Sidelines & Headlines

Spring Football and Other Stuff Too

Jim Hardin and Blake Giles are back to talk about spring football, and everything else that crosses their mind, like Blake injuring his big toe, Jim going to watch Clemson’s spring football game where Dabo Swinny offered running commentary from the field, Blake went to G-Day and saw seven quarterbacks play, Jake Bobo gets to play for his father, OC Mike Bobo; Auburn turns to Byron Brown, South Florida transfer; Arch Manning played poorly in the Texas spring game; Brendan Sorsby is suing to get his eligibility after he was found to have gambled, an NCAA no-no; which sparked a short discussion on Shoeless Joe Jackson and Pete Rose; did you know that Ron Blomberg was the first designated hitter in the Majors; the Big 10 is bragging about its first-round performance in the NFL draft; how could Ohio State not win the national title with four of the top 12 players drafted?; where is the NIL money coming from?; Georgia is being precautious with Nate Frazier (precautious? Is that a word?); Zachariah Branch’s arrest was not much news after he was drafted by the Falcons; the five years for five seasons of eligibility seems like a good rule; the NCAA has to fight in court over and over again to maintain its rules; Georgia is keeping its football players by and large, but the basketball teams are turning over; the Bulldogs still recruit well in high school; Georgia is the standard that everyone shoots for; can Indiana win again?; the SEC will experiment with ABS in its conference tournament; will ABS become a thing in college baseball?; fun fact: the Savannah Bananas have played in Kyle Field at Texas A&M more than the Georgia Bulldogs; how is Texas not better than they were; Arkansas and three other schools are dropping their tennis programs; Jim likes Texas next year; Blake is high on Georgia; why did Alabama extend Kalen DeBoer’s contract, which practically guarantees he will be the coach for two more years?; Georgia is blessed to have alum Kirby Smart as its head coach; Auburn faces a tough schedule but Jim likes their quarterback; how did Auburn fall off the top of the food chain?; one reason, its biggest rivals—Alabama and Georgia—have been very good at the same time; Auburn has to keep playing them every year, along with ascendant Vanderbilt; Will Muschamp may revive Texas’s defense; will Lane Kiffin get LSU back in contention?; Jared Curtis says he will win a national championship at Vanderbilt; Blake saw Maxie Foster of Athens honored as the first scholarshipped black athlete at Georgia’ before the five, Ken Dious and James Hurley were the first blacks who practiced at Georgia; Sylvester Boler could have been “Herschel Walker” before Herschel; Boler starred when Georgia rallied to beat Tennessee and Condredge Holloway, “the artful dodger;” Georgia radio announces a new broadcast duo; Jim believes Florida has a good head coach; Jim is headed to the beach; Blake is cruising; they talk gardening; Blake visited his old friends Brian and Becky Tankersley at Double Branches Farm in Lincolnton to get some strawberries; they visited a brisket cooking and testimony event featuring Russ Tanner at Colbert Baptist Church; Jane Bath is the author of Landscape Design Answer Book; Jim talks vegetable gardening.

Indiana Completes the Dream Season

Hosts Jim Hardin and Blake Giles review the CFP championship game, won by Indiana, 27-21 over Miami, earning the first football title for the school. Then they look at the preseason rankings and the final AP rankings. Twelve teams ranked in the preseason failed to finish in the top 25. Most disappointing? Penn State, Clemson, LSU and Florida. Which team will emerge next year? Has the Big 10 surpassed the SEC? Georgia adds a late quarterback recruit. The Falcons underwhelmed with their hire. Both pick the Seahawks and Patriots to advance to the Super Bowl.

No Stopping the Hoosiers

Hosts Blake Giles and Jim Harbin look ahead to the CFP Finals. Indiana looks too good to lose. But ex-Bulldog quarterback Carson Beck has played well for Miami. The portal has been busy as usual. Georgia has had less turnover than any team in the SEC. Oklahoma State has had wholesale roster turnover. The NFL playoffs look wide open.

Ole Miss Ends Georgia’s Season

Hosts Jim Hardin and Blake Giles review the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff. Both were surprised that Miami beat Ohio State. They were also surprised by how uncompetitive Texas Tech and Alabama were in their losses to Oregon and Indiana, respectively. They break down Ole Miss’s win over Georgia in a rematch. They agree that it was the great play of Trinidad Chambliss that made the difference. Was it a great season for Georgia, even without winning the national title. What is next for Georgia? What do they need from the portal? Running back and wide receiver seem like obvious needs for next year. The Falcons ended the season on a winning streak, but still out of the playoffs. Mention is made of wins by the Georgia men’s and women’s basketball team in back-to-back overtime games.

Two SEC Teams Ousted, Two Advance in CFP

Hosts Blake Giles and Jim Hardin offer congrats to the Georgia state champs. And can Central Macon rediscover glory under a new head coach. There is news in college football. What about the young viral sensation, Nolan McGill, who refused to sing “Rocky Top,” endearing himself to Georgia fans everywhere. Will Muschamp, once the “Coach in Waiting” at Texas, is heading back to Austin to join the staff as the defensive coordinator. Bill Belichek hires Bobby Petrino. Alabama and Ole Miss won in the first round. Texas A&M and Oklahoma lost. The quarters will feature Ohio State vs. Miami in the Cotton Bowl, Texas Tech against Oregon in the Orange Bowl, Alabama vs. Indiana in the Rose Bowl and Georgia against Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl. And they reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.