LSU Tigers Vs Alabama Crimson Tide: The Defining Game Of The Season

Tuscaloosa is always as busy as a beehive on game day, but this Saturday will be unbelievably amped up.  With the nation’s No. 2 LSU Tigers coming to Bryant-Denny Stadium to do battle against No. 3 Alabama, ESPN’s College Gameday will be in T-Town and the passion of politics will blend with the passion of college football with President Trump in attendance.

Since the “Game of the Century” in 2011 when the Tigers defeated the Tide 9-6, Bama has amassed an eight-game winning streak.

Head Coach Nick Saban commented on the national rankings saying, “I don’t talk about that.  I don’t talk about rankings.  It doesn’t matter where you rank if you don’t have success in what you’re doing, you’re not going to be ranked there long.”

In the CFP era, the No. 3 team has never gone on to make the Playoff since it began in 2014 and that is why this game will be the defining game of the season.

Heisman trophy nominee QB Joe Burrows is at the top of his game and Tua Tagovailoa, also a Heisman nominee, is rehabbing from a right ankle injury he suffered against Cowbell U.

Burrows struggled against Auburn two weeks ago and I guaran-damn-tee you linebackers Anfernee Jennings and Terrell Lewis are monsters on the D-line and they will hunt down Burrows in the pocket.  The Cajun Nation’s Derek Stingley and Grant Delpit are tenacious defenders and tailback Clyde Edwards-Helaire led the Tigers with 136 yards on 26 carries against Auburn so Coach Orgeron’s team has the best chance in years to knock off the Crimson Tide.

War Eagle is Bama’s “natural rival” but over the years the contest that ensues either at Death Valley or Bryant-Denny has become an epic battle of titans far more meaningful over the past 25 years than most rivalries the media crow about.

Need proof?

Tigers wide receiver Justin Jefferson was asked how different this team is compared to the 2018 team that lost 29-0 to the Tide in Death Valley.  His answer was, “I don’t really know the answer to that question.  We’re going to dominate.  I mean, there’s nothing much to it.  I mean, we owe them so we’re going to get to it.”

Did his mouth just write a check his ass can’t cash?  My beloved Crimson Tide thrives on disrespect and revenge and there’s no better feeling than making the entire college football world mad as hell when you win again.

This week has been LSU hate week.  I don’t do Hate Week because I happen to love me some Tigahs and because over the years I’ve been honored to cultivate a friendship with fellow blogger and SEC sister Diogenes of Diogenes Middle Finger.

For the last five years we’ve had a friendly bet on this game.  The loser makes a donation to Shriners Hospitals for Children, a network of 22 non-profit medical facilities who change the lives of children through innovative pediatric care.

Here’s hoping Bama has saved it's best for LSU.

UPDATE:  Welcome readers of Whatfinger News.

UPDATE II:  There was a knock at my door after the big game.  Coach Oeaux told me, “From now on Bryant-Denny Stadium is our house.”  How could I argue with that gravelly voice?  My sincerest congratulations to the LSU Tigers and the entirety of the Cajun Nation.

Alabama Crimson Tide VS South Carolina Gamecocks

A lot of people in the run-up to the game between the Tide and the Gamecocks are happy to remind you the last time Bama lost to an SEC East team was nine years ago in Columbia, SC when the Cocks won 35-21.

That year the Gamecocks were led by “Head Ball Coach” Steve Spurrier; the pipsqueak  known as “Darth Visor” for throwing and stomping on his visor when he succumbed to fits of anger like a brat kicking and screaming on the floor of a toy store.  The same Steve Spurrier who left a successful Florida Gators program to coach in the NFL when somebody pissed him off.  The same Spurrier who left the Redskins to come crawling back to college ball when things got bad.

Three years before he resigned in the middle of his 11th season at South Carolina, Spurrier threw some shade at Nick Saban saying, “He’s got a nice little gig going.  A little bit like Calipari.  He tells guys, ‘Hey three years from now, you’re going to be a first-round pick and go.’  If he wants to be the greatest coach or one of the greatest coaches in college football, to me, he has to go somewhere besides Alabama and win, because they’ve always won there at Alabama.”

During his post-game press conference following Bama’s drubbing of New Mexico State, Saban was asked, “What do you get out of a game like this and do you think this level of competition can get you ready for an SEC game a week later?”

