SEC OPINIONS - THE ELITE PROGRAMS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL - Sorry Auburn

WHAT MAKES A FOOTBALL PROGRAM ELITE?

Elite  - The choice or best of anything considered collectively, as of a group or class of persons.

        Let’s talk about Elite national programs. My definition of Elite is combination of several factors. First, you have to a long history of being a national power. Next, your record has to show a lot of wins over the years. Then, that record must be sprinkled with national championships, and finally you need that “aura” which is subjective, hard to define, but every real football fans knows what I mean. An example is Boise State. They have been a power of late. But “of late” doesn’t mean a thing. That is why you have some programs that have won a national championship, but do not have have the “Aura”. I think the best examples that comes to mind is Florida State and Miami. Colorado won a National Championship. Being good for a decade doesn’t mean Elite, it means you’re hot for a while. It’s like you are playing golf and have a few great rounds with the putter. You enjoy it while you but you know it won’t last. One of my friends, Don Kelly, is the greatest putter I’ve ever known. I’ve been playing with him for 40+ years. Now, when I say great, I’m talking about pro great plus some. He is an Elite putter. He hasn’t putted as well the last year. He still putts better than me, I know he’ll be back with the low blade. Elite progams, like Elite putters may have a slump from time to time but you know they will be back.

Every fan has his or her list of great programs. However, if you looked for a general consensus a few stand out. These are programs with national prominence. These are teams that if you asked a PAC 12 fan to give you his list it would be basically the same as an SEC fan’s list. They have withstood the test of time and have both history and tradition on their sides to prove the rule. Closer to home that is why Alabama is an Elite program and Auburn isn’t. I’m not even suggesting that Auburn doesn’t have a great program but they will never be mentioned same breath as Alabama as far as national prominence is concerned. Elite does not mean that Auburn can’t beat 'Bama. We know they can. It is rarely about the individual.  Last season was it Auburn that won the national championship or was it Cam Newton?  Get my drift?  In my mind an Elite program is sustained by players who never put themselves above their school and teammates. The year that Mark Ingram won his Heisman many felt that Trent Richardson was a better player. They were partners in great program. The program was larger than either of the players and they understood this. Mark acknowledged that at the Awards night.  Ingram didn’t overshadow his team. An Elite team is often better than the sum of individuals. Elite program can make the player better and not the other way around as far as national prominence is concerned. Ingram was not only proud to have won his Heisman he was happier that Alabama finally had a Heisman winner. 

        Second tier programs are often associated with great players instead of their school. In fact, a lot of second tier programs are defined by great players. I am not saying that second tier programs are second rate. Those teams may frequently have teams better than Elite programs. It just doesn’t matter. That is why the list of Elite programs rarely change. Elite programs make college football what it has become. Let’s do a hypothetical. Ten years from now you have chance to turn on your 3-D interactive super duper television and watch a game. Would you rather watch Alabama vs. Southern California, or Mississippi State and Virginia? It is possible that both Mississippi State and Virginia might be better than either of the former named teams by that time. It’s not likely though. I’m talking about historically prominent teams. I’m talking about the bed rock of College football. 

BCS Bowl selections of this season is perfect example. Why isn’t Kansas State or Arkansas in a major bowl? They were top ten teams, had excellent years, and have a lot going for them. Arkansas is a point scoring machine and Kansas State is the little football engine that could. It will be a classic match up when they play each other. But why did neither team make it to a major bowl game. People will say they don’t travel well, or they can’t sell all their ticket allotment. With an Elite program that is not a big deal. One reason is because Elite programs sell out their ticket allotment regardless of their records, and when they travel the fans come in waves and packs of credit card spending machines. The don’t d and take a couple of ham and cheese sandwiches in a brown  bag and stop at the 7-11 for all their cokes and six packs.

Who is on my list of Elite programs: The Top 5

Alabama, Michigan, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Southern Cal

This is the order I would put them and why -

1. Alabama - year in and year out, decade in and decade out, no program has the combination of factors I believe which make national Elite teams  the University of Alabama. 13 Consensus National Championships in the Modern Era, conference champions with regularity, and they are tops of “if we beat them it makes our season” list. Great coaches, best facilities in the nation at the college level. Here’s an example of the national perception of Alabama. When Green Bay won the super bowl and someone asked Vince Lombardi if the Packers were the best team in America his answer was “I don’t know. We haven’t played Alabama.” Yell Roll Tide and anyone in the nation knows what that means. I once got a free haircut in Falmouth, Mass. just to tell Alabama football stories. No joke, by the time I left every man in the shop yelled “Roll Tide” when I left. Winner of more bowl games than any team in history. National championships won: 21 (as recognized by the NCAA records today) The best coach in college football was Bear Bryant. Beating Alabama is a big, big deal to anyone. Losing to Bama may not break your season, but beating Alabama will sure make your season.

2. Oklahoma - National championships, winner of 47 games in a row, great coaches, In the Big 12 if you beat Oklahoma you’ve had good year. They have won numerous conference championships, they have Heisman Trophy winners. If you saw “Boomer Sooner” on a tee-shirt you’d know who they are. Multiple bowl game winner, and rabid fan base. I think you may have to have a little age on you to remember some of their real glory days. In modern times the Sooners are still big dogs. National Champions won: 16 (as recognized by the NCAA records today) Bud Wilkinson, 11 National Championships. Every season it seems they have a chance to win a conference.

3. Notre Dame - The fighting Irish, the subway alumni, even the Pope’s who asked a player to attend Notre Dame. 21 National Championships (as recognized by NCAA records today). Heisman Trophy Winners, Great coaches. Knute Rockne. Notre Dame would be #1 on this is if wasn’t for an extended dry spell and they really haven’t shown many signs of getting. But, they will. "Win one for the Gipper",The Four Horseman, etc”. Bowl games, darling of the nation, and hated by many, but you cannot omit the Irish, nor should you. 21 National Championships. Notre Dame made college football in the America, except in the South.

