This week helped shed a little more light onto who is inching closer to the Playoff Four, except teams we thought would be very good had bad games. I’m looking at you, LSU. Here’s our power rankings for Week 4: The Crimson Tide made plenty of mistakes in this game, but put everything together to […]

(Above: new Regions Bank commercial featuring Nick Saban) Nick Saban and personal money management — humor is hardly the first thing that comes to mind with either one. But in a new television ad released by the Birmingham-based Regions Bank over the weekend, the notoriously intense Saban somehow manages to actually make banking funny. In […]

At times is was shockingly great football, at other times it was painfully sloppy, but in Saturday’s 42-21 victory over Florida, the only team that got in Alabama’s way was Alabama. “I’m really proud of the way our guys overcame adversity in this game,” said Alabama head coach Nick Saban. “I wish we didn’t do […]

(Note: All times are Central. For a printable version, click here) Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims

SEC football in Kansas on a Thursday night just feels strange. Thursday nights are for NBC comedies, NFL football, Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. USC in its glory years would always drop a Thursday night game in Oregon or at Cal, and MAC football makes its money on mid-week games, but Thursday nights feel like they’re suited for teams who play […]

The season starts now. After only playing one Power 5 conference team in its first three games, Alabama hasn’t really had to focus as much as usual. But with the Florida Gators coming to Tuscaloosa this weekend, that’s about to have to change. “I think that in games like this players really get excited. If they […]

Yes, I am one of those crazy few making the drive from Auburn to Manhattan this week for the showdown between No. 5 Auburn and No. 20 Kansas State. All week I heard about how terrible of a drive it was, but honestly, it’s been a smooth trip so far. Sure, I’m 11 hours in […]

Landon Collins is always ready to tackle somebody, but this weekend, he’s gunning for a family member. Collins’ younger brother Gerald Willis is a freshman defensive lineman on Florida, who has also been seen on special teams. The two brothers have never played against each other, always playing on the same defense growing up, but […]

After three weeks of football, the dominant teams have emerged and everything is clear. Ok, I lied, every team has its weaknesses and there has yet to be a single team — let alone four of them — to set itself apart from the pack. All of these ranked teams are about to start playing […]

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Now the real fun starts. With Alabama’s 52-12 victory over Southern Miss on Saturday, the non-conference schedule has come to an abrupt end. Mourn it for its low stress level and halftime blowouts, just don’t think we’ve been cleared of questions: they still persist. This systematic win was more of the same from […]

Condoleezza Rice would be a great fit for the NFL’s top job, according to former University of Alabama and NFL quarterback Scott Hunter. “If the NFL Commissioner (Roger Goodell) loses the confidence of enough owners due to his recent perceived poor handling of two domestic abuse cases, he could be asked to retire if there […]

Maybe this game will go for the entire allotted time. Florida Atlantic had its turn in the Bryant-Denny disintegrator last week and that game was cancelled with 7:53 left in the fourth quarter, but the game really ended midway through the first quarter. Now it’s Southern Miss., who comes to Tuscaloosa as a 40-ish point […]

The Southeastern Conference is regarded for having the most rabid fans in the country, with the craziest, most vocal fans usually residing in the student section.  ESPN.com SEC writer Edward Aschoff ranked his top five SEC student sections, with Alabama coming in at second behind LSU and Auburn rounding out the top five at fifth. […]

(Note: All times are Central. For a printable version, click here.

A trip to Manhattan, Kansas and No. 20 Kansas State is just a week away, so an early season bye week seems to be a good time for head coach Gus Malzahn and Auburn to look back at early season strengths and weaknesses. Some areas, such as running backs and the offensive line, have played […]

Actually picking up and reading Lars Anderson’s new book “The Storm and the Tide” was a challenge. Not that I have an aversion to reading — the book isn’t a tome or slogging prose — it’s just difficult to revisit a period of time that was so traumatic for so many people in our state. […]

In a 2002 interview with the New York Times, Condoleezza Rice, who was at that time George W. Bush’s national security adviser, said she wanted to be commissioner of the National Football League. She was dead serious. “That’s absolutely right,” she said when asked about the job, “though not immediately and not before Paul Tagliabue […]

Forget the quarterback battle. The true point of interest two games into the season in Tuscaloosa is wide receiver Amari Cooper. The first play of the game on Saturday was an end-around handoff to Cooper, which went for 20 yards and set the tone for the offensive display about to come. He then followed that with […]

USA’s Men’s Basketball Team has advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2014 FIBA World Cup after going a perfect 5-0 in group play and eliminating Mexico in the Round of 16. They are now set to square off against Slovenia in the quarterfinals. Team USA easily handled Slovenia in an exhibition game just before the […]

(To watch on an iPhone, click HERE) LINCOLN, Neb. — Alabamians are used to seeing Yellowhammer State natives dominate college football, and usually they’re doing it while suiting up for Alabama or Auburn, or at least an SEC school. But on Saturday, it was a Big Ten program that benefited from an Alabamian’s gridiron gifts. […]

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Lightning struck both in and around Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday. Sure, there was the philosophical sports writer metaphor lightning on the field as Alabama blistered the well-paid, yet woefully undermanned FAU Owls. But there was actual lightning as well, resulting in the game being called off with 7:53 remaining in the fourth […]

This week should be a little less stressful that last, just don’t tell that to Nick Saban. After defeating West Virginia 33-23, Alabama readies for its home opener against Florida Atlantic, a Conference USA member one week removed from a 55-7 defeat to Nebraska. Remember, Alabama is playing FAU, not FIU or FAMU or FGCU. […]

(Note: All times are CST. For a printable version, click HERE) Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims

It was a wet and wild opener for Auburn in its 45-21 season-opening victory over Arkansas last Saturday. Tiger fans caught a glimpse of the future in the first half with Jeremy Johnson’s impressive two-touchdown debut, while being reminded just how talented their current starter Nick Marshall is in the second half. Johnson sure didn’t […]