The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is in the rear view but some of the most consequential football of the Bulldogs’ season remains to be played. Let’s catch up on the news that’s making news in Bulldog Nation so you can get on with getting ready for the road ahead.
The Red and Black open as a 7.5 point road favorite over the Mississippi State Bulldogs. That seems about right against a Bizarro Bulldog team that’s shown a good bit of fight against tough league opponents but hasn’t really broken through to beat them until last week. The Fightin’ Jeff Lebbys pulled off a 38-35 victory over floundering Arkansas, their first SEC win of the season. It sounds like there’s a renewed sense of optimism in Starkville as a result.
Speaking of SEC teams that showed a lot of fight but didn’t collect many wins in the process, Auburn finally had enough of the Hugh Freeze experiment, parting with their third year head coach on Sunday after a 10-3 loss to Kentucky.
The Plainsmen will owe Freeze $16 million under the terms of his buyout, having also paid out $15 million to his predecessor Bryan Harsin when he was let go and $21 million to Gus Malzahn when he was cut loose. Imagine how many more sets of crayons and Dick & Jane books they could stick in the library if they didn’t have to keep doing that.
Of course the Auburn opening is yet another “quality” job that has to be filled by someone. There’s pretty consistent speculation that Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann will get a hard look to be that someone. Schumann’s career path is certainly leading toward a head coaching gig, and after 5 seasons as co-defensive coordinator and 2 seasons helming the job on his own it feels like the time is now.
Schumann’s exit would deprive Kirby of one of the few remaining staffers from his original crew in Athens. But Bulldog fans have grown increasingly restless with Schumann’s unit. Also, if you’re Kirby Smart part of the sales pitch for working in the pressure cooker that is UGA football is that if you’re successful you’ll get a shot to run your own program. Mel Tucker and Dan Lanning both got premier head coaching gigs after being in Schumann’s seat. It might not be the worst thing for someone else to now get that same shot.
Go ‘Dawgs!!!
