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Random Thoughts From Around the Country: That’s a Wrap

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

The Sad LSU Girl encapsulates all that was the 2018 college football season.

Another wild and wacky season of college football is in the books. The year was full of all of our favorites: upsets, letdowns, trap games, sad fans, bad targeting calls, stupid talking heads, annoying coaches, weather cancelled games, hype, overhype, bad GameDay predictions, unusual rankings, faceplants, drama, trick plays that spectacularly failed, and general all around chaos. It was never a dull moment.

SEC Championship - Alabama v Georgia Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

ESS-EE-SEE

The SEC finished with five teams with double-digit wins. Ten of the 14 had winning seasons.

  1. Alabama 14-1 (8-0) - SEC Champ, won the Orange Bowl vs Oklahoma, lost to Clemson, finished second ranked in the nation. UP NEXT: vs. Duke in Atlanta.
  2. Georgia 11-3 (7-1) - SEC East Champs, whined a lot and lost the Sugar Bowl to Texas. UP NEXT: at Vanderbilt
  3. LSU 10-3 (5-3) - Limped by UCF in the Fiesta Bowl . UP NEXT: Georgia Southern comes to magicuh Def Valley.
  4. Florida 10-3 (5-3) - Clobbered Michigan in the Peach Bowl. UP NEXT: vs. Miami (Orlando).
  5. Kentucky 10-3 (5-3) - Hung on to beat Penn State in the Citrus Bowl. UP NEXT: Hosting Toledo.
  6. Texas A&M 9-4 (5-3) - Stomped NC State in the Gator Bowl. UP NEXT: Stomping Texas State.
  7. Missouri 8-5 (4-4) - Shoulda beat Oklahoma State in the Liberty Bowl. UP NEXT: at Wyoming. Huh? Home-and-homing with Wyoming??? Go back to the B12.
  8. Mississippi State 8-5 (4-4) - Poorly coached loss to Iowa in the Outback Bowl. UP NEXT: meeting UL-Lafayette in the Superdome.
  9. Auburn 8-5 (3-5) - Routed Purdue in the Music City Bowl. UP NEXT: vs. Oregon in Dallas.
  10. South Carolina 7-6 (4-4) - Faceplant in the Belk Bowl against Virginia. UP NEXT: poor SC has to go back to Charlotte to face UNC.
  11. Vanderbilt 6-7 (3-5) - Played a good game in the Texas Bowl but lost to Baylor. UP NEXT: hosting UGA.
  12. Tennessee 5-7 - UP NEXT: Georgia State comes a-callin’.
  13. Ole Miss 5-7 - UP NEXT: at Memphis.
  14. Arkansas 2-10 - UP NEXT: Hosting Portland State.

HOW THEY SEE US

Losing the Championship Game was not fun or enjoyable. However, losing with grace and good of heart is a fine attribute.

There are many out there who revel in the Tide’s loss in the National Championship Game. They want to point fingers and laugh, but there is no reason to stoop to their level. Just throw the stats back in their faces. :lol:

  • 139-15 in the last 11 seasons.
  • 55-4 over the last four seasons. (How many games did Aubie lose this year alone?)
  • 5 National Championships in the last ten.
  • 8 SEC West titles
  • 6 SEC Championships

If you were not aware, the Mothership ripped off MELTDOWN with a lame knockoff called THIS WEEK IN SCHADENFREUDE (TWIS). I won’t link it because F them, but you will be somewhat satisfied with the first comment from their latest installment.

This was in response to their lack of material. There will be no feeding off our misery...

Since last Monday, there has been a rash of fake Twitter accounts created that masquerade themselves as Bama fans. They have been going around bashing Saban (using hashtags such as #FireNickSaban), Tua, and the rest of the Tide. If you see any of these, check out the history of their accounts before responding. They are probably BS. There is also a fake Najee Harris Twitter account that has him saying farewell to Tide fans like he is transferring. Najee ardently does not do social media of any kind and never has.

