NCAA Football FanHouse http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com NCAA Football FanHouse http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/media/feedlogo.gif NCAA Football FanHouse http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Staring 11: Kiffin Seeks Deputy Criticizerhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/25/staring-11-kiffin-seeks-deputy-criticizer/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/25/staring-11-kiffin-seeks-deputy-criticizer/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/25/staring-11-kiffin-seeks-deputy-criticizer/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



Late in Saturday's game against Vanderbilt, Tennessee's Dennis Rogan appeared to intercept a pass in the end zone. Only a questionable pass interference call was made. Vanderbilt received a first and goal and eventually kicked a field goal on the series. Lane Kiffin commented on the call in his post-game by telling Commissioner Slive he appreciated the call. Not content with that statement, the next morning Kiffin appeared on the Lane Kiffin Show alongside Vol announcer Bob Kesling and this was the transcript of their discussion of that play:


Kesling: This is third and goal.

Kiffin: [Heavy Sigh]

Kesling: The ball looks like it's intercepted.

Kiffin: The ball is intercepted. I thought that was a great call by the ref throwing the pass interference there. I'm sure that we were at fault.

Kesling: Here it is again.

Kiffin: You can say whatever you want. [Mike Slive] can't fine you.

Kesling: No, I think I'm under the same umbrella.

Kiffin: No, he can't fine you, don't worry. Go ahead, say what I wanted.

Kesling: Under the same umbrella.

Fortunately, I've got Lane Kiffin's solution: independent officiating criticizers who aren't affiliated with the university in any respect to do a coach's bidding.

Think about how sought after these positions would be. You'd be the de facto officiating commenter for the coach! It's like every message board poster's dream come true.

Anyway, as you can see by Lane Kiffin's comments, SEC Commissioner Mike Slive is the equivalent of a seventh grade substitute teacher trying to stop the blue word game from erupting in his classroom. (You know when one person says, for example, a euphamism for a man part and then someone else says it a bit louder until they get to the point where the teacher hears it and penalizes someone.) Basically every SEC coach is challenging the intent of the rule.

What if one coach just turned into a tremendous champion of the referees. Imagine, for instance, a postgame comment: "Boy, that call was one of the best I've ever seen in all my years of coaching," and denied that he was being sarcastic. Can you fine a coach for sarcasm, for being overly complimentary?

Anyway, with that question we're off and running with the Starting 11.

1. Much has been made of Les Miles/Col Jessep's decision on Saturday. But without the tape from the headset conversation we're in an difficult position. Much like the Watergate investigators after President Nixon cut out the 18 minutes.

Fortunately, and I expect major props for this, I've been e-mailed the existing tape and will be posting portions of it for your review throughout the Starting 11.

Immediately after the tackle as the clock begins to tick:

26, 25, 24

Booth: Coach!

Les Miles: Lemme finish.

Booth: Coach!

Les Miles: And so you're telling me that they have recreated the final "Seinfeld" episode inside of a new show called "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and they are playing it on Home Box Office?

2. I've been threatened with death over my Uga VII piece, but I'm not letting the overreaction over a dog's death go gently into that good night.

Did ESPN's announcing team really need to say that Georgia's players were playing on Saturday with "heavy hearts."

I mean ... come on.

Do you really think that Uga VII's death impacted the players at all?

Nope, not one single bit. Now, if Uga's players were playing with heavy hearts because they gave up four turnovers in the second half and lost at home to Kentucky for the first time in 30 years, well, I can see that.
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3. Twenty-three seconds, 22 seconds, 21 seconds

Booth: Coach!

Les Miles: What is a Home Box Office? Do I have one of those?

Booth: Coach!

4. No one is talking about this but Heisman hopeful Mark Ingram is very close to being passed in a yards-per-game average by, get this, another player in the SEC.

Anthony Dixon rushed 24 times for 176 yards against Arkansas. Dixon now trails Ingram by 1.38 yards per game. The only reason these two players aren't completely interchangable in terms of total running yardage is because Dixon didn't play in Mississippi State's first game of the season.

In fact, against common SEC opponents, Kentucky, LSU, and Arkansas Dixon has rushed for 534 yards to Ingram's 334. So against the exact same defenses, Dixon has been almost twice the runner that Ingram has. After this upcoming week, we'll be able to add Ole Miss and Auburn to the common opponent mix, but look for Dixon to finish the season with substantially more yards than Ingram playing against the same competition.

Leaving me with this question,what if they just held the Heisman in abeyance and could save it for future years when two better players deserve it?

5. 20 seconds, 19 seconds, 18 seconds

Les Miles: Calm down y'all. Do you want me to push the buzzer? I love that buzzer. Sometimes, when I get bored over here, I just push the buzzer to give the refs a little jolt. Imma do it now.

Pushes buzzer.

Booth: Coach!

Less Miles: Buzzzzzzzzzz. You know bumblebees have a queen. Not a king. You know what else, that buzz sound, that's the sound that Ryan Perrilloux's going to hear every time he leaves his cell.

Booth: Coach!

Les Miles: Buzzzzzzzz. Look at that old official, he's looking at me like he expects me to do something.

Sucker.

6. Question: Can you use the family bathroom at a football stadium if there isn't a family presently there?

I think so.

But what do you do if you come out and there's a mom waiting with a baby?

She's going to curse you for all eternity. Maybe not out loud, but in her mind. Your karma is ruined.

7. 17 seconds. 16 seconds, 14 seconds, 13 seconds

Les Miles: Can you believe that Spencer Pratt got his Vas Deferens snipped? One year I went to a Halloween Party dressed as a Vin Diesel. But I thought I was the Vas Deferens. Kids got me all confused. So I stood up at the party and said, "I thought I was a part of the man part, but I'm really not. I apologize to all of the ladies for saying, 'My man part could use some punch.' What I should have said, you know to be more accurate, was, 'Little Vin is happy to see you.'"

8. How disappointing is playing coaching dominoes going to be if Brian Kelly leaves Cincinnati for Notre Dame?

You'll recall that I said playing coaching dominoes was one of my favorite past-times when I'm bored in my car. This means I'm lame. But chance are, you're lame too.

Then all we've got left open is a Cincinnati job that won't be attractive enough to really set the dominoes falling anywhere. It's the coaching dominoes equivalent of the Tyson-Spinks fight, a complete let-down.

Selfishly I'm rooting for Notre Dame to pry away Urban Meyer just so we can have a colossal explosion.

9. 12 seconds, 11 seconds, 10 seconds, 9 seconds, 8 seconds

Les Miles: Easy, easy, the state trooper just called the timeout. You know how we do these things. I'm the deputy clock man. He's the clock man.

Les Miles: Okay, here's the play, everyone runs down the field and you throw it up in the air really high and we'll pray to God that someone catches.

Jordan Jefferson: A Hail Mary, Coach?

Les Miles: Lord no, Mary was just the vessel for the Lord Baby Jesus. No sir, I'm calling this the Hail Jesus.

10. If Boise State and TCU wanted to play an unscheduled game against each other, could they?

I was sitting around doodling in the dentist's office the other day, when I wondered about this. What if both teams decided to play the weekend after the conference championship games? I mean, Boise is already playing 13 games this season so what does one more, a cool 14, hurt?

If Boise didn't already have a game scheduled on Dec. 5, they could have played against each other and tried to stick a thumb in the eye of the BCS rankings. Regardless, wouldn't it be great if two small conference teams agreed to a playoff-level game just to spit in the eye of the BCS?

And then got a major corporation to sponsor the game and award the winner the national championship?

In the meantime, you can head over to twitter and read the new social media strategy of the BCS: Starting up a pro-BCS twitter feed called @insidethebcs

Totalitarianism meet social media, lovely.



11. Meanwhile, has the Pac 10 had a crazier finale than a Dec. 3 Oregon-Oregon State Civil War hate-fest for a trip to the Rose Bowl?

On a Thursday night?

I watched the end of Oregon-Arizona from a bar and it had to be the craziest game of the year.

At least the craziest game with a ton at stake.

Now I feel like Oregon-Oregon State is going to be craziest.

Staring 11: Kiffin Seeks Deputy Criticizer originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Clay TravisWed, 25 Nov 2009 11:09:00 EST Daily Domer: Rubber-Necking the Irishhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/19/daily-domer-rubber-necking-the-irish/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/19/daily-domer-rubber-necking-the-irish/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/19/daily-domer-rubber-necking-the-irish/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Charlie WeisFanHouse writer John Walters is living in South Bend, Ind., during one of the most pivotal seasons in Notre Dame history. Check back daily for his dispatches on the Irish.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The numbers are fluid, but if you search stories on the web for the past two weeks you will find that no head coach, with the exception of Florida's Urban Meyer, is written about more than Charlie Weis. And if you were to eliminate the stories that pertain to Meyer possibly leaving the Brigadoon that is Gainesville for the "Deadliest Catch" climes of South Bend, then Weis may be number one.

Nick Saban. Mack Brown. Brian Kelly. The Patterson/Petersen duo, Gary and Chris. None of them have had even half the stories being written about them that Weis does even though all five of them have guided their teams to undefeated seasons thus far. Weis' team, as you know, is but 6-4.

Of course, Weis is a hot topic because he is on a very hot seat. But so is Mark Mangino. Dan Hawkins. Al Groh. Steve Kragthorpe. None but Mangino even merit a mention on "SportsCenter" and the Kansas coach is only drawing attention because his players, mired in a five-game losing streak, have suddenly realized that he is allegedly abusive.


Hey, I have to be here (notice the name of this column). But you don't. Nor does ESPN radio, which led off its 4 p.m. broadcast on Wednesday with a debate on whether "Notre Dame is the best coaching job in the country" (I imagine if you asked Weis his opinion this week, you'd be met with a sarcastic scowl).

Granted, when the nation's most loved and hated program is in disarray, everyone slows down to gawk at the carnage. If it were just about an overweight coach with one foot in the grave, Mangino would be getting equal time on ESPN. But he isn't.

Notre Dame has been an average football program, in terms of its won-loss record, this entire decade (70-49 since 2000). In fact, the 2000s' mark the first decade that the Irish have failed to finish in the top five of at least one final A.P. poll. And maybe if the Irish throw together a couple more decades in a row like the present one, the program will indeed have only a vestigial link to college football supremacy.

But in 2009, people still care. Some care because they love Notre Dame and not an insignificant number of people care because they despise the school. "It's like the Yankees," says senior defensive end John Ryan.

Except that the Yankees are World Series champions.

Will the Irish ever win another national championship?

Who knows? What I do know is that people have been posing that question as far back as when Knute Rockne perished in a plane crash in 1931.

Vintage Parris
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Senior wide receiver Robby Parris met the media on Tuesday night wearing a pair of shoulder pads underneath his standard-issue green ND polo shirt. Just because. That's Robby Parris.

Calling Aldridge

Running back James Aldridge, also a senior, is listed as a starter at fullback this week. Aldridge has not started a game this season. His last carry came five games ago versus USC, on a fourth-and-1 call in the third quarter that went for no gain.

Odd Line

Notre Dame is a six-point favorite on Saturday versus a Connecticut team that has lost all five of its games by four points or less. Also, the Huskies are coming off a bye week. Additionally, all five schools that beat the Huskies are either ranked or received votes in this week's AP poll: Cincinnati is No. 5, Pittsburgh is No. 8, Rutgers is No. 25, North Carolina received the most votes (144) of any unranked team, and West Virginia received eight votes. Either Vegas truly believes that the Irish will come out fired up for the seniors' final home game, or they're counting on you to believe that.

Golden Rules

A lot of people know that Stanford went for two against USC last week leading 48-21 midway through the fourth quarter, and most people also know that the Trojans stopped the play. If you have not seen the play (I was unable to find it on YouTube), it is worth noting that Toby Gerhart (called "pure muscle" by his girlfriend, a Stanford swimmer) took a handoff and was met head-on at the goal line by USC's Taylor Mays, who knocked him backward.

Gerhart is a Heisman candidate and a deserving one. But it bears noting that perhaps the only offensive player who knocked heads at full speed with the 6-3, 230-pound Mays and got the better of it was Golden Tate.
Just another piece of the legend.

Gerhart and Tate, by the way, have as good a balance as any two players you'll see in college football. The sideline "tackles" Tate as often as a defensive back actually does.

Daily Domer: Rubber-Necking the Irish originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Charlie WeisCharlieWeisJohn WaltersThu, 19 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST Ingram's Heisman Hopes, Bo and Conhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/18/ingrams-heisman-hopes-bo-and-con/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/18/ingrams-heisman-hopes-bo-and-con/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/18/ingrams-heisman-hopes-bo-and-con/#commentsFiled under: ,


In 1985 Bo Jackson won the Heisman Trophy by rushing for 1,657 yards and 15 touchdowns. Twenty-four years later, no SEC running back has won the award again. Not Emmitt Smith, not Darren McFadden, not Knowshon Moreno, not Jamal Lewis, not Fred Taylor, not Garrison Hearst not Terrell Davis -- okay, he wasn't that good in college. None of them. And it's not like there hasn't been an awful lot of talented player, by my review of first-round draft picks, the SEC has had 15 running backs taken in the first round since Bo Jackson won the Heisman.

For over a generation, Jackson has stood alone. But now, in the absence of any overwhelming favorite, Alabama running back Mark Ingram seems to be atop many Heisman lists. Is it justified? How do his numbers stack up compared to past winners? And what do those past winners at running back -- there have only been seven since Bo Jackson in 1985 -- tell us about the current state of college football. Proceed, fearless reader.

Barry Sanders' 1988 season is the gold standard for college football rushers. In fact, it may be the gold standard for college football players period. In that year Sanders rushed for 2,628 yards in just 11 games. He had 37 regular season touchdowns. (All stats are pre-bowls, since the Heisman is handed out in advance of bowl season.) But you don't need to hear it from me. Go look at his game stats from that season. In four of the 11 regular season games he went over 300 yards. Four times. He averaged 238.9 yards per game.

I think we can safely call this the greatest season for a running back in the history of college football. Not surprisingly, Sanders won the Heisman Trophy.

Next came Rashaan Salaam at Colorado in 1994. Salaam broke the elusive 2,000-yard plane and scored 21 touchdowns. The next season, 1995, Eddie Georgia notched 1,927 yards rushing, 24 touchdowns, and an average of 152.2 yards per game. In 1998 Ricky Williams broke 2,000 yards and finished the regular season with 2,124 yards and 27 touchdowns. In 1999 Ron Dayne went for 1,834 yards and 19 touchdowns en route to the award. Finally, for the only time for a running back this decade, Reggie Bush won the Heisman in 2005 with 1,658 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. Bush also had 383 receiving yards.

What does all of this tell us? In the past two decades, you have to put up huge numbers to be considered for the Heisman Trophy as a running back. That's because the Heisman has become a quarterback's trophy. Indeed, every winner this decade has played quarterback except for Bush. Four of the past seven winners have soared over 2,000 yards rushing, Eddie George and Ron Dayne came tantalizingly close. And Reggie Bush ascended the Heisman plateau on the strength of his running, receiving, and punt returning prowess.
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Now the question remains, does Mark Ingram have what it takes to chalk up the first Heisman Trophy for Alabama? I've already cast my lot with Boise State's Kellen Moore, but Ingram's candidacy is an intriguing one. Let's go pro and con.

1. Pro: Ingram is averaging 6.7 yards per carry which is tops among major college backs. It's also better than the per carry averages that Bo Jackson, Darren McFadden, Cadillac Williams, Jamal Lewis, and other SEC tailback luminaries have put together in their best campaigns.

For whatever reason, Ingram doesn't have a reputation as a breakaway back. but his per carry average is better than just about everyone in major college football. In fact, the only two BCS backs that have a higher per carry average among the nation's top 100 rushers are Oregon's LaMichael James and Florida's Jeff Demps.

2. Con: Presently Mark Ingram has 1, 297 yards rushing, 225 yards receiving, and he has 13 total touchdowns. That's good for fifth in the nation in rushing.

While those stats are impressive, it's important to note that Jackson, Sanders, Salaam, George, and Dayne will all finish with more yards than Ingram even though Ingram will gain two extra games on those men--the additional 12th game added to the schedule as well as the SEC championship game. Statistically, if he wins, Ingram is likely to have the lowest rushing average per game than every Heisman Trophy winning running back since Archie Griffin ran for 1,357 yards in 1975.

3. Pro: Ingram has played against rugged SEC defenses, five of which are presently ranked in the top 25 of the nation's defenses. Three of the backs that are ranked above him in total yardage, play outside the BCS at Fresno State, UTEP, and Temple.

4. Con: Stanford running back Toby Gerhart is the only BCS back with more yards than Ingram, and he's also scored 19 rushing touchdowns to Ingram's 10.

Given that Gerhart has recently led Stanford to back-to-back top 10 wins, why isn't Gerhart considered the Heisman favorite if a running back is to be selected?

5. Pro: The only quarterback that can justifiably be selected over Ingram or Gerhart is Boise State's Kellen Moore.

Given the relatively mediocre seasons, at least relative to their past standards, of Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow, both of these men should be eliminated from Heisman contention. Meaning that effectively, this should be a three-horse race, Moore, Gerhart, or Ingram down the stretch.

6. Con: If Mark Ingram played for a team that wasn't ranked in the top five in the country, he would not be a major candidate.

Consider, last season Georgia's Moreno rushed for 1,400 yards, 16 touchdowns, and caught 33 passes for 392 yards.

No one even mentioned him as a Heisman candidate. Isn't Ingram being hyped solely because Alabama is having a good season and there is such a weak field of contenders?

7. Pro: Alabama plays Chattanooga this weekend and Ingram could roll up 200 yards pretty easily if Nick Saban elects to keep him in the game.

Following this game, Alabama has the national stage to themselves for a Friday game at Auburn. As if that weren't enough, the SEC Championship game has a shot at becoming the most highly watched college football game, in terms of viewers, in CBS history.

