Thoughts of the Day: November 3, 2021

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning:

“Our guys are completely focused. Our guys are playing hard, practicing their butt off; our guys want to compete and want to win and to be honest with you we need to win. Winning fixes a lot of problems. It doesn’t solve all of your problems, but it fixes some of them.” – Dan Mullen in an interview with Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel

Winning will not fix all of Dan Mullen’s problems, but more than any coach in the country, he needs to go 4-0 in the month of November. Perceptions and optics are the worst they’ve been for a Florida coach since Jim McElwain tried to sell us that he and his family had been recipients of death threats. Of course, there were none. Mullen’s predicament isn’t anything close to what sent McElwain packing, but he definitely needs to change perceptions that he’s the captain of a ship that is springing too many leaks to stay afloat.

Consecutive losses to LSU and Georgia combined with the poor optics of a Monday press conference that came across as smug and arrogant, have made Mullen an easy target for many in the state and national media. He’s paid more than $7.5 million a year, so he should know that criticism comes with the territory. Winning these last four games may not do a total transformation of Mullen’s image but when you consider he entered 2021 with a three-game losing streak, winning the last four of 2021 can only help perceptions that the Florida football program is still viable.

So much of the criticism of Mullen has had to do with recruiting and let’s face it, he’s not going to flip a bunch of 5-stars at the last moment. He needs to focus on getting good players in the recruiting class and then do what Mel Tucker has done at Michigan State. Michigan State, in case you haven’t been following, is a national championship contender just one year after going 2-5. Tucker didn’t do it by outrecruiting Michigan but instead brought in 20 transfers including five from the SEC and four from the ACC. Former Gator Chester Kimbrough starts at one corner and Wake Forest transfer Kenneth Walker III (1,194 rushing yards, 14 TDs) has a legitimate chance to win the Heisman Trophy.

Finishing the season with four wins can only help Mullen in the transfer portal. Now that the NCAA rules have changed, the transfer portal will fill up faster than ever before and there will be a lot of good players available. Kids want to play for winners and a team with a winning streak at the end of the year should be quite attractive.

The transfer portal can’t solve all of Dan Mullen’s image problems, but it can go a long way toward evening up some of the talent gaps that exist.

The folks in Las Vegas say: The folks in Las Vegas obviously don’t think the media storm against Mullen will affect Saturday’s outcome against South Carolina in Columbia. The Gators have been established as 18-point favorites.

GEORGIA, ALABAMA 1-2 IN FIRST COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF POLL The first College Football Playoff poll was released Tuesday night and it was bad news for Cincinnati, hoping to become the first Group of Five team to crash the playoff party. The Bearcats are ranked No. 2 in both the Associated Press and Coaches polls, but the playoff committee, which weighs things like strength of schedule, placed the Bearcats at No. 6. The only hope Cincinnati has to make the final four will be to run the table, win the American Athletic Conference championship game, and hope for some losses among the teams in front.

Georgia and Alabama from the SEC hold down the top two spots but that could change if the two meet in the SEC Championship Game. If Alabama arrives at the game with one loss and then knocks off an unbeaten Georgia, it is almost certain both would make the final four. If Georgia were to beat Alabama, then two-loss Alabama would be out.

Michigan State, which is unbeaten after a win over previously unbeaten Michigan, is somewhat of a surprise at No. 3 since the Spartans trail Ohio State in both the AP and Coaches polls. Oregon is at No. 4 on the strength of its September win over Ohio State, which is No. 5 in the CFP poll. In both the AP and Coaches polls, Oregon ranks No. 7.

Like Cincinnati, whose only quality win is over No. 10 Notre Dame, Oklahoma’s lack of wins over quality opponents kept the Sooners from cracking the top four. Oklahoma is No. 8 in the CFP, yet fourth in both the AP and Coaches polls. Unlike Cincinnati, however, the Sooners will have some opportunities to get quality wins since they still have games remaining with No. 11 Oklahoma State and No. 12 Baylor. There isn’t a single ranked team remaining on the Cincinnati schedule.

Week 1 CFP poll: 1. Georgia 8-0; 2. Alabama 7-1; 3. Michigan State 8-0; 4. Oregon 7-1; 5. Ohio State 7-1; 6. Cincinnati 8-0; 7. Michigan 7-1; 8. Oklahoma 9-0; 9. Wake Forest 8-0; 10. Notre Dame 7-1; 11. Oklahoma State 7-1; 12. Baylor 7-1; 13. Auburn 6-2; 14. Texas A&M 6-2; 15. BYU 7-2; 16. Ole Miss 6-2; 17. Mississippi State 5-3; 18. Kentucky 6-2; 19. North Carolina State 6-2; 20. Minnesota 6-2; 21. Wisconsin 5-3; 22. Iowa 6-2; 23. Fresno State 7-2; 24. San Diego State 7-1; 25. Pittsburgh 6-2

OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC Alabama (7-1, 4-1 SEC): Okay, I don’t have to make things like this up. Former Alabama assistant Jeff Banks now makes $1 million a year coaching tight ends and special teams at Texas. His girlfriend, Danielle Thomas, is an exotic dancer known as the “Pole Assassin.” At a Halloween party hosted by Banks and Thomas, their pet monkey allegedly bit a child, which has set social media in Texas abuzz.

