Anything related to the College Football Playoff is interesting, especially things that are quantifiable.
FiveThirtyEight editor and statistical oracle Nate Silver gives Alabama the highest chance to not only make the playoff, but to win the national championship.
As it currently stands — of course this is before the Iron Bowl and SEC Championship — Silver’s data states Alabama has an 80.8 percent chance of making the playoff, a 48.6 percent chance of reaching the final game, and a 27.2 percent chance of being crowned champion. Alabama also has a 58.2 percent chance of being the No. 1 overall seed in the playoff bracket based on Silver’s simulations.
It isn’t a large statistical lead for the Crimson Tide, with Oregon holding a 24.5 percent chance of winning it all, but Alabama is in the lead and has been since beating Mississippi State.
Here’s the entire graph from FiveThirtyEight.
Silver rose to national fame by successfully predicting the results of the presidential race in every state in the country. Tide fans are no doubt rooting for Silver’s accuracy to continue.
For the second time in three weeks, ESPN’s traveling college football pregame show College Gameday will be live from the Walk of Champions in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
The show most recently visited Alabama for the Mississippi State game, and is on its way back for this year’s Iron Bowl. Gameday was present at last year’s Iron Bowl as well.
#Breaking: GameDay is heading to Tuscaloosa for the #IronBowl! #GetUp4GameDay pic.twitter.com/4LjExavJoH
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) November 23, 2014
Many have questioned why College Gameday would return to Alabama after just being there, but the Iron Bowl is the best game on the schedule this weekend. Even with all of the rivalry games scheduled for the last weekend in November, Alabama vs. Auburn is the most competitive on paper, and has the most at stake.
Only a few weeks back, The Egg Bowl between Mississippi State and Ole Miss looked like it was shaping up to be the game to watch, but it lost its national relevance once the Rebels returned to winning the party, but losing their games. Oregon-Oregon State and Ohio State-Michigan should be blowouts. And as much as Florida State likes to play poorly against inferior opponents, betting on Florida is a long shot, to say the least.
With the show’s location settled, a guest picker must emerge. Melissa Joan Hart will probably remain the prohibitive favorite, though, two weeks ago, the show went off the board and went with former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell. The inspiration behind “Lone Survivor” correctly picked Alabama, and also inspired the team with a stem-winder of a speech.
The intrigue over the show’s location was anticlimactic, but maybe the guest picker will be another interesting surprise.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.–Alabama beat Western Carolina 48-14 but it wasn’t pleasant.
In games like this when one team pays the other over $400,000 to play, the end result is usually a foregone conclusion. But the Catamounts came to play and became the first team all year to score a touchdown on the opening drive against Alabama.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban attributed the team’s slow start to a noticeable lack of energy.
“I don’t think that we started the game out the way we’d hoped to or how we planned,” Saban said. “It’s really up to me to make sure that the guys have the right psychological disposition when we come out and play a game.”
Western Carolina confused Alabama initially with some misdirection on offense, but the real problem for the Crimson Tide was the seemingly non-stop flow of injuries.
Alabama lost five players in the first half alone. Wide receiver Amari Cooper, defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson, and linebacker Reuben Foster all left the field limping or with help from trainers and never returned.
Then midway through the second quarter fullback Jalston Fowler and offensive lineman Cam Robinson went down on the same play, but Fowler later returned. Wide receiver ArDarius Stewart had to be helped off with an apparent leg injury, and tight end Brian Vogler followed that when he injured his left knee and limped straight into the locker room near the beginning of the second half.
At one point in the game it seemed more important to track who was in the locker room or the training table than to follow the actual game.
And all of those in-game injuries don’t even include the pre-game decision to leave running back T.J. Yeldon, wide receiver DeAndrew White and kicker Adam Griffith on the bench to help them heal nagging injuries.
Saban said Cooper has a bruised knee and both Cam and A’Shawn Robinson sprained their ankles and could have returned to the game but weren’t needed. Vogler and Stewart had stretched knee ligaments and their recovery will be monitored closely as the Iron Bowl approaches.
But even without Yeldon, the Tide’s run game finally took over, which was Saban’s goal. Derrick Henry had 92 yards rushing and scored three touchdowns, which was a career high. Tyren Jones was a sparkplug for the offense with 75 rushing yards and a touchdown.
The passing game also had its good moments, with quarterback Blake Sims having 222 yards and two touchdowns and backup Jake Coker slinging the ball for 115 yards and one touchdown through the air.
But Alabama came out flat today — “flat as a pancake” as Saban put it. All the energy Alabama had last week was gone. There was no bouncing to “Jump Around” on Alabama’s sideline today. Not even the song stylings of C-Murder could help the team, though, it definitely raised morale when it seemed like there was another Alabama player injured on every play.
The glorified bye week became a sloppy, injury riddled game. The “good little team from North Carolina” came to play, but it did ultimately provide a chance for inexperienced Alabama players to see the field once the Tide started to cruise.
“When guys fall out, the next guy’s got to be ready,” Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland said. “He has to go through the whole week preparing the way he should because he never knows when his turn is going to come.”
Of course, Saban would never say the upcoming game against Auburn had an effect on the team, but some of the players admitted it.
Now Alabama has to refocus and re-energize, as well as try to return the half-dozen of its injured players for next week’s game against the Tigers, which once again has huge SEC Championship and national title implications.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — With homecoming this weekend and the Iron Bowl next Saturday, Alabama’s seniors — a group that has experienced both championships and heartbreak on the football field — only have two home games left in their college careers.
This team is No. 1, like many Alabama teams have been in the past, but the rapport this year’s leaders have with younger players feels different than last season.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban and the seniors themselves acknowledged that.
“We have a very good group of seniors this year, we have a very good leadership group,” Saban said. “I think… the best thing about our seniors is they’re really well-liked by their teammates. I think that really starts with the fact that they care and they care about other people on the team and they’re willing to spend time to help the other people on the team…I think that’s made the team chemistry really good.”
Saban has already talked about this team not having any “energy vampires,” which is Saban-speak for players that demand coaches’ attention and distract the team. The players are motivated and communicate well, and leaders have emerged, sometimes surprisingly.
“Some of the guys that are doing a really good job of that, without me mentioning any names, are actually guys that struggled maybe early on being able to do those types of things,” Saban said. “When it was their turn to take a leadership role, regardless of what their role was on the team, they really did it in a first-class way and that’s been very helpful with team chemistry.”
Alabama senior wide receiver Christion Jones said the atmosphere among players is similar to that of 2011 — a national title-winning season. Jones also mentioned Jalston Fowler, Blake Sims and DeAndrew White on the offensive side as guys who have really stepped up.