His response was, “ Well look, I’ve talked about this before.  We’ve tried to schedule the best teams we can schedule and we’re trying to do that in the future as well.  We can only play the people who are willing to play us. I’ve said my opinion about playing 12 Power-5 schools.  That’s what I would rather do, but a lot of other people don’t agree with that.  I’d rather play 10 SEC games and then play two other Power-5 schools, so all the games are exciting for the fans; all the games are good football.  You wouldn’t have to go undefeated to get into the playoffs because you’d play a more quality schedule.”

“I’ve been through and covered that ground a hundred times.  If you asked me if we should play 12 Power-5 teams my answer would be Yes,” Saban continued.

So…the Tide rolls into Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia to do battle with Coach Muschamp’s Gamecocks.  Muschamp took some heat for his decision to punt at midfield on fourth-and-one in the fourth quarter leading the Tarheels 20-17.  They ended up losing to the Heels 24-20.  Muschamp confessed, “ We played the percentages there with our defense, but I was obviously wrong.”

In that game, starting QB Jake Bentley suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury to his foot giving second string QB Ryan Hilinski the reins against Charleston Southern last Saturday.  Hilinksi completed 24 of 30 passes for 282 yards in their 72-10 victory.

Will Muschamp was an elite defensive coordinator back in the day, but as head coach he’s nowhere near solving the SEC.  It didn’t happen in four seasons at Florida and it hasn’t happened yet in Columbia.  He’s 12-12 through three seasons at South Carolina.

The atmosphere at Williams-Brice Stadium will be electric for Gamecocks fans.  I had tickets to the game but will not be able to attend.  My best friend was hospitalized in critical condition the day before Hurricane Dorian lashed the South Carolina coast and I have chosen to be with my friend.

I know, however, Coach Saban’s murderball will be too much for Muschamp to handle.  The game will be largely lopsided in favor of the Tide as Tua takes advantage of an inexperienced Gamecocks secondary.  Bama’s defense will undoubtedly force multiple turnovers giving Bama another blowout victory to start the 2019 season.

Funny Maine has disabled embedding his videos on other websites.  I hope you'll click on the link to watch "How Bama Fans Watched Week Two Games".

South Carolina Trophy case: pic.twitter.com/EIeM23Pixr

— Blake, hold the B (@lbosey7) August 23, 2019

Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game: Alabama Crimson Tide VS Duke Blue Devils

In a return to its ACC-SEC roots, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game will host the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Duke Blue Devils in their first matchup since 2010.  Alabama romped past the Devils 62-13.

The Blue Devils, who have gone head-to-head against the Tide a total of four times, have emerged victorious only once:  the 1945 New Year’s Day Sugar Bowl.

Duke finished last season giving up an average of 319 yards per game, 197 through the air and 222 on the ground.  Their defense allowed 27.4 points per game.

Bama is favored in this one by 33.5 points, despite first-half suspensions of Najee Harris, Brian Robinson, Devonta Smith and Terrell Lewis for missing a team function during fall camp.

Dyed-in-the-wool Bama fans know All-American linebacker Dylan Moses is out for the season after suffering a torn ACL in practice, but Coach Saban is high on a 245-pound four-star prospect, Shane “The Hulk” Lee.

Henry Russell, who coached at Lee’s high school said of the true freshman, “He’s a brick house. He runs well. He’s strong as an ox. So physically, I don’t really worry about him too much. I think it’s more getting all the mental stuff down and the speed of the college game, but I think he’s a lot more comfortable. If you had asked him to come in and start at the beginning of the spring, it would have been really tough. But now, he’s got the spring under his belt, camp under his belt and now the only thing he’s got to get is some game experience.”

If you’re like me, you’ve been waiting ten years, yes, ten long years for Bama to find a guy who can consistently kick the ball through the damn uprights.  Tide fans thought the curse had been broken when Joseph Bulovas was tapped for the job.  Bama is better at almost everything EXCEPT the kicking game.  Its kickers are worse than the national average.

Now though, the team will turn to Will Reichard.  Will he be the long-awaited answer?

“Will’s a very talented guy and he’s done extremely well in fall camp, and we think that he can do a good job,” Tide coach Nick Saban said. “But like any other guy, he’s got the talent and ability to do it, but what’s he going to do in a game? We’re confident in him. He gets the ball off quickly. He’s got a really strong leg. His accuracy in scrimmages and practice has been very good.”

