Here's a Monday quiz for you: Name me all the football teams in the Big East. How about the Big 12? Don't feel bad; there are few among us who probably can these days. In less than a year, college football realignment has completely changed the look of the sport. Now it appears those changes may hit closer to home.

Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity made a startling comment last week that if true, could have far reaching ramifications on the SEC. With member schools seemingly against going to a nine-game conference football schedule, McGarity fears rivalries like Auburn-Georgia and Alabama-Tennessee may become causalities of the new look SEC.

The issues are numerous. The SEC's upcoming season schedule is a one-year deal. Beyond it lies more than a few obstacles to saving the South's Oldest Rivalry. With Texas A&M and Missouri joining the SEC, the conference is moving to a 6-2 format, meaning each school plays six teams from its division and two from the other - one permanent and one rotating.

McGarity rightly points out that there are only two true cross-divisional rivalries - Auburn/Georgia and Alabama/Tennessee. His fear is that other member institutions may prefer moving to a rotating schedule when playing outside the division. This season Auburn faces Vanderbilt (rotating) and Georgia (permanent) from the East.

SEC presidents and athletic directors are set to meet the week of the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament, devoting an entire day to scheduling for 2013 and beyond.

"I think if you ask Alabama and Tennessee, like us and Auburn, we'd like to retain the (permanent cross-divisional) games," says McGarity. "But does that work? What do the other 10 schools think? Those four schools like having those games but there's no other East-West match-up that has that piece of history to it. So I don't (know) where that fits in."

The ACC announced a few weeks back that it was moving to a nine-game conference schedule now that Pittsburgh and Syracuse have joined. The chances of the SEC following suit are slim.

The reasons most cited by SEC schools for not favoring a nine-game schedule are to save out-of-conference rivalries like Georgia-Georgia Tech, Florida-Florida State and South Carolina-Clemson. McGarity says a nine-game conference schedule along with state-rival Georgia Tech could make things tough on the field.

"Nine games, and Georgia Tech, that makes 10 games, he said. "If you ever wanted to schedule Clemson or Ohio State, like we have, then that only leaves one guarantee game. That's a pretty tough schedule. Fans would love it. But I don't know if your coaches or players (would). That's strapping it up 11 of 12 weeks there. You have to have some time where some players play who never get a chance to be on the field."

Something lost in McGarity's concern over a nine-game conference schedule is whether these ACC schools will continue rivalries with their SEC foes. They too are facing similar issues to the SEC.

There was a time when the thought of Auburn-Georgia and Alabama-Tennessee going away seemed impossible. It was bad enough when Tennessee and Florida vanished from the yearly Auburn schedule back in 1992.

But Georgia? That's sacred. It will never happen. Right?

I'm not sure anymore.

We chuckled when the Oklahoma-Nebraska series went away. We wondered aloud how the Big 12 let it happen. We said it could never happen in the SEC.

Suddenly, here we are today. It's not farfetched to envision Auburn-Georgia, Alabama-Tennessee, Florida-Florida State, Georgia-Georgia Tech and South Carolina-Clemson all vanishing off the college football landscape in the near future.

And for what? So the SEC could add Texas A&M and Missouri and the ACC could welcome Syracuse and Pittsburgh? That's a lot of sacrifice for four mediocre programs. Then again, it's not about the schools as much as it is the television markets.

Call me old school, but things were so much better when there were just 10 of us in the SEC.

Cam Newton & Michael Jordan via d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net

Where, oh where has my football season gone?

I am no more than a casual observer of the professional game of football. Caring more for how many former Auburn players are on the roster of each NFL team, than anything else at that level.

Auburn Quarterbacks....

Did you know that Auburn had another quarterback join the team this week? Ryan Carter apparently spurned a scholarship offer from Illinois, and decided to try out, and walk-on at Auburn. Carter is 6'2" and 184lbs. Carter played for the Hoover Buccaneers.

Stefon Diggs....

Diggs was set to announce his decision tonight at 10pm Eastern time. The announcement had been scheduled to be on ComcastSports.net Stefon Diggs is considered one of the top 3 recruits in the country, and has offers from most all of the major schools. He has narrowed his choice down to Florida, Maryland, Ohio State, and Auburn. When he actually will announce is anyone's guess.

Don't drive through Bay City, Michigan....

Even if you play football for the Michigan State Spartans, the police will pull you over, and search your vehicle.

Bartynski pulled Robinson over on Dec. 22 and Robinson filed the complaint on Dec. 22. Robinson said in the complaint that he was told he was being stopped for suspicion of having needles in his car, an indication of possible drug activity.

Bartynski allowed Robinson to leave the scene without issuing him a ticket. According to mlive.com, Robinson shortly thereafter posted this on his Facebook page:

"All I do is good for my city and try and set an example for the youth in my city of what not to do but for some reason when I come home and try and visit The Bay City Police always wanna stop me and take me out of my car and search me like I am out here selling dope!! UN believable."

About an hour later, Robinson was eating out with friends when Bartynski entered the restaurant and handed Robinson a $120 citation for failure to signal and said, according to Robinson, "Here you go, role model, here’s a ticket…and I like your post on Facebook."

Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2012-02-08/michigan-state-player-files-complaint-against-police-department#ixzz1lpwOJJYJ

A myriad of wrongs are perpetuated by the officer in question here, and the fact that nothing has been done by his superiors, is at the very least telling about the mindset in that department. It's sad to think in America today, we still have to live with that sort of unethical behavior from those who are sworn to serve and protect.

A playoff is coming...

I just have a few words right now about a playoff in the FBS. The Big 10, or B1G, says "It's about time the fans were heard". Last year the playoff would have included LSU, Bama, Oregon, and Stanford. No chance at a B1G team making it. In 2010, it would have Auburn, Oregon, TCU, and Wisconsin. Will this system ensure that the SEC can maintain it's dominance?

I look forward to your comments on this.

Comment of the week....

I had to go all the way back to Monday for this selection. After sifting through all the posts and the accompanying comments this week. I made myself a chicken sandwich on at least three different occasions, and no, I did not use jelly for a smother.

I finally came upon this weeks winner from Triumphant Tiger.

there has NEVER been a defending national champion

who has had to deal with such a VENDETTA from our OWN STATE MEDIA! all year long …

I have spent more than enough time on this subject. Our friend however hit the nail rather squarely on the head, and deserves the honors this week.

My take....

Have I mentioned that Auburn was a very young football team last season? Okay, okay! You don't all have to yell at once, geesh. I'm going to discuss that youth, and how it relates to recruiting.

First however I want to remind each of you that Pelton has at least two disciples in the NFL as we speak and one is getting some new finger wear, now that the Giants have won the Super Bowl. Demarcus Ware of the Cowboys, and Osi Umenyiora of the Giants.

Gene Chizik and his staff targeted some very specific needs with this class. Most glaring was the addition of 6 offensive linemen. The Tigers coaching staff added some very high quality depth in most positions, including two defensive linemen.

Why were there not more D linemen added? Auburn actually targeted a couple others, and did not land them, and I think I know why.

If I am a recruit, and I visit Auburn, the first thing I would find out is, who do I have to beat out to win some playing time. Then look and see how many players there are in the NFL from that program, which is my ultimate objective. Once I figure that out, then I would comprise a list of what schools, I have the best chance of earning playing time.

You have to remember that these young men are being told that they are the very best, and that they are the missing element every team needs to win a championship. How many recruits hear this line? "You are the guy, that is going to get us another Championship". I would bet every top recruit in the country hears that on over half of their trips. The very top schools, or at least the ones that have won a recent title, will sell the idea that if a player wants to be a champion they need to pick that school.

Auburn has talent, experience, and youth in it's favor. Next season should yield a very formidable defensive line, with no room for rookies. Until graduation takes it toll on that group, the top recruits won't choose Auburn. They don't think they are redshirt material, when in fact, most true freshmen defensive linemen never see the field.

WAR EAGLE!

War Eagle, everybody! It's time now to look forward at what sort of team Auburn might field this year. Today, we'll look at the quarterback position. It's the most important position on most football teams, and it's also an area of great questions this spring. Auburn will need to be balanced, and it's incumbent upon new offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler to tutor a quarterback who can pass efficiently and move the chains. We eagerly await the results!

Auburn has 3 major quarterback candidates on the roster at this time. Junior Clint Mosley was thrown into the fire last season and had a rough go of it. Before we write him off, one must look at the circumstances. Prior to last season, Mosley had been on the scout team. His only game experience was mop-up duty. He was asked to come in at the half of the Florida game, then got his first ever start against number one LSU's defense. That's kind of like sending a young boxer out for his first fight to face Muhammad Ali. Mosley also faced a top ten defense against Georgia, and the best defense in the nation in the Iron Bowl. He did this behind a makeshift, injury-plagued line. It's not terribly surprising that he didn't do well. Few quarterbacks would under those circumstances.

Sophomore Khiel Frazier was strictly a wildcat quarterback on the field. He was fairly impressive running the ball. He picked up decent yardage even when everyone in the stadium knew he was going to carry the ball. He was not successful on his very few pass attempts. True freshman quarterbacks in the SEC tend to have problems with missed reads, missed passes, and interceptions. That was true of Frazier last season, too.

True freshman Zeke Pike has enrolled this semester, and will take part in spring drills. This will give him a chance to start fresh with the new offense at the same time as the veterans. Having a true freshman quarterback starter in the SEC is not a recipe for great offensive success. The only two I can remember in the past 30 years whose team won 9 games were Eric Zeier and Matthew Stafford. There have been redshirt freshman success stories, including Danny Wuerful, Jay Barker, David Greene, Stan White and Aaron Murray. Still, asking a first-year man to win big in the SEC is a tall order.

How much correlation is there between winning percentage, and what class the starting quarterback at Auburn is? We'll look back 30 years, as that's about the time offensive linemen were first allowed to use their hands, and the modern passing game got its start. For purposes of this study, I'm only considering class, freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior. Whether a quarterback redshirts or not we're not going to worry about. Chances are, a redshirt year is going to be one toting a clipboard, either because of injury, or not being ready to contribute.

