ACC Announces Future Sport Structure After 2012 Spring Meetings - The Official Athletic Site of the Atlantic Coast Conference

Swofford said schools considered options for a four-team playoff model and expressed a "strong preference" for one that would incorporate the bowls for at least the two semifinals _ if not also the championship game. He said the schools also would opt for a selection process that gives preference to conference champions. "They felt that was important as it relates to the regular season and as it relates to the meaningfulness of being a champion in order to play for the national championship," Swofford said. "So there's a preference there for incorporating conference champions into this, as best it could be done. And it may be difficult to make it four conference champions, but the feeling was, look at a hybrid that includes conference champions that meet a certain standard within the rankings. ... Maybe there's an at-large berth open. So we're interested in looking at that type of model first, as well as consideration of a 1-2-3-4 ranking model."

The Big Ten Has A Very Complicated Relationship With Cold Weather - From Our Editors - SBNation.com

"Let's say Ohio State is hosting and it's January or December, and let's say it is 5 degrees. Is that right for the game? We're not pro." -- Gene Smith on the Big Ten ruling out playoff games at home stadiums, May 15

"New York City is the financial sports capital of the world. It's a global city like Chicago. We'll have conversations with them." -- Jim Delany on the Big Ten looking into December's outdoor Pinstripe Bowl, May 16

This all comes after a lifetime's worth of implications that weather-deprived teams from the pampered South would need to wheel enormous tubs of sizzling pork grease onto their sidelines just to survive a December game up North, though that one wasn't exactly an official Big Ten statement.

Big Ten fans: Chill the griping about SEC football weather patterns | al.com

Bad weather? The NFL embraces it and thrives as the most-successful sports league on the planet. Campus sites only help the Big Ten? Current Big Ten teams would have been a semifinal host 10 times under the BCS, the same as the Pac-12 and fewer than the SEC (14) and Big 12 (13). Instead, the Big Ten says campus sites would hurt the bowl experience for players. Yet the Big Ten correctly supports changing bowl eligibility from 6-6 to 7-5 that would kill some bowls. Apparently, all bowl experiences aren't created equal. The Big Ten could have at least pushed for open bidding on the semifinals, potentially moving some "neutral" games out of the South. Domed semifinals in Detroit and Indianapolis -- where the Big Ten avoids the cold for its comfy conference championship -- would pump money into the Midwest's economy, save travel costs for Big Ten fans, and help the league's chances to win. Instead, the Big Ten clings to the Rose Bowl, which undeniably is a valuable property. Big Ten fans and players love going to Pasadena. But think they might want to win national titles, too? Think they might want home-field playoff advantage to finally silence the SEC? The Big Ten demonstrated once and for all it doesn't crave trophies like the SEC. Frankly, who does?

SEC Must Resist Jim Delany's Attempts to Manipulate College Football - Bama Hammer - An Alabama Crimson Tide Fan Site

That the Southeastern Conference is the strongest football conference in the country is beyond dispute. Its champion has won five of the last six BCS Championships, and lost the last one to SEC rival Alabama. And it’s not a question of outspending, either; the SEC has only the third-highest television contract among the major conferences, and Alabama is behind Texas and Ohio State in total revenue. The SEC has the strong hand in this battle. They must make a firm stand against the NCAA and those member organizations that want to carve up the college football landscape into an Upward football, everyone-gets-a-trophy league where everybody makes money and nobody has to work hard to excel. What we are seeing in the statements by conference officials is an admission that their teams cannot win a national championship on the field, so it must be won in the public relations department. Once again, a superior product that has vanquished its competition must be sacrificed on the altar of fairness and parity.

Schedule analysis: Alabama - SEC Blog - ESPN

Telltale stretch: Alabama faces three road tests in a four-week stretch beginning with Missouri on Oct. 13 in Columbia, Mo. A trip to Tennessee follows the next week and then it's back home to face Mississippi State on Oct. 27. You can bet that the Crimson Tide will get all three teams' best shots, which will make that trip to Baton Rouge to face LSU on Nov. 3 all the more difficult.