“Everybody is comfortable with each other from the seniors to the freshmen,” Jones said. “Everybody has a good vibe. We haven’t had any problems on the team amongst each other with dislike or any outcasts.”
This is a different story from a team that had a cloud of disarray around it following last season’s consecutive losses to Auburn and Oklahoma. Former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron repeatedly blamed the younger players on the team for not buying in and called some players on the team selfish. Even Saban said the team needed a hard restart after last season’s poor finish.
Teach chemistry was clearly a problem last year, and it become evident in post-season interviews. But Alabama cornerback Cyrus Jones had only positive things to say about the Tide’s bond this season.
“This year everybody’s so tight; it’s a well-knit group,” Jones said. “There aren’t really cliques on the team, everybody pretty much hangs out with each other all the time, has each other’s backs. Once you have that cohesiveness — especially with the leaders — it just trickles down to everybody else. I think this team is on the right track.”
Before Alabama plays Auburn in the 2014 Iron Bowl, it has to play the Western Carolina Catamounts.
While Alabama head coach Nick Saban said, “This is a good little team we’re playing,” on his SEC coaches teleconference, the Catamounts are clearly not very good compared to the No. 1 Crimson Tide. But they are drastically improved from where they once were.
Western Carolina is a team from North Carolina — obviously — and it used to be “where football came to die.” The team hasn’t achieved a winning record since 2005 when the team finished 5-4 and hasn’t won more than five games since 2001. But this year’s squad currently sits at 7-4 and could advance to the FCS Playoffs with a win over the Crimson Tide. Stop laughing, it could happen.
This won’t be too much a problem for Alabama, who will take its starters out midway through the second quarter. So, other than getting to know Alabama’s future starters, intrigue must be found elsewhere, since it probably won’t be on the football field.
The most intriguing thing about this Southern Conference Carolina team is their mascot. Western Carolina is the purple and gold Catamounts. No, not a catapult or a mounted cat. I had no idea what that was so I figured we’d all learn together.
A catamount is defined as any wild cat, like a bobcat, cougar or lynx. The fearsome non-specific mascot was selected in 1933 when the school had an athletic rebranding.
While a catamount itself still doesn’t make much sense if it has to be explained to people, it sure beats the previous alternative.
“At the time, the school was called “Western Carolina Teachers College” and its teams were known as “the Teachers,” according to the school’s website.
Vermont University is the only other NCAA school to use the mascot, but it’s still unique. Western Carolina’s head coach at the time, C.C. Poindexter, preferred the catamount as the mascot over the second place finishing “Mountain Boomers, a small ground squirrel that scampers about the woods and is extremely difficult to catch.”
While Mountain Boomers would be even better and harder to explain, the catamount is a fine mascot for a football team on the rise. Also, how did a catamount win over Mountain Boomers? Maybe they would be better at football if they were a team of scampering ground squirrels.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama’s 25-20 win against Miss. State on Saturday was fueled by a dominant defense. That defense was fueled by the magnitude of the game, and some new music selections blaring from Bryant-Denny Stadium’s loud speakers.
The sellout crowd in Tuscaloosa was on its feet for the majority of the game and hung around for every second, but the updated playlist added a little extra boost.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban didn’t notice the change of soundtrack.
“I know nothing about it,” Saban said. “If it’s helping us win, I’m all for it.”
Saban said he never includes the team’s reactions to specific songs in their film sessions, but sarcastically admitted he might look into it.
“It may be something,” Saban said. “We need to probably put it on the film so we can analyze that when we look at the plays that we run and then we’ll probably have a better idea of how it’s working.”
There was a noticeably different atmosphere on the sideline Saturday. Players were jumping around throughout the game, and not just when “Jump Around” by House of Pain was played. Wiz Khalifa’s “We Dem Boyz” blared after the defense got a stop or forced a turnover, and “On To the Next One” by Jay-Z has become the team’s go-to anthem during warm-ups.
The typical AC/DC “Hells Bells” on third down accompanied by an elephant video was largely unheard, pushed aside in favor of a beat from a song by C-Murder featuring Snoop Dogg. Only the instrumental from this song was played because many of Bryant-Denny’s patrons would faint if they heard the lyrics.
Every time it was played, though, the defense — mostly the defensive line — would start pumping their fists and motioning to the crowd for some energy, which seemed to be contagious for the rest of the team.
“When they’re hyped and they’re jumping up and down and they’re putting pressure on the quarterback, it makes our job a lot easier,” Alabama safety Nick Perry said. “Whatever can get those guys hyped like that, whatever song they’re playing, they need to continue to play it.”
It wasn’t that the typical songs were left out — the band Alabama’s “Dixieland Delight,” a crowd favorite, was played three times — but the fans and players both seemed to enjoy a little musical diversification.
“We’re already a fired up team,” Alabama defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson said. “So, when you play music we like we just jam out to it and get fired up.”
Alabama’s sound system still has its difficulties, like not being able to produce audio of Bear Bryant that is understandable or not adjusting the levels to help make that particular clip of Bryant is more than loud grumbling. The Alabama Million Dollar Band had two microphones in front of it, causing a split-second delay, but ultimately raising the volume of the marching band for the better.
But by most accounts Saturday’s music selection was a move in the right direction. The players and fans both enjoyed the playlist, and the energy level in the stadium got a significant boost.
But whatever you do, just don’t look up the lyrics to the C-Murder song.
After the drama of Alabama’s win over LSU Saturday, the Crimson Tide’s team doctors were called to action on the way home.
Following the game, Alabama’s team doctors were leaving Tiger Stadium in a multiple car motorcade led by LSU police. A few miles from the stadium, one officer on a motorcycle was struck by a car. The doctors who had recently attended to Alabama running back T.J. Yeldon’s twisted ankle on the field had to revert to their trauma training on the side of the road.
The officer was lying on his side, unresponsive and obviously hurt.
“Fortunately for him there were three physicians who had taken care of trauma before,” Dr. Norman Waldrop said. “As an orthopedic surgeon you’ve seen lots of trauma. It’s not a part of my everyday practice now but I remember thinking it was coming back to me pretty quickly about what to do.”
Dr. Lyle Cain is the head team doctor for Alabama, Waldrop handles foot and ankle injuries for the team, and Dr. Benton Emblom covers shoulders, hips and knees. The doctors are a part of the Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center in Birmingham, Alabama, but travel with the Crimson Tide wherever they go.
When the doctors arrived at the scene, Cain took over and led the team as they attended to the officer on the side of the road, who ended up having a broken leg, broken arm and fractured ribs. The doctors were without any of their equipment — it was on the plane with the football team — but did what they could given the circumstances.
