Oklahoma State a 6 point favorite over UGA

If we get this from our DEs, we win (Image: Hipple)
I don't endorse any betting site, and I usually don't bet on sports. Hell, I'd be an addict if I gambled online so I don't bother with it; however, I do catch a few lines of interest. A couple jumped off the page to me in Week 1 starting with Georgia's trip to Stillwater.

DannySheridan.com has the Dawgs at a 6 point road underdog with an over/under of 62.5 points from one of his sports book partner sites. As I understand it, that means the bookies are thinking that Georgia will lose this game roughly 34 to 28. If I'm wrong about that, let me know.

I'll grant you that the Dawgs have some defensive question marks, but 34 points? Get serious. Here's how the Cowboys faired against ranked opposition last year:

Missouri -- 28
Texas -- 24
Texas Tech -- 20
Oklahoma -- 41
Oregon -- 31

Only Texas had a defense that allowed fewer points than Georgia's unit last year. OU surrendered a ton of points, but they also scored 61. To say that Ok State had plenty of possessions against the Sooners would be an under statement.

By my back of the napkin math, Mark Richt is 7-1 at Georgia as a road underdog. If that's not right, it's really close. Not saying to mortgage your house. Just saying.

Other interesting lines include BYU as a 22 to 25 underdog to Oklahoma in Dallas. Andre Ware has already picked BYU in this one to wit Brent Musburger laughed and told him, "You can call me collect after that one." Nice.

In the SEC, Bama is a 6 point favorite to Virginia Tech. Call me crazy, but I like Virginia Tech straight up in that one. The points look like a gift.

Back to the Ok State game, I think the Dawgs win if we keep the Pokes under 24. I said a few weeks ago that I think the game comes down to our defensive ends ability to manufacture a pass rush. This is a feeling that's not lost on Georgia's DEs. Tim Tucker talked with the Demarcus Dobbs and Rob Battle about that situation in tonight's AJC.

See Also:
-- Marcus Washington getting work at DE - ABH
-- Tickets: Georgia Bulldogs at Oklahoma State

PWD

* All info provided for entertainment purposes only.

Longest Tenured Coaches without a BCS Bowl

Each year, we publish the list of the longest currently tenured coaches at a BCS Conference school that haven't guided their current program to a BCS bowl game.

This is the third year that we've published the list. The 2007 Champ was Houston Nutt (Arkansas), and the 2008 Champ was Tommy Bowden (Clemson). For 2009, we have a four way tie for first place.

Here's the 2009 Top 10:

1.(T) Mike Leach (Texas Tech) - 2001
1.(T) Al Groh (UVA) - 2001
1.(T) Greg Schiano (Rutgers) - 2001
1.(T) Gary Pinkel (Missouri) - 2001
5.(T) Bobby Johnson (Vandy) - 2002
5.(T) Jeff Tedford (Cal) - 2002
7.(T) Rich Brooks (Kentucky) - 2003
7.(T) Mike Riley (Oregon State) - 2003
9.(T) Randy Edsall (UConn) - 2004* (Joined Big East)
9.(T) Mike Stoops (Arizona) - 2004

Off the list this year:

1. Tommy Bowden - Formerly #1 on the list. Terminated.

2. Sly Croom - Formerly #10 on the list. Terminated.

Just off the list:

The guys closest to making the list joined their jobs in 2005. Or in Jim Leavitt's case, their school joined a BCS conference.
Jim Leavitt (USF) - 2005* (Joined Big East)
Mike Gundy (Ok State) - 2005
Steve Spurrier (SC) - 2005
Dave Wannstedt (Pitt) - 2005

Tom O'Brien and Houston Nutt aren't eligible for the listing above as they are both new to their current schools. If you look at their career body of work, they would rank first and second respectively among active coaches.

The Camel Club:

• Phil Fulmer was the winner of this award for several years as he had gone without a BCS trip the longest after having tasted success. Fulmer had Joe Tiller nipping at his heels during that run. However, both are now out of the picture. The new yardstick for frustration after success is Ralph Friedgen (Maryland). The Fridge's last trip to a BCS bowl came following the 2001 season.
  
  
• Kirk Ferentz (Iowa) is second on the list with his last BCS bid coming in 2002.

How Long Should Teams Wait?
Every school's situation is different, but how long should a program give a coach before making a BCS game? Over the past 11 seasons, 37 different BCS schools have made BCS appearances (38 if you count Notre Dame). There are only 66 schools in BCS conferences including ND.

