As of earlier this afternoon, Louisiana running back and UA signee Eddie Lacy had still not heard from the NCAA Clearinghouse regarding his academic eligibility for the 2009 season.
"We're still waiting for the Clearinghouse. So we still don't know yet," Lacy said. "It was supposed to be today."
RB Eddie Lacy has still not heard Regarding his Academic Eligibility for the 2009 Season
Fall Practice is about to Begin!
Alabama will practice at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Aug. 9, 15 and 22, the first being the annual Fan Day workout. Per usual, all practices except for Fan Day are closed to the public.
The team will hold two-a-day practices Aug. 11, 13 and 17.
The Tide will be off the 16th, and Aug. 23-24. It will start to get into its regular routine the final week of camp, with the regular practice schedule kicking into gear Monday, Aug. 31, in preparation for the Sept. 5 opener against Virginia Tech at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
"Fan Day" will be Sunday Aug 9th
UA's football program has announced that its annual "Fan Day" will be Sunday, Aug. 9 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Practice will begin at 2:30 p.m. and end at roughly 4:30 p.m. It is the only time all year that Alabama's practice is open throughout to media and the general public.
Another PreSeason Ranking ...
Houston Sports Examiner Top 25 college football preseason rankings
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. USC
4. Oklahoma State
5. Penn State
6. LSU
7. Oklahoma
8. TCU
9. ALABAMA
10. Mississippi
11. VT
12. Rutgers
13. Ohio State
14. California
15. Georgia Tech
16. Notre Dame
17. Miami
18. Southern Miss
19. Nebraska
20. Georgia
21. Boise State
22. Cincinnati
23. Kansas
24. Utah
25. Houston
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. USC
4. Oklahoma State
5. Penn State
6. LSU
7. Oklahoma
8. TCU
9. ALABAMA
The Crimson Tide will be good again this year, but will have to replace quarterback John Parker Wilson, who was a solid game manager. There is talent here, but it is inexperienced. The Tide also face just three tough games -- at Mississippi, LSU at home and the opener against Virginia Tech.
10. Mississippi
11. VT
12. Rutgers
13. Ohio State
14. California
15. Georgia Tech
16. Notre Dame
17. Miami
18. Southern Miss
19. Nebraska
20. Georgia
21. Boise State
22. Cincinnati
23. Kansas
24. Utah
25. Houston
Mike Johnson (OL) could "Rival Last Year"
Left guard Mike Johnson came away from this summer convinced that "We've worked harder this year than I can remember in the offseason," and that the new group could ultimately rival what Alabama enjoyed last year.
That is what I like to hear. Roll Tide Roll!!!
A few Alabama football links to pass some more time until fall camp ...
Auburn Football Insider Podcast- Live Tonight
First off, thanks for taking the time to listen to the show. Jay and I really appreciate it. We will be airing again live tonight the 3rd edition of the show from 8pm - 9pm CST on Blog Talk Radio at the below link. If you want to be part of the show, please give us a call at 347-826-9452 and we would love to hear from you.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gridironbreakdown/2009/07/30/Auburn-Insiders-Football-Podcast
Also, if you have any suggestions or topics that you would be interested in us addressing, please let us know either via comment section or email, and we will be happy to accomodate. I already have one guest lined up for a future episode and I hope to have more. Also, as mentioned before, you can now find the show on Itunes. Thanks again for listening.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gridironbreakdown/2009/07/30/Auburn-Insiders-Football-Podcast
Also, if you have any suggestions or topics that you would be interested in us addressing, please let us know either via comment section or email, and we will be happy to accomodate. I already have one guest lined up for a future episode and I hope to have more. Also, as mentioned before, you can now find the show on Itunes. Thanks again for listening.
SPORTING NEWS’ TOP 50 COACHES, Bear Bryant #3
1. John Wooden, college basketball
2. Vince Lombardi, NFL
3. Bear Bryant, college football
4. Phil Jackson, NBA
5. Don Shula, NFL
6. Red Auerbach, NBA
7. Scotty Bowman, NHL
8. Dean Smith, college basketball
9. Casey Stengel, MLB
10. Knute Rockne, college football
11. Pat Summitt, women’s college basketball
12. Paul Brown, NFL
13. Joe Paterno, college football
14. George Halas, NFL
15. Chuck Noll, NFL
16. Bob Knight, college basketball
17. Joe Gibbs, NFL
18. Tom Landry, NFL
19. Mike Krzyzewski, college basketball
20. Bill Belichick, NFL
21. Adolph Rupp, college basketball
22. Joe McCarthy, MLB
23. Eddie Robinson, college football
24. Bobby Bowden, college football
25. John McGraw, MLB
26. Bill Walsh, NFL
27. Woody Hayes, college football
28. Connie Mack, MLB
29. Bud Wilkinson, college football
30. Pat Riley, NBA
31. Pete Newell, college basketball
32. Joe Torre, MLB
33. Bill Parcells, NFL
34. Tom Osborne, college football
35. Walter Alston, MLB
36. Bo Schembechler, college football
37. Toe Blake, NHL
38. Sparky Anderson, MLB
39. Al Arbour, NHL
40. Amos Alonzo Stagg, college football
41. Tony La Russa, MLB
42. Geno Auriemma, women’s college basketball
43. Dick Irvin, NHL
44. Ara Parseghian, college football
45. Chuck Daly, NBA
46. Bobby Cox, MLB
47. Hank Iba, college basketball
48. Tommy Lasorda, MLB
49. Gregg Popovich, NBA
50. Herb Brooks, NHL
Bryant named No. 3 on all-time coaching list
James Carpenter
Ht: 6'5"Wt: 305
Bench: 355LB
Squat: 455LB
Class: 2009 (Junior College - Dec Grad)
Carpenter is a 6'5, 305 junior college offensive linemen transfer who could play either guard or tackle. He will have 3 years to exhast his final 2 years of eligibility.
Imagine Carpenter and Fulker as LT & LG? Talk about run to the left. Roll Tide.
Alabama some Preseason Odds...
- Alabama Crimson Tide 17-1 Odds to win BCS National Championship 2010.
- Odds are backing Alabama at +300 in the SEC.
- Odds are backing Alabama at +1500 for the BCS title.
2010 Alabama Crimson Tide Odds to Win BCS National Championship
2009-10 BCS National Championship Odds - Alabama 22/1
SEC Odds - Alabama +500 to win the SEC
Odds for the 2009 BCS National Championship - Alabama 40/1
- Odds are backing Alabama at +300 in the SEC.
- Odds are backing Alabama at +1500 for the BCS title.
2010 Alabama Crimson Tide Odds to Win BCS National Championship
2009-10 BCS National Championship Odds - Alabama 22/1
SEC Odds - Alabama +500 to win the SEC
Odds for the 2009 BCS National Championship - Alabama 40/1
Appeal Filed!!!
The University of Alabama has filed its appeal with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, regarding the Committee of Infractions ruling to vacate 21 wins by the football program.
Vote-Gate 2009: The (non) Story of SEC Media Days
SEC Media Days provides something of a circus atmosphere every July in Birmingham and seems to be consumed by one or two story lines each year. Last year it was former Tennessee coach Philip Fulmer being served with a subpoena upon arrival. This year, the topic de jour amongst all the scribes and other media of the SEC was the failure of the SEC coaches to unanimously select Tim Tebow as the first team, All-SEC quarterback. It all started off innocently enough with Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson joking on the first day about the media searching for the culprit when asked about who he voted for, yet by Friday, the media had let things escalate to the point that South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier was on the verge of breaking down when trying to explain his mistake in not voting for Tebow. All of this in the same week that several SEC commentators, AJC legend Tony Barnhart among them, came out publicly against Nashville based, AOL Fanhosue writer Clay Travis, for asking Tim Tebow if he was saving himself for marriage. CBS's Dennis Dodd angrily wrote, "There's a setting for all this: It's called open mike night. The rest of us, we're trying to get some work done here."
And what work might that be Mr. Dodd? Undertaking some pseudo investigative journalism, letting the biggest non-story of the century become a weeklong soap opera culminating with one of the SEC's greatest coaches ever having to profusely apologize for mistakenly not voting Tim Tebow as a first team All-SEC selection? Seriously. Don't get me wrong, I think Tim Tebow is probably the finest college football player I have ever seen, and by all accounts he is a model human being, which is the point Clay Travis was trying to emphasize by asking him about his virginity. But somewhere in the middle of this witch hunt, Tebow became a tragic figure to the press, a victim of a hidden agenda. Even after Spurrier's emotional confession, the press was asking if the accidental vote was really an intended slight against his alma mata? Was this really just a bit of gamesmanship instead? ESPN's College Football Live put this question to its viewers. Maybe someone could provide proof to the contrary, but when Spurrier said that FSU stood for Free Shoes University or noted that you can't spell Citrus without U and T, he didn't suffer from a sleepless night afterward as he allegedly did last Thursday night when he realized his school's mistake in not voting for Tebow.
It pains me to agree with anything that Nick Saban says, but he was right when, after admitting that he had indeed voted for Tebow, he noted that everyone should be allowed to vote however they wanted to. In typical Saban fashion, he then went on to overstate his point by saying that people have been fighting for the right to choose freely in this country for a while now. Wait, what Nick? As ESPN writer Pat Forde noted, I don't think the Marines planted the flag at Iwo Jima so that SEC coaches could vote however they wanted to in a pre-season poll, but Saban more or less made his point. Coach Chizik followed this up the next day by refusing at first to say with whom he had cast his vote, saying it was a private matter, but it soon became obvious to him that silence in this zany atmosphere would be seen as an implication of guilt. I thought to myself that it would have been interesting had Tubs still been around for this edition of SEC Media Days. After all, his teams went 2-0 against Tebow while losing to Jevan Snead last year, so in theory he might have a legitimate reason for not voting for Tebow.
That's not the point though. I think it is pretty obvious that Tim Tebow is the best quarterback in the SEC, probably the country, and maybe ever, but I also know that he has a couple of National Championships (not to mention SEC Championships), a Heisman Trophy (if SEC writers want to raise such a fuss, how about going after Big 12 Heisman Trophy Voters for leaving Tebow off their ballots last year), a future seemingly with no ceiling where he may well add to his previous honors during the upcoming season. Am I suppose to feel bad that one coach accidentally left Tebow off of his pre-season ballot? To borrow from Allen Iverson's famous treatise on practice, we talkin' about pre-season...not regular season, not regular season...pre-season. Is this really a story of any note? We're coming off of a Spring and Summer that was littered with possible secondary recruiting violations (you can't spell secondary without SEC) for multiple SEC programs, and while I don't think that's the next Woodward or Bernstein story either, it's certainly a more legitimate topic to cover in depth instead of Tebow vote-gate 2009.
The one bit of relevant information to come out of this story is the revelation that Spurrier himself did not cast the vote, but even then, it's the worst kept secret in the SEC that coaches do not take these votes seriously. It's well known that the school's SID is much more likely to fill out such ballots. What's puzzling is that the media knew this, yet they were still relentless in their search for the guilty party when each coach stepped up for his session with the press. If we are going to focus on any part of this story, why not zero in on holding the coaches more accountable in their votes, not so much with these needless pre-season polls, but with the USA Today/Coaches' Poll that still forms part of the BCS formula? I guess that's too much to ask from those in today's media who would rather chase (or generate) a story that is only notable for...well, nothing. Several Media outlets like to comment extensively about what a circus SEC Media Days is, all the while ignoring the fact that it is they who often contribute to this zany setting as much as the fans (especially Alabama, but also Auburn) that they so often belittle.
And what work might that be Mr. Dodd? Undertaking some pseudo investigative journalism, letting the biggest non-story of the century become a weeklong soap opera culminating with one of the SEC's greatest coaches ever having to profusely apologize for mistakenly not voting Tim Tebow as a first team All-SEC selection? Seriously. Don't get me wrong, I think Tim Tebow is probably the finest college football player I have ever seen, and by all accounts he is a model human being, which is the point Clay Travis was trying to emphasize by asking him about his virginity. But somewhere in the middle of this witch hunt, Tebow became a tragic figure to the press, a victim of a hidden agenda. Even after Spurrier's emotional confession, the press was asking if the accidental vote was really an intended slight against his alma mata? Was this really just a bit of gamesmanship instead? ESPN's College Football Live put this question to its viewers. Maybe someone could provide proof to the contrary, but when Spurrier said that FSU stood for Free Shoes University or noted that you can't spell Citrus without U and T, he didn't suffer from a sleepless night afterward as he allegedly did last Thursday night when he realized his school's mistake in not voting for Tebow.
It pains me to agree with anything that Nick Saban says, but he was right when, after admitting that he had indeed voted for Tebow, he noted that everyone should be allowed to vote however they wanted to. In typical Saban fashion, he then went on to overstate his point by saying that people have been fighting for the right to choose freely in this country for a while now. Wait, what Nick? As ESPN writer Pat Forde noted, I don't think the Marines planted the flag at Iwo Jima so that SEC coaches could vote however they wanted to in a pre-season poll, but Saban more or less made his point. Coach Chizik followed this up the next day by refusing at first to say with whom he had cast his vote, saying it was a private matter, but it soon became obvious to him that silence in this zany atmosphere would be seen as an implication of guilt. I thought to myself that it would have been interesting had Tubs still been around for this edition of SEC Media Days. After all, his teams went 2-0 against Tebow while losing to Jevan Snead last year, so in theory he might have a legitimate reason for not voting for Tebow.