“I think he probably would’ve been ok but you would like to think that we had a small part in stabilizing him,” Waldrop said. “I do remember thinking that between Dr. Cain, myself and Dr. Emblom, that the communication was very good, we all knew what we were doing and it certainly helped smooth things out and helped keep everyone around it calm.”
The difference between a football injury and a traumatic automotive accident can be drastic, but Cain said the doctors handled the roadside scene like they would on a football field after a serious injury.
“It’s really similar to to the checklist we do with athletes,” Cain said. “You have to stay organized in that situation or it turns into a fire drill.”
The officer had surgery that night to repair some of the injuries, and is recovering in stable condition.
Making it back to Birmingham without any other excitement, Waldrop called it the wildest two hours he’s experienced as a team doctor for Alabama.
“We were an hour out of a huge win in front of 100,000 people and you immediately forget about that when you’re trying to save someone’s life,” Waldrop said. “That’s a whole lot more important than a football game.”
Alabama’s dramatic win over LSU means it still controls its place in the Playoff chase, but it also gives even more importance to Saturday’s game against Mississippi State.
With a top four showdown coming, ESPN will set up its traveling tentpole show College Gameday in front of the Walk of Champions at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
#Breaking: College GameDay is heading to Tuscaloosa for Mississippi State vs Alabama! #GetUp4GameDay pic.twitter.com/Z3JjECpCB3
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) November 9, 2014
It is the first time the show will visit Alabama this year, and the second time the Crimson Tide will be involved after Gameday went to Oxford for Ole Miss-Alabama. It starts bright and early at 8 a.m. Central and Alabama’s crowd turnout will be measured against the massive turnouts at the Grove or Miss. State’s Junction, and especially against North Dakota State.
While Alabama usually has a drop-off in the week following LSU, the Crimson Tide are 9-3 in the past five years when Gameday is in town, per AL.com.
No game time has been announced yet but it will most likely be 2:30 p.m. Central on CBS.
Now all we need to know is who the guest picker will be. Last season against LSU, MLB pitcher Jake Peavy was the picker, but this season will hopefully be more exciting. Maybe they’ll finally convince Joe Namath to do it.
Who would you like to see as Alabama’s guest picker?
Alabama and Auburn both control their own destiny into the Final Four of the College Football Playoff. All they have to do is win the rest of their games. Easy enough, right?
Alabama moved up one spot in the poll from sixth to fifth as it heads to No. 16 LSU this weekend. But even with the bye week rankings boost, Nick Saban still doesn’t care.
“This is the game we play this week, and that’s where our total focus is — on this one game, because that’s the most important thing to us right now this week,” Saban said Monday. “Be where your feet are. This is where we are right now, this is the most important thing to us.
“Rankings really mean nothing right now at all to our team, but if we’re going to have a chance to end up where we have any opportunities at the end of the season, whether it’s SEC or Playoff or anything like that, then we have to care of business today.”
But just in case you are not Saban and would like to know where the teams sit in this second week of the committee ranking, here it is.
1. Mississippi State
2. Florida State
3. Auburn
4. Oregon
5. Alabama
6. TCU
7. Kansas State
8. Michigan State
9. Arizona State
10. Notre Dame
11. Mississippi
12. Baylor
13. Nebraska
14. Ohio State
15. Oklahoma
16. LSU
17. Utah
18. UCLA
19. Arizona
20. Georgia
21. Clemson
22. Duke
23. West Virginia
24. Georgia Tech
25. Wisconsin
The midterm elections are upon us, and with some SEC fans feeling a bit unsatisfied with the options they were given on the ballot, they have decided to write in some more preferable options.
And we’re not just talking about Nick Saban receiving hundreds of votes, which he typically does every election cycle. This is the SEC faithful digging deep and searching for the right candidate, even on down-ballot races.
First, Amari Cooper is already in the running for the Heisman, but at least one Alabamian believes he should be angling for an even higher prize — the governor’s office.
I did my part. pic.twitter.com/hlM55H3Qok
— David Ikard (@davidikard) November 4, 2014
But it looks like Cooper’s going to have to beat out a certain Alabama native and former Auburn basketball star if he’s going to take the state’s highest office.
I hope the rest of you did your civic duty and submitted your ballots with Charles Barkley as the write-in for Governor. #ALPolitics
— Chief (@AUChief) November 4, 2014
Next, Lane Kiffin is no stranger to new jobs, although he seems to have really found a home as Alabama’s offensive coordinator. But at least one Floridian couldn’t cast a ballot without voting for Kiffin for, well, something. And no, it wasn’t for Will Muschamp’s job at UF, although the Gators would probably welcome that possibility at this point.
You’re welcome, Florida. #Kiffin4Everything pic.twitter.com/qvbLNxC4tZ
— Morgan Moriarty (@Morgan_Moriarty) November 4, 2014
Suspended Georgia running back Todd Gurley got some votes, too, as did Muschamp, in Georgia.
.@SethEmerson @ChipTowersAJC The NCAA demanded public service… #FreeGurley pic.twitter.com/qjRqfjzsFx
— Mondo (@mondilator) November 4, 2014
So, whoever you’re voting for, make it count, even if it’s for a junior wide receiver from Florida who happens to play in Alabama.
Alabama offensive lineman Cam Robinson may be returning earlier than expected, after suffering a high ankle sprain against Tennessee two weekends ago.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban said Robinson will be limited in practice Monday, but has been able to run along the sidelines only 10 days removed from his injury.
“We haven’t ruled him out of the game. We’ll have to see how he progresses this week,” Saban said. “He has run on a treadmill and done well at that. We’ll see how he moves around today, not really in practice, but just on the side. If he continues to make progress, he could be a guy that could be available for the game.”
That doesn’t sound overly confident, but it’s something.
Getting the true freshman Robinson — who has been Alabama’s most reliable offensive lineman this season — back against LSU on Saturday would be a huge boost to the Tide’s offense. Robinson has started every game this season and the search to find his replacement has been interesting, with Austin Shepherd and Grant Hill both being mentioned as possible candidates for the job.
But all of the handwringing over finding a replacement for him could end up being for nothing if he suits up this weekend in Baton Rouge. That would be time wasted that, for once, Nick Saban could live with.
There wasn’t as much upheaval in college football over weekend as there has been in recent weeks, but don’t worry, things are probably about to get wild as the days get shorter and the games get better. Florida State survived its Thursday night contest, Auburn outlasted Ole Miss, Oregon squashed Stanford, and Alabama didn’t play.
Here are this week’s power rankings
Like Alabama, Miss. State had to hang on against Arkansas on Saturday, proving that the Bulldogs are resilient and the Razorbacks will be a very annoying team in the years to come.
