Thursday Thought Provoker: Home Field Advantage

After England’s win in Atlanta yesterday, they advance to the Group of 16 and face Mexico…in Mexico. If you wonder if that’s a home field advantage, check this stat out:

Yeah I’d say it is. Aside from the climate, the legation alone will make them gasp for air and have to snort oxygen. If you watched Mexico go to work on Monday, you’re aware that the elevation has zero effect on the home team. Good luck, Three Lions. Or bueno suerte, as they say.

Anyway, that got me to thinking…have you ever been to a game where there was a clear home field advantage for some reason? In my mind, I can think of a few, maybe Bryant Denny at night or LSU at night, or maybe this abomination:

Some are already calling South Carolina our trap game for 2026, mainly because whether it’s August at noon or December at night, it’s always a crisp 9000 degrees there with no discernible breeze.

So what say you? Can you think of a place where just playing at the venue makes it a tougher out?

Are They Talking About Sanford West?

Lots of high praise for the Benz during the World Cup.

By Atlanta Stadium, I’m assuming they mean the home of Bulldogs. If they want to see a more outdoor and smaller version, they just need to drive up the street to Mark Richt field.

Woof.

Is 2026 the Year?

In terms of talent management and retention, Kirby’s on the mother.

No doubt the most solid unit on the team is the defensive side of the ball, and seeing some guys coming back who’ve developed well in their time in Athens leaves on wondering what can be with this group.

There’s an embarrassment of talent on both sides of the ball, and both of the offensive and defensive sides of the ball are solid, although questionable in depth. There’s hardly a place out there where I can say we have an area of concern, although out biggest opponent (outside of the ACCPD) will be the one that’s plagued us for years: injuries.

Stay healthy, and there’s a high ceiling. Start losing guys at key positions, and the impact of NIL on roster management and stacking five stars may become apparent…but based on the graphic above, Kirby may have been quietly working the Kirby formula throughout the tumultuous NIL/Portal shifts that we’ve seen throughout the years.

What’s your ceiling and floor for the Dawgs this year? Who do you see being our trap game opponent, and why?

Feeding the Trees in the Portal

I wonder if Wes is doing some good work in the portal again?

Yes, it seems like he has. Yesterday was a banner day for the Diamond Dawgs, as you can see here:

Let’s get back to Omaha and make a little more noise with the bats next time, mmkay?

Go Dawgs!

Your Golden Rhino

Congratulations, and well-deserved.

I guess when you’re the only catcher in NCAA history to record 30 stolen bases and 30 homeruns in a season, you’re kinda special, huh?

For those keeping score, that’s Wes’s second Golden Spikes winner in three years. And Wes has only been with the program for three years.

Slow Sunday Discussion: Make Em Walk Home

Something tells me Uruguay’s World Cup team will not have any parades awaiting them when they return home.

So, for today’s discussion, was there ever a time we ever had a performance so bad you thought the team should’ve been forced to walk home?

One definitely comes to mind for me:

How about you? Was there a game that comes to mind that you were so embarrassed about you’d have cancelled the team’s charter?

Discuss.

Tyler Simmons Was Onsides…Where Was VAR?

In case you’re not watching or not aware, there’s this whole World Cup thing going on. If you’ve watched before, then you’re definitely aware of VAR.

What does VAR stand for in soccer?

VAR stands for Video Assistant Referee. It is both the name of the system and the match official who helps the referee review major decisions using video replay.

The VAR is not on the field. The video assistant referee watches the match from a video operation room, along with other video match officials and replay operators. They have access to broadcast camera angles, replay speeds and communication with the referee crew.

The goal is not to re-referee every small call. VAR is there to help with major, match-changing decisions.

How does VAR work?

VAR checks major incidents in the background while the match is going on. The referee does not need to ask for every check. The VAR is already watching.

If the VAR sees a possible clear and obvious error or a serious missed incident, they can recommend that the referee review it. The referee can then either accept information from the VAR or go to the monitor on the sideline for an on-field review.

The referee makes the final decision. VAR can recommend a review, but VAR does not overrule the referee by itself.

That is why you will often see the referee make the TV-screen signal with their hands before going to the monitor or announcing a decision.

I’m not sure if the technology behind it, but in an instant it can assess if a player is offsides in soccer…as shown above, it works down to the inches of a toe.

The image above is from the 0-0 result of Portugal versus Columbia, and it was the difference between a Columbia win and a draw.

From what I’m able to research, FIFA, the organization behind the World Cup, generates roughly 6 billion a year in revenue, compared to the NFL’s 18. The B1G and SEC alone combined for 2.5 in 2025.

If such technology exists in a game that’s as wide open as soccer, why not for American football? A literal game of inches (note: the ABS system is in MLB, which generates 12 billion a year) where first downs and offsides calls are integral to the game doesn’t have something like this? Why? Think of how involved changes the game in the sport if not left up to individual referees?

One can only imagine, huh?

Your June 27th Reminder That…Well, You Know

Auburn sucks, and its seems people are actually beginning to notice.

What’s gotta make it worse is how painfully close the Tigers have come to not being winless against Alabama and Georgia in that same time frame.

As far as the series against Georgia is concerned, I’m forever grateful for the great Gus Malzahahahan for this gem:

Yeah, that phrase “all glory is fleeting”…seems like it flew away long ago and chose to never return.

What a shame. *snickers*

Double Dawgs in Los Angeles

Heavy here on the rumor part of this, but I also would not be surprised if it’s true. Last we saw of Simpson, he was sacking himself and crying about injuries as to why his drop-off in performance lead to some poor late season results. Funny, we had a QB known for using his legs and I don’t recall a time where Stetson Bennett did something like this:

Hell, Stetson Bennett is literally a walking pinball and gets several CTE-inducing hits per game, and I don’t recall a moment where anyone could’ve called him Charmin soft. Maybe some folks are just built different.

Anyway, here’s the rumor:

It would be nice to see another quarterback not named Stafford to get some playing time in the league. If knowing that a team that could likely be in the Super Bowl conversation is lead by two Dawgs, I’m all for it.

Go Dawgs!

The End of an Error

This happened somewhat quietly, but I know some of you will be happy to know that the era of “Bulldog Bold” fonts used with athletics has come to an end. Meet the new font for 2026:

This will be replacing the former typography, which if you don’t know what I’m referencing, it was this font:

Not much else seems to have changed, though you may be curious if the “new dawg” is still in the branding manual…and it is still there.

Progress is progress. I’d be interested to know what brought about the change.