4. Michigan - M go Blue. Traditional helmets. The Big House. Michigan vs. The Ohio State University, Heisman winners, great coaches, over 800 national wins. Winner of national championship and league champions. The Big House is considered by many to the greatest venue to watch college football. Ann Arbor in the fall. It just can’t get any better. 14 National Championships. The original Bo. The model for big time football.

5. Southern Cal - The Trojans are magnificent. The most powerful football team ever on the west coast. Student body right, the Heisman Tailback Tradition, John McCay, Hollywood, The Rose Bowl is all about USC other teams may play in the Rose Bowl but it is the property of Southern Cal. Cardinal and Gold uniforms which is a tradition that the Trojans always keep. The Trojan measuring stick of Western football to see how you compare to Southern Cal. It always has been that way and probably always will. You think Oregon is going to overtake Southern Cal in the long run.? Of course not. Oregon will never win National Championships like Southern Cal. Oregon has had great program recently, and and I stress recently. Southern Cal vs. Notre Dame is one of the most highly anticipated games of any season even when neither team is at the top of their games. 10 National Championships. Best cheerleaders ever... SC is LA cool.  Like it or not, LA is the center of America.

There were other schools I considered. The Ohio State University (6) , Penn State (7) despite their current problems, Tennessee (9), Nebraska (8), and Texas (almost 5) would be my next five. LSU is getting close. Miami got close as did Florida State. But none of those three are there. LSU might because they are really good, have more than one national championship, but most important to the Tigers is that they play in the SEC. Florida State and Miami will never be because they are unable to show the long history. Florida was the talk of the SEC and now they have fallen like a rock.

I’m sure there will be a lot of disagreement with my list. I’d like to know which team you think I left our or did not consider. All I can say is that it’s really good to be a fan of an Elite program. One last thought. Why is Notre Dame play football last night?  Do you think UAB would have been there with the same record? I rest my case.

　

   

　

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Oregon's new uniforms are Friday the 13th Bad...

What happens when your tradition is bad taste...

     I don't want to sound insensitive in a era of political correctness.  In fact, I love the people of Oregon. It is a great State. Portland is the best city on the West Coast. Eugene, Oregon is a great town. It is like a hipper version of Tuscaloosa. In Tuscaloosa we like to drink beer. In Eugene, they like to... how to say this? Well, you can't drink a plant. That must be the answer to the question - What NCAA member has worst looking uniforms and why would anyone do this? Oregon has won that award hands down for the last three bowl games, although Boise State didn't go down without some  laughter. But this season the Ducks have hit the pinnacle of bad taste and proof that you should never do anything while smoking weed. The uniforms that the Ducks will wear in the Rose Bowl could only be worn in Southern California. Look at the photo. The player appears to be a young Darth Vader before he found his black cape. The uniforms are the zenith of ugly. This is the something that will send young children screaming and running into the night. "Well, I kinda like them," said an old friend. Are you crazy? Have you run out of your prozac? Kinda liking the look of these uniforms is like saying I kinda like nuclear fallout...


    Look, the school's mascot is Donald Duck. The Oregon Ducks. Seriously, that must be embarrassing. The only reason the BCS championship was close was because the Auburn Tigers finally found someone  they could laugh at. But we should count our blessings. What if Oregon and TCU played in bowl game? Oregon would wear what ever the hell type of uniform you call that, and TCU wore those solid purple uniforms that make the team look like a spilled bottle of Nexus. Take it just one step further - What if they played the game in Boise or Eastern Washington? I'll tell you that hysteria would follow. Television color settings would be so screwed up that Sony would swear someone stole all their default codes. This whole uniform situation makes you wonder if a convicted  Pimp got into a work release program in Oregon somehow. I don't understand why any school would wear something like that and be serious about anything but Halloween or a casting call for a new Friday the 13th movie. Let us all hope that the fashion police say enough is enough. The NCAA needs to do something about all this. It is one thing to buy a quarterback because it only hurts a few schools. These uniforms might cause mental imbalance in millions of college football fans. Perhaps the military could give rifles, send them to Afghanistan and either scare the Taliban to death, or watch them die laughing. Clearly, the Costume department at Oregon is smokin' something and it's not Lucky Strikes. Thank heavens for Crimson and White.  Just old regular Crimson and White which has been worn by 13 national championship teams and are getting dry cleaned for number 14.


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MISSOURI WANTS TO LET THE SEC KNOW ... WE'RE COMING

'SHOW ME TIGERS' GOT IT DONE...

QB James Franklin looked pretty SEC to me

     Hats off to incoming SEC member  Missouri Tigers. We know you are not an official member of the SEC but you did two things well last night: (1) You beat UNC and made them look like soft the pansies they are, and (2) No less will ever be expected by an SEC team n any game not  against an SEC team. All in all it was an impressive beginning for new comer Missouri.


