Nevada Dawg

I concur that Sewell never reached his potential although he became a good player. It seemed as if he was asked to be mainly a run stopper in the Oregon scheme and he was good at it. As for Flowe, I think that he was badly overrated as a 5-star high school recruit. This is heresay so take it for what it is worth, but at least two people with alleged insider information said that Georgia quit recruiting Flowe after a couple workouts because the belief that he wasn't good enough to be a first-line contributor there and there were multiple guys that they liked better. As Georgia recruited Sewell hard and wanted him, Flowe was almost never mentioned that year.

Not completely. It has been reported on many sites who have inside knowledge, and they say that Oregon is NOT the top dollar NIL. We are competitive, enough to stay in the group a recruit is considering, but Lanning is selling the other aspects of Oregon to offset the pure payoffs. It's been working! Kirby Smart at Georgia does not offer incoming freshmen any more than the recruiting combine stipend that all Georgia players receive. Anything above that figure is dependent on those who have a big NIL value and can get someone to ante up. Development is the primary recruiting inducement and Smart can back that up with 34 NFL draft choices over the last three years, several of whom were 3-stars who ended up being selected in the first round--and that's big money worth many millions of dollars. My guess is that Lanning learned that development sells, and it does. It will continue to work on the recruiting trail as long as the Oregon staff has some meaningful success at backing it up.

Hope I don't get flagged for the above post of mine. Sorry Charles.

Remnants indeed! What a moronic post.

This kind of recruiting is what Lanning has to do, and over a period of several years, to build the kind of roster that will have the staying power of a truly elite program. It is extremely important to layer talent across all position groups to ensure the depth necessary to win championships. Dan Lanning was well schooled in roster building during his years at Georgia and I expected nothing less than this kind of aspirational recruiting when he became a Duck. This is one of the major reasons that I came on this blog soon after Lanning's hire to say that you rabid Duck fans are going to love this guy. Enjoy the process.

Numbers 1,4,5,and 6 are all Georgia recruiting targets. Wingo, who loves Dylan Raiola, will not be in Georgia's class because he wants upfront NIL and Kirby Smart doesn't roll that way---for anyone. Georgia sells development over NIL to incoming freshmen. As for Baker and Nwaneri, it is anyone's guess where they end up but Georgia is still in the game for both I am told. If the Dawgs don't get them, I sure hope that the Ducks do.

I generally concur that SDSU will thrive in the PAC-12. Already is legit in MBB and has a winning record in recent years against PAC teams in football. I think that the ponies (SMU) have a great chance of becoming relevant as well if they can tap more readily into the deep well of Texas high school football talent. As for USC in the football scene of the B1G, I believe that Lincoln Riley is one of the best offensive minds anywhere and is likely to rival OSU for top offensive honors almost right away. If the man ever takes defense more seriously, hiring a top defensive czar and leaving the guy to run that side of the ball, USC may become a perennial contender in a conference that I see as somewhat overrated. If it means anything (and I hope we never have to find this out), I think that the Ducks would fit right in among the contenders as well as might Utah and the dreaded Huskies. Just my opinion.

As a former college professor who has been around a fair number of obscure and/or obtuse colleagues over the years, I can't recall anyone this bad. IMHO this is clearly AI generated. (Now watch me be wrong!).

OK now I see what you were saying but it wasn't real clear in the original post.It read, to me at least, as if only two SEC schools played a power-5 OOC opponent in 2023 I listened to the Dawgnation Daily podcast today in which the host defended the SEC's staying on the 8-game conference schedule unless ESPN coughs up more money. The main guest, also a Dawgnation writer, in a polite way tore the host a new one. His main points were that trashing long-standing annual rivalries, which would be maintained only with a 9-game schedule with three permanent opponents, is absolutely stupid in view of the loss of important rivalries that the schools hold dear. In other words, don't screw with the traditions that make the treasured game that it is to whore for a few more dollars. Yeah, money may be important, but when it becomes the factor that drives all decisions, I think it likely that a significant portion of he fandom starts to peel away. We've already got the cold money game with the NFL. Why ruin college football to craft a junior version of the Sunday game? Commissioner Greg Sankey very much wants the 9-game SEC schedule for 2025. My money is on him getting what he wants, whether or not additional money is forthcoming.

