re: Let's say we win the coin toss.

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Kick

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Oh, for shite's sake. Get over yourself. If we defer, they will receive, which means we will start on D. Do you want our offense or defense on the field first. That's all I meant.

The defense has been sharpest the first couple drives of the game. Defer

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P&G Glasses

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yessir

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Mett to ODB for a 70 yard TD. UGA fans start flocking towards the exits...

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Seems legit

Always defer unless you are Oregon.

Kick- you don't want our offense on the field first (crowd will be rocking)

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Defer. Every time defer.

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That is what coaches usually do, but it seems to me that may not always be the best choice.

Starting with the assumption that receiving the kickoff to start a half is an advantage over having to kick off to the other team to start the half, you are going to have that advantage in one of the two halves, so the only thing you can affect if you win the toss is which half you have that advantage.

Since we don't know the future, we don't know whether the advantage will mean anything when the second half starts. We might be up or down by 30 at halftime, and the game will basically be over. The game is never over at the beginning of the first half, so whatever advantage you get from receiving the kickoff is guaranteed to mean something.

Seems like you'd want the advantage when you know it means something rather than save it for when it might or might not mean anything.

Of course, far more important than the above is the particular matchup with the other team.

If you think your defense can shut the other team down, you're probably better off starting on defense with them deep in their own territory. A quick stop, a punt and you're in good field position. This is especially true if you think your offense will struggle against their defense.

When the situation is reversed, though, and you aren't sure your defense can shut them down but you're confident your offense can move the ball and score, you might want to start on offense to get momentum in your favor early on.

In any event, I think coaches should at least consider these factors when making a decision, rather than just automatically deferring every time.

Is Curley Hallman in here? I say we kick so we can practice for when UGA makes us kick it again to start the second half. I now truly understand the term ranter!

WTF

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Les Miles is not going to send a message to this D that they can't stop UGA. He will always defer when given the chance. It is a huge sign of respect to your team, that you have confidence in them. This game is as much mental as anything else.

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A fair point, but that can backfire, too. If you show confidence in them and they give up an easy score, their confidence may be hurt more than if you decided to go on offense first.

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I don't think the coaching staff is going out on a limb by assuming we won't be down by 30 at the half at any time this season.

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I doubt we'll be down by 30 at any point this season, but the point is you never know what the situation is going to be halfway through the game. Maybe taking the advantage in the first half would allow us to put the game away before the half. That's the problem; you don't know.

I think getting off to a good start and grabbing momentum early is pretty important. To the extent that you can help yourself do that, it seems to me a good idea to do so.