Random Thoughts: ACC Commish Taking the Coward’s Route

It is times like these that fans of SEC schools should really appreciate who they have as Commissioner of the league. In the pas year, Greg Sankey has done a remarkable job of being patient and devising a plan to get conference teams to play as many games as possible. Up until Ole Miss’s cancellation for this weekend against Texas A&M, Sankey had a scheme that would get all 14 teams to play all ten games.

Meanwhile up north resides the most hated man in the Rust Belt. Kevin Warren is a short-sighted rash decision-maker who is in over his head. Out west is the jackass Larry Scott who has an uncanny knack for making all the wrong moves. The Big 12’s Bob Bowlsby still allows Texas and Oklahoma to run the conference.

And then there is the weak-chinned weasel of the ACC, John Swofford. He was first to announce that his league would play football this year but made his schedule a 10-ACC plus one non-conference because he didn’t want to be bad guy who broke up the annual SEC-ACC rivalry games. He allowed FSU to back out of an ass-beating by Clemson three hours before kickoff with the lamest of reasons. This past week, he committed a blatant act of cowardice by canceling Notre Dame-Wake Forest and Clemson-FSU with no explanation, an unprecedented act to say the least. Forget the fact that Miami with one conference loss was still eligible for the ACCCG at the time Swofford waved his magic wand.

For Wake Forest’s part, they now miss out on what would’ve been a historic visit from the Irish in a game they might have had a chance to win. Notre Dame has not been dominant since the Clemson game and the Demon Deacons won four straight before taking UNC to the brink in a 59-53 defeat in Chapel Hill.

Clearly Swofford’s swerve was clearly a move to protect Clemson and kiss-up to Notre Dame to give them the clearest path to the playoff. It’s despicable and shameful. I can’t wait for Alabama to beat the crap out of both of them.

SEC

As we move into December, Alabama is the cream of the crop. However, second best SEC team might just be the Aggies of Texas A&M. Though the score doesn’t show it, they handled Auburn pretty handily in a Jerdin-Hair game the Tigers typically win. The last three weeks, Florida has won but done so in shaky fashion against teams with losing records.

Alabama 55 LSU 17 - The Crimson Tide handed the Bayou Bengals an epic revenge beatdown with a heaping tablespoon of comeuppance. This game was one of those instances in which Nick Saban could have named the score. In a way, he did. Saban wanted a solid win but he did not want to give the Tigers ammunition for next year the way Ed O and company gave the Crimson Tide. The Bayou Bengals will remember this defeat, but they won’t be mad for 365 days because Bama ran up the score on them. If you watch Ed Orgeron’s post-game presser, he isn’t angry or fired up. He sounds a bit humbled. Right where Saban wants him.

Auburn got Auburn’d.

Texas A&M 31 Auburn 20- Kellen Mond rebounded from his awfulness of last week and did so with a little more running than usual. He picked up 60 key yards, scored on the ground, and twice through the air. Isaiah Spiller added 120 rushing yards as the Aggies scored 17 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to come back and beat the barn. Auburn was outgained 340 to 509.

Missouri 50 Arkansas 48 - The wildest game of the day came with these two teams channeling back to their former Big 12 cohorts by lighting up the scoreboard. Feleipe Franks was a last second scratch for the Hogs but was ably replaced by freshman QB KJ Jefferson (18-33, 274 yds, 3 TD). Mizzou erased a fourth quarter 40-26 deficit to take a 47-40 lead. The Hawgs responded with a touchdown and a wacky two-point conversion that fell right out of the hands of a Tigers defender into the waiting arms of an Arky receiver for a one-point lead. However, 43 seconds was just enough time for Connor Bazelak and Mizz to get into field goal range to win from 32 yards out as the clock expired. Franks may want to think about going pro, because he may not beat out Jefferson next season. [Side Note: This was Arky DC Barry Odom’s big return to Mizzou where he played and coached for 30-some years. Giving up 50 is probably not how he imagined his grand return to Columbia, MO.]

