Yesterday afternoon news officially broke that ESPN had signed Paul Finebaum to a five year contract. The deal calls for 100 TV appearances a year and a simulcast of Finebaum's radio show on the upcoming SEC Network, set to debut in August of 2014.

It's a smart decision that fills up several hours of programming year-around on the upcoming SEC Network. Putting radio shows on television works pretty well already and is a cost-effective duality. ESPN pioneered the strategy in sports with multiple shows now airing daily and NBC and CBS have followed up on the decision, placing Dan Patrick and Tim Brando front and center on the NBC Sports Network and the CBS Sports Network. It would be a pretty big shocker if Fox didn't also have a radio show on television when FoxSports1 and FoxSports2 debut this August.   

But the biggest aspect of this deal is the message that the SEC is sending to the college sports universe. 

By Lori Kelly

Clay asked me to take some video at the Vanderbilt/South Carolina game last Thursday. I’m more of a behind the scenes girl, but hey, I’ll give it a shot. What should I film? Anything. Anything? Anything. OK. Surely there will be something worth filming. This is the season opener on ESPN against preseason ranked #9 South Carolina with our feisty big-mouthed coach at the helm. 

The third quarters of Florida--Texas A&M and Georgia -- Mizzou were eerily familiar. The Aggies had a 17-7 lead and the Tigers led 17-9, both early in the third quarter. It would be the high point for both SEC newcomers, the Gators scored the final 13 in College Station and Georgia outscored Mizzou 32-3 in the final 16 minutes of that game. Just like that both upset bids died on the vine. I think you'll probably see quite a bit of this for the duo this year, competitive for much of the game but just not able to flip the switch and come back for the win. (For Texas A&M fans I have no idea what you guys must be feeling. Your curse of double digit leads continues, even with a new coach).

I'm going to write on my Mizzou trip tomorrow because Monday has already gotten away from me, so in the meantime here is this week's Starting 11.

Yes, that's really R2D2, which I will replicate for you below.

Columbia, Mo

Old man football beat new kid football on Saturday night in Missouri's SEC home opener against Georgia.

The atmosphere was electric, the Zou was rocking, heading into halftime, the Tigers had the lead on the number 7 team in the country. The Missouri Tigers perpetual trivia answers for questions about miracle teams that went on to win improbable national titles -- remember Colorado's fifth down win and Nebraska's miraculous kicked ball catch, both came against Mizzou -- were going head-to-head with one of the best teams in the SEC. 

This was a new birth of program freedom, a national television audience, one of the SEC's top powers down eight midway through the third quarter with a raucous crowd chanting along and cannons exploding on the field as big play touchdowns piled up.  

Week 1 gave us some betting surprises (Houston losing outright as 36.5 pt chalk) and some games that opened our eyes with dominating performances (Oregon's first team offense, Alabama). However unlike the mass media that loves to rehash and extrapolate from one week’s results, we put the previous games to bed after a quick post mortem in the betting world.  From a viewing standpoint week 2 may not offer a ton of make or break games but for the gambler, opportunity always abounds. It’s only Friday however we’ve seen a few strong line moves on a couple marquee games.

Before we get rolling on the mailbag, how about a golf clap for Ole Miss fans?

So far they've been absent from our tattoo race and any awkward fan photos, but this is quite a doozy. An actual pile of poo where Starkville is located? On your body for the rest of your life?

That's quality fandom.

Not bad for Ole Piss! (The message boards are rolling. Did you see what I did there? I switched an M for a P! It's the best insult ever! An M for a P!)

Our beaver pelt trader of the week is Missouri defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson. Please keep talking. You're the only SEC player who has said anything remotely interesting all season.

On to the mailbag, but first, one more look at the Ole Miss tattoo.

Nick Saban is an ornery, obstinate, perpetually angry man.

And this week he's furious.

At who?

The media.

Why?

Because the media believes his football team is really, really good.

How dare the media praise Nick Saban's team in a way that Nick Saban does not feel is appropriate?

The media is so scared that only three questions are asked. Access, baby, access.

And why is Saban so angry? I challenge you to find one negative story that anyone in that room has written about Alabama football in the past three months. Just one! 

I wish I'd been at this press conference so I could have asked the first question. Which would have been: "So you don't believe that this team could beat five or six NFL teams like Western Kentucky head coach Willie Taggart said earlier this week?"

Oh, that response would have been fantastic.

Last week brought the return of Vinnie Verno, but his debut fell a little flat 1-2 for the kickoff specials.

This week Vinnie back stronger than ever, betting the baby again?

Watch as he dives into Auburn-Mississippi State, Georgia-Missouri, and Duke-Stanford.

Remember, he makes picks, you make money.

Once more, click pause on the videos up on the right side if you're having an issue hearing both.

Then, he makes picks, you make money.

By Christian Wick

I flew down to Texas this weekend for my buddy's wedding. He’s an Aggie alumnus, Ensign in the Navy, and is currently training to become a Helicopter pilot.

By Craig Hayes

"Hey Pussy!" I cringed as I slowly limped away from the last set of gassers, praying that the screaming voice of the team captain wasn't for me. "Hey 95!" It was. That was the jersey number the equipment manager gave me about two hours earlier. The first and only time I would wear that number, and the last time I would wear shoulder pads for the rest of my life. I was 21 years old.

Last year at the national title game an LSU fan allowed himself to be tied down to a table and branded with LSU letters.

This surprises no one.

He did this before the national title game and amazingly OKTC reader Stephen Leathers is just now sharing it with us.

Up until now I've thought the teabagger had the roughest post-national title game, but can you imagine what this guy felt like when Jordan Jefferson didn't get pulled and Bama ran roughshod over his team? He's sitting there with a throbbing lower calf -- which probably got infected given the fact that he's an LSU fan in New Orleans willing to get branded before a football game. This means he definitely passed out in a urine-soaked gutter somewhere. Probably after paying $34 for a she-male hand job in the French Quarter.

And you know that the LSU treatment for a branding is the same treatment that Civil War soldiers got for an amputation, a bottle of whiskey, a dash of laudanum, and a minie ball to bite your teeth on.

Also, you know that some LSU fans watching this video are going to be like, "Dude, the burner's for the corndogs, don't waste the fuel."

Plus, as several of you pointed out, he's strapped to a beer pong table.

A beer pong table!

Never change LSU fans. Ever.