Today’s game will be a chance to totally dominate the Blue Devils.  It won’t erase the heartbreaking loss to Clemson, but it will get Bama back to being Bama again.  No more stewing over what happened seven months ago.

I hope you’ll toddle over to Diogene’s Middle Finger for some humorous perspective on other Week One SEC games.

Auburn Tigers Vs Alabama Crimson Tide: 2018 Iron Bowl

The state of Alabama got two holidays this week:  Thanksgiving Day and the 83rd Iron Bowl. 

The Auburn-Alabama rivalry has always been a heated and bitter contest, but something is coming this time:  REVENGE.

Coach Saban won’t have to remind his players about last year. Nope. No sir.  They’ll want their reckoning.

The Crimson Tide has never lost two in a row to Auburn. Defeat has been followed by a victory scoring an average of 25 points and will likely be up by that much by halftime.

War Buzzard fans, buoyed by their defeat of the Tide in last year’s Iron Bowl contest, believe they can ruin their most hated rival’s chances of getting into the College Football Playoffs.

Did they hear what ESPN analyst Trevor Matich said about Saturday’s Iron Bowl? “Literally, if a spaceship comes down and abducts the entire Alabama team, Auburn would have a chance.”

Head Coach Gus Malzahn is 2-3 against Coach Saban’s Murderball in his six years with the Tigers.

Bama QB Tua Tagovailoa is not Hurts, Blake Sims or Jake Coker.  He broke A.J. McCarron’s single season touchdown record against The Citadel last Saturday passing for 340 yards and 4 TDs. On the season, he’s thrown for 2,865 yards, 31 TDs and just two INTs. He’s also added four rushing TDs.

There are other rivalry games:

No. 13 Florida at Florida State (who cares?)

No. 4 Michigan at No. 10 Ohio State (Go Buckeyes!)

Georgia Tech at No. 5 Georgia (who cares?)

South Carolina at No. 2 Clemson (Go Gamecocks!)

No. 3 Notre Dame at USC (Go Trojans!)

Mississippi State Bulldogs Vs Alabama Crimson Tide

Last year the Tide needed to score 14 points to come from behind against Hail State on their home turf.  They did.  The final score was 31-24.

Mississippi State’s QB, Nick Fitzgerald, believes he can replicate those three strong quarters and marshal his Bulldogs offense to a victory at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Fitzgerald knows that last year has no bearing on today’s game in Tuscaloosa, but he’s confident knowing they held the lead until the fourth quarter giving him the motivation he and his team will need if they hope to beat Bama on the road.

These two teams have done battle on the gridiron going all the way back to 1896 and the series history shows the Crimson Tide has owned the Dogs 80-3-18.  ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives the Boys from Tuscaloosa an 89.7% chance of victory.

No cupcake, MSST was ranked No. 18 last week in the College Football Playoff rankings and rose to No. 16 after drubbing War Eagle 23-9.

Paul Finebaum said last week the only way Bama suffers a loss on its way to the playoffs is if Tua Tagovailoa gets injured.  “I think we’ve come to that conclusion and it didn’t take 10 weeks to do it,” he said.

CBS analyst Gary Danielson believes the only two teams that have a shot at beating Alabama this season are Clemson and Georgia.  Kirby Smart’s Bulldawgs are currently two touchdown underdogs. We’ll know if Danielson was right on December 1st in Atlanta when they clash in the SEC Championship Game. Dabo will seek revenge against Saban’s Murderball if the fates pair them in the CFP Playoffs.

Hail State’s Head Coach, Joe Moorhead, doesn’t give a whit about their 10-game losing streak to the Tide saying, “We have to concentrate on the things we need to do.  We’re going to have to have great practices.  We have to have great urgency and body language.  Our scout team will have to be great because it’s almost impossible to replicate what Alabama does in all three phases.”  Sounds like a plan to me.

Every team that goes into Davis Wade Stadium is subjected to 61,000 infernal Bully Bells.  The Hail Staters truly believe those damn things intimidate the opposing team.  Well, they don’t.  They’re annoying as hell.  There won’t be any cowbells in Bryant-Denny Stadium.  No siree.

