By Brian Harbach

The SEC Bachstory will be a weekly SEC recap posted every Monday morning breaking down all the big events from the previous weekend. In order to eliminate all confusion, the Bach in Bachstory is pronounced like back (Back to the Future, The Empire Strikes Back, Back in Black), you get the picture.

This week we take a look at the end of a 26-year bowl drought, the undisciplined Georgia Bulldogs, Steve Spurrier gone crazy and some early SEC Bowl Predictions. As usual the format is the same: please feel free to send me any comments or suggestions. Sorry this is a day late, but here we go…

The Weekend That Was

Many people were skeptical of my prediction that Vanderbilt would get to a bowl game after it seemed their season was falling apart. Injuries at the quarterback position caused backup Mackenzie Adams to lead the Commodores when Chris Nickson went down with a shoulder injury. Some thought it was actually better to have Adams step in since he seemed to have more command of the offense, but after a rough four game losing streak Bobby Johnson returned the man who put the team in a position to get five wins and that was Nickson.

Nickson led Vanderbilt to an amazing upset win over Kentucky in Lexington, continuing a trend that every game played by Kentucky is must see television. It seemed like win number six was likely to come at home this week against a struggling Volunteer team, but Nickson and the Commodores decided to make a statement against Kentucky. Nickson led Vandy with 155 passing yards, 118 rushing yards and he threw for three touchdowns. He put this team on his back and got the job done in a difficult environment. Great job by Vanderbilt, a bowl game is long overdue and well deserved.

The Weekend That Wasn’t

It is hard to see what Steve Spurrier was thinking when South Carolina game planned for Florida this weekend. He made Mark Richt’s onside kick call against Florida look like pure genius after he pulled one of the dumbest special teams trick plays ever witnessed. I am not sure what Spurrier was thinking by putting his formerly dominant defense in such a terrible position so early in the game. The defense played great, but once against turnovers doomed the Gamecocks as Chris Smelley had two first quarter interceptions.

Spurrier stated that Stephen Garcia is not ready to handle a complete game plan and that is why he has to rotate Garcia with Smelley, but I am not convinced that Smelley has any quarterbacking instincts. If there is one thing that is obvious from watching Garcia play is that he is a create gunslinger who is going to make great plays, but also make mistakes. Smelley on the other hand has done nothing to show anyone that he is ready to compete in the SEC week in and week out. Steve may be saving Garcia’s confidence for 2009, but he is losing valuable learning experiences for the kid. Give him two man routes to run more often so he can look two spots and then run, at some point Spurrier has to change his offense to fit his personnel, that is something he has never done in 4 season at South Carolina.

The Weekend That…What the Heck

I watched the end of the LSU/Troy game and I honestly thought the Bengal Tigers were going to lose before the fourth quarter started. As I watched the game unfold and LSU took control of the game offensively and defensively it was obvious that Troy could not get yards when they needed them. Of course Troy and LSU are not on equal talent levels, but teams should be able to hold onto a 31-10 lead going into the fourth quarter. LSU scored 30 points in the fourth to win the game, Troy had 5 drives in the last quarter and four of the five drives were 4 plays or less. Only the last drive to end the game by Troy was longer than 4 plays.

If I learned anything by watching that game it was that the Tony Franklin version of the spread couldn’t cut it in the SEC. This has nothing to do with the talent level that Troy had, there are different types of the spread offense and the Urban Meyer/Rich Rodriquez spread will work in the SEC because they run the ball and they run the ball out of different formations. The Spurrier/Franklin spread chuck and duck offense cannot succeed because when you need to get a yard and you need to line up and be physical, you just can’t. Troy threw 72 passes in the game, they couldn’t control the clock, they couldn’t keep the lead and LSU won one of the craziest games of the season.

The Weekend That Will Be

This is a very soft weekend in the SEC with a lot of the big boys on bye weeks or playing lesser opponents. The Vanderbilt/Tennessee game was supposed to be the big one, but with the Commodores clinching a bowl game last weekend, the game has become anti-climactic. The only game with two winning teams facing each other is Ole Miss facing LSU in Baton Rouge. We all remember the last time Houston Nutt was coaching in Baton Rouge, Darren McFadden went crazy on the Tigers in what ended up being just a bump in the road for the 2008 National Champions. The Gators get a visit from the Citadel and Arkansas travel to Mississippi State to try and get one game closer to a bowl.

