This is what losing to Vanderbilt does...

"The System" got canned.
It's not weird that Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville fired offensive coordinator Tony Franklin.
After all, the Tigers offense has been horrific.
But it is weird that he got fired in the middle of the season and two games into the SEC schedule.
And it's especially weird that Franklin was axed a day after Tuberville said this:

"This is what we're going run," he said Tuesday without mentioning Franklin. "We're going to run it, we're going to keep running it and we're going to get better at it. Sometimes people will say, 'Why don't you go back to doing what you did?' Well, if you do that, then you are asking for major disaster."

yes, Tommy, you are asking for a major disaster. Maybe the Tigers/War Eagles/Plainsmen hire back Al Borges. He's still looking for work.

So does Auburn stick with the spread and just not have Tony Franklin call the plays? Or do they revert to last year's offensive system?

Either way, doesn't look like the Tigers/War Eagles/Plainsmen will become an offensive powerhouse any day soon.

ADs Beware of the Vandy Plan

Maybe we should have realized in 2003 that the eggheads at Vanderbilt knew something the rest of us didn't. Five years ago is when the University, led by then-VU President Gordon Gee decided to revamp the Commodores athletic department.

Gone was the Athletic Director and any semblance of a real Division I athletic department. The SEC's smallest and only private university was the laughingstock collegiate athletics.

Fast forward to 2008 and Gee is back at Ohio State as president (think he'll make this type of change in Columbus?) and Vandy is experiencing unprecedented on-field success in football--as well as in basketball and baseball. Heck, the Commodores won the 2007 NCAA bowling title.

Vandy's football team showed promise in 2007 after tallying five wins. Not impressed? Consider the Commodores had a losing record in every season for the past quarter-century. So now how does Vandy's 5-0 (and should be 6-0 after Saturday's game with Mississippi State) sound?

Coach Bobby Johnson should also be given plenty of praise for this reclamation project. Vanderbilt officials were ripped for hiring the former Furman coach following the 2001 season. Johnson led Furman to the Division I-A championship game, but lost to Montana and finished the season 12-3.

But college football elitists felt it was a reach and an embarrassment to bring him into the SEC, even at a doormat like Vandy. That hire should be hailed today. After three consecutive two-win seasons, the Commodores have gone 5-6 (2005), 4-8 (2006), 5-7 (2007). Now Vandy could be bowl eligible after Saturday. VU's last bowl appearance came in the 1982 Hall of Fame Bowl--a 36-28 loss to Air Force.

There have been some articles that claim Penn State, Notre Dame and a few other institutions of higher education have adopted parts of the Vandy Plan. That's all nice, but don't buy it. This is a great story and one that Vandy did all on its own (of course with a little luck).

Episode 7

Love that SEC humor

I know Phil won't find this too funny, but it's pretty good. I guess until Ohio State beats a team from the SEC the Buckeyes will have take this type of criticism.

ACC Report

Special Report

Retired Coach Rick
ACC Correspondent

Florida State, Miami and North Carolina are all starting to show their strength.

It was a great game between UM-FSU this past weekend. UNC put a hit on the Big East by taking down UConn. Virginia Tech beat the daylights out of that powerhouse Western Kentucky.

Look out but the fall to the bottom may be uncontrollable. That hissing you hear is from Duke's balloon. It is starting to leak. Did anyone attend Clemson's victory celebration over "Open Date?" I thought Maryland was over the hump where they lose to someone they shouldn't lose to. Coach Fridge is too good for that to happen. Virginia did a nice job.

Everyone will learn more about Wake Forest over the next two weeks. N.C. State will, as I feared, will always be close.What are the chances Georgia Tech plays the Tar Heels in the championship game? If they can't they need to have a conference meeting and change the rules. Boston College will be in the middle mix. Fairly good but not good enough to get more than the soup bowl.

(Photo courtesy of South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

Our Top 25 (Oct. 6)

1. Oklahoma (1) 5-0
2. LSU (2) 4-0
3. Missouri (3) 5-0
4. Alabama (4) 6-0
5. Texas (5) 5-0
6. Penn State (6) 6-0
7. USC (9) 3-1
8. BYU (8) 5-0
9. Texas Tech (10) 5-0
10. Ohio State (12) 5-1
11. Florida (14) 4-1
12. Georgia (11) 4-1
13. Vanderbilt (18) 5-0
14. Utah (13) 6-0
15. Boise State (16) 4-0
16. Oklahoma State (21) 5-0
17. Kansas (17) 4-1
18. Virginia Tech (NR) 5-1
19. North Carolina (NR) 4-1
20. Michigan State (23) 5-1
21. South Florida (7) 5-1
22. Ball State (24) 6-0
23. Pittsburgh (NR) 4-1
24. Wake Forest (NR) 3-1
25. Georgia Tech (NR) 4-1

Others receiving votes: Fresno State, California, Florida State, Northwestern, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Illinois, Tulsa, Auburn.

Mucho Gracias

For some reason, a logo makes it seem that much more legitimate. Blame corporate America (which is having its own issues these days), but Phil and I just felt we needed to brand our little podcast/blog venture with our very own logo.

Phil and I are creative, but not artistic. So we must thank our very good friend Ryan for designing our new An 'Eye and an 'Eer logo (and at no charge). I guess I can take him to lunch one day and expense it to all the money we are making doing this.

But we are pleased to have a new identity and we are using here and on our podcast. We may even do T-shirts soon (OK, I'll give Ryan a cut of that). So we hope you like what you see and you keep checking out the weekly podcast and the blog.

If you like this, you should check out Ryan's podcast at www.brothersin3-z.com. Ryan and his two younger brothers talk about all kinds of sports. It's because of the fun they have and their success that Phil and I are doing our podcast.

PS: If anyone has had trouble getting our podcast this week, I have asked the tech guys at Podomatic to look into it and I think they are. They did have some technical issues this past week. However, to make life easier in the future just check is out at iTunes and subscribe so you won't miss a single episode.