By Franz Beard
A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning:
THINKING OUT LOUD ON A THURSDAY
1. All quiet on the UF transfer front: It has been a week since the Gators lost to UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl and other than Jacob Copeland announcing that he’s going to go to Maryland, it has been eerily quiet on the transfer front. Emory Jones announced that he was going to transfer prior to the bowl game, but he hasn’t put his name in the portal yet but neither have any other Gators. I’m of the opinion that once we get past the bowl games, the transfer portal is going to heat up nationally and locally. I am sticking with my expectation that at least 10-12 more Gators will enter the transfer portal and believe nationally there will be somewhere close to 2,000 when all is said and done.
2. Three possible landing spots for Emory Jones: I have no idea where Emory is thinking to transfer but I think he’s a very good fit for the offensive schemes at UCF, Liberty and Appalachian State. Now, none of them are power schools with monstrous stadiums, but they are all successful programs whose coaches and schemes favor a quarterback who can run the ball. Gus Malzahn recruited Emory very hard when he was at Auburn. His returning QB at UCF is Mikey Keen, who netted -36 yards in 2021. The best offenses Gus had at Auburn (2010, 2013, 2014) all had outstanding runners for QBs. When Malik Willis left Auburn, the knock on him was he was an inconsistent passer but a great runner. Two years with Hugh Freeze and Willis might be a first round draft pick. The App State offense functioned best with Zac Thomas as a dual threat. The Mountaineers need a QB desperately with non-runner Chase Brice graduating so EJ might be just what they need.
3. LOOK FOR A DEAL THAT WILL BRING TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA TO THE SEC SOON: Texas and Oklahoma are under contract with the Big 12 until the 2025 season concludes but there are plenty of folks whispering that they will be in the SEC as soon as the 2023 season. The stumbling blocks to early entry in the SEC are complications of the buyouts and CBS but ESPN can solve those problems with a bit of collaboration from Greg Sankey. The buyout for Texas and Oklahoma is about $80 million apiece, but if ESPN and the SEC were to kick in about $80 million, that would ease the buyout for both schools. CBS pays the SEC $53 million a year for broadcast rights and it’s not going to increase the money or revise its broadcasting schedule for a 16-team SEC. Solution: ESPN buys out the last year of the contract. Finally, ESPN offers a broadcasting deal to the new Big 12. It won’t pay out what the league currently distributes (about $38 million), but it would be better than waiting it out until 2025 and not having any kind of contract. Sankey and Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick can assure Bob Bowlsby that they will ensure the Big 12 remains a Power Five conference. All this is complicated, but very do-able.
4. WILL THE BIG TEN EXPAND?: If you notice, Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren has been rather silent lately, allowing fellow “alliance” commissioners George Kliavkoff (Pac-12) and Jim Phillips (ACC) to do all the talking. Warren needs Notre Dame in the worst way, but the Irish aren’t about to give up their independent status. He can keep the Big Ten status quo, or he can raid the Big 12 for Kansas and Iowa State, who both make sense on several fronts. Kansas is a football doormat but it gets basketball ratings even on weekdays that are better than ESPN’s Saturday night football broadcasts. Iowa State is a decent football program and the Cyclones are unbeaten and ranked in the top 10 in basketball. The Big Ten distributed more than $50 million to each school last year and that has to be enticing to both Kansas and Iowa State. Meanwhile Phillips and Kliavkoff are going to be stuck. The ACC’s rotten contract with ESPN runs through 2036 and ESPN doesn’t seem willing to renegotiate. The Pac-12’s media rights deal with ESPN and Fox expires in 2023 and no one wants to renegotiate.
5. BOWLING FOR DOLLARS: Two quick notes from Wednesday. Clemson (10-3) held on to beat Iowa State, 20-13, in the Cheez-It Bowl in Orlando Wednesday night and Oklahoma (11-2) whacked Oregon (10-4), 47-32. For Clemson it was the 11th straight season with at least 10 wins. Only Alabama (14) has a longer streak in college football history. Clemson started the season 2-2 but won its last seven games. Reports of Dabo’s demise might be a teensy bit exaggerated. As for Oklahoma, Bob Stoops came off the golf course to coach one last game when Lincoln Riley left for Southern Cal, earning win No. 191 in a Hall of Fame career made more special when son Drake Stoops caught a TDP in the second quarter.
OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC (FOOTBALL)
Alabama (12-1): In part because of the new COVID variant but also because they wish to eliminate the outside influences on their focus on Cincinnati, Alabama’s players voted to stay isolated in the team hotel ahead of the College Football Playoff semifinal. That obviously pleased Nick Saban, who said, “You’re not gonna remember what you did on Tuesday night in Dallas three weeks from now or three years from now, but you’ll remember for the rest of your life … Sometimes it’s what you’re willing to ignore, how you played in the last game, how you performed all season long, what the media says, who’s going to win, what conference a team plays in. None of those things really matter. Those are the things that you should choose to ignore.”
Arkansas (8-4): Speaking about opt-outs for bowl teams, HBC Sam Pittman said, “Until we get more teams in the playoff you’re going to play a different team. It’s going to have the same logo on there but it’s not the same team that you had in the regular season.”
Auburn (6-7): Sophomore defensive tackle Colby Wooden announced that he will return to Auburn in 2022.
