Conference Championship: Florida over LSU
East
Florida 12-0 (8-0)
Georgia 9-3 (5-3)
South Carolina
Tennessee 7-5 (4-4)
Kentucky
Vanderbilt
West
LSU 10-2 (6-2)
Ole Miss 9-3 (5-3)
Arkansas 8-4 (5-3)
Alabama
Mississippi State
Auburn 5-7 (1-7)
Player Superlatives
Player of the Year: Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
Offensive POTY: Michael Smith, RB, Arkansas
Defensive POTY: Brandon Spikes, LB, Florida
Overrated POTY: Jevan Snead, QB, Ole Miss
Underrated POTY: Jordan Jefferson, QB, LSU
Bowl Projections
BCS Championship Game: Florida v. Oklahoma
Sugar Bowl: LSU v. Texas
Capitol One: Alabama v. Penn State
Cotton Bowl: Arkansas v. Nebraska
Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Ole Miss v. Florida State
Outback Bowl: Georgia v. Michigan
Liberty Bowl: Mississippi State v. East Carolina
Music City Bowl: South Carolina v. Wisconsin
And now on to the interview...
Gatorsfirst (G1): How did you become a fan of your team?
Jacob London (JL): I was born and raised in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and I've never lived more than 30 minutes from Razorback Stadium. I basically didn’t have a choice… and wouldn’t want it any other way. My Grandmother was a big time Razorback fan and although she rarely made it to a game, the Hogs were always on the radio and TV while I was growing up. When Nolan Richardson had things rolling in basketball during the late 80s and 90s, I became hooked – and haven’t looked back since.
(G1): Describe the gameday atmosphere.
(JL): Gameday on the Hill is about the same as anywhere else in the SEC… Not enough parking and too much drinking. At kickoff, Razorback Stadium would be the 3rd most populated city in Arkansas, just behind Little Rock and Fort Smith, and you can feel it. There’s nothing better than the sound of 75,000+ calling the hogs!
(G1): Give me some thought on your coaching staff. Are you satisfied? Do you wish your team ran different schemes? How is recruiting?
(JL): For now, I’m very satisfied with the staff! Our current DC was Petrino’s 2nd or 3rd choice, so if the Defense hasn’t improved this year, I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes a change after this season. Recruiting is 100% better. After having Houston Nutt as our coach for the past 10 years, it’s been hard to find a fault with Petrino.
(G1): Who is a player we might not know from your team that you are excited about this season? Why?
(JL): I’m most excited about Greg Childs. He’s a 6-3, 220 lb. WR that I feel will become a go-to guy with the opposing team focusing on our other weapons. He has great hands and isn’t afraid to catch the ball in traffic. His size and aggressiveness will play a major role in the success of the Hog’s running game, as he is a great down field blocker. By mid season, I expect Greg Childs to be a focus point for defensive coordinators.
(G1): If you could change one thing about your school’s football program, what would it be?
(JL): One thing that isn’t widely known about Arkansas is that we have some of the nicest facilities in the nation, yet we play two games a year three hours from campus in a glorified high school stadium. Over 50 years ago, the Arkansas Administration came up with a great idea to play half the Razorback home games in Little Rock. Back then the only way to get from the State Capitol to Fayetteville, involved taking a long and winding road through the middle of nowhere carefully balancing your car on the side of a mountain. Ok… so that may be a little bit of an exaggeration, but you get my point. Times have changed, and it’s time to move all Razorback home games to the UofA Campus.
(G1): What do you think about conference title games? Was it a good idea to add to 12? Would you change something about the conference?
(JL): Heck yea! It was a great idea…. Without it, Arkansas might be playing in the lil’ 12! Personally, I think the Conference is doing almost everything right, but I would like to see the Conference Championship move around the region a bit. Maybe alternate between New Orleans, Nashville, Atlanta, and Orlando.
(G1): How much did you like the bowl system pre-BCS? As a fan, how much do you concentrate on 'National Championships'?
(JL): The old bowl system seemed to get it right most of the time and the BCS has been a good upgrade. I don’t give the National Championship a lot of thought until the end of the season, because teams have to be almost perfect to be given a chance to win it all. I can’t think of many times that I have disagreed with the National Champion, except maybe in 1964… Give it up Bama fans.
(G1): What sort of changes, if any should be made to the BCS system? Does this opinion put you in-line or out-of-line with other fans of your team and conference?
(JL): I think I fall in-line with most fans. I would like to see a 4, 6, or 8 team playoff while keeping the other bowls intact. I haven’t found a good way for that to work myself. Until every conference plays a Championship game – it’s going to be hard to accomplish.
(G1): Are the polls a good idea in the first place? Should they play a role in determining a 'National Champion'?
(JL): I believe in the polls 100%. I just think the top 6 teams in the BCS poll should play a mini-playoff for the National Championship.
(G1): How much should non-BCS teams be included in the BCS- and other high payout- bowls? How much do you watch these teams?
(JL): I rarely watch non-BCS Conference teams. I don’t think it’s fair to exclude them from the chance to play for a title, but they also shouldn’t make it so easy for teams like Notre Dame to get in either.