Auburn keeps doing what Auburn does. It is rarely pretty, but they continue to find ways to win. They traveled to Ole Miss and emerged with a victory — something Alabama failed to do.
The Crimson Tide took a week off to heal up and get ready for their trip to LSU on Saturday. Alabama has Miss. State and Auburn at home this season, but surviving a trip to Baton Rouge comes first.
So, Stanford is no longer an issue for Oregon, as the Ducks trounced their usual conference rival and looked as dominant as ever.
Its opponents are not highly ranked, nor are they very imposing, but Florida State keeps winning. The Seminoles’ victories have been unconvincing this season. They struggled mightily against Louisville on Thursday, but to their credit, they continue to fight back and tear down deficits against inferior opponents.
TCU survived its trip to West Virginia on Saturday, winning 31-30. While their wins haven’t been by large margins — except for last week’s 82-27 win over Texas Tech — the Horned Frogs are playing well. The true test of Big 12 powers will be this weekend as TCU takes on Kansas State.
Ohio State would be in the thick of the playoff hunt if it had not lost to Virginia Tech in Week 2. But this week’s monumental matchup with Michigan State could be the surge the Buckeyes need to get back into the conversation.
(BOTH VIDEOS MAY AUTO-PLAY BECAUSE OF ESPN’S SETTINGS. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.)
Anyone can watch a football game and act like they know better than a coach or an analyst, but nothing beats actual analysis from the coaches and players who were involved. Alabama head coach Nick Saban did just that as he appeared on “SEC Film Room” on the SEC Network.
Saban began by breaking down Alabama’s first offensive play against Tennessee, which was the 80-yard touchdown pass from Blake Sims to Amari Cooper. He then went through the formations and dynamics of the play-call, and noted that started the game a play like that is “really good for team morale and really helps in terms of crowd control.”
The coach then took a look at a play on the defensive side of the ball during which linebacker Reggie Ragland forced a fumble by the Tennessee quarterback. Saban described the intricacies of the Alabama pass rush, which has been lethal this year, already amassing almost as many sacks as last year’s team had all season.
Watch the full segment below:
(Click here to watch on mobile device)
Later in the episode, Alabama safety and Thorpe Award semifinalist Landon Collins talked about what he worked on during the offseason — slot coverage and man-to-man — and defined how his leadership style differs from previous Alabama safeties. Collins then analyzed two plays, the second of watch was an 80-yard pick six.
Watch Collins’ full segment below:
(Click here to watch on mobile device)
As always, Alabama kept the majority of its secrets closely guarded, but it is interesting to see Saban and Collins break down a few key plays from the Tide’s rout Tennessee in Neyland Stadium.
The College Football Playoff committee released its first top 25 ranking Tuesday and had three SEC West teams in the final four, none of which was Alabama.
The person who didn’t watch tonight’s countdown on ESPN and doesn’t care to know that Alabama placed sixth in the poll is Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban.
“To me, none of it matters,” Saban said. “What does it matter? I mean, it only matters where you end up at the end. So what matters to us is how we do in each and every game that we have to play. We have four games left to play, and if we can be successful in those games, maybe there’s a chance we will play in the SEC Championship Game as well.
“None of it matters if we’re not successful in our games. So I don’t even care, to be honest with you. Don’t know and don’t care. It doesn’t matter right now, it’s great for the fans it’s great for the media. They can have an hour show on ESPN about who got ranked and who did this and what Lou Holtz thinks and all that.”
The SEC West placed three teams – Miss. State, Auburn, Ole Miss – into this first iteration of the final four with Florida State being the lone holdout. While many non-SEC fans averted their eyes in disgust, Alabama is on its bye week, not worrying about where it stands on Oct. 28.
The common phrase being used around this poll is “If the season ended today…” Well, it doesn’t end today. It ends in about six weeks, and Saban and his players know that. Alabama still has the second half of its season left, and as a one-loss team, each game is a must-win. Alabama offensive lineman Austin Shepherd echoed Saban’s comments concerning what being ranked in this first poll means to him.
“It means absolutely nothing,” Shepherd said. “We still have three huge games – LSU, Miss. State and Auburn – and I’ll worry about it after that.
“Pretty much you lose a game and you’re done. Coach kind of said it’s our own four-team playoff now. If we win out we control our own destiny so that’s what we’re trying to do.”
With those three games on the horizon – excluding Western Carolina, though, I’m sure Saban respects them fully – Alabama has its toughest run of the season and one of the toughest in the country. LSU came in at No. 19 in the committee’s first poll, and obviously Miss. State placed first with Auburn at No. 3.
Saban wasn’t completely apathetic in his comments about the playoff. He does care about his team being well-regarded, but he knows a lot can happen in these remaining games.
“I’m happy that we’re in the conversation based on what our team has accomplished at this point but the fact of the matter is it really doesn’t matter at all,” Saban said. “What matters is the games you play, how you play in the games, and how much success you can have in the games that you play.”
Finally, a poll that matters, just at the wrong time.
The College Football Playoff committee emerged from its conclave Tuesday to reveal the first College Football Playoff College Football Poll. They name everything so literally.
In the highly anticipated moment, the top four have been set, along with the remaining 21 teams who will play in the regular, old, boring bowl games. The 12 members of the committee met in Grapevine, Texas, in the Gaylord Texan hotel – which they will do every Monday and Tuesday for the remainder of the season – and picked a top 25.
Here it is:
1. Mississippi State
2. Florida State
3. Auburn
4. Ole Miss
5. Oregon
6. Alabama
7. TCU
8. Michigan State
9. Kansas State
10. Notre Dame
11. Georgia
12. Arizona
13. Baylor
14. Arizona State
15. Nebraska
16. Ohio State
17. Utah
18. Oklahoma
19. LSU
20. West Virginia
21. Clemson
22. UCLA
23. East Carolina
24. Duke
25. Louisville
After reading through the teams and weighing the decisions made, a question presents itself. Why does the committee even need to release a poll this early in the season and why does it need to pick a top 25? The only item on the agenda for this group is to select and seed the top four, as well as select the teams for the Cotton, Fiesta and Peach Bowls when they are not being used as championship semifinal locations.
There are plenty of meaningless polls around – AP, Coaches, whatever – that simply serve as water-cooler argument starters. Auburn is ranked over Alabama, Notre Dame is in the top 10, Florida State was jumped by Miss. State for No. 1 while remaining undefeated. The poll is to appease fans, make news (See: I’m writing about it), and fill airtime on ESPN. The unveiling started on 6:30 p.m. Central and the network filled 30 minutes of airtime stretching out the results and discussing it. The show that could be accomplished in two minutes serves as counter-programming to the World Series pregame and the start of the NBA season over on different networks.
Having the committee meet for the remaining six weeks of the season is also unnecessary. Does the college basketball committee release a poll every week? No. It waits until every game has been played, and all of the season’s evidence has been revealed so it can make a marginally informed decision with each team’s full body of work.
This poll also puts a human face onto the decisions. Human faces that can be directly blamed. A college football analyst like Danny Kanell can have his opinion and selectively remove certain teams from contention due to that opinion, but it has no impact on the real world. It’s fodder for television; discussion for sports radio. But if a team is left out by Pat Haden or Condoleezza Rice, it’s their fault.
As controversial as the old BCS computer algorithm was, if 2004 is removed, it correctly selected the best two participants for the national championship game. Why could that not have been expanded to selecting four teams? Why bring in human error and human biases? The Massey Rating collects 104 polls, mostly comprising of computers, and it has four SEC teams as its top four. If the CFB Playoff committee did that, #FSUTwitter would burn the Gaylord Texan hotel to the ground. Three in the top four might be bad enough.
I’ve always been in favor of the playoff, but I’m still concerned about the criteria the committee uses, as well as the effectiveness of their selections. The Playoff’s website lists its principles of selection as “conference championships won, strength of schedule, head-to-head competition, comparative outcomes of common opponents (without incenting margin of victory), and, other relevant factors such as key injuries that may have affected a team’s performance during the season or likely will affect its postseason performance.” This first poll seems to heavily favor strength of schedule and head-to-head wins with Ole Miss ranking above Alabama.
But that last piece of criteria may be a problem. With the computers of the BCS, there were few discrepancies. If Jameis Winston is injured in the ACC title game, Florida State ends up winning and remains undefeated, but he isn’t available in the Playoff game(s), should the Seminoles be in the top four? That’s something the committee may have to decide; something that would invoke ridiculous opinions from both sides.
Hopefully the committee members won’t be influenced by the fire and brimstone of college football fans and maybe they will stay objective throughout this process. But the issue of controversy – which is intended – could be diminished to the one day when the committee makes its final selections, not every Tuesday night on ESPN. Publishing a weekly top 25 when only the top four matter is pointless and feeds the flames that already burn around these polls.
Alabama is No. 6 and Miss. State is first, Auburn is third and Georgia is 11. But before fans get angry, it’s October and those teams still have to play each other. A myriad of teams have one loss and many have decent arguments to participate in the playoff. The chaotic scene of competing teams will calm as the season rolls along and these teams play all of their games.
For those who are currently infuriated, there are weeks of football left to be played. If a team is on the outside looking in this week or if a team made the cut, after the final week of the season all of this will have changed. By Dec. 7, when the committee releases its final poll, final seeding and bowl match-ups, you have my permission to get angry.
After holding Tennessee to 17 points Saturday, Alabama’s Landon Collins and Reggie Ragland were named to their positions’ national award semifinalists list.
Collins was for the second year in a row named as a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist for the nation’s best safety. Collins has been a staple on Alabama’s defense this season, bolstering a secondary that seriously needed the help earlier this season. Collins has 54 tackles – two behind Ragland – and two interceptions.
Antonio Langham won the Crimson Tide’s only Thorpe Award in 1993. Under Saban, safety Mark Barron finished as a finalist in 2011, Dee Milliner did the same in 2012, and Collins will try to win the award in his second year of contention.
Collins is one of four semifinalists from the SEC along with Ronald Martin from LSU and Cody Prewitt and Senquez Golson from Ole Miss’ stout secondary.
Here are the other Thorpe Award semifinalists:
Sam Carter, TCU
Jeremy Cash, Duke
Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Oregon
Kendall Fuller, Virginia Tech
Senquez Golson, Ole Miss
Josh Hawkins, East Carolina
Gerod Holliman, Louisville
Ronald Martin, LSU
Cody Prewitt, Ole Miss
Jordan Richards, Stanford
Zack Sanchez, Oklahoma
Triston Wade, UTSA
Trae Waynes, Michigan State
PJ Williams, Florida State
Ragland, who surpassed Collins for the team lead in tackles last week, was named to the Dick Butkus Award semifinalist list for the nation’s top linebacker. With 56 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and an interception this season, Ragland could be the fourth Alabama linebacker to win the Butkus Award. Derrick Thomas won it in 1988, Rolando McClain was the first Nick Saban player at Alabama to win it in 2009, and C.J. Mosley took home the award last season.
Common thinking would have pegged fellow linebacker Trey DePriest as Alabama’s Butkus Award favorite, but Ragland’s stellar season has put him above his teammate. He joins four other SEC nominees and is the only linebacking nominee from the vaunted SEC West.
Here are the other Butkus semifinalists:
Stephone Anthony, Clemson
Myles Jack, UCLA
Jordan Jenkins, Georgia
A.J. Johnson, Tennessee
Eric Kendricks, UCLA
Hau’oli Kikaha, Washington
Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State
Denzel Perryman, Miami
Hayes Pullard, USC
Jake Ryan, Michigan
Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame
Eric Striker, Oklahoma
Shaq Thompson, Washington
Ramik Wilson, Georgia
Another week has flown by in college football and we’re really starting to learn things about these teams. Ole Miss is no longer perfect, and LSU reminded everyone that playing at night in Baton Rouge is still terrible. Mississippi State and Auburn looked beatable but both finished strong. Notre Dame and Florida State both took the week off after their clash, and TCU scored a lot of points against Texas Tech.
Here are this week’s power rankings.
And then there was one… team from Mississippi that’s still undefeated. The Bulldogs survived their trip to Lexington with a victory over Kentucky. The Wildcats made it interesting for a while, but quarterback and probably Heisman frontrunner Dak Prescott led Miss. State to their now 7-0 record.
In Lane Kiffin’s return to Knoxville, Alabama came out firing. Its 27-0 deficit was too large for Tennessee to match, though, the Vols did make a valiant effort. The Crimson Tide relaxed a little too much after amassing such a big lead, but it ended up not mattering. Alabama has a bye week this week to prepare for its visit to LSU Nov. 8.
Auburn absorbed everything Steve Spurrier and South Carolina threw at them and survived. The defense still needs some work, but Auburn’s offense is potent. And with every passing week, the Tigers’ wins over LSU and Kansas State look better and better. Auburn travels to Oxford this Saturday to face the recently defeated Ole Miss Rebels in what should be another offensive showdown.
Florida State had the week off following its win over Notre Dame. With a Thursday night game at Louisville coming in three days, that game could spell trouble for the Seminoles. But if they survive – which they most likely will – their path to the Playoff is one of the easier ones in college football.
