SEC Sports Blog

Southeastern Conference Football is, in my opinion, the best football in the whole nation with the quality of players, the quality of teams and the quality of coaches. Many men that have succeeded in the coaching profession have started their careers in the SEC as assistants and most even as players. Which brings me to my point in this article, I am a huge Tennessee fan I have loved the Volunteers for a while and have watched them for a long time. There is no greater scene than on a crisp cool fall day in Knoxville, Tennessee watching the Volunteers football team run through the “T” no greater scene. The Volunteers have a storied tradition in football from great players like Reggie White to Peyton Manning and great coaches from Johnny Majors to Phillip Fulmer, but I must say what has transpired over the past two weeks really disturbs me.

> Browse a great selection of Tennessee Volunteer Snuggie Blankets & Vols merchandise online through DFN Sports partner sites!

Lane Kiffin was brought in as Tennessee’s head football coach a year ago and when he was brought in he really pushed the envelope. He in, 14 months, called out Florida accusing them of recruiting violations, he told a recruit that he shouldn’t go to South Carolina because he didn’t want to pump gas for a living, and Kiffin also had recruits lose their head and get caught up in a robbery during the football season. There was no doubt that Lane lit a fire under the Vol Nation and those same fans rallied around him and stood by him as well as the players, but what a cheap shot from coach Kiffin. By the cheap shot I mean high tailing it out of Knoxville for Southern California and taking his entire staff (and some recruits) with him. After all that the Tennessee faithful had done and was willing to do for him he left them high and dry. When Lane Kiffin was at UT, I really saw good things that were going to happen, Tennessee was ranked sixth in the nation in recruiting and came off of a 7-6 record and bowl game in 2009 so there was promise. Where does UT go from here? What direction will they go for a coach? Early reports out of Knoxville were that the Vols were going after Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, but Muschamp turned down the deal with the Volunteers. Now it seems that Tennessee is going after David Cutcliffe or maybe even Troy Calhoun from the Air Force Academy.

No doubt that the Volunteers are looking to make a big move and make it soon, with national signing day just a couple of days away they are in a hurry to make that move. With good reason four of the 4-star recruits have already de-committed from the Vols and more could soon follow. So in 14-months Lane Kiffin built up the hopes and dreams of Rocky Top and in a matter of days he broke the hearts of the loyal Tennessee faithful. What happened to loyalty and respect in coaching? Think about it Phil Fulmer was at UT for 14 years and before that Johnny Majors was there for 14 years and then we have Kiffin one and done. What Tennessee needs is someone who desires to embrace the traditions and passion of Rocky Top Nation. I hope the best for Kiffin, okay not really, what I do hope is that USC will end up playing Tennessee in a bowl game in the near future and UT puts it on the Trojans, that would be a fitting end to this crazy mixed up story and a fitting end to the Lane Kiffin era in Tennessee.

Sam Adams

SEC football staff writer

It began with Nick Saban calling a fake punt deep in his own territory that backfired and ended with Saban’s white Alabama shirt turned pink by the red Gatorade that was dumped on him as his Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Texas Longhorns 37-21. After jumping out to a 24-6 halftime lead on the Longhorns who were without star QB Colt McCoy, Alabama went conservative as Texas cut the Tide’s lead to 24-21 in the 4th quarter. But the Alabama defense stepped it up when they needed to and Heisman Trophy winner had two rushing TDs to lead Alabama to the National Championship.

The SEC opens up with Kentucky facing Clemson in the Music City Bowl on December 27th.  The Georgia Bulldogs next face Texas A&M on December 28th in the Independence Bowl.  The Tennessee Volunteers face a difficult test when they battle Virginia Tech on December 31st.  The Auburn Tigers will battle the Northwestern Wildcats on January 1st in the Outback Bowl while  LSU will battle Penn State in an evenly-matched game later that day in the Capital One Bowl.  On January 2nd Ole Miss will battle Oklahoma State and South Carolina will test UCONN before Arkansas faces East Carolina in the Liberty Bowl.  Then in the finale, Alabama takes on Texas for the BCS Title.  The Crimson Tide will have their hands full with Colt McCoy and the Longhorns as they face off in the BCS Championship bowl game.