Rapid reaction from Alabama QB commit Cooper Bateman's offensive coordinator, national experts | al.com

"He's one of our top targets as well. He was one of the first quarterbacks we invited to the Under Armour All-American Game. We've been excited about him as well. This is a class that is long on pocket passers. That's a little bit unique because the last couple of classes have had a lot of dual-threat type guys. Bateman's the type of guy that fits into Alabama's scheme. He's a drop-back guy that fits into Alabama's scheme. He's a drop-back guy that can play from under center, he can play out of the shotgun. He has a great feeling for timing, anticipation, ball-handling skills. He can make all the columns of a throw that you want him to make in the pocket. I think it's a fantastic marriage between a school's offensive philosophy and Bateman's skill set."

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OK, by now you've heard what has lit up the college football interwebs this afternoon, Alabama and West Virginia are looking at a matchup in the 2014 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta's Georgia Dome. Numerous sources claim Coach Saban has said this at recent Crimson Caravan events and, earlier this afternoon, The Charleston Daily Mail's WVU beat writer, Mike Casazza, confirmed it.

This WVU v. Alabama thing is basically done done. I'm told the juggling is finished and the one 2014 opponent has disappeared.

— Mike Casazza (@mikecasazza) May 17, 2012

That "done done" wasn't a typo, he tweeted later. " That was how level of confidence was conveyed to me." Casazza later followed up with a bona fide story on the developments citing WVU deputy director of athletics Mike Parsons as his source. So, alrighty then... looks like we are good to go.

Of course we still need to get a confirmation from the Alabama side and, like all of these types of things, some detail in the negotiations could derail things at the last minute. But it's seeming pretty likely that a matchup between Holgorsen's shoot-out-the-lights offense and Saban's bone crushing defense is gonna happen.

So, after the jump, let's check out some of the initial reactions to the news...

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Nick Saban and company went a long way today towards solidifying the long-term outlook of the quarterback position at Alabama by landing Cooper Bateman, the 6'3 and 210 pound quarterback prospect out Salt Lake City, Utah. Bateman made his commitment public earlier this morning with a press release, the relevant excerpt of which is provided by the Daily 'Bama Blog:

"This has been a great time in my life, I have had the rare opportunity to be able to choose from many great schools that would allow me to get a college degree and continue to play the game that I love.This has been a very difficult decision only because I was able to meet and get to know so many wonderful coaches at so many great universities.

"I have chosen to attend the University of Alabama. I am honored that I will get to learn from Coach Saban and Coach Nussmeier and will get to represent Alabama, the state and the University. I want to thank my coaches at Cottonwood for all they have done for me and mostly to my parents who have made this all possible."

Consider this an addition that speaks for itself. Bateman held offers from nearly every school in the country, and most recruiting services have him as one of the top quarterback prospects in the country. In terms of his caliber as a prospect, he is very similar to what AJ McCarron and Phillip Sims were prior to matriculating to Tuscaloosa. He is less of a developmental project and more of someone who can legitimately be considered a viable starting candidate in the intermediate-to-long term, and if he can live up to the billing he will likely be the starting quarterback at Alabama as a second-year player in 2014.

In terms of a physical skill set, Bateman has all the attributes that coaches desire. Very few quarterbacks possess good size, a strong arm, and above-average mobility, but Bateman brings all three into the fold and that is the main reason why he comes as heavily regarded as he does. He's no surefire bet for the next level, of course, and admittedly the footwork needs further development, he will have to transition to an offense that typically operates with the quarterback under center, and coming out of the Utah prep ranks will not make for an easy acclimation to the SEC. Even so, the shortcomings generally pale in comparison to the outstanding physical tools.

On the whole, adding Bateman has to induce a major sigh of relief from the coaching staff. With the transfer of Phillip Sims the future of the quarterback position is very much up in the air in Tuscaloosa, and there is no guarantee that either Phillip Ely or Alec Morris will ever be able to be a viable player of SEC caliber. Both were signed as developmental projects of varying degrees, and by adding a prospect with the physical skill set of Bateman there is more certainty with respect to having a player at the position who can play at an acceptable level against quality competition.

Given the shortage of depth at quarterback, it has generally been assumed that Alabama would sign two quarterbacks in this class, and with Bateman in the fold it gives the 'Bama staff additional time to evaluate other quarterback prospects during summer camp and the upcoming prep football season. Riley Ferguson of North Carolina, for example, has been strongly linked to Alabama as a possibility, for example, but getting the verbal commitment of a prospect such as Bateman provides the luxury of further evaluations before making any firm personnel decisions.

