SEC Football Stadiums

Thought I'd give my rank of the SEC's football venues. Feel free to comment.

1) Ben Hill Griffin Stadium "The Swamp," Florida
• Long considered one of the, if not the loudest stadium in the SEC, the Swamp is nearly impossible to win at when the Gators are contending. There's a reason Florida has won three national championships since 1996.
2) Tiger Stadium "Death Valley," LSU
• One of the more unique stadiums in the country, Tiger Stadium has the quirky five-yard markers instead of 10, and one of the most obnoxious fan bases in the land. Winning there at night is almost unheard of when LSU is good, and in 1988 the fans got so loud it registered as an earthquake at the school's geology center.
3) Bryant-Denny Stadium, Alabama
• The Crimson Tide have made a lot of improvements to this stadium over the last 10 years, increasing capacity to over 100,000, and it's arguably one of the cleanest, nicest looking stadiums in the country. That, and the fact Alabama has been a top-5 program since 2008, helps a lot.
4) Neyland Stadium, Tennessee
• For years, it was the biggest stadium in the country until Michigan and Ohio State increased their capacities. Still, winning in Knoxville can be plenty tough with 107,000-plus Vols fans cheering the team on. They've fallen on hard times over the last four years, though.
5) Sanford Stadium, "Between the Hedges," Georgia
• Another aesthetically pleasing venue, Sanford Stadium is a great home-field advantage for the Bulldogs when they're good. The fans there are very knowledgable and hospitable. Plus it's got great tradition.
6) Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn
• You could say this is Georgia's twin, because the stadiums are a lot alike and the campuses aren't too far apart. There aren't any hedges, but AU has made this a tough venue to play in, winning a national championship in 2010.
7) Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Arkansas
• This stadium would have struggled to crack the top 10 before expansion in 2001, but now it's one of the nicer stadiums in the SEC. A great place to watch a game, with the giant video screen and really no bad seats in the house.
8) Williams-Brice Stadium, South Carolina
• The Gamecocks have made this a tough venue to play in lately, i.e. Alabama game 2010, but historically opponents have fared pretty well there. It's a pretty nice stadium overall, though.
9) Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Ole Miss
• One of the worst stadiums in the SEC got some serious improvements in the early 2000's—but it's still not that good. Coupled with the fact that Ole Miss has only been competitive like three times since then, makes it difficult to put in the top ten. The Grove and the pretty women in Oxford help it significantly.
10) Commonwealth Stadium, Kentucky
• Not a bad stadium at all, but at a perennial basketball school, the football team doesn't get all the support it could. After mid-October, Cats fans are counting down the days until hoops starts, and that's usually when the football team stops contending, if at all.
11) Davis-Wade Stadium, Mississippi State
• The Maroon and White did put in a giant video board that allowed them from being ranked dead last, but overall this stadium is a dump, and the incessant ringing of cowbells really makes it an unattractive place to play. Even with that, teams still have plenty of success coming into Starkville and leaving with a victory.
12) Memorial Stadium, Vanderbilt
• Unfortunately, Vanderbilt football has rarely ever been competitive, and so this stadium rarely sees big games. It's not a bad stadium, but it's all you can do at a school like Vandy.

SEC Coach Rankings

Haven't blogged since last March, so I figured it was time to get back into the swing of things. I'm an actual sportswriter now, so blogging needs to be part of my repertoire.

I ranked the SEC head coaches in terms of effectiveness and media perception. I'll update it after the season but this is where I stand after two weeks in the season. Coaches' records are current as of Sept. 10, 2011.

Nick Saban, Alabama, 136-53-1
Bobby Petrino, Arkansas, 66-24
Gene Chizik, Auburn, 29-24
Les Miles, LSU, 92-38
Houston Nutt, Ole Miss, 134-87
Dan Mullen, Mississippi State 15-12

Mark Richt, Georgia, 96-36
Derek Dooley, Tennessee 25-27
Steve Spurrier, South Carolina 188-73-2
Will Muschamp, Florida, 2-0
Joker Phillips, Kentucky, 8-7
James Franklin, Vanderbilt, 2-0.

Note: Photo is attributed to ESPN.com's Page 2.

1) Saban National championships at two schools, outstanding recruiter
2) Spurrier 1996 national champ, has made South Carolina relevant after Holtz
3) Petrino Offensive genius; taken Arkansas to new heights (BCS)
4) Miles Some call it luck, some call it great coaching. Always all kinds of talent at LSU
5) Richt May seem high but Georgia was an "elite" until 2009
6) Mullen Has made MSU a contender in the ultra-tough Western Division
7) Chizik National champion as asst and HC but is it really his doing?
8) Nutt Master of mediocrity (and Mr. 2012) is probably on thin ice in Oxford
9) Dooley Will probably rise up this list as he gets UT relevant again
10) Phillips Good coach, unfortunately at a school that cares only about hoops
11) Muschamp Like Dooley, stock should rise with the talent UF attracts
12) Franklin Not much to work with at Vandy…should be gone after a few years

MSU vs. Arkansas 3/2/11 Preview

If you had told any fan of Arkansas basketball at the beginning of the year that the Hogs would be 18-10, 7-7 in SEC play with two regular season games left, they would have taken it to the bank.