That's not the point though. I think it is pretty obvious that Tim Tebow is the best quarterback in the SEC, probably the country, and maybe ever, but I also know that he has a couple of National Championships (not to mention SEC Championships), a Heisman Trophy (if SEC writers want to raise such a fuss, how about going after Big 12 Heisman Trophy Voters for leaving Tebow off their ballots last year), a future seemingly with no ceiling where he may well add to his previous honors during the upcoming season. Am I suppose to feel bad that one coach accidentally left Tebow off of his pre-season ballot? To borrow from Allen Iverson's famous treatise on practice, we talkin' about pre-season...not regular season, not regular season...pre-season. Is this really a story of any note? We're coming off of a Spring and Summer that was littered with possible secondary recruiting violations (you can't spell secondary without SEC) for multiple SEC programs, and while I don't think that's the next Woodward or Bernstein story either, it's certainly a more legitimate topic to cover in depth instead of Tebow vote-gate 2009.
The one bit of relevant information to come out of this story is the revelation that Spurrier himself did not cast the vote, but even then, it's the worst kept secret in the SEC that coaches do not take these votes seriously. It's well known that the school's SID is much more likely to fill out such ballots. What's puzzling is that the media knew this, yet they were still relentless in their search for the guilty party when each coach stepped up for his session with the press. If we are going to focus on any part of this story, why not zero in on holding the coaches more accountable in their votes, not so much with these needless pre-season polls, but with the USA Today/Coaches' Poll that still forms part of the BCS formula? I guess that's too much to ask from those in today's media who would rather chase (or generate) a story that is only notable for...well, nothing. Several Media outlets like to comment extensively about what a circus SEC Media Days is, all the while ignoring the fact that it is they who often contribute to this zany setting as much as the fans (especially Alabama, but also Auburn) that they so often belittle.
Prediction - Virginia Tech ACC Champions!
Virginia Tech picked to win ACC crown
The bad news is they have to start in Atlanta on Sept 5th against Alabama! Maybe, just maybe, they can rebound from their upcoming beating better than Clemson did last year. ROLL TIDE ROLL!!
The bad news is they have to start in Atlanta on Sept 5th against Alabama! Maybe, just maybe, they can rebound from their upcoming beating better than Clemson did last year. ROLL TIDE ROLL!!
Auburn Football Insider Podcast now Available on Itunes
I wanted to let everyone know that you can now download the Auburn Football Insiders Podcast on Itunes. I would like to thank Jay Skipworth for making this happen and I hope that will provide you another way to enjoy our show. All you need to do is go to the Itunes store and type Auburn Football in the search and you will be able to find our show. Thanks for listening and please keep tuning in every week thru out the season.
Javier Arenas (from the Bleacher Report) is 1 of the 5 SCARIEST PLAYERS in the SEC!
At 5'9" and a 198 pounds, Arenas attacks the ballcarrier like a 290-pound defensive tackle. That makes Nick Saban scared, too. "He'll attack a huge fullback the same way he'll tackle a small receiver," said Saban, "But, so far, he's always jumped back up."
Arenas is an all-purpose danger, and other teams should keep the ball as far away from him as possible.
Getting the Roster Ready ...
Players Confirmed to have left Alabama Since Signing Day
- Kicker Corey Smith (transferred to West Virginia).
- Linebacker Prince Hall (transferred to Central Washington).
- Linebacker Jennings Hester (medical scholarship).
- Offensive lineman Evan Cardwell (earned degree).
- Linebacker Charlie Kirschman (earned degree).
- Wide receiver Chris Jackson (transferred to Georgia Tech).
- Defensive back Alonzo Lawrence (transfer pending).
- Linebacker Brandon Fanney (transfer pending).
- Preyear (transfer pending).
Incoming Signees
- Defensive lineman Quinton Dial did not academically qualify.
- Potential Grayshirt Anthony Orr.
- Potential Grayshirt Kellen Williams.
- Potential Grayshirt Kendall Kelly.
- Eddie Lacy is Awaiting approval from the NCAA Clearinghouse.
- Darrington Sentimore is Awaiting approval from the NCAA Clearinghouse.
- Kicker Corey Smith (transferred to West Virginia).
- Linebacker Prince Hall (transferred to Central Washington).
- Linebacker Jennings Hester (medical scholarship).
- Offensive lineman Evan Cardwell (earned degree).
- Linebacker Charlie Kirschman (earned degree).
- Wide receiver Chris Jackson (transferred to Georgia Tech).
- Defensive back Alonzo Lawrence (transfer pending).
- Linebacker Brandon Fanney (transfer pending).
- Preyear (transfer pending).
Incoming Signees
- Defensive lineman Quinton Dial did not academically qualify.
- Potential Grayshirt Anthony Orr.
- Potential Grayshirt Kellen Williams.
- Potential Grayshirt Kendall Kelly.
- Eddie Lacy is Awaiting approval from the NCAA Clearinghouse.
- Darrington Sentimore is Awaiting approval from the NCAA Clearinghouse.
REDSHIRT = A player has participated in a college's academic year, but did not participate during that year's sports season. By redshirting, a player gains an opportunity to learn schemes and techniques, rehabilitate an injury, learn a new position and/or physically develop without losing a year of eligibility.
GRAYSHIRT = An incoming player who waits until the second semester to enroll rather than the fall. College athletes are allowed a five year calendar to play four seasons. The calendar begins once one is enrolled. By waiting until the spring to start college, a player will be playing his last season in the sixth year after high school rather than the fifth. "
Monday Thoughts, July 27th
Ok everyone, I’m going to try something a little different. I’m going to start posting on a somewhat daily basis now that we are starting to get some real substance due to SEC Media Days being wrapped up and the beginning of fall practices beginning in just a little over a week.
My take on Media Days is that nothing un-expected came out of it, as it rarely ever does. It would have been fun if Coach Steve Spurrier would have either A) said his vote against Tim Tebow was intentional, or B) if he would have flat out denied that he didn’t vote for Tebow putting all the pressure squarely on Coach Lane Kiffen to defend himself with him being the next and last coach to speak and having everyone believing that he had not voted Tebow on the All-SEC “Pre-Season” team. That would have made for some good entertainment worthy of popcorn to sit back and watch Kiffen squirm.
As far as Coach Chizik, I thought he did himself proud by being well spoken and a good representative of our favorite University. Coach Chizik did leave the door wide open that a True Freshman, especially Tyrik Rollison would have a shot to come in, compete and win the starting QB job this fall. He also seemed to be upbeat about our offensive line, which we will need to step up dramatically compared to last season if we are to have a winning record this season. He also brought up our most concerning weakness on this team, and that is its depth in general. For us to be successful this year, we are going to have to win the turnover battle and not sustain major injuries. Those two keys seem to be a must in my mind for this year to be a decent year.
As far as my SEC predictions, I have the obvious in Florida winning the East and I have LSU winning the West setting up a rematch in the Georgia Dome for the SEC Championship. In the championship game, I have Florida beating LSU, but I will caution you here to that whoever wins the regular season matchup is more than likely to lose the rematch. I’m really high on LSU going into the season. I feel that they have resolved their QB position on an offense that ranked #4 in scoring last season with subpar quarterback play until the last two games when Jordan Jefferson took over the reigns and the LSU defense will be much improved by them simply hiring John Chavis, who lead the Volunteer Defense to the #1 ranked total defense last season while having an offense worse than Auburn’s at the time to compliment it. As far as Bama goes, I just don’t believe they can lose their SR QB, top RB and three offensive linemen without some kind of impact that doesn’t involve losing a game you shouldn’t lose. For more information about my picks and other resident “experts”, please check my Podcast Co-Host Jay Skipworth’s column on Blog Critics, linked below:
http://blogcritics.org/sports/article/southeastern-conference-preseason-predictions/
There you have it, my new try before you buy daily affirmations. Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
War Eagle!
My take on Media Days is that nothing un-expected came out of it, as it rarely ever does. It would have been fun if Coach Steve Spurrier would have either A) said his vote against Tim Tebow was intentional, or B) if he would have flat out denied that he didn’t vote for Tebow putting all the pressure squarely on Coach Lane Kiffen to defend himself with him being the next and last coach to speak and having everyone believing that he had not voted Tebow on the All-SEC “Pre-Season” team. That would have made for some good entertainment worthy of popcorn to sit back and watch Kiffen squirm.
As far as Coach Chizik, I thought he did himself proud by being well spoken and a good representative of our favorite University. Coach Chizik did leave the door wide open that a True Freshman, especially Tyrik Rollison would have a shot to come in, compete and win the starting QB job this fall. He also seemed to be upbeat about our offensive line, which we will need to step up dramatically compared to last season if we are to have a winning record this season. He also brought up our most concerning weakness on this team, and that is its depth in general. For us to be successful this year, we are going to have to win the turnover battle and not sustain major injuries. Those two keys seem to be a must in my mind for this year to be a decent year.
As far as my SEC predictions, I have the obvious in Florida winning the East and I have LSU winning the West setting up a rematch in the Georgia Dome for the SEC Championship. In the championship game, I have Florida beating LSU, but I will caution you here to that whoever wins the regular season matchup is more than likely to lose the rematch. I’m really high on LSU going into the season. I feel that they have resolved their QB position on an offense that ranked #4 in scoring last season with subpar quarterback play until the last two games when Jordan Jefferson took over the reigns and the LSU defense will be much improved by them simply hiring John Chavis, who lead the Volunteer Defense to the #1 ranked total defense last season while having an offense worse than Auburn’s at the time to compliment it. As far as Bama goes, I just don’t believe they can lose their SR QB, top RB and three offensive linemen without some kind of impact that doesn’t involve losing a game you shouldn’t lose. For more information about my picks and other resident “experts”, please check my Podcast Co-Host Jay Skipworth’s column on Blog Critics, linked below:
http://blogcritics.org/sports/article/southeastern-conference-preseason-predictions/
There you have it, my new try before you buy daily affirmations. Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
War Eagle!
The Tide will Roll
Here are 5 Reasons Why The Tide Will Roll Through The SEC:
This is how they are listed on the Bleacher Report:
I agree with the list but in a little different order:
1. Greg McElroy. Greg McElroy. Greg McElroy. Greg's QB skills will be clear very early in the VT Game.
2. Receivers. Julio Jones, Mike McCoy, Marquis Maze. The sleeper will be TE Colin Peek. He will give Greg a big target in the Red Zone and out of the backfield. Colin will be an extra OL too. He should have a monster year.
3. Defense. Should be in the Top #3 in the nation. Lots of returning players mixed with the nations best young blood.
4. Backs. Ingram and Roy Upchurch are back! Oh, don't forget incoming freshman Trent Richardson.
5. Saban. Need I say more.
This is how they are listed on the Bleacher Report:
1. Defense
2. Greg Mcelroy
3. The backfield
4. Receivers
5. The Coach
I agree with the list but in a little different order:
1. Greg McElroy. Greg McElroy. Greg McElroy. Greg's QB skills will be clear very early in the VT Game.
2. Receivers. Julio Jones, Mike McCoy, Marquis Maze. The sleeper will be TE Colin Peek. He will give Greg a big target in the Red Zone and out of the backfield. Colin will be an extra OL too. He should have a monster year.
3. Defense. Should be in the Top #3 in the nation. Lots of returning players mixed with the nations best young blood.
4. Backs. Ingram and Roy Upchurch are back! Oh, don't forget incoming freshman Trent Richardson.
5. Saban. Need I say more.
Quotes from the SEC Media Days
"Those guys (Tana Patrick and Nico Johnson) have to take it to the next level," Saban said. "They can't be satisfied. You know, it's kind of human nature that when you're satisfied and you're ranked high in a lot of categories that maybe you don't challenge yourself as much. You get a little complacent, you get a little satisfied. That can't happen."Nick Saban
"I think he (Greg McElroy) will be surprisingly good this year," he said, "not surprising to us, but maybe to some other people because he has a good offensive line and it doesn't hurt to have Mark Ingram behind you to hand off the ball to."Nick Saban
Rolando McClain called "McElroy the Tide's secret weapon."
Saban touts chemistry; Tide no Longer Underdog
Predictions: East - Florida & West - Alabama
Alabama, picking up 33 first-place votes, is picked to win the West crown, followed by LSU (15 first-place votes) and Ole Miss (16 first-place votes). Arkansas is picked to place fourth, followed by Auburn and Mississippi State.
Florida received all 64 votes as the team to beat for the East Division title. Georgia was selected as the East runner-up, followed in order by South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky.
Florida picked to win SEC title in preseason poll; Alabama expected to take SEC West
Florida received all 64 votes as the team to beat for the East Division title. Georgia was selected as the East runner-up, followed in order by South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky.
Florida picked to win SEC title in preseason poll; Alabama expected to take SEC West
“The kid’s a Freak Athlete"
"The kid’s a freak athlete. He probably outweighs (us) by 70 pounds and moves just as well,” Johnson said about lineman D.J. Fluker, who appears poised to challenge junior-college transfer James Carpenter at left tackle.Remember he is "bigger" than Mt. Cody.
“The biggest thing is he’s willing to work to learn what he needs to do to be a better player and make us a better football team.”