Big Man on Campus (BMOC)

Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt
The first coach to win the BMOC award is Vanderbilt’s Bobby Johnson after getting his team to the postseason for the first time since 1982. Johnson has had more talented team than this one, but he has not done a better coaching job during his time in Nashville. If he takes a page out of the Jim Grobe playbook, he will stick with the Commodores after this year because he will be a hero on campus for years to come. He does have ties to Clemson and if Clemson wanted to make a smart hire they would get on the first plane to Nashville, but he should stay. He can win 6 games a year in his current job and maybe every couple years something special happens with the team like this year and he might be able to win 7 or 8. Coach Johnson is a great representative of the SEC and we are lucky to have him on our sidelines, stay with the SEC, you might end up in this section again if you do.

Player Now Doing Charlie Work (PNDCW)
As a note to those who do not know what “Charlie-Work” is, do yourself a favor and start watching It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (the episode called “Dennis and Dee go on Welfare” explains it perfectly).

The Georgia Bulldogs
Another lackluster performance from a team that was expected to be dominant, but continues to make the same mistakes over and over in games. Georgia did everything in its power to let Auburn almost upset them this weekend, good thing for the Bulldogs Auburn doesn’t like charity and decided to call plays as if they had Randy Moss running routes. The undisciplined nature of the Bulldog program has moved from the off field directly into the stadiums. They make stupid penalties at the worst times, they had 7 personal fouls this weekend in Auburn, and most of them were unsportsmanlike conduct penalties after the play was dead.

Mark Richt is doing his best Bobby Bowden impression and literally letting the dogs lose on the field without collars. I have said for years if Richt can’t control the players off the field, how can he do it on the field. They were never in the Florida game, but against Alabama they had 81 penalty yards, including three 15-yard flags that continued early Bama drives. Obviously stadiums aren’t working and sitting out games against Georgia Southern and Central Michigan aren’t giving the players a good picture either. Mark Richt, get a hold of your team.

4 Downs with the SEC

First Down – Jarrett Lee, Jekyll or Hyde?
Will the real Jarrett Lee please stand up, good thing this kid is just a freshmen because he would be in serious trouble from the fans if he was anything but because you never know what version is going to show up. He threw another pick six this weekend, making it seven on the year, but he was able to wake up late in the game to get LSU the win and keep them away from their most embarrassing loss at home since they lost to UAB in Nick Saban’s first year.

Lee has shown glimpses of brilliance along with moments of monumental brain freeze. The pick six he threw to Auburn defensive end Gabe Mackenzie was the worst pass in the history of college football. He followed up that disaster with two amazing TD passes to lead LSU past Auburn. Lee must have the mind of a defensive back because DB’s are always supposed to have a short memory and Jarrett has to have a short memory to forget some of his train wreck throws. All in all, the kid is just a freshmen and he is going to get better and better each year. He has played in big games this year and that experience is invaluable, he will be a great SEC QB sooner or later.

Second Down – Not Only Vandy clinched a bowl game
Welcome back to the postseason Ole Miss, the Running Rebels got win six against Louisiana Monroe this weekend and will be playing in a bowl game for the first time since 2003. The Rebels have a very good chance at finishing with seven wins and I am not ready to put it past them to get to eight wins. They travel to LSU this weekend to face a vulnerable Tiger team and Houston Nutt knows how to win in Baton Rouge.

The Rebels need an outstanding performance from their defensive line because LSU has the most talented offensive line in the SEC. The Wild Rebel might be enough to control the ball and keep LSU’s talented playmakers off the field and we know that Jarrett Lee is good for at least one meltdown a game so they should have a short field at least once. Nutt already has one signature road win this season, he might get his second, but no matter what he will get an opportunity to coach practices in December.