And, surely enough, that's exactly where Arkansas sits going into tonight's match-up with the Mississippi State Bulldogs (15-13, 7-7) at Bud Walton Arena.

A win over Mississippi State almost ensures the Hogs of the No. 2 seed (and most importantly a bye) at the SEC Tournament in Atlanta March 10-13.

But considering all of the off-court turmoil, on-court inconsistency, John Pelphrey's job security, and a star player's refusal to support him, this would be enough to ease Hog fans' concerns over the program, right?

Wrong.

Let's just look at all four factors that were just spelled out.

1) Off-court turmoil. Fans still don't know if the players Pelphrey has brought to campus, save Rotnei Clarke and a few others, have the character and wisdom to not do stupid things like get on Twitter and bad-mouth the coaches and/or program, or go to fraternity parties and act unbecoming of a Arkansas student-athlete.

2. On-court inconsistency. For every Vanderbilt win, there are puzzling home losses to Georgia and Ole Miss. Then after the first win over Kentucky in a decade, Arkansas escapes by the skin of its teeth at the SEC's punching bag, Auburn. It still remains to be seen what Arkansas will do this week, but if things follow suit, it won't be 2-0.

3. John Pelphrey's job security. It's never easy coaching with uncertainty surrounding whether or not you'll be employed in the next few months. Pelphrey had come under fire this season for not displaying the intensity he had shown the first year and a half he coached the Hogs. As of late, though, he's been pretty passionate, and maybe it took fan unrest and pressure from boosters or the athletic director to get him going.

4. Marshawn Powell's 'no comment'. After a freshman campaign that saw him make the SEC All-Freshman team, Powell has had a sophomore slump. It certainly didn't help that he broke his foot in the off-season. What people didn't understand, however, was the one-game suspension back in December, or how he looked like a world-beater one night, and then disappeared the next game. Then when asked about his relationship with Pelphrey, instead of just saying 'Coach and I get along fine,' or 'We don't have the best relationship but he's my coach and I have to do what he says,' he refused to take a stand. Not a good idea for him to be doing when people already question Pelphrey and question the program.

Arkansas basketball has great potential. The 90's proved that. What remains to be seen is if John Pelphrey & Co., or this awesome incoming recruiting class, can achieve that potential.

Photo from arkansasexpats.com

Kobe still doing work

Anyone who thinks Kobe Bryant is over the hill needs to re-think.

Especially after last night's 37-point, 14-rebound performance that garnered the 13-time All-Star his fourth All-Star game MVP.

"I feel like we have a sense of responsibility and we are voted in for what we do during the season, which is play hard," Bryant said in an AP article.

Most of the time, All-Star games are anything but playing hard, as the players show little defensive effort and seem to be only attempting to pad their points or throw down impressive dunks.

It certainly didn't hurt that Bryant played his best in front of his hometown crowd at the Staples Center, where he's played his entire NBA career.

He's the heart and soul of the Lakers' franchise, and in a season where they've found little to be pleased with, maybe Bryant's performance will revitalize them to make another championship run.

Photo Credit: @Jose3030

Rolled by Tide

There was a part of me that started to believe.

For some reason Saturday evening, I had a feeling Arkansas was going to break through and play well against a division opponent that happened to be the league leader, and possibly win.

If the game had been played for 30 minutes, that might have come true.

Unfortunately for these Hogs, basketball games last 40 minutes.

In their 10 losses this season, at least 7-8 of them have ended up that way because Arkansas simply refused to play at a high level for 40 minutes.

They play well in spurts and go on runs, but never sustain anything.

Even when they went to No. 19 Vanderbilt and played them off their feet and won by double digits, the Hogs subsequently returned to Fayetteville and dropped back-to-back games.

After a third straight loss (at Mississippi State), Arkansas came back to Fayetteville and easily dispatched LSU and Florida A&M before last night's showdown with the Crimson Tide.

That's how it's been all season, and really how it's been all four years with John Pelphrey.

All Razorback fans are asking for is a little consistency.

I'm not sure if they're ever going to get it as long as Pelphrey remains the head coach.

Photo by Robert Sutton, Tuscaloosa News

http://www.tidesports.com/article/20110219/NEWS/110219506/1011?Title=Tide-beats-Arkansas-clinches-share-of-SEC-West-

NASCAR

How many people know what NASCAR stands for? Don't be embarrassed if you don't.

Back on February 18, 2001, I didn't know either.

Unfortunately, sometimes tragedy teaches us things, and that day, when the sport lost its leader and its face, Dale Earnhardt, it taught me what NASCAR was and is about.

On that day, I decided to become a fan.