Marcus Mariota threw his first interception of the season. Someone alert the selection committee. Seriously, though, Oregon is the best team in the Pac-12 by far and its loss to Arizona is the only thing keeping it from being a lock for the playoff.
Similarly to Oregon, Michigan State has one loss (coincidentally, a loss to Oregon) and doesn’t necessarily control its own destiny as far as the final four is concerned. But the Spartans definitely control the state of Michigan, beating their intrastate rivals 35-11 on Saturday.
So, Ole Miss lost at LSU at night 10-7. The bad side of Rebels quarterback Bo Wallace reared its head as the gunslinger threw multiple interceptions to end the game. But with games against Auburn and Mississippi State remaining, Ole Miss might be able to sneak back into the conversation with victories.
The SEC East still exists and Georgia is playing quite well in it. The Bulldogs still have to play Auburn, but their road to Atlanta for the SEC championship game is clear, as is the road to the national title if they happen to win the SEC.
As far as quality losses go, Notre Dame is top dog. It just doesn’t work as well when the team doesn’t have any quality wins. The Irish are still a good team and gave Florida State all it could handle, but ended up on the losing side. They’re a top 10 team, but not a playoff contender.
The Horned Frogs demolished Texas Tech over the weekend, scoring more than their basketball team usually does and winning 82-27. With games against West Virginia and Kansas State on the horizon, TCU could potentially make a title run with a clean slate through the rest of the season.
What started as a personal vendetta to see how many points Alabama could score, turned into an injury-ridden slugfest as the Crimson Tide beat Tennessee 34-20.
Similarly to last week’s game against Texas A&M, in the first quarter, it wasn’t a matter of whether Alabama would win, it was by how much, as the Tide amassed a 27-0 lead to start the game.
In Lane Kiffin’s return to Knoxville, Alabama head coach Nick Saban said the team wasn’t affected by the noise in Neyland Stadium.
“Lane’s done a really good job for us all year,” Saban said. “The players like him, respond well to him. He’s really a good coach. And I think while all the people in Tennessee are pissed off at him, it’s because they know he’s a good coach and they were upset when he left. I get that, I understand that.”
In the first quarter, the offense under Kiffin was, as Alabama safety Landon Collins says, “balling.” Wide receiver Amari Cooper had 185 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter alone, and quarterback Blake Sims decided to join the party with a 24-yard touchdown run of his own.
Cooper started the game off with an 80-yard touchdown reception on the first offensive play from scrimmage. He apparently loves playing in Knoxville. In his last trip to Neyland Stadium he had seven catches for 162 yards and 2 touchdowns, tonight he finished with nine receptions for 224 yards and two touchdowns. Cooper passed former Alabama great Julio Jones for most receiving yards in a game and also passed Jones for second all-time in receiving yards. Cooper needs just 55 yards to pass D.J. Hall for the top spot on the career list.
Alabama had scored 93 unanswered points until Tennessee finally scored with seven minutes remaining in the second quarter.
That second quarter, however, slowed down for the Crimson Tide as it reverted to how it played on the road earlier this season.
Alabama’s defense was swarming in the first half, but the Vols switched out quarterbacks and started playing well with Josh Dobbs under center. After a few big runs and a couple of successful pass plays, Tennessee had 239 yards just before the half on an Alabama defense that came into the game allowing an average of only 262 yards per game, good for No. 3 in the nation in total defense.
“I think what we did is we relaxed a little bit, but you’ve got to give Tennessee’s guys a whole lot of credit because they surely didn’t flinch,” Saban said. “They didn’t give up at all. They kept playing hard.”
Tennessee was able to bring the score to within 10 points, but that was as close as it would get. Even with a late fumble from Sims, what sealed the game was a backbreaking drive from Alabama to make it 34-17 late in the third quarter. It was a slow, methodical, typical Alabama drive with four third down conversions and a touchdown from Derrick Henry at the end.
“I was really proud of the way our guys competed in the second half,” Saban said. “When they made the score 27-17, and we put a great drive together offensively, and went down and scored, that was huge in the game.”
Alabama wasn’t without its low points in the game, with offensive lineman Cam Robinson going down with what is now being called a high ankle sprain. Safety Landon Collins had to hobble to the locker room with cramps but would eventually return. The Crimson Tide could have also finished the game off with two potential scores but fumbled the ball twice on the goal line.
Early on Alabama looked like it could have hung triple digits on Tennessee, but the game became one of survival instead of domination. But in Kiffin’s return, Alabama hung on to win the team’s eighth straight victory over Tennessee.
“I’m still wanting this team to be a consistently dominant team like we were last week for 60 minutes in the game, and you see signs of it, but we weren’t able to do it the whole time,” Saban said. “But I have to give Tennessee’s players a whole lot of credit.”
AUBURN, Ala.–Auburn returned home after its bye week to a surprising shootout that ended with a 42-35 win over South Carolina Saturday.
“Obviously, this is a big win for us at home,” Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said. “Lot of adversity we faced but our guys found a way to win.”
This game was a battle of wits on the offensive side with South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier going for it on six 4th downs, consecutively converting the first five. With a 4-3 record — now 4-4 — the Gamecocks played with nothing to lose, and it showed. South Carolina called everything from a double-reverse pass play with the wide receiver throwing it to the Gamecock’s quarterback, to a successful onside kick midway through the third quarter.
“We knew they weren’t kicking field goals. We knew it, they knew it, everyone knew it,” Malzahn said. “They’re a very good team. [Spurrier] is one of the best coaches to ever walk the sideline. When you’re against a guy like that and he’s on his A game, it’s pretty tough.”
This was a game full of defensive blunders and an inability to stop clearly superior offenses, but we’ll focus on the positives. The offensive display all around — with both teams gaining over 500 yards of total offense — was staggering. Every time Auburn would go up, South Carolina would counter.
“We knew it would be a shootout,” Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall said. “We knew we would get South Carolina’s best effort from everybody on the offensive and defensive side.”
Marshall led the charge the entire game, operating the read option perfectly at times. He wasn’t asked to pass very often, finishing with 139 yards and one passing touchdown, but he was efficient. He didn’t turn the ball over and crushed the Gamecocks with his legs, gaining 90 yards on the ground and three crucial touchdowns. Auburn pounded the ball on the ground and South Carolina couldn’t do much about it. Running back Cameron Artis-Payne had 167 yards and a touchdown, and wide receiver Ricardo Louis had 102 yards and a touchdown.
However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Auburn. South Carolina took the lead three times and tied the game twice after Auburn had gone ahead. The Gamecocks were always fighting and competing, taking advantage of the opportunities when they presented themselves. South Carolina quarterback Dylan Thompson threw five touchdowns and wide receiver Pharoah Cooper had 127 yards and two receiving touchdowns on only seven receptions.
