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A day after naming 14 Alabama players to its preseason All-SEC team, highly-regarded college football publication Athlon Sports placed eight Crimson Tide players on its preseason All-America teams. The Tide’s eight selections leads the nation along with the eight chosen from Clemson, the team Alabama defeated in the 2016 College Football Playoff Championship Game. Alabama’s four first team selections – sophomore wide receiver Calvin Ridley, junior offensive tackle Cam Robinson, senior defensive lineman Jonathan Allen and junior punter JK Scott – is the most among all programs. Seniors Reuben Foster (linebacker) and Eddie Jackson (safety) were named to the second team while junior tight end O.J. Howard and senior linebacker Tim Williams were named to the fourth team.
Tim Williams is being grossly underlooked here at OLB. And, once again, Minkah Fitzpatrick is getting zero love from the national rags. Surprising to not see Marlon Humphrey get at least a little nod. He was lights-out down the stretch last season, and I suspect he, along with Harrison, Sixpatrick and Jackson, will all earn postseason awards of some stripe.
College football's cupcake games are about more than just easy wins - SBNation.com
"For the most part, they don't turn out real good for us, but as long as we can go in and play, that's the most important." Huesman acknowledges that players in the South have their sights set on major programs, not on playing FCS ball. But when players don't get big-school offers, playing against them is a fun consolation. "They're extremely excited to get the opportunity to play in front of 100,000, 105,000 and in a venue like that, and a team they see on TV," Huesman said. "In recruiting, when you can go out and recruit kids, and probably the majority of them are disappointed that Alabama or LSU or Tennessee didn't take them, and you go in the home and say we're gonna play them, it helps in the recruiting process."
If you read any one story today, make it this one. Cupcakes are not just the lifeblood of small programs, but the FCS/midmajor fans love these games. Coaches love these game. Their players love these games. And, while not mentioned, working families love these games -- the Charleston Southerns of the world are often the only affordable games for people to bring their kids along to introduce them to the joy of BDS on a fall afternoon. Scrubs have their place, and that place is not merely to fill up a 12th game or get Auburn bowl eligible.
John Calipari suggests moving SEC basketball tournament to November | AL.com
I said let's not have a postseason tournament," Calipari continued. "Let's have a preseason tournament where you're guaranteed three games. We go somewhere and all the fans come in and we celebrate our league. We'll have great games to start the year and we'll do it prior to the year." He means before the non-conference season, not the league schedule in January. "You have to do it in November," Calipari said. "Play a game or two and then out of the gate, you have a conference tournament. You know you have it for one week. Maybe you have two sites in the same city. Maybe it's in Atlanta. You're doing it every year. Let's all (have) our fans go to Atlanta and everything is geared for the SEC."
John. No. This is awful. Look, we know you're mad about the SEC tournament winding up the day the bracket is released, but this is not the way to get there.
Avery Johnson hopeful Retin Obasohan goes late in NBA draft first round | AL.com
"I'm hoping he can sneak into the late, late first round or somewhere in the second round," Johnson said Tuesday. "But even if he doesn't get drafted, his phone is going to be blowing off the hook and we'll have five or seven teams that are going to want to get him on their summer league team, hopefully singing [sic] a one- or two-year contract with the option of also playing overseas."
Obasohan will play somewhere this year. That much is certain. An athletic ball-handler with his power, scoring, and team-first defense will see a roster. If he goes overseas to develop, let's selfishly hope he winds up in Brussels or Bruges -- I know he'd like to play near his friends and family.
From Bud Stallworth to Eric Bledsoe: Alabama's 33 first-round NBA Draft picks | AL.com
Thirty-three players with Alabama basketball roots have been selected in the first round of the NBA Draft, a total that isn't likely to grow on Thursday night when the NBA holds its 2016 draft.
C'mon, Aye Ell, you're cheating -- you can't claim DeMarcus Cousins just because he was born here. That's an accident of history and freakish genetics, nothing Alabama has done to make him a monster.
Mailbag: Could the Big 12 just kick Baylor out? | FOX Sports
As for the Big 12, commissioner Bob Bowlsby has maintained that the conference will be hands-off as to any Baylor institutional decisions. "We're here to manage athletics contests," he said last month. "That's as far as our involvement should go." The only time in recent history a power conference kicked out a member was the Big East with Temple in the early 2000s, but there was no scandal there, rather prolonged on-field and academic ineptitude coupled with poor support. Along those lines, any decision as severe as kicking Baylor out would likely only result from years of mismanagement going forward.
Looks like Stewie spoke too soon. Not only is the B12 not taking this in their accustomed "just bring us cash, baby" manner, but the conference has demanded a complete, unredacted version of the Baylor report drafted by Pepper Hamilton. If the B12 is actively looking into Title IX complaints as a breach of fiduciary duty and possible NCAA / conference violations, you can bet money that the Committee on Infractions is as well.