For the most part, I would say the Alabama fanbase held their heads high and carried themselves well. Keep it up and Roll Tide.

THE WACKY WORLD OF CFB PROGNOSTICATORS

I have a theory that Desmond Howard is actually deaf. Ya ever notice when he talks on TV? It’s like he is listening to Pantera on headphONES AND HE FEELS THE NEED TO TALK LIKE THIS!!! Maybe it effects his logic because he was pretty awful in picking conference champs and playoff teams.

That said, I am hereby crowning myself King of the College Game Day Prognosticators for 2018. Because I can.

  • DESI - Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, West Virginia, Washington. Mich over WVU; Bama over UW; Mich over Bama.
  • CORSO - Georgia, Clemson, Wisconsin, Texas, Washington. Clemson over UW; Wisky over UGA; Wisky over Clemson.
  • HERBIE - Alabama, Clemson, Penn State, Oklahoma, Washington. Bama over UW; Clemson over PSU; Bama over Clemson.

MY PICKS

  • Alabama, Clemson, Penn State, Oklahoma, Washington. Bama over Okie; Clemson over PSU; Bama over Clemson.

BAMA STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

Below are the rankings of schedules for each 2018-19 Tide opponent. Alabama ranked #9.

  • Louisville (2-10) SOS #15
  • Arkansas State (8-5) #121
  • La-Laf (7-7) #109
  • Citadel (5-6) #172
  • Mizzou #24
  • Tennessee #2
  • Arkansas #29
  • Old Mississippi #39
  • Texas A&M #6
  • LSU #5
  • Auburn #28
  • MSU #11
  • UGA #10
  • Oklahoma (12-2) #12
  • Clemson (15-0) #25

TOP 70 SAGARIN PLUS A FEW MORE OF INTEREST

RANK TEAM SOS TEAM
1 Clemson 1 UCLA
2 ALABAMA 2 Tennessee
3 Ohio State 3 Pitt
4 Georgia 4 Purdue
5 Oklahoma 5 LSU
6 Michigan 6 Texas A&M
7 Notre Dame 7 Texas
8 Mississippi State 8 Northwestern
9 Washington 9 ALABAMA
10 Iowa 10 Georgia
11 Penn State 11 Mississippi State
12 Texas A&M 12 Oklahoma
13 Florida 13 Michigan State
14 LSU 14 Washington
15 Auburn 15 Louisville
16 West Virginia 16 Florida State
17 Texas 17 South Carolina
18 Missouri 18 Iowa State
19 N Dakota State (FCS) 19 Maryland
20 Washington State 20 Michigan
21 Fresno State 21 Kansas State
22 UCF 22 Indiana
23 Utah 23 Nebraska
24 Stanford 24 Missouri
25 Wisconsin 25 Clemson
26 Kentucky 26 Utah
27 Utah State 28 Auburn
28 Syracuse 29 Arkansas
29 Boise State 30 TCU
30 NC State 31 Notre Dame
31 Oklahoma State 32 Florida
32 Northwestern 33 Penn State
33 Michigan State 34 Kentucky
34 Miami-Florida 35 Stanford
35 Oregon 36 West Virginia
36 Appalachian State 37 Oklahoma State
37 Iowa State 38 Ohio State
38 Boston College 39 Old Mississippi
39 Cincinnati 40 Texas Tech
40 TCU 41 Southern Cal
41 South Carolina 43 Minnesota
42 Minnesota 44 Iowa
43 Virginia 46 Duke
44 Army 47 Baylor
45 Arizona State 48 Arizona State
46 Texas Tech 49 Vanderbilt
47 Purdue 50 Wake Forest
48 Georgia Tech 52 Wisconsin
49 Duke 53 Washington State
50 Pitt 54 Cal
51 Southern Cal 55 Boston College
52 Kansas State 57 Miami-Florida
53 Memphis 59 Virginia Tech
54 Nebraska 60 Georgia Tech
55 Ohio 61 Syracuse
56 Maryland 62 Arizona
57 Vanderbilt 63 Oregon
58 S Dakota State (FCS) 64 Virginia
59 Cal 65 NC State
60 Wake Forest 66 Navy
61 Temple 68 Boise State
62 Baylor 69 BYU
63 BYU 77 Temple
64 Virginia Tech 78 Fresno State
65 Arizona 83 UCF
66 Indiana 84 Air Force
67 Florida State 90 Cincinnati
68 Old Mississippi 95 Houston
69 Tennessee 96 FAU
70 Eastern Washington (FCS) 99 Army
71 UCLA 102 Hawaii
73 UAB 103 Memphis
74 Houston 109 Louisiana
76 Troy 113 Utah State
77 Air Force 117 Ohio
97 FAU 120 Troy
98 Arkansas 126 UAB
107 Navy 129 Appalachian State
108 Southern Miss 131 UTEP
111 Louisiana 139 N Dakota State (FCS)
112 Louisville 140 Southern Miss
117 Hawaii 141 S Dakota State (FCS)
160 Citadel (FCS) 143 Eastern Washington (FCS)
186 UTEP 172 Citadel (FCS)

ADOPT-A-TEAM

We have a few good nominations for next season’s adoptions:

  • Purdue (6-7) - WHY? WR Rondale Moore and the Boilermakers made mincemeat out of Ohio State and won at Nebraska for Scott Frost’ first homecoming game. I can always get on board with a team who plays kickball with B1G hornets’ nests.
  • Iowa State (8-6) - WHY? The Cyclones are another pain-in-the-neck team that is willing to dole out some chaos.
  • Wherever Jalen Hurts lands... unless it’s Okie, fUT or the barn.

COUSINS

  • Troy (10-3) - Neal Brown had three remarkable seasons as head coach and finally got a P5 job for his troubles. And all it took was for Dana Holgerson to take a YUGE step backwards. However, the Trojans replaced Brown with former Auburn OC Chip Lindsey who was run out of town by an angry mob. This is such an awful hire. UP NEXT: Souping up their engines for Campbell.
  • South Alabama (3-9) - Sorry Jags fans. I’ve got nothing for you. It was a rough season and I don’t see USA getting better. I didn’t like their coaching hire and still don’t. If I was USA AD, I would can that bozo and go right down the Alabama staff list and offer the head job til someone says yes. If they are all no’s, I’d go to Clemson and UGA and Florida... UP NEXT: at Nebraska - YIKES!

THAT ANNOYING STEP-BROTHER WHO STILL CAN’T FILL A STADIUM

UAB (11-3) - UP NEXT: Welcoming in li’l ol’ Alabama State.

RS-Patriot

SALUTE TO OUR TROOPS

It was a historical year for the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy winner.

  • Army (11-2) - The Black Knights finish the seasons ranked #19 (AP) and #20 (Coaches Poll). Army earns their first 11-win season in program history. UP NEXT: Working up an appetite for Rice (at Michigan for Game 2).
  • Air Force (5-7) - UP NEXT: Gritting their teeth against Colgate (at Colorado for Game 2).
  • Navy (3-10) - UP NEXT: Praying for guidance against Holy Cross (at Notre Dame for Game 3).

CONFERENCE BOWL RECORDS

Including the CFPCG. That some good parity there.

  • ACC - (6-5-1)
  • Big Ten - (5-4)
  • Big 12 - (4-3)
  • PAC-12 - (3-4)
  • SEC - (6-6)

STATS OF THE WEEK

  • Alabama finished the season with 2.8 punts per game. That was second lowest behind Oklahoma (2.2) among non-triple option teams (Army and Ga Tech who run a lot of clock). UGA was third lowest at 3.1. For the record, Clemson was tied with Auburn at 4.4 ppg which was 45th lowest of all teams.

Krazy Kristi’s “SHUT UP!” of the Week goes to fans of any team that won less than 14 games this season.

#HeismanRecall

As if you needed another reason to hate the Ewok Hobbit, this little so-and-so demanded a $15M contract from A’s to stick with baseball, otherwise he’ll enter NFL Draft. From the bottom of my heart, I wish him good health and to never play a down in the NFL or get a single at bat in MLB.

Step into... the Transfer Portal!

THE TRANSFER PORTAL

Quarterback Shuffle

  • Justin Fields UGA > Ohio State (unofficial)
  • Kelly Bryant Clemson > Mizzou
  • Shawn Robinson TCU > Mizzou
  • Riley Neal Ball State > Vandy
  • Jalen Hurts Alabama > TBA
  • Tate Martell Ohio State > TBA
  • Brandon Wimbush Notre Dame > grad transfer to UCF
  • Austin Kendall Oklahoma > TBA
  • Ben Hicks SMU > TBA

Alabama Declared for the Draft:

  • DL Quinnen Williams - Potential top 3 pick.
  • LT Jonah Williams - First round pick.
  • Josh Jacobs - NFL ready.
  • Deionte Thompson - His stock fell at the end of the year, maybe Day 2 pick.
  • Mack Wilson - Needed another year of college ball to hone his craft.
  • Irv Smith Jr. - A great year but this draft his chock full of tight ends: Noah Fant, Jace Sternberger, Isaac Nauta, T.J. Hockenson, Zach Gentry...
  • Saivion Smith - I hope he got a degree.

Alabama Returning:

  • CB Trevon Diggs - Needs a full healthy season to propel him up the draft boards.
  • OLB Anfernee Jennings - a good but not great year.
  • DL Raekwon Davis - could’ve been better. Another year will be good for him.

Alabama Transfer:

  • This Jalen guy. Have you heard of him?
  • Reserve Bama OL Richie Petitbon will also grad-transfer to Illinois. His famous grandfather of the same name played for the Chicago Bears (1959–1968).

Coaching Carousel

  • We already knew Mike Locksley was off to Maryland. Then came confirmation of a badly kept secret that OL coach Brent Key was indeed returning to his alma mater Georgia Tech to coach the same position but his official title is “Assistant Head Coach/Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line”. It’s hard to imagine the Yeller Jackets were able to outbid the Tide for his services. This make me think Saban did not put up much of a fight to keep him. Key was an excellent recruiter for Alabama and the OLs under his watch were exemplary.
  • Soon after came the surprise announcement that WR coach Josh Gattis was departing. The surprise wasn’t that he was leaving T-town. It was that he would be heading to Michigan and not Maryland as long suspected. He will be Jim Harbaugh’s OC but we’ll see how much play-calling freedom Harby is willing to give up.
  • Former quarterbacks coach Dan Enos is off to Miami to become the offensive coordinator under new coach Manny Diaz. (Many reports have said that Enos just cleaned out his desk in Tuscaloosa and left without telling anyone. Burn that bridge, Dan.)

Back Around Again

  • A few familiar names have surfaced as replacements. Of course there is news of the reported return of Steve Sarkisian as OC after an unsatisfactory two-year run with the Atlanta Falcons. He was 0-1 as OC for the Tide in 2016-17 but to his credit, he was a $35K/yr analyst who was suddenly bumped up to the second most important role on the team in the MOST important game of the year.
  • Another name you may know is former Alabama player and graduate assistant Lance Taylor (12 catches, 115 yards, 2 TD in 2003). He is currently the wide receivers coach for the Carolina Panthers and would likely take that same spot with the Tide. He also worked for Stanford as a RB coach among a few other stops.
  • Another name being bandied around is former Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood, who was OL coach with Sark in Atlanta these past two seasons.
  • Former Bama defensive end and current Clemson defensive line coach Todd Bates’ name has been buzzing around the interwebz again but no reliable sources as of yet.
  • Notre Dame offensive coordinator Chip Long reportedly interviewed with Nick Saban over the weekend but was not made a formal offer. He is a Birmingham native who played for UNA.
  • And don’t forget ol’ Butch Jones is still milling around.

