It's Only SEC (but I like it....)
GEORGE SOMERVILLE – THE TOUCHDOWN SEC CORRESPONDENT
week 11
The speed at which this SEC football season is accelerating beyond us can be likened to Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams. It has juked and jived along the way, but has been as fast as a speeding bullet.
Here we are, with only a matter of weeks left in the regular SEC football season. Three, in fact. As we collectively lose our minds over the College Football Playoff rankings, there is still plenty of action, chaos and nonsense happening in and around SEC football to fill these pages ten times over.
news, news, news
This week, former LSU Head coach Brian Kelly filed papers in the Louisiana courts to sue his ex-employers. In what must be the game of the day across the football schedule, Texas travels to Athens to face the Dawgs in a top-ranked match-up. Midweek I spoke to Longhorns Head coach Steve Sarkisian about his teams build up to this epic match up in Athens.
If that wasn’t enough, I also spoke to Ole Miss Head coach, Lane Kiffin, about the “non-negotiable” in his life, which helps him cope with the pressures of being one of the most sought-after Head Coaches in football.
So, it’s time to catch up on what’s been happening in and around the conference! Yup, it’s time for some “It’s Only SEC”….
Here’s what’s going on in SEC football country!
this weeks sec Stories
A Messy Divorce
Baton Rouge, LA
fired yet not fired
Brian Kelly is out at LSU.
Ok, this is not news. But how about, Brian Kelly is not out at LSU!
Matters in Baton Rouge got very confusing, chaotic and downright crazy this week.
You will recall that Brian Kelly was let go after the Tigers’ defeat to Texas A&M and a subsequent meeting with Athletic Director Scott Woodward. This is important for context, as it will be relevant to what follows. Shortly after Kelly’s departure, Woodward was also released from his role by the LSU Administration.
At that time, it was widely reported that Kelly was open to negotiating his financial settlement, subject to those negotiations “making financial sense”.
Reports surfaced fairly quickly thereafter that LSU was trying its hardest to show cause that Kelly was not performing his duties as contractually obliged. If proven, this would mean that LSU could forego paying Kelly his settlement.
This is where it gets interesting.
Things just got interesting
If you have followed this story to any extent, you know that the LSU Administration has not covered itself in glory. With all the allegations and counter-allegations going on, Kelly’s legal team lost patience this week and set a deadline of Monday to conclude negotiations.
This somewhat arbitrary deadline passed without LSU engaging on the matter.
But this is where it gets really interesting. Kelly’s lawsuit states that his contract was terminated, and only now is LSU attempting to show cause in support of that termination, which would negate the $54 million payout. Yet, LSU is now actually saying that Kelly’s contract wasn’t terminated. Furthermore, it is reported that the Administration states that Woodward didn’t have the full authority to terminate Kelly’s position.
Except there’s always a but.
According to The Athletic, the meeting between Kelly and Woodward, in which Kelly was informed that he had been fired, was also attended by Deputy AD Julie Cromer, Associate AD Austin Thomas, and Deputy AD Verge Ausberry. Ausberry has since been promoted to permanent Athletic Director following Woodward’s removal.
All of this means that Woodward was not operating in some lone wolf capacity.
Grab the money while you can
According to The Athletic, Kelly was initially offered a settlement of $25 million with no offset, meaning he would receive the money even if he took on new employment immediately. This offer was subsequently increased to $30m split into two payments again with no offset language.
LSU has now reneged on these offers, citing that no formal termination occurred.
LSU has since confirmed that the matter has been referred to the Louisiana Attorney General. It’s unclear whether the AG is performing legal duties on behalf of the University or if this is required under Louisiana law.
What we do know is that this is one big mess.
The other thing this confirms is that any prospective candidate for the Head football coach job will be alerted to how messy things can get and how quickly in this state and with this administration. Definitely red flag territory. You have been warned.
Horns on the road - next stop Athens
Austin, TX
During the month of October, the Texas Longhorns were on the road a lot. Texas’ schedule had them on the road for four straight games, and fans in Austin did not see their team play in Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium for a whopping forty-two days.
The Longhorns’ season has not been what those in Austin or, for that matter, those outside expected. Two losses have the Horns on the brink of elimination from the College Football Playoffs. However, this is college football, and incredibly, the fate of the Longhorns is still in their own hands.
new pastures for the longhorns
This Saturday, Texas travels to Athens to play #5 Georgia. Next Saturday, Arkansas visits Austin, and then in the last game of the regular season, Texas hosts neighbours, the Aggies, in what could be a winner-takes-all playoff.
