Totally random thought here... I thought I'd throw it out for discussion.
I'm watching the last few minutes of the LSU/Tenn game. Tenn is up 14-10. LSU has the ball in Tenn territory, it's 4th and 14 after a penalty, and there's only 1:22 left on the clock. Now, if LSU goes for it and fails to convert, Tenn gets the ball and can just take a knee. So this is what I'm wondering... Would it be worth it to gamble on an on-side kick? If it's successful, you'd have another four downs to try to get the winning TD. Of course, getting the on-side kick is pretty difficult.
Going for TD and the win, which turned out is what happened with a bunch of flukes, is the correct call.
Even with recovery of an onside kick after a successful field goal, the ball would have to be advanced to inside the 25 yard line again since most college kickers do not have good accuracy beyond about 40 yards.
In most cases this would mean gaining at least another 35 yards assuming there is enough time on the clock to do so.
Doing both of the above after merely a field goal is a far taller order than going for the touchdown score in particular if a team has good tall receivers.
Otherwise I hate SEC football as such games with low scores, or otherwise with one team dominating, with crowds full of toothless hicks and bojacks fresh off a week of Wal-Mart shopping, are the norm. Screw the SEC. :lol: