College football is full of characters, especially in the Southeastern Conference. Johnny "Football" Manziel and Cam Newton, who we all know is Superman, are two of many.
But it's not just players who steal the spotlight with their idiosyncrasies. LSU coach Les Miles eats grass. Alabama's Nick Saban is the devil and finds joy in yelling at anything and everything that moves. Will Muschamp has perfected the temper tantrum during his time at Florida.
Quirks are the new normal. Fans and players alike fall for the outrageous and outspoken men that make up the SEC, yet come Saturday's meeting between Auburn and Georgia, the nation will see two coaches who have remained relatively normal through the circus that is college football.
Mark Richt is a frat star that stumbled into the head coaching position at Georgia some 12 years ago. The Omaha, Neb. native enters the weekend boasting a one-loss record and the No. 5 spot in the BCS rankings.
Richt has somehow managed to lead his team to top-25 finishes in all but two of those years, the most successful coming in 2007 when the No. 2 Bulldogs ended the season 11-2.
On the other sideline sits the troubled Gene Chizik, who seems to see the good in everything. Auburn's fourth-year coach found success early on, leading the Tigers to their second national championship in 2010. In just his second season, Chizik was able to turn a reeling Auburn team into winners, not without the help of Heisman trophy winner Newton.
Now, a mere two years removed from arguably the best season in Tiger football history, Chizik and company are on a downward spiral that shows no signs of slowing anytime soon.
Richt is 2-1 when coaching against Chizik, and common sense would suggest that record is going to increase Saturday.
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