Florida 31 Tennessee 19 - You can tell which talking heads did and did not watch this game. If they are raving about the Gators’ big 12 point win, they didn’t watch. The score looks good in a Tweet, but has UF no running game (19 yards on 17 carries) and the defense still has issues. Kyle Trask had four touchdown passes that were all of 4, 2, 8, and 15 yards. While most teams run the ball inside the ten, the Gators are passing and padding (Trask’s stats). The Vols actually moved the ball decently at times. If Pruitt had not gone for a two-point conversion that was followed by a missed PAT, the score could’ve been 31-21. Doesn’t look so good anymore, does it?

It was the fourth straight game against a team with a losing record that the Gators failed to dominate the way a sixth ranked team should.

Kentucky 41 South Carolina 18 - Emblematic of their entire season, SC expertly drove down the field on the opening possession and missed a 38-yard field goal. UK built a 27-3 halftime lead and put it in cruise control. But give props to the Gamecocks. They proceeded with this game despite having only 46 players and only 16 scholarship players on defense. They wanted to play and were not going to wuss out like so many others we have seen.

This is the final game of this weird season for both teams unless some odd bowl invite things happen (see LET’S GO BOWLING below). With the win, the ‘Cats finish the season a disappointing 4-6. Mike Bobo finished 0-3 after taking over for fired Coach Boom and SC lands on 2-8.

Vanderbilt at Georgia - postponed and rescheduled for Dec. 19. We’ll have to wait two weeks to see if this soccer player is a fraud or not.

KINDA CHAOS

(see ADOPT section below)

NOT REALLY CHAOS BUT O-M-G

Rice 20 Marshall 0 - Previously undefeated and ranked Marshall not only lost at home, but were shutout by a godawful team who was missing their starting quarterback and two other key players, and gained only 213 yards. The Thundering Herd starting QB threw five interceptions after having only four through the first seven games.

SLUGGISH

Notre Dame 45 Syracuse 21 - OMG, the idiots with microphones want the Irish in the playoff so bad that they are willing to gloss over the fact that Syracuse (1-10) led this game 7-3 for the first 22 minutes in South Bend. It took Orangemen turnovers and stupid penalties to get the Dames going. 21 points is tied for the fourth most SU has scored in 11 games.

Just for emphasis: Some people want to criticize Alabama for giving up 17 points to LSU in Baton Rouge. Meanwhile, NOTRE DAME GAVE UP 21 AT HOME TO 1-10 SYRACUSE. Hello? Is this thing on?

Clemson 45 Virginia Tech 10 - Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. This was a 10-10 game until a minute to go until the half. A 3rd quarter VT fumble at the Hokies own 10 yard line is what really got CU going. Trevor Lawrence was pretty forgettable with his arm (12-22, 195 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT) and Travis Etienne slogged around (16 car, 66 yds, 0 TD, 0 rec). He shoulda gone pro.

OTHER GUYS

You know it’s your day when the refs don’t call an illegal block on your star quarterback.

Ohio State 52 Michigan State 12 - By now you have heard all the lazy idiots tell you that anOSU was playing without 23 players! WOW! Of course they didn’t bother to research who was missing. The truth is, the Buckys were down five starters and two reserves. The starters were both tackles, center, middle linebacker, and a defensive end who is on rotation. The reserves were a key safety who plays a good amount and a second team offensive tackle. All the rest of them were not on the two-deep depth chart including several freshmen and walk-ons.

Indiana 14 Wisconsin 6 - Remember that time Wisky was a playoff contender? The Hoos were outgained 217 to 342. It was timely defense that won this game including stopping the Badgers at the 21 yard line on downs with 40 ticks to go.

DESPERATE TIMES

Texas 69 Kansas State 31 - When everyone is calling for your head and have even picked out your successor, what is the best course of action? Hang 69 on a doormat. It’s too bad Tom Herman had not been coaching with this much urgency all along.

KEY & PEELE ALL-STARS

This is so Auburn.

GOOFIEST LOOKING HELMETS

Arizona State did throwback unis, which were fine. But the chrysanthemum helmets have got to go.

LITTLE DUDE OF THE WEEK

Utes RB Ty Jordan had 167 rushing yards against Oregon State. He is listed at 5’7”, but I doubt this guy would be allowed on most of the rides at Six Flags.

KARMA OF THE WEEK

Voodoo spells wear off. Karma never forgets.