But Auburn proved to be too good, intercepting Thompson twice in the end zone in the fourth quarter, most importantly on a game-ending hail mary attempt.
“When it’s going back and forth like that,” Auburn wide receiver Quan Bray said, “our confidence is higher because we know we can score in any moment in the game.”
Auburn got to celebrate its last-second win and will carry that momentum into next week when it travels to Oxford, Miss. to take on the recently defeated (losing tonight to LSU) Ole Miss Rebels.
Tonight showed once again that the Tigers are able to push through adversity when it counts.
“It felt great,” Marshall said. “We’re back to playing Auburn football.”
With Lane Kiffin coming to town, Tennessee fans are sparing no expense to do funny things with his image and likeness.
This tailgate, for instance, offers the opportunity for fellow fans to pin the tail on Kiffin, with the potential of winning an autographed Kiffin football.
What do you think of this tailgate party game at the Oak Ridge Chamber? Live here @ 4:30 pic.twitter.com/wxoZg2fa0O
— Kayla Strayer (@kaylastrayer) October 23, 2014
Do Tennessee fans even want a Kiffin-signed UT football? I guess they could deflate it and do weird voodoo things with it, or just throw it in the river.
The return of Kiffin opens the door to limitless tailgating possibilities. Gone are the days of being hung in effigy or burned at the stake, like Saban apparently was when he returned to LSU for the first time. That’s tacky, and goes a little too far. Kiffin’s mom is already worried about his safety. So maybe make a Kiffin piñata or a Kiffin lookalike dunk tank. Harmless, only semi-violent ways to show disdain for a former coach.
It’s unclear if anyone has successfully pinned the tail on Kiffin, but this orange-clad child is having more fun than anyone seriously trying.
Greyson is trying to pin the tail on Kiffin, but balloons can be distracting! #govols pic.twitter.com/B7l1arBxLz
— Kayla Strayer (@kaylastrayer) October 23, 2014
(Above: Coach Saban’s Wednesday press conference)
The last time Tennessee finished a season with a winning record, Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin was the head coach.
This is not a new revelation or some astounding discovery, but the Vols haven’t been very good in a while. But Alabama head coach Nick Saban doesn’t treat anyone lightly, especially a historical rival.
“When you play in these types of games, it’s more about the rivalry than it is the current record,” Saban said Wednesday. “I think the game means a lot to a lot of people, and one of the things you’re probably going to get asked one day down the road is, ‘What was your record when you played against Tennessee?’”
This question will be an easy one for Saban to answer in the future with a pristine 7-0 record against the Volunteers while being the head coach at Alabama.
His record is spotless, and Saban would like to keep it that way, saying on offense it all starts with quarterback Blake Sims.
“When you play quarterback, I think everybody has an expectation that you’re going to execute and do the things that will distribute the ball correctly whether it’s on a running play or a passing play, relative to what defense they’re playing,” Saban said. “When we don’t communicate well and we don’t execute and everybody’s not on the same page, it affects the other guys. That’s the most important thing that we expect from Blake because when he does that, we really play well and we play with a lot of confidence.”
In a raucous Neyland Stadium, the importance of communication will be at an all-time high. Tennessee’s chancellor Jimmy Cheek reprimanded the school’s student section after “unacceptable chants” that were said this past weekend against Florida. With Kiffin’s return to Knoxville, Cheek will most likely have to send a few more letters after the chants they have for Alabama’s new coordinator.
Alabama safety Landon Collins said in a hostile environment like Neyland, he has heard plenty of funny jeers and chants — nothing he could share publicly, of course — but once the game starts, he just has to focus on his game and silence the outside distractions.
“The atmosphere when we play them is always a grueling fight with them. We always get their best game,” Collins said. “It fires me up, definitely, to hear the boos, but on the field we don’t hear it. Going through the tunnels you definitely hear it. It gets louder and louder as you walk out, and it just pumps you up because you know their fan base and their team is just like, ‘Y’all don’t have nothing on us.’ We’re just ready to show them what we have.”
Another way to stay competitive against Tennessee is the constant influx of new talent at Alabama. With a new recruiting class comes players who want to play immediately, and Saban got a little philosophical Wednesday, talking about his players keeping themselves motivated.
“One of the things I’ve mentioned to a couple of the younger players, who we have really been trying to work in to give us some additional depth and create roles for, is sometimes they get frustrated with the fact that maybe the reputation and the expectation is not necessarily what’s happening for them,” Saban said. “That creates a little bit of frustration, but I think the thing you want guys to do is focus on the things that they control. If what you have is different from what you want, change what you do. Change how you do it, that’s what you control. That gives you the best chance to get better. It gives you the best chance to improve. It gives you the best chance to help the team and it most certainly gives you the best chance to be the best player you can be, which is our goal for every player that we have.”
Alabama will need to be sharper on the road than it was against Ole Miss and Arkansas, but against a 3-4 Tennessee team with blowout losses against Oklahoma and Ole Miss and narrow losses against Florida and Georgia, that shouldn’t be an issue. As long as Alabama controls what it can, the result should be lopsided.
But it’s still the SEC, it’s still a rivalry and is still taken very seriously by Alabama, regardless of it’s a down year for Tennessee or not.
When asked how his role is different from this year compared to last year, Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland had a quick answer.
“Getting on the field really,” Ragland said. “Finally getting a chance to get on the field because, you know, I had All-Americans in front of me.”
With C.J. Mosley and Nico Johnson above him on the depth chart for years, Ragland had to wait his turn. But now that he’s getting some time, the former five-star recruit is playing well. He’s second only to Landon Collins in tackles with 45, has five tackles for loss, two recovered fumbles, and has defensed three passes. He also had a highlight-reel, quick twitch interception Saturday against Texas A&M. And he actually caught his interception, unlike safeties Nick Perry and Collins who dropped seemingly easy opportunities. Ragland was even named as one of the defensive players of the week by the Alabama coaching staff after A&M.
But the first game of the season was difficult for Ragland. As a first-time starter and without the sturdy reliability of Trey DePriest, who was suspended, Ragland allowed some big plays against West Virginia, which he admits was humbling for him.
“It shows what I had to do to keep getting better as the year goes on,” Ragland said. “It showed me how to stay focused on the task and I just made sure I get everything to slow down for me. At first it was real fast, but everything’s starting to slow down and I can see it before it starts to come now.”
Slowing the game down to his speed was critical, and it was Collins, along with his coaches, who served as Ragland’s voice of reason, telling him to stay patient.
“I told him, ‘Once it slows down for you, you’re going to really ball,’” Collins said. “Now he’s flying around and making plays. I told him, ‘You’re going to be the same you were in high school, just keep doing what you’re doing. You’ll learn.’
