SEC Media Days, BINGO

SEC media days are here, I can almost smell the football.  Rules for this bingo are the same as any other bingo, get 5 in a row to win.  So play SEC Media Days Bingo, it's almost as much fun as football*.


*This game is not actually anywhere close to being as fun as football.  Choking hazard to children under 3 and Tim Brando.

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A Visual Recap of the SEC Spring Meetings

The SEC spring meetings never fail to provide lots of excitement.  Just in case you missed any of it, here is a visual re-cap of what went down.


Mike Slive was non-committal about being non-committal.

World Events The Last Time Steve Spurrier Won A National Title

Steve Spurrier loves to remind folks of his great accomplishments at Florida, and why that makes him the top SEC coach. So here is a list of things that were happening the last time Steve won a national title:

- The O.J. Simpson trial began.

- Ken Starr was threatening Bill Clinton instead of Texas A&M.

- Alanis Morissette proves she has no idea what the word "ironic" means.

- The Nintendo 64 was released. DO A BARREL ROLL!!!

- The Atlanta Braves played in the ML World Series.  No, really they did, look it up.

- SHOW ME THE MONEY!

- Dude, what's your AOL screen name?

- The Nanny was a popular T.V. show ... for some reason.

- The cloned sheep Dolly was created.  Celebrations abound all across Auburn.

- I was marking off my calendar that it would be the year 2000 in only 4 more years.  I had better start saving for that hoverboard.

- Y2K was going to end the world long before the Mayans could get us.

- The Washington Redskins didn't yet know just how bad they were going to get.

- People other than Lou Holtz considered Notre Dame a good team. 

- Lou Holtz was coaching Notre Dame.

- We all thought Tiger Woods was a nice kid.

- I got my driver's permit.

- THE MACARENA!!!

- South Carolina was playing their 4th season as an SEC team.

- Bob Dole says Bob Dole wants you to vote for Bob Dole.

Bandit Cartoon: Baylor vs. Reality

Baylor is fighting for the Big 12.  Even though the Big 12 is dead, at this point it's not CPR anymore so much as it's defiling a body. Baylor is threatening legal action to stop Texas A&M from leaving the Big 12.  Ken Starr (yep, that one) President of Baylor has a plan, and he wants to share his vision with you:

Buy, Sell, or Hold SEC Football 2011

Alabama - BUY - The Tide are going to be tough to beat this year, they have an incredible defense coming back,  Trent Richardson is back at running back, and they have a solid line on both sides of the ball.  Right now, they look like the team to beat in the SEC.  Of course the success of the Tide is nothing new, Nick Saban has put together a monster of a football team and we wouldn't look for them to falter anytime soon.  Anything less than a BCS game or a national championship would be a failure for a team with this much talent and this kind of coaching.

Auburn - SELL - Auburn had an outstanding year last year, but that was last year.  Arrest, accusations, and players leaving for the pros have taken a toll on this team. The Auburn football team is a shell of what it was last year.  The weakest point on this team looks to be the lines on both sides of the ball.  It really doesn't matter that Auburn seems to be trying to bring in some new hired guns in the running back and quarterback positions.  Whoever is in the backfield on offense better have their chinstrap on tight, cause that line of freshman is going to have a hard time protecting them. On top of all this Auburn has a tough schedule this year, playing most of their major games away. With Alabama, MSU, LSU, and Arkansas all looking to be great this year Auburn could be looking at the quickest fall of any reigning BCS champion in history.

SEC Commissioner Mike Slive is Open to Fixing Problems in Backwards Ineffective Ways

Mike Slive told CBS sports today that he was willing to discuss athletic scholarships that cover a students "full cost of attendance."   This would mean the athletic scholarship would be able to cover incidental living expenses beyond the usual room, tuition, meals, and books for students.  On the surface it sounds like a decent enough idea, kids need money for transportation, phones, and other incidental expenses that are common to every student.  Yet, having a job while trying to keep your grades up and participate in a major college athletic program is tough.

There is a second unspoken reason behind Mike Slive and Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany's interest in covering incidental expenses for college athletes.  Some believe that if the students were given this little bit of extra money there would be less incentive for colleges or boosters to illegally pay them on the side.  But this line of thought ignores some basic facts about the situation.  Boosters don't give kids extra money because they feel bad for their situation, they do it to make the kid want to come to their school.  This extra money won't stop player payments from boosters and schools.  It may keep some kids from breaking NCAA rules in regard to selling memorabilia, but do we really think these kids were selling this stuff so they could make ends meat?  Mot of the Ohio State group were selling their memorabilia for free tattoos, not daily expenses.