FAKE OF THE WEEK

STATS OF THE DAY

• Mizzou and Arky combined for 1,219 yards and 71 first downs.
• Rice recorded their first shutout of an AP top 25 team since 1960. It was their first victory over a ranked team since 1997.
• Colorado RB Jarek Broussard rushed for 301 yards - but did NOT find the end zone against Arizona. He has 546 yards in the last three games but no scores.
• Arkansas State WR Corey Rucker had 9 grabs for 310 yards and 4 TD in a win over La-Monroe. Before this game he had 7 receptions for 143 yards on the season. The most yards he ever had in a game was 56 on one catch against FCS Central Arkansas.
• West Virginia is 5-0 at home and 0-4 on the road.

THE WACKY WORLD OF DESI

Did you know that PGA golfer Dustin Johnson went to Coastal Carolina? I’m sure many folks had never heard of the school before September.

ADOPT-A-TEAM

• Coastal Carolina (10-0) - Liberty cancelled on the Chanticleers, so CCU invited BYU to take their place. The Chanties won the game with ball control and strong defense. Their opening drive consumed over nine minutes and covered 94 yards on 17 plays. Mormon Boy Wonder Zach Wilson had a rather pedestrian day for BYU (19/30, 240 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT). Imagine that. Face a defense with a pulse and you’re no longer a Heisman candidate. The showdown came down to a play reminiscent of Super Bowl XXXIV that ended just short of the goal line.

CCU travels to Troy and then hosts Laffy in the Sun Belt Championship Game.

• LaLaLaffy! (9-1) - The Rajuns held off Appy State 24-21 for the program’s first win over the Mountaineers in nine tries. Laffy coach Billy Napier may have caused a few P-5 ADs to recoil after he called a baffling intentional safety up by five with 1:51 remaining. ULL had been experiencing problems with long-snapping with three snaps that sailed over the punter’s head and another bad one on a extra point. Even still, the move seemed a bit drastic and reckless. Appy of course drove down the field but Napier was bailed out when ASU missed a game-tying 30-yard field goal attempt with five seconds remaining.

ULLL now has the luxury of a week off to rest up for the Sun Belt Championship Game Dec 19.

LOVE-HATE

• Liberty (9-1) - The Flames peaced out on Coastal leaving behind the distinct smell of rotten fish. The game will not be made up. Libby now becomes just another footnote on the season that was 2020.

COUSINS

• Troy (5-5) - The Trojans dominated South Alabama 29-0. Troy QB Gunnar Watson played the game with fractured ribs and still threw three TDs. Next is Coastal Carolina followed by winless La-Monroe and a shot at 6 wins.
• South Alabama (4-7) - Just when you think the Jags might be turning the corner, they drop this embarrassment on Senior Night. That’s a wrap for USA on 2020 as well as head coach Steve Campbell, who was relieved of his duties on Sunday. If you are a long-time reader of “Random Thoughts” (may God Bless you), you may recall I harshly criticized this awful hiring. Campbell was 9-26 over three seasons. So turrible. Let’s see what tomato can they’ll hire next.

THAT ANNOYING STEP-BROTHER WHO WON’T GET OUT OF BED BEFORE NOON

UAB (4-3) - The Old Gray Lady deserved better. At this rate, the Dragons may never play another game. They have been on the shelf since Halloween. It is baffling why a program who shares several medical services with the U of A cannot seem to keep this thing under control long enough to play a three-hour football game. After four straight axed games, Bham U will try one last time at Rice on Dec 12.

SALUTE TO OUR TROOPS

The Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy will be decided in the next couple of weeks in a round-robin of sorts. Air Force has already defeated Navy.

• Army (7-2) - The Black Knights had a second week off as they wait around for the Navy game on Dec 12. That will be followed by a meeting with Air Force that could decide the CICT.
• Navy (3-6) - The Midshipmen predictably lost to Tulsa but not as bad as expected 19-6. They are at Army this Saturday to wrap their season unless a meaningless make-up game with USF is scheduled Dec 19.
• Air Force (3-2) - The Falcons toyed with sad little Utah State, racking up 461 yards en route to a 35-7 rout. It’s feast-or-famine with AFA. They either win by double-digits or lose by double-digits. Up next: Army Dec 19.

