place; any postseason assessment will have to look at the incentives and rewards within the program that guide and reinforce the culture, and it goes way beyond money. Those kinds of touchy-feely management issues can be some of the most difficult for technically proficient head coaches who excel at the principles of football.

What’s Next

Regardless of how you feel about the staff, we’re just not likely to see many changes before the end of the season. This is the team and staff that’s going to trot out there for the next six or seven games. We have the luxury of thinking about decisions that are months away, but the team still has at least six games left and can’t afford to become preoccupied over the last one.

Earlier in the season it was possible to talk about the team Georgia could be if they eliminated certain mistakes and played more efficient and smart football. Now halfway into the season we have to admit that those traits are more or less the identity of the team. Turnovers, questionable decision-making (fielding a punt on the 1? spiking the ball as the clock runs out?), and porous pass coverage remain and don’t seem to be going away.

It’s disappointing and frustrating for fans, and I know many people have already written off this season and will wait for significant changes before getting back on board. That’s understandable – it can be a big investment of time and money. For those willing to stick it out with this team and season, I hope you listen to Michael Moore. That seems much more honest – and also much more likely to be embraced by the fans – than the stone wall coming from the coaching staff. Following Saturday’s comments, Richt was much more open on Sunday about putting everyone on notice. “I’m pointing the finger at all of us as a whole. We must all improve, period,” he said.

Any time a program faces a crisis like this, you have to pay attention to recruiting. Georgia has the bulk of another impressive class already committed, but it’s reasonable to expect that even the most rock-solid commitment will be observing how Georgia finishes the season with special attention given to any changes on the staff. Lane Kiffin is going to wave this win in the face of as many recruits as he can find this week, and I don’t blame him; it’s the only thing on which he can hang his hat going into the bye week recruiting trips. The building frenzy of Georgia fans calling for a scorched-earth approach to the coaching staff won’t go unnoticed either.

2007?

We love our analogies. Towards the end of last week I began to hear a lot of Georgia-following-FSU comparisons to tie Richt’s problems to Bowden’s, and FSU’s shootout loss to Tech on Saturday certainly didn’t help things. Now we’ve started to see and hear a few people mentioning Georgia’s stunning turnaround in 2007 which followed a disappointing start and an ugly loss at Tennessee.

Is such a turnaround possible? Sure. Georgia stands a chance against all of its remaining components (and that includes Florida). The biggest difference between 2007 and 2009 is the lack of upward vectors on this Georgia team. In 2007, you had a sophomore Matthew Stafford coming into his own. Knowshon Moreno put up 157 yards at Vanderbilt in a game that transformed him from impressive newcomer to the supercharged star we all saw finish the season. Defensive end Marcus Howard also began to come on strong towards the middle and end of the season and gave Georgia the pass rush they needed to become a much more effective defensive team. There appear to be few players on those kinds of trajectories this year. Joe Cox hasn’t been a disaster at quarterback, but his floor and ceiling appear to be set. The tailback situation is as muddled as it was before the season. Justin Houston’s return did give the pass rush a nice shot in the arm, but the overall defense still struggles.

“Georgia is just as close to 1-5…”

One last thing: please – enough of this. It’s bad enough that Georgia is 3-3; let’s not start taking away wins or players. Yes, Georgia would be worse off without A.J. Green (duh). But he’s on the team. Georgia did come close to losing the South Carolina and Arizona State games, but playing the what-if game with those close outcomes does a disservice to the plays made by guys like Green and Rennie Curran to secure those victories. If this isn’t going to be a championship season, such standout plays might be the best things we’ll have to take from the season.

That was the report according to Chuck Dowdle of WSB-TV yesterday. (Dowdle is also involved with the football radio broadcast team and the Mark Richt television show.)

According to reports, the Dawgs and Jackets have at least talked about playing in the 2011 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at the Georgia Dome. Both Mark Richt and Paul Johnson have expressed displeasure over the kickoff game giving other programs a prime showcase in the state of Georgia, so this might be the solution to give the hometown teams a little satisfaction.

Since the game would be in 2011, it would take the place of Tech’s home game in the series. Georgia would not be giving up a home game in order to play at the Dome. I’m getting ahead of myself, but I wonder if the game would be ticketed as a Tech home game or if it would continue to be sold as a neutral site game.

Anyway, what would you think about the game being moved to the start of the season and to the Dome?

UPDATE: Marc Weiszer of the ABH has more information including comments from Damon Evans. Evans confirms a “few talks” about the possibility of playing Tech at the Dome to open the 2011 season, but he stresses that “there’s nothing definitive about doing that right now.” A lot has to happen for this game to take place. For starters, Georgia would have to do some scheduling gymnastics with the Louisville game that’s currently slated as the 2011 opener. On top of that, we haven’t heard from the Tech side of things, and I can’t imagine how excited their fans would be about giving up a home game in order to fit that many more Georgia fans in the Dome.

No, not Boise State. Idaho State. The same program that has lost 50-3 to Arizona State and 64-0 to a Bradford-less Oklahoma team so far this year.

The University of Georgia and Idaho State University have scheduled an minterconference football game to be played in Athens, Ga., on November, 6, 2010.
The two teams will play in UGA’s Sanford Stadium. Located in Pocatello, Idaho State is a member of the Big Sky Conference. It will be the first meeting between the two schools.

