BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
Media members voted on the Preseason All-SEC teams and predicted order of finish in the East and West divisions this week at the league’s media days.
It sparked a voting frenzy, and I can’t stop. Here are my first “Essy” Awards from this week’s football talk from the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover.
The Howard Cosell Award goes to the coach who tells … it … like … it … is. No contest with this one. The Essy goes to … Nick Saban, for his poke to the critics of the upcoming four-team playoff system.
Not sure who he was referring to, but Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany hasn’t uttered the word “Alabama” since the Crimson Tide crushed the BCS by whipping LSU in the title game. Instead, he has referred to them as “that team.” It was Delany who pushed for conference champions only to be in the four-team mix, a fight he lost. Wonder who Saban had in mind when he clinched the Cosell Award with this:
“I think, to be quite honest with you, whoever’s making the statements about conference champions is really making a statement against the SEC and against any league who has more than one good team who would qualify, trying to enhance the opportunity for somebody from their league to get in.”
The Glass Is Half-Full Award goes to Vanderbilt coach James Franklin, whose belief in his program is so complete and so real that it’s infectious – until you realize that you’re talking about Vanderbilt football.
“If you have a son and he’s a Division I player, he’s coming to Vanderbilt. We have too much to sell. … I know what Vanderbilt can do for your son for the next 40 to 50 years of his life. … If you’re truly the best and the brightest, where else would you go? … I think the sky’s the limit for us.”
Next stop for the Commodores: a winning season.
The Did He Just Say That? Award – in a very close vote – belongs to Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen. He barely edged out, well, himself for a couple of eye-popping declarations.
Our runner-up is this one:
“You want to go to college in Starkville. The whole town is about the university, what it’s about, the atmosphere, the people that live there. I don’t know if there’s a better college town in the country than Starkville, Mississippi.”
And the Essy goes to…
“The great thing, I guess, in our program, the SEC West, we’re not that far off from there, which means we’re not far off from the national title.”
In Mullen’s first three seasons, the Bulldogs have gone 3-12 against the SEC West. All three wins have come against Ole Miss. Not far off from the national title? Nope, only about 90 miles.
The Clock Is Ticking Award goes to Arkansas coach John L. Smith, who has a 10-month coaching contract and a team expected to compete for the SEC championship.
Asked if he wants to be the coach for more than one year, Smith got our attention with:
“Well, certainly. Do I look stupid?”
He sealed the deal by adding he hasn’t been told by his athletic director there are a certain number of wins the Razorbacks need to win to make that happen.
“Hopefully, we’re going to – knock on wood – make things happen to where we give him no choice but to say, Yeah, you’re going to be back here next year.”
The Forget-Me-Not Award belongs to South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier, who talked about the league’s recent dearth of All-American quarterbacks.
“Yeah, we’ve not had All-American quarterbacks too much, have we, lately in our league. Who was the last one? I guess (Tim) Tebow had to be.”
When told Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, who beat Carolina twice, including in the SEC Championship Game, actually fit the bill two years ago, Spurrier sheepishly had to reverse course.
“Yeah, I guess he was an All-American Heisman winner. … But we haven’t had a whole bunch like in the past.”
Finally, the Comeback Award actually makes Dan Mullen a double-winner of these inaugural Essys. Mullen had finished visiting with the print media and left the podium at the front of the room when the audience mike boomed, “I have a question.”
Everything stopped for a moment and all eyes focused on Mississippi State offensive lineman Gabe Jackson. “Who’s your favorite player?” Jackson asked.
Mullen didn’t bat an eye before his response:
“(MSU cornerback) John Banks.”
It sparked a voting frenzy, and I can’t stop. Here are my first “Essy” Awards from this week’s football talk from the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover.
The Howard Cosell Award goes to the coach who tells … it … like … it … is. No contest with this one. The Essy goes to … Nick Saban, for his poke to the critics of the upcoming four-team playoff system.
Not sure who he was referring to, but Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany hasn’t uttered the word “Alabama” since the Crimson Tide crushed the BCS by whipping LSU in the title game. Instead, he has referred to them as “that team.” It was Delany who pushed for conference champions only to be in the four-team mix, a fight he lost. Wonder who Saban had in mind when he clinched the Cosell Award with this:
“I think, to be quite honest with you, whoever’s making the statements about conference champions is really making a statement against the SEC and against any league who has more than one good team who would qualify, trying to enhance the opportunity for somebody from their league to get in.”
The Glass Is Half-Full Award goes to Vanderbilt coach James Franklin, whose belief in his program is so complete and so real that it’s infectious – until you realize that you’re talking about Vanderbilt football.
“If you have a son and he’s a Division I player, he’s coming to Vanderbilt. We have too much to sell. … I know what Vanderbilt can do for your son for the next 40 to 50 years of his life. … If you’re truly the best and the brightest, where else would you go? … I think the sky’s the limit for us.”
Next stop for the Commodores: a winning season.
The Did He Just Say That? Award – in a very close vote – belongs to Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen. He barely edged out, well, himself for a couple of eye-popping declarations.
Our runner-up is this one:
“You want to go to college in Starkville. The whole town is about the university, what it’s about, the atmosphere, the people that live there. I don’t know if there’s a better college town in the country than Starkville, Mississippi.”
And the Essy goes to…
“The great thing, I guess, in our program, the SEC West, we’re not that far off from there, which means we’re not far off from the national title.”
In Mullen’s first three seasons, the Bulldogs have gone 3-12 against the SEC West. All three wins have come against Ole Miss. Not far off from the national title? Nope, only about 90 miles.
The Clock Is Ticking Award goes to Arkansas coach John L. Smith, who has a 10-month coaching contract and a team expected to compete for the SEC championship.
Asked if he wants to be the coach for more than one year, Smith got our attention with:
“Well, certainly. Do I look stupid?”
He sealed the deal by adding he hasn’t been told by his athletic director there are a certain number of wins the Razorbacks need to win to make that happen.
“Hopefully, we’re going to – knock on wood – make things happen to where we give him no choice but to say, Yeah, you’re going to be back here next year.”
The Forget-Me-Not Award belongs to South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier, who talked about the league’s recent dearth of All-American quarterbacks.
“Yeah, we’ve not had All-American quarterbacks too much, have we, lately in our league. Who was the last one? I guess (Tim) Tebow had to be.”
When told Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, who beat Carolina twice, including in the SEC Championship Game, actually fit the bill two years ago, Spurrier sheepishly had to reverse course.
“Yeah, I guess he was an All-American Heisman winner. … But we haven’t had a whole bunch like in the past.”
Finally, the Comeback Award actually makes Dan Mullen a double-winner of these inaugural Essys. Mullen had finished visiting with the print media and left the podium at the front of the room when the audience mike boomed, “I have a question.”
Everything stopped for a moment and all eyes focused on Mississippi State offensive lineman Gabe Jackson. “Who’s your favorite player?” Jackson asked.
Mullen didn’t bat an eye before his response:
“(MSU cornerback) John Banks.”