ELIMINATED

• Rutgers, Northwestern, Maryland, Purdue, Indy, Nebraska, Illinois, Sparty, Minnesota, Michigan, Penn State, Iowa, Wisky.
• Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Texas Tech, TCU, Baylor, WVU, Oklahoma Lite, Oklahoma, Texas
• Duke, Wake Forest, Syracuse, FSU, Georgia Tech, NC State, L’ville, Pitt, UVa, BC, Va Tech, UNC, Miami
• BYU - told ya. B)
• The entire PAC
• Vandy, Arky, Missouri, UK, SC, MSU, LSU, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Auburn, UGA

ELIMINATION, ENDANGERED:

• Clemson, Notre Dame looks susceptible. Early prediction: Clemson by 17+.
• Texas A&M, Florida
• Ohio State - ya can’t win if ya don’t play! SEE BELOW!!!!

THIS! ^^^

A way WAY WAY too early look at the College Football Playoff (CFP) picture:

Things unexpectedly got REAL interesting.

• ACC - So, you probably read the rant up top about ACC Commish John Swofford callously waving off the final games of the season for Notre Dame and Clemson like they don’t matter. Does he think both teams are a lock for the playoff or is he afraid one of them might lose before the ACCCG? Don’t think for a second that the CFP Committee will smile upon this maneuver. Greg Sankey sure didn’t: “I was surprised to see the announcement. It begs one question: If their two most highly ranked teams were, for instance, [ranked] five and six in the CFP Rankings, would this decision have been made?” For more Sankey comments, click here. Some people believe that Notre Dame is in no matter what. But if Clemson blows the Irish out, it could be a different story.
• SEC - TAMU is rooting for the Crimson Tide.
• Big Ten - anOSU doesn’t deserve it.
• Big 12 - See you at the Cheez-It Bowl!
• PAC-12 - Not that they were making the playoff but Washington took their first loss, falling at home to Stanford 31-26. Southern Cal (4-0) and Colorado (4-0) comically think they are contenders. So sad.
• Indies - I respect BYU’s attempt at relevancy but it backfired. Coastal will need a lot of help. I still don’t see an impressive win on Cincy’s resume. Plus Memphis just lost again. This time to Tulane. Every AAC team has at least three losses except UC and Tulsa who meet on Saturday.

RANK ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM

The third CFP rankings will be revealed tonight at 6pm CT / 7pm ET on ESPN.
[ED.NOTE: Joey Galloway is a blithering biased idiot.]

One of the best parts of the CFP is that the poll of the self-important AP voters has become obsolete.

Week 2 College Football Playoff Rankings

1. Alabama
2. Notre Dame
3. Clemson
4. Ohio State
5. Texas A&M
6. Florida
7. Cincinnati

LET’S GO BOWLING

• Once again ruining everything, the jokers out west at the Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl will not allow spectators for the College Football Playoff semifinals on Jan. 1 because of local restrictions. Friend of RBR @BamaProUpdates made the clever suggestion that they move the Rose Bowl to Durham, NC. I am all for that.
• ESPN pulled the plug on the Las Vegas Bowl due to Nevada not allowing fans (the Raiders have been playing with no fans). So, the SEC and Pac-12 (most likely the SEC) put their heads together and struck a deal to play in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas on Dec. 31. Take that, germaphobes!

SEC BOWLING

Not including the NY6 which could take as many as four SEC teams, the conference has nine bowl tie-ins. Because of the ten game schedules rather than the usual 12, the 6-win rule is not in play this year. Under normal circumstances, all SEC teams play eight conference games, one Power-5 cross-over, and three cupcakes. Assuming three wins over the cupcakes in most cases, you can add a few wins to each program current record to get an idea of how they might have done in a regular season. Currently, only six SEC teams have at least five victories. Six teams have six or more losses thus no chance of reaching .500. But hope is not lost for those programs.

Earlier this fall, there was talk of teams with losing records making a bowl. This notion almost seems inevitable otherwise there will not be enough inventory. All that said, a team like Kentucky who is 4-6, might be included in a bowl. At 4-4, Ole Miss may not have to win either of their last two games to get a post-season invite. For now, this is just speculation.

