Longhorns Will Muschamp to Florida, Georgia or LSU?

The talk of Mack Brown moving into the athletic director’s office by 2011 stopped. So did the speculation that head coach-designate Will Muschamp would then take over on the Texas sidelines. It’s not going to happen soon, which may be a good thing. Brown, 58, with a contract through 2016, has won 25 of his last 27 games. He’s beaten rival Oklahoma in four of the last five meetings. The recruiting pipeline delivers prime talent. Plus, no one knows how much Brown really wants to be an AD. TV could be a more interesting option. Expect considerable hand-wringing from Texas fans about keeping Muschamp. Remember Tennessee’s off-season pursuit? Concern is justified. Three prime coaching spots could come open by December - Florida (where Urban Meyer’s health remains a question), Georgia (Muschamp’s alma mater) and LSU (where Muschamp was once defensive coordinator). Each would be attractive. – Dallas Morning News

Alabama DC Kirby Smart could be future Georgia head coach?

Recently, Kirby Smart received a $390,000 raise to stay at Alabama as defensive coordinator, rejecting a bid from Georgia, his alma mater. His new deal will pay him $750,000 annually. Is he worth it? Have coaching salaries, particularly for assistants, gotten completely out of whack? Or if you are as good as Smart (did you catch Alabama’s defense this past year?) does it really matter? … My sense is Saban was probably not crazy about having to pay the $750,000 ransom money to keep Smart at Alabama. Not that it comes out of his pocket, but Saban knows that a large differential in pay among assistants is unhealthy and can create problems, even with a loyal and tireless worker like Smart. However, I think in the wake of the national championship (the Georgia offer was probably tendered before Smart even made it back to Tuscaloosa from Pasadena), and with recruiting at full speed, Saban probably signed off on the salary increase, took two aspirin and went to bed. As for the pesky coach in waiting question, I don’t think it ever came up with Smart. Nor do I think Saban is anywhere near the finish line of his career. And who’s to say that when the issue of Smart may arise again — perhaps in a year or two if the Mark Richt tenure comes crashing down in Athens. Certainly Smart had to think about that when the Georgia offer was made. However, I think his worth to Georgia will likely be higher, with perhaps another national championship at Alabama instead of being part of a sinking ship in Athens. – Mobile Press-Register

Georgia’s Mark Richt could be on the hot seat

Despite almost a decade of success at Georgia, Bulldogs Coach Mark Richt is staring at a potential 4-4 record with a loss to No. 1 Florida on Saturday in Jacksonville at 3:30 p.m. Torching Richt on the hot seat might be premature considering his six double-digit-win seasons since 2001. But in this climate of fickle fanbases, coaches are often games away from a warm bottom. Many Georgia boosters seem ready to crucify defensive coordinator Willie Martinez faster than Richt. – Orlando Sentinel

Changes brewing at Georgia?

Pressure may be mounting on Georgia coach Mark Richt to make some staff changes as the Bulldogs’ season continues to spiral downward. Defensive coordinator Willie Martinez is under the most pressure. His defense was shredded in a 45-19 loss at Tennessee. Georgia ranks 11th in the SEC, yielding 377.2 yards per game. The Bulldogs are No. 4 against the run (128.2 ypg) but 11th against the pass (249.0 ypg). Georgia also is last in turnover margin, gaining just five turnovers and committing 16. – Yahoo!

Bad Loss for Mark Richt, Georgia Turns Up Heat

As big as Saturday’s 45-19 win over Georgia was for Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin, it was just as damaging for Georgia coach Mark Richt. The grumbling among the Georgia fans had already been simmering. It will be an all-out growl now. Not only did the Bulldogs lose to a Tennessee team that had yet to win in the SEC this season, but they were embarrassed. Watching those two teams play Saturday, it was obvious Tennesse wanted the win more… You wonder if the season is over for the Bulldogs, and if so, what that means for Richt and his staff. The Georgia defense deserves a lot of the blame. Tennessee’s 45 points marked the third time this season that a team had scored at least 37 points against the Bulldogs, who had a similar stretch of poor defensive performances a year ago. But offensively, the Bulldogs were just as bad, maybe even worse. They managed just three offensive points against the Vols. Everything else came courtesy of the defense and special teams. This one won’t play well in Athens. – ESPN.com

Georgia’s Mark Richt has good reason for concern

When you’re a head football coach, you never want to be asked the following question: “Are you concerned about the state of the program?” Because even if you aren’t concerned, somebody must be or they wouldn’t ask the question. It’s safe to say there are a lot of those somebodies around Athens today. For the record, here was Georgia coach Mark Richt’s response when a reporter asked that question after Saturday’s humiliating 45-19 loss at Tennessee: “We didn’t play very good today. We haven’t had a game this season where we played a really solid football game, so I’m concerned about that.” That’s a good reason for concern. And many of you undoubtedly are displeased with what you’ve seen in the last season’s worth of football from Richt’s ballclub… What’s amazing is that this very same Georgia bunch who stood toe-to-toe with LSU a week ago is only a handful of plays away from being 0-6. Such is the nature of this completely unpredictable Bulldogs squad. They can still win eight or nine games and end the season on a positive note, although that won’t live up to the lofty standards Richt established in his first eight years in Athens. That’s difficult to accept when this coaching staff has established such a run of consistency, but this isn’t 2002 or 2005 anymore. Richt’s teams seem to fall into unexplainable lulls with more frequency than at any point in his tenure at Georgia. What needs to change to remedy Georgia’s many problems depends on who you ask. But it’s clear the Bulldogs are trending downwards and there is no sign things will improve in the near future. – Athens Banner-Herald

Georgia Coach Mark Richt on Hot Seat

Georgia coach Mark Richt may need to start looking for life after football. The Georgia Bulldogs were slaughtered by the Volunteers. The offense looked anemic, the defense was atrocious and all of that could spell the end for Richt. The only question is, “Who do get to replace him?” – Tide Sports

Recession Proof SEC Just Keeps Rolling

While many businesses are struggling through the recession, one nonprofit organization seems recession-proof: The Southeastern Conference. That’s right, the league with 12 of the most prominent universities in the South is awash in cash, as illustrated by these nuggets gleaned from the SEC’s Form 990 for the year ending Aug. 31, 2008 filed with the IRS: The SEC generated $161.6 million in revenue, up 8 percent from 2007. More than $135 million of that revenue was distributed to the 12 SEC schools (Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt), with each school receiving between $10.7 and $11.7 million. Interestingly, this was significantly less than the $154.2 million that the Big Ten passed on to its member schools for the year ending June 30, 2008. Each of the 11 Big Ten schools received at least $14.0 million. But keep in mind that these figures are before the SEC signed its new 15-year, $3-billion TV deals with ESPN and CBS. – Naples News

Georgia DC Willie Martinez Catching Heat

Despite the fact the Georgia defense has allowed seven touchdowns and seven field goals in the last two games, coach Mark Richt continues to cover up for Willie Martinez. He initially said Sunday night of the defense, “I’m not real excited about it, but I do know we have an opportunity to continue to improve.” But he seemed to put more blame on the Dogs’ turnover ratio, adding, “We have put our defense in some very short field situations — eight times in three ballgames.” – Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Experts Agree: No One Better than SEC

There’s no question the SEC is the best conference in college football, and it’s not just because it spends 365 days a year telling everyone it is. This does not excuse some SEC schools from historically scheduling weak teams in non-conference play. It doesn’t mean the SEC isn’t prone to attack when it talks about defense, and then Georgia beats Arkansas 52-41 the week after it beat South Carolina 41-37. Yet when Boise State beats Fresno State 51-34, well, that’s just one of those crazy “WAC” games. But the bottom line is always the bottom line, and theSEC has won three straight BCS national titles and four since 2003. You never will witness more intensity and athleticism than was on display last December in Atlanta when Florida outlasted Alabama for the SEC title and the right to play for the national championship. You’re simply the best, SEC-just quit talking about it. – LA Times

Early losses by Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have knocked the Big 12 from atop the perch, making the SEC the nation’s toughest conference by default. I say this because we really don’t know how good the SEC is until the conference schedule begins. \With the exception of Alabama’s victory against Virginia Tech, none of the SEC’s heavyweights (Florida, LSU, Ole Miss) has been tested. Until then, we won’t know if it deserves to have four teams ranked in the top 10. The Big 12 may very well recover once the Sooners’ Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Sam Bradford, regains his health and if the Cowboys shake off an embarrassing loss to Houston. But for now, the SEC sits in a class of its own. – Sun Sentinel

Here we are, three weeks into the season, and the SEC has three teams ranked in the top four. No other conference comes close to being as dominant or as impressive. For those sick and tired of hearing about how great the SEC is, come up with a better argument for anyone else. The SEC is the only league without an embarrassing non-conference loss this season. You can argue it does not play as tough a non-conference schedule as the others, but unlike the ACC, teams in the SEC have managed to beat their lesser foes. The Mountain West was looking good until BYU imploded and Utah lost at Oregon. The Pac-10 was looking good until USC lost to yet another unranked team (albeit one from its own conference). The Big 12 has seen top-five teams Oklahoma and Oklahoma State lose to non-BCS teams. So that leaves us once again with the SEC looking down at everyone else. – Orlando Sentinel

Tough question, sort of like asking, Which day comes after Monday? Or, How many dimes are in a dollar? College football thrives on debates, but this point is not debatable. The mighty SEC is the clear choice. The two best pieces of evidence: The conference’s champion in 2006, 2007 and 2008 won the BCS title game. And don’t forget that it has three teams in the top four: Florida, Alabama and Ole Miss. Now, if someone wants to be a contrarian, he or she will point to the Big 12, and specifically Oklahoma State’s victory over Georgia. Well, it wasn’t a fair fight. Georgia is probably the fifth- or-sixth best team in the SEC; Oklahoma State is likely No. 3 in the Big 12. And the game was played in Stillwater. – Chicago Tribune