Don't forget that the Irish are good...

     Please don't overlook Notre Dame. A word from the wise, or at least the nervous.  All the Alabama internet sites seem to be writing more about Clemson than the Irish. This may not be a popular position, but Notre Dame has a solid football team, and they could beat the Tide. Their offense is outstanding, and the defense isn't bad. Ian Book, the quarterback, is a good player. He's a senior, and he's had a lot of experience running the Shamrock's offense. And, excuse me for saying so. I'm not sold that Bama's defense has arrived. They seem to have improved, but after watching the Florida Gators dismantle the secondary, I am worried. Ian Book can run the ball when pressured, and the Irish use QB keepers as part of their offense. We know that Book can throw it as well.

    Who beats the Tide offense historically? A dual-threat quarterback, and that is what Book does. The Irish also have two excellent tight ends that made big targets. Remember the tight ends of Florida. I don't think the Notre Dame tight ends have the Florida players' speed, but they are outstanding football players. You don't win 10 football games in a year and not be solid. 

     I don't know whether the Irish getting beat in the ACC  Championship game will hurt or help the Irish. They'll want to atone for a sloppy game, and they think they can win the National Championship whether anyone else does. I know that the Irish hasn't played anyone who has the speed 'Bama does on offense or defense. The Notre Dame offensive line is big and strong. They are experienced. This game isn't going to be a cakewalk. Alabama will be ready to play. So will Notre Dame. It could be closer, or at least closer than you think.

    Beyond the obvious problems that Bama has on defense, we also have to wonder about Landon Dickerson's loss. He called the offensive match-ups, and he had an almost perfect senior season. His pass blocking was phenomenal, and no one is going to be as good as he is. The question is whether or the Tide offensive line can be good enough without him.

     Alabama had the nation's hardest strength of schedule. Notre Dame was 8th, which was far better than I had imagined before my research. Alabama's power index is #1, and no one is even close to the Tide. Still, the Irish are hovering around at #6. Upsets happen. I am old school. 

    

 Being a Tide basketball fan is tough...

    When you are an Alabama basketball fan, you learn to suffer but always hope. You hope for things you may never see. You try to believe in the future. It rarely comes true; you still return to hoping.  You wish for something that may never occur. Wait, that's not correct. You want something that probably won't come true. Still...

   You can always try to temper your expectations, but the love of anything makes that impossible.  Whether it's a woman or basketball, we all make horrible decisions. It seems we are incapable of being rational. For some reason, the suffering never eradicates our desire to see Alabama become a basketball power.  Take me, for example. I continue to believe that the next coach at Alabama will change things. I started loving Alabama when Johnny Dee coached the Rocket Eight. 

   I watched the longest shot in college basketball. George Linn launched a Foster Auditorium shot that went through the rafters and bottomed out 88 feet and 11 inches later.  The North Carolina head coach had the forethought to mark the spot.    Today, I still believe that Jerry Harper is one of the greatest Alabama players to lace 'em up. As a senior in '55-'56, he averaged 19 rebounds a game.  Think about that for a moment. Let that sink as the current vernacular of social media says.  

    Today, I think how good this current team would be if Leon Douglas walked on the court, or how about Roy Rogers?  There is always an enigma, isn't there? It is a puzzle we can't seem to solve.  Something is forever missing. We are one player short; we can't make free throws or fall one win short of making the NCAA Tournament. The ball is round, so it should bounce straight, but it doesn't. It is as if the laws of gravity conspire against us.  If Alabama basketball was a story, it would be a Grecian tragedy.  Perhaps the football team uses all the good luck up before the basketball season begins. I just don't know. 

   In my lifetime, I have seen the two great Alabama teams. The first would be the 1987 team coached by Sanderson. Derrick Mckey was the Alabama star.  The 1976 team was far and away  the best team Alabama put on the floor. A couple of years after that loss to Indiana,  I sat next to Bobby Knight in Birmingham, watching a hoop star the Hoosiers wanted to sign.  He told me that Alabama was the best team in the NCAA in 1976. He quickly added next to Indiana. He kind of threw in the next to Indiana part to cover his bases. In my opinion, Alabama has had three top-notch coaches. Those are John Dee, Wimp Sanderson, and C.M. Newton. Of the three, I'd put Wimp first. But it is a close call. Most fans don't remember Coach Dee. 

    I've been blessed to see a lot of things. I saw Wendall Hudson play his first game at Alabama. He was the first black American player for Alabama. I got to be friends with several SEC coaches I still call friends. I watched Alabama play all over the world. In the summer, the players invited me to play half-court games with them. I've seen some sad things. I went to Charles Cleveland's funeral.  What a pleasure knowing the players and coaches. I used to radio shows with Ben Cook and Herb Winches. It was to promote basketball because it was the red-headed child of Alabama sports. I started a blog for basketball fans.  It still it. 

