Wow! Can you believe that the regular college football season is over? It seems like just yesterday it was the first weekend in September, and we were looking forward to another exciting football season... especially in the Southeastern Conference. I will be the first one to admit- if you would have told me what this season held, I would have never believed you. Auburn University, playing for a BCS National Championship? Cam Newton, leading contender for the Heisman trophy? Yeah, right.
So, with all the craziness of football season, I would like to commemorate the end of football season with my season highlights. This year, it was truly anything on any day in the SEC! Warning- these highlights may appear to be lowlights for fans of certain other higher educational institutions.
10. Les Miles, the "Mad Hatter," has continued success. OK, he is the "Mad Hatter," so no one is really shocked by that. Anaylsts have always said that it takes a certain amount of luck paired with ability to be a truly successful program. Regardless of the amount of talent on the team, Miles always has luck on his side.
9. Alshon Jeffrey. I believe the former rotten apple of the SEC, Lane Kiffin, was quoted as saying something along the lines of- "If Alshon Jeffrey goes to South Carolina, he will end up pumping gas for a living." Once again, Lane Kiffin was so wrong. In my opinion, Jeffrey is the best receiver in the league. At 6'4", he will lead the Gamecocks in another successful season next year.
8. Mark Ingram was named Second Team All-SEC. In the most powerful league in the country, that is not too shabby. Oh wait, he won the Heisman last year. Second Team is a little disappointing for the 2009 Heisman winner.
7. Urban Meyer retires, part two. Today, Urban Meyer announced that he would retire from one of the most prestigious jobs in college football- head coach at the University of Florida. Really, is he old enough to retire? I read a tweet that said if JoePa had retired at Meyer's age, it would have been about 1972. That would be about right. Tomorrow will tell if Meyer is serious this go round.
6. The SEC East. The SEC East had a surprising lack of talent and success this season. Better luck next year.
5. Nick Fairley. Seriously. I do not think there is a quarterback in the conference that does not have nightmares about #90. Fairley, like Newton, was not named to the preseason All-SEC team. That is ok. I am sure as he accepted the Lombardi Award for best lineman in the country tonight, that was not on his mind. Just as Newton served as the catalyst for the Auburn offense, Fairley served as the catalyst for the Auburn defense. His athleticism and ability has been compared to the likes of Tracy Rocker, who ironically serves as Fairley's position coach.
4. South Carolina. Hello America. They made their first appearance in the SEC Championship game in school history. Do not be surprised if they are back next year. Regardless of the margin of loss in the SEC Championship game this year, they are undoubtedly the best team in the SEC East. With all of their returning players and Spurrier as coach, look for them to be a major contender for the SEC title next year.
3. Alabama lost three games. Count them- South Carolina, LSU, Auburn. Who would have thought, the defending National Champion would end their season as the "best three-loss team" in the country.
2. The entire football season centered around Cam Newton. Ridiculous. It is not fair to every other player in the sport. In this case, it was not fair to the player himself. With every day came a new story. You never knew what was going to appear on the news. The most highly-respected sports commentators admitted that they had never seen a case that evan began to compare to Cameron Newton's case. On one hand, legitimate allegations were being made; yet, there was a startling lack of material evidence. Thayer Evans spearheaded an all-out smear campaign against the best player in college football. Cam Newton will accept his Heisman in New York City Saturday night, and his greatness will forever be ingrained in the history books.
1. War Damn Eagle. That is right, my team, with our highly praised and equally criticized quarterback, is Glendale, Arizona bound. Never, in my wildest dreams, would I have even considered a national championship game as a possibility. The Auburn family has been blessed with an amazing season, unparalleled by any before it. On January 8th, I will be boarding an airplane headed to Arizona. Let's hope Auburn can bring home the fifth consecutive BCS National Championship to the SEC! Five in a row- that is dominance if I have ever seen it!
Well guys, it has been an amazing season. The best part is yet to come- let's bring home another Championship! War Damn Eagle!
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