 I'm not sure Commissioner Slive gives you an official book of do's and do nots as a new member. I'm sure you guys get something from his talking about academics, sportsmanship, and the purpose of amateur athletics. Those things are very important (wink, wink, chuckle chuckle). What I'm talking about the manual all new fans and players in the SEC and the things you need to know:


             WHAT YOU NEED TO REALLY KNOW AS A NEW TEAM IN THE SEC


1. No one here wants you here and we are slow up warm up but we'll come around;
2. Never lose to a non-SEC school. This would include the St. Louis Rams;
3. You need to buy about 20,000 RV's right now. Time is limited until next season;
4. You can cheer openly against your arch-rival in the SEC and Auburn or Florida;
5. Not once in the history of your upcoming SEC existence can you pull for a Big 12 school ever again. They are all pansies including Boone Pickens' team. On top of that
All Big 12 teams are located in flat states without mountains. You have the Ozarks and I'll give you that. The Hill Country of Texas is basically flat and they don't count.
6. We need a written admission the St. Louis Arch should have been built like football uprights. You should build on on the other side of the River to match. 
7. You will now become close friends with NCAA who will accuse you of everything              from marrying your cousin as an inducement for a player to sign with your school and buying cars for recruits. (trucks are not considered cars) Expressing your thanks to a a Missouri player with a handshakes when some way a hundred dollar got stuck in your palm after getting change at the concession stand at half time after buying a soda is considered a violation. We consider that courtesy which is very important in the South. You can violate those rules because the NCAA has already ruled a father can sell his son to a school to play football for you with absolutely no penalty, and you still get go bowling like Ohio State will despite having no control over your Athletic programs. As an aside never let your school president have actual control over anything athletic. Sorry, as if I needed to actually tell you that.
9. If the Tigers win a National Championship in Basketball every newspaper in the SEC   will have a story about the win on page four right after football recruiting updates.
10. I don't know your coach but he needs about a two million dollar raise to avoid feelings of insecurity when the next coaches meeting occurs in 2012.
11. Do not, I repeat do not, expect to buy any beer in a regular season SEC football games.  This is immoral, an insult to God and the Church of Christ. Besides, ushers will hand you a bottle of bourbon at no cost when entering the game. 
12. Every other school in the NCAA is for sissy boys and girls who think they can kick extra points, or some other mealy mouthed belief that women are really equal.
13. The second string quarterback on the bench is always better the starter at every school. This is always a point of controversy in the SEC except for Auburn. Then there are two quarterbacks on the bench better than you starter.
14. Don't expect to have a winning season in the SEC for about a real long time.
15. I'd start some type of vicious rumor that A&M paid 25 million to get in the SEC so you won't be the runt of the litter.


These rules are not inclusive. For example don't poison any trees. Don't even poison weeds in your backyard. Poison is a serious issue around these parts. Dry BBQ is not officially recognized as food at any SEC school. Memphis doesn't count. It is not an option to leave your hat off when passing a statue photograph, or any likeness of Bear Bryant, Elvis Presley or Jesus Christ. No Exceptions. Every Co-ed from any SEC 
is still a virgin. (wink, wink, chuckle, chuckle unless your daughter is a SEC student) Follow these simple rules and you will okay. Heck, one century you may even be accepted as an SEC school. Ask Arkansas and South Carolina who are still waiting. Football is not a way of life in the SEC. Football is more important than life its own self in the SEC. Tailgating does not involve wine of any kind. Pork is important. Cheese is something you cut and do not eat.  Always smile talk politely to any other fan of an SEC you are playing that but do curse him until  after you pass each other.  And most important, remember we are all in this together as long as you acknowledge that Alabama, LSU, or Florida are the only schools that God has ordained to win the SEC Title. God still has Georgia and Tennessee on some type of probation right now for obvious reasons. Welcome to the SEC. 


Wait, I almost forgot the most important advice of all. NEVER get married in football season, it will only hurt you new virgin bride's feeling when no one comes to the wedding including blood relatives.  Of course I'm no expert on wedding behavior, but i still don't think the minister and grooms should have their I Phones turned on during the actual wedding ceremony. Of course, TV's will be provided at the reception should you be foolish enough to get married during the season. A strong pre nuptial agreement is a good idea, it cuts down on the bickering about who gets the season football tickets in a divorce action. 


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Dixon's Commitment to Bama is Big for Tide...

Dixon states his case...   

It's a Dixon Family Affair after announcment

     Travell Dixon told Tide fans that he wavered on 'Bama and started to think about FSU.  Enter Grandmother. End of story. Another recruiting story has a happy Crimson ending. My maternal grandmother had a similar impact on my life. I don't mean that she convinced me where to play college sports, but she convinced me that good is better than evil. I suspect that Travell's grandmother thought that sending him to Nick Saban would keep and out of trouble and make sure he behaved. I bet she also thought that Coach would make her grandson a rich young man. Dixon seemed to acknowledge that CNS development of junior college players was the final decision maker for him deciding on  'Bama. (not minimizing grandmom). 


Let's put this comittment into proper perspecstive. The University of Alabama just landed the top defensive back out of the Juco ranks. Though not frequently stated, Dixon was also the # 3 prospect coming out of those valuable two year programs overall.  He is 6-2 and weighs 200 lbs. We have been told that he hits like a runaway freight train. He also had 5 interceptions which was no small feat since no one ever threw his way. I bet they didn't like to run his way either. He has garnered  4 stars. 

1st team Junior College All-American
Number 3 over JuCo prospect
and some cool dreads

It appears that more and more select JUCO players are looking at 'Bama as the team to consider in order to have their NBA careers started in the right direction. Alabama is becoming part of the lexicon for the right direction. Since the Tide doesn't sign a lot of junior college players you have to assume that Saban sees immediate benefit from the Dixon decision. Alabama needs a great defensive back to replace the two or three that are leaving this season. Dixon solves part of that problem. Not only is he a great player, he is a key to this Bama recruiting class...




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RAGLAND AND TAYLOR ARE TRYING TO WRAP TIDE FANS A GIFT FOR X-MAS

TIDE TRYING TO GET HUEYTOWN'S WINSTON...

In round one FSU over Bama
Round two?