The Bulldogs will be treated to the sounds of the roar of a rampaging elephant over the stadium loudspeakers and AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells” on every Bama third down.  Oh, and let’s not forget the Athletic Director is once again allowing “Dixieland Delight” to be played at the beginning of the fourth quarter.  That alone will strike fear into Coach Moorhead’s boys and spur the Crimson Tide on to victory.

No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide Vs No. 3 LSU Tigers

The game is simple.  The best ones always are.

It’s been seven long years since the “Game of the Century”. That’s the longest winning streak in the series since Coach Bear Bryant claimed eleven in a row from 1971 to 1981.  The streak lingers like a dark shadow over the Cajun Nation.

The last time LSU beat Alabama was November 6, 2010.  LSU was ranked No. 10 and Bama was ranked No. 6.  The Tigers were trailing the Tide 14-13 in the fourth quarter when Coach Les Miles called for a reverse play to tight end DeAngelo Peterson who rambled for 23 yards to Alabama’s 3-yard line and the go-ahead touchdown. LSU went for the 2-point conversion to make the score 21-14.  LSU was able to add another 3 points on a FG attempt with 5:34 left in the game making the score 24-14.

Bama QB Greg McElroy tossed to Julio Jones for a TD with 3:23 left in the game but it wasn’t enough to pull off a win.  The final score was 24-21.

Under the lights of Death Valley, the Crimson Tide will clash with the Bayou Bengal Tigers of LSU for the 14th time in which both teams have been ranked in the AP Top 20.  Nine times one of them has been ranked either No. 1 or No. 2.

The College Football Playoff Committee released its first rankings on October 30th with LSU in the No. 3 slot. A lot of people expect Alabama to keep rolling.

Here's @stephenasmith's top 5 college football teams ... 😂 pic.twitter.com/qANgLe1jCJ

— First Take (@FirstTake) October 30, 2018

LSU is a legitimate contender in the race for the national championship coming into tonight’s game.  I have the utmost respect for the Tigers.  They’ve got the best QB in Joe Burrows they’ve had in years and he’s made a substantive difference for these tenacious rivals.  This will be a bare-knuckled, slobber-knocker grudge match.  If they beat Bama they will be in the driver’s seat for a playoff berth and the Cajun Nation will be insufferable.

This is LSU Hate Week.  This is a good hate; this is a respectful hate; this is a rivalry that has become far more meaningful over the past 25 years than most rivalries the media crow about.

Hawaiian phenom Tua Tagovailoa remains at the controls of the most intimidating offense in the FBS and has yet to take a fourth-quarter snap in 2018. LSU is the team with the greatest chance of ruining the Tide’s dreams of an unprecedented 18th National Championship.  As such, this may well be the game in which Tagovailoa will finally play in the fourth quarter.

"Alabama has always been the benchmark and Coach Saban has done a fantastic job," Head Coach Ed Orgeron said. "He's going to go down as the greatest college football coach in the history of the game, so give him the credit for what they've done at Alabama.

"We've got to beat them to get to where we want to go and that's a fact."

During this Thursday’s “Hey Coach” press conference, Saban had this to say: 

Nick Saban was just asked what he will choose during the coin toss at LSU -- kick or receive?

Saban: "To be honest with you, I hope we elect to kick ass, is what I hope we do."

— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) November 2, 2018

Oz Music, a Tuscaloosa music store, immortalized the quote by turning it into a good old-fashioned election button: 

Oz Music in Tuscaloosa made some buttons for Saturday.... pic.twitter.com/kSyWilHc5L

— Aaron Suttles (@AaronSuttles) November 2, 2018

So, to the Cajun Nation I say, ”Tell ‘em Alabama’s coming and hell is coming with ‘em.”

Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Vs Alabama Crimson Tide

We are in Week 5 of college football and today the University of Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns travel to T-Town to play my beloved Crimson Tide.

ULL last played Bama on October 6, 1990 on their home turf and lost.  Neither Billy Napier nor Nick Saban were the head coaches.  These two schools have played each other 8 times beginning in 1941.  The Tide has won each time.

I’d be a fool if I said ULL can’t beat Bama, after all, in 1996 the Cajuns knocked off the Texas A&M Aggies 29-22.  That was then, and this is now.

Louisiana-Lafayette brings its No. 126 rushing defense in the nation to Tuscaloosa to play Saban Murderball. Coach Napier, who worked at Alabama under Saban on two different occasions, will see his former mentor dial it down rather than first downing the Cajuns to death.

