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.