I agree that the best team in the West this year will not be in Atlanta. Even though we had help last year, at least we earned the SEC championship. We lost two of the best offensive players in LSU history from that team but that is no excuse for this year. However, injuries to Mauck, Teaux, and the DJ thing certainly have factored into this team's fate. If all were healthy, I think Sat. night would have been a good, competitive game. If Bama would've paid their lease pymt on time two years ago instead of giving it to Means, their streak might still be alive.
I sure wish we could be in Atlanta this year and get another shot at Georgia. The Bulldogs are not the same team that beat us earlier, not saying that as an excues, they beat us fair and square. Guess we will have to be content with a trip to Hawai'i and sitting home watching bowl games this year and next.
It's hard to believe that the NCAA... acting in a decent manner uncommon to that body, went out of its way to proclaim that two years of investigation had not found any current player implicated in any way - and yet, middle-aged men with wounded egos find it necessary to blame innocent kids in order to salve themselves. The moment I hear an ignorant fan start whining about the other team's players being "bought," I know exactly what kind of person I'm reading.
I just want to say that "yes" our previous regime did allow a booster to pay Albert Means. I repeat Albert Means. He is no longer with our program and to say that we are winning with a team full of paid players is just wrong. The NCAA did a very lengthy in dept investigation. It went on long enough that I'm sure if there was a current player being paid they would have found it. Now, we deserved what we got! It is no fun being on probation. We are paying for the crime. But, don't take away the accomplishments of young kids that are just trying their best and had absoulety nothing to do with the payment of Albert Means. Thats just not fair. I am not a flamer and I sincerly hope no one takes it that way. I'm just trying to defend the innocent. I'm not whinning either! what happened was wrong and we are being punished. Okay, OKay, I know enough already!!! Good luck anyway. I'll be pulling for ya on Saturday!
Delusion Oh Lordy, there must be something in the water over there in Alabama. Delusion and denial run rampant. Does any one really believe deep down in their hearts that this was an isolated incident? Does any one truly believe that this Means kid was the only athlete shopped by his unscrupulous coach, and that this is the sole time that Alabama took advantage of such a shopping opportunity? ? Is it possible that any body truly believes that there are no other such incidents? Pleeeese!!!
I didn't say I believed it, I said they didn't find anything else. I also believe every college in America has been guilty of it at one time or another. We are being punished! What else can we do! I'm not agueing about it . I don't like controversy so I'm backing out on this one.
Gray, if you believe that such doesn't involve.. your school, then you're in really deep denial. Maybe you subscribe to the Roy Adams (TeenStud) school of a "shining beacon on a hill." Wait, there're no hills down there. (g) Every school has booster problems. The way we're going, the SEC schools will go down like dominoes, with the conference to follow. Good luck with blame-slinging. It's obvious that you don't know nor understand the UA/UT dynamics in this situation, for which I don't blame you.