     Stop me if you heard the one about Alabama trying to flip a FSU committment. This is one story that I have some actual information because I have friends in Hueytown, Alabama. I think it is safe to say they are close to the gifted quarterback. Really close. While we were talking on the phone the other day this person told me that Alphonse Taylor's flip to Alabama was big in a lot of ways. The skill we know about. The close personal friendship between the two is something I had not heard about. "A.T. is doing is best to get J.W. to flip to Bama, and so is Reggie. The three of them are really close."  My friend went on to say that he didn't think that A.T. would have flipped unless he thought that J.W might flip as well. Well now, folks what do you think about that. Ragland, Taylor, and Winston hang tight together at camps and even talk daily. 


     Let me add I have no way of actually knowing what the pair say to Winston. I'd bet it isn't anything like you'll love FSU. But the biggest battle that anyone other than FSU faced was getting the family to understand that JW wasn't sold on FSU. The family agreed in the long run that what they wanted wasn't a reason for JW to go anywhere. And Bama is literally just up the road from the University. My friend told me that he thought LSU was moving on up.  Why? Playing time is the answer. I was told that JW really, really, very interested in the outcome of the national championship game. Let's all keep our fingers crossed, but let's also hope that J.W. is happy wherever he plays and we should support him in that. 


     FSU laid an egg this season. They are probably the most disappointing team in Division one football this year. A top 10 prediction crashed and burned early on. You have to wonder if that had anything to do with J.W. The other big boy in the recruitment is Major League Baseball. I understand that he might be a second round choice. You baseball fans can convert that into money for us if you would. Up front money is tough to beat. One thing is certain in the little saga however; Winston is taking his time, thoroughly evaluating all his options including baseball. We'll know pretty soon. 
    




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Good grief Auburn is horrible...

Tigers look pretty bad to me...
Levi the next T.R. Dunn?

Levi Randolph is on his way up...

     I know Auburn fans thought their basketball team might be a Tiger of a different stripe this season. Long Beach State, who plays good basketball, rocked the Auburn Tigers 64-43 in Honolulu, Hi last night.  I have no idea what it would take for Auburn to build a good basketball program. Tony Barbee is a good coach. From time to time it seems the Tigers can put together a class here and there to compete at the SEC level.  We can all remember Charles Barkley, the Person brothers, Chris Porter, Sonny Smith and his nice squads. 


   That's what the problem with the Tigers are however; it is all in the past. You have to wonder, magnificent new coliseum aside, whether the Tigers can ever have a good program. You need to take a deep breathe when I say it would help Alabama if Auburn could start to win on a regular basis. 'Bama needs an arch-rival who can play closer to their level.  It appears it isn't going to be Auburn. It wasn't that Long Beach beat the Tigers last night. It was the way the Tigers got beat. They didn't look competitive. I have to admit to liking Frankie Sullivan and Chubb. Every college basketball program needs a Chubb. Last year we had a Chubb. His name was Chris Hines, and he is still what Bama needs. Someone posted that he was a garbage man. He was and it was a compliment. The best garbage man in the history of Alabama was TR Dunn. Bama needs a TR Dunn.  I think that Randolph Lacey will become the next TR Dunn. Randolph does all the little things it takes to win games. He gets the loose balls. He gets big rebounds. He defends you into oblivion. Best of all he is a better shooter than TR. The two have much in common. That is a compliment to Randolph.


    Years ago I was eating lunch one day in Knoxville. Ray Mears, Mr. Orange Coat, and he sits down in my booth. He looks at me and said, "Are you sure TR Dunn has graduated?" Then he laughed. We both laughed. That man loved TR Dunn but he hated having to play against him. He called TR Dunn "the ghost".  He was always popping up when you least expected him. He always got the important rebounds, the timely block, the put back off a missed shot. Mears jokingly said that Dunn made CM Newton a great coach. If you have coached Ernie Grunfield and Bernard King you know something about talent. Coach always spoke about TR in the same terms. I think that Levi might be the next type player. He'll have one of the box score lines that says 12 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block, 2 steals, and 3 steals. That is a winning line in anyone's book. Those are TR Dunn box numbers...


     The reason that I mention Levi is that Auburn wanted him, and wanted him as badly as any player I've ever seen them recruit. The only problem was that Levi didn't want to go to Auburn at all. He didn't even want to visit Auburn. It isn't that Levi hated the Tigers or that at the time he was married to 'Bama. He knew there is no future at Auburn for great players. Levi didn't tell me that. He didn't have too. You can tell you are at an Auburn game because fans always wonder how good a defensive corner back someone like Frankie Sullivan might be. They wonder whether Rob Chubb could be a tight end. I am not joking. I was hoping the Tigers might be a lot better this season. They might surprise me, but I doubt it.  It seems to me that Mississippi State has become the big rival for Bama in basketball. For a while it was LSU.  Kentucky really isn't a rival as much as it is a big game. What Bama needs is a rival that they prepare for with a steely glint in the eyes. Personally, Auburn is a big game to me. I'd say that State is next, and then Florida. Wimp made Auburn a big game by his bigger than life persona. David Hobbs lost his job because of Auburn. Mark Gottfried was so-so against the Tigers. Grant knows he has to beat AU in basketball, but it's not like football. I bet Grant is thinking Arkansas is going to up the ante with Mike.  And now there is Missouri. Hoops is the  one reason why SEC basketball fans thought the new Tigers were a good pick. 


But clearly, it isn't Auburn. It has never been Auburn, and I suspect that when my grandson is my age he'll say "my Poppy used to talk about the futility of Auburn's basketball program. It's a shame because their players deserve better. 




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Goldman to FSU now?

Goldman to FSU now that 'Bama has Taylor?     

'Bama is still pursuing Goldman...

   One of my good friends who is close to the coaching staff and the program told me that Alabama gave Eddie Goldman the chance to commit to Alabama, or Bama had another nose guard who they wanted. The gist was commit now or we go another direction. I have no actual proof if this is true. 