   None of this means Alabama can't be better again. After all, hope springs eternal. It will cause me suffering but perhaps brings me joy. It is a cross that Alabama basketball fans carry. Roll Tide and Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to you and your families.

An extraordinary year for Tide fans...

     Alabama fans have enjoyed a special season of football, haven't we? If Alabama wins the national championship, I will elevate special to magical. How lucky are we to have seen Mac Jones and company light up 11 SEC defenses?  The Tide left them crying like babies. Nothing like that has been done by any team in the conference. I doubt we will ever anything like this again.

      The Crimson Tide has three players worthy of winning the Heisman Trophy. We know that Mac Jones and Devonta Smith were named two of the four finalists invited to New York or at least to virtual New York City. Jones and Smith set records for their performances this year. Najee Harris was 5th in the voting, but his season was just as good as the finalists. The other two finalists are Kyle Trask of Florida and Trevor Lawrence of Clemson.

     Let me quickly say that Trask and Lawrence have had Heisman worthy seasons. Smith and Jones were better than worthy. They were phenomenal. I think Smith will win the award, and Mac Jones will be happy for him. He's that kind of guy. The truth is that the pair had an almost symbiotic relationship. Each might have enjoyed a great season without the other. Together, they set some records that may never be broken. All of us got to see them do it. 

     Nick Saban has said this is his favorite team. The brotherhood of this team was apparent. When Landon Dickenson was injured in the SEC Championship Game, the entire team flooded the field to show their concern. It was a touching moment for all 'Bama fans. There were some huge moments.

Here are some of my favorites in no particular order:

• John Mitchie's' tackle of a Florida DB. Oh my, those Canadians sure like Alabama, don't they?
• Devonta Smith's remarkable touchdown catch against LSU.  Say goodnight Ed.
• Mac Jones to Waddle on those long ones. Bombs away SEC, bombs away
• Will Reichard makes them all. Can we say, Mr. Automatic Man?
• The outpouring of respect shown by Alabama players when Landon was hurt.
• The same outpouring of respect when Landon stays in the tunnel to watch his teammates after his injury.
• Najee scoring five TD's in the SECCG - most ever for a 'Bama back
• Mac throwing five TD's in the SECCG - can you say 37 for the years
• Coach Saban and the Covid - He missed one game and came back
• Sark rumors of going to AU - Most worry I had this season

What are your best memories? Share them

    

 Time to stop the nonsense...

    It's time to end the nonsense about who is the SEC Coach of the Year. Jimbo Fisher is drawing some well-deserved accolades for his one-loss SEC season. When you finish 7-1 in the Conference, you've done one heck of a job. The only game the Fisher led Aggies lost was against Alabama. Oh yes, the always present Crimson Tide, the destroyer of dreams in the SEC.  Alabama beat Texas A&M 52-24. Looking back, the Tide didn't put the pedal to the metal in the second half of that game. Just when you think you have arrived along comes Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide.

     Nick Saban and the Tide did something that most experts said would never happen.  It was too much to expect any team to play 10 SEC games in one season and win each. Alabama did, and for good measure, they won SEC Championship Game, which brought the total to 11.  That game propelled the Tide to the number one see in the College Football Playoffs. 

    None of this column disrespects any coach or SEC program.   In a year of chaos and confusion, one program kept its eye on the ball. The season started, the process began, and Alabama won the SEC.  Nick Saban showed us that he is more than just a coach. He appears to consider each contingency and has a plan ready to address what happens. 

   The Saban defense isn't his best. He stuck with Defensive Coordinator Al Golding when most fans wanted his head on the proverbial pike. The defense improved. It's not incidental that Saban developed the most prolific offense in Alabama history. Sanban and Sarkisian built an offense that proved a perpetual motion machine is possible. Saban did this by hiring a talented Offensive Coordinator, a quarterback that no one thought could be a star, a skinny wide receiver, and a running back from California who chose to forego the NFL Draft. The offensive line is the nations' best. 

    Trust the process. Trust the process. Each play matters. The last play is over, and time to move on. Saban invented this mind-set or at least perfected it. Nick Saban isn't a great coach; he is the greatest coach in the nation, college or pro. How good is he? None of his assistant coaches who have moved on to head coaching jobs have ever beat him. 

    Nick Saban just reeled in the most extraordinary recruiting class in SEC history.  He devastated Texas coaches, including Fisher, by signing the best players in that State. He did the same in Florida. Alabama no longer has real arch-rivals. He has buried Tennessee. Georgia made a run but lost. Florida has fallen. Auburn is not significant.

The media should stop throwing awards to coaches who don't win the SEC.  The SEC Coach of the Year should go to the winner of the SEC. 

 Auburn coaching search tells us a lot...

 

Did Auburn jump the Shark ?

   You have to wonder what the Auburn AD had in mind when he fired Gus Malzhan. Surely, Allen Greene must have some idea of who Auburn would offer. There had to be a shortlist. Is it possible that a candidate has already been selected and the Tigers have their man already? If that is the case, it will likely be Kevin Steele, the current Auburn defensive coordinator. No other scenario makes any sense to this writer.

      If that is true, why hasn't there been a public pronouncement? The longer the Tigers take in hiring a head coach, the more it seems to the sporting world that no one wants to work in Lee County, Alabama. Or is it more than that? Could the Auburn family have come apart? Has my late grandmother called a serious argument? One point of unity seems to be everyone wanted Gus Malzhan gone. Mission accomplished on that one. 

    It appears that the division is pretty deep and desperate right now. When you offer the job to the UAB head coach, and he turns you down (if that really happened), you've got some problems. The Louisiana coach said no thank you.  What is it that causes candidates to say no way? I've got a few ideas.

1. The important thing that AU wants is someone who can beat Alabama. Good-luck with that. Here's what happens when an AU coach does that. Tuberville left after he beat Alabama like a dime-store drum. Gene Chizik got fired after beating 'Bama and winning a national championship. Malzhan beat Alabama more than any other SEC school under his regime. And,

2. If a head coach beats Alabama, the expectations sky-rocket regarding their status. If you go back 20 years, the Tigers have won only three SEC championships. Tuberville, Chizik, and Malzhan had one each.  One. That's all. 

3. Auburn never looks takes the long view approach. Win a national championship and get fired doesn't say much for patience. You would think the Tigers would understand that by now. 

4. Money. Auburn has to pay Malzhan 27.5 million dollars after firing him.  That's a lot of meals at the Omelet Shop. If reports are correct,  half of that is paid upfront. Auburn was paying him 6.85 million per year. Auburn is still paying other coaches for their buy-outs. Ouch.

5. Who's the boss? That seems to be the main problem at Auburn. Everyone thinks they are the boss. Everyone wants Auburn to be Alabama. That's lofty thinking but flawed logic. Auburn has had some real success in beating Alabama over the years but has never won the battle of reaching the pinnacle of having become Alabama. I don't see how they can do that soon, or perhaps forever. 

6. Or is it much simpler? Perhaps the "power brokers" just dislike Malzhan? Maybe Gus just never became of them. I suppose it has to take a lot of emotional effort to keep any family happy.

7. These reasons listed above might have the cumulative effect of Auburn hiring football Bruce Pearl.  A time might come a time when winning outweighs fairness and integrity. AU might very well hire someone who lives on the edge of ethical behavior. The name Freeze comes to mind.

     Those are all reasons that the Tigers are floundering right now. It has never been a lack of success for Malzhan. It is in the shadow of the University of Alabama. Christmas is this week. Perhaps Santa Claus will help the Tigers.  Don't hold your breath, brother.

ALABAMA WINS THE SEC...

     We witnessed the greatest quarterback dual in the history of College Football. Kyle Trask is a great quarterback. Mac Jones is better. It was a night that saw the University of Alabama team win its 11th SEC football game in one season. That is a record that will likely stand forever. In the most challenging conference NCAA conference, the Tide withstood every test. None was as more brutal than the 52-46 over Florida. 

     Think about it this way; Alabama beat every team in the SEC except Vanderbilt and South Carolina. Those would have easy wins. Now, the Tide turns its focus to the College Football Playoff. On Sunday, the Selection Committee will pick the four participants. Alabama will be number one. Clemson will rightfully be number two. I have no concrete idea which teams three and four will be. Whoever they pick will be controversial. Let the arguments begin.

     Final thought: Has there ever been three players who are worthy of winning the Heisman Trophy on one team? 

 'Bama seems ready to win the SEC...

 

  On Saturday night, the Crimson Tide takes on the Florida Gators in a much-anticipated conference game. I'll be honest; my feelings. 

Can Jones win the Heisman tonight?

about a championship game remains. If Alabama should lose the game, they will be 10-1. Florida will be 9-2. I rest my case. The Las Vegas experts set the line at 14 at the beginning of the week. The number is now 17.5 as of noon on Friday. 

