There is no excuse for players being suspended for bowl games due to academics. John Jenkins, the Georgia nose tackle, has been suspended for the Capital One Bowl due to grades. Jenkins was a second-team All-SEC selection by the coaches and the media. He is eighth on the Bulldogs with 50 tackles and fourth on the team with 15 quarterback hurries.
The suspension is squarely on Jenkins. Players have to pass somewhere between six and nine hours in order to be eligible. I don’t mean get an “A”. I mean just pass the class. Schools give players every opportunity imaginable, including tutors, to pass their classes. It reflects poorly on Jenkins not to play in this game.
Georgia is looking to end its season on a positive note after losing the SEC title game to Alabama. Junior Kwame Geathers will replace Jenkins in the starting lineup. Coach Mark Richt said earlier this week that Jenkins’ loss could be softened if defensive end Abry Jones is able to return from an ankle injury.
TIGERS MOVING? Respected LSU beat writer Scott Rabalais in his Christmas column from The Baton Rouge Advocate asked the question should LSU leave the SEC for another conference such as the Big 12. He cites frustration from Tigers’ fans concerning the SEC schedule annually being unfair. Frankly, the SEC schedule is unfair to some team every year. The league is doing a yeoman’s job to keep it balanced. LSU even entertaining moving to the Big 12 would be a mistake since the conference has an uneven distribution of money. Texas makes nearly $60 million more than Oklahoma, the team that brings in the second largest amount of money.
TEAM NOTES
ALABAMA: One of the key matchups to watch in the BCS National Title game is Alabama center Barrett Jones against Notre Dame nose tackle Louis Nix. Jones, who said he has a sprained ankle, has yet to practice with the team. If he is limited then Ryan Kelly will back him up. Kelly is expected to replace Jones next season.
ANOTHER COWBOY CLASSIC: According to Tidesports.com, Alabama will likely return to Arlington, Texas, in 2015 for its season opener in the Cowboys Classic. In September, the Crimson Tide made its Cowboys Classic debut with a 41-14 win over Michigan. Alabama will play Virginia Tech in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic in 2013 and return to Atlanta to open the 2014 season against West Virginia.
TIDE SENIOR CLASS NUMBERS: ESPN.com notes that Alabama’s senior class has won 60 games over the past five seasons, the most in league history and is tied with Nebraska (1993-97) for the most in major college football history. The Tide has won 48 games over the past four seasons. They can break the SEC record they share with Florida (2006-09) and tie the NCAA record of 49 shared by Nebraska (1994-97) and Boise State (2006-09) if they defeat Notre Dame.
FLORIDA: Offensive lineman Matt Patchan and defensive back De’Ante’ ‘Pop’ Saunders are transferring from Florida. Neither made much of an impact during their career. According to the Gainesville Sun, Patchan, a redshirt junior, missed this season with a strained pectoral muscle. He missed nine games in 2009 with a knee injury and the 2010 season with a wrist injury, but played in 12 games in 2011 (seven starts) at right tackle. He will be eligible to play at his new school because he received his undergraduate degree earlier this month.
Saunders was suspended for a violation of team rules in November. He did not play in Florida’s final two regular season games and was ruled out for the bowl game. Saunders also missed the first two games of 2012 for disciplinary reasons. He started seven of the eight games he played at either nickel back or safety and had 18 tackles, one interception, one fumble recovery and four pass breakups. Saunders was arrested for marijuana possession in May 2011, and a separate issue caused him to be suspended for last year’s game against Alabama.
LSU: Going back to the final drive against Alabama, the LSU secondary has allowed 1,036 yards passing and six touchdowns in three games, plus the one drive according to Nola.com. This has to be good news for Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd coming into the Chick-fil-A bowl.
The Advocate.com is reporting that LSU junior quarterback Zach Mettenberger said he will return to the Tigers for his senior season. Mettenberger even admitted that a quarterback who throws for only 2,400 yards and 11 touchdowns will not be drafted.
MISSISSIPPI STATE: Two streaks are on the line in the Gator Bowl. The Bulldogs are tied with Rutgers for the nation’s longest active bowl winning streak at five. Northwestern hasn’t won a postseason game since 1949, when it won the Rose Bowl. The Wildcats have since lost nine straight bowl games, tied for the worst streak in NCAA history.
VANDERBILT: A Music City Bowl win over N. C. State means the Commodores would finish with a 9-4 record, which would be their first nine-win season since 1915.
Did you know that Vandy has the SEC’s longest current winning streak at six games? Here is a list of teams and the best winning streaks: Vanderbilt: 6, Texas A&M 5, Florida 4, South Carolina 4, Alabama 3 and South Carolina 3.
DUKE: Duke was about to score with three minutes to go to win the Belk Bowl against Cincinnati and ended up losing by two touchdowns. Here are the points Duke’s defense has allowed in last five games (all losses): FSU 48 points, Clemson 56, Georgia Tech 42, Miami 52 and Cincinnati 48. Their offseason goal of rebuilding the Blue Devils defense is obvious. Still, coach David Cutcliffe did a nice job of getting his team to a bowl game.
Former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville has inherited a nice job at Cincinnati if you look at the past few years: The Bearcat records are: 2006 (8-5), 2007 (10-3), 2008 (11-3), 2009 (12-1), 2010 (4-8), 2011 (10-3) and 1212 (10-3). This is a nice stretch with multiple coaches.
GEORGIA TECH: Coach Paul Johnson confirmed Thursday to AJC.com that safety Isaiah Johnson will miss the Sun Bowl with a vague “lower extremity” injury. A junior, Johnson is the team’s leading tackler with 87.
BAYLOR: After the Holiday Bowl win over UCLA, Baylor is 11-1 in the months of November and December over last 2 seasons.