College Football Playoff Committee missed the mark...

    Tip of the hat to many Alabama football fans who said that Oklahoma and Notre Dame didn't belong.  Tide fans maintained that neither Notre Dame or Oklahoma belonged in the four-team playoff.  No doubt, Notre Dame surely didn't. I always thought Oklahoma was marginal at best. Notre Dame played a cush schedule that hid an obvious fact. The Irish were not ready for prime time. I also believe had Alabama wanted to score 75 points they could have. In the blink of an eye, the Tide had a three-touchdown lead, and then it was four. I'll give kudos to Kyler Murry. He was as advertised. Without the gifted signal caller, I doubt Oklahoma would have won five games. The Committee missed this year's selections big time. Clearly, Alabama and Clemson are the two best teams. I would have included Georgia and Ohio State if I had a vote. 

      Oklahoma played in a little league conference. They got a mulligan to beat Texas in the Big 12 Championship game. No disrespect to the little league ball players everywhere. But when the committee selected a one-dimensional team it was going to have a bad ending. By picking Notre Dame the Committee showed that selecting the four best teams wasn't their goal. They picked three conference champions and one independent. It is time to penalize the Irish for their lack of confidence to man up and play in a real league. 

       The fact that Clemson and Alabama will once again play in the National Championship game is due to the fact that southern football is superior to any league or independents. I think UCF may have been better than Notre Dame. Alabama fans can be thankful that the weekly games in the SEC prepare teams for a playoff system. Bama fatigue is apparent, but the Committee got it right in the past with selecting the bully boy of the SEC. Alabama was the fourth team one season and still won the national title. 

A Short Christmas Story
 

  Twenty years or so ago a young man telephoned me about starting a new website. He asked me how I gained the trust of coaches, and got my recruiting information for basketball. It was easy for me to get the information. I was friends with Wimp and his staff. They would generally share information with me. I followed their rules. If something was to be kept secret for a while that's what I did. On occasion, I found out a day or so in advance of a commitment to let you guys know.

        Following basketball recruiting was pretty simple. There was not a lot of writers who followed recruiting in hoops. We all knew each other and would share what information we could. I have never charged a penny to anyone about what I knew about recruiting. It was just fun.  (I am going to start those darn Adsense ads pretty soon.) I got to know all the coaches in the SEC, and others from all over the country. If they needed a shooter, I'd tell them where to find them. I never asked for anything in return. Some offered me a little money. I'd tell them to put that in the collection plate on Sunday. Boy, have times changed. Today, the marketing of recruiting has become a monster. But how you get the information hasn't changed. I did a lot of driving to high schools games. I got a lot of phone numbers from coaches. 

       AAU summer basketball was a place to go and meet old friends, coaches, and kids. You could see the talent first hand and you could compare. I need to revisit those days and share a few stories. But the young man who contacted me wanted to do this for football. I had my reservations. There are so many players on so many teams, and there were few venues to see them at one time. How would this work? He was also going to keep his day job. 

      One thing that this young man never knew about his call - I went to each assistant coach and the head coach at the University and told them what he wanted to do. It would keep football on the front page all year. There were benefits for the program. Not all were happy with the idea of this young man, but he was dedicated and wanted to PROMOTE Alabama football. It took a few a few days to make the rounds with the coaches and the AD. That call was from a man named Rodney Orr. We have a shared history that no one even knows about. I'm not sure how much Rodney knows about what happened after we talked. I do know that TiderInsider is the gold standard. 

     He doesn't rate players. That is fiction so inexact that you can't always be correct. Rodney tells his readers what he believes and why he believes it. Tider Insider isn't full of glittery graphics. It is meat and potatoes. It is the most honest publication on the market. 

     Merry Christmas to all my TiderInsider friends and even to my antagonists. May the sprite of the Holiday warm your heart, and make you a happier person. Let's stop the gossip, the negativity and be the best human we can be. Anyone can be hateful. Let's find our better angels this year. And Roll Tide, of course.

Trey Sanders is a load and Bama may lose him...

      We all know Trey Sanders. We've all kept up with him and his recruiting saga. Last night, I decided to call my college basketball guys in Austin, Texas and get the lowdown on Sanders, Texas style.  Speculation is that Sanders eliminated Alabama from his wish list. Everyone now believes he is going to Georgia.  He may well do that. Sanders was a longtime pledge to play for Alabama. After he opened his recruitment, most thought he was solid for Alabama.

