Thursday's random thoughts

It’s kind of a light day, as we approach 48 hours until Georgia’s latest big game. So here are a few random thoughts, notes and facts as I go through my Thursday and get ready for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Stark-Vegas.

- Three weeks ago, if you were told that at this point Aaron Murray would have just two turnovers, be completing 62 percent of his passes, and be ranked fourth in the SEC in passing yards, you would’ve assumed Georgia would be 3-0, right?

- Remember how Cornelius Washington had lost his starting OLB spot to Darryl Gamble in preseason? Well guess who has actually started the first three games: Washington, not Gamble.

The two have actually played about the same amount of time, and been pretty productive too.

“All it is, is he starts in one package and I start in another,” Washington said Wednesday. “And it just so happens that the package that I start in is the package that’s been called at the beginning of games.”

- I find it amazing that Georgia hasn’t had a three-game losing streak in two decades. At the program I just got done covering, South Carolina, they had a word for a losing streak of three or more: November.

- Not that anyone asked me, but I expect Alabama to beat Arkansas, and convincingly. Maybe not a rout, but in the 7-17 point range. The Razorbacks don’t have enough of a running game to hang with the Tide.

- As for the league’s other big game, South Carolina-Auburn strikes me as a toss-up. I almost hate to bring it up, but the sudden death of Kenny McKinley, whom many of the Gamecocks played with, could have an effect, one way or another. But ultimately I’m picking South Carolina, because I’m not convinced that Auburn is legit yet.

- Georgia fans should keep an eye on that Kentucky-Florida game – mainly to see if the Wildcats are any good. If Georgia can get out of Starkville with a win, it has a real chance to be 6-2 heading to Jacksonville: Wins against Colorado, Tennessee and Vanderbilt have to happen, or the season’s in trouble, with the swing game being the trip to Kentucky.

- Six SEC teams (half the league, for the math-challenged) are in the top 15 of this week’s coach’s poll. That’s amazing, but does anybody really think the SEC is THAT deep this year? Do you really expect to see Auburn, LSU, Arkansas and even South Carolina in the top 15 at the end of the year?

- A stat from the SEC: Georgia had 33 former players on an NFL opening-week roster, tied with Florida and Tennessee for the sixth-most overall, and second-most in the SEC. LSU led the way with 35. Texas led all schools with 40.

And Georgia has more defensive ends (six) in the NFL than any other school.

- Having now seen Ryan Mallett in person twice, I firmly believe anyone not picking him No. 1 in next year’s draft either doesn’t need a quarterback, or hasn’t scouted him right. If Sam Bradford can be a No. 1 overall pick – much less JaMarcus Russell, Alex Smith or David Carr – then Mallett can be. Put him in the right system, and he should be a top five NFL quarterback.

- BYU and West Virginia have agreed to meet in 2016. If anybody can think of two more divergent fan bases, let me know. One group can’t drink alcohol, the other considers moonshine and chewing tobacco to be staples of a healthy diet.

- I can’t believe that, earlier in the week when I mentioned the start of the new TV season, I forgot about two of the best shows on television: “30 Rock” and “The Office.” They kick off tonight. I’m also going to try to start watching “Modern Family,” and hope I won’t be too far behind having not watched the first season.

And of course, for all the “Breaking Bad” fans out there, I’ve now started the second season. So I’m getting there.

- For everyone up in arms about a declaration that the recession ended last year: Anyone following SEC coaching salaries would be under the impression there never was one.

- Finally, in honor of what you’re going to hear a lot of on Saturday, enjoy.