- 6'7"
- 355lb
- *Bench 350
- *Squat 525
- *Forty 4.9 secs
* High School Stats
Commitment #18 for the 2010 Class
Opelika High athlete Corey Grant announced at a news conference that he's going to sign with UA for the 2010 class. He picked the Tide over Auburn and Florida.
Opelika's Corey Grant picks Alabama
Jersey Numbers, Media Guide ... SEC Media Days
Jersey Numbers for Incoming Freshmen
- Jonathan Atchinson (49)
- Kenny Bell (7)
- Chris Bonds (93)
- Michael Bowman (88)
- D.J. Fluker (76)
- Nico Johnson (35)
- Kendall Kelly (81)
- Dre Kirkpatrick (21)
- Eddie Lacy (42)
- Mike Marrow (33)
- AJ McCarron (10)
- Darius McKeller (70)
- William Ming (56)
- Brandon Moore (59)
- Kevin Norwood (83)
- Tana Patrick (2)
- Trent Richardson (3)
- Darrington Sentimore (94)
- Petey Smith (38)
- Anthony Steen (61)
- Ed Stinson (47)
- Chance Warmack (65)
- Kellen Williams (63)
- Rod Woodson (18)
- Anthony Orr was in the media guide, but did not have a number listed.
Ineterested in purchasing the University of Alabama's 2009 Football Media Guide? Here is a link to the Media Guide Order Form.
Tide Releases Media Guide
- Jonathan Atchinson (49)
- Kenny Bell (7)
- Chris Bonds (93)
- Michael Bowman (88)
- D.J. Fluker (76)
- Nico Johnson (35)
- Kendall Kelly (81)
- Dre Kirkpatrick (21)
- Eddie Lacy (42)
- Mike Marrow (33)
- AJ McCarron (10)
- Darius McKeller (70)
- William Ming (56)
- Brandon Moore (59)
- Kevin Norwood (83)
- Tana Patrick (2)
- Trent Richardson (3)
- Darrington Sentimore (94)
- Petey Smith (38)
- Anthony Steen (61)
- Ed Stinson (47)
- Chance Warmack (65)
- Kellen Williams (63)
- Rod Woodson (18)
- Anthony Orr was in the media guide, but did not have a number listed.
Ineterested in purchasing the University of Alabama's 2009 Football Media Guide? Here is a link to the Media Guide Order Form.
Tide Releases Media Guide
Brian Vogler to 'Bama?
**UPDATE** Vogler picks Tide over Sooners
TE Vogler to choose between Bama, Oklahoma today
Brian Vogler, a 6-foot-7, 245-pound rising senior at the Brookstone School in Columbus, has narrowed his choices down to Alabama and Oklahoma. The smart money should go down on the Crimson Tide.
TE Vogler to choose between Bama, Oklahoma today
Brian Vogler, a 6-foot-7, 245-pound rising senior at the Brookstone School in Columbus, has narrowed his choices down to Alabama and Oklahoma. The smart money should go down on the Crimson Tide.
6,400 Fans Spoke and the Winner is?
Birmingham News' 2009 SEC Coaches Power Poll
1. Urban Meyer, Florida Gators
2. Nick Saban, Alabama Crimson Tide
3. Mark Richt, Georgia Bulldogs
4. Steve Spurrier, South Carolina Gamecocks
5. Houston Nutt, Ole Miss Rebels
6. Les Miles, LSU Tigers
7. Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt Commodores
8. Bobby Petrino, Arkansas Razorbacks
9. Rich Brooks, Kentucky Wildcats
10. Dan Mullen, Mississippi State Bulldogs
11. Gene Chizik, Auburn Tigers
12. Lane Kiffin, Tennessee Volunteers
Auburn Football Insider Podcast- 7-21-09
www.blogtalkradio.com/gridironbreakdown/2009/07/22/Auburn-Football-Insider-Podcast
Here is the link to tonight's show that will be airing live from 8pm - 9pm CST. Please listen, enjoy and call-in if you would like to chat.
-- Post From My iPhone
Alabama @ the SEC Media Days ....
Interview Schedule for Thursday, July 23(8:30 - 10:30 am)
Nick Saban
Nick Saban
OL Mike Johnson
LB Rolando McClain
A Great Position to be in...
The Tide came into this season needing to open up about 10 spots on its roster to be able to fit in its incoming class. ( The NCAA mandates no more than 85 players on scholarship at any given time)
The latest departure from the Tide is WR/DB Chris Jackson who is headed to Georgia Tech.
Already Departed are:
1. Evan Cardwell
2. Jennings Hester
3. Charlie Kirschman
4. Prince Hall
5. Brandon Fanney
6. Alonzo Lawerence
7. Corey Smith
8. Chris Jackson (Mentioned above)
The latest departure from the Tide is WR/DB Chris Jackson who is headed to Georgia Tech.
Already Departed are:
1. Evan Cardwell
2. Jennings Hester
3. Charlie Kirschman
4. Prince Hall
5. Brandon Fanney
6. Alonzo Lawerence
7. Corey Smith
8. Chris Jackson (Mentioned above)
"With Saban and his staff’s non-stop approach to recruiting, the Tide have reached the point of being able to re-load each season. It’s no longer an issue of finding top notch talent willing to join the Alabama football program.
The problem is finding spots to fit all of them".
Breaking Down the SEC, Part Two
With my look at the SEC East in the books, it's time to turn our attention to the usually wild SEC West. Gone are the days when the SEC West was viewed (falsely, I might add) as the inferior division of the SEC. LSU has won two national championships this decade while Alabama spent a fair amount of time last season as the top ranked team in the nation. Throw in a 2004 Auburn team that is arguably the best SEC football team this decade (only LSU 2003 and Florida 2008 can enter that debate, but they both lost a game at home) and it's clear that the balance of power has evened out, if not shifted westward. Florida's two national championships may challenge that perception, but it's worth remembering that their losses in 2006 and 2008 came against teams from the West. In fact, if you look at Spurrier's Florida teams from the 1990s, you'll see that the Gators generally rolled through the East, but comparatively struggled against Western division teams. In fact, after realignment, Spurrier's teams lost four games against Eastern division foes from 1992-2001 while losing ten games to Western division foes in the same time period. The West has always been a microcosm of the SEC in that it has been pretty balanced top to bottom, as evidenced by the fact that five different Western division teams have played in the SEC Championship game since 1992 (Ole Miss being the only team not to make it). This pattern of balance looks to continue this season with Alabama, LSU, and Ole Miss all receiving equal attention as favorites for Atlanta.
If there is one team in the SEC that actually may fancy its chances against Florida going into the season, it's LSU. Even with last year's relative debacle, there is perhaps no other team team in the SEC, maybe not even Florida, with more talent than the Bayou Bengals. The issues last year were suspect quarterback play and a talented defense that went missing in action. By the end of the season, the quaterback issue seemed to be resolved with the emergence of Jordan Jefferson, but despite the shutdown of Georgia Tech's offense in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, Les Miles knew the defensive situation needed to be addressed. Enter John Chavis, engineer of the best defense in the SEC last season at Tennessee. Even if LSU were not returning seven starters on that side of the ball, their defense would already be substantially better with Chavis running the show. On offense, LSU's biggest problem last season was Jarrett Lee throwing half as many touchdown passes for the opposing team as for his own. Otherwise, there were a lot of things to like about the offense last season, not least among them, Charles Scott and the running game. Scott is one of the leading returning rushers in the SEC and if Jefferson continues his accelerated development (having Brandon LaFell at receiver won't hurt), this should be one of the better and more balanced offenses in the SEC. On paper, LSU has everything it needs to be a top five calibre team, but their schedule may be a huge factor in deciding the SEC West. Every year, at least one or two SEC teams get dealt a cruel blow in the scheduling department, and LSU is one of the unlucky teams this year. Road games against Georgia, Alabama, and Ole Miss and a home game against Florida makes for uneasy reading. Even the home game against Florida comes a week after the trip to Athens while the Gators will be fresh from their week off, a situation Urban Meyer has always thrived in. Still, if that game is under the lights at Tiger Stadium, LSU will be confident and it could be a titanic clash. Maybe we'll see the Earthquake Game, Part Two.
Turning our attention to the town whose name I will not write, Bama should find itself in the thick of the SEC West race once again this season. This Alabama team will probalby be more talented than last year, but I don't think anyone is quite expecting the same season as last year (unless you ask Bama fans), mainly because of the experience lost on the offensive side of the ball, particularly the offensive line. As much as everyone raved about JPW last season, I still never thought he was anything more than an average at best SEC quarterback, but sometimes that's all you need to win in this conference. Greg McElroy should do a solid job if the offensive line comes together, but like I said, that is the key for Alabama. As much as Saban might try to blame the fanbase for the loss in the Sugar Bowl, it can't be forgotten how badly Bama struggled against Tulane and Utah without Andre Smith. His loss, along with two of his cohorts, could wreak havoc on the Tide's offensive production, though they have the weapons at running back (despite the loss of Glen Coffee to the draft) and wide receiver to hurt any team if the offensive line does come together. The odds are that Bama will not need a lot of points to win most games with nine starters returning on one of last season's best defenses. The schedule is certainly manageable. I wouldn't put it past Bama to beat Virginia Tech in the opener, but don't expect another statement game like Clemson last season. After that, they can sort of ease into the season with games against Florida International and North Texas before possible sleeper Arkansas comes to town. They get LSU and Tennessee at home, so the schedule certainly offers up some hope of a repeat divisional championship even with the road trip to Oxford.
As for the Rebels, they have been prematurely attacked as being overhyped when, to be honest, I actually don't think as many of the so-called experts are picking them for SEC glory as the media would have you believe. I think most people expect them to be a good, solid team this year with a chance to win the division. Count me as one of those. No doubt, the expectations are raised in Oxford this season, but I don't think we've quite entered 'Auburn ranked number one in The Sporting News' territory just yet, even with this weeks cover of SI coming out. Then again, I guess relative to its comparative status to Auburn, maybe this is a big jump for Ole Miss. I certainly think Ole Miss can compete for the divsion this year, especially with the way their schedule sets up, but I think the bigger issue will not be dealing with expectations, but reaching a consistent level of play. We're talking about a team that lost to Vandy and South Carolina at home while beating Florida on the road in between those two games. The end of the season certainly brought some consistency, but that doesn't mean it will lead into the coming season (as Auburn found in 2003). They have plenty of starters returning on both sides of the ball and the offensive skill set looks marvelous, but the loss of Michael Oher on the o-line and Peria Jerry on the d-line could prove to be hurdles too big to clear. The schedule plays out very nicely and the non-conference schedule is weak at best, but a good schedule does not really become a good schedule until the games have been played. Yes, they get Bama, Arkansas, Tennessee, and LSU at home, but it's hard to see them winning all those games and while the road schedule looks soft, they did lose to Vandy and South Carolina at home last year and must visit those places this season, and Auburn was unlucky not to get something out of the game in Oxford. Expect Ole Miss to win eight or nine games again, but they'll have to take it to another level that neither Ole Miss nor Houston Nutt have taken it to before if Ole Miss fans get the season they want.
Now we'll turn our attention to your Auburn Tigers. Given that this is the Auburn Football Insider Blog, I won't spend too much time commenting on the good guys since I'm sure they'll be covered in depth throughout the rest of the summer and coming season on this website, but I'll do a cursory glance nonetheless. Like Tennessee, I think that while the roster may not be quite to the level of recent years, I do think there is some talent there. The big issues for me are getting consistent QB play and seeing how we handle our lack of depth in some positions. After watching the A-Day, I do genuinely believe that Malzahn's offense is not your typical spread offense. Yes, it runs out of the shotgun and yes, it runs the no huddle, but like all great Auburn offenses in the past, it builds everything off of the power, north and south, running game. It was nice this Spring to see our offensive linemen (all eight of them) excited about getting big again and playing true Auburn football. Now if only a quarterback would step up (my money's on Caudle). On defense, I'm not sure if we'll scale the heights of 2004 or 2007, but we should still be pretty solid there barring a huge amount of injuries. The schedule is not the worst I have ever seen, but it's not the best either. It's nice to open up with four home games, but only if we win them all. If we can find a way to start 4-0, that will provide a nice platform for the meat of our schedule coming up afterwards, but things rarely ever go off without a hitch with a new staff (though Tubs was a Ben Leard broken collarbone away from starting the 1999 season 4-0 or 5-0).
Out in Fayettenam resides one of the more interesting looking teams in the SEC heading into 2009 season. Arkansas has everything it needs to be a sleeper except for the schedule, which is one of the most brutal in the SEC. Say what you will about Petrino (and having worked for the team when he was there in 2002 and in 2003 when he was part of the attempted coup, I don't care much for him as a human being), but the man can coach offense. If I could pick any kind of offense in the SEC to run myself, it would be his. So balanced. With probable starter Ryan Mallet, Petrino has the sort of quarterback he wants for the system. The issue on offense for the Razorbacks will be filling some of the holes on the offensive line after the loss of a couple of starters from one of the better offensive lines in the conference last season. With Petrino running the show, not to mention leading returning SEC rusher Michael Smith, they'll still be capable of moving the ball and putting up points. The bigger issue for this team in general will be the play of a defense that returns every starter, but struggled last season. Here is why things must improve. Road games at Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss, and LSU, with a veritable road game at Texas A&M (the game will be played in Dallas) thrown in for good measure. The home schedule is more foregiving, but the Hogs will probably be underdogs against Georgia and maybe even Auburn. Look out for that game against Georgia though, which comes on September 19. Petrino would probably not want to have an off week before that game so early in the season, but if they can build a rhythm in the first couple of weeks of the season, they will beat the Dawgs. But they could be much better than last season and still finish with the same record, such is the difficulty of their schedule.