A BOON FOR THAT NEW FOOTBALL LEAGUE

The deadline for college underclassmen to apply for the 2019 NFL Draft has come and gone. A whopping 131 players think they are going to be first round picks. There will be 254 total selections in 7 rounds. Plus, they are battling the likes of seniors Josh Allen, Deandre Baker, Montez Sweat, and Christian Wilkins, et al for the attention of NFL scouts. Many of these foolhearteds will be joining Trent and his compatriots in the minor leagues.

  • Deionte Thompson, S, R-Jr., Alabama
  • Irv Smith Jr., TE, Jr., Alabama
  • Jonah Williams, OT, Jr., Alabama
  • Josh Jacobs, RB, Jr., Alabama
  • Mack Wilson, LB, Jr., Alabama
  • Quinnen Williams, DT, R-Soph., Alabama
  • Saivion Smith, CB, Jr., Alabama
  • Clifton Duck, CB, Jr., Appalachian State
  • Ryan Pulley, CB, R-Jr., Arkansas
  • PJ Johnson, DT, R-Jr., Arizona
  • Darius Slayton, WR, R-Jr., Auburn
  • Jamel Dean, CB, R-Jr., Auburn
  • Jarrett Stidham, QB, Jr., Auburn
  • N’Keal Harry, WR, Jr., Arizona State
  • Hamp Cheevers, CB, Jr., Boston College
  • Alexander Mattison, RB, Jr., Boise State
  • Tyree Jackson, QB, R-Jr., Buffalo
  • Clelin Ferrell, DE, R-Jr., Clemson
  • Dexter Lawrence, DT, Jr., Clemson
  • Trayvon Mullen, CB, Jr., Clemson
  • Tre Lamar, LB, Jr., Clemson
  • Preston Williams, WR, Jr., Colorado State
  • Daniel Jones, QB, R-Jr., Duke
  • Joe Giles-Harris, LB, R-Jr., Duke
  • Devin Singletary, RB, Jr., Florida Atlantic
  • Jovon Durante, WR, Jr., Florida Atlantic
  • Kerrith Whyte Jr., RB, R-Jr., Florida Atlantic
  • Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, S, Jr., Florida
  • Jachai Polite, DE, Jr., Florida
  • Jawaan Taylor, OT, Jr., Florida
  • Jordan Scarlett, RB, R-Jr., Florida
  • Vosean Joseph, LB, Jr., Florida
  • Jeff Allison, LB, Jr., Fresno State
  • Mike Bell, S, R-Jr., Fresno State
  • Brian Burns, DE, Jr., Florida State
  • Penny Hart, WR, R-Jr., Georgia State
  • Elijah Holyfield, RB, Jr., Georgia
  • Isaac Nauta, TE, Jr., Georgia
  • Mecole Hardman, WR, Jr., Georgia
  • Riley Ridley, WR, Jr., Georgia
  • John Ursua, WR, R-Jr., Hawaii
  • Ed Oliver, DT, Jr., Houston
  • Amani Hooker, S, Jr., Iowa
  • Anthony Nelson, DE, R-Jr., Iowa
  • Noah Fant, TE, Jr., Iowa
  • TJ Hockenson, TE, R-Soph., Iowa
  • David Montgomery, RB, Jr., Iowa State
  • Hakeem Butler, WR, R-Jr., Iowa State
  • Alex Barnes, RB, R-Jr., Kansas State
  • Benny Snell, RB, Jr., Kentucky
  • Devin White, LB, Jr., LSU
  • Ed Alexander, DT, Jr., LSU
  • Greedy Williams, CB, R-Soph., LSU
  • Byron Cowart, DE, R-Jr., Maryland
  • Darrell Henderson, RB, Jr., Memphis
  • Tony Pollard, RB, R-Jr., Memphis
  • Joe Jackson, DE, Jr., Miami
  • Travis Homer, RB, Jr., Miami
  • Venzell Boulware, OG, R-Jr., Miami
  • Devin Bush Jr., ILB, Jr., Michigan
  • Rashan Gary, DE, Jr., Michigan
  • David Long, CB, Jr., Michigan
  • Zach Gentry, TE, R-Jr., Michigan