      I wonder if that direction was Alphonse Taylor  whose stock shot up through the roof after his defensive practices at the Alabama/Mississippi All-Star game. All of this is ‘informed speculation” on my part after talking to my friend. He wondered the same thing. So,does that mean that Goldman might end up at FSU?  It makes for some interesting speculation doesn’t it? 


     FSU boards believe that Goldman is headed to toward the Seminole reservation. Let’s hope not but my Red Elephant buddy says that Bama wanted Taylor because he really wanted Bama. Goldman is still playing it close to the vest and will give no indication of whether he has made his mind up about ‘Bama, FSU, or someone else. 




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SEC opinions: Bama strikes gold again with Taylor

SEC opinions: Bama strikes gold again with Taylor: Bama adds a road block on defensive side of the ball... The top Juco Conernback said yes on Thrusday Travell Dixon Today Alponse Ta...

Bama strikes gold again with Taylor

Bama adds a road block on defensive side of the ball...

The top Juco Conernback
said yes on Thrusday
Travell Dixon

Today Alponse Talyor jumps

     Alabama signs one of the most coveted offensive lineman in America. He is 6-6 and weighs in at 350 pounds. 35 major schools wanted him to play offensive tackle. Only one school, Alabama, wanted him to play nose tackle. So today, Alphonse Taylor, who played at Davidson High School said “yes” to the University of Alabama. That meant he had to say no to FSU. And another one bites the dust. Here is another kid who thought it over, and believed that playing one man wrecking crew or human log jam was just what he wanted to do. Most services have him rated at 4 stars. Rivals has it at 3 stars. Nick Saban gave him his personal star and that’s could enough for me.

The beat the goes on. If you are a coach in the SEC and someone suggests a field trip to the Little Big Horn just say no. That battlefield is coming to you in the near future. The outcome will be exactly the same, but you can avoid all those Motel 6 hot spots. For the Tide it is just another piece of what is turning into a monster recruiting class. This is really getting silly. This class is starting to resemble Godzilla and every campus is looking more like Tokyo as each day passes.

From what I have been told that best is yet to come. Is that even possible? These last few commitments have involved a couple of kids who had committed elsewhere, and then picked the Tide. I guess it is a lot like going into outer space. You could choose the Albanian Space program but NASA is an excellent choice.

                          These kids all have several things in common:

1. They are great players according to people in the know;

2. These kids want to play for a winner;

3. They use their heads to make decisions;

4. They must all believe that the best indicator of future success is past success.

5. Or they all like Dreamland more than we could ever believe.

All this ‘Bama success gives rise to understanding what the old salt “the rich getter richer and the poor get poorer”. Once again Texas is right at the top of the recruiting reports, and then comes the SEC - Alabama, LSU, Florida, Auburn, Tennessee, South Carolina, and then Georgia are all top twenty classes according to Rivals. Those are just the top ten and top twenty ranked classes. By the time you get to through the top thirty you understand why the SEC is always in the BCS game, and why they are so darned tough once they get there.

All this reminds me of when a man named Bear Bryant was at Alabama. Bryant got who he wanted, took most of what you wanted, and didn’t bother with all the messy details in between the two. The reduced scholorship rule was supposed to level the playing field. I don’t think that has happened, although it probably did give rise to Boise State type program. It might make it possible for Temple to be competitive. But let’s talk top of the food chain - the more things change the more they stay the same. Years ago I said that things would change very little because top programs will spend what it takes to remain on top including paying for the best coaching staffs possible. That is what has happened.


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Alabama plays Oklahoma State tonight...

Not the BCS game for the Oakies, but close enough...

    I got an email from an OSU fan yesterday. Didn't know the man but he and his son are coming to the BJCC tonight to watch the Tide and OSU square off - in basketball.  We exchanged telephone numbers and one thing led to another and he and his son are staying at my home for a couple of days.  We talked a lot and expect to talk even more about the BCS hoopla and the exclusion of Oklahoma State. He felt the Cowboys were a victim of a very biased media. I told him it was one thing to lose to LSU in your worse played game all season than lose to Iowa State who plays Gene Chizik's recruits. None of our talking will lead to anything more than good natured jawing. The  fan said something that made me know just how lucky Tide fans are to be... well, Tide fans. "You guys," he said, "get to play in national championship games all the time. For us, it might be a once in a lifetime experience."  Okay, I have to admit that tugged on the old heartstrings for a minute. It is also the reason that we need some type of playoff or plus one system. 


     This man made a lot of sense. The essence of his argument was how good would it be for Alabama and Oklahoma State play to see who plays LSU. He said that LSU could play Boise State or TCU and put an end to that "little boy" football mythology once and for all. I liked that idea. I have no problem believing that 'Bama is better than OSU and deserves to play LSU. The Tide earned that right by virtue of the current system. It is what it is so to speak. Still, his idea was intriguing and would add a lot of excitement and money to college teams. With two SEC teams in the four team playoff the SEC payday would be around 75 million, up from the projected 56.2 million. That is a lot of money, or as my late father would say - "we could pay down most of our credit cards." 

     I'm one of the few that believe there is nothing basically wrong with the current system. It seems to me that the BCS Championship game has always been between the best two teams at the end of a season. I would like to see something that says if you lose your last game you can't play in the BCSNCG.  However, you can almost hear the Cajun screams  at the mere suggestion that had Georgia beaten the Tigers they had to go play in the Orange Bowl or something.  I believe that losing a conference championship game should be a lot more damaging than losing an earlier regular season game. Luckily for the all of us the NCAA hasn't phone me for my opinion to date. I'm just saying...