  I haven't seen a single sportswriter pick Florida to win. Anonymous coaches have voiced in (kind of) and said that 'Bama is going to win. Some said it would be a mudhole type game. Have you seen a single prediction that doesn't show the Tide beating that line? I haven't.

THE HEISMAN HYPE

  One of the sidebars attached to the game is the Heisman Trophy competition. Initially, it was a Trask vs. Jones scenario. After the LSU win over Florida, the media has been projecting a Jones and Smith model. The ACC is pushing Trevor Lawrence. My gut feeling is Lawrence would need a career game against Notre Dame to win, and Jones would play a lousy game. Jones hasn't shown any reason to think he'd stump his toe on Saturday night. The Big Mac attack had a masterful game running plays against Arkansas. The Hogs dropped eight in the box and gave up over 50. It could have been more, a lot more. 

SMITH IS THE BEST 

 

Or will Devonta Smith win the Heisman?

 I think Devonta Smith is the best college player in the NCAA. He has redefined the wide receiver position. Smitty does so with seemingly little effort. The slim-reaper is an appropriate nickname for the destruction he causes. The cherry on the top for Alabama was seeing Devonta return a punt for a touchdown vs. Arky. If the Heisman voters stick to form, they'll pick a quarterback, and Jones is better than Trask, in my opinion. Trask is an outstanding quarterback. Jones is better. Keep in mind that Mac lost Waddle early on in the season. What would Alabama have done had Waddle remained? 

HARRIS WILL PLAY?

  Alabama would like to see Christian Harris return to the lineup. Harris got injured on the first defensive play against Arkansas. Evan Neal is unlikely to play. Harris is now day-to-day. According to Saban, it will be up to Harris to decide whether he can play full speed. Jalen Moody stepped in for Harris and played a great game, according to the coaches. The Tide defense has allowed fewer points per game than any defense in the SEC. The Tide offense has scored more than any team in the league. What does that tell you? 

 'BAMA WILL WIN

  It tells me that Alabama will win. Throw in Will Reichard, who has been perfect this season. He hasn't missed an extra point or a field goal in ten games. All indicators point toward a Tide win. I'm old school. I'll worry. I always worry about concocting a game of mishaps, luck, good for them, and bad for us. Logically, Alabama should win by at least 17. I'm picking the Tide to win 49-21, and here's why:

> Alabama's offensive and defensive lines are better than Florida's

>Trask will put up some numbers with his receiving corp

>Jones, Smith, Harris are Bama's three-headed monster

>No shoe-chunkers on the Tide defense

>Bama has the best coach

>Alabama's place-kicker seems locked in

>Devonta Smith might break a punt return for TD

    I think Florida is the best team Alabama has faced this season. They'll score some, and will move the ball. But it will not be enough to pull off the upset. When their season depended on beat a poor LSU team at home, they folded. 

 ROJAS LIGHTS A FIRE IN SECOND HALF...

 

   A thumbs up to Bamathor for posting that as we look back on this basketball season, it may well be that James Rojas turned the page for Nat Oats. Rojas turned vicious under the boards and on the floor to start a comeback against Furman. It seemed to me that JR lit a fire for the Tide. Rojas has gotten a lot of criticism from fans about his play. A torn ACL kept him off the court for over a year. Juan Gary contributed to the comeback as well. Gary is strong, and he can help the Tide under the boards. Of course, Herb Jones elevated his game in the second half. 

     You might recall my post at the end of the first half. Furman played a tremendous first half. They had won 25 games for the last two seasons and are a lock for the NCAA field o 64. In the first half, Petty, Shackelford, and Quineraly were 0 for everything. When your three leading scorers get shut down, you won't be leading. Alabama picked up their defense in the second half. Furman didn't get a lot of uncontested shots. The Tide took better shots in half two, and slowly Alabama overcame the ten-point Furman lead. Alabama took their first lead with 1:13 left on the clock when Rojas buried a three to give the Tide a three-point lead.

      The main reason Alabama won the game was winning the battle of the boards. Alabama had a commanding 49-28 lead on the glass. The offensive rebounds gave Alabama a lot of second and third shots that helped overcome shooting. Bama had 21 offensive boards. Furman had only 5

1. Tough defense and rebounding won the game for 'Bama.
2. The was only 50% from the free-throw line.
3. Quinerly strangely disappeared
4. Shackelford refound his touch in the second half. He is the dynamo for this team. He needs to play as much as possible.
5. Petty continues his slump. He will find his touch again. Shooters have to shoot. 
6. Oats is shortening his bench. That should lead to more cohesion on the floor.
7. Alabama will find itself in a war with Western Kentucky. Rick Stansbury will once again be on the sideline at Coleman.
8. Three years is usually needed to turn a program around. The boo birds need to shut up.