“minterconference game” is a typo in the press release, but that’s just what this game is…a palate-cleanser following the Cocktail Party. Georgia’s 2010 nonconference schedule is now complete and looks thusly:

• Sept. 4: vs. Lousiana-Lafayette
• Oct. 2: @ Colorado
• Nov. 6: vs. Idaho State
• Nov. 27: vs. Georgia Tech

Georgia also replaces LSU with Mississippi State on the SEC rotation. I don’t think we’ll be winning any “toughest schedule” awards in 2010, but that’s fine with me and Jeremy Foley.

1. How close is the Georgia offense to qualifying for 501(c)3 status as a charitable organization?

2. Would you rather be a Cal or Miami fan this week? If there’s one thing to be said for Georgia’s opening game loss, it got the disillusionment out of the way quickly.

3. Does Arizona State have another formation on offense besides the three-wide shotgun or another running play that doesn’t go off-tackle? The reverse off that running play was a nice wrinkle late in the game, but credit to Georgia’s defense for staying mostly at home and turning a potential big play into a gain of just four yards.

4. What’s happened to the fullback position? Yes, Munzenmaier scored Georgia’s second touchdown, but that’s been the highlight of production from the group so far. Chapas and Munzenmaier have a combined 8 yards rushing, and Chapas has a total of 25 receiving yards. The position is never going to be a source of gaudy stats, but it has been a lot more visible in recent years. It’s a bit out of character for the fullbacks to be noted more for getting stuffed in short yardage situations.

While we’re at it, Chapas has been a bit of a lightning rod this year with problems on kickoff returns. It’s his job to tell returners to bring the ball out of the endzone. Communication was also an issue against Arizona State with two shaky results on kickoffs, one of which allowed the ball to bounce before it was fielded. I’m not putting all of the kickoff communication issues on Chapas – clearly Boykin needs to scream like a centerfielder if he’s going to field the kick.

5. Is the Iron Bowl shaping up to be one of the most interesting games in the SEC this year? Not to knock LSU or Ole Miss, but tell me you’re not getting more and more curious about seeing the Auburn offense collide with the Alabama defense. (Of course we said the same thing about the Arkansas offense heading into last weekend.) Auburn will have their chance to claim the title of top contender with back-to-back games against Ole Miss and LSU at the end of October.

6. Speaking of Auburn, is anyone still upset that Chizik got the nod over someone like, say, Turner Gill?

7. Were we spoiled by Stacy Searels? That Georgia was even able to field a competent line in 2007 was a miracle. Last year was mostly a wash due to the significant injuries, but the offense was still very productive. There was always a question how good Stafford and Moreno made the line look, but nearly every preseason preview of the 2009 Bulldogs listed the offensive line as a strength that would help the new quarterback and tailback find their way.

The pass blocking has been mostly adequate though Cox has taken several big hits. Run blocking has been a little less successful, and that shows up in Georgia’s relatively poor rushing numbers. “This game in particular wasn’t one of the best ones of the year (for the offensive line),” said Mark Richt after the Arizona St. game. They’re trying different alignments with Glenn lined up at left tackle in place of the injured Sturdivant, but even reliable linemen like Jones and Boling have had their issues this year.

9. So a turnover doesn’t automatically have to lead to a score? Georgia’s first turnover left the Sun Devils with only about 40 yards to go for their first score. Though the Bulldog defense faced a short field, they twice had a chance to stop ASU on third down but didn’t. It has to be deflating to keep getting put in those situations, but I don’t recall many, if any, instances where the Bulldog defense held their own after a bad break. The Oklahoma State field goal before halftime is the only one I can think of. On one hand, you had to grant that the defense was being put in tough spots. On the other hand, geez, guys, make a stop every now and then.

That’s what makes the fourth quarter defense all the more impressive. ASU started two drives in Georgia territory – one as the result of a punt return and the other of course after Cox’s second interception. Both drives resulted in three-and-outs. Neither led to points. The two drives combined led to a net of three yards, and ASU even went backwards on their final drive. Though they’ve deservedly been put through plenty of criticism this year, whether at the end of the South Carolina game, the fourth quarter at Arkansas, or the fourth quarter Saturday night, the defense has stepped up when they’ve absolutely had to.

10. For whom should Mark Bradley make the case to fire this week?

Lord knows I’m glad A.J. Green is on our side, but am I the only person who doesn’t accept this photo that’s going around as clear and indisputable evidence that Green’s right foot was on the ground? The perspective of the photo (looking down) makes it look as if the toe meets the grass, but that’s not consistent with the lighting and the shadows. There’s still a couple of inches of clearance under his right foot which is cocked back slightly inside. The overhead replay was more convincing; it showed a pretty clear bounce where he tapped his toe in-bounds. I just don’t think we’re seeing that in this picture (not to get all Oliver Stone back-and-to-the-left about it or anything).

Georgia’s October 10th game at Tennessee is one of four games being held for a six-day selection. The networks will have until next Monday (Oct. 5th) to sort out the schedule.

As expected, CBS chose to put the Florida @ LSU game in the prime time 8:00 p.m. start. The four possibilities for Georgia’s game time involve the usual 3:30 CBS slot and a trio of broadcasts starting around noon:

• CBS: 3:30 ET
• ESPN: Noon ET
• ESPNU: 12:30 ET
• SEC Network: 12:21 ET

The other games that will fall into three of those slots are Alabama at Ole Miss, Auburn at Arkansas, and Houston at Mississippi State. The Alabama-Ole Miss game especially looks like a strong challenger for the coveted 3:30 spot.