The Iron Bowl, A Day Later: The View From Both Sides

After having one day to let the 36-0 beatdown of Auburn settle in, the feeling has not completely gone away.

At the same time, however, it feels as if nothing extreme happened yesterday. It basically feels like things are the way they should be once again.

That is, from the crimson and white side it feels that way. For those fans of the school on the east side of the state, yesterday was not a good day.

Here is a quick run down of how yesterday went down from a vantage point of both schools.

Auburn

The day started with high hopes for many Tiger fans.

Tuberville not only got off the bus holding up seven fingers, he managed to walk all the way into the stadium doing so.

That was about the last bit of joy CTT and company would feel for the day.

After Auburn went through their first fifteen planned plays on offense, the Tigers could hardly manage much else on the day.

On defense, the Tigers allowed over 200 yards on the ground and were on the field for too long thanks to an inept offense.

The lack of production allowed many Auburn fans to leave the stadium early enough to beat the traffic.

The president of Auburn's recruiting organization even left with seven minutes left...in the third quarter!!! Apparently, he wasn't a part of that "we" who believed in Auburn this week.

After the game, though, Antonio Coleman said it best for anyone who ever wondered how deep this rivalry runs.

When Coleman was asked if he had been a part of a worse loss than this one, he replied, "I can't imagine it. Probably a death in the family would be the closest thing to that."

Well, Auburn can quickly get over it, thankfully, because swimming and diving season has begun on the Plains.

However, it's gonna be a long 281 days until football returns to Jordan-Hare Stadium. That's plenty of time for duck hunting in Arkansas.

Alabama

After Auburn's A-Day game on March 29th, one of my friends from Auburn texted me saying that Alabama would demolish the Tigers this season. At that point, I laughed it off and said that we would see.

After sixty minutes of domination by the Tide on Saturday, it seems that he was right.

Alabama fans easily enjoyed every second of the latest Iron Bowl victory, the largest in 46 years and the third largest victory margin for Alabama in the history of the rivalry.

The Crimson Tide faithful were enjoying themselves so much at 29-0 heading to the fourth quarter that students were already starting to "wind it up" for Rammer Jammer.

Fifteen minutes and another touchdown later, About 83, 000 Alabama fans released 2,198 days of frustration on the Tigers.

After the game, Alabama fans, including myself, were relishing in Alabama's first undefeated season since 1994, the first 12-0 regular season in SEC history, and the first Iron Bowl win in six years. Students remained in the stadium for about 20 minutes after the game, taking pictures and celebrating with the players and celebrating with each other.

No, Auburn fans, that's not a gimmick of your classless finger holding, that's representative of where Alabama is in the state and in the nation.

What is Alabama Football?

This was an email I recieved this past week describing what Alabama Football really is:

It is Wallace Wade.
It is Bear Bryant.
It is Gene Stallings.
It is this man in charge.


It is not Bobby Bowden, Phil Fulmer or Dennis Franchione.
It is the Rose Bowl.
It is hearing Keith Jackson call an Alabama game.
It is watching George Teague running down Lamar Thomas in the 1993 Sugar Bowl then rewinding it and watching it again.

It is hearing the first notes of Sweet Home Alabama .
It is the desire to beat Auburn at any competitive event that exists.
It is a houndstooth hat.
It is being " Dixie 's Football Pride"
It is having enough pride to fight for your school but having enough class not to.
It is cheering the same amount for a first down on second and 6 as on fourth and 1.
It is watching Cornelius Bennett give Notre Dame quarterback Steve Beuerlein a concussion on that October day in Birmingham in 1986.

It is determining who you are going to date & marry by which team they swear allegiance to.
It is beating Florida in the SEC title when everyone said the game in "The Swamp" was a fluke.
It is watching The Bear on the jumbotron before a game in Bryant-Denny Stadium and almost seeing him leaning against the goalpost in the end zone.
It is right behind God and family.
It is spending a day at The Bryant Museum and still not seeing everything.
It is cool crisp autumn Saturdays where you can smell football in the air and feel it whenever there is a slight breeze.
It is watching The Bear get number 315 against Auburn .
It is watching The Bear get number 323 against Illinois .
It is hearing Paul Kennedy do the play-by-play when Van Tiffin kicked the 52-yard field goal against Auburn in 1985.

It is remembering the feeling of the upper deck at legion field rumbling due to feet stomping.
It is knowing how many days until the start of a season year round.
It is driving down Colonial Drive to see Bryant-Denny Stadium not the sorority girls.
It is getting chills up and down your entire body whenever you hear anything about the 1993 Sugar Bowl and the pride you feel because that night tradition ruled.
It is hearing The Bear's voice and having all the hair on the back of your neck stand straight up because you know no matter what he said, it was something special.
It is hearing The Million Dollar Band play "Yea Alabama " and knowing it just does not get any better.
It is imagining hearing Penn State Quarterback Chuck Fusina ask Alabama linebacker Barry Krauss "How close is it?" and hearing Krauss say "About an inch, you'd better pass" right before fourth down during The Goal Line Stand in the 1979 Sugar Bowl.

It is almost coming to tears whenever Alabama loses to Auburn or Tennessee .
It is The Kick. It is The Goal Line Stand. It is The Desperation Block.
It is purposely not wearing any clothes with the colors orange and blue.
It is the Third Saturday in October.
It is not needing an alarm clock on game days, you sit bolt upright in the bed long before the alarm goes off because you know that it is a gameday, you can sleep after the bowl game.
It is walking into a stadium and knowing Alabama will win the game no matter who they are playing because it is just the way it is supposed to be.
It is the saying "Offense wins games, Defense wins national titles."
It is the Bear Bryant 'A'.