Georgia (12-1): Ahead of Georgia’s College Football Playoff semifinal with Michigan, offensive coordinator Todd Monken defended the decision to start Stetson Bennett at quarterback, saying, “The reason Stetson Bennett plays is we think he gives us the best chance to win. That’s really the answer to that question. There is no doubt in my mind we can win the national championship and there is no doubt in my mind we can win the national championship with Stetson Bennett.”
Kentucky (9-3): The passing game could be an adventure for the Wildcats. Top two receivers Wan’Dale Robinson and Josh Ali won’t play in the Citrus Bowl game with Iowa due to injuries suffered in an auto accident last week. Now third leading receiver Isaiah Epps has entered the NCAA transfer portal.
LSU (6-6): Brian Kelly has hired Robert Steeples, who is the special teams coach for the Minnesota Vikings … Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, who missed the last few games of 2021 with a leg injury, says he will return to LSU for 2022.
Mississippi State (7-6): Placekicker Brandon Ruiz, who made only 5-9 on his field goal attempts in 2021, is declaring for the NFL Draft … Commenting on Mississippi State’s 34-7 defeat at the hands of Texas Tech in the Liberty Bowl, ESPN’s Greg McElroy said, “Mississippi State’s performance last night was inexcusably bad.”
Missouri (6-7): Wide receiver/punt returner D’ionte “Boo” Smith is declaring for the NFL Draft. Smith had eight catches for 195 yards and a TD in 2021, plus he returned 11 punts for 55 yards.
Ole Miss (10-2): Charlie Weis Jr., who worked for Lane Kiffin as an analyst at Alabama in 2015-16 and as offensive coordinator at Florida Atlantic in 2018-19, is expected to be hired as Kiffin’s offensive coordinator at Ole Miss, replacing Jeff Lebby, who will be the OC at Oklahoma next year.
South Carolina (6-6): Linebacker Sherrod Green, who broke his ankle against Georgia in game three, announced he will be returning for the 2021 season.
Tennessee: Right tackle Cade Mays’ ankle injury will prevent him from playing against Purdue in the Music City Bowl … Offensive analyst Matt Merritt is leaving to take over the running backs job with Georgia Southern.
Texas A&M (8-4): Defensive analyst Harland Bower is leaving to coach defensive ends at Duke for former Aggie defensive coordinator Mike Elko.
Vanderbilt (2-10): Clark Lea hired Larry Black to coach his D-line and former Virginia defensive coordinator Nick Howell to coach the secondary.
UF-OLE MISS HOOPS POSTPONED
A COVID outbreak force the Gators to postpone their SEC opener at Ole Miss Wednesday night. The SEC will do its best to reschedule the game but if it cannot be rescheduled, it will be declared no contest. The way the SEC schedule works, it would take the Gators and Ole Miss willing to play three games in a single week to get the game. It’s doubtful that either team will be challenging for the SEC regular season championship, but the game could weigh heavily into seeding for the SEC Tournament so expect every effort to get the game in the books.
Florida’s SEC opener will be next Wednesday at the O-Dome when No. 19 Alabama (10-3, 1-0 SEC) comes to Gainesville.
SEC Basketball
Wednesday’s scores: FLORIDA (9-3) at Ole Miss (8-4), POSTPONED; No. 11 Auburn (12-1, 1-0 SEC) 70, No. 16 LSU (12-1, 0-1 SEC) 55; No. 18 Kentucky (10-2, 1-0 SEC) 83, Missouri (6-7, 0-1 SEC) 56; Mississippi State (10-3, 1-0 SEC) 81, Arkansas (10-3, 0-1 SEC) 68; Gardner-Webb (6-7) 77, Georgia (5-8) 60; South Carolina State (7-8) at South Carolina (9-3), POSTPONED; Texas A&M (11-2) 85, Central Arkansas (2-10) 59; No. 19 Alabama (10-3, 1-0 SEC) 73, No. 14 Tennessee (9-3, 0-1 SEC) 68
Friday’s game: High Point (6-7) at No. 18 Kentucky (10-2)
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: John Madden made NFL football fun even for people who weren’t NFL fans. The biggest reason is because he never stopped being John Madden. He was the same Madden as the coach of the Oakland Raiders as he was Pat Summerall’s long time sidekick in the CBS and Fox broadcast booths. He was a player’s coach with the Raiders, where he won a Super Bowl and retired from coaching with a 103-32-7 record. As an analyst in the booth, he never made the game too complicated for the football novice. There is a great story about how Madden, eating breakfast at the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago was approached by an Englishman who explained that it was rare when more than one NFL game per week was broadcast in the UK. Before walking away, the Englishman said, “I only watch the games you do, John.” Madden had no idea who the Englishman was, but discovered after he was out of earshot that it was Elton John. I think most of us loved that he refused to fly and took the train to games until he borrowed Dolly Parton’s bus for a trip to a game. The Madden Cruiser was born. Only John Madden could pull that off. I also loved his turducken on Thanksgiving, the New Orleans concoction of turkey stuffed with duck and chicken. The back story of the turducken was that the New Orleans restaurant owner only sold about 200 turduckens a year until Madden came along. He started shipping 6,000 a year all over the world.
John Madden was larger than life but an everyman that people related to. I can’t imagine there will ever be anyone in the sports TV booth with that kind of presence.
florida.rivals.com
