SEC Network By August 2014?

SBJ Michael Smith on SEC Network,’Behind the scenes there’s a lot of activity to get a channel up and running by Aug 2014.’

— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) September 18, 2012

Florida – Tennessee No.1 Game

#Vols-Florida game had 5.076 million viewers this weekend, making it the No. 1 viewed college football games of the week. — Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) September 18, 2012

 

Recruits Are Asking

Got my first text from a UK recruit asking if Joker Phillips is going to be fired. High-level SEC guy with other league offers.

— Jeff Drummond (@JDrumUK) September 18, 2012

 

What Will Kentucky AD Barnhart Do?

I truly believe that Mitch plans to ride this until the end of the season UNLESS his hand is forced by embarrassment.

— Josh Edwards (@JEdwar247) September 18, 2012

Richt On His Scout Team

Defensive scout teamers got the job done today!Can’t do it without them. This week starts a 7 game SEC stretch. The race is on! Go Dawgs!

— Mark Richt (@MarkRicht) September 18, 2012

 

Tyler Wilson “Looked Great”

Paul Petrino on Tyler: “I thought he looked great. His arm was on fire and he looked fresh.”

— Thomas Murphy (@TomMurphyADG) September 18, 2012

 

Gamecocks Secondary

DBs coach Grady Brown on T.J. Gurley: “He’ll make a big play this weekend to get everybody excited.”

— Darryl Slater (@DarrylSlater) September 18, 2012

 

Razorbacks Facing Veterans

Just saw this in some Rutgers study: 10 defensive starters are Srs or Jrs., 1 is a soph; Greg Schiano bequeathed a salty defense to Flood

— Thomas Murphy (@TomMurphyADG) September 18, 2012

 

Former Tennessee AD Praises Current AD

Great job by Dave Hart & staff on adjustment to jersey retirement criteria. Needed to be done. UT has SO much great history.

— Michael Hamilton (@mikehamilton63) September 18, 2012

 

South Carolina & Mizzou QBs

SOS says Connor Shaw will start for the #Gamecocks against #Mizzou. On the other sideline, QB James Franklin flappin in the breeze…

— Russ Mitchell (@RussMitchellCFB) September 18, 2012

 

Gary Danielson On Bama

Danielson on beating Bama,’Except for LSU & maybe a handful of teams, someone will have to get a lot of help to beat them.’

— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) September 18, 2012

 

The Ups & Downs Of A College QB

Kinda weird how Tyler Bray went from the next Pope to the worst person who ever lived in one week, ain’t it?

— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) September 18, 2012

A roundup of some our favorite tweets regarding SEC football.

Tennessee Football on Saturday’s games vs. Florida

The Florida game is officially SOLD OUT. Thanks #Vols fans. See you Saturday 102,455 Loud and Proud. #BeatFlorida.

— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) September 10, 2012

Dave Matter – Columbia Tribune

#Mizzou O-line coach Bruce Walker on Georgia’s Jarvis Jones: “I’ve been doing this a long time and 29′s as good as I’ve seen.” — Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) September 10, 2012

On Saturday, #Mizzou will start its 4th center in 5 games (going back to 2011). From 1997-2010, only four centers started for MU — Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) September 10, 2012

Matt Hayes – Sporting News

Muschamp on 5-star guys: “They’re supposed to just be outstanding players the moment they walk on campus, but it’s not ‘just add water.” — Matt Hayes(@Matt_HayesSN) September 10, 2012

Paul Finebaum quotes Pat Dye

Dye,’I love him (Chizik). I wouldn’t trade him for anyone else in the conference. Even the one in Tuscaloosa.’ — Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) September 10, 2012

Wes Rucker on Tennessee’s offense

In two games, Tennessee’s had 9 scoring drives that lasted 1 minute, 41 seconds or shorter. — Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) September 10, 2012

ESPN’s Edward Aschoff on Ole Miss vs. Texas

The rumors flying around Oxford about the “celebrities” heading into town for the Texas game are awesome. I hear Godzilla will be there — Edward Aschoff (@AschoffESPN) September 10, 2012

Vanderbilt Coach James Franklin

Tough times don’t last, tough PEOPLE do!TRUST THE PROCESS and #AnchorDown ! — James Franklin (@jamesfranklinvu) September 10, 2012

Kendall Rogers

An amazing stat, re: the strength of the #SEC. #TAMU would rank No. 1 if still in the #Big12 in conf ranks. In the #SEC? Ranked 8th #Aggies

— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogersPG) September 10, 2012

Follow SEC football year-round on Twitter with MrSEC.

Bobby Petrino had an affair.  He also lied to his boss and hired his mistress and tried to cover-up who was with him during a motorcycle crash… but the big news is he had an affair!  Oooooh.  Scandalous.