Continue reading this post »

Tiger Softball Begins another exciting season tonight at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn

The Auburn softball team will play their first game of the season tonight at 6 p.m. at home when they host Alabama State in the first game of the 2012 Tiger Invitational Tournament.

With several new faces on the 2012 team, the Tigers were picked to finish third in the SEC West. However, with seniors Elizabeth Eisterhold, Lauren Schmalz, Lauren Guzman, and preseason All- SEC sophomore Morgan Estell returning, look for them to contend for the Division championship.

Last year Auburn went 15-13 in the SEC and reached the semifinals of the SEC Tournament after beating No. 3 Florida. They finished the season 40-19 overall after advancing to their fourth consecutive NCAA Regional Tournament.

Teams in the Tiger Invitational include Auburn, Alabama State, Bowling Green, Wright State and Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne.

And next weekend (Feb. 17-19) fans will have the chance to watch the Tigers play four top 25 teams when they host the inaugural SEC/ACC/Big 12 Challenge Tournament. Those four teams include No. 5 Oklahoma, and No.11 Oklahoma State, No. 23 Georgia Tech, and No. 3 Alabama. The Tigers will play a total of 11 top 25 preseason teams this year.

Coach Tina Deese said the Tigers are excited about the 10 game opening home stand. "Our players really enjoy playing at home and our fans always come out and ... make it an exciting atmosphere."

Game time begins at 6 p. m. at Moore Field. Go Tigers!

Recently, I was asked by SBN-Pittsburg Editor Adam Bittner to participate in a question and answer session regarding new Penn State defensive coordinator Ted Roof. I tried to be fair and objective, and not go off on a trashing session. My answers have been posted in a good coaching profile piece on Roof over there. Hopefully I didn't embarrass our fanbase!

Auburn announced Wednesday that Cornerbacks Coach Phillip Lolley will be moving back into the administrative side of the football program. Lolley has been with Auburn since 1999 and this is not the first time he has served in the athletic office.

He was the Director of NFL Relations when new Head Coach Gene Chizik brought him back to the field in 2009. Prior to that he had served as the conditioning coach from 1999 -2000 and as the secondary coach in 2000-2003 when he coached Jim Thorpe Award winner Carlos Rogers.

Lolley becomes the third coaching change from the 2011 staff after Offensive Coordinator Gus Malzahn left to become the Head Coach at Arkansas State and Defensive Coordinator Ted Roof left to become the DC at Central Florida.

The move has the appearance of one that may be taking place to make room for new DC Brian VanGorder to bring someone else on staff. After all it's only natural for a coordinator to want to have someone come along with him.

If that's the case, one has to expect the replacement might well come from the NFL ranks.

Nonetheless this writer hopes that Phillip will be able to still have a hand in recruiting because he has the respect of high school coaches across the state of Alabama.

Yes Phillip Lolley knows the coaches in this state as good as anyone, having served as a high school coach himself from 1978-1998. He was Head Coach at North Jackson High School for 10 years and led the Chiefs to the 4-A State Championship in 1993.

Coach Chizik said in a prepared statement yesterday, "We appreciate Coach Lolley and the contributions he has made to the Auburn football program in his various roles over the years and we look forward to him continuing to help with the program's success in his new capacity."

I too appreciate Coach Lolley. I'm thankful this morning for his hard work and service to Auburn University for the past 12 years and I'm thankful he will still be part of the Auburn family. While I don't question this move, I do have one question ...

Who will be the new Cornerbacks Coach?

The Auburn Basketball Team (13-11, 3-7) started out hot last night connecting on its first five shots to take a 10-4 lead against Alabama over the first five minutes.

Then through the eyes of this homer it appeared that the referees changed the complexion of the game. That's not to take anything away from the Tide who despite the absence of suspended starter Tony Mitchell put together a convincing win.

We knew it was going to be an up hill battle going in and the Tigers could not afford to make mistakes. With the Tigers leading 14-7, Kenny Gabriel was called for the first of three first-half technical fouls against Auburn for hanging on to the rim after a dunk. Kenny finished the game with 21 points for the Tigers.

The free throws off the technical's led to a 28-10 run by Alabama over the final 12 minutes of the half leaving the Tigers trailing 35-24 at the break.

Alabama (16-7, 5-4) scored 12 points in the first half off the three technical fouls including another for Chris Denson hanging on the rim and one on Coach Barbee.

There's no question that changed the complexion of the game, causing the Tigers to become frustrated committing 20 turnovers and seeing the Tide pull away with a lead they just couldn't make up. Auburn needed to keep this one close to have a chance but it was a chance that was taken away by the fouls.

However, Tony Barbee would have no part in placing blame for the loss on officiating. He said afterwards, " "We got off to a great start, and we had a lot of momentum on our side. Then it came to a stop. It came down to toughness, and that is why we lost our momentum. It had nothing to do with the technical fouls."

I appreciate Coach Barbee taking that stance, but as a fan, I can say it had a lot to do with it.

You just hate to see any athletic contest be affected by poor officiating. Bama may well have won without the help from the technical's but we will never know.

Regardless, it goes down as an ' L' for the Tigers. The only thing they can do about it is work harder and play smarter.

War Eagle!