I mentioned Wednesday about the American Football Coaches Association’s recommendation that major changes should be made to college football’s postseason format.
I wrote about their desire to see the College Football Playoff expand to the largest number possible, but that wasn’t the only radical change they suggested. They also want to do away with conference championship games.
In fairness to that point of view, a key reason they suggest abolishing the title games is to make room for moving the start of the CFP earlier and allow the season to end sooner.
However, as well-intentioned as that might be, the SEC should be skeptical about this proposal — no matter how much steam it seems to be gathering.
Historically, the SEC has had the most popular championship game. Therefore, doing away with its game is a much bigger deal than the other leagues dropping their games because of the track record and prestige the SEC has established.
This is why the SEC should be careful. In the race to expand the playoff, which seems to be happening whether fans want it or not, the league should make sure it doesn’t trade its valuable assets for an expanded CFP that might not prove to be as lucrative as they hope it will be.
Check out the rest of our coverage below.
Trivia time
What year did coach Mark Richt win his first SEC championship at Georgia?
Answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.
‘Five-for-Five’ eligibility reform gains steam
Collegiate rules reform continues to heat up as the spring sports calendar approaches.
NCAA bylaws have recently been amended to allow schools to negotiate terms that could prevent athletes from entering the transfer portal.
The provision is similar to how NFL players who are under contract aren’t allowed to negotiate with other teams.
The NCAA is also expected to adopt a rule that would take age and athletes’ eligibility “clock” into consideration. The Division I Board of Directors has directed the Division I Cabinet to advance measures that would permit five years of eligibility beginning the academic year after athletes turn 19 or graduate from high school.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart has been an outspoken proponent of the so-called “five-for-five” rule, which would allow five playing seasons over those five years.
“I support the five-year plan, (and) I think it cleans it up for a lot of people,” Smart said on an SEC coaches teleconference last September, noting how redshirt rules make remaining eligibility cloudy.
The five-year rule was among items outlined in the sweeping executive order issued by President Donald Trump last month.
UGA athletics weekly schedule
Wednesday, May 6
- Softball at SEC Tournament vs. LSU (Lexington, Kentucky): 7-3 victory
Thursday, May 7
- Softball at SEC Tournament vs. Oklahoma (Lexington, Kentucky): 8 p.m.
Friday, May 8
- Women’s Tennis vs. UCLA (NCAA Super Regional): 4 p.m.
- Baseball vs. LSU: 6 p.m.
Saturday, May 9
- Men’s Tennis at Mississippi State (NCAA Super Regional): 1 p.m.
- Baseball vs. LSU: 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 10
- Baseball vs. LSU: 3 p.m.
What winning the offseason actually looks like
ESPN’s Eli Lederman, Max Olson and Adam Rittenberg recently came together to determine which college football programs have had the best offseasons.
The trio lauded the moves made by LSU, Texas and Miami, programs that all spent big to add an influx of talent.
Knowing that, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Georgia Bulldogs did not crack the top 10 of said list.
Georgia did have the No. 4-ranked offseason among SEC teams per ESPN’s rankings.
Winning the offseason looks very different for a program like Georgia compared to some of the other top teams in the sport. Georgia brought back both of their coordinators from last season. The only “starter” it lost via the transfer portal — Joenel Aguero — did not play in Georgia’s final two games of the season.
Smart doesn’t want to spend above and beyond to turn over his roster. Georgia isn’t cheap, as those making big money earn it. That’s why Georgia placed a premium this offseason on retaining key pieces like Elijah Griffin, Nate Frazier and KJ Bolden.
The ESPN article did get us thinking. What does winning the offseason look like for Georgia? And once that is defined, how did the Bulldogs go about those objectives in this current offseason?
Photo of the day
Quote of the day
Smart on Gabe Harris:
“He’s just got great toughness. He’s got great pass-rush ability and, shoot, he was back out there at the end of spring going through things without pads on trying to compete against our guys.”
Why Zayden Walker’s injury this spring may be the most impactful
Linebacker Zayden Walker ended last season with a lot of positive momentum. He picked up sacks in wins over Texas and Alabama, carving out a role on Georgia’s defense even in a loaded linebacker room.
With CJ Allen moving on to the NFL, Walker had the chance this spring to earn more reps and continue his development as a linebacker. In 10 games last season, Walker had 6 tackles, 2.0 sacks and 2.0 tackles for loss.
However, shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum sidelined Walker for most, though not all, of spring.
“Zayden had a shoulder repair, very typical of spring practices,” Smart said of Walker following G-Day. “He’s going through that and he’s worked hard to get in shape, get back. He was able to do some stuff in black shirts (noncontact) the last couple practices. He’s running full speed and just waiting to get cleared.”
Walker was able to dress out on G-Day, though he was once again in a noncontact jersey. As Smart noted, Georgia has a long history of players needing shoulder surgery. Brock Bowers and Nakobe Dean both missed spring practices as they recovered from their respective injuries.
But Bowers and Dean were more established players when they had their respective surgeries. Walker is still trying to get his career off the ground in a more full-time role.
Trivia answer
2002