And that’s why there’s still a big dig going on for any document tied in any way to Petrino’s ouster from Arkansas.  Late yesterday, the University of Arkansas released 300 pages from the personnel file of its ex-coach following a Freedom of Information Act request.  A full 131 of the pages were added during the review that eventually led to the coach’s ouster earlier this month.

In the notes we basically learn three things:


* Jessica Dorrell was more forthcoming than Petrino.

* Petrino tried to deny everything right up until the end.

* AD Jeff Long was skeptical of Petrino from the beginning of the process and he didn’t find many of the coach’s answers to his questions to be believable.


Aside from that, most of the info that’s being talked about today regards the affair – when did it start, when did it end, did it ever really end, etc.  And that’s where I lose interest.  When Petrino first kissed Dorrell doesn’t matter nearly as much to this writer as does the fact that he hired the woman and gave her $20,000 in gifts. 

The AP’s version of the story actually includes this bit:


“At one point last October, Petrino and Dorrell were sitting in a car, eating lunch and talking and ‘she said are you going to kiss me,’ according to Long’s notes of his April 10 conversation with Petrino.”


Ah, important to know.

We said we’d cover the news of this story when it first broke.  For soap opera coverage, you can find plenty of other outlets.  Paul Finebaum, for example, has had a bevy of sex experts and urologists on to discuss ED and sexual addictions.  Ha-ha.  Several lives are ruined so let’s all laugh about it.  (Until of course we’re the ones caught with our flies open and then we have to beg for forgiveness and mercy and understanding.)

Eventually this story was going to bring out the gawker in all of us.  That’s happening now. 

We know why Petrino was fired.  We know why Dorrell is gone, too.  Sorry, but I don’t care to know how many dinners or evenings the two shared together before were exited from the UA campus.

Last week, alleged tree-poisoner Harvey Updyke went on Paul Finebaum’s radio show and apologized to Auburn fans for “all the damage” he had done.

Today, he’s in need of a new attorney.  Glennon F. Threatt said yesterday, “I just don’t feel I am the person (to defend Updyke) anymore.”

Threatt said he advised his client not to make the call or the apology.  “He needs somebody he will trust, and he needs somebody he will listen to,” the attorney said.

If the judge allows Threatt to walk away from the case, he will be the fourth attorney to ditch Updyke’s defense.

Former Auburn athletic director and sports information director David Housel believes it’s time to ratchet down some of the hate in the Iron Bowl rivalry.  (Who doesn’t?)

Speaking at a quarterback club in Montgomery yesterday, Housel made it clear that he’s no fan of accused tree-poisoner Harvey Updyke, but he also believes Auburn fans need to move on from the poisoning at Toomer’s Corner:

“Some Auburn fans, who pull for the school I love, are starting to come across as tree-worshipers.  We’ve been rolling that corner for years, way before we started rolling those trees.  Some of our fans just need to get over it and move on.  There’s much more to Auburn than two oak trees.”

Housel also believes that a classless act during last year’s Iron Bowl actually helped illuminate what’s right with the Iron Bowl rivalry:

“You know, ‘Son of a Preacher Man’ (played on the PA as a gig at Cam Newton) and all that.  But you know what?  The guy who did that was fired the next day.  I thought that was a fine statement made by the University of Alabama about what this rivalry can and should be about.  I thought Alabama showed real class there.  There’s no room for hate.  There’s room for competition, but there’s no room for hate.”

No room for hate?  Apparently Housel doesn’t listen to Paul Finebaum’s show very often.

Derek Dooley needs some breakout stars on defense.  The majority of the starters in Tennessee’s front seven are either young, inexperienced or both.

Enter true freshman linebacker Curt Maggitt (rhymes with “legit”), who has been the talk of UT’s preseason camp.  Even the Vols’ head coach is glowing in his praise:


“Curt is off the charts (in terms of character).  Everything indicated that he was going to be a very good player for us and he’s really shown a real high level of maturity, a high level of professionalism and a high level of understanding of what we’re doing.  We’re glad we have him.”


Maggitt will be making his first career start Saturday evening against Montana.

Meanwhile, the second-year coach is having to do some damage control after nixing his mother’s regular appearances on Paul Finebaum’s nationally-syndicated radio show.  The fear amongst some media members is that the “you never know what she’s gonna say next” Barbara Dooley is being banned from making all media appearances.  Not so says her son:


“For 43 years, I’ve never been able to get my mom not to do something she wanted to do, so why would it start now?  Nobody has banned Barbara Dooley from the airwaves, and nobody has banned her from speaking.  People will still get their Barbara Dooley fix.”


You can’t really blame Dooley on this one.  What coach would want a parent saying something in the media that might eventually cause him unnecessary headaches?  Just ask Will Muschamp about that one.