  • Justin Layne, CB, Jr., Michigan State
  • LJ Scott, RB, Jr., Michigan State
  • Damarea Crockett, RB, Jr., Missouri
  • Jeffery Simmons, DT, Jr., Mississippi State
  • Anthony Ratliff-Williams, WR, Jr., North Carolina
  • Kelvin Harmon, WR, Jr., NC State
  • Jakobi Meyers, WR, R-Jr., NC State
  • Julian Love, CB, Jr., Notre Dame
  • Alize Mack, TE, Jr., Notre Dame
  • Miles Boykin, WR, R-Jr., Notre Dame
  • Jakobi Meyers, WR, R-Jr., NC State
  • William Sweet, OT, R-Jr., North Carolina
  • Jalen Guyton, WR, R-Jr., North Texas
  • Dre’Mont Jones, DT, Jr., Ohio State
  • Dwayne Haskins, QB, R-Soph., Ohio State
  • Michael Jordan, OT, Jr., Ohio State
  • Mike Weber, RB, R-Jr., Ohio State
  • Nick Bosa, DE, Jr., Ohio State
  • Ewok Hobbit, QB, R-Jr., Oklahoma
  • Bobby Evans, OT, R-Jr., Oklahoma
  • Cody Ford, OT, R-Jr., Oklahoma
  • Marquise Brown, WR, Jr., Oklahoma
  • Rodney Anderson, RB, R-Jr., Oklahoma
  • Amani Bledsoe, DE, Jr., Oklahoma
    Tyron Johnson, WR, R-Jr., Oklahoma State
  • Tyron Johnson, WR, Jr., Oklahoma State
  • Jordan Brailford, DE, Jr., Oklahoma State
  • Justice Hill, RB, Jr., Oklahoma State
  • A.J. Brown, WR, Jr., Ole Miss
  • D.K. Metcalf, WR, R-Soph., Ole Miss
  • Dawson Knox, TE, Jr., Ole Miss
  • Greg Little, OT, Jr., Ole Miss
  • Dillon Mitchell, WR, Jr., Oregon
  • Kevin Givens, DT, R-Jr., Penn State
  • Miles Sanders, RB, Jr., Penn State
  • Shareef Miller, DE, R-Jr., Penn State
  • Connor McGovern, OG, Jr., Penn State
  • Ryan Bates, OT, R-Jr., Penn State
  • Kahale Warring, TE, R-Jr., San Diego State
  • Tyler Roemer, OT, R-Soph., San Diego State
  • JJ Arcega-Whiteside, WR, R-Jr., Stanford
  • Kaden Smith, TE, R-Soph., Stanford
  • Nate Herbig, OG, Jr., Stanford
  • Jace Sternberger, TE, R-Jr., Texas A&M
  • Trayveon Williams, RB, Jr., Texas A&M
  • Tyrel Dodson, OLB, Jr., Texas A&M
  • Erik McCoy, OC, R-Jr., Texas A&M
  • Quart’e Sapp, LB, R-Jr., Tennessee
  • Lil’Jordan Humphrey, WR, Jr., Texas
  • Diontae Johnson, WR, R-Jr., Toledo
  • Antoine Wesley, WR, Jr., Texas Tech
  • Keenen Brown, TE, Jr., Texas State
  • Dredrick Snelson, WR, Jr., UCF
  • Trysten Hill, DT, Jr., UCF
  • Andre James, OT, R-Jr., UCLA
  • Caleb Wilson, TE, Jr., UCLA
  • Darwin Thompson, RB, Jr., Utah State
  • Dax Raymond, TE, Jr., Utah State
  • Josiah Tauaefa, LB, R-Jr., UTSA
  • Joejuan Williams, CB, Jr., Vanderbilt
  • Byron Murphy, CB, R-Soph., Washington
  • Taylor Rapp, S, Jr., Washington
  • Greg Dortch, WR, R-Soph., Wake Forest
  • David Edwards, OT, R-Jr., Wisconsin
  • James Williams, RB, R-Jr., Washington State
  • David Long Jr., LB, R-Jr., West Virginia
  • Jazz Ferguson, WR, Jr., Northwestern State
  • Keenen Brown, TE, Jr., Texas State
  • Malik Gant, S, R-Jr., Marshall
  • Maxx Crosby, DE, R-Jr., Eastern Michigan
  • Sean Bunting, CB, R-Jr., Central Michigan
  • Xavier Crawford, CB, Jr., Central Michigan
  • Sutton Smith, DE, R-Jr., Northern Illinois

