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| Mark Richt salutes UGA fans after a hard fought win against Louisiana Monroe. |
I took another week off, and our rivals from Tallahassee and Coral Gables
gave us one of the most entertaining Gator bye weeks in recent memory. I’m not sure what was more enjoyable, watching
Miami die a slow, painful death against Clemson in front of 1500 pissed off fans or FSU getting
their hearts ripped out in Atlanta. Both
games were magically delicious.
While most of the college football world has their collective eye on a
couple national title elimination games NEXT weekend, one half of the SEC title
game picture takes shape in Jacksonville this week.
Cocktails anyone?
PICKS!!!
Florida vs
Georgia
Speaking of Atlanta, I want to give a shout out to Augusta, Georgia
native and all-things Atlanta super fan, UCF Associate Womens’ Basketball Coach
Ken Griffin. I’ve got to show Coach Ken
some love because unlike most so-called Atlanta sports fans, he actually gives
a shit about sports teams in the ATL. He’s
also a prime candidate to become this blog's 28th follower.
Coach Ken is unlike any Atlanta sports fan I know. He doesn’t watch the Falcons play once
every six years at the Georgia Dome, wearing a faded Andre Rison jersey, asking people around him
why Michael Vick’s not playing. He
doesn’t chant “MVP” at Hawks games when the other team’s best player shoots
free throws. He knows the career
statistics of Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame catcher Biff Pocoroba. He knows how to spell “Pocoroba” properly
without doing a Google search. He lives
and dies with his Atlanta sports teams, and that’s rare. I respect that.
Coach Ken is also a HUGE Georgia Bulldog fan, and like many UGA fans he’s over
Mark Richt, wants him gone like Al Golden.
I understand, but at the same time I don’t get it. In spite of everything UGA fans hate about
Mark Richt, you can’t deny he’s the second best coach in the history of
Georgia football…worst case. But sure,
he’s never won a national title, hasn’t won an SEC title in a decade, and his
teams routinely crap the bed when the stakes are high.
Meanwhile in Gainesville, Jim McElwain is making chicken salad out of Will
Muschamp’s chicken shit. Nothing but
blue skies, lollipops and puppy dog kisses in Gator Country these days.
So in a season that began with great uncertaintly surrounding UF and SEC title aspirations for UGA, over the past two months someone flipped the script.
How desperate is Mark Richt? UGA
is starting someone named Faton Bauta at QB instead of Greyson Lambert. Faton Bauta sounds like a guy on the TSA's no-fly list...an explosive playmaker if you will. Apparently Bauta gives UGA more of a run threat at QB, and he can't be a worse passer than Lambert. What's the worst that could happen? Mark Richt loses another big game?
Florida played well enough to beat national title contender LSU a couple weeks ago, in spite of UF's all-world secondary getting torched repeatedly by a slightly above average QB. Treon Harris played well for most of the night, but struggled late. The Gators still can't run consistently against anyone. We placed ads in the Gainesville Sun for a kicker.
That said, the good guys are still 6-1 and ahead of schedule while Georgia is reeling.
Back to you Coach Ken, be careful what you wish for. Mark Richt may not be Urban Meyer or Nick Saban...he's not Ray Goff or Jim Donnan either. Tennessee fired Phil Fulmer seven years ago, and they still haven't recovered. Please keep this in mind after Florida beats Georgia in Jacksonville tomorrow.
The Gators are going back to Atlanta, and Mark Richt stays employed in Athens.
UF - 26
UGA - 17
Be good.
eG
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