Oddsmaker Danny Sheridan appeared on ESPN’s “Outside The Lines” this afternoon and revealed… pretty much exactly what he recently revealed on Paul Finebaum’s radio show — nothing.

Yes, Sheridan claimed that the NCAA knows the name of a bagman who helped funnel illegal funds from Auburn to Cam Newton’s family.

Yes, he said his source works inside the NCAA.

And no, he said he would not give up the alleged bagman’s name.

Been there, done that. 

Seriously, “Outside The Lines” is supposed to be ESPN’s last remaining bulwark of actual sports journalism. 

Oh, well. 

Can’t wait to see where Sheridan pops up next week.

The odds are pretty good that Danny Sheridan — oddsmaker for USA Today — will soon be meeting with a representative from the NCAA to discuss his much-publicized “bagman” story.

Sheridan has appeared often on Paul Finebaum’s radio show claiming that a source inside the NCAA has gotten word to him that investigators are aware of a “bagman” who helped shuttle money from Auburn to the family of Cam Newton.  Just a week ago he appeared on the show and said that he actually knew the name of the go-between… but he would not reveal that name.

Well now he’ll get to share his story with the NCAA.

“I let them know that if they wished to talk to me, I will talk to them on or off the record about subjects of mutual interest,” Sheridan said.  “I have no idea if the allegations against Auburn are true.  I only know that what I reported was exactly what I was told.”

Yeah, allegedly by someone inside the NCAA.  So why would a group that already knows the name of this bagman want to talk to Sheridan about the same guy?

Either a) Sheridan’s source had no connection to the NCAA in the first place or b) the NCAA is trying to determine who in their operation is leaking info to Sheridan.

Or c) Sheridan ran with a bunch of nonsense and now the NCAA wants him to back up his nonsense, if he can.

Uh, we’ll go with c.  At least for now.

Is anyone out there surprised in the least that the “shocker” of this year’s SEC Media Days — unless something big blows up in the next 24 hours — will apparently be tied to the always nutty Iron Bowl?

Or that the names Cam Newton and Paul Finebaum are somehow involved? 

Didn’t think so.

Yesterday afternoon, long-time oddsmaker Danny Sheridan went on Finebaum’s popular radio show and announced to the world that a source he trusts told him that the NCAA is aware of a “bag man” who helped deliver the controversial Newton to Auburn.  Sheridan’s source — he claims — is a 25-year vet of the NCAA.

Boom! went the messageboards. 

Bama fans bought Sheridan’s story hook, line and sinker.  Of course they did.  They want Auburn to be found guilty of cheating.

Auburn fans, meanwhile, believed nary a word of Sheridan’s claims.  He’s an Alabama grad.  No need to listen to the man, his blood runs crimson.

And away we went.  Instead of Mike Slive’s agenda for big NCAA changes being the top story of Thursday’s meetings, it was instead Sheridan… and Cam… and Finebaum.

We at MrSEC.com pretty much ignored the story because we’ve been down this road before with a fellow named Scott Moore.  In February, Moore — a Bama fan — claimed to have access to audio tapes recorded by a pair of Mississippi State boosters that proved Newton knew of his father’s requests for cash.  At the time, we said “put up or shut up.”  Moore eventually shut up and the tapes were never heard.  (Just as transcripts of FBI wiretaps proving an Auburn-Newton plot have never turned up.)

This time around, Matt Hayes of The Sporting News tried to get Sheridan to put up.  Hayes spoke with the oddsmaker himself:


“‘In the last 20-30 years, I think I’ve been right on 45 of 46 NCAA-related stories,’ says the guy who gives betting odds for USA Today.  ‘About $20-30,000 went to a church for repairs, and another $150,000-175,000 went to the Newtons.’

So let me get this straight.  A person (or persons) Sheridan knows, knows a person (or persons) in the NCAA who told him what we knew all along: Something ain’t right in the land of Newton.

This, of course, led to the obvious question: What are the odds of this Sheridan information panning out?

‘I’d say 50-50,’ Sheridan said matter of factly.”


Despite the paper thin nature of Sheridan’s claims, Gene Chizik was asked about those allegations during his main presser with the SEC’s writers today (funny how this came out just in time for Chizik to face questions about it, huh).

“I’ll make this real clear — the NCAA on more than one occasion has said that Auburn has done nothing wrong in the recruitment of Cam Newton,” Chizik said.  “Can’t control everybody’s microphone, can’t control everybody’s opinion, don’t try to.”  Love the last part of that answer, even if the first part ignores the rather obvious fact that the NCAA hasn’t actually stopped investigating Auburn yet.

From our point of view, the next time someone breaks news regarding Cam Newton and Auburn it would be nice if they actually had some facts to go along with their story.  The whole affair was distasteful enough the first time around.  Too bad talking heads keep bringing it back up… without a shred of new evidence.