So Ingram has a better opportunity for a strong close than any other Heisman contender not named Tim Tebow.

8. Con: Mark Ingram is in the same voting region as Tim Tebow.

How much will he be hurt by those who reflexively vote for Tebow and cut into his support base? Does someone like Gerhart have a geographic advantage when it comes to support?

9. Pro: Ingram has performed the best against SEC opponents and has not, thus far, padded his stats against weaker competition.

In fact, in the two easiest games on Alabama's schedule, FIU and North Texas, Ingram carried the ball just 25 times for 142 yards. His best running has come in conference.

10. Con: Ingram, a sophomore back, has come out of nowhere this season and his numbers aren't overwhelming.

There's nothing eye-catching about what Ingram has done. He won't come near breaking 2,000 yards, there's no singular play that anyone can point to, yet, that defines his candidacy. He's a hard-working, grueling, runner. Typically those types of runners aren't rewarded.

Plus, he hasn't built up a profile with the Heisman voters, he's come out of nowhere. That relative anonymity works against him when it comes to garnering a national award. I'd wager that one month ago, prior to the South Carolina performance, most voters didn't even have Ingram on their radar screens.

11. Pro: Being a sophomore doesn't matter anymore.

Remember two years ago when the debate was about whether or not a sophomore could win the Heisman? Tebow won the award after much hand-ringing. Raise your hand if you've even heard a single person mention the fact that Ingram is a sophomore when they analyze his candidacy this fall.

12. Con: Auburn can ruin Ingram's chances at the award.

Ingram has a chance to become Alabama's own Bo Jackson. Something that, I'd imagine, won't sit very well with Auburn's Ben Tate or the War Eagles. Can you imagine how raucous Jordan-Hare will be in two weeks when Ingram comes to town seeking to buttress his campaign?

Would you put it past Auburn to stack the line and absolutely refuse to allow Ingram to run the football against them?

I wouldn't at all.

Especially when you consider that keeping Ingram from winning the Heisman by stuffing him on the Friday after Thanksgiving may be the only victory that Auburn can grab in this game.

There is still an awful lot of football left to be played, but right now, Mark Ingram has the national stage to himself.

To Bo or not to Bo, that is the question.

Ingram's Heisman Hopes, Bo and Con originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Clay TravisWed, 18 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST Bama's Greg McElroy Silences Criticshttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/bamas-greg-mcelroy-silences-critics/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/bamas-greg-mcelroy-silences-critics/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/bamas-greg-mcelroy-silences-critics/#commentsFiled under: ,

Greg McElroyOkay, Greg McElroy admits he overreacted and his feelings were hurt.

It was two Saturdays ago, following Alabama's dramatic victory over LSU, when McElroy vented that people, including teammates, had lost faith in him as the Crimson Tide's starting quarterback. Two days later, McElroy apologized if his postgame comments offended anyone and he further explained that getting mad was not the way to getting better.

McElroy was certainly better in Alabama's 31-3 victory over Mississippi State last Saturday, silencing critics with a solid performance he intends to build on as the undefeated Crimson Tide (10-0, 7-0 SEC) continues its march towards the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta.



"I think that our best football -- you know the day you play your best football should be the last game of every year," said McElroy, who completed 13-of-18 passes for 192 yards and two long touchdowns against the Bulldogs.

The Tide, in the mix for a national championship, accumulated 444 yards of total offense and played turnover-free football.

Alabama faces Tennessee-Chattanooga in its final home game and final non-conference game of the season on Saturday. The Crimson Tide ends the regular season at Auburn in The Iron Bowl before it tangles with top-ranked Florida on Dec. 5 in the SEC Championship for the second consecutive year.

"I think we're continually improving," McElroy continued Monday during his weekly news conference with the media.

"I think everybody is trying to improve personally, individually and obviously collectively we're trying to accomplish all of our goals. Our best football is out there. When we come back and look at the film on Mondays there are things that we did wrong.

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"That's natural and you're never going play a perfect game, but there are things that we're trying to iron out before the season ends, and things that we need to try to improve on this week."

At least on the surface, McElroy's relaxed and confident tone is proof he's trying to learn how to handle the expectations and heat in his first season as Alabama's starting quarterback.

After playing his best game in a month in the Tide's division-clinching victory over LSU, McElroy, a redshirt junior, bared his bruised soul and said, "I've had to deal with a lot of animosity and a lot of hatred." He later explained that he also felt his teammates had questioned his performances.

McElroy's comments caught his teammates off guard, who quickly rallied behind him and said their confidence in him had never wavered. Head coach Nick Saban said he also talked to McElroy and reminded him to "believe in yourself and ignore the negative."

McElroy is not familiar with failure.

He has not lost a game as a starting quarterback dating back to high school, a span of 26 starts that included leading his team to a Texas state title.

McElroy has also made A's in all but one class in college. He's thoughtful, polite, quick with a smile and always gives a detailed answer.

McElroy now also better understands he must answer with results, not words.

That was accomplished against Mississippi State, where he threw two long touchdown passes to Julio Jones (48 yards) and Darius Hanks (45 yards).

Mix that in with Heisman Trophy front runner Mark Ingram's 149 rushing yards, including a 70-yard touchdown burst and Alabama seems to have found the big plays that it missed earlier this season.

During a four-game stretch against Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee, for example, McElroy had just two completions longer than 20 yards and failed to throw a touchdown pass in three consecutive games.

The Tide's longest rush in that four-game span was 54 yards.

"Greg did a nice job in the [Mississippi State] game," Saban said.

"His pass efficiency rating was really high in the game, in terms of his execution. We probably didn't throw the ball quite as much as what we'd planned on going into the game. When we did throw it, we executed and made a couple of explosive plays doing it, three or four times.

"We were very pleased with his performance and the way he managed the game."

Bama's Greg McElroy Silences Critics originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:04:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Greg McElroyGregMcelroyJim HenryTue, 17 Nov 2009 12:04:00 EST Starting 11: Archie Manning, Sire MVPhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/starting-11-archie-manning-sire-mvp/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/starting-11-archie-manning-sire-mvp/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/starting-11-archie-manning-sire-mvp/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Archie ManningMidway through the Ole Miss-Tennessee game on Saturday, a highlight package of Archie Manning's playing days at Ole Miss came on the jumbotron. Ole Miss fans, up to that point cheering their biggest win of the season, went quiet. The man behind me muttered softy to himself, "Them were the days."

As Archie ran around on the field making play after play, it occurred to me, not for the first time, how amazing it is that he sired not one, but two, Super Bowl winning quarterbacks. By the time the cameras found his youngest son, Eli, in a suite, I was still attempting to contemplate how amazing the fact was. By Sunday, after Peyton Manning led his Colts to 21 points in the final 12 minutes of a victory over the Patriots, there could be no doubt: Archie Manning's sperm is one of the greatest national treasures in our country.

Right up there with Abraham Lincoln, the flag outside Fort McHenry that inspired Francis Scott Key to jot down "The Star Spangled Banner" and Dorothy's ruby red slippers. That's why I'm making a humble suggestion to the Smithsonian Museum of American History, Archie's sperm should be an exhibit. (Lets see you do that, exhibit on late 19th century wheat threshers.) Otherwise, the museum is worth nothing.

On to the Starting 11.

1. Is TCU's Gary Patterson the next Urban Meyer?

Granted, the comparison doesn't fit squarely since Patterson has been at TCU for eight years and Meyer was only at Bowling Green for two years and then Utah for two years before he arrived at Florida. But if you look at their last four seasons as a head coach, Patterson is presently 40-9 while Meyer went 39-8.

My point, someone is stealing Patterson away at the end of the season, the only question is who?

And here's where it gets interesting, I played coaching dominoes on the phone driving back from Oxford. I had each of the people I talked with assume that Charlie Weis is gone. Then I assumed that either Brian Kelly or Urban Meyer would take over at Notre Dame.

Kelly leaving Cincinnati really doesn't cause the entire coaching universe to scramble since it isn't an amazingly desirable job, but what would Florida do if Meyer left?

I formulated a couple of working hypotheses, A.) Given the Ron Zook failure, there is no way Florida takes someone who isn't already a head coach and B.) What head coaches are the most attractive out there regardless of conference affiliation?

Isn't the answer Gary Patterson? And if Meyer left, wouldn't there be a really good shot that Jeremy Foley would head back to the Mountain West conference and poach another rising coaching star?

I think so.

Anyway, coaching dominoes is great fun. I highly recommend it when you're on long drives by yourself.


2. Do you also feel cheated as a college football fan that teams like Stanford, Cincinnati -- even though I dogged them above -- Boise State and Georgia Tech don't get to throw their hats in the ring and compete for a championship at the end of the season.

First, how hot is Stanford on offense?

Jim Harbaugh going for two against Pete Carroll when he already had 48 points was one of the best things I've seen this season.

Can you imagine how sweet that was for Stanford fans? To kick the dirt in USC's face for a change.

So I miss seeing Stanford in a playoff, assuming they find a way to win the Pac-10, but I really miss Georgia Tech.

Can you imagine a team trying to gameplan against Tech in an eight or 16-team tournament. When you don't even know you are going to play them until less than a week before? How do you get ready for them without any previous preparation?

Also, how many points would it take to win, say, if Cincinnati and Georgia Tech played? Seriously, is there a more exciting game out there? Maybe Boise State against Stanford.

I'm drooling now.
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3. Would Cincinnati's defense hold up against Florida, Texas or Alabama?

They gave up 202 yards rushing to West Virginia. Granted that was on 46 carries, but still, the defense has shown some ominous cracks that don't befit a national title contender. At least not when you compare their defense with Texas, Alabama, Florida, or TCU.

Put it this way, does anyone think that Cincinnati would be less than a double-digit underdog on any neutral site game against Texas, Alabama or Florida?

Would Cincinnati even be favored in a neutral game against LSU or Ole Miss? (The oddsmakers love Ole Miss. Perhaps they've been bribed with excess BenJarvus Green-Ellis jerseys).

I don't think so.

And if we don't think that, and the market wouldn't think that in Las Vegas, isn't it ridiculous when we don't even allow the market to dictate the best match-up between the two best teams? Instead we rely on polls and a computer.

In other words, we're not even using the best market to determine the match-up, we're allowing a flawed and limited perception of teams to govern our selection.

4. Did anyone else see the kid celebrating Mississippi State's apparent kick return touchdown that came back?


I'm not sure why this clip is so addictive to me, but I watched it four times on DVR replay, and then voluntarily leapt up from my seat when my editor found it again on Youtube.

There's something about the curious arm pumping with the pom pom, the slightly askew cap, the chubby cheeks, and the head movement that all lends itself to greatness.

Of course, now I feel like there's a 90 percent chance that kid is going to grow up and start a blog called claytravissucks.com.


5. Michigan is still awful in year two.

Assuming he survives, which is a big assumption, is Rich Rodriguez going to fire defensive coordinator Greg Robinson? You'll recall that last offseason Robinson replaced Scott Shafer, who was hired by Syracuse. Last year Shafer's Michigan defense finished ranked 67th in the country.

Now Robinson has, wait for it, the 89th-ranked defense in the country.

Last year, Shafer's Michigan defense allowed 347 points, the most in school history. This year the Michigan defense has given up 309 points through 11 games. With Ohio State coming to town and Michigan's defensive woes against Big Ten schools, don't be surprised to see that record fall for the second year in a row.

Meanwhile in the ultimate irony, Shafer's Syracuse defense has been better than Michigan's.

Leaving us with this question, can we just acknowledge that nothing is going right at Michigan?

6. Kellen Moore rewarded my faith in his Heisman campaign.

Kellen WinslowMoore passed for five touchdowns and 299 yards. Through 10 games he leads the nation in passing efficiency, has the second lowest interception percentage of the nation's top 100 most efficient quarterbacks, and now has 32 touchdowns against just three interceptions.

When are people going to take notice of this performance in a year when the other top candidates keep dropping like flies.

You know what doesn't help?

The fact that Boise State's Heisman campaign is not ready for primetime. I e-mailed the powers-that-be at Boise State and asked him to send along whatever facts and figures they'd put together to buttress Moore's Heisman case and make sure I had those facts lined up in my endorsement.

Boise State didn't respond to me.

Seriously, what are they doing out there?

7. Let's talk some more about Archie's sperm.

How many men have successfully become fathers in America between the years 1969 and 1988 -- the age range of current starting quarterbacks in the NFL. Conservatively, 40 million. (Currently 4.3 million children are born every year).

How many quarterbacks have started a game in the NFL during this generation?

Maybe 500?

How many quarterbacks born during this generation have won a Super Bowl?

11!

And Archie Manning has fathered two of them!

Seriously, just think about the odds on this.

I'm going to do a full column on this at some point, but it's unfathomable that the same man has sired two of the greatest quarterbacks in football history.

We're talking about the toughest position in all of sports.

I want to actually run the odds on this happening. Put it this way, each of these kids, including me, had a .00000003 chance of winning a Super Bowl.

And Archie pulled it off twice.

What football fan out there woudln't want their smiling son or daughter posing alongside Archie's sperm?

8. If Boise State doesn't get a BCS bid and either Iowa, Penn State or Wisconsin does, which seems likely, aside from dooming the Big Ten schools to another lackluster season by requiring them all to play up in their bowl games, what does this signify?

That the BCS doesn't even play fair when they aren't excluding half of the teams from competing for a championship.

I've linked this before, but read the BCS selection procedures again just to demonstrate how lawyered up this thing is.

I've read easier legislative histories.

Honest question, after reviewing this, what percentage of college football fans could accurately apply the rules and get all five game match-ups set in an adequate manner according to the rules if you gave them the final BCS standings and an hour to complete the assignment.

Maybe 10 percent.

This would be a great test.

9. How many Georgia fans cringed when Todd Blackledge said it was up to Willie Martinez's defense to win the game for Georgia?

But, credit to Martinez, his team won, stopping a driving Auburn team to win the game.

In the process, every SEC fan should breathe a sigh of relief. Because as long as Martinez is at Georgia, their defense is going to be average at best.

I'm rooting for Martinez to survive the season, but I'm convinced that the epic beating that Georgia Tech is going to lay on Georgia in the final game of the season is going to seal his fate.

That is, assuming Georgia can beat Kentucky this weekend.

10. Unless it's an NFL contract, all bets are off when it comes to coaching openings.

One of the things that drives me the craziest is when a coach signs an extension and people trumpet that as clear evidence that he's not going anywhere else. Granted I'm playing coaching dominoes in my spare time, but the only contracts worth anything in football are NFL contracts.

Everything else, college head coaching, analyst contracts, assistant coaches, you name it and those contracts can be broken at will. Now there might be a buyout, but I'm sick of people trotting out the contract argument as if it's the gold standard of unbeatable arguments. If you're playing coaching dominoes and anyone mentions a recently signed contract extension, cite my expert legal opinion and tell them to find a new rationale.



11. And, last of all, I need to vent some more about Hotty Toddy Man at Ole Miss. He's giving me nightmares.

There has to be a Youtube of this clip somewhere, but I couldn't find it.

Can someone help me out?

I want to share this travesty of football excess with the rest of the country.

I will not rest until Hotty Toddy Man is put out to pasture and whoever approved that video being filmed publicly apologizes to all of us.

All of the e-mails that I've gotten since writing about Hotty Toddy Man have agreed with my position. That's Ole Miss fans, Tennessee fans, and other fans who have been unfortunate enough to see him. That leaves me wondering this, who is the part of the fan base that is in favor of him?

The video puts me in mind of one of my wife's best descriptions of a Southern man who was overly friendly. "He's either really religious or gay, I get confused sometimes about that down here."

Starting 11: Archie Manning, Sire MVP originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Clay TravisTue, 17 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST Memo to BCS Bashers: Stop Whininghttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/16/memo-to-bcs-bashers-stop-whining/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/16/memo-to-bcs-bashers-stop-whining/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/16/memo-to-bcs-bashers-stop-whining/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,

Jordan Shipley, Jeffrey Demps, Julio Jones
It's that silly time of year again. There are so many significant teams among the big boys of college football, but there are just two slots on Jan. 7 in Pasadena, Calif., for that title game of the Bowl Championship Series. So the voice of the older Jim Mora is screaming in my subconscious.

Playoffs, playoffs?

We don't need playoffs in this situation.

We need everybody to take a deep breath, count slowly to 10 and stop their knee-jerk talk of a playoff system. The decade-old way of deciding a national champion through the BCS rankings is mostly just fine.

Take this week, for instance. Where's the problem? There isn't one, because the combination of the human polls and the cold computers has it right. The defensive monsters from Florida and Alabama clearly are No. 1 and No. 2, followed by a Texas bunch with a defense that also clobbers people.

That trio is from power conferences, and with apologies to the prolific whiners from the Mountain West and Western Athletic conferences, teams from power conferences deserve a nudge over the rest.

Anyway, Florida and Alabama will meet in the SEC championship game, which means one of them will drop in the rankings behind Texas .

That is, if Texas wins the Big 12 championship game. If Texas doesn't, then one of those other undefeated teams (Texas Christian, Cincinnati and Boise State) will slide into the title picture. Or it could open the way for a one-loss team such as Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh or even the loser of the SEC championship game.


Whatever happens, the system is there. The system is working. The system is controversial, but the system provides less drama than what would occur with a playoff system, which will never happen anyway.

There are just too many questions involved with a playoff system, but its supporters either ignore those questions or shrug them away.

For instance: How many teams will be in this playoff system? The answer is, nobody knows. Many want a "plus one" thing, where two of the four BCS games (Rose, Sugar, Orange and Fiesta) would host semifinal games, and then the winners would play in another BCS game. Others want 16 teams in a playoff. Some want 32.

Texas Tech coach Mike Leach wants 64.

As for those other questions, pull up a chair and rest a while. If you can provide more than a surface answer to three or more of the following, then you should immediately leave Planet Earth to design the next solar system.

