I saw an article on CBSSports.com talking about a study that college football impacted elections. It got me thinking. When Alabama won the National Championship in 1992, who won the '92 Election? Bill Clinton. Since 1984, a Republican candidate winning the Presidential election is the same year Alabama football has been average or mediocre. A Democrat winning the Presidential election has lead to an Alabama season of double-digit wins and contending for the National Championship.
1984 - Ronald Reagan (R) def. Walter Mondale (D) 525-13
Alabama Football went 5-6 (2-4 in SEC) under Ray Perkins
1988- George H.W. Bush (R) def. Michael Dukakis (D) 426-111
Alabama Football went 9-3 (4-3 in SEC)
1992- Bill Clinton (D) def. George H.W. Bush (R) 370-168
Alabama finishes 13-0 defeating Miami to win the National Championship
1996- Bill Clinton (D) def. Bob Dole (R) 379-159
Alabama finished 10-2 (6-2 in the SEC) lost to Florida in SEC Championship
2000- George W. Bush (R) def. Al Gore (D) in a controversial election.
Alabama finished 3-8 (3-5 in SEC) Preseason #3
2004 George W. Bush (R) def. John Kerry (D)
Alabama finished 6-6 (2-6 in the SEC)
2008 Barack Obama (D) def. John McCain (R)
Alabama finished 12-2 (8-0 in SEC) Lost to Florida in SEC Championship
2012 Incumbent Barack Obama (D) vs. Mitt Romney (R)
Alabama is currently undefeated ranked #1 in the nation
With the election coming up, I guess you can say that conservative Tide fans have at least something to turn to during the good times and the bad. Alabama's visits to the White House included President's FDR ('34 '41), JFK ('61), LBJ ('64), Jimmy Carter ('78,'79), Bill Clinton ('92), and Barack Obama ('09, '11). Only 3 Republican Presidents have give the Crimson Tide a visit to the White House: Calvin Coolidge ('25,'26), Herbert Hoover (1930) and Richard Nixon ('73).
Not to put you at concern, but Will Mitt Romney be the 1st Republican to give The Crimson Tide a White House visit in almost 40 years????? Is Mitt Romney that will break this nearly 30 year old trend????
Thursday, October 25, 2012
It's not November yet and some are already wanting change
No....I'm not talking about the Presidential Election coming up soon. I'm talking about the state of some football programs in the SEC. Tennessee fans faith in Derek Dooley has begin to erode. Gene Chizik is public enemy number one despite being two years removed from a BCS Championship. Joker Phillips is the captain of a ship that was already sinking, and John L Smith is the college football version of the crazy taxi driver.
What we know now, is that Arkansas will most likely make a change for 2013. What we most likely expect is Joker Phillips to be relieved from Kentucky at season's end. What we don't know at the moment is if Derek Dooley (whose seat at UT was getting warmer by the minute) and Gene Chizik (whose chair has spontaneously combusted into flames) will return in 2013.
There's been talks about letting by-gones be by-gones between Arkansas and Bobby Petrino and welcome him back in 2013. Not sure if Jeff Long can swallow his pride enough to do that. Arkansas has to make a splash hire, and there's one name that comes to mind. Tommy Tuberville. Bobby Petrino was establishing a standard of winning at Arkansas and had as high as #3 in the BCS. The hire of John L Smith proved that in order for Arkansas to keep that standard, they're going to have to get somebody who is proven and can win. Although Tuberville was embarassingly dismissed from Auburn, he has a proven record of winning AND....he's an Arkansas native. I've been wrong on many coaching speculations before. But let's stick to this coaching change that will most likely happen. To me, Tuberville and Arkansas seems like a very good match.
If Kentucky is going to make a change, they need to make a change to not only compete, but win. Muschamp has turned the curve in Florida. Mark Richt is on auto-pilot but keeping Georgia in the talks. James Franklin has Vanderbilt moving into at least a Bowl contender. Spurrier has South Carolina in at least the talks about winning the SEC. It's only a matter of time before Kentucky will be on the 1st floor looking at everyone else climbing to the executive palace. Joker Phillips is 12-20 overall, 3-18 in the SEC, and 1-12 vs. Top 25 teams in his tenure at Kentucky. No matter what you thought of Rich Brooks, he had Kentucky in SEC Championship talks, and that is rarely heard. So how does Kentucky recpature that magic and at least delay the talks of Kentucky Basketball for at least a month? They swing for the fences and hire Bobby Petrino. The only thing Petrino did wrong to get dismissed from Arkansas was lie to his boss. I won't go the moral road and talk about his marital affair. The gauge that I seem to get in the SEC is....if you win football games, screw all of the co-ed's behind your wife's back as possible. Sounds sexist, but it's the cold hard truth. If Kentucky just wants a fresh start with a coach they can develop, Gus Malzahn's stock continues to be high.