Arkansas (5-3, 1-3 SEC): The bye week was critical for getting first teamers healthy again. “If we can get healthy, our ones can compete real well,” said HBC Sam Pittman.

Auburn (6-2, 3-1 SEC): Tom Green at Al.com writes that Auburn has given up only 22 second half points in SEC wins over LSU, Arkansas and Ole Miss.

Georgia (8-0, 6-0 SEC): Wide receivers George Pickens (ACL in 2020) and Dominique Blaylock (ACL in 2020, hamstring 2021) are recovering from their injuries but still unable to play.

Kentucky (6-2, 4-2 SEC): In its last two SEC games – both losses – the Wildcats have rushed for 51 yards against Georgia and 66 against Mississippi State. That’s the first time the Wildcats have gone consecutive games without gaining at least 100 yards on the ground since 2018.

LSU (4-4, 2-3 SEC): Coach Oeaux may be on his way out at the end of the season but he’s still recruiting for LSU. “I love LSU and I think LSU is a great school, especially for the in-state player and that he ought to come to LSU and I told every one of them that,” Coach Oeaux said on ESPN Radio in Baton Rouge Tuesday morning. “Still think LSU is the best place for them.”

Mississippi State (5-3, 3-2 SEC): While speaking to the media Monday, HBC Mike Leach joked, “I’ve actually thought about running 100 percent of the time one game, pass 100 percent of the time the next game and brag about how balanced we are.” The Bulldogs have attempted 169 running plays while throwing it 443 times this year.

Missouri (4-4, 1-3 SEC): HBC Eli Drinkwitz won’t disclose the status of injured quarterback Connor Bazelak until Thursday. If Bazelac can’t go Saturday when the Tigers visit Georgia, Drinkwitz will go with either Tyler Macon or Brady Cook. The two have combined to complete 8-9 passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns.

Ole Miss (6-2, 4-2 SEC): Ole Miss may have to play Liberty this weekend without quarterback Matt Corral and wide receivers Dontario Drummond and Braylon Sanders. Wide receiver Jonathan Mingo continues to be sidelined with a broken foot.

South Carolina (4-4, 1-3 SEC): With fans and media alike questioning if the offense is too complex, HBC Shane Beamer told SportsTalkSC, “We’re carrying less plays in our game plan than we did early in the season to try to be a little more efficient. You want to be complex and multiple enough where a defense can’t just line up and know exactly what you’re doing.” The Gamecocks rank next to last in the SEC and 115thnationally in total offense at 327.6 yards per game.

Tennessee (4-4, 2-3 SEC): Corner Altonae Taylor probably gave Kentucky some bulletin board material for Saturday’s game when he said, “You don’t lose to Kentucky.”

Texas A&M (6-2, 3-2 SEC): Jimbo Fisher says the Aggies open date came at just the right time. “Eight weeks, that’s a lot of game, that’s a lot of bang and bruises, not just the physical strain, but the mental strain,” Fisher said. The Aggies play host to Auburn Saturday.

Vanderbilt (2-7, 0-5 SEC): Vandy is working with a marketing company to sell naming rights to its little bandbox stadium. Good luck on that one.

GEORGIA SOUTHERN HIRES CLAY HELTON Former Southern Cal head coach Clay Helton is the new head coach at Georgia Southern. Helton was 46-24 in a little more than six seasons at Southern Cal after he succeeded Lane Kiffin. Helton, who was a backup quarterback at Auburn (1990-92) before finishing his career at Houston, is the son of former Gator and Gainesville High star Kim Helton.

Georgia Southern fired Chad Lunsford in September and has gone 1-3 under interim Kevin Whitley.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The commissioners of the Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC should feel a little silly right now. Back when Texas and Oklahoma bolted the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference back in the summer, the three commissioners decried this as a complete and total disaster for all of college football, then they went about attempting to derail the plan for the College Football Playoff to expand. Sankey, of course, was one of the authors of the plan to take the playoff from four to 12 teams.

The reasoning of the three bozos – Kevin Warren (Big Ten), George Kliavkoff (Pac-12) and Jim Phillips (ACC) whined that in a 12-team playoff the SEC might get as many as six teams in, putting the squeeze on everyone else. Well, take a look at the first CFP poll that came out Tuesday night and you see Georgia and Alabama ranked 1-2, but they are the only two SEC teams to crack the top 12. Even if Oklahoma were suddenly switched to the SEC, the SEC would still only have three teams in. The way it stands today, the Big Ten (Michigan State, Ohio State and Michigan) and Big 12 (Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Baylor) would each have three teams in, with two from the SEC. The other four would be Oregon (Pac-12), Cincinnati (American), Wake Forest (ACC) and Notre Dame (Independent).

Here is what the playoff would look like if the playoff were expanded to 12 teams today: Six highest ranked conference champions: Georgia (SEC), Michigan State (Big Ten), Oregon (Pac-12), Cincinnati (American), Oklahoma (Big 12) and Wake Forest (ACC). At-large: Alabama (SEC), Ohio State and Michigan (Big Ten), Notre Dame (Independent), Oklahoma State and Baylor (Big 12)

The first round matchups (top four ranked teams get a bye): No. 12 Baylor at No. 5 Ohio State; No. 11 Oklahoma State at No. 6 Cincinnati; No. 10 Notre Dame at No. 7 Michigan; No. 9 Wake Forest at No. 8 Oklahoma.