Southern Football TV on ESPN2

One of my dreams has always been to be on ESPN2. On Saturday, October 16, Southern Football TV aired on ESPN2. What a grand moment. If you want to see the Athens show, go to http://www.secsportsreport.com/seceast/southern-football-tv-visits-athens-ga.shtml

If you would like to see the Auburn show, go to http://www.secfootballtv.com/

Phillip Fulmer and Tennessee Football Need to Make it Happen in 2007

by Jay Holgate
SEC Sports Report


ATLANTA, GA-- The Volunteers in the Southeast are getting restless. Tennessee fans are ready to be the SEC East Champions. And it's about time Tennessee returned to the top of the SEC. If not in 2007, when? Tennessee has a seasoned Senior quarterback, Senior and Junior dominated defense and best of all, Florida and Georgia are in a re-loading year with new players and new defenses. Head Coach Phillip Fulmer begins his 16th year with more pressure than ever and is finding that it is rocky at the top of the Southeastern Conference.

Couple of Weeds in the Garden. Most fans have not forgotten the 2005 season which ended 5-6 with no bowl game. The loss to Vandy at the end of the season was the heartbreaker. Phillip Fulmer was forced to shake up his staff, and he traded offensive coordinator Randy Sanders for David Cutcliffe. For two years in a row, Tennessee has not given Phillip Fulmer a raise but they have extended his contract. When giving raises to Fulmer's assistants, the University stated that the raises were based on performance. The statement was a signal to Fulmer that he needed to do better. Fulmer got the message and in the spring, Fulmer even said that a national championship for football could happen very soon. We found this to be a surprising statement. However, Fulmer should be able to live off the 2 million a year paycheck, but it always helps when the University establishment gives a vote of confidence with yearly increases in salary. After all, Tennessee finished 2nd in the SEC East in 2006 behind the National Champion Florida Gators.

Thorns in the Flesh. Three Coaches could give Fulmer major problems in 2007 from a psychological viewpoint. Saban, Spurrier and Brooks. If Tennessee loses to Alabama and South Carolina, Vols all over the country will feel their program has slipped and the other schools have moved up the competitive ladder. Fulmer can't afford to lose to Spurrier and Saban in 07 because they are just going to be better in the future. A loss to Kentucky would end a series of 22 wins in a row for Tennessee. Kentucky played Tennessee until the end in 06 and is returning all their playmakers in 07. Should be a good game in Lexington, Kentucky, but Vols consider this game every year to be a gimme; so a loss would be hard to take.

It's a Slippery Slope in the SEC. Tennessee has been getting great talent for years. The Tennessee roster is full of superior athletes from all over the country. The SEC East was Tennessee and Florida dominated for years. But now the dominator from Florida is at South Carolina; another great coach has moved into Florida; and Georgia has emerged as a consistent challenger for the SEC title every year under Coach Mark Richt. Vanderbilt and Kentucky have improved, and Tennessee's SEC West rival Alabama is on track for greatness with Nick Saban. So that means Phillip Fulmer is going to have to get used to the pressure because it will be there week in and week out. Fulmer knows it. The fans can feel the competition getting better. It's a bad feeling when you are used to being at the top.

2007 Must Be A Rock Solid Year for the Vols. Tennessee starts the year with an experienced quarterback and potential Heisman candidate in Erik Ainge. At 6'6 and 220 lbs, the Senior has the talent to get it done. Ainge has worked under the tutelage of David Cutcliffe who is one of the best offensive coordinators in the country. If Ainge can't get it done, there is 6'4, 230 lb Jonathon Crompton waiting in the wings. If you look at the defense, it has the advantage of being covered with seniors and junior starters. Tennessee plays an inexperienced but talented Florida team early and an inexperienced but athletic Georgia team before mid-season which is the best time to play them; so they are catching two great schools before they get their rhythm. The big rivalry with Alabama is in Tuscaloosa but Tennessee will be playing the Crimson Tide in a transition year with a new coach. Alabama will be better next year than this year and so will Florida and Georgia. South Carolina and Arkansas are played at home so that should help in competing with these two teams.