Against the Bulldogs of Mississippi State, the Cajuns were pummeled 56-10 with QB Nick Fitzgerald tossing the pigskin for 243 yards.  That tells me Tua leaves the game early on and Jalen Hurts takes over the offense at the half.

ULL is being paid a guaranteed $1.25 million for this beatdown.

The Cajuns’ mascot “Cayenne” better keep his head on a swivel lest he find his way into the pot of chili Bama will be cookin’ up today.

Alabama Crimson Tide VS Ole Miss Rebels

As I write this post I am praying Florence, now downgraded to a tropical storm with wind gusts expected to reach 54 mph and torrential rainfall up to 15 inches over the next 24 to 36 hours where I live, doesn’t knock out the power.

Duke Energy has warned that anywhere from 1 million to 3 million of its customers could lose power over the next few days, out of a total customer base of 4 million.

I’m Jonesing for a football game where the Rebs of Ole Miss hope to hit Bama with their pet shark.  Not to be too corny here, but they’re gonna need a bigger fin to pull off a win against my beloved boys from Tuscaloosa.

Bob Lynch over at SB Nation/Red Cup Rebellion notes, Sports Illustrated claimed Ole Miss could be “one of the agents of chaos in college football” and could cause a championship team like Alabama to “slip up.”

Lynch continued, “It’s an interesting idea to entertain. But we all know what’s actually going to happen. We know how this ends.”

In previous years the Tide’s primary offensive weapon has been the running game. This season features the best thing in Tuscaloosa since Dreamland Barbecue.  Of course, I’m referring to the “Hawaiian Superman” Tua Tagovailoa.

Reb Head Coach Matt Luke said of Tua, “They ask him to do some RPO stuff where he has to make some decisions. He’s got a really quick release. He has very good receivers to throw it to. Then, his ability to extend plays. You watch their first touchdown against Louisville. He extended the play and made a play with his feet. He keeps drives going on third down by scrambling out of the pocket. His ability to extend plays and obviously his decision-making has been good.”

Tua scored six touchdowns while completing over 70 percent of his passes and posting the second best QB rating in the country.  With the game well under control against Arkansas State last Saturday, Coach Saban put in QB Jalen Hurts who went 7 for 9 for 93 yards and 2 TDs.  With the score 57-7, third-string QB Mac Jones entered the game to finish things up.

The Rebs rank 125th in total defense after two games and have given up 557.5 yards of offense per game and the pass defense is at No. 126 having given up 355 yards a game.

Ole Miss fans can lock up the Vaught for all the good that’s going to do.  They’ll be crying in their beer.  I can’t wait for the ESPN cameras to pan the crowd for all those “surrender cobras” in the stands.

Alabama Crimson Tide VS Arkansas State Red Wolves

The Tide’s home opener against the Wolfies of A-State promises to be a lot like a soap opera episode.

Everybody got their panties in a wad last week when Coach Saban “snapped” at ESPN’s Maria Taylor during her post-game interview. 

She asked Saban what he learned about each of his quarterbacks after watching them play. "Well, I still like both guys," he said of Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts. "Both guys are good players. I think both guys can help our team, alright? So, why do you continually try to get me to say something that doesn't respect one of them? I'm not going to, so quit asking."

All the Bama haters condemned Saban but Taylor, appearing on the “Paul Finebaum Show” said, “I understand that at times coaches get heated and there are things they don't really want to talk about. As a sideline reporter, you're in the line of fire and I just got lit up once. And that's fine. And I received a call from Saban even before I got to the highway leaving the stadium. That's how passionate he was about getting the apology out. It wasn't after he heard a backlash about it or negative talk, it was how he felt immediately in that moment. And I'm so thankful, and I respect him for making that call.”

"It's all good. I'm going to see him again. We're going to be fine. Things happen and I know that we both put it behind us and hopefully everyone else can as well. I know how great Alabama is. I know how great Coach Nick Saban is and I enjoy being around his program. I will continue to enjoy being around his program."

According to Aaron Suttles of The Athletic, QB Jalen Hurts is expected to redshirt the 2018 season sitting out the balance of the year and then transfer.

If true, it would confirm gossip from people and players around the program. The word on the street has been that Jalen’s father, Averion Hurts, has been the issue for the past nine months.  Averion does not recognize his son’s limitations.