*Postponed

Krazy Kristi’s “SHUT UP!” of the Week goes to the ROSE BOWL and FIESTA BOWL (see Let’s Go Bowling above). It is utterly ridiculous to play two of the most important games of the season in front of empty stadiums and piped in noise. If local governments don’t want the games played in their communities, move them to New Orleans, Atlanta, Orlando, Arlington, Miami, Shreveport, or any city that knows how to handle such events! The SEC, B12 and ACC have held limited audience games all fall and have had no reports of mass outbreaks because of them.

HEISMAN HYPE

With the exception of TWO YEARS, the Heisman Trophy voting is basically a hype award. Often times voters fall in love with someone and refuse to REALLY look at what a player has accomplished.

WHO WILL WIN

CLARIFICATION: This section is not who deserves to win. It is who the slobbering press and other voters will callously crush on.

1. Kyle Trask (QB, Jorts U., Sr.) - Have I mentioned what idiots the Heisman voters are? Many of them just look at stats that ESPN flashes on the screen. Trask leads the nation in passing scores with 38 (jUSt liKe jOE buRroW) which is nice and all but that is because UF doesn’t run the ball inside the ten yard line. Clearly, Cousin Eddie is padding his quarterback’s stats. The Gators have all of SIX rushing touchdowns in nine games which is 113th in the nation on rush TD per game. Even so, the idiots LOVE it!
2. Mac Jones (QB, Bama, R-Jr.) also threw four touchdown passes but he may be getting overshadowed by teammates.
3. Trevor Lawrence (QB, Dabo Cult, Jr.) is still the golden Messiah but he has lost momentum.
4. Justin Fields (QB, anOSU, Jr.) has been sacked 15 times in only 5 games. Jones has been taken down 8 times in nine games. Despite playing a half-season, he’ll still get votes.
5. DeVonta Smith (WR, Alabama, Sr.) - You want a Heisman moment? That was a Heisman moment on Saturday in Baton Rouge. Don’t forget that Smith had his big day against tHE BeSt coVER cORneR iN CoLlEgE fOOtBaAlL Derek Stingley Jr. When asked about Smith’s draft status, Mel Kiper stated this week that Smith could be “...maybe a future Hall of Famer.” The CBS guys say a lot of dumb things but they made an adroit comparison to NFL Hall of Famer Lynn Swann. Check Swanny out.
6. A token running back - Najee Harris is separating himself from the other running backs. As a matter of fact, both Roman Harper and Matt Stinchcomb endorsed the Tide senior as their top candidate (above), not just top running back. Will others jump on the bandwagon?
7. Ian Book (QB, Notre Dame, Sr.)
8. Kyle Pitts (TE, Fla, Jr.)
9. BYU QB - nope

WHO SHOULD WIN

CLARIFICATION: This section IS for who deserves to win it.

All bias Gump aside (for the record, I have championed Baker Mayfield and Deshaun Watson in the past), Mac has been the better between him and Trask. Fields has been mostly good but has only played five games and one of them stunk. But if you truly want the most outstanding player of the season, it has to be the Slim Reaper, DeVonta Smith.

THE SICK REPORT

• No serious injuries for Alabama to speak of. Roll Tide.
• Arkansas was without QB Feleipe Franks this past week. It is unclear if he will play this weekend.

DRAMA

• Former Alabama tight end Kedrick James is back in the transfer portal. He originally intended on joining SMU but wasn’t enrolled at the school this fall.
• Former 4-star Alabama DE Kevin Harris has announced that he is transferring to Georgia Tech.
• Former Texas and Purdue head coach Fred Akers passed away this week (not of Captain Trips, sorry) at age 82. He coached Earl Campbell in his Heisman Trophy-winning 1977 season.
• Being exiled from their home county must suit Stanford. After spending the week in Seattle, the Cardinal got their first win over previously 3-0 Washington. They now pack up and relocate to Corvallis for their next game against Oregon State.

QUITTERS

Cole Cubelic, Chris Doering, and Matt Stinchcomb have all publicly backed the concept that players leaving their teams in midseason are “quitting”, not the more politically correct term of “opting out”. They have bluntly corrected their fellow sports reporters on this misuse of the English language.