Rock, Paper, Scissors. In recent years, Tennessee has been too inconsistent to predict their performance from week to week. The Vols had moments of pure brillance in Athens and then gave up 4th quarter leads in big games in Knoxville. Fulmer is an optimist and has stated that the Vols were a couple of plays from being undefeated in 06. Most of the fans remember the close games of Air Force 31-30, South Carolina 31-24 and Kentucky 17-12 and see the season as being a couple plays from being 6-6. It's all a matter of perspective. From where I'm sitting, Tennessee has their best chance to win the SEC East in 07, and they had better take advantage of it. Because the SEC East is getting bigger, stronger, and faster every day. And it's rocky at the top of the Southeastern Conference in 2007.

Jay Holgate is an analyst and sports writer for http://www.secsportsreport.com

Steve Spurrier Wins Golf Challenge with Tommy Tuberville

By Jay Holgate
secsportsreport.com


BREAKING......


Birmingham, AL---University of South Carolina Head Football Coach Steve Spurrier wins the golf challenge with Auburn Tigers Head Football Coach Tommy Tuberville at the Region Charity Classic.

Spurrier won the match on the 13th hole but the group finished all 18 holes. As part of the agreed challenge, Coach Tommy Tuberville wrote out a check for $15,000 to a charity.

Coach Spurrier is a big believer in momentum and this win gives him a big push as his Gamecock team goes into summer work outs.

DEVELOPING....


Links: http://www.wltx.com/sports/story.aspx?storyid=49791

The Nick Saban Bowl--LSU vs Alabama in Tuscaloosa

By Jay Holgate

secsportsreport.com


ATLANTA,GA--It is too early to be talking about November football games. But there is so much energy about the 2007 SEC football season that we just can't help ourselves but to let you in on the Biggest Game.

We are giving you full, advance notice of the biggest SEC game for 2007. Mark November 3rd on your calendar, there will be no bigger game in all of college football for 2007. The media will hype this game to an all-time new level.

The Game--The Saban Bowl. Former LSU Great Coach Nick Saban will play host in Tuscoloosa Alabama to current LSU coach Les Miles. When Nick Saban was at LSU, he beat Alabama 4 out of 5 times. No wonder Alabama fans wanted him so badly as their head coach. For this game, the Crimson Tide believe they have the coach who will lead them to victory.

For Les Miles, there can be no bigger game. The Alabama game is his time to prove he is the superior coach of the two. LSU alumni would love to see Miles win and win big. Not only did LSU have the #1 draft pick but LSU sent a record four players to the NFL in the first round. Out of all the colleges in the United States, 1 out every 8 players in the first round was an LSU football player. A total of 13 LSU players signed professional contracts. That is amazing.

LSU Has Re-Loaded--Apparantly, LSU has re-loaded with talent. All the major sports magazines consistently put LSU at the top of the SEC West. With a defense lead by Glenn Dorsey and a front seven that is supposed to be the strongest group ever in Tiger town. LSU has a favorable road schedule and they get their toughest opponents (Florida, Spurrier's Gamecocks, Auburn, Arkansas) under the lights in Tiger Stadium.

The one negative for LSU in our opinion going into this game, is that one of the few athletes left over from Saban's days happens to be starting quarterback Matt Flynn. You can bet your bottom dollar Saban is going to use every angle he knows to get into his former recruit's head. And 92,000 screaming Tide fans will help increase the pressure for the athlete from Tyler, Texas.

Saban Always Plays to Win--And then there is national championship coach, Nick Saban. Highest paid coach in the SEC and worth even more. Left Miami with the job unfinished but with a hope of returning Alabama football to its glory days. Took over an Alabama team that hadn't met potential and couldn't beat Auburn. Saban has to win to prove he is the best coach in college football. By all accounts, Saban is making Alabama better. Saban has raised the bar, and focused the team on playing better, more physical football.

This LSU-Alabama game is going to be huge. As always, the world will completely change over the next six months so we will call this game, two days before kick-off.

Jay Holgate is a staff writer for the SEC Sports Report.