Today’s game will be the first meeting between Arkansas State and the Crimson Tide since 2008 in which the Red Wolves were shellacked 35-0.  Head Coach Blake Anderson told KAIT-TV he’s seeking a “signature victory”.  He said his team is going into Bryant-Denny Stadium with a plan to win.  “We’re going to be outmatched in a lot of areas and we’ll have to maximize every ounce of talent that we have but, uh, we just have to be better than them for one day and really, just for 60 minutes.”

Senior QB Justice Hansen completed a school record six touchdown passes and recorded 454 yards total offense to help lead Arkansas State to a 48-21 victory over Southeast Missouri State. Not only did Hansen’s six passing touchdowns break the A-State record, they also tied the second most in Sun Belt Conference history and tied the most this season by any player in the nation.

Former Bama Head Coach Gene Stallings once said, “If you think there’s such a thing as an unimportant game, just try losing one.”

To that end, the Red Wolves have one of the nation’s most prolific offenses and QB Hansen could start at just about any SEC school.  They run plays at breakneck speed and possess a wide array of looks and options.  They are anything but a cupcake team.

A-State is 2-57-3 against teams currently in the SEC and the ESPN Matchup Predictor gives the boys from Tuscaloosa a 98.2% chance of victory.  Will the Red Wolves be kryptonite to Bama’s Hawaiian Superman?  I say no. Not even.

Alabama Crimson Tide Vs Louisville Cardinals

The stage has been set.  Tonight at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL the Tide will face off against Bobby Petrino’s Louisville Cardinals.  The game will air on ABC at 8:00 PM Eastern.

Louisville has battled the boys from Tuscaloosa exactly three times.  The series record is 2-1 favoring Bama.  Cards fan will tout their victory over the Tide in the 1991 Fiesta Bowl, but that was when Howard Schnellenberger was their coach.  Coach Saban came to Bama in 2007.

You’ve undoubtedly seen the Snickers™ candy bar commercials like the 2010 version featuring actors Betty White and Abe Vigoda getting throttled on the gridiron and then being given a Snickers™ to transform them into their true selves after being told, “You’re not you when you’re hungry.”

Somebody needs to give Petrino a Snickers™ because he was obviously delusional when he said at the team’s kickoff luncheon, “I believe we’re going to go beat ’em, so I need everybody else to believe that. And we will go beat ’em.”

The Cards no longer have Lamar Jackson under center.  The Tide, according to Bleacher Report, will play both Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa at QB tonight.  Tua appeared in 8 games last season completing 63.6% of his throws for 636 yards, eleven TDs and two INTs and who can forget the heart-stopping Hail Mary pass to DeVonta Smith giving Alabama its fifth national championship in nine years against a feisty Jawja Bulldawg team?

WHAT. A. GAME.

Tua Tagovailoa to DeVonta Smith ... BALLGAME!!!@AlabamaFTBL WINS THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!!! pic.twitter.com/WxmHdRazCQ

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) January 9, 2018

ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives Alabama an 86.5% chance of victory.  That’s pretty bold.

Outmanned and outgunned, the Cards will have a hard time with Bama. Their personnel losses are substantial this season and it will be hard for them to replace the players that have moved on. Only one of their top five tacklers is returning and only four of the top 10 are back. That means that there will be a lot of inexperience for the UL defense this year and while, in time, those guys may learn the ropes, asking them to jump into the fray against the likes of Alabama is sketchy at best.

There’s simply no comparing the defensive talent fielded by Alabama with the roster for Louisville. Since 2016, the Cardinals have finished 38th, 34th, an 32nd nationally in recruiting, a far cry from the perennial top-ranked recruiting classes customary in Tuscaloosa.

You Cannot Be Serious

With five months to go before the opening of the 2018 college football season, I was stunned to learn that 6-time national champion head coach Nick Saban has added a laughingstock to his staff.

Butch Jones was fired as the Vols head coach on Nov. 12, a day after the team’s 50-17 loss to Missouri. He coached the program for five seasons, going 34-27.  Tennessee lost all six of its conference games last season.

To say Butch didn't work out as the coach at Rocky Top is something even a blind hog could see. 

On Tuesday, Saban confirmed the former Tennessee coach is an official member of Alabama’s “off-field” coaching staff.