The Florida Gators lost a chance at immortality as their quest for a repeat championship was thwarted by a determined Alabama team.  The Tide rolled over the Gators by being more physical and dominating the line of scrimmage.  Heisman hopeful Mark Ingram ran for 113 yards yards and three scores leading ‘Bama to an impressive 32-13 victory.  The win sends Alabama to the BCS National Championship where they will battle the Texas Longhorns.  The Gators will face upstart Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl on January 1st.  The game will be the last for one of the greatest players in NCAA history as Tim Tebow will attempt to go out on a high note. For the entire bowl schedule to see where all of the SEC bowl teams will play, look to our friends at Football-Bowl.com.

In Tim Tebow’s final home game the Gators rolled rival Florida State 37-10. Tim Tebow is not only one of the greatest college football players of all time possibly one of the best character people to ever step on the field.  He will go for his 3rd SEC title on December 5th when Florida faces #2 Alabama.  The Crimson Tide struggled in the Iron Bowl but managed to get the victory 26-21.  The SEC title should be a good one in what will be a rematch of last year’s SEC Championship game.  The #13 LSU Tigers defeated Arkansas 33-30 in overtime to end the season at 9-3 and Mississippi fell out of the Top 25 with their loss to rival Mississippi State. SEC fans can now celebrate the holidays in warmth with college Snuggies.

The Florida Gators defeated Florida International 62-3.  The #1 Gators host in state rival Florida State on the 21st.  Meanwhile, the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide defeated Chattanooga 45-0.  Alabama will travel to Auburn for the Iron Bowl on November 27th in what is one of the most bitter rivalries in all of college football.  In a game that was actually worth watching, the LSU Tigers dropped from #8 to #15 following a very tough loss at Ole Miss.  The Tigers were put in field goal position via a long pass which stopped the clock with one second remaining and no timeouts left.  Instead of rushing the field goal team on the field, the Tigers attempted to spike the ball to stop the clock.  The end result was the clock ran out and Ole Miss got the victory.  The thrilling win put Ole Miss back in the Top 25 rankings at #25.

Florida remained #1 with their 24-14 victory at South Carolina.  The Gators step out of conference to gain a cupcake victory when they face Florida International.  Alabama looked very impressive in their 31-3 win at Mississippi State.  The #2 Crimson Tide also step out of conference to gain an easy victory as they host Chattanooga.  The LSU Tigers didn’t play well but still defeated Louisiana Tech 24-16.  The Tigers travel to Ole Miss this week in what should be a very tough contest and have major impact on the SEC in the college football bowl projections.

Guess what SEC sports fans! The region with the best fans in college sports have something new to cheer about! You have seen them on TV as Snuggie fleece blankets are all over the airwaves and selling like hotcakes. From the original 3 colors, the brand has grown tremendously and has even branched off into sports logos. College Snuggie blankets are now available for college sports fans to buy online with nearly 60 college teams available including 11 of the 12 SEC schools (sorry Vanderbilt fans, not our decision!). Whether you are a Florida or Tennessee fan, college Snuggies with your team’s logo are now available!

• Alabama Crimson Tide Snuggie
• Arkansas Razorbacks Snuggie
• Auburn Tigers Snuggie
• Florida Gators Snuggie
• Georgia Bulldogs Snuggie
• Kentucky Wildcats Snuggie
• LSU Tigers Snuggie
• Mississippi Rebels Snuggie
• Mississippi State Snuggie
• USC Gamecocks Snuggie
• Tennessee Vols Snuggie

The Florida Gators remained #1 in the Top 25 rankings after dominating Vanderbilt 27-3.  The Gators will have a tougher test when they face old nemesis Steve Spurrier at South Carolina.  The Crimson Tide jumped Texas to #2 after a 24-15 victory over LSU.  Alabama travels to Mississippi State this week which could be a tough test.  Despite the loss, the Tigers moved up one slot to #8 as LSU steps out of conference to face Louisiana Tech on the 14th. LSU, now not likely to play in a BSC Bowl game, seems slated for the Capital One Bowl against Iowa or Penn State in the 2009-2010 bowl projections.

#1 Florida had an easy time in the “Worlds Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” as they hammered Georgia 41-17.  The defending champion Gators host Vanderbilt on November 7th as they look to remain atop the Top 25.  Alabama moved down one position on their bye week to #3.  The Crimson Tide will host #9 LSU on November 7th.  The Tigers of LSU dominated Tulane 42-0 and will travel to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama in a major SEC tilt as LSU looks to make their case for a BCS bowl game in the latest bowl projections.