• WR Amad Anderson deserted his Purdue teammates because his team lost four straight.
• LSU tight end Arik Gilbert skipped practice Monday and is heavily considering leaving the team. The Atlanta-area freshman says he has been homesick, so he’ll probably end up at Ohio State or Southern Cal.

KOACHES KORNER

• I guess when your expectations are knee-high to a bullfrog, there is not much need to put any thought into hiring a head coach. That said, Southern Miss hired Tulane offensive coordinator Will Hall as their next head coach. Why not take a run at an assistant from a proven winner? FUN FACT: The Mississippi native played quarterback for North Alabama from 2002-03 where he won the Harlan Hill Trophy in 2003, which is the Heisman of NCAA Division II.
• As mentioned last week, Okie tight ends coach Sean Beamer has been hired for the South Carolina job. We at RBR are of the mind that SC would be better served by hiring someone with a proven track record as a head coach. Beamer has never even been a coordinator. He was an assistant under Steve Spurrier in Columbia and is said to be a favorite among the former players and boosters. It’s one thing be chummy with these guys as an assistant - almost every former player loved their position coach. It’s an entirely different world when a guy is head coach and everyone is trying to tell him who should be starting at quarterback. Unless Beamer can tell these nosey Nellies to piss off once he becomes head coach, this will not end well.
• A few candidates for the South Alabama job mentioned by ESPN include Alabama running backs coach Charles Huff, Bama analyst Butch Jones (who comes off the UT payroll in Feb 2021), Tennessee receivers coach Tee Martin, and Indiana defensive coordinator Kane Wommack.
• Kentucky’s Mark Stoops has parted ways with OC Eddie Gran and QB coach Darin Hinshaw. it was probably the right move but they didn’t have much to work with.
• After recovering from the sicky-sick at age 83, Lou Holtz traveled to the White House to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom this past week presented by President Trump. (Wait, I thought errybody was dying from this thing Chinese bat virus thing. ???)
• After 64 games, Kirby Smart’s career record is 50-14, 78%. At the same point, Mark Richt was 52-12, 81%.
• Contrary to reports, Urban Meyer was not sheltering-in-place this past week. He just couldn’t get through the front door with Texas pumping up his ego to a freakishly monstrous size.
• Fat F*** Phil Fulmer buried Cheerios in his back yard hoping donuts would grow.

TEEVEE

Another white guy was unceremoniously kicked to the curb by ESPN this week. Wayne Drehs was suddenly let go by the four-letter word after more than 20 years.

THIS WEEK

(Below is an abbreviated list of highlighted games of interest. If you REALLY need to know about the big Incarnate Word-Arkansas State showdown, you can find the details here.)

Thursday, December 10

FAU! at Southern Miss 5:30/6:30 CBSSN
Pitt at Georgia Tech 6pm/7pm Fox Sports South

Friday, December 11

Charlotte at Marshall 5:30/6:30 CBSSN - bounce back or collapse for the Herd?
Arizona State at Arizona 6pm/7pm ESPN - have collectively played 6 games.
Utah at Colorado 8:30/9:30 FS1 - collectively played 7 games.
Nevada at San Jose Cuervo State 9pm/10pm CBSSN - you gotta be drunk to watch this one.

Saturday, December 12

SEC

Alabama at Arkansas 11am/noon ESPN - Going for a perfect 10.
Georgia at Missouri 11am/noon SECN - D vs O.
Tennessee at Vanderbilt 3pm/4pm SECN - Sad, really.
LSU at Florida 6pm/7pm ESPN - Will the Tigahs quit or are they mad?
Auburn at Mississippi State 6:30/7:30 SECN
Ole Miss at Texas A&M 7pm/8pm CBS - TAMU lucks out. This would’ve been a DANGEROUS one!

