Looking Ahead Before Looking Back

Before we get to the good stuff from the weekend, lets get to the great stuff about next weekend.

We all know Nick Saban and 'Bama are coming on Saturday.

We all now know that ESPN's College Game Day will be in town broadcasting from around the stadium (more on several locations speculations later).




Now, reports are coming in about Mark Richt's press conference today. Per The Red and Black:

During his Sunday teleconference, Georgia coach Mark Richt announced that Saturday's game with Alabama will be a "blackout."

ESPN's College GameDay crew will also be making the trip to Athens for the 7:45 p.m. kickoff.

"The seniors asked me if we could black out the game and since it's not a day game where heat could be a factor we're going to ask our fans to black out the stadium again
our players will be wearing the black jerseys," Richt said.

OHHH mah gawd.

Not only will Game Day be in town for the first time in eleven years, we're continuing the tradition of the blackout. And what better time to do it? National media in the morning. Prime time coverage at night. First home SEC game. And against Nick Saban.

Not to mention The Tim Baldwin Foundation's annual Tim's Tailgate throwing down over on Bloomfield. Per the Tim's Tailgate Facebook group:

Come join us for the biggest tailgate of the year in Athens before the Alabama game. Stewart and Winfield will be playing. $15 in advance $20 at the door covers all you can drink beer and mixed drinks, and all you can eat catered food.

All proceeds go toward the Tim Baldwin Foundation which in the past have benefitted numerous charity organizations such as Camp St. Francis of North Georgia, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Home in Atlanta. Tim's Tailgate has been a huge success in the past and we only expect this year to be our best year yet!

Get your pom pom's and bourbon ready. This one could get ugly.

News and Notes Around the SEC

As spring practices are winding down across the country, teams still seem unsure about themselves. From College Park, PA to Atlanta, GA to Ann Arbor, MI, teams are trying to cope with coaching changes (or lack thereof), new offenses, new schemes, new personnel, and new players. This spring isn't boding as well for many teams as those schools had hoped, but for some, spring practices have been relieving. USC has found their quarterback, people in Husker nation love Bo Pelini almost as much as Alabama loved Saban a year ago, and rants about Jimmy Clausen's skills are reappearing. For the SEC, the up-and-down summer hasn't been much different.

In Columbia, Steve Spurrier can't stand the play of his quarterbacks. In the spring game, the QBs managed to throw 8 INTs, even without Stephen Garcia's shenanigans. Spurrier is so frustrated that he has even turned over some of the playcalling duties to his son.

In Lexington, the huge void left behind by Andre Woodson will remain that way. Even though the QB roster is deep, Rich Brooks has come out of spring with just as much doubt as he did going in. Chris Pulley and Mike Hartline continue to show progress, but neither are showing the upper hand.

The new starter in Knoxtown has already hit his first road bump of 2008. The Vols' slated starting QB Jonathan Crompton underwent "successful" elbow surgery to clean up the joint. Crompton is expected to be back by June workouts, but you can never feel good about elbow surgery for your starting QB. In other news, Fulmer is telling his kids to calm down off the field. I'm sure that will work.

Some interesting news out of Gainesville. Urban Meyer has instructed Tim Tebow, do-it-all Everythingback, to pass more and limit his carries. This is interesting, considering Tebow made up about 75% of Florida's offense last year, Emmanuel Moody continues to struggle grasping the new offense, and Percy Harvin recovers from heel surgery.

In Tuscavegas, Alabama head coach Nick Saban is griping again. Saban, a very credible and successful recruiter, is complaining about the NCAA's new rule change prohibiting coaches from visiting high schools in the month of May. For once in my life, I may agree with the Sabanator. With the way recruiting is nowadays, recruits are continually committing early, forcing coaches to recruit early. The month of May comes at a pivotal point in this new-age recruiting process, the month just after spring practices rap up and coaches have a chance to have some face time with prospects.

Some bad news coming out of Fayetteville. Transfer QB Ryan Mallet is out for a while with a thumb injury. Although he can't play this year, it sets him back from learning the new intricate offensive scheme owned by Bobby Petrino.

Not sure which town they call home, but the guys that cover Auburn sports on Track Em Tigers have given some respect to the Dawgs, calling them 2008's media darling. As bad as it seems, its relieving in the sense that the media is finally giving us some respect. And as dangerous as it may seem, Coach Richt is working his magic, keeping the team focused on the task at hand - beat Georgia Southern. One game at a time, boys.

For all of SEC country, check out Paul Westerdawg's article on 2008's SEC schedules over at Georgia Sports Blog.

Also, on the homefront, two UGA students have started their own company called Heisman Gear, with Playboy's pre-season All-American Knowshon the centerpiece of their new product lines.

News and Notes Around the SEC

Knoxtown: The "Lady" Vols have won their 8th national championship. ESPN is calling Candice Parker one of the greatest of all time, comparable to some legendary players that I've never heard of before.

Gainesville: WR/RB/Everything guy Percy Harvin has undergone career-ending heel surgery. I say career ending because heel surgery sounds pretty serious. If this guy is already having this much trouble, his career won't be as promising as it should be.

Bourbon Rouge: The Tigers' national championship squad made a trip to D.C. to be honored / party with President George W. Bush. And apparently, Prez was surprised that Les Miles forgot his hat. Ryan Perrilloux was allowed to make the trip, coming after Les Miles found any way possible to get him reinstated to the team starting after the spring game. Seems to me that LSU is willing to ignore murder to keep this guy on the field.

Tuscavegas: The guys at Roll Bama Roll have some good notes on spring ball. In other news, Coach Saban has hired some additions to his staff. Apparently there wasn't enough firepower on the field.

Cashville: The Vandy baseball team, who I expected to make waves nationally and contend for the SEC championship, is apparently having some problems.

The interesting thing out of Auburn has been the fact that nothing is being talked about. I'll look into that one...