2009 looks to be a transition year down in Starkville after the surprising capture of Dan Mullen as head coach. He has all the makings of great head coach and I know he has State fans excited, but it's hard not to assume that there will be a huge amount of culture shock with the transition that team will undertake, especially on offense. We saw what happened when Auburn, after being 2 seconds away from Atlanta in 2007, tried to institute the spread in 2008. How will things go for a team that was 4-8 the previous season? Tyson Lee is a great competitor with a lot of heart, but he's an SEC quaterback. Don't be surprised if highly rated true freshman Tyler Russell is starting by mid-season, though he'll still need some established targets to throw to. Anthony Dixon IS an SEC running back. If Mullen can adapt his style a bit to help out Dixon, that could at least give the Bulldogs a decent running game off which to work with and get creative with the passing attack. State is always solid on defense and that could give them a chance in several games. The SEC road schedule is not obscene with trips to Auburn, Vandy, Kentucky, and Arkansas, but they would be underdogs in all those games if they played tomorrow. The home schedule offers no respite whatsoever with the likes of LSU, Florida, Bama, and Ole Miss all coming to town. It's hard to see a win there, though if Ole Miss's season has sort of sputtered by that point, a revved up Davis Wade Stadium may see the Egg Bowl Trophy return to Starkville. The non-conference schedule looks tricky with a road trip to MTSU (why on why Mississippi State do you keep playing road games against teams like La Tech and MTSU) and a home game to Houston as well as ACC favorite Georgia Tech. Mullen will have a free pass this season and the team will likely struggle at times, but look for Mullen to produce at least one shock that gets State fans excited about the future of their program.
That is my breakdown of the SEC West. Look for things to come to a head in November when LSU travels to both Alabama and Ole Miss. My head tells me that with LSU's schedule, Alabama will come out on top in the West, but given this is an Auburn blog, I'll go with my heart and say LSU's depth in talent will triumph in the end, with Bama coming in second. I think Ole Miss will win some of those big home games they, but they will also lose a couple of games that they shouldn't and finish third. Auburn and Arkansas look interchangeable at fourth and fifth while Mississippi State looks likely to finish bottom. Whatever happens, it will be fun to watch in the SEC West this season. It always is.
If there is one team in the SEC that actually may fancy its chances against Florida going into the season, it's LSU. Even with last year's relative debacle, there is perhaps no other team team in the SEC, maybe not even Florida, with more talent than the Bayou Bengals. The issues last year were suspect quarterback play and a talented defense that went missing in action. By the end of the season, the quaterback issue seemed to be resolved with the emergence of Jordan Jefferson, but despite the shutdown of Georgia Tech's offense in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, Les Miles knew the defensive situation needed to be addressed. Enter John Chavis, engineer of the best defense in the SEC last season at Tennessee. Even if LSU were not returning seven starters on that side of the ball, their defense would already be substantially better with Chavis running the show. On offense, LSU's biggest problem last season was Jarrett Lee throwing half as many touchdown passes for the opposing team as for his own. Otherwise, there were a lot of things to like about the offense last season, not least among them, Charles Scott and the running game. Scott is one of the leading returning rushers in the SEC and if Jefferson continues his accelerated development (having Brandon LaFell at receiver won't hurt), this should be one of the better and more balanced offenses in the SEC. On paper, LSU has everything it needs to be a top five calibre team, but their schedule may be a huge factor in deciding the SEC West. Every year, at least one or two SEC teams get dealt a cruel blow in the scheduling department, and LSU is one of the unlucky teams this year. Road games against Georgia, Alabama, and Ole Miss and a home game against Florida makes for uneasy reading. Even the home game against Florida comes a week after the trip to Athens while the Gators will be fresh from their week off, a situation Urban Meyer has always thrived in. Still, if that game is under the lights at Tiger Stadium, LSU will be confident and it could be a titanic clash. Maybe we'll see the Earthquake Game, Part Two.
Turning our attention to the town whose name I will not write, Bama should find itself in the thick of the SEC West race once again this season. This Alabama team will probalby be more talented than last year, but I don't think anyone is quite expecting the same season as last year (unless you ask Bama fans), mainly because of the experience lost on the offensive side of the ball, particularly the offensive line. As much as everyone raved about JPW last season, I still never thought he was anything more than an average at best SEC quarterback, but sometimes that's all you need to win in this conference. Greg McElroy should do a solid job if the offensive line comes together, but like I said, that is the key for Alabama. As much as Saban might try to blame the fanbase for the loss in the Sugar Bowl, it can't be forgotten how badly Bama struggled against Tulane and Utah without Andre Smith. His loss, along with two of his cohorts, could wreak havoc on the Tide's offensive production, though they have the weapons at running back (despite the loss of Glen Coffee to the draft) and wide receiver to hurt any team if the offensive line does come together. The odds are that Bama will not need a lot of points to win most games with nine starters returning on one of last season's best defenses. The schedule is certainly manageable. I wouldn't put it past Bama to beat Virginia Tech in the opener, but don't expect another statement game like Clemson last season. After that, they can sort of ease into the season with games against Florida International and North Texas before possible sleeper Arkansas comes to town. They get LSU and Tennessee at home, so the schedule certainly offers up some hope of a repeat divisional championship even with the road trip to Oxford.
As for the Rebels, they have been prematurely attacked as being overhyped when, to be honest, I actually don't think as many of the so-called experts are picking them for SEC glory as the media would have you believe. I think most people expect them to be a good, solid team this year with a chance to win the division. Count me as one of those. No doubt, the expectations are raised in Oxford this season, but I don't think we've quite entered 'Auburn ranked number one in The Sporting News' territory just yet, even with this weeks cover of SI coming out. Then again, I guess relative to its comparative status to Auburn, maybe this is a big jump for Ole Miss. I certainly think Ole Miss can compete for the divsion this year, especially with the way their schedule sets up, but I think the bigger issue will not be dealing with expectations, but reaching a consistent level of play. We're talking about a team that lost to Vandy and South Carolina at home while beating Florida on the road in between those two games. The end of the season certainly brought some consistency, but that doesn't mean it will lead into the coming season (as Auburn found in 2003). They have plenty of starters returning on both sides of the ball and the offensive skill set looks marvelous, but the loss of Michael Oher on the o-line and Peria Jerry on the d-line could prove to be hurdles too big to clear. The schedule plays out very nicely and the non-conference schedule is weak at best, but a good schedule does not really become a good schedule until the games have been played. Yes, they get Bama, Arkansas, Tennessee, and LSU at home, but it's hard to see them winning all those games and while the road schedule looks soft, they did lose to Vandy and South Carolina at home last year and must visit those places this season, and Auburn was unlucky not to get something out of the game in Oxford. Expect Ole Miss to win eight or nine games again, but they'll have to take it to another level that neither Ole Miss nor Houston Nutt have taken it to before if Ole Miss fans get the season they want.
Now we'll turn our attention to your Auburn Tigers. Given that this is the Auburn Football Insider Blog, I won't spend too much time commenting on the good guys since I'm sure they'll be covered in depth throughout the rest of the summer and coming season on this website, but I'll do a cursory glance nonetheless. Like Tennessee, I think that while the roster may not be quite to the level of recent years, I do think there is some talent there. The big issues for me are getting consistent QB play and seeing how we handle our lack of depth in some positions. After watching the A-Day, I do genuinely believe that Malzahn's offense is not your typical spread offense. Yes, it runs out of the shotgun and yes, it runs the no huddle, but like all great Auburn offenses in the past, it builds everything off of the power, north and south, running game. It was nice this Spring to see our offensive linemen (all eight of them) excited about getting big again and playing true Auburn football. Now if only a quarterback would step up (my money's on Caudle). On defense, I'm not sure if we'll scale the heights of 2004 or 2007, but we should still be pretty solid there barring a huge amount of injuries. The schedule is not the worst I have ever seen, but it's not the best either. It's nice to open up with four home games, but only if we win them all. If we can find a way to start 4-0, that will provide a nice platform for the meat of our schedule coming up afterwards, but things rarely ever go off without a hitch with a new staff (though Tubs was a Ben Leard broken collarbone away from starting the 1999 season 4-0 or 5-0).
Out in Fayettenam resides one of the more interesting looking teams in the SEC heading into 2009 season. Arkansas has everything it needs to be a sleeper except for the schedule, which is one of the most brutal in the SEC. Say what you will about Petrino (and having worked for the team when he was there in 2002 and in 2003 when he was part of the attempted coup, I don't care much for him as a human being), but the man can coach offense. If I could pick any kind of offense in the SEC to run myself, it would be his. So balanced. With probable starter Ryan Mallet, Petrino has the sort of quarterback he wants for the system. The issue on offense for the Razorbacks will be filling some of the holes on the offensive line after the loss of a couple of starters from one of the better offensive lines in the conference last season. With Petrino running the show, not to mention leading returning SEC rusher Michael Smith, they'll still be capable of moving the ball and putting up points. The bigger issue for this team in general will be the play of a defense that returns every starter, but struggled last season. Here is why things must improve. Road games at Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss, and LSU, with a veritable road game at Texas A&M (the game will be played in Dallas) thrown in for good measure. The home schedule is more foregiving, but the Hogs will probably be underdogs against Georgia and maybe even Auburn. Look out for that game against Georgia though, which comes on September 19. Petrino would probably not want to have an off week before that game so early in the season, but if they can build a rhythm in the first couple of weeks of the season, they will beat the Dawgs. But they could be much better than last season and still finish with the same record, such is the difficulty of their schedule.
2009 looks to be a transition year down in Starkville after the surprising capture of Dan Mullen as head coach. He has all the makings of great head coach and I know he has State fans excited, but it's hard not to assume that there will be a huge amount of culture shock with the transition that team will undertake, especially on offense. We saw what happened when Auburn, after being 2 seconds away from Atlanta in 2007, tried to institute the spread in 2008. How will things go for a team that was 4-8 the previous season? Tyson Lee is a great competitor with a lot of heart, but he's an SEC quaterback. Don't be surprised if highly rated true freshman Tyler Russell is starting by mid-season, though he'll still need some established targets to throw to. Anthony Dixon IS an SEC running back. If Mullen can adapt his style a bit to help out Dixon, that could at least give the Bulldogs a decent running game off which to work with and get creative with the passing attack. State is always solid on defense and that could give them a chance in several games. The SEC road schedule is not obscene with trips to Auburn, Vandy, Kentucky, and Arkansas, but they would be underdogs in all those games if they played tomorrow. The home schedule offers no respite whatsoever with the likes of LSU, Florida, Bama, and Ole Miss all coming to town. It's hard to see a win there, though if Ole Miss's season has sort of sputtered by that point, a revved up Davis Wade Stadium may see the Egg Bowl Trophy return to Starkville. The non-conference schedule looks tricky with a road trip to MTSU (why on why Mississippi State do you keep playing road games against teams like La Tech and MTSU) and a home game to Houston as well as ACC favorite Georgia Tech. Mullen will have a free pass this season and the team will likely struggle at times, but look for Mullen to produce at least one shock that gets State fans excited about the future of their program.
That is my breakdown of the SEC West. Look for things to come to a head in November when LSU travels to both Alabama and Ole Miss. My head tells me that with LSU's schedule, Alabama will come out on top in the West, but given this is an Auburn blog, I'll go with my heart and say LSU's depth in talent will triumph in the end, with Bama coming in second. I think Ole Miss will win some of those big home games they, but they will also lose a couple of games that they shouldn't and finish third. Auburn and Arkansas look interchangeable at fourth and fifth while Mississippi State looks likely to finish bottom. Whatever happens, it will be fun to watch in the SEC West this season. It always is.
'Bama in the NFL...