(While this is an unofficial list, a final list will be sent to NFL clubs on Jan. 18. The Scouting Combine will be held Feb. 26-March 4.)

DRAMA

  • Alabama is not the only team with a mass exodus. Since UGA finished the season with a high-profile two-game losing streak, Kirby Smart has lost both coordinators. Tennessee has lured OC Jim Chaney away from Georgia for the same position with the Vols and DC Mel Tucker was hired as the Colorado head coach. In addition, QB Justin Fields has entered the transfer portal. The Dawgs have also lost their fair share of early entrants into the NFL, some of which are not good decisions. TE Isaac Nauta (good decision), WR/KR Mecole Hardman (not much value as a WR), RB Elijah Holyfield (too soon), and WR Riley Ridley (probably could have used another year).
  • Fields has filed for immediate eligibility at Ohio State, on the basis of some moron calling him an N-word about two months ago. This is a BS reason and a slippery slope if the NCAA allows it (they probably will because the NCAA has become a spinelss jellyfish). Fields’ lawyer - yes, he has a lawyer - believes that a decision will be made by February.
  • Oklahoma has six leaving early. Ohio State and Penn State have five each. TAMU and Ole Miss will be withour four underclassmen. FAU lost three.
  • Remember Top 3 ranked 5-star Byron Cowart who signed with Auburn back in 2015? Yeah, that didn’t work out so well. Played two uneventful seasons at Aubie and transferred to juco. Played for Maryland last year and now he is going pro. Another fine product of Gustavo Enterprises, Inc.
  • Auburn DL Jauntavius Johnson has transferred to Colorado as a grad transfer.
  • Fox has declined to pick up the rights to the Big 12 Football Championship Game in odd years 2019, 2021 and 2023. According to Street & Smith’s Sports Business JournalFox carried the 2017 game as part of a mediated settlement around conference expansion, paying about $25 million for its rights.” I am guessing they did not get a return on that investment. ESPN has rights for the even years of 2020, 2022 and 2024.
  • If Kevin Spacey, A-Rod, Justin Bieber, The Kardashians, and Urban Meyer were drowning and you only had one life preserver, what would you have for dinner that night?
Black and White TV

EYEBALLS

ESPN took home not only the top slot on the TV ratings chart for Championship Monday, but the entire top 6, leading off with the College Football Championship Game itself scoring a powerful 7.6 rating among adults 18-49. For perspective, even if the comparison isn’t completely fair, the previous Monday’s game between NC State and Texas A&M, the top performer that night, scored a 1.4.

Personally, I watched SEC Network for the pre-game and Eli’s Hometown Audio Feed on ESPN3 for the game.

Rank Show Net Time Total viewers (000s) 18-49 rating
1 CFP CHAMPIONSHIP -ALABAMA/CLEMSON ESPN 08:15 PM 24,322 7.6
2 CFP CHAMPIONSHIP SUST ESPN 11:41 PM 17,347 5.5
3 COLL FTBL BOWL STUDIO ESPN 08:00 PM 15,785 4.4
4 COLL FTBL BOWL STUDIO ESPN 11:52 PM 9,721 3.3
5 COLL FTBL BOWL STUDIO ESPN 07:30 PM 5,912 1.9
6 SPORTSCENTER 12AM ESPN 12:11 AM 3,882 1.4
7 WWE ENTERTAINMENT USA 08:00 PM 2,609 0.9
8 WWE ENTERTAINMENT USA 09:00 PM 2,294 0.8
9 SPORTSCENTER 1AM ESPN 01:20 AM 1,830 0.7
10 WWE ENTERTAINMENT USA 10:00 PM 2,070 0.7
11 LOVE AND HIP HOP VH1 08:00 PM 1,328 0.7
12 CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVE ESPN 06:00 PM 1,719 0.6

THIS WEEK

Polynesian Bowl

SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2019
ALOHA STADIUM • O’AHU, HI
CBS SPORTS NETWORK

A premier all-star football game featuring the world’s elite high school players of Polynesian heritage and other ancestries.”