Where would these playoff games take place, and would they be at the same locations every year, and who would decide the locations?

What entity would choose the playoff teams, and how will such a system be less subjective than what we have now?

With colleges everywhere crying broke, where would they find the extra cash they would need for travel, lodging, food, equipment, utilities -- along with all of those other expenses that nobody wants to discuss that would surface?

Where are those colleges going to find the extra cash to pay for those bonuses that their already heavily compensated coaches would surely command for reaching and winning playoff games?

Oh, and with all that extra cash going to football programs for these playoffs, and with all that revenue created through television rights and jacked-up ticket prices, how would schools satisfy their Title IX obligations since women sports surely would seek a mighty part of the pie?

What would this do to the bowl system, especially since (1) the overwhelming number of the 34 bowls won't have a shot at hosting a playoff game and (2) advertisers (as in TV) won't be as interested in those other bowls?

How many fans could afford to travel with their team across the country at the spur of the moment, which would be the case more often than not?

How many fans could keep traveling if their team keeps winning?

How many folks would the NCAA need to hire to investigate all of the cheating scandals that would surface involving those pressured to do shady things to reach the playoffs to keep from getting whacked?

What kind of toll would all of these extra practices and meetings (see, it's not just one little, old playoff game that its supporters keep suggesting) take on your average student-athlete physically, mentally and academically?

Why not just leave the BCS alone?

Why not, indeed? After all, this eternal grumbling over who really is No. 1 has been so detrimental to college football at its highest level that, entering this season, attendance rose every season for the previous 14 years.

Consider, too, that along the facade of the club level at Folsom Stadium, where the Colorado Buffaloes play their home games, you'll find these words: 1990 National Champions. That's funny, because around Georgia Tech, spanning from Bobby Dodd Stadium to a billboard that is visible for those traveling through Atlanta down I-75, you see claims that the Yellow Jackets won it all that season. And they did. Georgia Tech was named the United Press International champion, and Colorado was declared the nation's best by the Associated Press.

Since nobody can prove otherwise, you have two different fan bases in college football who can claim for eternity that their team was the king of 1990.

There also is that endless griping around Auburn over its undefeated 2004 team that won the SEC but didn't make the BCS championship game. Never mind that Auburn disqualified itself from serious consideration by playing the likes of Louisiana-Monroe, The Citadel and Louisiana Tech.

Auburn fans still think their Tigers would have won it all that season over Oklahoma or USC. They still think they were robbed.

The same goes for Penn State fans who remember 1969, when a giddy Richard Nixon attended Texas' victory over Arkansas during the regular season and crowned the Longhorns national champions in their locker room. Texas later won its bowl game to finish undefeated, but so did Penn State. It's just that Penn State wasn't anointed by the president.

The point is, a playoff system would have exposed those Auburn, Penn State and other such teams as frauds, but now we'll never know.

Which is a good thing. Which is why everybody has another reason to keep breathing deeply regarding the BCS.

Terence Moore is a national columnist and commentator for FanHouse. He is a frequent panelist on "Rome Is Burning," an ESPN show hosted by Jim Rome, that is seen Monday through Friday at 4:30 PM ET. Moore spent more than three decades working for major newspapers, including 26 years as an award-winning sports columnist for the San Francisco Examiner and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He resides in Atlanta.

Memo to BCS Bashers: Stop Whining originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Terence MooreMon, 16 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST SEC Notebook: South's Oldest Rivalryhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/13/sec-notebook-souths-oldest-rivalry/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/13/sec-notebook-souths-oldest-rivalry/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/13/sec-notebook-souths-oldest-rivalry/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Georgia vs. Auburn.

It doesn't get any better, or older, than this for these two schools. Known as the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry, the series began in 1892 and is the seventh-most played in the country. The mutual disdain has been passed down through the generations, and the 113th meeting Saturday isn't expected to be any different.

"Everybody has their team," Georgia coach Mark Richt said.

"When I go to the Bulldog Clubs, they will say, 'Coach no matter what happens, you have to get this one.' You would think it's just one or two teams, but it's about five of them that they all feel like you've just got to have. It is a big deal and I think our fans will get jacked up for it."

Georgia (5-4) better be jacked up as well, or it may get Uga-ly in Athens, Ga.

The Tigers (7-3) rank 10th in the nation in rushing offense (230 yards per game) and are tied for 11th in scoring offense (35 points per game). Auburn is on pace to set a school record for total offense. The Tigers have had 24 scoring drives this season that have taken less than two minutes, and 21 of those ended with touchdowns.

"You have to get a good, strong plan and get the guys as many reps as you can because they are into creating chaos for you," Richt said. "That's what they want to do; they want to create confusion and bloody your nose in the meantime."

Recent history is on the Bulldogs' side.

Georgia has won three straight in the series for the first time since 1982. The last time the Bulldogs won four in a row was in 1948.Georgia is hoping to exploit the Tigers' defense, which ranks last in the SEC in scoring defense (26.6 points per game).


The Bulldogs gained some needed confidence in their 38-0 win over Tennessee Tech last Saturday. They limited Tech to just 55 yards of offense and posted their first shutout since 2006.

Senior Joe Cox connected on his first 10 passes and finished with 140 yards passing with two touchdowns. Sophomore wide receiver A.J. Green leads the SEC in receptions per game (5.5) and receiving yards per game (91.5).

"He will be a huge challenge for our secondary, which should be fun for them," Auburn coach Gene Chizik said. "He is not the only one, but he is one of those receivers that are going to make you go to work all night."

BIG PLAY ALERT

It might be nit-picky, but top-ranked Florida continues to search for big plays.

In seven SEC games this season, the Gators have produced only two plays of 50 yards or longer -- a 77-yard touchdown pass from Tim Tebow to receiver Deonte Thompson against Arkansas, and a 64-yard pass from Tebow to tight end Aaron Hernandez late in the game against Vanderbilt. UF's three other 50-plus yard plays came against out-manned Charleston Southern.

Last season, the Gators had 10 plays of 50 yards or longer, five coming against SEC opponents.

UF offensive coordinator Steve Addazio defended his unit following practice earlier this week.

"We define big plays as 20 or more yards," he said.

"There are a lot of big plays happening. The same number at this point in time, we're about right where we were, there is really negligible difference, but you're feeling is like we're not having as many big plays.

"Here's what we're doing a good job of, this is what it is: We're moving the ball much more consistently than we ever did. The appearance was we had more big-play strikes a year ago. A big play is defined as 20 yards or more, that's considered explosive, we have the same amount of explosives as we did a year ago at this point in time."

Running to Daylight

Saturday's Alabama-Mississippi State game features the SEC's two most productive running backs.

Alabama's Mark Ingram, right, considered by many as the leading contender for the Heisman Trophy, leads the league in rushing at 127.6 yards per game; Mississippi State's Anthony Dixon is second at 125.1 ypg.

It might be the one chance for Dixon and the Bulldogs to grab the attention away from Ingram and the Crimson Tide (9-0, 6-0), winners of the SEC West.

"It's going to be fun," Dixon said.

"I guess this is what we dreamed about when we were kids. He's in the Heisman race and all props to him. I'm pretty sure he's been over there working hard. I've been over here working hard. Both of us are making the dream come true, and it's just going to be a showcase Saturday. We'll show again what we can do. I'm just excited, pumped up and ready to go."

Mississippi State has won two of the last three against Alabama, which is coming off an emotional home victory over LSU.

Ever-philosophical Tide coach Nick Saban isn't worried about a letdown from his players.

"I think what I talk about all the time is what you try and emphasize to the players," Saban said.

"Take care of your business and your business will take care of you. Focus on what you do and it's about what you do and prepare yourself in practice and the way you need to be the best player that you can be. Do your job for your team and that's going to give us the best chance to be successful."

Spurrier in Charge

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier is moving back into the lead role again of calling plays. Just in time for top-ranked Florida, where the Ol' Ball Coach crafted his reputation as the best play caller in the business.

Business needs to get better in a hurry for the Gamecocks.

The only scoring from South Carolina (6-4) against an Arkansas defense last week that was allowing 27 points per game came on a 23-yard field goal on the first drive of the game, and a Stephen Garcia 1-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarterback and an 80-yard scoring pass from Garcia to receiver Alshon Jeffery to start the third quarter.

UF's defense, directed by former Gamecock defensive coordinator Charlie Strong, is ranked first in scoring defense at 10.1 points per game and second nationally behind Texas in total defense at 232.4 yards per game.

"I call most of the plays and I may be the principle play caller now with suggestions from the other coaches," said Spurrier, who also indicated earlier this week he intends to return to South Carolina next season.

"That's about how we've been doing it."

SEC Notebook: South's Oldest Rivalry originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>a.j. greenanthony dixonjoe coxmark ingramtim tebowJim HenryFri, 13 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST Starting 11: Counting to Five in Alabamahttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/starting-11-counting-to-five-in-alabama/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/starting-11-counting-to-five-in-alabama/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/starting-11-counting-to-five-in-alabama/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Alabama fan As the fourth quarter of CBS's coverage of Alabama-LSU went to commercial break, the cameras caught something extraordinary, an Alabama fan giving the cliched and overused four finger slogan. Okay, nothing extraordinary about that, but, this is when a bit of the Southern Gothic came into your living room, the man only had four fingers, he was missing a pinkie! So he gave the four finger sign utilizing his thumb.

My jaw literally dropped. Judging by everyone's reaction on Twitter, I wasn't the only one. The most shocking thing, of course, is that the fan gave up the pinkie to Nick Saban, wielding a machete, as part of the pregame speech. Good to see they got the bleeding stopped.

But, of course, this moment of four-finger jubilation wasn't the only thing that caught my attention. We've got Alabama, LSU, Notre Dame, Oregon, Cincinnati, and a groom who made it rain at this wedding reception and caused a 40-person brawl. Plus, we learn that 5 yards in Alabama math actually means 5.5 yards.

Dive in and enjoy.

1. What the heck is up with the Pac-10 results?

I'm not quibbling with the talent of Pac-10 teams. In fact, and I'll take grief for this, I actually like Pac-10 fans the most in college football, behind only the SEC. Partly that's because the West Coast is my second favorite region, so I like being out there, but it's also because the games are entertaining, the fans are pretty fun, have the second-best senses of humor in football, and there are plenty of lovely women around

Yet, does any conference in America have more shocking results? Particularly in light of the scores of the shocking games?

I'm not astounded that Stanford beat Oregon. Coming off a bye week with a good coach and a home game, the ingredients for an upset were all there, but still, Stanford hangs 51 on Oregon?

Stanford had only scored 40 once this season, against San Jose State back in September. Meanwhile, Oregon has only given up 58 points total in their last five games.

So what happens when the two teams meet? Stanford scores 51 en route to the upset.

Of course it does. That's Pac-10 football.

Again, the upset doesn't surprise me, but in most conferences in America the upset score would have been something like 20-17.

In the Pac-10, all bets are off.

2. NBC's coverage of Notre Dame football is atrocious.

My favorite part of Saturday's loss to Navy -- and there were several parts -- was when NBC labeled Jimmy Clausen "the toughest player in America."

Really? You don't think that might be a slight exaggeration? Perhaps connected to NBC's television contract with Notre Dame? Bigger question, can a quarterback ever be the toughest player on a team? I don't think so.

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But every time I watch an NBC broadcast of Notre Dame football, I'm reminded why Tom Hammond and Pat Haden are the worst announcing team in college football. It's not just the Notre Dame homerism, they're genuinely awful at explaining the game, discussing strategy, all of it. At some point, I should just do an article chronicling their ineptitude.

Anyway, I've never heard a team praised so much while only putting up seven points against a service academy. Listening to the Notre Dame-Navy game was like attending a kindergarten graduation ceremony with the woman whose son got held back for a year. And she's heaping praise on her son for the accomplishment: "I can't believe my baby did it!"

Really? Did you think he was going to be in kindergarten for the rest of his life? At some point they have to promote you. (Aside: Is kindergarten not one of the trickiest words to spell? Doesn't it seem like the first three letters should be K-I-D? I misspell this word every time I type it. I'm always ticked that I have to look it up, and then I always think, why am I using the word kindergarten again? Kind of like when I didn't write the word misspell for three years because I was terrified of the irony of misspelling the word misspell).

As for Charlie Weis, I think his era was summed up by this stat, white fullback Vince Murray carried the ball 14 times for 158 yards against his team. That's an average of over 11 yards a carry.

Think about that.

A fullback, who started the year in a battle for the second string spot at a position whose primary job is to bang into things. Who, in two previous seasons had only seen action against titans Duke and Ball State. Whose online biography has no stats but lauds him for playing with "great toughness."

He rushed for 158 yards.

All the talent that Weis has brought to Notre Dame and they can't stop Navy's white fullback, who by the way played a hell of a game, on the dive play? Putting those stats into context, that average per carry was almost twice what the next worst team has allowed him -- Rice gave up 6.5 yards a carry.

If I was a student at Notre Dame, I might make my own anti-Weis shirt. "Notre Dame: White Fullbacks Own Us."

3. Officiating errors when made via replay review are unforgivable.

I've already volunteered myself for the position of instant replay reviewer. I think I'm every bit as qualified as the people the SEC employs now. But what I really want to happen, is someone to pay the price when they blow a call on instant replay review. Because that, my friends, is inexcusable.

The Patrick Peterson interception happened really fast in the LSU-Alabama game. The fact that two officials who were standing in the position to make the call both blew it is, while sad, somewhat excusable. That's why we have video replay, right? But when a guy sitting in a booth in front of the television blows the call too, there's no point to having replay at all.

Zero.

So here's a suggestion: If a blown call happens in a game and instant replay review doesn't change it, then the booth official is suspended for life and has to spend an entire afternoon in the stocks on the campus where he made the error.

I want to be the lawyer who drafts this contract.

4. Speaking of unforgivable, how about CBS trotting out the film of all eight of Jarrett Lee's interceptions returned for touchdowns?

Why is that unforgivable?

Because Lee wasn't even the starting quarterback. That means CBS had that clip on file just in case Jordan Jefferson, LSU's starter, was injured.

Think about that for a minute.

They'd already decided to throw Jarrett Lee under the bus on the off chance that he played against Alabama.

Having said that, how unbelievable is it that Lee had eight interceptions returned for touchdowns. Especially when you look at his picks all together. It's not like he's throwing passes that get tipped away at the line of scrimmage and returned for touchdowns. All of his passes are traveling down the field. And almost all of them are 40 or more yard returns.

It really is one of the most amazing statistical abnormalities out there.

Now, does that mean that Jarrett Lee should be subjected to this every time he plays a game?

I don't think so.

Even more importantly, should LSU fans be subjected to this?

Definitely not.

5. Someone explain to me how LSU was penalized 5.5 yards for running into the kicker in the fourth quarter.

Dan Wetzel at Yahoo Sports tweeted it in real time, and now here's the actual evidence.

After the error on spotting, Alabama then converted this fourth-down play. Which was, you guessed it, shortly followed by the interception that wasn't. Then Bama kicked a field goal to go up nine points.

I'd include this photo when Les Miles inevitably tees off on the officials.

Personally, I'm hoping Miles brings in an overhead projector and puts this picture on the screen behind him. I would pay a thousand dollars of the fine myself to see Miles do this. Especially if he pulled out an old school marker and noted the ball placement.

Seriously though, isn't it incomprehensible that this could happen?

6. Jonathan Crompton is Lazarus.

Since I called for his benching, Jonathan Crompton has turned into Jesus Montana. This is why Memphis should contact me about their new opening at head coach, I know football. (If you need further evidence of this fact, I am dominating my family's former French exchange student in our weekly picks challenge in the mailbag.)

Saturday, Crompton passed for 331 yards with five touchdowns through the air and one on the ground. That's all in less than 33 minutes of football -- Kiffin pulled him after the first drive of the second half. Crompton would have gone for over 500 yards and eight or nine touchdowns if he'd played the whole game.

And while he threw the ball with precision, the most impressive part of Saturday, I thought, was Crompton's quarterback sneak for a touchdown at the end of the first half. With a running clock and one timeout left, Crompton came to the line, faked like he was going to spike the football, and then got under center and dove into the end zone for the score.

It was an incredibly smart play.

Why?

If he'd actually grounded the ball, there would have only been around six seconds left in the half. It would be second and goal and UT would have one timeout left. Time for one definite play, maybe two if you were very lucky with the clock. Instead Crompton took his shot at getting into the end zone with a running clock. If he's stopped, no big deal, call the timeout and you still get another play where run or pass is the option. The point is, the quarterback sneak there doesn't take much longer than spiking the football and it gives you a chance to score.

It was a really, really smart play.

Crompton now has 21 touchdown passes against 10 interceptions, and in the past five games he's got 14 touchdowns and only two picks. Time for a bold pronouncement that can never be justified, proven or disproven: If Crompton was coming back next season the Vols would win the SEC East.

7. What are the rules for wearing a coaches' polo if you aren't actually in the town where the game is played?

I'll tell you: You can't go coaches' polo unless you're at the game.

Period.

For the unaware, the coaches' polo has taken the SEC fashion world by storm. You know the shirts the coaches wear on the sideline? That's the coaches' polo, these things are insanely popular down South. I've never seen that many other fans wear them out, but in the SEC they're gold bullion. Basically, if you're over 35 and graduated from college, the coaches polo is your fashion security blanket, the male equivalent of women's heels at an SEC game. You can't go wrong with the CP.

Except when you can.

You look like an idiot when you wear your coach's polo out to the bar and you didn't actually go to the game. The CP is strictly gameday wear in the town of the game. Otherwise, keep them in the closet.



8. Why is no one taking shots at Cincinnati for giving up 45 points to UConn?

I'll tell you, because for much of the media, Cincinnati is like a hot chick on a beach in Venezuela, you know she exists but she's so remote you don't pay any attention to her actual physical characteristics. A large part of me is convinced that the only Bearcat game anyone has actually seen was the game against South Florida.