      There was also a concerted effort to persuade Sanders to become a Longhorn. Sanders took a couple of on-campus visits. Recruiting experts waivered. Fans held their breath, and are still holding. My question to my buddy was simple, "Is Sanders coming to Texas"? The answer was no. I then asked if he had any insight into his college choice. The answer was "I think he's going to Alabama."
That's what Texas thinks. They can be right, but they could be wrong.

      So if it's Georgia, why?  I honestly don't know. De'Andre Swift is a sophomore. Elijah Holyfield is a junior. It's unlikely he can beat out either of those guys. Saban frequently plays four or five backs. Georgia doesn't. So, if playing time is an issue it appears things are pretty even. Perhaps you might think that since Josh is a senior that eliminates some of the competition. Jerome Ford and Brian Robinson aren't chopped liver. Both teams send a lot of RB's to the NFL.


Saying 'I think' is different is even 'I heard him say. The only thing I learned is that someone actually said they think it Bama. Take that for what it is worth.

'Bama bias keeps Saban from winning Coach of Year Award...

    Some things never change. The extreme bias against Alabama continues unabated. In the days when Alabama started to dominate the Rose Bowl, the nation called Alabama "swamp rabbits". In 1966, Ara Parshegian went for the tie with his Notre Dame team, and the Irish won the national championship over an undefeated Tide team. Michigan State was the team that tied Alabama and they were second. Alabama was third and won their Sugar Bowl game 34-7 over Nebraska. Where did Michigan State play in a bowl that season? Nowhere, because the Big Ten had a 'no-repeat' provision. MSU had gone to the Rose Bowl the prior season. The 'tie-one for the Gipper' didn't go to a Bowl game. It was the choice of Notre Dame not to do so.  

      So the question that needs to be asked is how does a Coach win a national championship last season, and is undefeated in the current season not get the nod?  If Alabama wins the season's national championship it means that Nick Saban got the shaft to years in a row. I am not trying to take anything away from the legacy of Notre Dame. It is storied. In fact, Alabama and Notre Dame have some things in common that make each program special. I don't hate Notre Dame. The media is dying to put down Alabama any way they can. 

    We have to take into consideration that Notre Dame beat the likes of such lightweights as mighty Ball State, Vandy, Wake Forest, a sub-par Stanford, and a basement bargain Virginia Tech, Pitt, Navy, and Northwestern. They beat the worst FSU team in the history of the program and polished off the easiest schedule of the four teams in the CFP. They beat an improved Syracuse team whose starting QB did not play. Credit them for beating a Michigan team in game one of the season. In fact, the Irish sucked off that win the entire season to prove their ranking. Of course, Ohio State beat Michigan by a lopsided and laughable score. So much for the best defense in the nation.

    My best opinion is that the Irish, whose SOS is 23rd, gave them an undefeated season. Alabama had an SOS of 2. But once again, the not so Fighting  Irish won the award for their coach. Does the NCAA hate Alabama? No, of course not. Twice the NCAA took an Alabama team that could have on the outside looking in for a national championship, and both times Alabama rewarded their confidence with a national championship. Even Oklahoma, who plays in a sorry conference had a tougher schedule. (16)   Clemson (14) is going to beat Notre Dame like a stray dog that has pushed over the garbage. 

    As long as a playoff exists the media cannot keep the Tide from winning a national championship. First, the bias goes against Tua. Now it goes against Saban. Get used to it. The bias will continue. So will the national championships. LOL
     

Thibodeaux picks Oregon over Tide 

 

   First and foremost I hope our fans accept and congratulate this young man in his college future. After talking to my coaching friends in Oregon I'm told it was a complicated decision for Thibodeaux. He had a lot to weigh in his mind. 

    Mama won out. That is all it was. His mother wanted him to attend Oregon. Her family is moving to Eugene. You can make of that whatever you will, but don't assume the family has been paid with a job in the local area. Tua's family moved to Alabama just to be near their son. Now they have a second son to consider. 

  Losing Thibodeaux is more a blow to the pride of all of us. The coaches will find another player who could easily end up to be as good as Thibodeaux. If we have all learned anything, is that star-ratings are nothing more than window dressing more often than we remember. 