SEC plays only two OOC games against Power5 opponents in 23? I know Georgia plays Georgia Tech annually and that Alabama plays Texas in 23. Manty years Georgia plays two such games on their own. Next year in 2024 the Dawgs have Clemson and Tech on their schedule. I have learned not to doubt Jon Joseph's "facts" on this forum but it is a bit hard to believe, true as it may be, that Georgia and Bama are the only SEC schools with a power 5 OOC game. In fact, I am pretty sure that Florida has OOC games with Utah and Florida State, South Carolina plays Clemson, LSU has Florida State and there are surely others that slip my mind at this late (for me) hour. check again Jon.

There is a Dawg podcaster by the name of Uncle Lou who broadcast, on Wednesday I believe, his forecast for Heisman finalists. He starts by saying that the Heisman is basically a OB award and proceeds to say that, without question, the Pac-12 has the best array of QBs. He proceeds to analyze the pros and cons of his 10 Heisman favorites and concludes that two finalists will be PAC-12 QBs: Bo Nix and Caleb Williams. He (wisely in my opinion) doesn't forecast a winner. Thought you guys might find this interesting. Uncle Lou's podcasts are available on you tube.

I am with Jon Joseph in betting that SEC Comish Greg Sankey gets his wish for a 9-game SEC Schedule in 2025. This has surprisingly not been covered in stories on the DAWG Nation sites but criticism of the 24 8-game SEC schedule abounds on social media surrounding the team and other avenues for fan commentary. I also saw a post, on MSN sports if I am not mistaken, that new SEC members Texas and Oklahoma favor the 9-game schedule in 2025 and thereafter, and Jon J nicely illustrated above with actual scheduling that many SEC teams have upgraded their Power-5 OOC matchups for the coming years. In Georgia's case, they will soon be playing a quality OOC Power-5 school as well as traditional power 5 instate rival Georgia Tech each year. Added to a 9-game SEC slate, there is nothing soft about that kind of challenge. Kirby Smart is a competitive freak and he has to be loving it.

Those who have read through this thread know how I feel about the SEC's 8-game schedule and the loss of traditional rivalries. I apologize to the rest of college football for the scheduling decision made today. And yes that root of all evil--money-- was involved in this decision in more ways than one. I fully plan to voice my displeasure about the 8-game schedule every opportunity I have to weigh in on the topic. It is set in stone only for 2024--at least that is my understanding. One of the Georgia beat writers ran a poll asking Dawg fans their preferences, and the last tabulation I saw had about 85% favoring the 9-game schedule. The fans I have corresponded with really dislike the end of yearly matchups with traditional rivals. The Georgia-Auburn game, for example, means a lot to both schools being the oldest continuous football rivalry in the Deep South. One Dawg fan put it this way--"Doing away with rivalries for the sake of money is a step toward ripping the very soul out of the game I love". I heartily concur!

The GA-FLA game is played in J-Ville because it is the most lucrative option for both Universities--another example of whoring for dollars IMO. The people who get the short end of the stick are the respective season ticket holders whom I believe have to pay extra for the Florida game. Kirby has said he'd favor home and home with Florida to give the home fans another premium home game every other year and another giant opportunity to showcase his team and Athens for all the top recruits that are on Georgia's radar. But it is clearly more lucrative--the root of all evil again--to play the game in Jacksonville.

Thanks for the update amc dawg. Nonetheless, my overwhelming choice is the more competitive 9-game schedule and I'm sticking with it! Georgia fans have long lamented having to pay good money for the OOC cupcake games that a Bama friend of mine calls "baby seal clubbings. And as the GA-Florida game is always played in the state of Florida, most are livid that they only get to see three SEC games at home every year when everybody else gets four. Yeah, Florida has only three at home in the Swamp as well, but Florida coaches Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer thought of these Jacksonville games as home games, as do the Gator players. At least the 9-game schedule would give Georgia the four home games all the other schools get at least every other year. How many league games do the B1G teams play. I suspect it is 9 games, which would make the SEC on a continuing 8-game schedule a real outlier.

Are you sure his is true? Even if so, I still opt very strongly for the better competition option of 9 league games. Ya I know one can argue for the scheduling of better OOC opponents, but with many conferences playing 9-game schedules, those opponents will become increasingly hard to schedule. Play 9 games!!!!