“If you watch the stuff he’s been doing, he’s been tremendous for our defense, making third down stops and getting off the field.”
But it isn’t simply Ragland who has stepped up for Alabama’s defense. The unit as a whole is ranked third in the country in total defense, only allowing an average of 262 yards per game. Alabama’s secondary had a near-flawless game against Texas A&M.
“Defensively, this is the best we’ve played against this kind of offense,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said Saturday. “I thought being physical and breaking on the ball really had an effect on the game.”
But receivers can’t catch the ball if the quarterback doesn’t have time to throw. The Crimson Tide’s defensive push started with its pass rush, which has been lethal this year, accounting for 19 sacks, already just three short of tying last year’s season total of 22.
“The pass rush is more explosive off the ball, and everybody is doing their job,” Ragland said. “It’s the will to want to. Everybody is willing and wanting to.”
The energy on Alabama’s defense was palpable Saturday, with the sidelines bouncing and the crowd pumping them up.
“Everybody was into it,” Ragland said. “The D-Linemen were very crunk and enthused and if we keep being enthused by everything we do, I think the sky’s the limit for us.”
As the Crimson Tide venture back out onto the road this weekend, Ragland and Alabama’s defense will be ready to continue slowing the game down, as well as opposing offenses.
As we’ve determined through copious amounts of research, Lane Kiffin is not well-liked in the state of Tennessee.
Apparently his stature in Tennessee is so bad that comparing a political opponent to him is a successful tactic. Regardless of Rep. Gloria Johnson’s record, capitalizing on #bamahateweek and Lane Kiffin hatred is just smart politics.
How much does #Tennessee dislike Lane Kiffin? Enough that he is used in a political hit piece. [photo] #Election2014 pic.twitter.com/36h2fumDLY
— Jarryd Gonzales (@jarrydgonzales) October 20, 2014
“It’s time to show big talkers like Lane Kiffin and Gloria Johnson that we mean business” is how the campaign mailer reads in bold print.
Although it does make sense to link Kiffin and his lack of commitment to Tennessee to an opponent, some of the claims made against Johnson are not in line with Kiffin’s record. Kiffin has never passed any legislative bills, and after being fired multiple times, has created plenty of job openings to fill. He has never filed legislation to give himself more time off work, instead he insists on working, even when it’s detrimental to the team. Maybe Johnson is more suited to be a coordinator.
While Kiffin has seemingly found a successful home running Alabama’s offense, he is still a piñata in the state of Tennessee. Alabama returns to Knoxville this Saturday, and hopefully Johnson can link her opponent to Derek Dooley – somebody who kept all his promises to Tennessee, but was terrible anyway.
Follow Jonathan on Twitter @Jonathan_Biles
Twitter is a valuable resource for news and information, but during football games it becomes the largest, mostly alcohol-free sports bar with plenty of opinions and jokes for everyone. Some tweets are better than others, and here are those better ones concerning the Alabama-Texas A&M game.
how many souls are trapped inside that statue RT @ZacEllis: Said hello to Nick Saban en route to the press box. pic.twitter.com/p8pWpzZwK7
— martin rickman (@martinrickman) October 18, 2014
Then the game started and quickly became ugly for Texas A&M.
Is the Texas A&M offense out on the field dressed in Alabama uniforms?
— John Zenor (@jzenor) October 18, 2014
ROLL PUNS http://t.co/Ft0sTyEvGa pic.twitter.com/6xc1LiFWKu
— SB Nation (@SBNation) October 18, 2014
Sims to Cooper, plus 24 and it is 38-0 here in the Roman Coliseum with the lions leading.
— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) October 18, 2014
We're just lulling Alabama into a false sense of security.
Right?
— Good Bull Hunting (@GBHunting) October 18, 2014
Then the first half ended.
First half highlights of Texas A&M-Alabama: pic.twitter.com/Y4sE54qmzu
— ESPNU (@ESPNU) October 18, 2014
"Verne let's take a look at the first half trends for Texas A&M" pic.twitter.com/b5V6Uono1J
— Good Bull Hunting (@GBHunting) October 18, 2014
#TAMU like "Coach we at halftime yet?"…the answer is finally YES. #BAMA 45 #TAMU 0 pic.twitter.com/R0oVAloDXR
— B.J. Millican (@bjmillican) October 18, 2014
Even Johnny Manziel weighed in on the Alabama beat-down.
He quickly deleted the tweet, but screenshots are forever.
The blow out had gotten so bad, Texas commit Charles Omenihu tried to sway Aggie commits over to the Longhorns.
2015 defensive A&M commits there is still spots left at Texas come play under a great defensive staff ✊✊
— Charles #⃣7⃣ (@charless_94) October 18, 2014
Offensive players are welcome too !!!
— Charles #⃣7⃣ (@charless_94) October 18, 2014
But before those recruits arrive, Texas A&M can blame Alabama’s defense and this man. Not me, click the link.
Alabama’s gameplan today https://t.co/hlUbtLZ01b
— Jonathan Biles (@Jonathan_Biles) October 18, 2014
And maybe her, too.
Obviously I'm wearing my lucky panties today!! #RollTideRoll
— Melissa Joan Hart (@MelissaJoanHart) October 18, 2014
Injured Alabama running back Kenyan Drake was on the sideline.
Can't wait to be on the sidelines tomorrow for the first time since being injured cheering on my teammates along with 101k+ strong #rolltide
— Kenyan Drake™ (@KDx17) October 17, 2014
He brought snacks.
Kenyan Drake only carries the essentials in his scooter: Oatmeal Creme Pies. #TAMUvsBAMA pic.twitter.com/pQy7XA7tdL
— SEConCBS (@SEConCBS) October 18, 2014
But back to the game.
In the house that JK Scott built RT @marctorrence: Drew Kaser with an anti-Heisman moment right there.
— Jonathan Biles (@Jonathan_Biles) October 18, 2014
JK Scott kicked the extra point, btw. Good to see him earning his scholarship.
— Marquavius Burnett (@Marq_Burnett) October 18, 2014
If anybody leaves this Alabama game early, Nick Saban will personally chase after them in the parking lot, and haul them back inside.
— Ron Higgins (@RonHigg) October 18, 2014
Camera shows A&M couple in stands, notes tradition of kissing date when A&M scores. Gary: "We have a better chance of kissing than they do."
— Marc Torrence (@marctorrence) October 18, 2014
And then it was all over.
At least now Bama’s gonna get another shot at Oklahoma in the Liberty Bowl.
— Ryan Nanni (@celebrityhottub) October 18, 2014
Follow Jonathan on Twitter @Jonathan_Biles