Winning even two of those three games will likely see the Longhorns make it onto the Top 10-ranked teams, which would secure them a spot in the Playoffs for the third consecutive season.
So, as tough a schedule on the road as the Longhorns had in October, could this ultimately help them prepare at least mentally for the visit to Athens, one of the hardest places to play in College football?
Well, I asked Texas Head Coach, Steve Sarkisian, this earlier in the week.
“we went four straight road games,we didn’t play at home for 42 days and being in some of those environments, being in some tough, you know, overtime games, you know, having a bounce back, playing in a rivalry game, all those things I think, helped us mature” Sark told me.
This Texas team has not had its troubles since that opening day defeat to Ohio State. The whole world felt the need to comment on the problems Arch Manning was having, and this was not helped by an almost entirely new offensive line trying to protect this quarterback. A point that Sarkisian has made more than once this season.
a close knit group of horns
The team’s second defeat of the year to Florida set alarm bells ringing in Austin, but since then, the team has seen growth. A point Sarkisian was keen to make..
“it helped us grow closer together as a team” continued Sarkisian.
“And football is the ultimate team sport – you win as a team, you lose as a team, but ultimately, I think that we are playing as a team now better than we ever have all season long, and that includes all three phases, offense, defense, special teams” which are words that should concern other teams out there. Not just the teams left to play Texas in the regular season but also any team which crosses their path should Texas make the Playoffs.
However, before that, the Longhorns need to beat a Georgia team that has had an edge over Texas since the Longhorns joined the SEC. This is also the first time in the Longhorns’ long history that they have played in Athens. So the game is huge on many levels. Sarkisian believes that the experience gained so far on the road will be beneficial for his team.
“I think that’s what it takes when you go into these environments like we’re going into Saturday night, you got to be really connected. You’re going to need all three phases, because in those these types of hostile environments, you got to lock arms and you got to go fight collectively together. You can’t just rely on one aspect of your team to get it done”.
Lucky #7
Tuscaloosa, AL
Here is a question I wish I had asked. In fact, a few weeks ago on the SEC Head coaches teleconference, I thought about asking it and then thought, “no”, this is not the forum to ask an irrelevant question of the Alabama Head coach.
But then a renowned and established College football sportswriter, in fact, Senior College Football Reporter for Yahoo Sports, Mr Ross Dellenger, did what all good journalists do. He asked the question.
Does Kalen DeBoer have just one “lucky” black hoodie of death, or are there multiple?
Director of Equipment Alabama, Kyle Smith, confirmed to Dellenger that there are, in fact, seven black hoodies of death. Multiple. That should put the fear of death into any team in Alabama’s way between now and the end of their season.
“They’re in safe keeping where only I know about them” Smith told Dellenger.
And if you think that this story is becoming something of an urban myth, dwell on this for a second. Alabama is 16-0 with DeBoer wearing the black hoodie.
And you still can’t buy one in the team store or online for love nor money.
Only in College football folks.
Kiffin has it under control
Oxford, MS
Much has been written about Lane Kiffin. A great deal of that has been written over the last few weeks, with numerous high-profile Head coaching jobs available. If you believe the chatter, Kiffin is going to Gainesville. No, he’s been seen in Baton Rouge. You’re all wrong – he’s going to be Jaxson Dart’s new Head coach in New York.
But for those close to the enigmatic Kiffin, they know he is settled in Oxford, MS. Perhaps more settled than he has ever been in his nomadic career.
The Many lives of Kiffin
If you haven’t watched the excellent E60 documentary, written by Ryan McGee, about Lane Kiffin – “The Many Lives of Lane Kiffin” – you should. If, like me, you are fascinated with what goes on inside Kiffin’s mind, then this documentary is for you.
During his conversations with McGee, he admits to being as happy in Oxford as he has been before. His entire family is now located in one place. His kids attend school in Oxford, and his ex-wife has moved to Mississippi. His brother Chris is on the coaching staff at Ole Miss. In the program, Kiffin admits that he needs Ole Miss as much as the school needs him.
While this sounds perfect & and idyllic, it takes hard work, and Kiffin has talked about the discipline it takes. He no longer drinks and is a dedicated yoga practitioner – he calls these his “non-negotiables”. This terminology intrigued me. Surely, as a Head Coach at one of the best schools in college football, the demands on his time make this very difficult to maintain?
So I asked Lane Kiffin about this during the week. And Kiffin, being Kiffin, gave me a very honest answer
“Well, it’s just helped me a lot in life” said Kiffin about the impact of yoga in his life.
“five years ago I made a decision to make some changes, and then I kind of got addicted to how good it felt to make certain changes. And then how far can you go?
So now I have a lot of non negotiables in my life that you know, require extreme discipline and can’t change by circumstances, or what’s going on in a day, or how’s your life going, or just non negotiables of extreme discipline.
And I’ve really enjoyed that, and I and I think it’s good when when the players see that, you’re able to talk to that about what with the players, because that’s what we’re asking them to do in a lot of ways”.
You might have your thoughts on Kiffin as a Coach. But this version of Kiffin is hard not to root for.
Week Twelve Schedule
Across the SEC
As much as every week means something in the SEC, life gets very serious when the calendar turns to November 1.
November is truly the “witching hour” in terms of determining who will match up in the SEC Championship game and which teams will make the College Football Playoffs. It will also, conversely, determine those teams that will not.
Which is why Alabama’s hosting of those Boomer Sooners in Tuscaloosa is so crucial for both teams. It’s also why Texas travelling to Athens is frankly a HUGE game.
Elsewhere, Shane Beamer needs to avoid embarrassment when his team travels to College Station. Anything other than a competitive outing against the #3 team in the country will fuel the flames under his seat.
Two rudderless teams, Arkansas and LSU, will face off in Death Valley, a contest that is likely more about pride than anything else, and is approaching the point in the calendar where they must hope the season is soon over.
In Oxford, Ole Miss must escape the banana skin that the Florida Gators have become for them in recent years. Ole Miss is currently a playoff team and can cement that position with a win on Saturday. A defeat like last year is unthinkable for Lane Kiffin.
Here are this week’s games, which feature SEC teams (all kick-off times are local time). Stats from SEC Media.
Week Twelve
(2024 Record)
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15
South Carolina (3-6, 1-6 SEC) at Texas A&M (9-0, 6-0 SEC)
Series: TAMU leads, 9-2
11 a.m. CT • ESPN
Last: SC, 44-20 (2024 at Columbia)
Bryan – College Station, Texas • Kyle Field (102,733)
Arkansas (2-7, 0-5 SEC) at LSU (5-4, 2-4 SEC)
Series: LSU leads, 43-23-2
11 a.m. CT • SEC Network
Last: LSU, 34-10 (2024 at Fayetteville)
Baton Rouge, La. • Tiger Stadium (102,321)
Tennessee Tech (10-0) at Kentucky (4-5, 2-5 SEC)
Series: UK leads, 1-0
1:30 p.m. ET • SEC+
Lexington, Ky. • Kroger Field (61,000)
Oklahoma (7-2, 3-2 SEC) at Alabama (8-1, 6-0 SEC)
Series: OU leads, 4-2-1
2:30 p.m. CT • ABC
Last: OU, 24-3 (2024 at Norman)
Tuscaloosa, Ala. • Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium (100,077)
New Mexico State (3-6) at Tennessee (6-3, 3-3 SEC)
Series: First Meeting
4:14 p.m. ET • SEC Network
Knoxville, Tenn. • Neyland Stadium (101,915)
Florida (3-6, 2-4 SEC) at Ole Miss (9-1, 5-1 SEC)
Series: UF leads, 13-12-1
6 p.m. CT • ESPN
Last: UF, 24-17 (2024 at Gainesville)
Oxford, Miss. • Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (64,038)
Texas (7-2, 4-1 SEC) at Georgia (8-1, 6-1 SEC)
Series: TEX leads, 4-3
7:30 p.m. ET • ABC
Last: UGA 22-19 [OT] (2024 at SEC Championship Game)
Athens, Ga. • Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium (93,033)
Mississippi State (5-5, 1-5 SEC) at Missouri (6-3, 2-3 SEC)
Series: MIZ leads, 3-2
6:45 p.m. CT • SEC Network
Last: MIZ, 39-20 (2024 at Starkville)
Columbia, Mo. • Faurot Field (57,321)
Open Date:
Auburn (4-6, 1-6 SEC);
Vanderbilt (8-2, 4-2 SEC).
GEORGE SOMERVILLE
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WRITER
GEORGE IS A LONG STANDING FANATIC OF LIFE AND FOOTBALL IN THE DEEP SOUTH AND WRITES HIS WEEKLY COLUMN CALLED “IT’S ONLY SEC” FOR THE TOUCHDOWN. HE IS ALSO CO-HOST AND ONE THIRD OF THE COLLEGE CHAPS PODCAST, THE UK’S FIRST PODCAST DEDICATED TO THE COLLEGE GAME.