IMHO there are so many good reasons for the SEC to play a 9-game schedule that it is embarrassing for the league to even consider staying with the 8-game model. SIAP but the 8-game format leaves each team with only one permanent opponent each year. So, for example, Georgia would draw Florida each year and can the oldest rivalry in the deep South by having to deep-6 Auburn. Alabama would play Auburn yearly and can the long standing yearly rivalry game with Tennessee. From my opinion as a fan, this scheduling model stinks to high heaven. The 9-game model insures that each team will play all the other SEC teams, home and away, every 4-year period. That's as close as one will get to round-robin in a 16-team league. To have administrators Jerk for more money when they already receive 70 Mil a year (or else offer fans an inferior product) convinces me beyond all doubt that money has become the root of all evil in college football. And, I sincerely hope that all the SEC teams that lobby for 8 games to increase their prospects for bowl eligibility can revel in their irrelevancy!!

Top 25 is out I believe. CBS had Nick Saban#1 followed by Kirby Smart, Dabo Swinney, and...Lincoln Riley at 4. That last placement totally mystifies. How a man who has never won a college football playoff game lands there is beyond me! On Lanning: Rating undoubtedly reflects the lack of confidence among sports writers to rank him higher based on one season's outcomes. Should Lanning match last year in year two, He'll jump at least 20 spots IMHO.

One of my pet peeves about the B1G is that it plays so few intersectional games that one cannot gauge how good its members really are. To back out of a requirement that power 5 OOC games be scheduled is absurd in my opinion. I can honestly say that I wish my Dawgs had more power 5 OOC opponents. Kirby Smart apparently agrees and has scheduled some high quality opponents virtually every year going forward. They do play Georgia Tech annually now and often try for a kickoff classic quality game at the beginning of the year to get the team dialed in early. I am far from a football coach, but there seems, to me at least, that such games are great preparation for the upcoming league season.

Having to tout Seattle as the major media market isn't saying much for the number of eyes drawn to the PAC. That's why the addition of SDSU as a link to Southern Cali viewers is so important. Also, there are huge numbers of people in the SF-Oakland-San Jose market as well. But can we ever get Cal or Stanford to invest in a major way to a football program? Maybe It is my having lived in the SEC footprint for more than 40 years, but I have never seen a major metro area apathetic about college football as the Bay Area. I'm sure interest must have perked up years ago when Stanford was really relevant, but that seems to have waned. Any insights here Hayward Duck?

I truly hope Bo plays well enough to be selected in the first round, but I am more inclined to agree with Charles that he will be a middle round pick at best. In fact, even that may be a stretch if his OL can't protect him at least as well as last year's line did. Environment truly plays a role in how player produces on the field. For two of his three years in the SEC, Bo was often tormented by those first round type DLs and LBs that the SEC seems to produce. He didn't face many (any?) of those guys in the PAC last year. Again, I wish the guy well but his future may well be in coaching. And wouldn't be nice if I had to eat these words in the future.

I don't want to speak for Rufus but I think the point was that LA is now B1G country and thus the league is home territory for Cali kids by virtue of SoCal being in it. So they can be thought of as "staying home". Or, I may be over thinking it, lol. I'd be careful about implying certain power 5 opponents other than SEC or big 10 conference members are not top notch OOC opponents. I'm not sure that Clemson wouldn't be a threat to win big in either of the so-called big 2 conferences and Florida State is once again beginning to look a little scary (they beat SEC West champ LSU last year and did so convincingly). I fear either of those teams a little more than Penn State, Wisconsin, and possibly even Michigan, although all these teams should be reasonably good. The Big 12 may have been down a bit last year and TCU's 65-7 beatdown in the Natty didn't do the conference any favors. But the conference will produce enough quality teams each year to give the power 2 teams some problems.

I really came to hate the OOC scheduling at Georgia during the Mark Richt era, but Kirby Smart is stepping that up even as the SEC transitions to a 9-game league schedule. Notable upcoming OOCs are home and homes added recently are with UCLA, Florida State--a team on the verge of making real noise again-- Clemson, and Ohio State. The fan base loves these games! I am sure that there will be other premiere matchups as well. Georgia likes invitations to early season blockbusters like the Kickoff Classic for example. If you are going to schedule OOCs, aspire to play the best of college football. Recruits love these kinds of matchups.

Can't emphasize strongly enough my feeling that Jon is right about OOC schedules and the need to get at least a few wins against SEC and B1G opponents in years to come. The lack of such a resume is one of the reasons that the PAC is viewed as a "softer" conference than it deserves to be IMHO.

Congrats Gonzo! I saw three mock drafts this week that had you going as high as #4 to the Colts if they didn't lose their mind and take Florida QB Anthony Richardson at # 4. Alas, they lost their mind and took Richardson whom I think may be the worst pick of the entire first round. IMHO Richardson is a high risk of becoming JaMarcus Russell 2.0.