     So come on out tonight and watch the game. OSU is the Auburn of Oklahoma according to the few OU fans I know. Oklahoma fans are arrogant and have a superiority complex according to OSU fans. Sound familiar? My new OSU buddy said they be a thousand or so fans pulling for the Cowboys tonight. I told him it all depended on how many Auburn fans showed up to hope Bama gets beat...You know they will.

Thank you Coach Mac...

      Let's take the time to congratulate Coach McElwain for being hired as the new head coach at Colorado State University. He is now a CSU Ram. He has done a wonderful job at Alabama. He may be on the verge of winning a second national championship with a first year starter at Quarterback. Average coaches can't do that. It's been a good run for both the coach and those of us who know him and respect his abilities. Fort Collins is a lot like Tuscaloosa only in the Rocky Mountains. Coach will feel right at home. The Colorado people are all top shelf, and they are getting a top shelf coach. It's a good fit for everyone.  We knew we couldn't keep Coach Mac for ourselves forever. Thank heavens he got a great job... I have no doubt that in a couple of years the PAC 12 is going to say "hey, we got the wrong Colorado team, guys."


     In 1969 some great guys at a fraternity took me in for a month when a road trip went awry. The Red Door of Friendship was more than just words to those guys. I've already talked with  couple of those young men, now much older,  to let them know just how lucky we were to have him and how lucky they are to get him. Mac's leaving will only inspire the offense to give him a very unique going away present. I can't tell you what it is but it will be wrapped in Crimson and White falling confetti.According to sources on the team Coach Mac gave them a rousing inspirational  speech not only about the upcoming game, but who the kids need to be in life. 


                                 Roll Tide Coach. We will miss you !!!!




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Yeldon AU Meltdown - Day Two

Auburn fans cry foul...


What's going on down here?

      It was bound to happen. Almost every AU fan I saw today cried foul over the commitment of TJ Yeldon to the University of Alabama.  Drugs 'r Us couldn't fill prescriptions for paranoia fast  enough to dent the belief that Yeldon had been bought by the Crimson Tide. According to most AU fans it started with Brent Calloway,  then escalated with Cyrus K, and hit lift off with Yeldon. The "it" was Alabama buying football players. The AU conspricy buffs, with wild eyes and spittle flying, swear that the NCAA is allowing all this to happen because of Cam Newton. Excuse me, Cam Newton? I thought the NCAA cleared Cam due to a "rule technicality".  I've learned not to interact to much with AU fans when they are on a tirade.  I know better. Like some type of uncontrolled obsession I could hear my words roll off my tongue even as my brain said, "don't do it".  Exactly, what does Cam Newton have to do with TJ Yeldon I asked?  Are you crazy man, it is as clear as day. The NCAA knew that Newton was guilty but couldn't prove it so they were allowing Alabama  to continue buying AU recruits. The only thing this line of thought lacked was a spokesman. I told them that Houston Nutt was available. 


    I asked them if they were admitting that Newton wasn't clean? Are you telling me that Newton was dirty and the NCAA was "getting even" by allowing Alabama to buy recruits?  This line of thought puts the Tiger fans in a conundrum.  Say yes, and you are no longer "all in".  Say no, and you are just another crazy fan reaching for some understanding of why your University was on the receiving end of a Grecian tragedy. From the Crimson side of the fence it seems like Yeldon said yes to Auburn when he should have said he needed to think about his comitment a while longer. Who every heard of an 18 year old kid making a impulsive comitment?  I'm sure that such behavior has never happened in the history of college football recruiting, or at least not at Auburn.

    When I was younger being a professional golfer was high on my list. I'd had a bunch of low 60 rounds and even shot a 59 one day while playing with my buddy Ben Cook. My head was so far up in the clouds I couldn't breathe. A lack of oxygen can lead to pretty bad thinking. While I was mentally getting fitted for my first green jacket I went over to watch a practice round at Augusta National. When I saw Tom Watson hit a driver about four blocks over the net at the end of the practice range I knew the truth.  I had no chance of being a pro golfer. None, Zero, Nada, and other such numbers came to mind. That was it. I would play golf for fun and return to the planet earth. I still love to play golf. I might shoot 65 one day and 85 the next. It is important to undersand the truth.

    To this day I believe that Cam Newton's father got money for his son to play at Mississippi State and probably Auburn as well. The real question in my mind was the purchase sanctioned by the school or some over zealous booster acted alone. In my mind it was a kind of "who shot JFK" on a much less important basis. Both are bad. One is totally unaccpetable. The other is undestandable, but wrong. One thing I've learned as a country lawyer. The truth will come out eventually. Revenge is a dish best served cold according to the bard, and he pretty much nailed that one didn't he? The "truth" as I see it really doesn't matter. It's over. I'm not sure that the cloud of doubt isn't worse for AU than what actually happened. The larger "truth" is that when you've just won a national championship, and were just a couple of bounces away from a losing season the next year, the doubt grows even stronger. Like we said yesterday - when you can offer a recruit the world and he says no thanks you have bigger problem than the recruit flipping.

     All this Yeldon stuff is bothering AU fans who see their beloved team in a state of free fall. Does your program cheat, why is Gus going to Arkansas State, why would Ted Roof jump ship and go to a glorified high school program? On top of all these questions your recruits start to jump ship. Where is all that talent that three great recruiting years supposedly led to a bumper crop of talent?  These are all questons that Alabama fans don't ever ask themselves. We don't have any need to inquire. Auburn beat us at Bryant Denny and that should have been a springboard for greater things to come. But what if the foundation of your program isn't solid. What if the team you beat had the hiccups and not cancer? What if you had to climb the tallest mountain only to see your archrival on an even taller mountain you couldn't even convince your self in trying to scale?  Auburn is not, I repeat not, at a crossroads in their program. They are where they always are and always will be I suspect. You can get from point A to point be driving a Chevy.  It is not exactly the same as getting from point A to point B in a Lotus. When you car goes chug, chug, sputter and your opponents car goes Vrrrooommm.... you aren't going to win a lot of races. This isn't the story of the tortise and the hare. This is the story of an the Elephant and Cliff Hare. Different writer, different outcome.

