Freshman Numbers

Alex Ogletree (Zander) - 46
TJ Stipling - 44
Ken Malcome- 24
Alec Ogletree - 9
Derek Owens - 20
Brandon Burrows - 41
Marc Deas - 26
Michael Bennett - 82
Garrison Smith - 56
Mike Thornton ? 96
Kenearios Gates - 72
Dexter Morant - 92
Demetre Baker ? 52
Brent Benedict ? 74
Hutson Mason - 14
Jakar Hamilton ? 23
Kolton Houston - 66

per ugasports.com

Expansion Talk.....

I'm intrigued by what's going to happen w/ this expansion. The latest talks have 6 of the Big 12 schools going to the Pac-10: Texas, A&M, Texas Tech, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma St. Then, it looks like Nebraska & Missouri would end up in the Big 10. So, that leaves 4 also-rans left from the remaining Big 12: Kansas, K-State, Baylor & Iowa St. The thing I can't figure out about this is where all the pieces end up falling. Everyone says "Four 16-team conferences", which I'm all for, but how is the geography going to all work and how are the conferences going to shake out when one or two get left from these conferences that are decimated. And, I don't know if the powers that be have done the math -- The BCS conferences plus Notre Dame equals 66 teams. That means that 2 teams are out in the new 4 conference world, and there's certainly no room for the BYU's of the world.

I'm interested to see where this lands. Let's say the Pac-10 pulls off this deal and the Big 10 goes w/ Nebraska, Mizzou, ND, Pitt & Rutgers (or Syracuse). That leaves the Big East with 6 teams and hardly viable in football. I'd bet the SEC makes a move them to definitely lure Clemson and FSU. The question, then, is where do the other 2 come from. The remaining Big East would be WVU, South Fla., 'Cuse, Uconn, Louisville, & Cincy.

So the SEC has to find 2 more teams. I'm guessing we'd choose 2 from the following: WVU, Va Tech, & Louisville. I still think the SEC will make the wise (geographical & fanbase/passion) choices. I think WVU is a stretch. It's 9 hours from Athens and we're on the Eastern side of the conference. Blacksburg is only 6 hours from Athens and alread has this natural rivalry w/ UT. Louisville is in the heart of SEC country, just north of everyone.

I'd go something like this:
EAST
UGA
Fla.
South Crackilack
Clemson
FSU
Va Tech
UT
Vandy

WEST
Arkansas
LSU
Miss St.
Ole Miss
Auburn
Alabama
Louisville
UK

The only problem with that is that it makes the East brutal. We gain Clemson, FSU and Va Tech and lose UK. The West gains UK and Lousiville. Doesn't quite seem like an even trade, but that's not for me to figure out. I just think keeping the in-state schools in the same division goes w/ SEC tradition and makes the most sense. We have had great success w/ UT/Vandy, Bama/Auburn and Ole Miss/MSU in the same division. Makes sense that we'd keep that going. Now, geographically, there's a school I left out which makes a lot of sense -- Tech. You'll pull out Va Tech and put GT in my scenario and the trade offs look a little better and the natural rivalries are there. That makes more sense, just not sure the SEC wants Tech. In any event, I think we pull 3 to 4 from the ACC. But I definitely don't think we want Miami, not when there are bigger, public universities w/ better fanbases and closer to our charter schools. Miami is a long ways away from Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Let's say we take 3. That leaves the ACC w/ 9 teams left. There would be 5 leftover from the Big East in my scenario, and it makes sense the ACC would gobble them up. That gives them 14. They need 2 more and this is where it gets tricky. You've got 2 more teams to round out the field of 64, so to speak, and you've got those 4 old Big 12 teams. Kansas would certainly fit the B-ball mold of the ACC, but they're not on the Atlantic Coast by any stretch of the imagination. Allen says Baylor doesn't get left out in the cold because of Grant Taeff, but who's going to take them. Waco is close to nothing.

This is why this is happening wrong, to me. It's every man for himself and the last man (in my mind the ACC) is going ot end up in the most awkward spot. It would be the cleanest (and in the long run make the most sense) to have K-State and Kansas follow to the Big-10 and have that be a true Midwest conference, along w/ ND. Then have the ACC gobble up about all of the Big East to make that a powerful B-ball conference and all along the eastern seaboard. Have the Big East b-ball schools join the Atlantic 10 and leave out Iowa St. and Baylor, who haven't been relevant in Football for a long, long time. I think it's going to be fun to watch from the beginning and messy at the back end.