DURING COMMERCIALS

Michigan at Ohio State 11am/noon FOX - Harbaugh’s final rodeo?
Oklahoma at West Virginia 11am/noon ABC - Upset Alert? WVU plays really well at home.
North Carolina at Miami 2:30/3:30 ABC - ACC Consolation Game.
Navy at Army 2:30/3:30 CBS - USA! USA! USA!
Cincinnati at Tulsa 3pm/4pm ESPN2 - Upset Alert? I’d like to see Cincy lose just to see all the talking heads cry. UPDATE: Cincy cancelled on Tulsa but the AACCG against the same Tulsa team is still on for Dec 19 - but instead the game is at Cincinnati. HOW CONVENIENT!
Southern Cal at UCLA 6:30/7:30 ABC - Trojans think they are hot s**t.

ZZZZZzzzzzz...

San Diego Maradona State at BYU 9pm/10pm ESPN2
UNLV at Hawaii 10pm/11pm Alohavision

SABAN vs. POP and BEAR

I saw good arguments on both sides in last week’s comments but the poll overwhelmingly sided with the GOAT for earning credit for the win over Auburn. Add two more to his pile to put him in a tie for fifth. A win over Arky on Saturday puts him solely in fifth place, ESPN be damned. As crazy as it sounds, mathematically Saban could reach Pop by 2023 and Bear by 2024. The Tide does not play at West Virginia until Sept 2026.

Mack Brown also gets one added to his total for his signature win over Western Carolina.

[For those of you new to RBR Random Thoughts, we count all on-field wins in Division I-A, aka FBS. So, before you go squawking about Frank Beamer, 42 of his wins came at Murray State. Brown had six victories in one season with Appalachian State when they were still in what was known at I-AA (FCS today). In addition, we don’t recognize NCAA sanctioned forfeits. If you won on the field, it counts in our books.]

#ALABAMA

• Mac Jones, Dylan Moses, and Patrick Surtain II served as team captains versus LSU.
• Alabama was missing assistant coaches Sal Sunseri, Karl Scott, Freddie Roach and Holmon Wiggins for the LSU game. Charlie Strong, Mike Stoops, and Nick Perry were among the coaches promoted to on-the-field assistants for the night.
• DeVonta Smith was the star of the game against LSU. His 1,305 season receiving yards lead the nation by 112 yards. He is tied with a receiver from North Texas in receiving touchdowns with 15, five more than any other Power-5 receiver.
• Smith is a mere 49 receiving yards behind Amari Cooper for the Alabama school record. Smith is only ten scores away from Shaun Alexander’s career record of 49, a number that doesn’t seem so impossible anymore. He is 15th in single season SEC yards, only 475 behind Ja’Marr Chase’s record setting performance from last season. Chase also holds the conference record for touchdowns in a season at 20.
• Najee Harris also continues his assault on the record books. With three scores on Saturday, the senior has compiled 20 rushing TDs on the season which places him eight ground scores behind Derrick Henry’s SEC record 28. Four more rushing touchdowns puts him alone in second place.
• Najee’s 47 career scores positions him ten behind Tim Tebow for the SEC lead. Smith is at 40.
• It is ridiculous to argue with the GOAT, but we here at RBR have been quietly complaining about the lack of playing time of DeMarcco Hellams at safety. After Daniel Wright’s 2nd quarter ejection for targeting in the Iron Bowl, Hellams entered the game and... well, I’m just going to say it: the defense played so much better with him in the secondary. It is baffling why Saban continues to start error-prone Wright over the hard-hitting Hellams. But #InSabanWeTrust, I guess. The sophomore finished with 2 solo tackles, 6 assists, half a TFL, and a pass defensed.
• Looking ahead, but not looking ahead: the SECCG will be Dec 19 at 7pm/8pm in Atlanta airing on CBS.

GAME 10: Saturday, December 12, 2020

Alabama Crimson Tide (9-0) at Arkansas Razorbacks (3-6)

Razorbacks Stadium, Fayetteville, AR ~ 11am CT / Noon ET ESPN

• Announcers: Bob Wischusen (Boston College grad) and Dan Orlovsky (UConn grad) with Kris Budden (blonde of course) on the sidelines. Seriously, ESPN? Did you pick these guys up in the Home Depot parking lot?
• Eli Gold on Alabama Radio.
• Alabama is 23-7 all-time against the Hogs. The Tide has never lost to Arky with Saban as head coach.
• The line on this game is around Bama -31. Over/Under is 68½.