MVP OF THE GAME: tie between Jones s.and Rojas.

 AUBURN'S PROBLEM ISN'T MALZAHN

    The Auburn Athletic Director unceremoniously fired beleaguered head football coach Gus Malzahn after the Mississippi State game; History will note the Tigers won that game. The win moved Auburn's record to 6-4 for the season. Rather than allowing their Coach to finish the season and the recruits he was courting, AD Allen Greene showed him the door.

     The Tigers latest head coach joined the fraternity of failure at the Loveliest Villiage on the Plains. Auburn has a long list of coaching "failures ." I am not sure if the coaching failure is accurate. I think it Auburn itself. Shakespeare told us that "expectation is the root of all heartache."  The good folk of the Auburn family understands that all too well. It seems that seasons following seasons bear the truth of that statement. 

      Starting with Shug Jordan and ending with Gus Malzhan, the highest winning percentage of any AU coach is Terry Bowden. He won 73% of his games. Shug Jordan was the head coach at AU for 24 years and was the bedrock of AU Coaching, but won only 68% of his games. I could go on about the percentages, but suffice it to say that none won over three-quarters of their contests. It might be fair to say that Jordan and Malzhan coached against Bear Bryant and Nick Saban. That's true, but it would also be appropriate to note that AU hasn't been able to find anyone as good as Bryant and Saban.

    Let's go beyond the failure to hire a great coach. I think AU's problem is they cannot attract the number of players needed to build a championship program. That is something that isn't easy to reach. That's the problem that dozens of schools have. The Tigers have to recruit against Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Florida State to get players. A program like Alabama can go nationwide to find players. Auburn is still the little brother to Alabama. I'm not sure Auburn will be able to change that status anytime soon. It certainly doesn't seem possible until Saban leaves. That could be several more seasons. I bet Saban has a plan in place for his replacement. I think Saban will tell Alabama who to hire.

     Wishing and hoping is a sure disaster to build a program. The power of Alabama football is just too great right now. I don't think AU can hire anyone who wants to take on Alabama and Saban. Who would? It seems to me that every AU coach has someone looking over his shoulder all the time. That cannot be conducive to winning.

 DON'T REWARD THE ACC, PAC 12, OR BIG 10 ...

     Let's get straight to the point. OSU doesn't deserve a berth in the CFP. Writing that is going to upset a lot of people. None of them are going to read this, I suspect. It's all perspective. If you listen to a lot of the national media, you'd believe that the Buckeyes are the second coming.  My point isn't about whether the Big 10 team is one of the top four teams. In all honesty, I'm not sure anyone knows which four schools are the best. Well, maybe we all know Alabama is one of those teams, but Alabama is, well,  always Alabama. 

   I believe the more information the CFP committee has better serves the chance to select the participants. Right now, only one conference has provided information to make a case. That is because the SEC-mandated ten-game season provides the CFP the opportunity to see how good conference teams are.  When a team has to win 11 games, you learn a lot.  Here' what I learned the weekend. Alabama is one of the four best teams whether they win or lose the SEC Championship. It turns out that Florida isn't. A two-loss team, even one that might end up beating the Tide, will not be selected, neither should they.  Florida might argue they won the SEC crown, and that matters. They can also correctly declare they beat the number ranked team in the nation.  So that sounds pretty solid. So, I'll give the Gators this - The CFP can select Florida over a team that played six games and had to get their conference to change their own rules to play a championship game and count it toward the six-game minimum.  Ask Indiana if this is fair. 

    The problem with Ohio State isn't Ohio State. It is a conference that is allowing their recent decisions to circumvent their original decision.  What the Big 10 has done is unfair to other schools that attempted to play a full season.  Ask Florida if playing one other game was good or bad. I understand that the Big Ten wants to have a team in the CFP.  Southern Cal will play Washington in the PAC 12 Championship next weekend. The  Trojans might finish undefeated and win their conference. Do they deserve a berth? I think the Big 10 and PAC 12 chose a path that knowingly caused them to play fewer games.  The ACC decided that Clemson and Notre Dame a one-game break this past weekend, as well. That league hopes to get two teams selected. It is unlikely that both teams would have won their season-ending games.  It was unlikely Florida would have lost to LSU. Not only did the ACC act unfairly, but they made the CFP Committee's job even harder. Let's hope the Committee won't reward the behavior of the ACC, PAC 12, or BIG 10.