For instance, I couldn't watch the Cincinnati game in Nashville.

Why?

Because we got the Nebraska-Oklahoma game on regional coverage. That's despite being about 280 miles from Cincinnati. I have no idea who made this programming decision, and I'm not even sure what the rationale could possibly be. I guarantee you that more people in my city were interested in watching Cincinnati. It's a closer school, that game has more relevance for SEC fans, and ... yep, we got Oklahoma-Nebraska.

Which means we missed 711 yards of offense from Cincinnati and a 555-yard offensive performance from Zach Collaros, the Bearcats former backup quarterback.

Want another wacky stat? Prior to giving up 45 to the Huskies the most points the Bearcats had allowed all season was 20 to Fresno State.

But, you guessed it, no one really paid attention.

9. Michigan lost at home to Purdue 38-36.

My wife's family was in this weekend so we watched this game on the Big Ten Network. How disappointing is this loss if you're Michigan? The worst part is that the nation isn't even paying attention to you anymore because you've become an afterthought. At least when Notre Dame lost to Navy, a much better team than Purdue, people reacted.

Michigan losing to Purdue?

No one even reacts anymore.

George Bernard Shaw once said that the worst sin towards a fellow man is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them. Presumably he had just flipped through a Michigan football game for a Home Shopping Network special at the time.

That's how far off the radar Michigan has fallen.

In his second season at Ohio State, Jim Tressel won a national championship. In his second season at Michigan, Rich Rodriguez is not going to a bowl game. Again.

My wife, a Michigan alum, came downstairs after getting our son down for his nap, looked at the television, saw the Boilermakers celebrating, and said, "Purdue! We're still Michigan."

Isn't it time for all Michigan fans to have this collective reaction and kick Rich Rod to the curb? I understand that installing the spread offense takes time, but what about the defense? You've given up 30 to every Big Ten team except Michigan State, a game you lost anyway.

Nothing is working. And Rich Rod ain't the right fit.

10. Tampa groom makes it rain at his own wedding and causes a 40-person brawl.

Pacman JonesHis 74-year-old grandmother gets beaten down in the process.

What city?

Tampa, of course.

I think I speak for everyone when I say that this wedding is destined for great things.

Pacman Jones, at least, was touched by the gesture.

11. The SEC needs a Mark Cuban type to tee off on officiating until something changes.

That person needs to be independent from the league office yet have a stake in the outcome. And he needs to be willing to keep writing checks when he's fined by the league. Remember how everyone called Cuban a whiner and then he was ultimately vindicated in many of his criticisms about the officiating? Someone else is going to be right in the long run if they hold the SEC's feet to the fire on this thing.

I'm not sure who that person is since athletic directors and coaches are beholden to the commissioner and there are no owners in the SEC, but someone has to make an issue of this.

It's to the point where, before he opened his mouth and gave the result on the interception review, I actually thought, "They're not going to change the call."

In other words, I think I'm a pretty reasonable fan and the errors are mounting to such a degree that they're interfering with my enjoyment of the on-field product.

That has to change.

Now.

Starting 11: Counting to Five in Alabama originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Clay TravisTue, 10 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST Recruiting: Sweet Home Alabamahttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/recruiting-sweet-home-alabama/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/recruiting-sweet-home-alabama/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/recruiting-sweet-home-alabama/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Seantrel HendersonOne announced his decision with plenty of fanfare, while the other quietly committed. Either way, college football fans in Alabama couldn't be more pleased with their weekend.

Michael Dyer, rated the No. 3 running back in the country by Rivals.com, got the party started on Friday when he publicly committed to Auburn moments after accepting an invitation to play in the Under Armour All-America game. Keenan Allen, the ninth-ranked prospect in the country, followed on Saturday when he confirmed his commitment to Alabama on the same day the Crimson Tide clinched the SEC West title.

Meanwhile, the country's No. 1 recruit in the class of 2010 -- mammoth offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson (pictured) -- is scheduled to visit USC later this month.

Dyer, from Little Rock, Ark., is the first running back and first five-star prospect (the top ranking by recruiting analysts) in Auburn's 2010 class that becomes official on National Signing Day in February.

Dyer recently became the state of Arkansas' all-time leading rusher with 7,566 yards and 74 touchdowns in his high school career. He has 1,680 yards rushing yards and 21 touchdowns this season.

"It feels pretty good to get it over with," said Dyer, a 5-foot-8, 200-pounder. "It's good to get it off my chest and announce to everybody. I was ready to get it over with and let everybody know."

The big question is how Dyer's commitment will affect the nation's other top-rated backs. Marcus Lattimore of Duncan, S.C., and Lache Seastrunk of Temple, Texas, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 by Rivals and other recruiting services, are also considering Auburn.

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Seastrunk has been said to be a strong lean towards Auburn, while Lattimore, however, has long been favored to land in South Carolina.

Dyer's commitment is a big splash for head coach Gene Chizik and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. The Tigers (7-3) rushed for 282 yards with five rushing touchdowns in their 63-31 home victory over Furman last Saturday. Auburn leads the SEC in total offense (450.3 yards per game) and is second in rushing offense (230).

Allen, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound safety/receiver who is the No. 1 ranked prospect in North Carolina, attended Alabama's 24-15 victory over LSU to earn a rematch against top-ranked Florida in the SEC title game next month in Atlanta.

On Friday night, Allen helped Northern Guilford (N.C.) win its first conference championship in school history with a 48-16 win over Western Alamance. Allen returned the opening kickoff 78 yards for a score and added a 49-yard scoring reception.

Allen told Bamaonline.com that his decision to attend Alabama had been made for some time and he had communicated his decision to Tide coach Nick Saban several weeks ago.

He just felt the timing was right on Saturday to announce his decision.

Alabama and Florida have clinched their respective divisions in the SEC and will meet Dec. 5 in the league championship game. One of them is all but guaranteed a spot in the BCS title game on Jan. 7 in Pasadena, Calif., if they can get through the next month without a loss.

"Alabama has the best fans in the world, so I wanted to let them know I was going to play for them for the next four years on a special day like this one just to keep the momentum going," Allen said.

"I had been thinking for a long time how I would announce my commitment, and I really couldn't pick a better day than this."

Allen said Saban told him he would get an early opportunity at receiver, opposite of star Julio Jones. Allen selected Alabama over offers from Oregon, Penn State, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee among many others. He's the 22nd commitment in the Crimson Tide's 2010 recruiting class.

As the nation's top recruit, Henderson, of St. Paul, Minn., continues to attract attention for his every move.

Since it appears more and more -- at least in the eyes of recruiting analysts -- that Henderson's family would prefer he stay closer to home, that certainly bodes well for Notre Dame, Ohio State and possibly home-state Minnesota.

While Henderson, a 6-foot-8, 300-pounder, isn't tipping his hand, many believe that Notre Dame tops his list.

Henderson, who has already officially visited Ohio State and Notre Dame, is scheduled to visit USC on Nov. 27. He plans to select between top-ranked Florida, Oklahoma and Minnesota for his final two official trips.

(Recruits can take five official visits on schools' tabs under NCAA rules).

In case you missed it last week, Steve McNair, Jr., son of former NFL quarterback Steve McNair, announced his decision to stay close to home and attend Southern Miss.

McNair, Jr., a receiver out of Oak Grove (Hattiesburg, Miss.), selected the Golden Eagles over higher-profile schools such as Mississippi, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Minnesota and West Virginia.

"I just wanted to give my family a chance to watch my games," McNair told the Hattiesburg American.

"I wanted to stay close to home and I loved the Southern Miss campus ... I felt good about (Southern Miss coach Larry Fedora). I think he's going to do whatever it takes to win. I'm looking forward to playing for him."

McNair has been an all-around threat for Oak Grove, catching 39 passes for 372 yards and three scores, while also rushing for 293 yards and passing for 141.

McNair's announcement was positive news for a family that has suffered a tragic year.

McNair's father was the victim of a homicide on July 4, 2009, from gunshot wounds inflicted by Sahel Kazemi, his mistress, who then turned the gun on herself.

Recruiting: Sweet Home Alabama originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Keenan AllenKeenanAllenMichael DyerMichaelDyerSeantrel HendersonSeantrelHendersonJim HenryMon, 09 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST At Alabama, Not Even History Can Keep Up With the Joneshttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/07/at-alabama-not-even-history-can-keep-up-with-the-jones/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/07/at-alabama-not-even-history-can-keep-up-with-the-jones/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/07/at-alabama-not-even-history-can-keep-up-with-the-jones/#commentsFiled under: ,


TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Just when it appeared as if third-ranked Alabama was destined to lose yet another home game to LSU, ending the decade O-fer in five tries, the Crimson Tide looked to familiar faces to save the day.

You know them. Mark Ingram (Heisman Trophy candidate). Julio Jones (Welcome back). One of the nation's top defenses (97 yards allowed in the second half). Lynyrd Skynyrd (American rock band).

When the final seconds ticked off at Bryant-Denny Stadium, Alabama's hand signals to its delirious fans told the story: The Crimson Tide earned a rematch with No. 1 Florida in the SEC Championship next month in Atlanta thanks to its dramatic 24-15 victory over the ninth-ranked Tigers.

As expected, it was a brutish, physical, entertaining showdown that was also tinged with controversy involving -- guess who? -- the officials over a replay ruling at a key moment in the fourth quarter.

Still, there was no denying the outcome and one fact remained: Alabama (9-0 overall, 6-0 SEC) moved a step closer to its second straight perfect regular season.

"It was a tough, physical game," said Alabama coach Nick Saban, who beat his former team for the second straight year.

"Man, those games are fun to be a part of. We wanted to play our best game today. We kind of knew our destiny was ours in terms of what we wanted to do. We knew it was about what we would do in the game."

What Alabama did was change its offensive approach against LSU, which took a 15-10 lead into the fourth quarter despite losing quarterback Jordan Jefferson (ankle) and running back Charles Scott (broken collarbone) to injuries for most of the second half.

The Tigers (7-2, 4-2) also had won four straight games here but haven't fared well lately against top-10 teams. They have lost four straight after winning six in a row.

"I understand what happened, I am just unhappy with the outcome," LSU coach Les Miles said. "We'll regroup and fight again."

After uncharacteristically relying on the pass in the opening half against a LSU defense that was putting extra defenders near the line, the second half was more typical of the Tide's grinding style.

Alabama handed the ball to Ingram, who gained 106 of his 144 yards in the final 30 minutes to continue to merit serious Heisman Trophy consideration. Ingram averaged 6.5 yards on 22 carries, 16 in the second half. Mighty-Mark has 719 rushing yards against four ranked opponents this season.

The Crimson Tide also held a decisive advantage in time of possession in the fourth quarter -- 10:56 to 4:04.

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But it was the catch, juke, run-to-the-house for 73 yards from Jones that ignited the sold-out crowd of 92,012, which goes 'Bama bonkers when the Southern rock song "Sweet Home Alabama" by Skynyrd blares over the stadium loudspeakers.

Jones, quiet for most of the season due to injuries, caught a short pass near the line from quarterback Greg McElroy, made a quick move and sprinted down the sideline untouched for a touchdown with 10:24 remaining in the game. Trent Richardson's two-point conversion pushed Alabama back in the lead at 21-15.

"They needed me to make a play and I did," Jones said without a hint of emotion despite enjoying one of his best games of the season -- four catches for 102 yards, including his second touchdown.

"We practiced that all week. A situation like that, I feel like I should just step up and make the play.

"I did what I had to do."

A few feet away, senior left guard Mike Johnson, a few steps slower than Jones, couldn't wipe the grin from his face.

"I don't know if we have ever run that play before," said Johnson, who was one of the players who attempted to make the letter 'A' hand signal to represent Atlanta for the fans, signifying the location of the SEC title game.

"It was kind of a little action to the right, kind of where we let the tackle back out to the backside. I locked eyes with the linebacker and after I made my block I looked out there (on the flat).

"I saw a couple of blocks and Julio looked like he was just high-stepping. Other than that, I was looking for a yellow flag on the ground because it was too good to be true."

The Tide - specifically McElroy -- also breathed a sigh of relief at the 5:52 mark in the fourth quarter, when Patrick Peterson nearly picked off the Alabama quarterback's pass on the sidelines. However, after a lengthy review that proved inconclusive, Peterson was ruled out of bounds.

McElroy then completed a pass to Jones on third-and-7 to help Alabama move into field goal position.

"It was kind of like an 'Oh, shoot' moment,'" said McElroy, who completed 19-of-34 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns. He opened the game with seven straight pass attempts and threw the ball on nine of its first 10 plays from scrimmage.

"What can you say," McElroy continued.

"It was a learning experience. Sometimes you have them go in your favor and that call did. It was a situation I should have thrown it away. It's frustrating to me that I could make a mistake like that in a key moment. But it also gives me confidence they were willing to put the ball in my hands in that situation."

The weather couldn't have been any better for early November -- sunny, low 70s with a slight breeze and not a cloud from here to possibly Atlanta. Of course, the Crimson Tide had clear sailing to the SEC title game with a victory.

In a game that was expected to be low on points, instead it had plenty of shoot-out drama. The game has decided the SEC West for four of the past five years.

"Anytime you lose it's bad, but when you lose in a big game like this, when we knew we had it, we where right there," LSU linebacker Kelvin Sheppard said.

"We knew we had to pull away. We needed to make a lot of adjustments on different plays. Alabama had a great scheme coming in. In the first half they had a hard time establishing the run but in the second half they did a really good job of moving the ball."

LSU's defense held its own through three quarters, but, in the end, it was the Tide's unit that set the tempo. It limited the Tigers to 253 total yards, 9 in the fourth quarter.



Jefferson and Scott were playing well before going to the sidelines. Scott ran for 83 yards and his 34-yarder was the longest run play given up by Alabama this season. Jefferson passed for 114 yards and also had some success running the option.

Needing two scores, backup quarterback Jarrett Lee and LSU couldn't get it to midfield in the final minutes.

"I don't think we played our best game but we did enough to win," Alabama safety Mark Barron said.

"LSU's offense did a couple things we weren't prepared for, so we had to make adjustments as the game went on. I feel like we did a pretty good job of that."

At Alabama, Not Even History Can Keep Up With the Jones originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Jim HenrySat, 07 Nov 2009 22:06:00 EST Dear Mr. Slive: I Should Be a Replay Refhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/07/dear-mike-slive-i-should-be-a-replay-ref/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/07/dear-mike-slive-i-should-be-a-replay-ref/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/07/dear-mike-slive-i-should-be-a-replay-ref/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Dear Commissioner Mike Slive,

I know this has been a rough month for you. What with everyone suggesting that the SEC officials want to see Florida and Alabama in the SEC championship game no matter what the actual game results might be. Furthermore, I know that generally speaking the SEC's issue has been with judgment calls, celebration penalties on A.J. Green, personal fouls on some Arkansas defensive players -- it's okay, no one knows anyone's name that plays for Arkansas other than Ryan Mallet, it will be our secret -- missed calls in favor of Florida against Mississippi State, allowing Terrence Cody, the largest man on earth who still resembles a girl, to play without his helmet on. But this latest move, ignoring a clear interception by LSU's Patrick Peterson, has me steaming mad. What's the point of instant replay if you're going to use it and still get the play wrong?

That's why I'm making you an offer, I will work as instant replay reviewer for any televised SEC game.

For free.

Do you understand what a deal you're getting here, Commissioner Slive? I will work for the SEC for absolutely free. And I won't miss any calls.

Zero.

You know why? Two reasons, first, I don't care who wins the games (I'll gallantly recuse myself from University of Tennessee games) and, second, because I can watch television replays and tell whether or not people intercept passes. For instance, unlike your replay officials, I watched today's Alabama-LSU game. And when Patrick Peterson intercepted Greg McElroy with just under 6 minutes to play in the game, I said, "Wow, that's a hell of an interception."

You know how I knew?

Because like the rest of America, I saw Peterson catch the football and get not one, but two feet in bounds. That's one more foot in bounds than you actually need, Mr. Slive. Yet, somehow the man you pay to sit in a booth and watch the replay didn't see this. He must have been blind ... or drunk. Perhaps he was both, so drunk he'd become blind. That's okay, I've been to Galette's before in Tuscaloosa and gotten that drunk. Although, to be fair, that's always been after a game.

(Right, a FanHouse artist's concept of how SEC replays are currently performed.)

And here's my promise to you Commissioner Slive, I won't even drink during the games when I'm working as your replay official. I'll be stone cold sober. I won't even pause the television and look closely at the cheerleaders on the sideline. Do you know how hard it is not to do that?

And I won't pause my DVR and spend ten minutes thinking about how awesome it was the CBS camera caught a 'Bama fan with four fingers doing the fourth quarter sign as they went to commercial break.

Nope, I'm completely committed to the game.

I won't even spend any time thinking about the press conference I would stage if I were Les Miles. I'd load stacks of hundred dollar bills until I had 300 stacks, or $30,000 in all, into a black garbage bag and carry it into my press conference. Then, before I even said anything, I'd turn up the garbage bag and dump all the cash out onto the table in front of the reporters.

I'd let it all spill around on the ground and then I'd walk to the microphone and say this:

"Mike Slive can come pick up this money when he gets a chance. Because that official who blew that call in the replay booth doesn't deserve to ever work another game. We're not talking about a blown judgment call, or a decision made in the heat of the game when everyone is moving a million miles an hour. We're talking about a fat man sitting in front of a television and making a dispassionate decision based on what he sees.

"And he blew it.

"Big time.

"I'd sooner have Clay Travis making the decisions from his house in Nashville."

Amen, Les.

And, just think Mike, you'll get me for free.

How much worse can I really be?

By the way, just between us, could you please explain to me why the guy who does instant replay review actually needs to be in the stadium? Shouldn't he be in a special replay truck with 48 television screens? Or in a NASA-like center somewhere in a bunker beneath the ground in an undisclosed location? With a bank of television screens so large in front of him that the astronauts would be jealous?