Veterans From Alabama on NFL Rosters Today
Simeon Castille – Cincinnati Bengals (CB #21)
Antwan Odom – Cincinnati Bengals (DE #98)
Evan Mathis – Cincinnati Bengals (OG #66)
Deshea Townsend – Pittsburgh Steelers (CB #26)
Anthony Madison – Pittsburgh Steelers (CB #37)
Brodie Croyle – Kansas City Chiefs (QB #12)
Wallace Gilberry – Kansas City Chiefs (DE #92)
Le’Ron McClain – Baltimore Ravens (FB/RB #33)
Jarret Johnson – Baltimore Ravens (OLB #95)
Chris Samuels – Washington Redskins (LT #60)
Cornelius Griffin – Washington Redskins (DT #96)
Anthony Bryant – New York Giants (DT #75)
Jeremy Clark – New York Giants (DT #73)
Demeco Ryans – Houston Texans (MLB #59)
Roman Harper – New Orleans Saints (SS #41)
Tim Castille – Arizona Cardinals (FB #46)
Justin Smiley – Miami Dolphins (OG #65)
Mark Anderson – Chicago Bears (DE #97)
Charlie Peprah – Green Bay Packers (S #26)
Ramzee Robinson – Detroit Lions (CB #38)
Kenneth Darby – St. Louis Rams (RB #34)
Wesley Britt – New England Patriots (OT #65)
Rookies From Alabama on NFL Rosters Today
Andre Smith – Cincinnati Bengals (RT # 71)
Glen Coffee – San Francisco 49’ers (RB #29)
Antoine Caldwell – Houston Texans (OL #62)
Rashad Johnson – Arizona Cardinals (S #41)
John Parker Wilson – Atlanta Falcons (QB #4)
Travis McCall – Buffalo Bills (TE #48)
Update on Alabama football veterans in the NFL
LB Derrick Thomas Will Have His #58 Retired, Family to Receive HOF Ring at Arrowhead vs. Denver on December 6th
LB Derrick Thomas Will Have His #58 Retired
Simeon Castille – Cincinnati Bengals (CB #21)
Antwan Odom – Cincinnati Bengals (DE #98)
Evan Mathis – Cincinnati Bengals (OG #66)
Deshea Townsend – Pittsburgh Steelers (CB #26)
Anthony Madison – Pittsburgh Steelers (CB #37)
Brodie Croyle – Kansas City Chiefs (QB #12)
Wallace Gilberry – Kansas City Chiefs (DE #92)
Le’Ron McClain – Baltimore Ravens (FB/RB #33)
Jarret Johnson – Baltimore Ravens (OLB #95)
Chris Samuels – Washington Redskins (LT #60)
Cornelius Griffin – Washington Redskins (DT #96)
Anthony Bryant – New York Giants (DT #75)
Jeremy Clark – New York Giants (DT #73)
Demeco Ryans – Houston Texans (MLB #59)
Roman Harper – New Orleans Saints (SS #41)
Tim Castille – Arizona Cardinals (FB #46)
Justin Smiley – Miami Dolphins (OG #65)
Mark Anderson – Chicago Bears (DE #97)
Charlie Peprah – Green Bay Packers (S #26)
Ramzee Robinson – Detroit Lions (CB #38)
Kenneth Darby – St. Louis Rams (RB #34)
Wesley Britt – New England Patriots (OT #65)
Rookies From Alabama on NFL Rosters Today
Andre Smith – Cincinnati Bengals (RT # 71)
Glen Coffee – San Francisco 49’ers (RB #29)
Antoine Caldwell – Houston Texans (OL #62)
Rashad Johnson – Arizona Cardinals (S #41)
John Parker Wilson – Atlanta Falcons (QB #4)
Travis McCall – Buffalo Bills (TE #48)
Update on Alabama football veterans in the NFL
LB Derrick Thomas Will Have His #58 Retired, Family to Receive HOF Ring at Arrowhead vs. Denver on December 6th
LB Derrick Thomas Will Have His #58 Retired
More 'Bama Football Predictions....
Combine the preseason rankings of four major magazines, and the Crimson Tide emerge as the No. 5 team nationally and the favorite to claim the Southeastern Conference Western Division. Only Yahoo! Sports picked the Tide to be in the top 5, but strong disagreement among the other three — Athlon, Lindy’s and Phil Steele — push Alabama down the chart. Nick Saban’s team is one of five programs to make the top 10 in all four rankings.
With several unanswered questions on offense, the prognosticators expect the Tide defense to carry the team through the season. Linebacker Rolando McClain landed on three first-team All-American teams and one third-team (Athlon) while nose guard Terrence Cody earned a spot on all four first-teams.
Freshmen such as running back Trent Richardson and offensive lineman D.J. Fluker have been given plenty of preseason hype. Lindy’s suggested the 6-foot-7, 350-pound Fluker could step into Outland Trophy winner Andre Smith’s role and open his freshman season as a starter.
Alabama football consensus No. 5 in preseason magazines
With several unanswered questions on offense, the prognosticators expect the Tide defense to carry the team through the season. Linebacker Rolando McClain landed on three first-team All-American teams and one third-team (Athlon) while nose guard Terrence Cody earned a spot on all four first-teams.
Freshmen such as running back Trent Richardson and offensive lineman D.J. Fluker have been given plenty of preseason hype. Lindy’s suggested the 6-foot-7, 350-pound Fluker could step into Outland Trophy winner Andre Smith’s role and open his freshman season as a starter.
Alabama football consensus No. 5 in preseason magazines
More Predictions ....
How about some predictions?
Florida wins the East and the SEC. LSU emerges from a cluttered West, edging past Alabama and Ole Miss in a three-way tie. Arkansas boasts the offense no one wants to face (other than Florida's). Alabama possesses the defense no one wants to face (other than Florida's). Tebow wins his second Heisman Trophy. Florida loses to Texas in the BCS championship game.
Florida wins the East and the SEC. LSU emerges from a cluttered West, edging past Alabama and Ole Miss in a three-way tie. Arkansas boasts the offense no one wants to face (other than Florida's). Alabama possesses the defense no one wants to face (other than Florida's). Tebow wins his second Heisman Trophy. Florida loses to Texas in the BCS championship game.
Pre-Season Predictions Con't...
"Bama is still a force in the SEC West, and they will prove it again. But a tough opener versus Virginia Tech in Atlanta, may be a bad way to start out. Look for VaTech to steal one here, but Bama recovers enough to win nine games, with slip ups to LSU and Ole Miss."
The Tide go 9-3 (6-2) with a 3-2 Division Record
The Tide go 9-3 (6-2) with a 3-2 Division Record
Predictions for the SEC East/West
EAST
1. Florida
2. Georgia
3. Tennessee
4. South Carolina
5. Vanderbilt
6. Kentucky
WEST
1. Alabama
2. Ole Miss
3. LSU
4. Arkansas
5. Auburn
6. Mississippi State
These are the combined totals from Phil Steele, Lindy, Athlon & TSN. View the complete Pre-Season rankings @ 2009 Preseason Consensus
1. Florida
2. Georgia
3. Tennessee
4. South Carolina
5. Vanderbilt
6. Kentucky
WEST
1. Alabama
2. Ole Miss
3. LSU
4. Arkansas
5. Auburn
6. Mississippi State
These are the combined totals from Phil Steele, Lindy, Athlon & TSN. View the complete Pre-Season rankings @ 2009 Preseason Consensus
DJ Fluker makes Terrence Cody look Small..
DJ Fluker is 6'7" and at least 355 pounds of quick moving muscle , he is the prototype left tackle that you would genetically manufacture if you could. Quick feet, explosive blocking ability and a huge frame leaves no doubt why he was the number one offensive lineman in the country.
High School Stats:
- Bench 350lb
- Squat 525lb
- Forty 4.9 secs
DJ & Cody are equals in weight. DJ has a 3" height advantage. Cody has the SEC Game experience. The best part is they get to practice against each other. Cody gets even better and DJ gets confidence! ROLL TIDE ROLL
High School Stats:
- Bench 350lb
- Squat 525lb
- Forty 4.9 secs
Terrence "Mount" Cody #62 is 6'4", 365lb and runs a 5.72 forty.
I have read articles that say he is down to the 354lb range coming in to the '09 season.
DJ & Cody are equals in weight. DJ has a 3" height advantage. Cody has the SEC Game experience. The best part is they get to practice against each other. Cody gets even better and DJ gets confidence! ROLL TIDE ROLL
2009 SEC Coaches ALL SEC Team
2009 SEC COACHES PRE-SEASON ALL-SEC FOOTBALL TEAM
From Alabama:
1st Team Offense
1. OL - Mike Johnson
2. WR - Julio Jones
2nd / 3rd Team Offense
1. RB - Mark Ingram
1st Team Defense
1. DL - Terrence Cody
2. LB - Rolando McClain
3. DB - Javier Arenas
2nd / 3rd Team Defense
1. LB - Dont’a Hightower
Specialists
1. PK - Leigh Tiffin
2. RS - Javier Arenas
From Alabama:
1st Team Offense
1. OL - Mike Johnson
2. WR - Julio Jones
2nd / 3rd Team Offense
1. RB - Mark Ingram
1st Team Defense
1. DL - Terrence Cody
2. LB - Rolando McClain
3. DB - Javier Arenas
2nd / 3rd Team Defense
1. LB - Dont’a Hightower
Specialists
1. PK - Leigh Tiffin
2. RS - Javier Arenas
Sporting News Preseason Top 25
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Oklahoma
4. Southern Cal
5. Ole Miss
6. Virginia Tech
7. Oregon
8. LSU
9. Ohio State
10. Oklahoma State
11. Georgia Tech
12. Penn State
13. Alabama
14. Boise State
15. Georgia
16. Oregon State
17. Florida State
18. Notre Dame
19. Utah
20. Texas Tech
21. California
22. BYU
23. North Carolina
24. TCU
25. Kansas
2. Texas
3. Oklahoma
4. Southern Cal
5. Ole Miss
6. Virginia Tech
7. Oregon
8. LSU
9. Ohio State
10. Oklahoma State
11. Georgia Tech
12. Penn State
13. Alabama
14. Boise State
15. Georgia
16. Oregon State
17. Florida State
18. Notre Dame
19. Utah
20. Texas Tech
21. California
22. BYU
23. North Carolina
24. TCU
25. Kansas
Chris Jackson "looking" at Transfer Options
WR Chris Jackson Plans to Transfer
Jackson's brief playing career at Alabama included some special teams action, but the sophomore was never able to settle into a fixed position. He was an early enroller who began taking classes at Alabama in January 2008 and practiced at wide receiver during 2008 spring drills. He was eventually moved to defensive back, then back to receiver.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Jackson initially committed to Georgia Tech during his recruitment, but he eventually signed with Alabama after the Yellow Jackets ousted coach Chan Gailey and hired Paul Johnson. Robertson said he was unsure which coaching staffs Jackson would be in contact with.
Jackson's brief playing career at Alabama included some special teams action, but the sophomore was never able to settle into a fixed position. He was an early enroller who began taking classes at Alabama in January 2008 and practiced at wide receiver during 2008 spring drills. He was eventually moved to defensive back, then back to receiver.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Jackson initially committed to Georgia Tech during his recruitment, but he eventually signed with Alabama after the Yellow Jackets ousted coach Chan Gailey and hired Paul Johnson. Robertson said he was unsure which coaching staffs Jackson would be in contact with.
Another Pre, Pre-Season Poll ....
This one is from Gainesville.com Top 25 teams: No. 6 Alabama Crimson Tide
Pretty much in line with all of the other Pre-Season Polls so far...
Strength - Defense
Weakness - O-Line & QB
Star - Julio Jones
Rising Star - Rolando McClain
Toughest Game - Nov 7th @ LSU
Personally I think the toughest game is going to be V-Tech in Atlanta. By the time Bama gets to the LSU game we will have had some game experience and some time to gel.
I also think that Tight End - Peek and DJ Fluker will be the big suprises this year. Wait and see.
Pretty much in line with all of the other Pre-Season Polls so far...
Strength - Defense
Weakness - O-Line & QB
Star - Julio Jones
Rising Star - Rolando McClain
Toughest Game - Nov 7th @ LSU
Personally I think the toughest game is going to be V-Tech in Atlanta. By the time Bama gets to the LSU game we will have had some game experience and some time to gel.
I also think that Tight End - Peek and DJ Fluker will be the big suprises this year. Wait and see.
Let the Predictions Begin!
"Both of these teams are defensive powerhouses, both coaches are tops in their conferences, and both systems produce a ball control, defensive style of game. Both teams also want to use this game as a spring board for their season. Unfortunately, only one of them will. The X-factors are Tyrod Taylor and Julio Jones. Whoever has a bigger game will lead their team to a victory. Julio is a bigger talent, but I think Tyrod comes up with the bigger game, and leads the Hokies to a victory."
Prediction: Virginia Tech 23, Alabama 20 (OT)
I'll throw my prediction out here in the next week or so. What do you think? Tide or the Hokies?
Prediction: Virginia Tech 23, Alabama 20 (OT)
I'll throw my prediction out here in the next week or so. What do you think? Tide or the Hokies?
Breaking Down the SEC, Part One
From time to time, I will blog on subjects other than Auburn football, mainly (and maybe exclusively) SEC football, and with the Summer lull about to end, I thought I would give my own breakdown on how the SEC season may play out this fall. I'll begin by looking at the SEC East. Hard for the younger generation of Auburn fans (of which I am one) to believe this, but this is probably the division that Auburn should have been put into after the realignment of 1992. Geographically speaking, we lie further east than Vanderbilt, but more importantly, most of our historical SEC rivals outside of Bama reside this division, not even counting Georgia Tech from their SEC days. Back in the 1980s, Amen Corner consisted not just of Georgia and Alabama, but Florida as well. Before Florida-Tennessee in the 1990s and Auburn-LSU in the last decade (when played in Auburn anyway), Auburn-Tennessee was always the September game that set the tone for the rest of the SEC season.