For the rest of that year and over the next few years, I became an avid fan. I watched the races, I kept up with my favorite drivers (Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin) and bonded more with my father, who also liked the sport.

Fast forward to the present, 2011.

I haven't watched a NASCAR race start to finish since I was in high school probably. I watch highlights on ESPN or nascar.com, but other than that, I've really lost interest.

Not that I'm the only one. Television ratings have been in serious decline over the past couple of years. Revenue is down as well.

Today, though, I saw footage of Earnhardt's wreck and the events that unfolded from that, and remembered to the birth of my fandom.

This year, I'm going to try and follow the sport again more closely, like I vowed I would back in Feb. 2001.

I owe it to Dale's memory.

P.S. NASCAR stands for National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing.

Photo from NYDailyNews.com

Albert Pujols

I don't think it's even an argument that the best hitter in baseball in the last decade was one Albert Pujols.

Since taking over as the Cardinals' franchise player in 2001 after Mark McGwire's retirement, Pujols has batted .331 with 408 home runs and 1230 RBI.

Those are staggering numbers, considering Pujols is one of the lone sluggers that hasn't tested positive for perfomance-enhancing drugs.

He also has two World Series appearances and one ring, in 2006. He's been named the National League MVP three times, and has made the All-Star all but once in his career.

So I have no earthly idea why the St. Louis Cardinals are going to let him get away. It would be like the Los Angeles Lakers letting Kobe Bryant into free agency, or the Indianapolis Colts losing Peyton Manning.

Pujols is synonmous with the Cardinals, and I don't know if the franchise will be able to survive without him.

Photo from Ben Bates' blog

John Pelphrey

40 Minutes of Pel. An Unforgettable. John FAILphrey.

All are phrases or monikers that John Pelphrey or his style of coaching has been called since becoming Arkansas' head coach in 2007.

After guiding a senior-laden team to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2008 before bowing out to No. 1 seed North Carolina, Pelphrey hasn't seen much success since that 23-12 season with the Hogs.

14-16 in 2009, followed by 14-18 last season. Now 15-9 in his fourth campaign, Pelphrey is starting to lose the fan base with inconsistent play and spouting rhetoric eerily similar to former football coach Houston Nutt at press conferences.

If Pelphrey doesn't finish strong this season, he's going to have a hard time convincing fans that his team has really turned the corner and is "overachieving", even if he utters it repeatedly in front of the media.

Even with a stellar recruiting class coming in, people still have no reason to believe that he will put a consistent, winning product on the floor.

As much as he believes in the Razorbacks and wants them to succeed, there's a major difference between wanting it to happen and making it happen.

For his sake (and his job security), hopefully the Hogs turn the corner.

Big Ben or Bust

Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Troy Aikman and Tom Brady.

You could carve a Mount Rushmore with those four faces in terms of quarterbacks.
Some people, though, may not know what they have in common, which is owning three Super Bowl rings or more.

Ben Roethlisberger?

Are we talking about the same Roethlisberger who was suspended for the first four games of this season stemming from sexual misconduct in a Georgia bar’s bathroom last year?

The same Roethlisberger who was pictured with a ‘Drink Like A Champion’ t-shirt on while obviously under the influence of alcohol and in the company of young co-eds?

Yes, we are talking about him.

And once again, Roethlisberger has his Pittsburgh Steelers in prime position to win the franchise’s seventh Super Bowl, which would distance it even further from counterparts Dallas and San Francisco, who both chime in with five, but haven’t won any since 1995.

More importantly, it would be Roethlisberger’s third Super Bowl ring in six seasons, and he’s only been in the league for seven.

No one saw this coming before the season, when many people questioned whether Pittsburgh would even be able to compete without him under center.

To add insult to injury, Pittsburgh’s other two quarterbacks backing him up were injured, so the Steelers were left with a fourth-string signal caller (Charlie Batch fans, stand up!) for much of those first four games.

However, Pittsburgh persevered, and went 3-1 in Roethlisberger’s absence, and when Big Ben returned, they went 9-3, tying the Ravens for best record in the AFC North and winning the division thanks to a better divisional record.

The reason it feels so weird to mention Roethlisberger in the same breath as the quarterbacks mentioned above is because he doesn’t have anything that blows you away.

With Bradshaw, it was his ability to respond to adversity and then shatter whatever doubts you may have had about him.

Montana was revered for being clutch, and leading game-winning after game-winning drive.

Aikman was renowned for his accuracy, along with never getting rattled.

Brady, well, is Brady.

Big Ben doesn’t jump off at you in the scouting report, and won’t captivate and leave you on the edge of your seat when you watch him on Sundays.

What he will do, though, is make the plays when it counts, and do what he’s asked to do in the offense, and get the ball into the hands of his playmakers.

I guess the word to describe him would be steady.

If he can play steady enough on Sunday, he will join that elite group of quarterbacks.

*Image courtesy of SportsPants Blog