Otherwise, doesn't it defeat the purpose? I mean, just to have one dorky guy sitting in a booth squinting at one television? Can't you do more with the multi-billion dollar contract? Shouldn't America demand that you do more?

Anyway, that may be too many questions. And I didn't write this letter to make your life more difficult Commissioner Slive. You and I, we should be buddies. We're both lawyers. I tan better than you do. (Seriously, do you ever go outside?) But other than that we're like two peas in a pod, you and me, Mike.

Except, you know, for the rooting for Alabama and Florida to be in the championship game part.

But I've gotten off topic. Instead of continuing about how much alike we are -- you like William Faulkner, Chik-fil-A sandwiches, the Robotech cartoon, and thongs on shapely rears too, don't you, Mike -- why don't you allow me to list my assets?
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Yep, consider this my resume for SEC replay official status:

1. I have a color television.

And it's bought and paid for.

100 percent mine.

Judging by your guy at Bama's decision today, he doesn't have a color television. Otherwise he would have seen the clean distinction between a foot coming down in the green grass and a foot coming down in the white out-of-bounds area.

2. I have an HD television.

Again, if your guy had HD he would have seen the dirt popping up from not one, but two different feet in bounds.

3. I have the Internets in my house.

Of course, the Internets are brought to me by Comcast so at any moment they might stop working. Even still, I could theoretically watch the game online as well.

Why does that matter?

I could get to within a millimeter of the screen and zoom it up to perfect definition. That way I could confirm what I saw with my bare eyes: LSU intercepted that pass.

4. I've never taken money or bet on a game I was calling.

Did that one hit too close to the striped vest?

Good.

5. I have a law degree from Vanderbilt and am licensed to practice law in the Southland.

This means I'm an SEC grad whose judgment an impartial governing body has vouched for. Can you say the same about your officials?

Didn't think so.

It's a no brainer, Mike. Just shoot me an email and I'll be ready to go by next week.

Because as my five assets listed above illustrate, I'm much more qualified than most of the people working in the replay booth.

I look forward to hearing back from you.

Sincerely,

Clay Travis

Clay Travis is the author of three books. His latest, "On Rocky Top: A Front Row Seat to The End of an Era" chronicles the 2008 Tennessee football season and is on sale now.

Dear Mr. Slive: I Should Be a Replay Ref originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Clay TravisSat, 07 Nov 2009 22:00:00 EST When Tennessee-Alabama Became Grandpa's Gamehttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/06/when-tennessee-alabama-became-grandpas-game/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/06/when-tennessee-alabama-became-grandpas-game/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/06/when-tennessee-alabama-became-grandpas-game/#commentsFiled under: ,


On Oct. 24, Justin Paschall, a 13-year-old eighth grader at Southside Elementary in Lebanon, Tenn., went to his first Alabama-Tennessee football game. He traveled to Tuscaloosa with his grandfather, Ray Todd, as huge of an Alabama fan as there is in the Southland and two cousins, also Alabama fans. Justin says his first question upon being told that his grandfather had tickets for the game, his first ever Tennessee game, was, "Can I wear my orange jacket?"

Grandpa Ray Todd, Alabama born and bred and now residing in Tennessee, said that he could wear his orange, and on Friday the foursome traveled to Tuscaloosa for the game. Come Saturday, Justin woke up and took wearing orange to a whole new level.

Yep, he wore an orange jacket, but he also painted his face white, and spiked his hair with orange highlights. Grandpa Ray Todd, a 68-year-old 'Bama fan, shook his head and smiled. It was the trip of a lifetime, a ballgame at Bryant-Denny with his three grandsons. Even if, you know, one of them had the bad sense to be a Tennessee fan. Ray Todd smiled throughout the cloudy morning chill, grinned as the clouds broke in the early afternoon and poured forth brilliant sunlight into the stadium. He tried to do everything he could to soak up every moment. That's what happens when your grandsons are pushing you in a wheelchair, you have pancreatic cancer, and doctors have given you one football season left to live.

So it came to pass that the 91st rivalry game between Tennessee and Alabama was an awful lot like many of the 90 that had preceded it, close, bitterly close.

"I cheered loud all game," says Justin, "I wanted Tennessee to win so bad. It was my first game and all, and I didn't want to go all that way and see them lose." Sitting beside his grandfather and his two cousins watching his first Tennessee game in person, Justin pronounced it, "The best day of my life."

As the game progressed, Justin had a lot to cheer for; Tennessee, a 16-point underdog, kept the game close against Alabama all afternoon. By late in the fourth quarter, the Vols had the ball near Alabama's goal line, down 12-3. "I cheered so loud then," says Justin, "everyone around me, all the Alabama people, were looking at me like I was crazy."

Tennessee scored a touchdown to cut the lead to 12-10 and Justin went crazy in the stands. "I thought we were going to win, I really did," he says. As Tennessee lined up to attempt the onside kick, Justin stood and prayed that Tennessee would recover. When the Vols came up with the ball and the official signaled Tennessee's possession, pointing straight toward the opposing goal line, Justin came undone.

"I was screaming for Tennessee as loud as I could." Justin kept on screaming as loud as he could, reaching a crescendo of joy when Jonathan Crompton, Justin's favorite player, hit Luke Stocker for a 23-yard gain to the Alabama 27. Tennessee ran the ball on the next play and called timeout to set up the field goal, a kick that would win the game for the Vols, their first road victory over a No. 1 team in the history of the program.

Then Justin looked down at the man he calls Pops, his grandfather Ray Todd. "Pops was all slumped over and his lips were quivering." Just like that, Justin says, "I couldn't keep rooting for my team anymore." Right then and there Justin said a prayer. "I said, Good Lord, could you please let Alabama win?"

As Tennessee lined up for a field goal aimed at the opposite end zone distant from them, white uprights rising into a blue sky across a distant green field, Justin continued to pray. And when Terrence Cody came through the line and blocked the kick, when the entire Alabama stadium including his grandfather, Ray Todd, exploded in joy, Justin says he couldn't help but feel he'd made the right decision.

Kind of. But there was still one person he had to clear it with, his daddy.

That night when he returned home from, he told his dad, Ron, who drives a food truck for a living and is a huge Vol fan, what he'd done. "I hope you ain't mad at me, Dad," Justin said, "but when I looked over at Pops, I couldn't keep rooting for Tennessee to win. I thought it might be the last game he'd ever see."

"I gave him a hug and told him, I couldn't be mad at him," says Ron, "I told him he'd done the right thing."

And just like that, a new story about the Third Saturday in October, the South's most bitter rivalry, did something unbelievable, it made it impossible for fans of both teams to keep their eyes dry.

Clay Travis is the author of three books. His latest, "On Rocky Top: A Front Row Seat to The End of an Era" chronicles the 2008 Tennessee football season and is on sale now.

When Tennessee-Alabama Became Grandpa's Game originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:47:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Clay TravisFri, 06 Nov 2009 11:47:00 EST Tide Still Searching For Big Playshttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/04/tide-still-searching-for-big-plays/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/04/tide-still-searching-for-big-plays/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/04/tide-still-searching-for-big-plays/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Alabama's offense has mellowed over the past three games.

The Crimson Tide has registered only a pair of rushing touchdowns in victories over Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. Ten trips into the red zone have resulted in eight field goals. The passing game hasn't featured many deep throws, and Alabama's Wildcat offense, which started as a gimmick, has become more relevant.

Third-ranked Alabama realizes it will need a better all-around effort on Saturday to beat No. 9 LSU, the only remaining ranked team on the Crimson Tide's schedule. The Crimson Tide can clinch the SEC West title with a win and would then meet No. 1 Florida on Dec. 5 in the SEC title game.

"We haven't scored points at the same sort of rate that we did earlier in the season," Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said.

"We've been focusing on improving and making more explosive plays in the passing game as well as executing a little better and getting a little better consistency in performance all the way around. I think sometimes in the red zone we haven't finished drives like we need to."

Alabama will certainly need to finish drives if it wants to earn its first home win over LSU since 1999.

One key to that success will be sophomore running back Mark Ingram, who ranks first in the SEC and fifth nationally with 125.5 rushing yards a game.

Ingram leads the Crimson Tide with 11 touchdowns (eight rushing, three receiving). The bruising Ingram, a 5-foot-10, 215-pound sophomore, also has been one tough hombre in traffic. Of his 1,190 yards this season (1,004 rushing, 186 receiving), Ingram has gained 645 yards after contact (54 percent of his total yards).

Ingram believes it's those nitty-gritty yards that will make the difference against the Tigers.

Since giving up 23 points and 478 total yards against Washington in the season-opener, LSU held its last seven opponents to an average of 266.6 yards and 10.6 points.

"In a game like this, you go out on the field and whoever plays the hardest and whoever does the little things right the most consistently throughout the game, that's who will win the game," Ingram said.

"You can't really focus on 'We've got to make this big play' or 'We've got to do this or got to do that.' We have to focus on the game plan, perfect it and execute it. Whoever does the little things right the most consistently wins the game."

Ingram, of course, started to merit legitimate Heisman Trophy consideration for his career-best game in Alabama's victory over South Carolina on Oct. 17. With the Gamecocks slowing the Tide's passing game and rattling quarterback Greg McElroy, Ingram lined up in the Wildcat and put the game away.

Ingram carried the ball on all six plays of a 68-yard drive. The first five plays were in the Wildcat when Ingram received the direct snap from center. On the final play, Ingram took a handoff from McElroy and scored on a 4-yard run that gave Alabama a 20-6 victory.

Ingram finished with 246 yards on 24 carries.

Ingram is especially determined not to repeat last year's midseason dip when he had one rushing yard against Tennessee and six rushing yards on five carries at LSU.

"I think I hit the wall halfway through the season at this point (a year ago)," said Ingram, who rushed for 728 yards on 143 carries with a team-best 12 touchdowns last season. "I had a few injuries and I was a little frustrated with how I was performing. I hit the wall and I can't let that happen again."

Ingram and teammates also believe a Crimson Tide offense that has sputtered recently feels in sync and will be ready for LSU. Senior offensive lineman Mike Johnson credits opposing defenses or causing some of Alabama's frustration over its lack of explosiveness.

Receiver Julio Jones, for example, has just one touchdown and is averaging 32.7 receiving yards per game, well below his career average of 54.9.

Alabama is coming off a bye week, but barely escaped against Tennessee, blocking two field goal attempts to preserve a 12-10 victory.

"One of the goals we had coming into the year was to have more explosive plays, especially in the passing game," Johnson said.

"That really wasn't one of our strengths last year. I think we did a good job of starting off on that note and we've kind of got to get back to that. We had a lot of explosive plays and play-action down the field early in the year, and we've got to get back to that.

"On the same note, guys have done a good job. We've faced better defenses. There is a lot to be said about SEC defenses that can come in and stop the pass and we've played some good safeties and good defenses the past two weeks and they did a good job of kind of throwing some things at us."

Look for LSU's defense to be just as prepared. In its last three SEC games, LSU combined to limit Georgia, Florida and Auburn to a total of 36 points

"They are big and fast, strong and physical," Ingram said.

"The scheme they play, they do it really well. They are coached up really well. They all do their assignments. They all get to the ball and they make it really hard for offenses to have success."

Tide Still Searching For Big Plays originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Mark IngramMarkIngramNick SabanNickSabanJim HenryWed, 04 Nov 2009 10:21:00 EST Daily Domer: Crist Out, Floyd Backhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/03/daily-domer-crist-out-floyd-back/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/03/daily-domer-crist-out-floyd-back/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/03/daily-domer-crist-out-floyd-back/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Crist will come again ... in four to six months.

Notre Dame learned the fates of both back-up quarterback Dayne Crist and wide receiver Michael Floyd on Monday and the results were mixed.

Crist, a sophomore who went down in the fourth quarter of Notre Dame's 40-14 win against Washington State, learned on Monday that he had torn the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee. Floyd, who broke his left collarbone against Michigan State in the season's third game, was cleared to play.

On Tuesday, Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis confirmed that Crist, who had an MRI on Monday, had torn his ACL and that he would have surgery on Friday. Weis said that the Irish staff consulted "the guru in Alabama" (Dr. James Andrews) and that the prognosis was for a four-to-six month rehab. That likely keeps Crist out of spring football.

"I know one thing," Weis said, concerning Crist's return. "We'll be conservative."

As for Floyd, a CAT-scan on Monday convinced doctors that he should be cleared to play. Weis reported that Floyd was "hootin' and hollerin'" (suddenly No. 7 is Slim Pickens in "Blazing Saddles?") at the news and was in no mood to keep it to himself.

"No. 7 [Jimmy Clausen] texted me a few minutes later," Weis reported. "I think No. 7 might have been as happy as No. 3 [Floyd]."

What this all means is that the nation's most potent passing attack outside the state of Texas (take your pick) will be at full strength for the first time since Ann Arbor. You will recall that Floyd started against Michigan State but that he'd just received 15 stitches in his right knee seven days earlier.

And while Clausen himself still has vestigial turf toe troubles, this Irish offense is more lethal than before. That's because Golden Tate has taken his mojo to a previously unrealized plateau in Floyd's absence the past six weeks.

Asked if Tate would have become the rock star that he has in Notre Dame's past five games had Floyd been healthy, Weis replied, "You'd have to lean towards 'No.' "

The facts are these: Floyd caught five touchdown passes in three games for the Irish and at the time Weis was asked if he might be the greatest wideout in school history. And in his absence Tate has become a bona fide first team All-American candidate, even a Heisman candidate (SI.com's Gene Menez lists him at No. 3 this week behind Alabama's Mark Ingram and nose tackle Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska).

With Floyd and Tate on the field together, well, Clausen just became a much better quarterback.
As for JC's back-up and successor, prospects are more opaque. One wonders just how quickly Weis did, or will, put the redshirt freshman in touch with his former pupil, Tom Brady, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear last year. Also, does Crist's injury have any impact on the decision Clausen will make in the coming months about declaring for the NFL Draft? If anything, it adds clarity to the prospect of an entire season being forfeited in one play ... and the prospect of diminishing value in the eyes of NFL scouts.

The headache begins for Charlie Weis. This week he will promote Evan Sharpley, the most gifted passer currently teaching ninth grade geography in America, to second-string. Sharpley, a fifth-year senior, is teaching full-time at local Adams High School as he works toward his teaching certificate. According to Weis, he needs to find a way to skip his final period of the day now in order to be back at the Gug in time for film sessions. Perhaps Crist could substitute teach?

Anyway, Sharpley moves to No. 2 while John Goodman, who played both wideout and quarterback at Bishop Dwenger in Fort Wayne (and who recently said that he considers himself a better quarterback than wideout) will move to third string while still taking most of his reps with the receivers. It was Goodman, after all, who caught a beautifully thrown pass from Crist for a 64-yard touchdown Saturday ... the lone TD pass of Crist's career.

One commenter on an Irish message board suggested that Sharpley start against Navy. What's the worst, asked someone whose memory does not extend more than two years, that could happen?

The problem, obviously, is next year. Does Clausen return? If he does the Irish passing attack will be sick. If he does not Weis will, for the second time in four years, break in a new starter who is both an underclassmen and coming off off-season surgery. Sharpley will be gone. Should Clausen go, the Irish quarterback prospects will be a fragile Crist; a possible prodigal son in Nate Montana (who was on the team in '08 and is currently at Pasadena City College, where he is 31-of-88 with two touchdowns and five interceptions; Clausen's completion percentage, 66.9 percent, is higher than Montana's passer rating, 62.29); and verbal commit Andrew Hendrix, a 6-3, four-star recruit out of Cincinnati Moeller High School.

Weis said that when Floyd was cleared to play yesterday, he told his brilliant sophomore that only two votes went into the decision as to when he would play: his and Floyd's. "And you know which way I'm voting," Weis laughed.

If it were to come down to a similar two-vote decision as to whether Clausen stays or goes (and it won't, but if it were to), Weis might want to replace his favorite band (Bon Jovi) with one of his college contemporaries, Chicago. "If you leave me now ..."

Daily Domer: Crist Out, Floyd Back originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>John WaltersTue, 03 Nov 2009 17:23:00 EST SEC Reprimands Kiffin, Againhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/26/sec-reprimands-kiffin-again/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/26/sec-reprimands-kiffin-again/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/26/sec-reprimands-kiffin-again/#commentsFiled under: ,

Lane KiffinIn the wake of Tennessee's 12-10 loss to Alabama, Lane Kiffin expressed displeasure over the penalty disparity -- Alabama received one penalty for 10 yards while Tennessee received eight for 68 -- the lack of a penalty on Terrance Cody on the game's final play, and even suggested that the referees were the reason he chose to kick the field goal from 44 yards rather than run another play to move closer.

"You run another play and you throw an interception or they throw another flag on us," Kiffin said Sunday. "I wasn't going to let the refs lose the game for us there and some magical flag appear."

The SEC fired back today, reprimanding the Tennessee coach.

In a statement e-mailed to the media, Commissioner Mike Slive spoke out against Kiffin's criticism.

"Coach Kiffin has violated the Southeastern Conference Code of Ethics," Slive said. "SEC Bylaw 10.5.4 clearly states that coaches, players and support personnel shall refrain from all public criticism of officials.
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"Coach Kiffin is on notice that for any further violations of SEC policies will subject him to additional penalties including suspension."

In February, Kiffin was reprimanded for faslely accusing Florida coach Urban Meyer of a recruiting violation.

Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen was also reprimanded by the league Monday. Mullen questioned the instant replay official in the Bulldogs' loss to Florida, who failed to overturn a touchdown by Florida linebacker Dustin Doe. Doe returned an intercepted pass to the end zone during the fourth quarter Saturday night, but appeared to drop the ball in celebration before it crossed the goal line.