Finally, it would be an omission not to note that there could be some concerns about Bateman keeping his commitment through this January because he is the caliber of prospect that opposing coaches will continue to recruit -- and the fact that he is roughly 1,800 miles from Tuscaloosa will surely create some concern -- but Bateman intends to enroll early and for now it seems he plans to shut down his recruitment and not take any other visits. There is nothing at the moment to indicate that this will be a major problem, but it should be duly noted from the outset as a possibility.

Bateman becomes the twelfth commitment of the 2013 recruiting class.

Addendum: Todd posted his junior clip earlier, but here are some sophomore highlights from YouTube:

Tide rides reputation as nation's top DB producer (videos) | al.com

With six Crimson Tide defensive backs chosen in the NFL Draft in the last four years, Alabama has earned a reputation as arguably the nation's top producer of talent in the secondary. Nick Saban and his staff have made defensive back a major position of priority on the recruiting trail every year at Alabama and the Class of 2013 figures to be no different, according to BamaOnline recruiting analyst Tim Watts. "Nick Saban is very particular when it comes to the defensive back positions. Especially corners," Watts said. "All told I think they will add four, maybe five when all is said and done. In every class they look for a couple of elite guys at those positions."

TideSports.com - It's still spring for Saban

As is the norm, Saban fielded questions on Tuesday about local players on the Crimson Tide roster - in this case, cornerback Deion Belue and H-back Brent Calloway of nearby Russellville. "Deion and Brent both had really good springs," Saban said. "I think they will contribute. I am proud of the way they've done things." Saban also mentioned Belue, who played two years at Northeast Mississippi Junior College after graduating from Deshler High School in nearby Tuscumbia, as one of "two new guys" who have a chance to contribute "for sure" after going through spring practice. The other was running back T.J. Yeldon. "Hopefully, we'll satisfy some more needs on our team with some of the players who are coming in this summer," Saban said. "The biggest thing a freshman has to do is to mature into his role, and you can never be 100 percent sure how they will do that."

Notes and quotes from Nick Saban's appearance in Florence: A DeAndrew White update, praise for Brent Calloway and more | al.com

"I really do miss spring recruiting and not being able to go on the road," Saban said. "We've adapted and my involvement is talking on video conferences and the telephone. Try to do as much as I can in evaluation and get ready for next year's opponents. "When our players come back, we start our camps and we can't work with our players in the summertime but our strength and conditioning coaches do that. Try to get ready and prepare for the season." Saban said he'll be able to take some genuine downtime midway through June after all of the team's summer camps. "You just got to shut down sometimes," Saban said. "It's important for the coaches to do that and it's certainly important for our support staff to be able to do that. "Our strength and conditioning coaches' down time is now. When the players aren't there. They come back and slowly take over in the summertime.

Nick Saban skeptical of Steve Spurrier's proposal to count only division games toward division championships | al.com

"I just think that's one of those things that's not always going to be controlled," Saban said. "It's not manipulated with who you play. We have a rotation, we have to go through it. "I think the other division games you play on the other side are important to our fans and there's a lot of tradition involved in some of those games. I think if you minimize the importance of those games, that wouldn't be in the best interest of our league."

NCAA would be wise to use selection committee for potential four-team playoff - Andy Staples - SI.com

A mover-shaker type asked me an excellent playoff question at the ACC spring meetings this week. How do you avoid a Stanford-Oregon situation? As conference leaders across the country hammer out their playoff preferences during the next few weeks, that question will dominate the conversation. It seems clear leaders know what they want (a four-team playoff) and where they want the semifinals played (in bowls), but they can't seem to agree on who should make the field and how that group should be selected. ACC and Big Ten leaders threw their support behind a model that gives preference to conference champions. The Big Ten would like to see conference champions within the top six in the playoff. Those leagues will face staunch opposition from the SEC, which will sensibly argue that the four best teams regardless of affiliation should make the tournament. But no matter how that debate ends, the next step should be the creation of a blue-ribbon selection committee to pick the teams.

SEC spring wrap 2012 - ESPN

While defending national champion Alabama is down a handful of stellar defensive starters from last season's historic season, the Crimson Tide can't be counted out. The defense has more than capable players ready to fill holes. Nico Johnson and C.J. Mosley are ready to take over at linebacker, while Jesse Williams and Damion Square will lead up front. The secondary still has veterans Dee Milliner and Robert Lester and welcomes junior college studs Deion Belue and Travell Dixon. "We're going to be younger on defense. We don't have as much experience, but we've got some good players," coach Nick Saban said. "I was pleased with the progress that we made -- not satisfied with where we need to be."

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