Signing Day's Eve

Tomorrow is the first signing day under the new cap for the SEC...but it hasn't really seemed to hurt the most serious violators Saban has talked solid recruits from out of state to ostensibly gray shirt and sit out a year waiting to play in T-town. While not a technical, official signing letter gray shirt, it'll have the same effect if the kid sits out and refuses to play anywhere else.  LSU - not a serial cap hog, but always a recruiting powerhouse - has seemed unfazed, winning recruiting battles against everyone around them. Who's hurting as we look ahead to tomorrow? Who do you think? Georgia. The Dawgs' haul is average at best and we don't look to be on the cusp of any upsets tomorrow. Remember when we won ten games in a row? Well, so do a handful of two and three star recruits. Remember losing to Boise, SoCar, LSU, and Michigan State? Well, so do a bunch of four and five star players. There's still hope for a couple big fish, though. Jaquay Williams from Sandy Creek will announce around 8:30 am and there's still an outside shot he'll pick the in-state Dawgs. And, we still have hope for the state's best recruit, Josh Harvey-Clemons. Rumors out of Valdosta today are that the Clemons family was spotted buying red and black streamers at Party City this afternoon...that could be very good news. He'll make his announcement at 9:15 and could really help move this class up to the next level. There's also time to flip the commitment of Josh Dawson from Nashville to Athens, but don't hold your breath.

R.I.P Joe Paterno

I'm not sure what to even say. Paterno is an icon; a symbol of everything that college football was and is. But now, his entire image is tainted. Anyone discerning person with a conscience will forever affix a figurative asterisk to everything the man ever did, and, in the end, that will be JoePa's legacy. Did he have an amazing career and almost single-handedly bring Penn State - not just the football program but the entire university - to prominence? Yes. Will we ever forget the Sandusky scandal and what someone we once thought a great man did? Absolutely not. Either way, the black shoes are finally hung-up forever and college football has lost one of its most dominant presences. So, rest in peace, Joe; my thoughts are with your family and I hope the university you loved so much recovers, as does this whole sport, of which you were such an important part.

I Couldn't Work for Spurrier

According to Josh Kendall, a South Carolina sports writer, Steve Spurrier made some olff the cuff comments about his unwritten criteria for members of his coaching staff. Kendall released some of the key criteria in a series of tweets today and after reading them, I realized Steve Spurrier would never hire me.

"Asked Steve Spurrier criteria for hiring asst. coach. Second on list: "non-smokers" Why? "Because it's stupid. Smoking is stupid."

"In addition to looking for non-smokers, Steve Spurrier says he doesn't want "fat, sloppy guys" as assistant coaches."


"Sorry no link yet but Spurrier story also details why he likes married coaches more than single ones. You'll like that one, too."

Well, that knocks a fat, unmarried smoke like me right out of the running. He may as well throw-in "unmotivated" and "binge drinking" as detractors, too. And before you start telling me that my actual football knowledge and experience would have washed me out way sooner than my personal characteristics,  I'll direct you to the on-field success of one Ace Journeyman. Your loss, Steve.

Wrapping Up

Well, it's been a week since the title game and I figured it was finally time to swing back by here and start the off-season process. We're only three weeks from signing day, so we need to officially cap this year off with a final top-25 and start some way-too-early looks ahead to next season.

Top-25 Here's the final FTS rankings for 2011. I went with 'Bama at number one, unchallenged, after their BCS Title game win. There performance was just dominant. It helped that Jordan Jefferson just looked confused and frustrated all night long, but no one can argue the Tide's near perfection on the defensive side of the ball. LSU drops to number two, staying ahead of Oklahoma State who needed a Stanford combo of poor decision making/bad kicking to win in OT. If you compare the resumes, there's nothing to discuss. Period. The Cowboys lost to Iowa State; LSU lost to Alabama. The Cowboys beat Oklahoma; LSU beat Alabama. The rematch makes the BCS math a little trickier. I the computers were still crunching numbers, Alabama and LSU would be one-two, but by a larger margin than before thanks to the rematch, 'Bama would get a huge boost for beating the number one team, who already got a boost from beating Alabama. If they played again, thanks to that bump, I'd gamble they'd stay one-two, as the numbers on who they've beaten would be enough to absorb the extra loss since it was still a loss to one of those two teams. Deep, huh?

Next up is the PAC-12 knot. It's basically a three-way tie, with Oregon taking the higher spot for that dominant Rose Bowl win. Stanford choked in their bowl, but at least they got to play in one, unlike USC. Arkansas gets the next spot, and you could argue for them be higher, busting up the west-coast three way ahead of them. Boise State gets a very Boise-like ranking at eight, while Wisconsin and South Carolina round out the top-10.

Kansas State is the second highest ranked Big-12 team, coming in at 12, right behind a very solid Michigan State. Baylor and their traveling laser show end up in the top-15. Oklahoma sits at 15. I know the Sooners destroyed K-State, but this isn't the same OU team. You can always just watch the malaise set-in over the Sooners over the second half of almost every season. One regular season loss and they just kind of curl up.

Beyond that, it's 'throw-it-up-and-see-what-sticks' situation. West Virginia gets a bump thanks to the 70-points they dropped on Clemson. Conference foes Clemson and VA Tech get coupled at 20. and 21. and three little guys finish out the top-25: BYU, Cincy, and No. Ill. The Bearcats could arguable be higher, but that blowout loss to Tennessee earlier just looks ugly now and Vanderbilt isn't a stringent enough cleanser to take that stain away.

Looking Ahead Let's get right back into it, shall we? Even when you look at who left early, there's not a lot of drop of for LSU and Alabama. But, we saw this with 'Bama after '09 and Arkansas will have a lot to say in the SEC Western division next season. I have a sneaking suspicion that we will see the end of the SEC's string of national titles, unless an overrated Georgia team with an inflated record wins the SEC CG and the BCS CG - which trust me, as a Georgia fan, I can tell you, will NOT happen. So, who replaces them in the void? A perennial contender? Maybe. But my money's out west. No one survives the SEC unbeaten, USC and Oklahoma play for the national title, highest rated SEC team ends up number two. Here's an early top-12 for 2012.

1. USC
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma
4. Arkansas
5. LSU
6. Oregon
7. TCU
8. West Virginia
9. Wisconsin
10. Georgia
11. Virginia Tech
12. South Carolina

 Whoever emerges from the SEC East will be served up in Atlanta to the West champ - much like UGA-LSU this season. The Dawgs will have a great defense and a VERY EASY schedule, but could wrap their season up with two losses again (SEC CG and a bowl). South Carolina will again have a good season and I see them finishing strongly with wins over Clemson and in a bowl. Wisconsin loses Wilson, but they still have Ball so they could very easily get to a third Rose Bowl. West Virginia seems a little high, but we've seen what happens when Smith clicks in Holgo's air raid and there won't be all the off-season drama in Morgantown. I see a much more focused 'Neers squad. Virginia Tech? Why not.

While we're at it, let's take a look at some key players who could be headed to NYC at season's end.

1. Montee Ball
2. Matt Barkley
3. Tyler Wilson
4. Braxton Miller
5. Marcus Lattimore
6. Kenjon Barner/De'anthony Thomas
7. Denard Robinson
8. Geno Smith
9. Landry Jones
10. Eddie Lacy