"I don't even know why we have replay right now in the Southeastern Conference if they're not going to utilize it," Mullen said.

The public criticism of the officiating comes in the wake of notable officiating failures in earlier SEC games that have led to apologies from the league. The SEC admitted error in both the the "excessive celebration" penalty called against Georgia's A.J. Green in the Bulldogs' narrow loss to LSU to the flags from nowhere against Arkansas in its near-upset of Florida. The SEC's public mea culpa as well as suspensions of officials has emboldened coaches to speak out publicly on the issue. After his team's loss to Florida, Bobby Petrino ripped the officiating and received a letter of reprimand as well.

So evidently calling attention to bad calls is the sole province of the league. For now, Kiffin remains on thin ice with the commissioner. Although, to be fair, a second public reprimand is the rough equivalent of a teacher banging his ruler on the desk for the second time. Whether SEC Commissioner Mike Slive would be willing to actually suspend a coach for expressing his opinion on a football matter, remains to be seen.

Regardless, the SEC's letter comes as no surprise to Kiffin.

"I'm sure we'll get one of those letters that really means nothing as Bobby [Petrino] got last week, but Florida and Alabama live on," Kiffin said on Sunday.

Clay Travis is the author of three books. His latest, "On Rocky Top: A Front Row Seat to The End of an Era" chronicles the 2008 Tennessee football season and is on sale now.

SEC Reprimands Kiffin, Again originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>lane kiffinClay TravisMon, 26 Oct 2009 14:24:00 EST Alabama-Tennessee: Quest for Silencehttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/25/alabama-tennessee-quest-for-silence/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/25/alabama-tennessee-quest-for-silence/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/25/alabama-tennessee-quest-for-silence/#commentsFiled under: ,

When you take a road trip as a fan, you dream about moments like these. Four seconds to play, a hated rival on the ropes, your team lined up for a final play with victory or defeat hinging entirely on that one play. After over three hours of even football, it all comes down to this one final snap. And you want one thing more than any other: complete silence to soak through the stadium while your team pours onto the field in celebration, their celebratory shouts no louder than the dribble of a basketball on a court hundreds of yards away, echoing over the stunned home crowd. For a moment you might even contemplate, like I did, simply closing your eyes and allowing the crowd reaction to tell the story of the field goal. But instead, I watched.

Tennessee came achingly close on Saturday to delivering the most agonizing loss to Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium in a couple of decades, maybe ever. But then they ran into a mountain of a man.

1. At nine in the morning, I gather with 20 others in a Birmingham, Alabama parking lot for a trip to Tuscaloosa. There is one other Tennessee fan, Mondelli. We're both wearing orange pants.

Memphis radio host Chris Vernon aka Verno and Lance Taylor of Birmingham's Roundtable Radio are also on the bus/limo. Everyone else is a diehard Bama fan. Although, to be fair, Verno is wearing a Julio Jones jersey and every five minutes will, unprovoked, scream out "Juuuuuulioooooooo," as loud as he can.

In between Julio calls, Verno is apt to say things like this,"Nick Saban is a God." He also tells me that he just came from Chik-Fil-a where an Alabama fan with three children, ages 4, 3, and 1, admonished his two daughters who were walking as they neared the parking lot. "Now take my hand, girls, there's lots of Tennessee fans in town today and those people don't think."

2. The bus/limo seats 13 people. There are 21 of us. And beer and liquor. Lots of beer and liquor. The bus/limo also looks like the inside of a strip club. There are several poles hanging down, constantly moving lasers of different colors, and a sound system that would make a rap star blush. Immediately the music is blaring and the drinking commences.

3. Our trip to Tuscaloosa takes over two hours. Included is a stop at a rest area so the women can go to the bathroom.

Who knew there was a rest area between Birmingham and Tuscaloosa?

I don't have to go to the bathroom at all, but there's no real wait and we're making this stop solely for a trip to the bathroom. I sit debating whether I should go or not, access vs. breaking the seal. Ultimately I opt for a trip to the bathroom.

Bad decision.

As we walk back from the bathroom, a couple from Michigan, inexplicably choosing today of all days to drive somewhere other than to the football game on 459, call out, "Y'all are going to miss the Michigan State-Iowa game tonight."

They're attempting to be funny. Several Alabama fans fail to see the humor.

"They play football outside the South?" one asks.
I finally turn my phone back on and it's flooded with emails and texts. I can't bear to read any of them. I'm not even sure what I can take from any of this. The game is still so close, the feel of the loss so suffocating. At least I get to keep my beard.

4. Back on the bus, one of the women, now standing and dancing to 50 cent's Magic Stick -- the affinity that younger, white SEC fans have for gangsta rap on gameday is drastically underrated, it turns into Compton in Tuscaloosa -- takes a photo of the front of the bus, where I'm sitting alongside the other UT fan.

Five minutes later, she calls out, "Hey, my friend just texted me and asked who the convicts were."

5. That would be us, the UT convicts, riding along, according to many Alabama fans, to our own execution chamber, Bryant-Denny Stadium.

But as I've been writing all week, I'm optimistic that Tennessee will play Alabama close throughout, that it will be a single-digit game.

My predictions are met with cat-calls. "Get your razor ready," says Verno.

6. Honest question, what percentage of Alabama fan's love affair with Julio Jones is related to the alliteration and melodic way that Julio rolls off the tongue if you have a Southern accent? Especially given the fact that he hasn't been that productive?

Hearing someone with a Southern accent pronounce the name Julio Jones makes me cringe at the thought that Ron Franklin and Keith Jackson no longer do SEC games.

How awesome would it be if for the SEC Championship game if the SEC managed to get those two guys in the booth? It's a shame that Julio Jones can't tackle Tim Tebow in that game. I think every Southerner would shed a tear over hearing Jackson or Franklin intone, "Julio Jones brings down Tim Tebow in the open field."

Shakespeare meets pigskin, my friends, Shakespeare meets pigskin.

Anyway, the fascination with his name notwithstanding, so far this season, in seven games, Jones has only 13 catches for 175 yards. That's less production than Tennessee's Gerald Jones has provided in five games.

But, to be fair, Gerald Jones is nowhere near as fun to say as Julio Jones.

7. As we near Tuscaloosa, my bladder suddenly feels like it's going to explode. Like if I don't urinate at this exact second, I'm going to open the door to the bus/limo and pee out the door as we drive through campus. Don't pretend you didn't do this for six years during college, Bama fans.

My bladder has only failed me like this once before, at the 2007 Cocktail Party.

And I know what you're thinking, both times you had way too much to drink before the game. Not true, both times, for whatever reason, I simply had to go to the bathroom a ton. And without warning.

Like immediately.

As we idle in traffic alongside Galette's, I make a bold decision.

"Open the door," I say, bailing out onto the street. Four others follow me in a mad dash for the bathroom, abandoning the bus/limo in the process.

The line is short and by the time we've finished I feel like I just finished a drive with four consecutive fourth down conversions.

8. We tailgate on the 'Bama quad.

For years 'Bama didn't allow the quad to be used for tailgating, and now that they do, it's a pretty amazing setting. You're within a JaMarcus Russell fly pattern pass from the football stadium, pretty much everyone is welcoming, and the trees climb high into the air providing a welcoming canopy of shade in the early season but still allowing room for sunlight in the late fall. It's a near-perfect setting, Tuscaloosa's own Grove.

As I'm walking around taking in the scenery, a man approaches wearing bright crimson pants. Given that I'm wearing orange pants, I feel an acknowledgment of sorts is in order. But before I can speak, he does.

"Clay Travis!"

We shake hands. His name is Chris M. "Don't take this the wrong way, and I'm not gay, but you're better looking in person than you are on the Internet."

The only other person to ever say this is my mom.

9. Early in the late-morning, Vol and Bammers are in joint agreement on one thing -- rooting for the sun to emerge from the clouds. The sunshine is sporadic, when it emerges the weather is perfect, warm but not yet, when it vanishes there's a cold wind and everyone stands with their arms crossed.

As kickoff nears we head for the stadium walking through the quad. Denny Chimes is to our right, the sun, as if on order from God, who is doubtlessly an SEC football fan given his gifts of ample cleavage, tiny waists, and long legs that he has bestowed upon the women of the South, brings on the sunshine.

Suddenly everything is bathed in bright light.

10. Now comes the only negative of the trip, fat sorority girls from Alabama stand alongside the brick walkway taunting Tennessee fans with witty banter as we pass.

"F--- You, Vols," they call. Then they liven up the insults with, "Volun-queers!" chants.

I pause in front of them for a second. "It's not our fault you're fat," I say.

11. Inside the stadium we're sixteen rows up at midfield. Tip of the beaver pelt cap to Lance Taylor for these seats. There are hardly any fans in orange anywhere near us. Now let's get rolling on game observations.

12. The stirrings of discomfort begin early in the stadium when Eric Berry nearly decapitates Greg McElroy on the first series of the game. Bama punts, and Tennessee gets a great punt return and immediately drives to the Bama 35 thanks to a third down conversion from Jonathan Crompton to Denarius Moore.

From here Bama buckles down and forces a punt, but the tone of the game has been set, the Vols haven't come to merely stay alive.

By the time Tennessee stops Alabama on fourth down during the Crimson Tide's second drive, there are genuine murmurs of discomfort in Bryant-Denny.

13. You know how you can tell things are going poorly for the home team?

A guy gets tackled near the sideline and the crowd screams for a late hit personal foul. A guy gets tackled by the shoulder pad and everyone screams for the face mask call.

Put another way, all of last season, the only way Tennessee could gain 15 yards on an offensive play was via personal foul. I found myself actually rooting for face masks and late hits as the ball was snapped.

In case you were wondering, last year aged me 15 years.

14. During a long commercial break, they pipe in Justin Timberlake's Sexy Back. My fellow UT pants-wearing compatriot, Matt, turns to me, "What do you think the Bear would have thought of them playing Sexy Back during timeouts?"

We ask, Chief, a Bama fan sitting next to us who will consume an entire fifth of Bourbon during the game. At one point he shares a drink with me. It's Bourbon on ice. A full cup.

It's what I imagine gasoline tastes like.

He thinks for a moment. "The Bear was a great modernizer," he says. "He would have loved Sexy Back. Plus, he liked asses."

I nod.

"On women, now," he says.

15. On the Vols' second possession, Crompton makes his only bad throw of the game; he airmails a pass that is picked off by 'Bama.

On the radio, I promised to go shirtless if Crompton threw four picks in this game, as Chris Vernon asserted that he would. "That's one," says Vernon.

On the ensuing drive 'Bama puts up a 38-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

16. But Tennessee responds and is at the Bama 33 facing a 2nd-and-3 as the first quarter ends. Shortly thereafter Crompton comes up big again, hitting Moore for 19 yards and a first and goal at the Bama 8. From there the Vols gain two yards but settle for a field goal.

We're tied at 3.

17. Bama drives the field, stalls, but bangs through a 50-yarder. During this time my seat compatriot in orange pants, Mondelli, turns to the Bama fans behind us and asks why they cheer every first down by the Crimson Tide so loudly.

"You're Alabama," he says, "you don't need to do that. The only other place I've seen it is West Virginia."

"Ole Miss does it," says the Bama fan.

"So you copied it from Ole Miss?" I ask.

"I don't really like it all," says the Bama fan.

18. Now comes Bama's best drive of the day, McElroy is 4-of-4 passing and Mark Ingram rips off runs of 5, 7, 4, 4, 4, and 8. Many of these runs come from the Wildcat formation. The final of these Ingram rushes gives Bama a 2nd-and-2 from the Vol 4. Not only is Bama just four yards from paydirt, but they can get a first down at the two. Surely they'll run the ball on every play from here.

Not hardly.

Inexplicably, Bama passes on second and third down before settling for the field goal. The last pass draws a chorus of boos from the crowd around me, but from my position it looks like the Tennessee defensive back is playing the fade and beats Jones to the place on the field.

Which makes me wonder, why not run the slant there if you're Jones and you see the the defensive back is playing your route?

19. Anyway, the Bama fans around me are furious that Bama didn't keep running the football.

"What the f--- are we doing?" asks my seatmate as he stares morosely at his bourbon on ice.

20. Speaking of the running backs in this game, don't Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson, and Bryce Brown sound like kicker names instead of running backs? They sound like part of the pledge class for Bama's SAE's. If Montario Hardesty's first name was Shelby, we'd have the most unlikely running back quad in Alabama-Tennessee history.

21. My Vols take the ball with 1:11 remaining and with possession coming to them to begin the second half, and in credit to Lane Kiffin's aggressiveness, attempt to score late in the half. Crompton hits four consecutive passes for 30 yards total before Daniel Lincoln trots on the field to attempt a 47 yarder that would slice the Bama lead to 9-6.

He misses. Short.

I'm not sure I've ever seen a 47-yard field goal come up short in a big college contest. Especially not without major wind issues.

22. At halftime, Bama's Million Dollar Band takes the field.

It's time for a rename. Back in 1922 when the band got their name, a million dollars was a lot of money. Now it's one-quarter of what Alabama pays Nick Saban every year.

Allow me to suggest a rebranding, The Billion Dollar Band.

23. Throughout the third quarter, Tennessee dominates. Bama has just two possessions, both end without a first down and total 16 yards of offense. Meanwhile, Tennessee has two long drives. the first comes to a close after a perfect call on a Javier Arenas blitz sets the Vols up with a 3rd-and-22.

But as the third quarter ends, Tennessee is driving: The final play of the quarter is a 30-yard gain from Crompton to Denarius Moore.

For just a moment silence descends on Bryant-Denny as Tennessee stands at the 'Bama 30 and allows the clock to wind down to end the quarter.

I close my eyes for an instant and savor what I hope is a preview of the end of the game.
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24. After another fourth down conversion, the Vols have a first-and-10 at the Alabama 19. Now issues arise, first a false start and then a critical holding penalty that turns a 3rd-and-4 into a 2nd-and-18. Bama's crowd roars, a desperate, from the bit of the belly, this can't be happening to us roar, the animalistic growl of a grizzly bear who has been wounded.

Nothing develops on third down and Tennessee sends out Lincoln to attempt a 43-yarder.

Blocked!

I sink to my seat with my head in my hands. Two missed field goals.

25. On Terrence Cody, is anybody else going to be surprised when, 15 years from now, Sports Illustrated does a, "Where are they now?" story on Cody and he weighs 551 pounds?

Remember the Buster Douglas story they did back then?

And the picture of Douglas standing in his garage with a huge shadow around him?

I'm picturing the same story on Cody. But for now he's a svelte 350 and the center of the Vols' line can't block him.

26. With good field position at its own 38, Bama manages its first first down of the half. From here the drive stalls at the 32, but Leigh Tiffin, Bama's offensive MVP, slips a 49-yard field goal just over the top of the crossbar to give the Tide a 12-3 advantage.

I groan as Bama fans around me cheer.

27. Tennessee goes three and out, punts, and after Mark Ingram almost busts a big play but is caught by the ankles, Bama is forced to punt.

Only, we rough the punter.

I text a Bama friend congrats on the win and stand looking out at the field. All, it would seem that is necessary now is for 'Bama to put the game on ice.

Certainly the Bama keyboardist thinks so, a single verse of "Hey, hey goodbye," blares out over the stadium.

But then, something magical happens for Vol fans -- Eric Berry forces and recovers a fumble from Mark Ingram, the first of Ingram's career at Alabama.

28. Crompton, who I incorrectly called for Lane Kiffin to bench after the Auburn game, jogs back onto the field and performs magically, completing four consecutive passes on the drive, the last of which is an 11-yard touchdown to Gerald Jones. Suddenly it's 12-10 Alabama and Tennessee is lining up for an onside kick.

29. I turn to my Bama seatmate. "I don't remember the last time I saw an onside kick recovered by the kicking team," I say.

"Don't you go there jinxing things," he says.

You guessed it, Tennessee recovers.

30. I climb onto the seat in front of me and scream as loudly as I can. Suddenly my stomach feels like it's full of air. Tension builds. A longed-for victory is so close we can taste it. Many of the UT players are standing on the sideline bench, swinging towels and bounding in unison along the green grass between snaps.

Now Crompton takes the field. Crompton, who last season went from Jesus to the Anti-Christ in a month; Crompton, who received death threats from Vol fans; Crompton, who has kept his mouth shut about his receivers running the wrong routes, who has refused to make excuses about any of the failures surrounding the Vols, has a chance to lead Tennessee to their most improbable victory in program history.

Not since 1985 has Tennessee beaten a No. 1 team. Then Tennessee triumphed over Auburn and Bo Jackson. Never, in the long and storied history of Tennessee football, have the Vols beaten a No. 1 team on the road, and never, ever, have they beaten a No. 1-ranked Alabama team.

Slowly, inexorably, in a way that seems ordained, Crompton leads the Vols down the field. He completes two passes, the first to Gerald Jones for 15 yards. But it's the second completion that appears likely to loom large in Vol-Bama lore for decades. Facing a 2nd-and-15 from his own 50, Crompton hits his streaking tight end, Luke Stocker, with a perfect pass. A pass, catch, and hit so exquisite that for a moment Alabama fans are entirely silent. It's a pass that few quarterbacks in America could make. And it's that reason why, and this is hard to believe, Crompton has been the best quarterback in the SEC over the past three weeks.

I explode with glee, leaping on my seat, hammering my seat-mate, the only sound of joy in an ocean of crimson silence around us. Now, improbably, amazingly, the Vols have a chance to win a game, to score 10 points in less than a minute and a half, to beat a bitter rival on the road, to change the entire trajectory of Crompton's career with one sweet swing of the foot.

31. Staring potential victory in the face, Kiffin, who has already gone for it on fourth down twice in the second half, goes conservative and sends Montario Hardesty on a running play. The clock dwindles now, Crompton stands over center and grounds the football.

Daniel Lincoln, 1-of-3 on the day, jogs onto the field, 44 yards from Vol immortality.

There are only four seconds remaining on the clock.