“He’s an intern, an analyst. I mean, I guess we could have several names for it,” Saban said after Tuesday’s inaugural spring practice. “He can’t coach on the field, but he can work with us off the field. And today was actually the first time that he was cleared by the NCAA…That finally got completed today, so now he’s officially going to be a part of the staff here.”

Barrett Sallee, college football writer for CBS Sports, thinks this is a chance for the washed-up coach to “go through the Saban doctorate program for coaches who have gone astray.”

Now, if Butch decides to question Coach Saban’s “system philosophy” he’ll drop his ass like a hot potato.  Just ask Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian.

Maybe he should just stick to fetching Nick his ice-cold Cokes and Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies.

This is the most important video I’ve ever made. I now pronounce myself #ChampionOfLife pic.twitter.com/Jakyfpjd0E

— Jack McGuire (@JackMacCFB) March 7, 2018

Random thought...if being an intern was butch jones best option, then what were his other options? 🤔🤷🏻‍♀️😂🤣 #RollTide
1. Garbage truck driver...He does like trash cans
2. Janitor.. more trash cans
3. Land fill worker...More garbage

— Bama Bo™ (@BamaBo17) March 22, 2018

2018 College Football National Championship Game: Fire And Thunder

The Southeastern Conference is the first in the nation since the inception of the College Football Playoff to have two teams play for a National Championship after the Crimson Tide’s 24-6 victory over Clemson and the Jawja Bulldawg’s 54-48 double-overtime thriller against the Sooners.

I remember back on August 18, 2017 when some jackleg over at CBS Sports claimed the SEC was no longer the top conference.  Chip Patterson noted: 

“There is always a lot of crowing about conference supremacy during media days. Whichever league finished the previous season with the most trophies puts them on display and has the chance to use its time at the microphone to fill the empty July news cycle with flattering stories and headlines.”

“The final years of the pre-College Football Playoff era were owned by the SEC. Not only did the SEC run off seven straight national titles, but it also recruited Missouri and Texas A&M from the Big 12 and inked a 20-year deal for a cable network. When Florida State bested Auburn in the final BCS Championship Game and Ohio State bounced Alabama from the first CFP, the perception of conference power shifted ever so slightly to entertain, for the first time since the early 2000s, that maybe another league could claim to be the best in college football.”

“With the top spot up for grabs, the ACC's coaches were more than happy to claim it for themselves after Clemson's national championship, Florida State's Orange Bowl win and Lamar Jackson's Heisman Trophy run headlined the most successful college football season in league history.”

CBS ranked the ACC No. 1 with the SEC behind it at No. 2. The Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 followed to round out the Top 5.

And yet, here we are.  All the other conferences have been vanquished.  The SEC West meets the SEC East to decide who will be crowned king at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

The series history between these two schools is 38-4-25.  Alabama leads the series.  Bama defeated the Bulldogs 32-28 in the 2012 SEC Championship Game.  The next time the Tide would battle the Dawgs was during the regular season in 2015.  They came away with a 38-10 victory followed one month later by the school firing Head Coach Mark Richt.

The SEC celebrates itself like no other which thoroughly infuriates fans in other conferences.  SEC teams have played for the college football national championship in 12 of the last 15 years. 

Many have pointed to Coach Saban’s amazing 11-0 record against his former assistants in their new head coaching positions.  Many have called attention to his chances of tying the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant’s record of national championships.  All of that is interesting chit-chat.  But that’s all it is.  Vegas has the Dawgs as a 3-point underdog.  ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives Bama a 57.5% chance of victory.

The game tonight features a pair of one-loss teams that arrived at the title game following two distinctly different paths. Their paths have converged and all that remains is for the young men who have fought tooth and nail all season to dig deep into their psyches and muster the pride and courage to win.

I was born and raised a Southerner.  I’m damned proud of that.  I’m damned proud of Georgia and Alabama.  The BCS was created to keep the SEC out of contention for a national championship and when that didn’t pan out the BCS was ditched for the CFB.  Like it or not the strategy didn’t work.  Nick Saban and Kirby Smart are both good men leading equally excellent football programs.

I believe my beloved Crimson Tide will win tonight.  That is something I fervently pray for, however if Georgia wins I will congratulate their fans and thank them for elevating the SEC to undeniable dominance.

ROLL TIDE ROLL!