Perhaps I should be thankful that things turned out the way they did, because Auburn will not have to face the Gators this season unless we make a run to Atlanta. As it stands, barring such a run or a miracle in Starkville when Florida plays Mississippi State, Auburn is and will remain the only SEC team that Tim Tebow has played and not beaten. Nice. Discussions on who will be favored to win the conference, not to mention the national championship, begin and end with Florida. What's not to like, other than Urban Meyer and their off the field problems. The offense has the biggest question marks given the loss of Harvin and some key offensive linemen. As for Harvin, they will have to find someone who can at least attempt to replicate what he did, but it's worth remembering that the Harvin-less Gators beat Alabama in Atlanta going away in the fourth quarter. The bottom line is that they have still got Tebow. The offensive line will only see a drop off in experience, not talent, and a relatively soft schedule to begin the season before the first real test in Baton Rouge should help the maturation process. One other thing to remember is that part of what fueled Florida's offensive explosion last season was a more balanced attack that had a running game that did not rely exclusively on Harvin and Tebow, and it should be better this year. As scary as Tebow and the offense is, it may be the other side of the ball where opponents' coaching staffs lose the most sleep over having to figure out a way past them. With Brandon Spikes leading the way for a defense that returns every starter, this may end up being the best unit, offense or defense, in the league. They were pretty salty after the Ole Miss game last season all the way up to the title game against Oklahoma, and it's hard to see how that doesn't continue this season. Tebow and company should still put up plenty of points, but they probably won't need all of them.
After Florida, it looks like Georgia and Tennessee will probably fight it out for second while one of the bottom feeders (USC, UK, and Vandy) tries to assert itself from that pack. If any team is going to challenge Florida or separate itself from the rest of the pack, Georgia may be that team. Tennessee may well finish ahead of the Dawgs, but Georgia is the only team with the depth of talent to realistically frighten the Gators. The Dawgs remind me a little bit of the 2004 Auburn team coming off a 2003 season that promised much and delivered little, but this comparison is drawn mainly from the fact that Georgia is largely flying under the radar with Florida picked to win everything again and Kiffin causing such a fuss in Knoxville. The fact is that Knowshon Moreno, Matthew Stafford, and Asher Allen all left early for the draft when Lac, Ronnie, and Carlos stayed for their senior years at Auburn in 2004. Still, without the expectation of last season, Georgia may be able to thrive. Without Stafford or Moreno, the offense may not be as dynamic, but it will probably be more efficient with Joe Cox at QB if a reliable running back can emerge. Defense will likely be the key to their season and Willie Martinez has some questions to answer about his ability to get the best out of Georgia's defensive talent. People have remarked that Georgia's defensive standards dropped off noticeably last season, but the truth is that Georgia has not been the same on the defensive side of the ball since VanGorder left after 2004. Georgia has the talent to be special there, but they've flattered to deceive in recent seasons. With the first half of the season consisting of games against Oklahoma State (away), South Carolina, Arkansas (away), Arizona State, LSU, and Tennessee (away), we'll quickly find out what kind of team Georgia is going to be.
Up on Rocky Top, Tennessee looks to be something of a mirror image of Auburn, just as both teams were in 2008 in many respects. While the roster may not be overflowing with the vintage Tennessee crop of players, there is still talent there. The biggest issue facing this team will be depth and consistent play from the quarterback position, not to mention the culture shock that sometimes comes with a new staff. Lost in the haze of Tennessee's disastrous 2008 campaign was the fact that their defense was one of the top units in the SEC and the country. It was really one of the better Tennessee defenses in recent memory, which is no small statement. The offense was just that poor that 5-7 was still the final result. The bad news is that the defense has some holes to fill this year, notably in the front seven. In Eric Berry, the Vols have probably the best defensive player in the nation leading maybe the best secondary in the nation. If Tennessee can plug the gaps up front, they could be very strong again on defense this year. Having Monte Kiffin run the defense should not hurt either. On offense, the good news is that Crompton or whoever takes the QB reigns cannot be any worse than a year ago, at least in theory. With an experienced offensive line and a proven SEC running back in Montario Hardesty, as well as a couple of blue chip RB recruits who look to make an immediate impact, Tennessee's running game should be strong enough to ease the burden on the quarterbacks, though a lack of proven playmakers at the receiver position remains a concern. The biggest x-factor for Tennessee will probably be Lane Kiffin. After all the excitement and controversy he has generated this off season, now comes the time to deliver. Expectations aren't huge this year in Knoxville, but failure to win at least seven or eight games after displaying such a cocksure attitude will quickly end the honeymoon period. The road schedule does the Vols no favors with trips to Gainesville, Tuscaloosa, and Oxford, but there isn't a home game that Tennessee shouldn't be confident of winning. Georgia should be the only home game (there are eight of them) where the Vols may start as underdogs. Despite the tough road schedule, Tennessee fans will probably be disappointed if they are not at least 8-4.
If Georgia and Tennessee are resurgent, then rounding out the SEC East should be thetraditional also-rans of the division: Kentucky, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt. Having said that, each team looks capable of springing a surprise. Up in Lexington, the Wildcats are looking to do the unthinkable and go to a fourth straight bowl. Such is the state of this program under Brooks that it is not inconceivable to see it happen despite the loss of several starters from a strong defensive unit, including star defensive end Jeremy Jarmon who was ruled ineligible for unwittingly taking a banned substance. Regardless, Kentucky should still be solid on defense. The pressure resides on the offense to see if they can perform better than last season and alleviate some pressure on a talented, but less experienced defense. They have a bonafide playmaker in Randall Cobb and several starters return, but they need Mike Hartline to step up at the quarterback position so that they can find more ways to get Cobb the ball. Kentucky will in all probability be underdogs in three of their SEC home games and at least three of their SEC road games, so it's up to them to prove that this ain't your daddy's Kentucky football program. That said, they only needed two conference wins last season to make it to a bowl game, and they are probably good enough to do the same again this year with four winnable non-conference games.
Down in Columbia, their seems to be quite a bit of optimism about South Carolina, but it seems based more on hope than reality. It's as if Gamecocks fans are counting on the fact that Spurrier is bound to succeed down there at some point. There isn't a whole lot to indicate that this will finally be the breakout year past a few glimmers of hope here and there. The offensive line is suppose to be better than ever, and it will need to be. South Carolina's offense never did really find any rhythm last year, and that was largely due to the lack of a running game. For all Spurrier's perceived reluctance to run the ball, history will show that his best offenses have been able to run the ball with at least some authority, and Spurrier knows this. Until Spurrier develops a running game to take the pressure off of the enigmatic Stephen Garcia, the offense will continue to struggle to put up points. South Carolina's defense at least means the Gamecocks will be able to stay in most games regardless of how well their offense is playing. Ellis Johnson's unit does not figure to be quite as stout as last season, especially in the secondary with the loss of key personnel such as Captain Munnerlin and Emanuel Cook (both to the draft), but they should still be strong against the run, which is never a bad thing in the SEC. If Spurrier can finally establish the kind of offense he wants to, then South Carolina could be the sleeper in the East, but it's hard to see past another 6-6 type season with a schedule that includes road games N.C. State, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and Arkansas as well as home games against Ole Miss and Florida.
Up in Nasvhille, Vanderbilt is a hard team to get a read on. In theory, a team that went 7-6 last season and returns nine starters on both sides of the ball should be considered a contender, but Vandy often did it with smoke and mirrors last season, beating teams like Auburn and Ole Miss and yet losing to teams like Mississippi State and Duke. Vanderbilt has just about always been solid on defense, and even with the loss of D.J. Moore to the NFL, they still figure to be. But as seems a constant throughout much of the SEC East and the SEC in general, the offense has to really up its production if they are to repeat last season's heroics, let alone surpass them. The offense didn't win very many games last season for Vandy, if any at all. It was solid special teams and an opportunistic defense that paved the way for their success, but it's hard to count on those things two seasons in a row. Mackenzi Adams showed promise at times at the quarterback position in relief of Chris Nickson, but he'll have to take on much more responsibility if Vandy is to go bowling two years in a row. Vandy has a tough road slate in the SEC with trips to Baton Rouge, Columbia, Gainesville, and Knoxville while facing the likes of Ole Miss and Georgia at home. Throw in a couple of out of conference road trips to places like Rice and Army (games that Vandy sometimes struggle in, e.g., MTSU in 2005) and Vandy would do quite well just to replicate the success of last season. That said, even before they went bowling last season, Vandy has never been an easy out in the SEC and they're likely to throw up at least one surprise at some point.
That is my breakdown of the SEC East. Unsurprisingly, I expect Florida to come out on top with Georgia ahead of Tennessee. Rounding out the bottom will be South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky. With Georgia under the radar and Tennessee breaking in a new coaching staff, I think the Dawgs finish in second, but it's tough to see them posing any kind of a threat to Florida. We'll find out in a couple of months how right or wrong I am. In the meantime, keep a lookout for the second installment of my SEC preview when I will be breaking down the SEC West.
Perhaps I should be thankful that things turned out the way they did, because Auburn will not have to face the Gators this season unless we make a run to Atlanta. As it stands, barring such a run or a miracle in Starkville when Florida plays Mississippi State, Auburn is and will remain the only SEC team that Tim Tebow has played and not beaten. Nice. Discussions on who will be favored to win the conference, not to mention the national championship, begin and end with Florida. What's not to like, other than Urban Meyer and their off the field problems. The offense has the biggest question marks given the loss of Harvin and some key offensive linemen. As for Harvin, they will have to find someone who can at least attempt to replicate what he did, but it's worth remembering that the Harvin-less Gators beat Alabama in Atlanta going away in the fourth quarter. The bottom line is that they have still got Tebow. The offensive line will only see a drop off in experience, not talent, and a relatively soft schedule to begin the season before the first real test in Baton Rouge should help the maturation process. One other thing to remember is that part of what fueled Florida's offensive explosion last season was a more balanced attack that had a running game that did not rely exclusively on Harvin and Tebow, and it should be better this year. As scary as Tebow and the offense is, it may be the other side of the ball where opponents' coaching staffs lose the most sleep over having to figure out a way past them. With Brandon Spikes leading the way for a defense that returns every starter, this may end up being the best unit, offense or defense, in the league. They were pretty salty after the Ole Miss game last season all the way up to the title game against Oklahoma, and it's hard to see how that doesn't continue this season. Tebow and company should still put up plenty of points, but they probably won't need all of them.
After Florida, it looks like Georgia and Tennessee will probably fight it out for second while one of the bottom feeders (USC, UK, and Vandy) tries to assert itself from that pack. If any team is going to challenge Florida or separate itself from the rest of the pack, Georgia may be that team. Tennessee may well finish ahead of the Dawgs, but Georgia is the only team with the depth of talent to realistically frighten the Gators. The Dawgs remind me a little bit of the 2004 Auburn team coming off a 2003 season that promised much and delivered little, but this comparison is drawn mainly from the fact that Georgia is largely flying under the radar with Florida picked to win everything again and Kiffin causing such a fuss in Knoxville. The fact is that Knowshon Moreno, Matthew Stafford, and Asher Allen all left early for the draft when Lac, Ronnie, and Carlos stayed for their senior years at Auburn in 2004. Still, without the expectation of last season, Georgia may be able to thrive. Without Stafford or Moreno, the offense may not be as dynamic, but it will probably be more efficient with Joe Cox at QB if a reliable running back can emerge. Defense will likely be the key to their season and Willie Martinez has some questions to answer about his ability to get the best out of Georgia's defensive talent. People have remarked that Georgia's defensive standards dropped off noticeably last season, but the truth is that Georgia has not been the same on the defensive side of the ball since VanGorder left after 2004. Georgia has the talent to be special there, but they've flattered to deceive in recent seasons. With the first half of the season consisting of games against Oklahoma State (away), South Carolina, Arkansas (away), Arizona State, LSU, and Tennessee (away), we'll quickly find out what kind of team Georgia is going to be.
Up on Rocky Top, Tennessee looks to be something of a mirror image of Auburn, just as both teams were in 2008 in many respects. While the roster may not be overflowing with the vintage Tennessee crop of players, there is still talent there. The biggest issue facing this team will be depth and consistent play from the quarterback position, not to mention the culture shock that sometimes comes with a new staff. Lost in the haze of Tennessee's disastrous 2008 campaign was the fact that their defense was one of the top units in the SEC and the country. It was really one of the better Tennessee defenses in recent memory, which is no small statement. The offense was just that poor that 5-7 was still the final result. The bad news is that the defense has some holes to fill this year, notably in the front seven. In Eric Berry, the Vols have probably the best defensive player in the nation leading maybe the best secondary in the nation. If Tennessee can plug the gaps up front, they could be very strong again on defense this year. Having Monte Kiffin run the defense should not hurt either. On offense, the good news is that Crompton or whoever takes the QB reigns cannot be any worse than a year ago, at least in theory. With an experienced offensive line and a proven SEC running back in Montario Hardesty, as well as a couple of blue chip RB recruits who look to make an immediate impact, Tennessee's running game should be strong enough to ease the burden on the quarterbacks, though a lack of proven playmakers at the receiver position remains a concern. The biggest x-factor for Tennessee will probably be Lane Kiffin. After all the excitement and controversy he has generated this off season, now comes the time to deliver. Expectations aren't huge this year in Knoxville, but failure to win at least seven or eight games after displaying such a cocksure attitude will quickly end the honeymoon period. The road schedule does the Vols no favors with trips to Gainesville, Tuscaloosa, and Oxford, but there isn't a home game that Tennessee shouldn't be confident of winning. Georgia should be the only home game (there are eight of them) where the Vols may start as underdogs. Despite the tough road schedule, Tennessee fans will probably be disappointed if they are not at least 8-4.