I have a feeling they take a few liberties with their selections like maybe a guy lived in Hawaii for a couple of years as a kid. Others appear to be first/second-generation Americans of African or Caribbean decent by one parent, etc. But I digress...

This game has been picking up some steam now in its third incarnation. Alabama has a few participants to watch out for:

BAMA:

  • TE Jahleel Billingsley SIGNED
  • DE Khris Bogle COMMITTED
  • S DeMarcco Hellams SIGNED
  • RB Trey Sanders SIGNED
  • #12 QB Taulia Tagovailoa SIGNED

ALSO OF NOTE:

  • DT Ishmael Sopsher UNCOMMITTED
  • LB Henry To’oto’o UNCOMMITTED
College Football Playoff National Championship Presented By AT&T - Alabama v Clemson
RAH!
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

#ALABAMA

Sorry, we have to talk about this one last time and then move on.

What in the wide wide world of sports is a-going on here?

Slim Pickens as Taggart in “Blazing Saddles”

WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT

Wow, what a loooooooooooooooong week it has been for Tide fans. It started off with an embarrassing blowout loss, the likes not seen ‘round these parts since a guy named DuBose was calling the shots. During the Nick Saban era, the Tide has never lost a game by more than 14 points. Even during Saban’s inaugural 2007 season that produced an ufortunate 7-6 record, the Tide never lost by more than a touchdown. As a matter of fact, Alabama has not lost by 28 or more since Virginia Tech thumped the unranked Tide 38-7 in the 1998 Music City Bowl. That’s right. Mike Shula never lost a game this badly. If I may, a little spin on this anomaly: we are in an offense-happy era of college football in which every tackle is being scrutinized as a potential penalty. Big scores are now the norm. Are you buying that?

Regardless of the final score, it was an exciting 14-1 season with an SEC championship, revenge wins over Aubie and Okie, and continuing the streaks against LSU and Tennessee (may FFPF never live to see that streak broken).

Nick Saban did indeed surpass Thylvester Lou Holtz in career I-A wins and did so in ten less seasons. Although Mack Brown has returned to coaching, it should be no problem passing him and keeping him at bay.
(For clarification, this list is FBS/I-A wins only. No wins while coaching at FCS/I-AA or lower level schools are included.)

Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin’ star again
There I go
Turn the page

~Bob Seger

COLLEGE FOOTBALL 2019

The Crimson Tide will be back. RBR and Random Thoughts will be there right along side with plenty of snark and shade to go around. Thank you for your comments, poll votes, compliments, criticisms, and likes. And finally thanks for reading and sharing in this wonderful game of college football. As soon as I get to the post office to get some stamps, your refunds should be on their way.

GAME 1, Saturday, August 31, 2019 - only 228 more days.

Duke vs ALABAMA

Bryant Denny East, Atlanta, GA

#RollTide

Poll

Favorite Alabama win in 2018:

This poll is closed

  • 1%
    OLE MISS W, 62-7
    (14 votes)
  • 0%
    TEXAS A&M W, 45-23
    (6 votes)
  • 3%
    TENNESSEE W, 58-21
    (27 votes)
  • 20%
    LSU W, 29-0
    (160 votes)
  • 18%
    AUBURN W, 52-21
    (148 votes)
  • 46%
    GEORGIA W, 35-28
    (366 votes)
  • 8%
    OKLAHOMA W, 45-34
    (70 votes)
791 votes total Vote Now