    I read Yeldon's statement of why. It was well thought out. It was sensible, it was kind to AU, and it was maturely written. He didn't say he was going to Alabama because the Univerisity is better than Auburn. He said he was going to Alabama because it was better for him as an individual. It is the AU fans who believe Alabama is better. Alabama fans believe their school is better. Why would any fan  base think  differently unless you know the truth?

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Yeldon decides to Roll with Tide

Top running back in Alabama turns his back to Auburn...


What does this mean for the two programs?

     Let's suppose your name is Gene Chizik. Yesterday, the top running back in the State of Alabama, perhaps the nation, was an AU commitment.  That was big for a lot of reasons. First, he is a great player. Second, you beat your In State Rival to get him. Lastly, your First Team All-SEC running back has gone rogue and may never play another down for the Tigers. On top of all the above you literally gave up heaven and earth to try to convince Yeldon to stay. Reports from some suggest that the running back was informed about every offensive coordinator Auburn was going to interview. None of that mattered to T.J. Yeldon in the long run. The gifted running back wanted to play for Alabama and Nick Saban because he knew his future career in the NFL would be greatly enhanced by doing so. 


BITTER PILL FOR THE TIGERS TO SWALLOW...


     What a bitter pill to swallow for the Tigers. To Tide fans it only reinforced what they have believed forever - Auburn is a program not on the same level when compared to Alabama. I think it is only fair to say that most teams can't compare with Alabama. Think about this - The Auburn Tigers centered their entire recruiting class on getting Yeldon on board, only to find out that the young man made an informed decision about what was best for his career. It wasn't Auburn. It wasn't the Tigers even though Yeldon knew that Michael Dyer by many reports is finished at Auburn. The tough Tiger running back is suspended for the Chicken Sandwich Bowl game. Dyer is looking to transfer according to some people who claim to be in the know. Yeldon could have started on a team one year removed from winning a national championship. He could have been the center of the spread offense. He could have been the man. Instead, he decided that he needed the best coaching and the best program in the nation to hone his skills. 


AUBURN COULD OFFER A LOT TO YELDON BUT NOT THAT ON BIG THING...


     Most observers believe that Trent Richardson is leaving for the NFL.  But that is not cast in stone. Yeldon also knows that Eddie Lacey isn't chopped liver and he will be back at Alabama. Despite all those things the five star high school All-American said no to Auburn. It probably isn't a good day to talk with your friends who are Auburn fans. They are still stinging from the slap in the face that Yeldon delivered today.  The flip wasn't just the losing a great player. It was losing him to Alabama when you could promise the world to the player and it wasn't enough. When Bama lost Thomas to Georgia Tech he did so because he wanted to play quarterback. The Tide fans hated to see him go but wished him well and most understood why. Besides, at Alabama you can always find a comparable wide receiver or DB to take up for the loss.The Tigers can't do that. Tiger fans can shout "War Damn Eagle" til they are orange and blue in the face but Yeldon's commitment to Alabama just reinforced that gnawing feeling of inferiority that many on the Plains feel. 


DARK DAY ON THE PLAINS...


     Well, if you are an Auburn fan you better take a deep breathe because by all reports this season's recruiting class might be the best in Tide history. Auburn might also have their best recruiting class ever as well. The truth is that Bama's best and Auburn's best are vastly different. Despite Auburn closing the gap over the last 20 years or so it is a gap so wide the Tigers can never catch up. I'm not saying that AU doesn't have a good program or even a great program. Auburn's program compared to a lot of NCAA schools is great. Here's the truth - Alabama plays at a level that only a few program such as Texas, Southern California, Michigan, and Ohio State have attained. These programs have reached that rarefied air by decades of excellence. It isn't big news when those progams compete for national titles. It is big news when they don't. 


So if you live in Alabama that old saying "the more things change the more they stay the same" is obviously true. There are those who do and those who want to do. Most objective people in this State understand that. I understand that. More importantly, TJ Yeldon understood that. 






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Is Alabama better than LSU...

Despite Tide loyalty you have to wonder...

Hightower is one tough player...

     I read that in game one of the of the LSU game the Crimson Tide was able to move the ball inside of the LSU 30 yard line 9 times. That means that 'Bama scored 6 points when they might have scored 63 points. Hmm... that doesn't speak well for the offense.  I know it is fashionable to wear Crimson Colored Glasses along with your game day jersey, but does it seem to you that 'Bama has struggled on offense to some degree all season? It seems that way to this writer. Fluid has never been a term associated with any Nick Saban offense. The words workmanlike and efficient are used a lot to describe the Alabama pro-set offense. It also seems to me that anytime the Tide has the ball inside the 20 yard line (aka - the red zone) the word struggle comes to mind. When you have had a back like Trent Richardson running the ball you have to wonder exactly what gives?  I know the defense can key on Trent but  that means the passing lanes should be there for the picking. The loss of two players, Julio Jones, and Duron Carter, had a bigger impact on the Tide's offensive woes than most Tide fans want to believe.

Great Stats...
     The numbers are there to indicate a really dominating offense. Despite the numbers it seems the offense tends to sputter when you'd like them to run like a fine tuned engine. Part of that might be the Alabama belief that you want your quarterback to "not lose" the game instead of winning the game. The coaches don't telephone me asking my coaching advice but I've always wondered why you can't have both. I do know this - LSU has improved on offense since game one and I'm not sure we have. The game plan against Auburn gave me some hope that the Tide has more in the game plan than we've seen this season. The use of the tight ends will work against almost any defense, and certainly should work against a hard pursuing LSU team. The LSU defensive ends and corner backs are superior to Auburn's counterparts as much as day is different from night.
At any level it always appears that the tight ends are an afterthought on offense. I'm not sure how 'Bama's success against Auburn with the tight ends will effect LSU's run defense. The defensive ends and outside linebackers can't just ignore Brad Smelly and company. That will like give Richardson, Lacey, and Fowler a little more room to gains a few more yards. A few more yards may be all the Tide needs to beat LSU this time.


Home Field Advantage...

     I continually hear from LSU fans that the Super Dome will be Death Valley South. I don't buy into that primarily because Alabama fans are going to find a way to buy pretty half the tickets. I had four. They were on the forty yard line. I sold two so Alabama power can now rest easy about my power bill for a few months. Why anyone would pay that much money for a couple of football tickets amazes me. Besides most of the pre-game activities in New Orleans involves avoiding fights, having a fight, or breaking up a fight. I'd prefer to stay home and scream loud enough to scare all my Auburn neighbors to death. That plus, the closest hotel room you can find is somewhere around Hattisburg, Ms. In my younger days I'd have gone in a heart beat. I did make sure that the two tickets were going to 'Bama fans. I was offered almost 20% more from two LSU businessmen but that wasn't going to happen. No way that would ever happen. Instead, my cousin is coming down from Huntsville to watch on our HDTV. We normally would have gone to the game in New Orleans together but his pre-game activities involve not involving fights, actually fighting, and his firm belief that actually breaking up a fight in progress violates every know rule of Southern Men. I will not embarrass him with the story of the $600.00 bar bill after the last national championship game. Let me give the younger patrons of any bar on Bourbon Street some advice - never say next round is on you, drunk or sober.

National Championship - only
the SEC needs apply, as # 6 is in the
BAG...


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     As always my stories tend to wander a bit and this one is no exception. So let me sum up what I wanted to say before - either Jordan Jefferson or A.J. McCarron is going to win or lose this game. This isn't going to be three yards and a cloud of burning astro-turf. I think both teams are going to wind it up and let it fly. It's the only way the Tide can win. I hope our kicking team and special teams prove me wrong. That's the part it seems shaky to me...

Early hunch... Alabama by one?

Shame, shame, shame...

      The Heisman Committee disclosed that Trent Richardson didn't win the Southern District of voters. Shame on you guys that didn't vote for Trent. Let's call it what it actually is - jealousy and anti-State of Alabama sentiment. Two straight national championships and two consective Heisman winners was just two much for the Southern sportswriters who can't stomach this  State. I you can also throw in a dash of "we hate 'Bama and a pinch of "god, we are so tired of the SEC winning everything."

     And then there is the growing fungus of sportswriters becoming the news as opposed to reporting the news. Kevin Scarbinsky comes to mind. I like Kevin a great deal. We have been acquaintices for 30 years. As the newsprint business started and now continues its decent into nothingness sportswriters have put themselves into the center of controversy. That would be okay if they didn't create the controversy themselves.


     Phillip Marshall late of the Huntsville Times is a perfect example. For years his inability to keep his love for Auburn hurt his credibility. Phillip wrote not only pro-Auburn stories but could barely disquise disgust for Alabama. Now I know something of the Marshall family, brother David and I were roomates in college, and because of that I got to know Benny Marshall, the father very well. Mr. Marshall was what sports writing was actually about. Tell the story good or bad, but tell it nonetheless. And tell as an impartial witness and don't inject yourself in the center of the story. I miss my friend David, who is no longer with us, and his father, Benny, whose observations about college sports are sorely missed.  We need more Benny Marshalls and Ben Cooks and fewer people like Jim Rome and Lou Holtz. 
   
    Today, everything must be controversial and it must fit within a news cycle. Last night ESPN went out of there way to show this years Heisman winner wasn't the first time a winner of the Trophy  teams suffered 3 losses in season. That led me to believe that ESPN, the spin doctor for RGIII, was trying to justify his winning. Griffin, who certainly isn't short on ego wearing Superman socks was a worthy winner. Just not the correct winner when Trent Richardson was on the ballot. The fact that Richardson didn't carry the Southern Region of Heisman Voters expresses the hatred toward the University of Alabama, the SEC, and the State of Alabama. 27 voters in the South didn't have Richardson on their ballots at all. 


     Three weeks before last night's award show the name RGIII was not even one of the top five players mentioned in the award. One game, more specifically one pass, won the Heisman vote for him. The Baylor quarterback may well wear superman socks but there was only one candidate who is faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings at a single bound. His name is Trent Richardson.  He probably could do all those things as well as run over linebackers, carry half a defensive football team 10 yards on his back, and send defensive backs into counseling when they were forced to think about Richardson heading their way under a full head of steam. He was either going to embarrass you with a move so wonderful words would not describe it, or the would take your manhood and crush it like a bug.


     Let me offer this as an example.  I sincerely believe that Richardson could have put up some legendary numbers as a running back in the Big 12. How many of you think that RGIII could have done the same if he played in the SEC?  You can't blame RGIII for accepting the trophy anymore than you could blame Richardson for wanting to win it. Give Trent the choice of winning the Heisman or winning another National Championship and his genuine nature to share would have choosing the game. If Griffin's socks said Superman on them, I bet Trents said "just a man".  But what a man he is and the next time he visits New York it won't be to be cheated out of a Trophy. It will be to help his team win a trophy with his on the field play where only broken tackles and not broken ballots count. 




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