If Georgia and Tennessee are resurgent, then rounding out the SEC East should be thetraditional also-rans of the division: Kentucky, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt. Having said that, each team looks capable of springing a surprise. Up in Lexington, the Wildcats are looking to do the unthinkable and go to a fourth straight bowl. Such is the state of this program under Brooks that it is not inconceivable to see it happen despite the loss of several starters from a strong defensive unit, including star defensive end Jeremy Jarmon who was ruled ineligible for unwittingly taking a banned substance. Regardless, Kentucky should still be solid on defense. The pressure resides on the offense to see if they can perform better than last season and alleviate some pressure on a talented, but less experienced defense. They have a bonafide playmaker in Randall Cobb and several starters return, but they need Mike Hartline to step up at the quarterback position so that they can find more ways to get Cobb the ball. Kentucky will in all probability be underdogs in three of their SEC home games and at least three of their SEC road games, so it's up to them to prove that this ain't your daddy's Kentucky football program. That said, they only needed two conference wins last season to make it to a bowl game, and they are probably good enough to do the same again this year with four winnable non-conference games.
Down in Columbia, their seems to be quite a bit of optimism about South Carolina, but it seems based more on hope than reality. It's as if Gamecocks fans are counting on the fact that Spurrier is bound to succeed down there at some point. There isn't a whole lot to indicate that this will finally be the breakout year past a few glimmers of hope here and there. The offensive line is suppose to be better than ever, and it will need to be. South Carolina's offense never did really find any rhythm last year, and that was largely due to the lack of a running game. For all Spurrier's perceived reluctance to run the ball, history will show that his best offenses have been able to run the ball with at least some authority, and Spurrier knows this. Until Spurrier develops a running game to take the pressure off of the enigmatic Stephen Garcia, the offense will continue to struggle to put up points. South Carolina's defense at least means the Gamecocks will be able to stay in most games regardless of how well their offense is playing. Ellis Johnson's unit does not figure to be quite as stout as last season, especially in the secondary with the loss of key personnel such as Captain Munnerlin and Emanuel Cook (both to the draft), but they should still be strong against the run, which is never a bad thing in the SEC. If Spurrier can finally establish the kind of offense he wants to, then South Carolina could be the sleeper in the East, but it's hard to see past another 6-6 type season with a schedule that includes road games N.C. State, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and Arkansas as well as home games against Ole Miss and Florida.
Up in Nasvhille, Vanderbilt is a hard team to get a read on. In theory, a team that went 7-6 last season and returns nine starters on both sides of the ball should be considered a contender, but Vandy often did it with smoke and mirrors last season, beating teams like Auburn and Ole Miss and yet losing to teams like Mississippi State and Duke. Vanderbilt has just about always been solid on defense, and even with the loss of D.J. Moore to the NFL, they still figure to be. But as seems a constant throughout much of the SEC East and the SEC in general, the offense has to really up its production if they are to repeat last season's heroics, let alone surpass them. The offense didn't win very many games last season for Vandy, if any at all. It was solid special teams and an opportunistic defense that paved the way for their success, but it's hard to count on those things two seasons in a row. Mackenzi Adams showed promise at times at the quarterback position in relief of Chris Nickson, but he'll have to take on much more responsibility if Vandy is to go bowling two years in a row. Vandy has a tough road slate in the SEC with trips to Baton Rouge, Columbia, Gainesville, and Knoxville while facing the likes of Ole Miss and Georgia at home. Throw in a couple of out of conference road trips to places like Rice and Army (games that Vandy sometimes struggle in, e.g., MTSU in 2005) and Vandy would do quite well just to replicate the success of last season. That said, even before they went bowling last season, Vandy has never been an easy out in the SEC and they're likely to throw up at least one surprise at some point.
That is my breakdown of the SEC East. Unsurprisingly, I expect Florida to come out on top with Georgia ahead of Tennessee. Rounding out the bottom will be South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky. With Georgia under the radar and Tennessee breaking in a new coaching staff, I think the Dawgs finish in second, but it's tough to see them posing any kind of a threat to Florida. We'll find out in a couple of months how right or wrong I am. In the meantime, keep a lookout for the second installment of my SEC preview when I will be breaking down the SEC West.
Greg McElroy ... Look Out SEC!
I have said it before.. I hate that JPW graduated but look out SEC. #12 Greg McElory will be the talk of the SEC before Bama finishes the first half of the Virgina Tech Game.
Greg McElroy!: Alabama's Big Surprise for Opponents
This is a small excerpt from the above article.
"Though people came to see Heisman hopefuls Colt McCoy of Texas, Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, Ole Miss phenom Jevan Sneed, and others duke it for top honors, they sat and marveled at McElroy's ability to outduel the top collegiate quarterbacks in many events.
So the next time you read a story where people downplay Alabama for losing their starting quarterback and starting a first-year player, you can chuckle in knowing this first-year starter just beat out every so-called hot shot in the nation."
Greg McElroy!: Alabama's Big Surprise for Opponents
This is a small excerpt from the above article.
"Though people came to see Heisman hopefuls Colt McCoy of Texas, Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, Ole Miss phenom Jevan Sneed, and others duke it for top honors, they sat and marveled at McElroy's ability to outduel the top collegiate quarterbacks in many events.
So the next time you read a story where people downplay Alabama for losing their starting quarterback and starting a first-year player, you can chuckle in knowing this first-year starter just beat out every so-called hot shot in the nation."
Auburn Football Insider Podcast
Hey everyone, sorry for the delay in posting. With media days next week, football season is about to start getting into full swing and I plan to start cranking out the posts on a more regular basis since there will be plenty to talk about. I’m really looking forward to this upcoming season as many of you are also. With that said, I’m really excited to announce that I will be partnering with Jay Skipworth to co-host an Auburn football podcast titled “Auburn Football Insider Podcast” on BlogTalkRadio.com that can be heard live every Wednesday from 8pm – 9pm CST starting this Wednesday, July 15th. Jay is the co-host of the “Gridiron Breakdown” on Blog Talk Radio and has been a guest co-host on Montgomery’s 740AM “Sportsline” and Tallassee’s 1300AM & 106.5FM “The Wake-Up Call”, so I feel privileged to be joining him for this new show.
On the show, we will be discussing upcoming opponents, reviewing recent games, discussing the latest news and recruiting rumors and having fun at Bama’s expense. I also encourage you to send us emails (which can be found in the top left hand corner) with any questions or items you would like us to address on the show. Also, I will be posting the call-in number (347-826-9452) the day of our show so that you can call-in and join in the fun.
If for some reason you cannot join us live, our show will be made available for download in podcast form on ITunes. I hope that you will take the time to listen and enjoy the show and I look forward to discussing Auburn Football with you for the next several months.
This Wednesday’s Show can be heard live at the below link:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gridironbreakdown/2009/07/16/Auburn-Insiders-Football-Podcast
Please feel free to visit the comment section and post.
On the show, we will be discussing upcoming opponents, reviewing recent games, discussing the latest news and recruiting rumors and having fun at Bama’s expense. I also encourage you to send us emails (which can be found in the top left hand corner) with any questions or items you would like us to address on the show. Also, I will be posting the call-in number (347-826-9452) the day of our show so that you can call-in and join in the fun.
If for some reason you cannot join us live, our show will be made available for download in podcast form on ITunes. I hope that you will take the time to listen and enjoy the show and I look forward to discussing Auburn Football with you for the next several months.
This Wednesday’s Show can be heard live at the below link:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gridironbreakdown/2009/07/16/Auburn-Insiders-Football-Podcast
Please feel free to visit the comment section and post.
Greg McElroy, I like the way He Thinks!!!
Greg told USA Today staff writer Kelly Whiteside, “If you talk to most of our fans, without an SEC championship or national championship, the season can't be deemed a complete success. That's the attitude we want to establish around here.”
Like the atricle says and I agree, "Let him (McElroy) gain confidence early in the year, and he could lead the Alabama offense to its most productive season in some time."
Derrick Lassic, Remember him?
Here's a poll asking who was the best tailback of the last quarter century? A Quarter Century of Great Tide Tailbacks
The options they give are:
Shaun Alexander
Kenneth Darby
Shaud Williams
Gene Jelks
Dennis Riddle
Sherman Williams
Siran Stacy
Glenn Coffee
Bobby Humphery
They are ALL GREAT! Of Course, Shaun Alexander is the most well known and the best on this list. However, I think they forgot one! Remember a back by the name of Derrick Lassic from the '92 National Championship? Remember his 2 touchdowns (3 yards & 15 yards) against Florida in the SEC Championship Game, which helped get 'Bama to the National Chamiponship Game?
His final stats for the '92 season were; 178 rushes for a net of 905 yards, 5.1 Yard-Per-Carry avg, 10 TD's, with a long run of 42 yards and a per game avg of 75.4 yards.
The Crimson Tide did destroy the Miami Hurricanes 34-13 and went on to a perfect 13-0 season! Who was on the cover of SI? Yes, Derrick Lassic!
The options they give are:
Shaun Alexander
Kenneth Darby
Shaud Williams
Gene Jelks
Dennis Riddle
Sherman Williams
Siran Stacy
Glenn Coffee
Bobby Humphery
They are ALL GREAT! Of Course, Shaun Alexander is the most well known and the best on this list. However, I think they forgot one! Remember a back by the name of Derrick Lassic from the '92 National Championship? Remember his 2 touchdowns (3 yards & 15 yards) against Florida in the SEC Championship Game, which helped get 'Bama to the National Chamiponship Game?
His final stats for the '92 season were; 178 rushes for a net of 905 yards, 5.1 Yard-Per-Carry avg, 10 TD's, with a long run of 42 yards and a per game avg of 75.4 yards.
The Crimson Tide did destroy the Miami Hurricanes 34-13 and went on to a perfect 13-0 season! Who was on the cover of SI? Yes, Derrick Lassic!
Saban to Retire at 'Bama? Why?
This is a good article from the Bleacher Report Five Reasons Why Saban Will Retire at Alabama.
Here are the 5 Reasons:
1. Saban's Reputation
2. The SEC
3. Auburn (The Iron Bowl)
4. Recruiting
5. It is, after all, The University of Alabama
- After reading this article, I agree 100%. Saban is cocky, but he backs it up.
- It is the SEC! Hands down the toughest competition in the country.
- Recruiting, he's a master. Ah, Back to Back #1 recruiting classes.
- He is the Head Coach for the Crimson Tide and like the article said, that elevates him to rock star status in the state of Alabama.
- Last and after suffering years of watching Auburn drill us, it is nice to see the passion for destroying Auburn again. The passion is far more than just beating Auburn in the Iron Bowl, it is also beating them recruiting too. I think this pretty much sums it up. Prior to last years Iron Bowl Coach Saban was overheard saying I quote, “Don’t you know how much I f***in’ hate these guys?”
ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!
Here are the 5 Reasons:
1. Saban's Reputation
2. The SEC
3. Auburn (The Iron Bowl)
4. Recruiting
5. It is, after all, The University of Alabama
- After reading this article, I agree 100%. Saban is cocky, but he backs it up.
- It is the SEC! Hands down the toughest competition in the country.
- Recruiting, he's a master. Ah, Back to Back #1 recruiting classes.
- He is the Head Coach for the Crimson Tide and like the article said, that elevates him to rock star status in the state of Alabama.
- Last and after suffering years of watching Auburn drill us, it is nice to see the passion for destroying Auburn again. The passion is far more than just beating Auburn in the Iron Bowl, it is also beating them recruiting too. I think this pretty much sums it up. Prior to last years Iron Bowl Coach Saban was overheard saying I quote, “Don’t you know how much I f***in’ hate these guys?”
ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!
Bama's D-Line, Cody and ???
#62 Terrence Cody (AKA Mt. Cody) - SR @ 6'5"/365LB
#97 Lorenzo Washington - SR @ 6'5"/275LB
#95 Brandon Deaderick - SR @ 6'4"/287LB
#57 Marcell Dareus - SO @ 6'3"/280LB
#96 Luther Davis - JR @ 6'3"/299LB
#99 Josh Chapman - SO @ 6'1"/305LB
#94 Undra Billingsley - RSFR @ 6'3"/275LB
#32 David Blalock - SO @ 6'5"/221LB
#58 Nick Gentry - SO @ 6'1"/254LB
#54 Glenn Harbin - SO @ 6'6"/245LB
#64 Kerry Murphy - FR @ 6'5"/315LB
#90 Milton Talbert - JR @ 6'3"/263LB
#92 Damion Square - RSFR @ 6'2"/290LB
2009 Spring Roster
#97 Lorenzo Washington - SR @ 6'5"/275LB
#95 Brandon Deaderick - SR @ 6'4"/287LB
#57 Marcell Dareus - SO @ 6'3"/280LB
#96 Luther Davis - JR @ 6'3"/299LB
#99 Josh Chapman - SO @ 6'1"/305LB
#94 Undra Billingsley - RSFR @ 6'3"/275LB
#32 David Blalock - SO @ 6'5"/221LB
#58 Nick Gentry - SO @ 6'1"/254LB
#54 Glenn Harbin - SO @ 6'6"/245LB
#64 Kerry Murphy - FR @ 6'5"/315LB
#90 Milton Talbert - JR @ 6'3"/263LB
#92 Damion Square - RSFR @ 6'2"/290LB
2009 Spring Roster
Most Power in the SEC?
I was reading the SEC's 10 most powerful people and here is the breakdown;
- There are only 2 head coaches in this list. As you would expect they are Nick Saban #2 & Urban Meyer #4.