Tennessee has seemed to already catch Gruden fever in Knoxville and their patience with Derek Dooley has ran thin. I've always argued that Tennessee fans need to show patience because the state of Tennessee football was dismal even before Phil Fulmer was shown the door. The unwanted public attention due to Lane Kiffin's one year tenure and then the sudden exit for the West Coast led UT AD Mike Hamilton to look for a new coach, which Mike Hamilton dropped the ball on again. There was an opportunity to hire David Cutcliffe and they dropped the ball. He is proven in college, despite maybe needing some help with recruiting. But he made Ole Miss a winning program....that says a lot. Look what he's done at Duke. Do you think Tennessee would have been in better shape under Cutcliffe rather than Dooley? I seem to get that impression.
I asked Vols fans "Why Jon Gruden?". The go-to was he has ties (Grad Assistant) and he married a UT cheerleader. They seem to hang on his Super Bowl Championship. I won't deny that Jon Gruden could make a great college coach. I think he could recruit very well. However, you have to think of the staff he'd put together and the pricetag. Jon Gruden is making some serious money at ESPN and loves what he does. To get him away from ESPN, Tennessee is going to have to throw some Nick Saban money at him. This would be a gamble....a BIG gamble. You would be throwing $6mil a year at a guy who has won a Super Bowl but hasn't proven anything in the college game. Deny it all you want, but pro and college are totally different worlds. There's a reason why Nick Saban and Steve Spurrier came back to college after their stint in the NFL. There's a reason why only Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer are the only coaches in football that won a National Championship and a Super Bowl in their careers. Could John Gruden be next and would/should Tennessee take that gamble in the current state of the football program?
Auburn could be the one that if they want to pull the plug on Gene Chizik, they better do it fast. Including the three possibilities in the SEC, there will be other coaching jobs that will come open throughout the nation. If Gene Chizik is going to keep his job, some assistant's heads are going to have to be on the chopping block because the product is awful. Bobby Petrino would be the most likely candidate for Auburn, they've went after him before, right? He and Gus Malzahn has ties to Auburn and is looking like the brains behind Auburn's success. These two coaches most likely will be the most sought after, so if Auburn is going to act, they better act quick.
What we know now, is that Arkansas will most likely make a change for 2013. What we most likely expect is Joker Phillips to be relieved from Kentucky at season's end. What we don't know at the moment is if Derek Dooley (whose seat at UT was getting warmer by the minute) and Gene Chizik (whose chair has spontaneously combusted into flames) will return in 2013.
There's been talks about letting by-gones be by-gones between Arkansas and Bobby Petrino and welcome him back in 2013. Not sure if Jeff Long can swallow his pride enough to do that. Arkansas has to make a splash hire, and there's one name that comes to mind. Tommy Tuberville. Bobby Petrino was establishing a standard of winning at Arkansas and had as high as #3 in the BCS. The hire of John L Smith proved that in order for Arkansas to keep that standard, they're going to have to get somebody who is proven and can win. Although Tuberville was embarassingly dismissed from Auburn, he has a proven record of winning AND....he's an Arkansas native. I've been wrong on many coaching speculations before. But let's stick to this coaching change that will most likely happen. To me, Tuberville and Arkansas seems like a very good match.
If Kentucky is going to make a change, they need to make a change to not only compete, but win. Muschamp has turned the curve in Florida. Mark Richt is on auto-pilot but keeping Georgia in the talks. James Franklin has Vanderbilt moving into at least a Bowl contender. Spurrier has South Carolina in at least the talks about winning the SEC. It's only a matter of time before Kentucky will be on the 1st floor looking at everyone else climbing to the executive palace. Joker Phillips is 12-20 overall, 3-18 in the SEC, and 1-12 vs. Top 25 teams in his tenure at Kentucky. No matter what you thought of Rich Brooks, he had Kentucky in SEC Championship talks, and that is rarely heard. So how does Kentucky recpature that magic and at least delay the talks of Kentucky Basketball for at least a month? They swing for the fences and hire Bobby Petrino. The only thing Petrino did wrong to get dismissed from Arkansas was lie to his boss. I won't go the moral road and talk about his marital affair. The gauge that I seem to get in the SEC is....if you win football games, screw all of the co-ed's behind your wife's back as possible. Sounds sexist, but it's the cold hard truth. If Kentucky just wants a fresh start with a coach they can develop, Gus Malzahn's stock continues to be high.
