John Clay's Sidelines

(AP photo)

SEC links for Thursday: Memphis knocked off Tennessee 69-51 to beat the Volunteers for the second time this basketball season. Memphis had beaten UT in Maui. Plus, Auburn is rocked by Florida State in Tallahassee. In football news, both LSU and Alabama arrived in New Orleans for BCS title game. Meanwhile, Arkansas gears up for Friday night’s Cotton Bowl. And rumors say Michael Dyer may be leaving Auburn to join his offensive coordinator at Arkansas State.

• Memphis whips cold-shooting Vols, reports Mike Griffith of KNS.
• Beating UT doubly satisfying, says Geoff Calkins of Commercial Appeal.
• FSU pounds Auburn, reports Cole Harvey of Orlando Sentinel.
• Vandy surging as SEC play begins, writes David Paschall of Free Press.

After being in the mix for several other head coaching jobs, including Vanderbilt, Auburn’s creative offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn is hired by Arkansas State. So the Tigers are replacing both their OC and DC after Ted Roof left for Central Florida.

In other news, Mississippi State won another basketball game. So did South Carolina as the Gamecocks rallied to beat Presbyterian.

• Malzahn new coach at Arkansas State, reports Birmingham News’ Charles Goldberg.
• Malzahn to be introduced this afternoon, says Joel Erickson of Ledger-Enquirer.
• Bost rescues Mississippi State, reports Brandon Marcello of C-L.
• South Carolina beats Presbyterian, reports Andrew Shain of The State.

SEC links for Thursday:

• NCAA ends investigation into Newton recruitment, reports Advertiser’s Jay Tate.
• NCAA closure vindicates Auburn, says Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News.
• Joe Medley of Anniston Star says that proof beat perception.
• Not sure how you can fault the NCAA, says Jeff AJC’s Jeff Schultz.
• Many share blame in Garcia saga, writes Ron Morris of The State.
• Press Association objects to Spurrier, reports Post and Courier.
• Florida’s Murphy and Larson thankful for return, reports Sun’s Kevin Brockway.
• Donovan close to signing contract extension, reports Rachel George of Sentinel.
• Lopsided games have dominated early SEC schedule, says Brett Martel of AP.
• Chavis downplays return to Tennessee, reports Times-Picayune’s Jim Kleinpeter.
• Don Kausler of the Birmingham News goes inside an Alabama football halftime.
• Bama’s Jones takes pie to the face, reports Chase Goodbread of Tuscaloosa News.
• Ole Miss knows upsets can happen, writes Hugh Kellenberger of C-L.
• No decision on Vandy quarterback, reports Jeff Lockridge of Tennessean.
• Florida linebacker will transfer, reports Matt Watts of Miami Herald.
• Chip Towers of AJC writes on realities of Georgia’s Dream Team recruiting.

SEC links for Sunday:

• Fans are seeing red, but players like Georgia’s new football uniforms
• Spurrier says South Carolina is a “bunch of overrated dudes right now”
• Joe Medley: Not disrespect, just logic that has Auburn at No. 23 in AP poll
• Dissecting the AP college football poll
• Angry Les Miles promises more discipline at LSU
• Is karma catching up to LSU?
• No compliance director can save a school from a rouge booster
• Will Muschamp backs Florida assistant coach mentioned in Miami scandal story
• Ole Miss decides to let quarterback battle continue
• Vanderbilt quarterback spot crowded with transfer
• At Alabama, Nick Saban likes his quarterbacks
• Petrino confident in team leadership at Arkansas

Continue reading ‘SEC: Fans seeing red over Georgia’s new uniforms’

SEC links for Wednesday:

• Tony Jones says former Tennessee basketball staff was told not to elaborate to NCAA, reports Mike Griffith of the KNS.
• Housing issue could sideline LSU’s Sheppard, reports Les East of The Advocate.
• Janoris Jenkins says he’d still be a Gator if Meyer were coaching, reports Mike Bianchi of Orlando Sentinel.
• Ole Miss aims to raise $150 million for athletics, reports Hugh Kellenberger of C-L.
• NCAA clears Jarvis Jones to play, reports Seth Emerson of L-E.
• Carter’s status still in limbo at Alabama, reports Izzy Gould of Birmingham News.
• Tennessean’s David Climer says new coach’s attitude could fix Vanderbilt.
• Auburn freshman wild card in quarterback race, reports Jay G. Tate of Advertiser.
• State goes into isolation mode, writes Brad Locke of Daily Journal.
• Spurrier sees no reason to tweet, reports Charleston Post and Courier.
• Swearinger prepares for breakout issue, reports Edward Aschoff of espn.com.
• Robinson wants Arkansas to remember, reports News’ Robbie Neiswanger.

