1st. Stephen Garcia will remain the starting quarterback at South Carolina. For now. Garcia was benched after fumble problems against Auburn, but backup Connor Shaw did little to prove he was ready for the starting spot.
Garcia combines a certain level of talent with frustration almost perfectly. Gamecock head coach Steve Spurrier would obviously like someone else at the position, but without that option, he’s stuck with Garcia whether he likes it or not. Garcia has his moments, but those moments are both good and bad. Even with a minor QB controversy, South Carolina is still off to a good start. Until the Gamecocks really falter, expect Garcia to remain the man taking the majority of the snaps.
2nd. A.J. Green makes his return as Georgia travels to Colorado this weekend, but it may be too late. The Bulldogs are already 1-3 and, even worse, 0-3 in the SEC. That gives them virtually no chance to win the SEC East. I would say stranger things have happened, but have they? Probably not.
The star receiver should give the Bulldogs a boost as they enter the second third of the regular season, but Georgia is already in a hole that will be tough to get out of. He’s clearly one of the better receivers in the nation, but how good are the Bulldogs with him? They weren’t expected to light up the country this year anyway. Green may provide a spark, but Georgia may already been looking ahead to next season.
3rd. Michigan State could be the unexpected team fans like to cheer for this season. After a fake punt won the Spartans a game against Notre Dame, Michigan State was the talk of the country. Then not long after, we learned Spartan head coach Mark Dantonio had suffered a heart attack and had been rushed to the hospital.
Dantonio is back with the team after missing the Spartans’ win over Northern Colorado, but not yet in full capacity. He will coach Michigan State this weekend against undefeated Big Ten foe Wisconsin, but will most likely do so from the box. The stress of being on the field could prove to be too much for Dantonio and he’s determined to take every precaution to protect his health first. A battle of unbeatens may make that hard regardless of where he coaches the game. Dantonio must do his best to remain calm throughout the matchup.
4th. Chip Kelly’s success on the field has led to a contract extension with Oregon. Kelly’s job is now secured through 2015 and makes him the second highest-paid head coach in the Pac-10 (you have a good idea who #1 is).
The extension could have been triggered by a clause in his original contract that would have allowed him to walk away without a buyout had he won 19 or more games in consecutive seasons. With eight games to go in the 2010 season, Kelly is 14-3. That 19 wins was clearly within reach. With the new deal in place, Kelly now has a substantial buyout to pay if he wanted to leave the Ducks.
And 1. The latest name to be mentioned as the next Minnesota head coach is former Golden Gophers’ quarterback and NFL coach Tony Dungy. Minnesota has a coach – Tim Brewster – but that hasn’t stopped the rumors from flying. Although a highly unlikely happening, it would be fun to see what Dungy could do with a college program.