Tennessee has seemed to already catch Gruden fever in Knoxville and their patience with Derek Dooley has ran thin. I've always argued that Tennessee fans need to show patience because the state of Tennessee football was dismal even before Phil Fulmer was shown the door. The unwanted public attention due to Lane Kiffin's one year tenure and then the sudden exit for the West Coast led UT AD Mike Hamilton to look for a new coach, which Mike Hamilton dropped the ball on again. There was an opportunity to hire David Cutcliffe and they dropped the ball. He is proven in college, despite maybe needing some help with recruiting. But he made Ole Miss a winning program....that says a lot. Look what he's done at Duke. Do you think Tennessee would have been in better shape under Cutcliffe rather than Dooley? I seem to get that impression.
I asked Vols fans "Why Jon Gruden?". The go-to was he has ties (Grad Assistant) and he married a UT cheerleader. They seem to hang on his Super Bowl Championship. I won't deny that Jon Gruden could make a great college coach. I think he could recruit very well. However, you have to think of the staff he'd put together and the pricetag. Jon Gruden is making some serious money at ESPN and loves what he does. To get him away from ESPN, Tennessee is going to have to throw some Nick Saban money at him. This would be a gamble....a BIG gamble. You would be throwing $6mil a year at a guy who has won a Super Bowl but hasn't proven anything in the college game. Deny it all you want, but pro and college are totally different worlds. There's a reason why Nick Saban and Steve Spurrier came back to college after their stint in the NFL. There's a reason why only Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer are the only coaches in football that won a National Championship and a Super Bowl in their careers. Could John Gruden be next and would/should Tennessee take that gamble in the current state of the football program?
Auburn could be the one that if they want to pull the plug on Gene Chizik, they better do it fast. Including the three possibilities in the SEC, there will be other coaching jobs that will come open throughout the nation. If Gene Chizik is going to keep his job, some assistant's heads are going to have to be on the chopping block because the product is awful. Bobby Petrino would be the most likely candidate for Auburn, they've went after him before, right? He and Gus Malzahn has ties to Auburn and is looking like the brains behind Auburn's success. These two coaches most likely will be the most sought after, so if Auburn is going to act, they better act quick.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
SEC Power Rankings for 10/21/12
I'm sure Aubie is reading a ton of headlines, and probably some he doesn't really want to read. Auburn holds a throne in the way they probably don't want to.
14) Auburn Tigers - I know I'm late to the party on this. However, given Kentucky's performance for 2 1/3 quarters against Arkansas before the rains of mercy came, you couldn't put anyone else in the cellar. Especially the downward spiral that Arkansas seem to slow down at least. With the lackluster performance offensively, a defense that gives up more penetration than a female pop star, and......losing to Vanderbilt, Auburn now hosts Texas A&M and the side show that is Johnny "Football" Manziel. I don't think Auburn fans fear of if they're going to lose this game. I think they're hoping that Johnny Football doesn't do his best Cam Newton impersonation against a defense that couldn't stop a toddler from crawling into the end zone.
13) Kentucky - Congratulations Kentucky, in most cases the close scare you gave the Georgia Bulldogs would consider you to be moved higher than 14. However, being 1-7 (0-5 in the SEC) and losing to Western Kentucky still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. There is still hope. A win over Missouri could boost you up to the next slotEnjoy this while it lasts, Auburn won't be this terrible forever.
12) Missouri - I remember when Bama Zack compared Missouri to Ole Miss when the Tigers were announced they were coming to the SEC. Looking a year later, that's more of an insult to Ole Miss than it is Missouri. The Tigers have battled injuries and some off the field issues and Paul Finebaum masters his telepathic powers of getting into Gary Pinkel's head. The Tigers could plunge even lower with a loss to Kentucky. James Franklin returns as QB as Kentucky tries to keep theirs healthy for an entire game.