Mike Slive (AP photo/Dave Martin)

SEC links for Thursday:

• SEC commissioner Mike Slive has too much to do to retire, writes Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News.
• Joe Medley of the Anniston Star writes that the SEC commissioner started off the proceedings with some big talk about academic reform and NCAA rules.
• Slive shows he wants to be out in front of the debate, says my H-L column.
• Slive wants to alter the landscape, writes Mark Schlabach of espn.com.
• The commish has ideas and they’re not stupid, says Gregg Doyel of CBS Sports.
• Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel argues that Ron Zook left Urban Meyer a better program at Florida than Meyer left Will Muschamp.
• Mark Bradley of the AJC doesn’t think Muschamp is the next Zook.
• South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier has his old swagger back after winning division title, writes Mike Herndon of the Mobile Press-Register.
• Spurrier knows that repeating won’t be easy, reports Jennifer Smith of the H-L.
• With former UK associate AD Scott Stricklin at the helm, Mississippi State pulls in a record $37.6 million in private donations, reports the AP.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Slive’s big ideas, Spurrier’s swagger and Gators’ chip’

Steve Spurrier (AP photo)

Around here, the big news out of the SEC Spring Meetings was the coaches’ recommendation to scrap division formats.

But in Destin, site of the meetings, the intriguing news was produced by Steve Spurrier’s proposal to pay players $300 a game.

SEC commissioner Mike Slive was cool to the idea, and NCAA president Mark Emmertt labeled it a non-starter. Still, especially in light of what is going on at Ohio State, expect to hear a lot more on the issue.

Click on the continue line for today’s SEC links:

Continue reading ‘SEC: Spurrier’s pay-the-players idea spurs debate’

(The State photo)

SEC links for Wednesday:

• Former N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson could end up at an SEC school, writes Doug Segrest of the Birmingham News.
• Tuscaloosa is starting to rebound, writes Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News.
• Ole Miss basketball player arrested for public intoxication, reports Parrish Alford of the NE Mississippi Daily Journal.
• Former UT tight end, and Berea native Luke Stocker, thinks his background will help in the pros, writes Patrick Brown of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
• Steve Spurrier and Dabo Swinney face off in a friendlier setting, writes Josh Kendall of The State.
• What if Tennessee football went from Fulmer to Dooley? asks Austin Ward of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Ex-NC State quarterback could end up in SEC’

(AP photo/Mark Humphrey)

SEC links for Thursday:

• Vanderbilt could not have worked a better late-game play, getting an Andre Walker bucket with 4.1 seconds left to beat visiting Marquette 77-76 last night at Memorial Gym, reports Jeff Lockridge of the Tennessean. It was also fun watching the bald Kevin Stallings match wits with the bald Buzz Williams.
• Tennessee men’s basketball team held off UT-Martin 68-62 last night, reports Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News-Sentinel. The Vols needed to hit nine of 10 free throws down the stretch to win it. Scotty Hopson led the way with 17 points.
• Meanwhile, LP Field has become Knoxville West for tonight’s Music City Bowl game between Tennessee and North Carolina, reports Bryan Mullen of the Tennessean. It’s a 6:40 p.m. kickoff on ESPN. Remember the bowl days when it was Lexington South?
• Back to basketball, where Mike Strange of the News-Sentinel writes that close scares are the norm for Tennessee hoops. Bruce Pearl said afterward, “”I was hoping all the media was in Nashville with the football team. “Unfortunately I’m disappointed to see you guys.”
• Mississippi State’s long nightmare of a road trip finally ended with a 94-72 loss at St. Mary’s, reports the AP. Rick Stansbury may be ruing the day he laid eyes on Renardo Sidney.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Vandy gets big win, but Tennessee takes Nashville’

Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon. His team meets Tennessee today. (AP photo)

SEC links for Saturday:

• Vols ready for Big East battle, reports Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• Vanderbilt targets Gus Malzahn, reports Jeff Lockridge of the Tennessean.
• Auburn OC has job options, writes Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News.
• Hesiman could be a runaway, says Matt Hinton of Yahoo Sports.
• Media shouldn’t be Heisman story, writes Dan Wolken of the Commercial Appeal.
• Meyer a coaching cop-out, writes Mike Bianchi of Orlando Sentinel.
• It’s a pressure-packed job, writes Gene Wojciechowski of espn.com.
• Florida’s Foley keeps low profile, says Edward Aschoff of Gainesville Sun.
• Dan Mullen in rumor-deflecting mode right now, writes David Brandt of the AP.
• Successor speculation all around UF, writes Jason Lieser of Palm Beach Post.

Continue reading ‘Tennessee ready for Pitt; Vandy targets Gus Malzahn’