- There is 1 Athletic Director.
- There is 1 Booster.
- There is 1 Agent.
- There is 1 Talk Show Host.
- There is 1 Basketball Head Coach.
- There is the Director of the SEC.
- There is 1 Quarterback. Tebow from Florida (actually at #5, just below his head coach)
3 of the 5 are from Florida (AD, Meyer & Tebow). 2 of the 5 are from Alabama (Saban & Paul W. Bryant Jr). The agent represents Saban among others. 6 of the top 10 "Most Powerful People in the SEC" have ties to Florida and Alabama. I'd say that is pretty accurate given that Florida & Alabama are now #1 & #2 (no particular order) in the SEC.
- There are only 2 head coaches in this list. As you would expect they are Nick Saban #2 & Urban Meyer #4.
- There is 1 Athletic Director.
- There is 1 Booster.
- There is 1 Agent.
- There is 1 Talk Show Host.
- There is 1 Basketball Head Coach.
- There is the Director of the SEC.
- There is 1 Quarterback. Tebow from Florida (actually at #5, just below his head coach)
3 of the 5 are from Florida (AD, Meyer & Tebow). 2 of the 5 are from Alabama (Saban & Paul W. Bryant Jr). The agent represents Saban among others. 6 of the top 10 "Most Powerful People in the SEC" have ties to Florida and Alabama. I'd say that is pretty accurate given that Florida & Alabama are now #1 & #2 (no particular order) in the SEC.
Tyrod Taylor AKA "T-Mobile" ready to Face the Tides "D"?
The University of Alabama will face Virginia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game set for September 5 at 8pm (ET) in the season opener in the Georgia Dome. The Tide faces quarterback Tyrod Taylor nicknamed "T-Mobile" who will lead the Hokies in Atlanta.
"T-Mobile" will be introduced to Mt. Cody & freinds in the Dome & have the same kind of day Clemson did the year before.
The Tide will be breaking in a new offense but the defense will be strong and dominate. Virgina Tech's O-Line will be no match for Mt. Cody & freinds.
Get ready to Roll in Atlanta...
"T-Mobile" will be introduced to Mt. Cody & freinds in the Dome & have the same kind of day Clemson did the year before.
The Tide will be breaking in a new offense but the defense will be strong and dominate. Virgina Tech's O-Line will be no match for Mt. Cody & freinds.
Get ready to Roll in Atlanta...
Who will have the biggest impact on the 2009 Season?
Who is it going to be? Who will have the biggest impact on the 2009 Season?
- Tana Patrick
- Dre Kirkpatrick
- Nico Johnson
- Alonzo Lawrence
- Colin Peek
- James Carpenter
- D.J. Fluker
- Brandon Moore
- Trent Richardson
- Eddie Lacy
There is allot of debate about which one of the incoming "freshman" is going to step up and have an immediate impact on the 2009 Bama Football Season. In my opinion there are 2 that really stand out:
#1 - D.J. Fluker. This young man is massive at 6'7" and a dainty 350lbs. He has the God given ability to become a dominate Tackle in the SEC. How quick can he adapt to the speed of SEC Football? If he adapts quickly, he will start every game and never look back. I think DJ has the biggest impact of any incoming player this year. Oh, did I mention that he is sub 5 seconds in the 40?
#2 - Colin Peek. A senior transfer from Georgia Tech. He will be the extra blocker on a young offensive line and yes, he has great hands too. As the O-Line gels, Greg will need a big reliable target, that will be Colin Peek.
Then there is Trent Richardson. Yes, the #1 running back recruit in the nation last year. I believe that he has the potential to become one of the Running Backs in the nation. Time will tell & Bama has a good stable of backs and a young O-Line. He will be an immediate impact, but not like Fluker & Peek.
- Tana Patrick
- Dre Kirkpatrick
- Nico Johnson
- Alonzo Lawrence
- Colin Peek
- James Carpenter
- D.J. Fluker
- Brandon Moore
- Trent Richardson
- Eddie Lacy
There is allot of debate about which one of the incoming "freshman" is going to step up and have an immediate impact on the 2009 Bama Football Season. In my opinion there are 2 that really stand out:
#1 - D.J. Fluker. This young man is massive at 6'7" and a dainty 350lbs. He has the God given ability to become a dominate Tackle in the SEC. How quick can he adapt to the speed of SEC Football? If he adapts quickly, he will start every game and never look back. I think DJ has the biggest impact of any incoming player this year. Oh, did I mention that he is sub 5 seconds in the 40?
#2 - Colin Peek. A senior transfer from Georgia Tech. He will be the extra blocker on a young offensive line and yes, he has great hands too. As the O-Line gels, Greg will need a big reliable target, that will be Colin Peek.
Then there is Trent Richardson. Yes, the #1 running back recruit in the nation last year. I believe that he has the potential to become one of the Running Backs in the nation. Time will tell & Bama has a good stable of backs and a young O-Line. He will be an immediate impact, but not like Fluker & Peek.
Bama Season Opener - SOLD OUT!!
Got a ticket for the Chick-fil-A Game on Sept. 5 between Alabama and Virginia Tech?
Better find yourself a good flat-screen.
Chick-fil-A Bowl officials announced Tuesday that the showdown between the likely preseason top 10 powers is a sell-out.
Bama-Virginia Tech game announced as sell-out
Better find yourself a good flat-screen.
Chick-fil-A Bowl officials announced Tuesday that the showdown between the likely preseason top 10 powers is a sell-out.
Bama-Virginia Tech game announced as sell-out
More Preseason Polls!
Yahoo/rivals
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Southern California
4. Oklahoma
5. Alabama
Lindy's
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Oklahoma
4. Southern California
5, Virginia Tech
Athlon
1. Florida
2. Oklahoma
3. Texas
4. Southern California
5. Ohio State
Sporting News
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Oklahoma
4. Southern California
5. Ole Miss
Phil Steele
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Southern California
4. Oklahoma
5, Penn State
Combined rankings
Each magazine's Top 25 list was used, with points awarded similar to the weekly Associated Press poll, going from 25-24-23, down to 3-2-1. Each school's points were then totaled for the final results.
Rank School Points
1. Florida 125
2. Texas 119
3. Oklahoma 114
4. Southern Cal 112
5. Virginia Tech 94
6. Alabama 91
(tie) Ohio State 91
8. Ole Miss 89
9. Penn State 83
10. Oklahoma State 77
11. LSU 74
12. Boise State 70
13. Cal 64
14. Georgia 56
15. Oregon 52
16. Georgia Tech 41
17. Florida State 36
18. Notre Dame 31
19. TCU 27
20. Nebraska 18
(tie) Utah 18
22. North Carolina 17
23. Iowa 16
(tie) Kansas 16
Brigham Young 16
Also: West Virginia 12, Oregon State 11, Rutgers 10, Texas Tech 10, Michigan State 8, Cincinnati 8. Illinois 7, Miami 5, Pittsburgh 3, UCLA 2, Clemson 1, South Florida 1.
Bowl matchups
(Based on combined rankings)
BCS National Championship: Florida vs. Texas
Rose Bowl: Southern California vs. Penn State
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Boise State
Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Ohio State
Capital One Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Iowa
Gator Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech
Cotton Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. LSU
Outback Bowl: Georgia vs. Michigan State
Insight Bowl: Nebraska vs. Illinois
Full Story: Football magazines have Gators back at No. 1
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Southern California
4. Oklahoma
5. Alabama
Lindy's
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Oklahoma
4. Southern California
5, Virginia Tech
Athlon
1. Florida
2. Oklahoma
3. Texas
4. Southern California
5. Ohio State
Sporting News
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Oklahoma
4. Southern California
5. Ole Miss
Phil Steele
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Southern California
4. Oklahoma
5, Penn State
Combined rankings
Each magazine's Top 25 list was used, with points awarded similar to the weekly Associated Press poll, going from 25-24-23, down to 3-2-1. Each school's points were then totaled for the final results.
Rank School Points
1. Florida 125
2. Texas 119
3. Oklahoma 114
4. Southern Cal 112
5. Virginia Tech 94
6. Alabama 91
(tie) Ohio State 91
8. Ole Miss 89
9. Penn State 83
10. Oklahoma State 77
11. LSU 74
12. Boise State 70
13. Cal 64
14. Georgia 56
15. Oregon 52
16. Georgia Tech 41
17. Florida State 36
18. Notre Dame 31
19. TCU 27
20. Nebraska 18
(tie) Utah 18
22. North Carolina 17
23. Iowa 16
(tie) Kansas 16
Brigham Young 16
Also: West Virginia 12, Oregon State 11, Rutgers 10, Texas Tech 10, Michigan State 8, Cincinnati 8. Illinois 7, Miami 5, Pittsburgh 3, UCLA 2, Clemson 1, South Florida 1.
Bowl matchups
(Based on combined rankings)
BCS National Championship: Florida vs. Texas
Rose Bowl: Southern California vs. Penn State
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Boise State
Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Ohio State
Capital One Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Iowa
Gator Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech
Cotton Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. LSU
Outback Bowl: Georgia vs. Michigan State
Insight Bowl: Nebraska vs. Illinois
Full Story: Football magazines have Gators back at No. 1
Alabama is Seeking to Get Under the 85-man Scholarship Limit before Fall Camp Begins
For a second consecutive year, Alabama is seeking to get under the 85-man scholarship limit before fall camp begins. An appoximate total of 70 current players are still thought to be on scholarship, meaning more attrition news is expected in the coming weeks.
Known departures to this point include:
- OL Evan Cardwell
- LB Jennings Hester
- LB Charlie Kirschman
- LB Prince Hall
- PK Corey Smith
Full Story: Tracking the attrition for Crimson Tide football ...
Known departures to this point include:
- OL Evan Cardwell
- LB Jennings Hester
- LB Charlie Kirschman
- LB Prince Hall
- PK Corey Smith
Full Story: Tracking the attrition for Crimson Tide football ...
Alabama vs Ole Miss in 2009.. Bama fans Relax ...
This is a very inetersting article on why Bama fans should not fear the Ole Miss match-up this year. Personally, I think the key point is this and I quote.
"If Alabama can, and you can see why I suspect they will, make Ole Miss a one dimensional offensive team this game rides on the shoulders of Jevan Snead.
The Ole Miss rushing attack won't be as good against Alabama this fall as it was last fall.
John Jerry, the Rebel right tackle, does return. His compadre, right guard Maurice Miller, isn't even listed on their depth chart.
And, as we just discussed, we see the damage success results the Ole Miss running attack had behind the right side of their line."
Alabama Fans Have No Reason to Fear the Ole Miss Game in 2009
"If Alabama can, and you can see why I suspect they will, make Ole Miss a one dimensional offensive team this game rides on the shoulders of Jevan Snead.
The Ole Miss rushing attack won't be as good against Alabama this fall as it was last fall.
John Jerry, the Rebel right tackle, does return. His compadre, right guard Maurice Miller, isn't even listed on their depth chart.
And, as we just discussed, we see the damage success results the Ole Miss running attack had behind the right side of their line."
Alabama Fans Have No Reason to Fear the Ole Miss Game in 2009
Best Rivalry Games? Iron Bowl is NOT mentioned!
The midsummer quest was to identify which college rivalries are hottest now, right here in 2009.
#5 LSU Tigers-Alabama Crimson Tide (Date: Nov. 7)
Why It's Hot Now: Last year, roughly 90,000 LSU fans spent a tense and emotionally charged afternoon coating former-savior-turned-Alabama-savior Nick Saban in boos -- arguably the largest concentration of ill will upon a single individual in sporting history. (Go ahead, name me one greater.) Crimson Tide fans took it personally because they're Crimson Tide fans -- they take everything football-related personally. Thus, LSU coaches, players and fans should expect similar hostility in Bryant-Denny Stadium this year. In a league that never turns the other cheek, it's all about the payback.
Upper Hand Today: Bama won in overtime last year on its way to the SEC West title.
Upper Hand Historically: Alabama leads the all-time series 44-23-5, although LSU had won five straight before last season.
Big Al the Elephant to Mike the Tiger: Got Nick?
Mike the Tiger to Big Al the Elephant: Got any textbooks I can buy?
No mention of the Iron Bowl, not even an Honorable Mention!
Red-hot rivalries to provide '09 fireworks
#5 LSU Tigers-Alabama Crimson Tide (Date: Nov. 7)
Why It's Hot Now: Last year, roughly 90,000 LSU fans spent a tense and emotionally charged afternoon coating former-savior-turned-Alabama-savior Nick Saban in boos -- arguably the largest concentration of ill will upon a single individual in sporting history. (Go ahead, name me one greater.) Crimson Tide fans took it personally because they're Crimson Tide fans -- they take everything football-related personally. Thus, LSU coaches, players and fans should expect similar hostility in Bryant-Denny Stadium this year. In a league that never turns the other cheek, it's all about the payback.
Upper Hand Today: Bama won in overtime last year on its way to the SEC West title.
Upper Hand Historically: Alabama leads the all-time series 44-23-5, although LSU had won five straight before last season.
Big Al the Elephant to Mike the Tiger: Got Nick?
Mike the Tiger to Big Al the Elephant: Got any textbooks I can buy?
No mention of the Iron Bowl, not even an Honorable Mention!
Red-hot rivalries to provide '09 fireworks
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