For a moment I flash back to 1990, the last time Tennessee attempted a winning field goal in the fourth quarter against Alabama. Then, Bama blocked the kick, recovered, and made their own kick for a 9-6 victory. Now, the Vols have a chance to erase that sick feeling, sweep into Tuscaloosa and deliver one of the greatest victories in team history.

Saban takes a timeout.

I sink to my seat, a Vol surrounded by a sea of crimson. Hardly anyone speaks during the timeout.

It may be the fourth Saturday in October, but this epic game, this game so even that only four seconds remain and victory or defeat hangs on a foot, will stand alongside others as among the greatest ever played. Not for the offensive explosions or the big plays that make highlight reels but for the grimy, hard-charging, slamming football that both teams delivered on play-after-play. The kind of Tennessee-Alabama game, that as Bear Bryant said, makes you a man.

If you've ever wondered whether something ugly can be beautiful, this game answered it resoundingly ... yes.

Now, in the fading light of an October afternoon comes the quest for silence. For a moment I close my eyes and picture the scene, the field flooded in celebrating orange players, the angry detritus tumbling to the ground in the stadium, red and white pompons, old drinks, Bama Bangs pushed back on disbelieving foreheads, the sodden underground concrete of home football defeat. The ball is snapped, foot meets ball, and immediately the ball ricochets backward.

It's 1990 all over again.

Only this time with two blocked fourth quarter field goals instead of one.

I stand without moving as the stadium erupts around me. Look for Crompton on the sideline, feel awful for him, worse for him than for anyone in orange. This should have been, this could have been, his ultimate validation for five years of effort, for five years of criticism, his moment in the orange sun.

Alongside me my fellow orange-pant wearing compatriot has but two words, "Well, damn," he says, so softly I can barely hear him over the noise.

We make the long walk back to the tailgate, through throngs of Bama fans celebrating with delirious glee. On up past Denny Chimes, along the brick sidewalk Bama fans greet each other with, "Roll Tide Roll," and exult in the cool night air, an improbable mosh-pit screaming, improbably, "Hotel, Motel, Holiday Inn," as they dance to Pitbull's song.

Change one play, and all around me is silent.

I finally turn my phone back on and it's flooded with emails and texts. I can't bear to read any of them. I'm not even sure what I can take from any of this. The game is still so close, the feel of the loss so suffocating. At least I get to keep my beard.

"Hey," says an elderly Bama fan grabbing me by the shoulder, "you played Tennessee football today. Goddamn Tennessee football," he says.

And maybe that's the real lesson out of all of this. After all the attention and all the words, the slings and arrows of recruiting wars, when you get right down to it, Kiffin coached in his first Alabama-Tennessee game and looked an awful lot like the men who were successful in the Alabama series before him. Men like Phil Fulmer and General Neyland. Ultimately, what's new is old at Tennessee. Kiffin's team wasn't flashy and it didn't always execute perfectly, but it never quit.

And in this series, for both team and fan alike, the only thing that unites fans in orange and crimson is this -- we admire players, coaches, and people who never stop fighting, never stop trying to take that hill, even if, as we saw on Saturday, sometimes a mountain is directly in front of the ball.

In the end, Lane Kiffin's boys didn't quit, and someday soon, that is going to make all the difference.

Clay Travis is the author of three books. His latest, "On Rocky Top: A Front Row Seat to The End of an Era" chronicles the 2008 Tennessee football season and is on sale now.

Alabama-Tennessee: Quest for Silence originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Julio JonesTim TebowClay TravisSun, 25 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST FanHouse Top 25: Alabama Still the Onehttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/25/fanhouse-top-25-alabama-still-the-one/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/25/fanhouse-top-25-alabama-still-the-one/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/25/fanhouse-top-25-alabama-still-the-one/#commentsFiled under:

Nick SabanFanHouse writer Brett McMurphy shares his Top 25 ballot each Sunday morning.

College football's version of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome will be played out on Halloween night in Stillwater, Okla., and Eugene, Ore.

In Stillwater, Oklahoma State hosts Texas in a battle for the Big 12 South lead, while USC visits Oregon in a huge Pac-10 contest in Eugene. All four teams are ranked among the Associated Press' top-13 teams this week.

In a slight variation of Thunderdome, "two teams enter, one team leaves" with their national title hopes alive.

The winner of each game is still in the running for a spot in the BCS title game, while the loser can start making alternate bowl plans.
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Saturday's Texas-Oklahoma State and USC-Oregon matchups are the only ones between Top 25 teams in the AP poll this weekend, but both could have huge national title implications.

As far as my AP ballot this week, I dropped BYU, Texas Tech and Nebraska from my Top 25, while replacing them with Ole Miss, Central Michigan and Notre Dame.

My top five remained the same: Alabama, Florida, Texas, Cincinnati and USC. Yes, Alabama squeaked by Tennessee, but I kept the Crimson Tide at No. 1 because they still have the most impressive resume up to this point. Got a problem with that? Take it up with Aunty Entity in Bartertown.

Here is my ballot this week with my ranking last week in parenthesis.

  • 1. Alabama (1)
    Kick, Tennessee, Kick! That's the chant you'll hear next season from Crimson Tide fans when they play Tennessee. The Volunteers had four field goals blocked or missed as Bama hung on for a 12-10 win. Alabama's victory was its first this season by less than 10 points, so that's why the Crimson Tide remains my No. 1 team.
  • 2. Florida (2)
    If Florida was on offense much longer Saturday at Mississippi State, the Gators may have lost. MSU's defense scored two TDs against the Gators' offense, while MSU's offense managed only two field goals against UF's defense. QB Tim Tebow's final numbers: 12-for-22, 127 yards, two interceptions. He also had as many TD passes as post-game quotes to the media: none.
  • 3. Texas (3)
    No Red River Rivalry rebound problems for the Longhorns. Texas improved to 12-0 under coach Mack Brown in games after playing Oklahoma. QB Colt McCoy showed Missouri who's best in the Big 12, throwing for three TDs in Texas' 41-7 rout of Missouri. Saturday, UT visits Oklahoma State on a Halloween night contest that should feature every shade of orange known to mankind.
  • 4. Cincinnati (4)
    No Pike, no problem. With starting QB Tony Pike sidelined with a left arm injury, back-up Zach Collaros led the Bearcats past Louisville's (House of) Cards, 41-10. The Bearcats won the battle for the Keg of Nails and hammered even more nails into Steve Kragthorpe's future at Louisville.
  • 5. USC (5)
    RB Allen Bradford rushed for a career-high 147 yards and two touchdowns as the Trojans held off Oregon State 42-36. This week, the Trojans visit Oregon, marking the third consecutive season USC plays the Oregon schools in consecutive games. The past two years, USC failed to sweep the Oregon duo. Is the third time a charm?
  • 6. Iowa (7)
    The Hawkeyes' last-second 15-13 victory at Michigan State improved the Hawkeyes to 8-0 for the first time in school history. Who scripts these games for Iowa? Alfred Hitchcock? Seven of Iowa's victories have been by 11 points or less, including four wins by three points or less. Saturday's game with Indiana should be a lot less suspenseful.
  • 7. TCU (8)
    Coach Gary Patterson's Purple People Eaters continue to wreak havoc in the Mountain West. After TCU ended BYU's 13-game home conference winning streak Saturday with a 38-7 rout of BYU, a 12-0 regular season -- like it or not -- is a very real possibility for the Horned Frogs. The biggest challenge should be a home game with Utah on Nov. 14.
  • 8. Boise State (6)
    The Broncos bullied defenseless Hawaii 54-9 Saturday and expect more of the same this weekend when Boise State hosts 1-5 San Jose State. The Broncos have won all five meetings in Boise against the Spartans by an average margin of 49-13.
  • 9. LSU (10)
    LSU's Tigers tamed Auburn's Tigers 31-10 Saturday to improve to 11-1 in games off a loss under coach Les Miles. The Tigers now host Tulane and should cruise to their 18th consecutive victory against the Green Wave.
  • 10. Oregon (11)
    After whacking Washington, the Ducks welcome USC Saturday. Oregon won the last meeting in Eugene, 24-17, in 2007 and has won four of the last six meetings with the Trojans in Autzen Stadium. Oregon also has an eight-game home winning streak.
  • 11. Georgia Tech (12)
    The Yellow Jackets are back in control in the ACC's Atlantic Division. Speaking of control, Georgia Tech's offense had the football for 42 minutes, 43 seconds in Saturday's win at Virginia. One drive ate up more than 10 minutes off the clock as TV executives were on their knees praying for a turnover or a punt.
  • 12. Houston (13)
    QB Case Keenum was held to a season-low 233 yards passing and the Cougars were actually outgained by SMU, but still rolled to a 38-15 victory. Houston hosts an up-and-down Southern Miss squad Saturday for the first time since the teams played in the 2006 Conference USA title game.
  • 13. Oklahoma State (14)
    QB Zac Robinson completed 85 percent at Baylor (23-of-27), breaking Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy's school record -- 77 percent in 1989 when Gundy wasn't quite a man yet. Can the Cowboys man up against Texas Saturday? The Pokes haven't in the past, losing 21-of-23 meetings. Okie State's last victory against Texas was 1997.
  • 14. Penn State (15)
    On Saturday, Joe Pa won at Michigan's Big House for the first time since 1996. Of the seven teams the Nittany Lions have defeated this season, only two FBS teams -- Temple and Michigan -- currently have winning records.
  • 15. Virginia Tech (16)
    The Hokies had a week off to think about their Oct. 17 loss to Georgia Tech and what might have been. Virginia Tech now plays back-to-back Thursday night contests -- home vs. North Carolina this week and at East Carolina on Nov. 5.
  • 16. Pittsburgh (22)
    The Panthers disposed of free-falling South Florida 41-14 Saturday. Off to its best start since 1982, Pitt is off this week before hosting Syracuse on Nov. 7. Then the Panthers close the regular season with three doozies: home against Notre Dame (Nov. 14), at West Virginia (Nov. 27) and home against Cincinnati (Dec. 5).
  • 17. Ohio State (17)
    Sophomore Terrelle Pryor became the fifth Buckeyes QB to exceed 1,000 career yards rushing in Saturday's victory against Minnesota. Next up: a cakewalk against New Mexico State followed by a visit to Penn State, home against Iowa and at Michigan.
  • 18. West Virginia (19)
    If West Virginia RB Noel Devine isn't the fastest running back in college football, he's among the top three. Devine carried 23 times for 178 yards, including the game-winning 56-yard TD with 2:10 remaining, as WVU escaped an upset against a motivated UConn club playing for murdered teammate Jasper Howard.
  • 19. Miami (9)
    The Hurricanes' 40-37 overtime loss to Clemson was only Miami's second loss in 115 games when scoring 37 or more points since 1985. How will Miami rebound at Wake Forest Saturday? Hopefully better than it did after its last OT loss in 2007 when UM followed up a 19-16 OT loss to N.C. State with a 48-0 loss to Virginia.
  • 20. Utah (20)
    The Utes remained unbeaten in the Mountain West with an overtime win against Air Force. Even if they look past Saturday's contest with New Mexico to next week's clash at TCU, it likely won't matter. New Mexico is 0-7, losing each game by an average of 22 points.
  • 21. Arizona (23)
    Even though QB Nick Foles committed five turnovers against UCLA, the Wildcats still rolled up 456 yards in a 27-13 victory against the Bruins. Only a sophomore, Foles leads the Pac-10 with a 72.2 completion percentage.
  • 22. South Carolina (24)
    The Old Ball Coach and his Gamecocks squeaked by Vanderbilt, giving Steve Spurrier the 105th SEC victory of his career. That ties him with former Georgia coach Vince Dooley for third on the all-time list. Saturday at Tennessee, Spurrier goes for SEC win No. 106 -- and his first against Lane Kiffin.
  • 23. Ole Miss (NR)
    Like Showtime's serial killer Dexter, Ole Miss RB Dexter McCluster slaughtered the Hogs Saturday. McCluster set his career high in yards rushing (123) and receiving (137) as former Arkansas coach Houston Nutt defeated his old team for a second consecutive season.
  • 24. Central Michigan (NR)
    The MAC-Daddy's have won at Michigan State and their only loss was at Arizona (19-6) in the season opener. Don't believe the 7-1 Chippewas are a legit Top 25 team? They'll have a chance to prove it Saturday when they visit Boston College.
  • 25. Notre Dame (NR)
    Another Notre Dame nail-biter: this one a 20-16 win against Boston College. The Fighting Irish's last six games have been decided by seven points or less. If that trend continues Saturday at home against 1-6 Washington State, Notre Dame won't be on my Top 25 ballot next week.

Teams that are close to making my Top 25 (in alphabetical order): Cal, Oklahoma

See you later (teams that fell out of my Top 25 this week): BYU, Nebraska, Texas Tech

FanHouse Top 25: Alabama Still the One originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Brett McMurphySun, 25 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST Tidal Save Proves Alabama Still No. 1http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/tidal-save-proves-alabama-still-no-1/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/tidal-save-proves-alabama-still-no-1/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/tidal-save-proves-alabama-still-no-1/#commentsFiled under: ,

Terrence CodyFor Alabama, it came down to a physics problem.

In the last seconds of what suddenly became a white-knuckle 'Third Saturday' tilt, Terrence Cody, the Crimson Tide's city block of a nose tackle, punched through the Tennessee line and came face to foot with Vols' kicker Daniel Lincoln. All that was left to was to see whether something the weight of an upright piano could rise high enough into the air to bring down a 44-yard-field goal try.

So, when the would-be game-winning kick caromed off Cody's armpit, sealing Alabama's 12-10 win, the nose tackle ripped off his helmet with two hands and let loose a massive yelp that must have echoed from Tuscaloosa and Tuscany.

He hadn't just beaten Tennessee. He'd done a number on Isaac Newton too.


"I just knew we had to make a play, I had to make a play," said the 360-pound high flyer. "We couldn't wait on anybody else to make a play ... so I dug down deep and told myself I was about to block it. The ball snapped, I got a good jump... and just stuck my arm up."

And he made Alabama's case as the national championship favorite, even if the Tide's win was as ugly as the offensive line's team photo and twice as tough.

"That's how fragile a season can be," Tide head coach Nick Saban said. "Make one mistake and you have to go overcome it. I hope that there's a lot of lessons for our team to learn from this."

The Tide's win will do nothing for the style points crowd, but that hardly matters. Style points, those arbitrary way-you-won measures doled out by those without a great argument as to why a football team may or may not be good, are for those in the rear view mirror.

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And everyone is still looking forward at the Tide.

This was a game Alabama needed to win, not because they were No. 1 for the first time this season or because there's a pack of undefeated teams from lesser conferences nipping at their cleats -- the SEC championship game, after all will serve as a BCS title eliminator -- but because these gritty victories are the stuff that separate national title contenders from pretenders.

In their eighth consecutive game against one of the 10 best defenses, Alabama did what good teams do. They found a way to win.

Of course, if you'd asked Saban in the final five seconds, Alabama might've traded the gut-check victory for a quiet walk into the locker room.

Up until the final four minutes, it had all gone right for Saban's team. The Tide hadn't committed a turnover and clung to a 12-3 lead. But, three minutes and 30 seconds from their eighth win and a much-needed bye week, Alabama running back Mark Ingram lost the first fumble of his career. Two minutes later, Tennessee's Gerald Jones was celebrating the Vols' first touchdown. A successful onside kick gave the Vols the ball at midfield and a GPS guided rope of a pass from Jonathan Crompton to tight end Luke Stocker set up the game-winning field goal attempt.

But when everything went haywire, Alabama found a path to victory.

"I think great teams have great players that can make great plays in critical situations," said Saban, who would know a thing or two about great teams, having won the 2003 BCS title. "We had a couple of defensive linemen that made some huge plays."

It was a win from the history books of another national champion.

Three years ago, during Florida's run to the championship in the 2006 season, the Gators' Jarvis Moss blocked a pair of kicks in the fourth quarter against South Carolina, an extra point and a would-be game-winning field goal off the foot of Ryan Succop as time expired.

Stop us if any of this sounds familiar.

Florida held on for the 17-16 win over South Carolina. They were 9-1 with the victory that day and wouldn't lose again the rest of the year. Urban Meyer would later call it one of the greatest plays in Gator history.

Florida had found a way to win.

For Alabama, it was clear the season had begun to wear down the Tide. For eight straight weeks, the Crimson Tide had played one of the toughest schedules in the country. A week earlier, they held off a physical South Carolina team. Before that, it was Ole Miss. In Week 1, it had been Virginia Tech.

"I felt like our team was really tired this week psychologically, probably more mentally than really physically," Saban said. "We had a lot of guys beat up, a lot of guys missed practice and a lot of guys struggling to do what we need to do."

Now the schedule runs mostly downhill for the Tide, at least as downhill as the SEC gets. After a bye week, Alabama hosts LSU before finishing with dates at Mississippi State and stumbling Auburn, sandwiched around a late-season tune-up against Chattanooga.

Saturday's win did leave some questions unanswered for the Tide -- not the least of which was whether an armpit has ever played such a pivotal role in a national title game. Embattled quarterback Greg McElroy didn't commit a turnover against a stifling Tennessee defense, but still is the team's obvious weak link. The Volunteers out-gained the Alabama and the Tide benefited from a pair of Leigh Tiffin field goals that just scraped by over the cross bar, and one from Lincoln that didn't.

Are the Tide great? No. But this year, that's the wrong question. There are no great teams. The only question that matters is if anyone else is better. After Saturday, the answer is no.

Because in the end, Alabama did exactly what good teams do. They found a way to win, even if it was as unlikely and unsightly as a 360-pound man taking flight.