PWD

Most Wins in College Football: Past 10 Years

Boss Bailey. Part of the recruiting class that turned around UGA football.

I decided to research what teams had the most overall wins during the past 10 years (1999-2008). Let's start with the SEC....

Georgia	98
Florida	96
LSU	93
Auburn	85
Tennessee	85
Alabama	75
Arkansas	71
Ole Miss	62
South Carolina	61
Kentucky	49
Miss State	47
Vanderbilt	37

I also looked beyond the SEC at some other noteworthy BCS programs.

Oklahoma	109
Texas	106
Southern Cal	100
Virginia tech	100
Ohio State	97
Florida State	90
Michigan	86
Oregon	86
Georgia Tech	78
Penn State	76
Notre Dame	69

The second most wins during that period overall belong to Boise State with 108; however, that's hardly an apples to apples comparison.

My overall reaction to those numbers of the past 10 years...We're keeping some pretty elite company. We just don't have a national title...yet. But we're consistently knocking around that 10 win mark. If you do that long enough, you're going to win it all eventually. See Brown, Mack.

Not that you asked, but you have to extend the tracking back to 13 years before UGA loses it's lead in the SEC in overall wins.

Anyone on that list have a number of wins that surprises you?

PWD

Coaches Poll is Out

The ESPN/USAToday Coaches Poll:

Rank	Team (1st place votes)	'08 record	Points	Final '08
1.	Florida (53)	13-1	1,466	1
2.	Texas (4)	12-1	1,386	3
3.	Oklahoma (1)	12-2	1,358	5
4.	Southern California (1)	12-1	1,321	2
5.	Alabama	12-2	1,134	6
6.	Ohio State	10-3	1,126	11
7.	Virginia Tech	10-4	1,020	14
8.	Penn State	11-2	988	8
9.	LSU	8-5	917	NR
10.	Mississippi	9-4	889	15
11.	Oklahoma State	9-4	861	18
12.	California	9-4	711	25
13.	Georgia	10-3	707	10
14.	Oregon	10-3	694	9
15.	Georgia Tech	9-4	559	22
16.	Boise State	12-1	542	13
17.	TCU	11-2	461	7
18.	Utah	13-0	404	4
19.	Florida State	9-4	371	23
20.	North Carolina	8-5	293	NR
21.	Iowa	9-4	257	20
22.	Nebraska	9-4	236	NR
23.	Notre Dame	7-6	194	NR
24.	Brigham Young	10-3	178	21
25.	Oregon State	9-4	165	19

I just can't see how Bama is #5 with. The three most overrated teams on this list might be Bama, Cal and Notre Dame. Just because the Irish don't play anyone and will rack up a bunch of 8 or 9 wins against thin air doesn't mean they should be ranked high. I think Oregon, Florida State, UNC and Georgia Tech could all end up higher than their current ranking.

What jumps out at you?

See Also:
-- 2009 Georgia Bulldogs Football Tickets

PWD

Vols Chant Ancient Proverbs for Help from Beyond the Grave

If you thought this was worth a chuckle, allow me to continue to poke UT with a stick for giggles.  The Banner-Herald reports that Kiffin will get former Vols to recite Gen. Neyland's maxims before each game and share what the maxims mean to them and the Big Orange.

This is pretty frightening stuff.  Can you imagine the frenzy created by having Casey Clausen or Jabari Davis reading inspiring football principals from the 1930s?  Then, they say what these ancient rules mean to their lives!  Just thinking about this makes me want to rip my shirt off and chant "WILD BOYZ!".  I can just imagine how it will inspire twenty year old kids. 

For those of you unfamiliar with the maxims, here is a sample:

1. When at the peak of the flying wedge, lead with your noggin and fear not, for your service to humanity through eugenics will not be forgotten.

2. When tackling, pounce on the ballcarrier like a landing gyrocopter and never like a decending dirigible.

3. Oskie, oskie, run, score, run ... these are the keys to triumph, whether over Sewanee or Cumberland.

4. Avoid recruiting Hoovervilles, but if you must, bring cabbages and turnips.

Quake at the power of the seven maxims! 

Quinton

Georgia Bulldogs 2009 Football Tickets

Our Stubhub affiliate relationship is back up and running, and they have some interesting tickets seats available. (UPDATE: I updated the prices on Aug. 21st)

All Home Games - Georgia Season Tickets
Season ticket packages start at $595 each in the 300-level. Adjusted face value (tickets + required contribution) in that section start at roughly $500 if you bought them from the Athletic Department. That's not a bad deal. I saw a lower level at $645.