11) Tennessee - I think most fans outside of Knoxville were rooting for Derek Dooley to finally turn the curve. Will Muschamp seems to have done so at Florida. With what Dooley has to work with at Tennessee, you thought that progress was being made. As bad as the loss to Alabama looks, Tennessee had opportunities to at least capture the nation's attention if only for a few moments, but they couldn't capitalize. The stool is getting hotter in Knoxville as the native have become restless at a fever pitch. I put Tennessee Higher than Missouri because the they had at least made tough competition sweat for a brief moment. Also their non-conference win over NC State trumps Mizzou's win over Arizona State. This team has talent, they just can't seem to make the plays when it needs them the most.
10) Vanderbilt - Granted, they played South Carolina and Florida very tough, but they also go routed by Georgia and fell short to Northwestern. I like James Franklin, I think he has Vanderbilt going in the right direction. They win ugly and they lose ugly. However, if James Franklin was able to play the entire game, they wouldn't have beat Missouri. But giving the state of the other teams below them. I have no choice but to put Vanderbilt at 10.
9) Ole Miss - The Rebels win over Auburn got a huge monkey off their back by snapping their 16 game SEC losing streak. This Rebel team is better and should give Ole Miss fans alot of optimism if they have patience. The Rebels play Arkansas next week and could move to the #8 spot with a win. You have to be pleased with Hugh Freeze and the direction he has this once distraught football program.
8) Arkansas - Funny that Arkansas was once #8 in the country before losing to UL-Monroe and now they are #8 in the SEC in the OTM Rankings. The win over Auburn slowed down the free-fall under Head Coach John L Smith. The Hogs are hoping to keep the momentum going from their 49-7 win over Kentucky against the Ole Miss Rebels. A loss here could drop them to #9 unless Tennessee, Missouri, or Kentucky put on stellar performances.
7) Texas A&M - The story of A&M football for 2012 has been the electrifying acrobatics of Johnny Football Manziel. The Aggies played LSU tough only to come up short. I like this team and had very good hopes for them. They now visit the plains to take on cellar dweller Auburn. A loss there could erase all of that good fortune in their first SEC season.
6) Georgia - Yes, Georgia has done nothing impressive this season, other than beating Vanderbilt 48-3. This team also gave up 20 point to an awful Florida Atlantic team. Yet, they're still in the hunt against the SEC East. However, they maybe knocked out just as soon as they got in. A lackluster performance against Kentucky is not a good omen coming into a matchup against one of the hottest risers in the nation in Florida.
5) Mississippi State - Wait, they're ranked #13 in the country. So why would I have Mississippi State ranked so low? I don't discredit what they've done, but they haven't really done anything yet. They're 3-0 against 3 of the 4 worst teams in the league. They travel to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama which will be a trip back to reality, the hard way. A good performance against the Tide could keep them in the upper half of the conference, but I'm not sure that's going to happen.
4) South Carolina - Even though the Gamecocks got dismantled by Florida in the Swamp, they still had a dominating performance over Georgia and a tough night battle in Death Valley in which they came up short. Sorry, Mississippi State fans, but South Carolina is still a much more impressive team to be ranked 4th.
3) LSU - Lesticles magic is alive and well despite the anemic performance against Florida. Despite a depleated O-Line and players dropping like flies, Les finds a way to pull out a victory just like the Texas A&M game yesterday. LSU now has the extra week to prepare for Nick Saban's buzzsaw known as the Alabama Crimson Tide. Two weeks to prepare for a night game on your home field. Is there any more Lesticle magic left for Nov. 3rd?
2) Florida - BOOOOM!!!! That's what Will Muschamp is saying now. I would say he should be in the conversation for Coach of The Year. An amazing turn around that silenced all the critics, including myself. The Gators can wrap up the SEC East by beating Georgia this Saturday. Brent Pease's offense is ugly, but it's effective. The defense is smothering and they proved to the nation yesterday they are for real. Had Alabama kept the Tennessee game close, you would have to argue the Gators could have been #1 in these rankings.
1) Alabama - Despite trying to give Tennessee opportunities to keep the game too close for comfort, the Tide easily ripped the heart out of Tennessee fans and players to secure their #1 spot in the SEC and the nation. The Tide has Mississippi State coming to town and then they meet LSU in the Bayou....at night. The next two weeks will be interesting to see if the Tide can keep up their high standard of play.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)