How about DeMeco Ryans? He was a three. So was Tyrone Prothro, whose injury kept him from setting all kinds of records. Don't forget D.J. Hall. John Parker Wilson and Javier Arenas were threes. The along came Chance Womack. Johnny Manziel was a three one year and so was Marcus Mariota who won the Heisman. So did Sam Bradford. Don't tell me that Baker Mayfield and Eddie Jackson weren't great players. And if memory serves, so was a placekicker named J.K. Scott. I am sure I've left out some others. 

     Alabama will survive. Alabama will win more national championships. Three things are always certain for us - death, taxes, and the Alabama Crimson Tide. 

p.s. (we have a few more fives coming soon at a website near you)

Tide hopes to reel these two players in on Wednesday



          Signing day looms. Alabama has focused their considerable recruiting skills on two of the nations top prospects. Both are five-star recruits. Each offers unique and talented skills that the Tide needs to continue the goal of winning national championships. These are the exact type of recruits that will keep the Tide at the top of the food-chain.  

Trey Sanders, running back from Port St. Joe, Florida. He plays at IMG Academy in Bradenton. He is the top-ranked running back in the class of 2019. Trey has been a long-time Alabama commitment; however, there is growing concern he is flipping to Georgia. That would hurt losing Sanders. Animosity between 'Bama and Georgia builds Alabama fans will scream foul if he signs with Dawgs. A recent tweet by Sanders indicated his interest in Georgia. Alabama has the nation's best recruiting class according to many sites. Sanders would inflate the Tide's lead. Has Alabama's wide open passing game hurt the Tide's chances to get this top-flight back? That is what some believe. It could be easily argued that the Tide offense gives Sanders more frequent opportunities to break a long run and to showcase his receiving skills. 

 My pick:  To close to call, although I am not sold that Georgia is now in the lead. If push came to serve, I'd pick Georgia today. 

Nakobe Dean - If you could build a perfect linebacker it would Dean. The Horn High School and Mississippi standout is the top five-star linebacker in America. He has been very closed-mouthed about his intentions. Most think this is going to be a Georgia and Alabama dual. We are going to see more and more of this dance to the death for top recruits in the Deep South. Dean has all the prerequisites needed in a top 10 national prospect. He is big, fast and hits like a dump truck.

LSU and Ole Miss hold out some hope in getting Dean signed on Wednesday. I think they really have no chance. Oddly, Mississippi State has no traction here. When you are six feet tall and weigh 225 lbs you draw a lot of attention. Add that to a football mean streak and you are a winner. Distance to Tuscaloosa from Horn Lake, Mississippi?  223 miles. Distance to Athens, Georgia? 453 miles. One is a three-hour drive, the other is eight hours.  I'm betting Mama opts for the short drive.

My Pick: Alabama in a close one.





    

Nation's top player lets us know tomorrow  

  There is an almost fevered pitch as the weekend arrives. The top player in the nation, Kayvon Thibodeaux, is going to announce his intentions tomorrow. I talked with three coaches in the Los Angeles area who were familiar with Kayvon. Two of the three said it was likely he was 'Bama bound. The third told me that Oregon had made up a lot of ground. Mario Christobol was camping out near Thibodeaux and made Kayvon the top priority for this recruiting season. Christobol was familiar with the young man through his days at Alabama before becoming the Ducks head coach. 

            That being said, we contacted my basketball source in Eugene. He said that Oregon coaches believe he will commit to Oregon. Distance from Los Angeles is a factor. Everyone likes to play near their hometown and family. The other factor, in my opinion, is that the young man is enamored with being "the man" in Oregon's recruiting. Who would blame him for enjoying the attention? At Alabama, he would be the best recruit the Tide would sign, but hardly the impact he might receive in Oregon. 

             Kids don't always use critical thinking.  If Thibodeaux and his family want what is best for the future, the NFL future, the choice is obvious. Nick Saban is a pipeline for players to make millions of dollars in the NFL draft, and then in their careers. That is a 100% guarantee in the world of career acceleration.

           What do I think? This is probably a head or heart decision for the nation's top player. I'd give a slight nod to 'Bama.  It would not surprise me in the least if he chose Oregon.