Third Down – Greatest SEC Championship Ever?
The subplots for the Alabama/Florida SEC Championship game are numerous and that is even before we talk about the possibility of this being a 1 vs. 2 Championship game. No, it isn’t likely that they will be 1 vs. 2, but it is not out of the question with Texas Tech playing Oklahoma in Norman and then Oklahoma playing Oklahoma State in Stillwater. The side stories are amazing, you have Tebow facing Alabama for the first time after coming close to choosing the Tide over the Gators. He has always said it was a tough decision, it is hard for those not close to the situation to believe that, but there may not be a more honest player in college football than Tebow so we can take him at his word.

This game matches the top two coaches in the SEC, probably two of the top 3 in the country. Both have won SEC championships, both have won National Titles and both are hated by everyone other fan base in the country outside of their own. The last time Florida and Alabama met in Atlanta was 1999 and that was the last time Alabama won and SEC Championship and played in a BCS bowl game. This is no doubt the best SEC Championship we have ever had and it is going to be a classic battle. Sometimes we wish we had a different match up like last year when we would have loved UGA vs. LSU, but this year we get what we all want.

Fourth Down – A quick look at the post season
The bowl season is shaping up and lists always get a good bit of discussion going, so these are my a little too early bowl predictions. As you may notice, I refuse to call games by their corporate name unless that is the way the game is known, tradition is too important to throw away because sponsors want their name and commercials all over the place. I will take a shot at the opponent because half the fun of talking bowl games is talking about the men you will be facing. One final note, please keep in mind rankings and records have nothing to do with the bowl game your team travels to, it is all about matchups and ticket sales. The Big 10 kind of screws us on this one, but it is what it is.

BCS National Championship- Florida vs. Texas
Sugar Bowl- Alabama vs. Ohio State
Citrus Bowl- Georgia vs. Michigan State
Outback Bowl- South Carolina vs. Minnesota
Cotton Bowl- LSU vs. Texas Tech
Peach Bowl- Kentucky vs. North Carolina
Music City Bowl- Ole Miss vs. Virginia Tech (updated pick)
Liberty Bowl- Vanderbilt vs. Tulsa

Another crazy weekend in the SEC, what did you guys think? E-mail me Brian Harbach

Y’all Play Nice Week Twelve, November 13, 2008
The SEC Bachstory, November 10, 2008
Y’all Play Nice Week Eleven, November 6, 2008
The SEC Bachstory, November 3, 2008
Y’all Play Nice Week Ten, October 30, 2008
The SEC Bachstory, October 27, 2008
The Return of Houston Nutt, October 23, 2008
Y’all Play Nice - Week Nine, October 23, 2008
The SEC Bachstory, October 20, 2008
Y’all Play Nice - Week Eight, October 16, 2008
The SEC Bachstory, October 13, 2008
The Tony Franklin Fiasco, October 10, 2008
Y’all Play Nice - Week Seven, October 9, 2008
The SEC Bachstory, October 6, 2008
What is Wrong with Clemson, October 3, 2008
Y’all Play Nice - Week Six, October 2, 2008
The SEC Bachstory, September 29, 2008
Pac 10, you have a problem, September 26, 2008
Y’all Play Nice - Week Five, September 25, 2008
The SEC Bachstory, September 22, 2008
Harbach’s Picks - Week Four, September 18, 2008
Y’all Play Nice - Week Four, September 18, 2008
The SEC Bachstory, September 15, 2008
Y’all Play Nice - Week Three, September 11, 2008
The SEC Bachstory, September 8, 2008
Harbach’s SEC Picks Week Two, September 3, 2008
Y’all Play Nice Week Two, September 3, 2008
The SEC Bachstory, September 1, 2008
SEC Picks Week One, August 28, 2008
Y’all Play Nice, August 28, 2008
The SEC Bachstory, August 25, 2008
Y’all Play Nice, August 21, 2008
The SEC Bachstory, August 18, 2008
Has Spurrier Failed at USC?, August 15, 2008
The SEC Bachstory, August 11, 2008
The SEC Bachstory, August 3, 2008
Harbach's Top 5 SEC Offensive Players by Position, July 27, 2008
Harbach's Top 5 SEC Defensive Players by Position, July 27, 2008
Harbach's Top SEC Games, July 13, 2008
Championship Game Hurts SEC, July 6, 2008
Harbach's 2008 SEC Preview, June 30, 2008
Let's Get This Started, June 9, 2008