Tidal Save Proves Alabama Still No. 1 originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Ray HollomanSat, 24 Oct 2009 20:41:00 EST SEC Notebook: Polls Not Tide's Concernhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/23/sec-notebook-tide-not-worried-about-polls/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/23/sec-notebook-tide-not-worried-about-polls/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/23/sec-notebook-tide-not-worried-about-polls/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When it comes to debating rankings, Alabama head coach Nick Saban is a fuddy-duddy.

So there's no need to waste your time, even if the Crimson Tide leapfrogged SEC rival Florida into the top spot of this week's Associated Press poll. Of course, Alabama is also ranked second behind the Gators in the initial installment of the weekly BCS poll that will determine national title invites by early December.

Saban doesn't mean to be a killjoy -- or does he? -- but his game-at-a-time mantra is focused on Saturday's showdown against visiting Tennessee.

"If anybody asks me any questions about where we're ranked or what the poll is, what matters?" Saban asked. "Why does it matter? What's changed from this week to this Monday to last Monday? What's changed? We've got another game. This is the most important game of the year."

OK, agreed.

The Crimson Tide (7-0) is determined to finish October with a flourish. Off next Saturday, Alabama closes out a three-game homestand with a visit from LSU on November 7 before it positions itself for the regular-season's final stretch.

Of course, Alabama could have its hands full with the Vols (3-3) if not careful. But if the Crimson Tide is need of a hero, a shining star has risen from the Crimson Tide's backfield, and his name is Mark Ingram.

The sophomore has rushed for 905 yards and eight touchdowns for 129.29 yards per game average to rank fourth nationally and first in the SEC. Ingram's flashy -- he leads the nation with 30 rushes of 10 or more yards and also has chipped in eight receptions for 10 or more yards. And Ingram's tough -- he has gained 580 yards after first contact.

Best yet, Ingram is coming off his best performance of the season, rushing for 246 yards against South Carolina last week.

"He's a great competitor and a driven guy," Saban said.

"He works hard in practice every week. He plays fast all the time. He has a great competitive spirit and certainly will stay focused on the things that are going to help him continue to satisfy his goals."

Don't look for Alabama to change its goals, or its approach, according to the philosophical Saban.

"I'm very hopeful that we can stay on the positive side of it and be positive about our approach to what we are trying to accomplish and what we're trying to do and not get risk-aversive and start playing to keep from getting beat and a lot of negative motivation about what's going to happen if this happens and all that kind of stuff," Saban said.

"Not to avoid but to gain, is the way we'd like to approach it."

FINALLY, A STRONG FINISH?

South Carolina has been down this road before.

The Gamecocks are 5-2 and positioned nicely to make this coach Steve Spurrier's most successful season at South Carolina. The Gamecocks can continue their surge with a home victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday, a win that would give Spurrier 105 conference wins and tie him with Vince Dooley for third-most in SEC history.

Spurrier isn't one to relax, even if Vanderbilt has lost five straight conference games. Let's not forget the Commodores have beaten the Gamecocks the past two years.

"We're not a real dominant team," Spurrier said. "I think we're a real good team. We can play with almost anybody. We have to play a lot harder. We have to play with courage, effort and smarts."

That approach could help the Gamecocks avoid an unsettling trend of poor finishes. They lost their final three games last season, their final five in 2007 and, for the record, are 10-15 from the midway point of October under Spurrier.

"The pressure is on us to play the best we can every week," Spurrier said.

"We don't get too much in what happened last year or the year before. They outplayed us the last two years. They were better than we were. Give them credit. We'll try to play better this year and coach better, and see if we can come out on top against Vanderbilt."

ROAD TRIP

Save the postcards.

Florida hasn't enjoyed its past visits to Starkville, Miss.

The Gators travel to Mississippi State on Saturday seeking their first win at Davis Wade Stadium since 1985. They have dropped their last four games there, losing to the Bulldogs in 1986, 1992, 2000 and 2004. Second-ranked UF entered three of the games ranked, and two of the games are among the 12 conference defeats that Spurrier suffered as Florida's coach.

The showdown is also a reunion for Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, a former assistant coach under UF's Urban Meyer since their days at Utah. Mullen last served as the Gators' offensive coordinator, helping quarterback Tim Tebow win the Heisman Trophy and UF a pair of national titles.

"We're coming in, planning to win the football game," Mullen said.

"You never go to play a game that you think you can't win. Our guys are focusing on winning the game this Saturday, and focusing on doing the things you have to do to win the football game. There's nothing quite like winning a football game. It isn't anything crazy we need to do to win, we just have to focus on the game plan at hand in order to come out victorious."

OFFENSIVE OUTBURST

LSU and Auburn tangle in a game where both teams need their offense to set the tone.

LSU, which was off last week, is 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the SEC. The Tigers are one of two SEC West teams -- the other is Alabama -- to control its own destiny in the division race.

They will need solid performances from quarterback Jordan Jefferson and running back Charles Scott. Jefferson has been inconsistent as a passer and Scott is in search of a breakout game. LSU figures to rely heavily on the run because Auburn is allowing 181.4 yards per game, 11th in the SEC and 99th nationally.

Auburn, meanwhile, is coming off its worst offensive performance of the season, managing just 315 yards in its 21-14 loss to Kentucky.

Auburn (5-2, 2-2), which opened the season with five consecutive wins, has scored a combined 37 points in its past two games; it scored at least 37 in each of its first four. The passing attack is struggling, too. Quarterback Chris Todd threw 11 touchdown passes in the first four games but just one in the past three.

"You can't pinpoint our struggles on one thing. I don't believe in that," Auburn coach Gene Chizik said.

"There are a lot of things that can go wrong. I still feel that we can fix some of the mistakes and get back on track. There's a lot of issues in there, and we really feel very strongly that we're going to get that rectified. But it has been off the last two weeks."

SEC Notebook: Polls Not Tide's Concern originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Jim HenryFri, 23 Oct 2009 13:15:00 EST Volunteering My Beard for Tennessee Bethttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/22/volunteering-my-beard/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/22/volunteering-my-beard/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/22/volunteering-my-beard/#commentsFiled under: ,


Alabama opened as a 16.5 point favorite over Tennessee. So I did what any self-respecting Tennessee fan would do when faced with this obstacle: I wagered my beard that Tennessee will cover that spread with Memphis radio host Chris Vernon, the man behind the cult classic video, Colonel Reb Is Crying. Given that I've been rocking the beard since 2002, I'm very confident in my bet, almost as confident that this will be a single-digit game that isn't decided until the fourth quarter. I'll explain why as I break down the game, but know this, right now Alabama fans are rolling their eyes and banging on their their talking typewriters -- as computers have yet to reach Alabama -- "Your an idiot," they're about to type in their magic invisible letters -- you know it as e-mail -- to me.

That's because Alabama fans are one of the rarest of all fan species, drenched in self-confidence even when their team isn't good, swimming in a sea of crimson arrogance when they are actually good. No matter the situation Alabama fans refuse to believe they will ever lose. Ever. In fact, let's call them what they are: The most confident fanbase on Earth.

Most fanbases greet the No. 1 ranking in the country with trepidation, seeing defeat lurking in unlikely corners. Not Alabama. They expect their team to squash all competition, including, if necessary, such lightweights as NFL champions. In fact, many Crimson Tide fans would argue that you can't be overly confident when you've won 99 consecutive national championships. (I'm citing the always reliable Paul Finebaum for that statistic.) And they have a point there. They have been successful.

But more successful than any fanbase in the history of American sports? I think not. Next week maybe I'll rank the most irrational fan bases out there. Kentucky basketball, the New York Yankees, and Notre Dame football all figure in the equation, but for the present moment none of that matters, Alabama is going to win.
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No matter who they are playing.

Roll, Tide, Roll!

And before we get further rolling with the ClayNation game breakdown, let me be clear, I like Alabama fans. Their irrational optimism, the range of fashion choices made by the men, from Little Lord Fauntleroy to 55-year-old men dressed in double camo gear, snuff in the back pocket alongside a Brodie Croyle bobblehead, and an unshaven, bedraggled look l like to call, Tuscaloosa Sunrise.

I love them all. As Tiny Tim would say, God bless them each and every one. On to the breakdown.

1. Which Greg McElroy are we going to get in this game?

The one in the first five games who threw for nine touchdowns, no picks, and completed 68 percent of his passes or the guy from the past two games who has completed just 46 percent of his passes with no touchdowns and two interceptions? In fact, McElroy's play has declined precipitously in every game since the 35-7 win over Arkansas on Sept. 26, when he was nearly perfect.

Is there something that defenses have noticed in preparing for McElroy, like they evidently have with Chris Todd at Auburn, or is this simply a function of McElroy not playing well?

2. At some point, if you're a male Alabama fan with hugely drooping Bama Bangs, shaking a red and white pompom, wearing a bowtie above khaki pants that are too tight, and sunglasses hanging on a cord around your neck, don't you have to look at yourself in the mirror and think, "My God, I am a huge clown. Tuscaloosa is the only place on Earth right now where I could walk into a bar without people believing I was dressed up for Halloween as the biggest tool in America."

3. Which Jonathan Crompton are we going to get?

Soon enough we'll know whether Crompton caught the Willie Martinez Flu -- unlike the regular flu it makes you play 250 percent better than you ever have before -- or whether Lane Kiffin has finally fixed the biggest head case in Tennessee since Elvis post-Priscilla.

Kiffin, come Saturday the most confident man in the state of Alabama who is not an Alabama fan, has gone so far as to suggest that Crompton, Crompton! (uttered by every UT fan in the same tone that Newman! was uttered by Seinfeld) deserves a look as a first-round pick based on the Georgia game.

Seriously.

I'm terrified that the Tennessee Titans are going to end up with Crompton and we'll never be apart.

At long last, Crompton put together a decent game against a decent opponent, but you can still draw a distinct line between Good Crompton and Bad Crompton. Regarding the former, in UT's three wins this season, Crompton has thrown 11 touchdowns and three interceptions. In the three losses? Two touchdowns and six interceptions.

Which one will we get against 'Bama? I have no clue.

Neither does Crompton.

4. Why do fans of both teams insist on wearing camouflage college gear?

Hypothesis: Generally speaking deer do not care who the people trying to kill them root for.

So who is this apparel designed for? People who are trying to disguise who they are rooting for? People who can't stomach the thought of being in the woods and not being able to support the team? Isn't it borderline taunting for Bambi's final image as she gives up the deer ghost to be a power T or a crimson A?

I'm doing a whole column on this at some point. But come Saturday these people will be everywhere.

5. Is Monte Kiffin truly going to dominate pro-style offenses this season or will his defense fade down the stretch?

Against Georgia last week, in his first chance to play a non-spread offense in a month, Monte Kiffin made Georgia look like a junior varsity high school team. They didn't get inside the UT 30 for the entire game. Can he continue that against Alabama? Probably not.

But can he devise a gameplan that limits Julio Jones while still stopping Bama's rushing attack? Certainly.

Will it happen? Tune in.

6. Why won't 'Bama let UT wear orange? Why do people care what color the team wears?

In case you missed it, UT requested to wear their orange jerseys on the road and Alabama rejected the idea.

Let me be clear on this, caring what color uniform your team wears makes you a girl.

Period. (Pun intended.)

There are no exceptions.

Some Tennessee fans have been obsessed with whether or not we're going to wear black jerseys for months. I can't think of anything dumber. Same with an entire stadium doing an (insert color here)-out. If you've ever had a conversation about the color your team is going to wear with a male friend, you need new friends.

7. Which team can get their running attack established?

Mark Ingram has been the warhorse for Alabama. He's currently leading the SEC in rushing yardage. meanwhile Tennessee's Montario Hardesty is in fourth place. Both men are in the top 12 in the country. What's more, both teams boast a standout freshman backup -- Trent Richardson for 'Bama and Bryce Brown for Tennessee.

Given that there are questions at quarterback for both teams, if either squad can establish a consistent running game, look for that team to control the outcome. Given that Tennessee's rush defense is ranked 30th in the country, and Bama is ranked third, odds would favor the Crimson Tide in this battle.

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Latest College Football Photos
Notre Dame receiver Robby Paris (82) is injured on a hit by Southern California's Taylor Mays (2) and Kevin Thomas (15) late in the fourth quarter during a college football game, Saturday, October 17, 2009, in South Bend, Indiana. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/MCT)

Latest College Football Images

    Notre Dame receiver Robby Paris (82) is injured on a hit by Southern California's Taylor Mays (2) and Kevin Thomas (15) late in the fourth quarter during a college football game, Saturday, October 17, 2009, in South Bend, Indiana. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/MCT)

    Iowa State quarterback Jerome Tiller dives for extra yardage during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game against Baylor, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009, in Ames, Iowa. Iowa State won 24-10.

    Charlie Neibergall, AP

    Mississippi State running back Anthony Dixon, top, dives into the end zone for a touchdown over Middle Tennessee State defenders, from left, Antwan Davis, Danny Carmichael and Cam Robinson, in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. Mississippi State won 27-6.

    Daily News Journal / AP

    Connecticut football coach Randy Edsall, center, leads his players during NCAA college football practice in Storrs, Conn., on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009. Practice was scheduled as usual despite the on campus slaying of player Jasper Howard over the weekend. (AP Photo/George Ruhe)

    AP

    Connecticut football coach Randy Edsall, center, leads his players during NCAA college football practice in Storrs, Conn., on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009. Practice was scheduled as usual despite the on campus slaying of player Jasper Howard over the weekend. (AP Photo/George Ruhe)

    AP

    Connecticut football coach Randy Edsall, center, leads his players during NCAA college football practice in Storrs, Conn., on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009. Practice was scheduled as usual despite the on campus slaying of player Jasper Howard over the weekend. (AP Photo/George Ruhe)

    AP

    Camouflage design football cleats are displayed during a news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009, in Columbia, S.C. Maryland and South Carolina will wear uniforms with camouflage designs during their NCAA college football games on Saturday, Nov. 14, to honor military veterans and promote the Wounded Warrior Project. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

    AP

    South Carolina's football coach Steve Spurrier holds up a jersey with camouflage designs during a news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009, in Columbia, S.C. Maryland and South Carolina will wear uniforms with camouflage designs during their NCAA college football games on Saturday, Nov. 14, to honor military veterans and promote the Wounded Warrior Project. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

    AP

    South Carolina's football coach Steve Spurrier, center, flanked by Sgt. Jeremy Hale, left, and Master Sgt. Pete Lara, both from Fort Jackson, as he holds up a jersey with camouflage designs during a news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009, in Columbia, S.C. Maryland and South Carolina will wear uniforms with camouflage designs during their NCAA college football games on Saturday, Nov. 14, to honor military veterans and promote the Wounded Warrior Project. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

    AP

    A UConn Huskies player pats a teammate on the shoulder as the team is called to "play hard in honor of Jasper" by another team member, at the start of practice on the UConn Storrs, Conn., campus on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009. Practice was scheduled as usual despite the slaying of Jasper Howard ( 6) over the weekend. (AP Photo/George Ruhe)

    AP



8. What's the psychology of Alabama's new No. 1 ranking likely to be?

Alabama has not played against Tennessee as the No. 1 team in the country since, wait for it, 1980.

Were you as shocked by this as I was? And Alabama has played Tennessee as the No. 1 team in the country only twice all-time.

Alabama fans are shocked right now as well because they believe that Alabama has been the default top-ranked team in America for the past 67 years. (The streak was broken when World War II broke out and every Alabama football player was simultaneously named a General.)

In fact, Tennessee will play the No. 1 team in the country twice this season for the first time in the history of Tennessee football. And they've only played the top team in the AP poll 8 times since 1959.

I say all that for this for one reason, playing the top team in the country is a big deal that doesn't happen very often. But I'm not sure Tennessee and Lane Kiffin are going to play like it is a big deal because they've already played Florida on the road. Which is a pretty big benefit because I think it eliminates the jaw-dropping, scared to death factor. Meanwhile, I think Alabama will come out a bit uptight with the new ranking.

I could be wrong, but I think 'Bama will make a few mistakes early that keep this game close for the first two quarters. After that, we'll see. But I believe the psychology of being No. 1 will have an impact.

9. Can Tennessee keep Alabama from scoring on special teams?

The UT staff has to be having legitimate talks right now about kicking the ball straight up into the air to be fielded by the upbacks at the 35 and punting the ball out-of-bounds on every punt.

Why?

Two weeks ago Georgia scored on a touchdown on a kickoff return. The same thing happened against Ohio a month ago. Meanwhile Auburn gouged the Vols all night with big returns. Adding it all up, wait for this, Tennessee is 118 out of 120 teams in kickoff coverage.

Stop laughing Alabama fans, you're 102. And you've also had two kickoffs returned for touchdowns against you.

I have a proposition, could both teams just reach a gentleman's agreement to start each drive on the 30?

10. What of the bye week?

Alabama is coming off consecutive big games, a road contest at Ole Miss that had been hyped for months and a Homecoming tilt against South Carolina. Tennessee, on the other hand, has been resting up and preparing for Alabama.

If Tennessee's coaching staff is as good as advertised, that means there should be some wrinkles that Alabama won't be expecting. So this week represents another great laboratory to analyze Tennessee's first-year staff.

As if that weren't enough, has anyone else noticed how quiet Lane Kiffin has been this week? It's the antithesis of how he prepared for Florida. As if that weren't enough, compared to the verbal grenades that Kiffin has lobbed at Florida, he's been very quiet about the Crimson Tide. By design or not, I think we've set up the potential for a stealth attack.

11. Whither the beard?

Come Saturday by 7 CT, I may very well be intentionally clean-shaven for the first time since 2002. But I don't think I will.

This game is going to be epic, and it's going to be tight until the fourth quarter. I can't wait to see it in person. But regardless, come Saturday, only one thing is certain -- every Alabama fan thinks they're going to win 50-0.

Clay Travis is the author of three books. His latest, "On Rocky Top: A Front Row Seat to The End of an Era" chronicles the 2008 Tennessee football season and is on sale now.

Volunteering My Beard for Tennessee Bet originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Clay TravisThu, 22 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST