It's Only SEC (but I like it....)
GEORGE SOMERVILLE – THE TOUCHDOWN SEC CORRESPONDENT
week 8
We are now at the 3rd Saturday in October meaning that things get REAL!
And let’s be honest—we thought things were real already, but let’s kick it up a notch. Not content with having the #1 vs #5 matchup in Austin, there is also the small matter of the Crimson Tide rolling into Neyland Stadium to face off against those Tennessee Vols. This matchup is as hostile as you will find on the football schedule, with the winners smoking their cigars in the locker room!
As usual, it has been a crazy week in the SEC, meaning there is lots to catch up on!
So, welcome y’all to our weekly round-up of life in the Southeastern Conference.
Here are this week’s headlines….let’s get started!
this weeks sec headlines
A Heavyweight rematch
Austin, Tx
There is no hyperbole involved when I say that Austin, Texas will be at the epicentre of the sporting world this weekend.
On Saturday, the Georgia Bulldogs face off against the Texas Longhorns, which is undoubtedly college football’s premier game of the weekend, if not the season. It will also go some way to cementing one or both teams’ playoff hopes.
On Sunday, Formula 1 will be on the grid for the United States Grand Prix, when the fastest men in sports will race around the Circuit of the Americas.
Good luck getting a hotel room in Austin and selling your house to pay for it!
In case you were wondering, local Austin media reports that hotels with unreserved rooms are charging between $700 and $2,000 per night this weekend. And if you pay $700 for a Motel 6, well…
The Game
But we’re not here to talk about cars. Let’s get back to the game. This is the matchup between the #1 team in the country (Texas) and #5 (Georgia), which will almost certainly determine which team will be the #1 team in the SEC come 7th December.
The pressure is on both teams, but perhaps more so on Georgia than the Longhorns.
While Kirby Smart has had a rough week—more on this later—he isn’t showing any nerves heading into this must-win game.
Georgia goes into this game as an underdog for the first time in years.
“I do not look at lines and underdog favorites. I worry about one thing. What do we have to do to play our best?” said Smart in response to the obvious question about being an underdog.
“That comes with a lot of game planning. There is a minimal approach to the game, but I don’t think it’s about being the underdog” Smart continued.
“I think it’s about being physical and being prepared to play in a tough place. And the mental strength it takes to play well on the road, you don’t need to waste all that energy talking about being the underdog.”
A heavyweight clash
Of course, you will remember previous clashes between these two behemoths of the college game. In particular, you may recall the last face-off between the two mascots, Texas’ Bevo and Georgia’s UGA.
Back in 2019, at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, both of the schools’ mascots were in the same place at the same time. On that occasion, Bevo took exception to UGA invading his personal space and lunged at the Georgia Bulldog. The scene smacked of chaos.
As much as everyone is looking forward to the 2024 matchup on the field, some, probably many, want to know if there is to be a rematch of the two heavyweight mascots. So much so that Georgia head coach Kirby Smart was asked if UGA is expected to travel to Austin during this week’s SEC head coaches teleconference.
“I do not know that. I’ll be honest with you. My hands are full with Texas. I don’t know the answer to that”.
A sort of Homecoming
Columbia, MO
On Saturday, Missouri will host Auburn during the Tiger’s Homecoming weekend.
For alumni of each school, Homecoming is one of the most eagerly anticipated events on the collegiate calendar. But did you know that Missouri lays claim to being the school that held the very first Homecoming back in 1911?
Current Tigers football head coach Eli Drinkwitz used his spot during Wednesday’s SEC teleconference to give those listening a history lesson,
“I look forward to homecoming this week” Coach Drink said.
“Missouri is the home of and the originator of homecoming. Starting back in 1911 with Chester Brewer wrote letters to alumni and former players to come back for their game against Kansas” continued Drink, teaching us about the history of Missouri.
“And now, over a hundred years later, it’s celebrated by just about every high school and university in the country, and so I think it’s really cool to be a part of that’.
Happy Homecoming 2024 Mizzou Tigers!
Kiffin smarts at the hypocrisy
Oxford, MS
We know, following the SEC, that Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin is usually not short of a word or twelve.
However, like his mentor Nick Saban, Kiffin’s words usually carry a message. This week was no exception.
Kiffin’s team finds itself at the centre of the fake injury storm, with players suddenly hitting the turf at key moments in the game when stopping the clock suits the Rebels most.
Of course, Kiffin has been very outspoken about this previously. The Ole Miss head coach has a habit of highlighting the flaws in the rules of the game. While the rules governors deliberate how to resolve or close the loopholes, Kiffin doesn’t shirk, telling us that he will continue to exploit those loopholes until something is done.
This leads us to this week in Eugene, Oregon. Last Saturday, Oregon exploited a loophole to win against Ohio State. With seconds left on the clock and Ohio State in striking distance of taking the lead, Oregon found itself with 12 players on the field.
A foul was called, but importantly, the clock continued to run, and the Ducks’ “ill-discipline” left the Buckeyes with only 3 seconds on the clock to score. The Buckeyes could not score, and the Ducks won.
Afterwards, Ducks head coach Dan Lanning admitted this was a scenario they planned for, and the 12 men on the field were deliberate.
Surprisingly, the general reaction (not from Columbus, Ohio) was awe at Lanning’s genius in preparing to such a level.
Unsurprising was Kiffin’s call out of the media’s hypocrisy. Kiffin pointed out the hypocrisy of his team’s criticism versus Lanning’s being branded a genius for his bending of the rules.
“It’s interesting” said Kiffin during Wednesday’s SEC teleconference.
“I find that all this national talk about someone faking an injury, and people shouldn’t do that,” continued the Rebels head coach.
“I’m not saying I don’t agree with, but I just found it interesting that everybody thinks this is awesome that you went against the rules and put more people on the field but then everybody’s (up in arms) when faking an injury. So just found it interesting.”
Since then, the NCAA has moved surprisingly swiftly to issue a clarification, which should close this loophole before Ole Miss or anyone else, for that matter, gets a chance to replicate the Ducks’ ingenuity.
bad news Bulldogs
Athens, GA
In the buildup to the big game in Austin this weekend, I’m sure that Dawgs head coach Kirby Smart was looking for a quiet news week—or at least a good news week.
Sadly, Kirby got neither.
Sankey gets involved
In last Saturday’s win over Mississippi State, Smart got into an altercation with Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren.
During the game, an irate Smart was seen heading angrily towards an official or his defensive coordinator, Glen Schumann—the target of his ire not being clear. In his way was Van Buren, who was abruptly shoved out of the way by the Georgia head coach. Surprisingly, Smart was not penalised for his misconduct.
“I was trying to get Schumann’s attention. We were trying to change personnel” said Smart when asked about the incident post game.
“I think it’s the play they came over to our sideline and was trying to get Schumann’s attention. But, no, I don’t really remember it.” said Smart after the game.
However, as much as the shove went unpunished, it did not go unnoticed. Speaking to the Athletic, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey shared his views on the shove.
“Coaches cannot make contact with an opposing player. This play should have resulted in enforcement of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty,” Sankey said.
“As Kirby discussed in his press conference today, he has appropriately reached out to Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby and quarterback Michael Van Buren. I am confident the contact was not intentional and the clear expectation is this conduct will not happen again.”
Smart loses 2026 commit
Next along for Smart was news that 2026 QB commit, Jared Curtis, had decided to reopen his commitment search. Curtis, who is a 5-star recruit and ranked fourth in the ESPN Junior 300 list, is the top quarterback in the 2026 cycle.
Announcing his decision to decommit from Georgia on X, Curtis wrote,
“This morning I spoke with coach Smart and [offensive coordinator Mike Bobo] and let them know that I still love Georgia, but would like to take some more time to explore all my options so I can make the best, most informed decision for my future,” Curtis said. “I let them know it just doesn’t seem right or fair to stay committed while checking out other programs. I want people to know where I stand and I’ve learned that making big decisions takes time.”
This does not automatically mean that Curtis will not end up in Athens, but it certainly opens the door for other schools, such as Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas and Alabama, who were all keen to recruit him.
Week 8 SEC schedule
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.