Sept. 5 - UGA at Oklahoma State Cowboys
Face value for this game is $100. Tickets start at $85 (via auction). The official Ok State seating chart says the Visitors sections are 201, 301, part of 302, 120, 228 and 334.

Sept. 12 - South Carolina Gamecocks at UGA
Ticket start at $105 each. You don't have to worry about buying student tickets this year. There aren't any. They are putting the ticket on the student's ID. The ID is the ticket. Now, you don't have to worry about accidentally buying a student ticket.

Sept. 19 - UGA at Arkansas Razorbacks
Tickets start at $82. According to the Arkansas official seating chart, the visitors sections are 111, 509-512 and 516-519.

Sept. 26 - Arizona State Sun Devils at UGA
Tickets in the 300 level start at $96 each. That's roughly what it cost a UGA fan to attend the ASU game last year....of course that covered our entire season ticket fees. If you're an ASU fan looking for the ASU sections, it'll be most of the 600 level plus parts of 101-103 and 301-302. That's not guaranteed, but that's pretty darn close.

Oct. 3 - LSU Tigers at UGA
Football tickets start at $145. LSU fans check the ASU note to see where the visitors section at Sanford stadium is typically located. Like I said...that's a pretty good estimate.

Oct. 10 - UGA at Tennessee Volunteers
Tickets start at $111. The official UT site doesn't have this year's visitor section clearly marked. However, I've been every time since '95, and it's about the same place. UGA's band typically sits around Z14 or Z15. We typically get a few really low rows in Section A and a big chunk of AA. Then we get the Top 5-10 rows of GG-NN (give or take). I prefer sitting in Y9 - Z15 in the lower endzone. That's a mix of UGA and UT fans. The closer you get to Z15, the more UGA it is. If the Vols lose to UCLA, the ticket prices may come down. If they win, I'd wager they go up.

Oct. 17 - UGA at Vanderbilt Commodores
Tickets start at $51. Let's be honest. You can wait, It'll get lower than that.

Oct. 24 - Idle

Oct. 31 - UGA vs. Florida Gators (Jacksonville)
Tickets are still comically high, and I don't know which side is the UGA side yet. Once that gets sorted out, I'll provide more info.

Nov. 7 - Tennessee Tech at UGA
Prices currently start at $65/each. Obviously, well below face value. But there are some premium lower level sideline seats available for $65-90.

Nov. 14 - Auburn Tigers at UGA
Tickets start at $138 for tickets to the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry.

Nov. 21 - Kentucky Wildcats at UGA
Tickets start at $80 for the last game of the 2009 regular season in Athens, Ga.

Nov. 28 - UGA at Georgia Tech
Football tickets start at $125. The athletic department lists the "official" visitor's sections as 130, 131, 221, 201, 208, and 210-218. Now, you and I both know that we're going to have 20,000 UGA fans there just like always. So you'll have Dawgs near you as long as you don't sit in their student sections 132-136 and 113-119.

The prices listed above were current as of the time that I published this note (UPDATE: They were current as of Aug. 21st). The visitor's sections aren't guaranteed to be accurate. They based on my best understanding of the seating charts or memory as stated clearly above.

Ticket prices on Stubhub are fluid because it's a marketplace where fans like you are selling to other fans. I used Stubhub last year to get premium tickets to an event out of state and had a great time.

Like I always say, aftermarket ticket sites aren't for everyone. Some people just want to pay face value for tickets. Some people will arrive at a game without tickets and deal with the hassle of scalpers. Me...I like to know that I have tickets before I get to town so that I can spend game day eating, drinking and talking smack. Not tracking down a good deal. But hey...that's just me.

There's no such thing as a sell out.

PWD

Gordon Beckham is nuclear

Beckham is on a tear through the American League right now. He's currently hitting .314 with 6 HRs, 34 RBI and a whopping 18 doubles in only 54 games.

Gordo is 58th in the American League in Doubles despite playing almost half the games. Over the last 30 days:

• leads the AL in doubles
  
• 5th in RBI
  
• 6th in Batting Avg.
  
• And his avg soars the more runners who are on base (scroll to bottom)

Here are some recent profile pieces:

- A super star in the making - ESPN
- Rookie of the Year? - Chicago Sun-Times
- At home at #2 in the order - South Town star
- Beginner's Luck? - Chicago White Sox Official Site

PWD