It is getting to the stadium hours before the game just to be there.

It is walking into another team's stadium and having those fans hate you because you are from Alabama .

It is the pride that a father has when he brings his children to a game so they may cherish the tradition.

It is the hit by Roman Harper in the 2005 against Tennessee that meant everything

It is beating LSU in Baton Rouge .
It is hearing the crunch as a linebacker dressed in crimson and white hits a running back dressed in orange and blue.
It is the pride you take in being every team's rival.
It is pulling for any team that is playing Auburn .
It is pulling for any team that is playing Tennessee .
It is singing Rammer Jammer period.
It is wishing both teams could lose when Auburn plays Tennessee .
It is knowing that the SEC Championship is a birthright.
It is being respected and feared at the same time.
It is holding up four fingers at the end of the third quarter.
It is not caring about a Heisman Trophy.
It is knowing what "Mama Called" means.
It is whipping Auburn 31-7 in Jordan-Hare Stadium when nobody picked you to win.
It is NOT "The Jungle".
It is The Catch.

It is having 21 Southeastern Conference Titles.
It is having 12 National Titles.
It is more than I can ever mention in this list.
It is class.
It is tradition.
It is Alabama Football.

Roll Tide!

College Basketball is Back with a Vengance!!!

Sitting in a dead Tuscaloosa on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, it was quite obvious what the night would entail: sports on television.

There were basically two choices from ESPN tonight: Basketball or Football.

Considering it is a Tuesday, I sided with basketball, and was not disappointed.

If you haven't noticed yet, this week and next week are full of great games, but tonight was a phenomenal night.

First, Notre Dame vs. Texas, number seven vs. eight, was an incredible game out in Maui. Despite AJ Abrams best effort, Notre Dame still came out on top and will face number one North Carolina tomorrow night.

For anyone wondering, that's must see TV. It's two top ten teams and two player of the year candidates going head to head tomorrow night with Tyler Hansbrough of UNC against Luke Harangody of the Irish.

The night cap, which actually just ended, was Syracuse vs. Kansas, a rematch of the 2003 National Championship Game. Syracuse managed to win in overtime in Kansas City over the Jayhawks. It was the first time since 1983 that Kansas lost in the regular season in Kansas City.

Between those two games, one major theme stood out: The Big East is going to be unbelievable.

If you don't believe me, just take a look at the BCS conferences' records against each other so far this season. Remember, the season just started November 14th.

• Big East 8-2
• ACC 5-2
• Big XII 2-2
• Big Ten 2-3
• SEC 1-4
• Pac-10 1-6

Overall, the Big East is 57-5 on the season. That equals a 92% win percentage to start the season, easily the best of the major six conferences. Even more impressive is their record against the other five conferences, as stated above.

Just a fair warning two weeks into the season: When the Big East gets ten teams into the Big Dance, don't say I didn't warn you. That would be a record for most entries from one conference, but the 2008-09 Big East may be the best conference ever.

Now, how bout we finally catch up with the Auburn "love" here?

After a week and a half of pictures, it's time to turn to a video for once.

Don't ask me how I came across this one, but i found it quite entertaining.

Who is the Heisman Frontrunner with Two Weeks Left?

After last Saturday's loss by Texas Tech, Graham Harrell lost his chance to all but lock up the Heisman Trophy.

The loss by the Red Raiders not only dropped Harrell out of the race, but has left a three way race for the most recognizable pose in sports.

Here is a quick look at the three quarterbacks left in the race:

Sam Bradford, Oklahoma

Season Stats: 238/349 (68%), 3710 yards, 42 TDs, 6 Ints, 4 rushing TDs
Production in team's loss: 28/39 (72%), 387 yards, 5 TDs, 2 Ints vs. Texas
Synopsis: Bradford has been very consistent this season as a true sophomore. He has thrown for multiple touchdowns in every game this season and has only had under 65% completion in two games. His 7:1 touchdown to interception ratio is very impressive.

Colt McCoy, Texas

Season Stats: 268/347 (77%), 3134 yards, 30 TDs, 7 Ints, 527 rushing yds, 8 rushing TDs
Production in team's loss: 20/34 (59%) 294 yards, 2 TDs, 1 Int vs. Texas Tech
Synopsis: McCoy has played about as well as anyone could have asked him this season. His lone game under 70% completion was in his team's only loss. His threat to run is a big help to keep his opponents honest.

Tim Tebow, Florida

Season Stats: 148/255 (66%), 2114 yards, 22 TDs, 2 Ints, 427 rushing yds, 11 rushing TDs
Production in team's loss: 24/38 (63%), 319 yards, 1 TD, 0 Ints, 2 rushing TDs
Synopsis: Tebow is the reigning Heisman winner, but has not had as impressive of a season this year as he did last year. He has been a big component in getting the Gators back on track, but his play before the loss was nothing to write home about. None the less, his 11:1 touchdown to interception ratio in unbelievable.

After looking at all three candidates, the clear leader, to me, is Sam Bradford. He has played the most consistent this season. Even when his percentage was down, he still managed to throw touchdowns. He has multiple touchdowns in every game, as previously stated, but has thrown for at least three in all but two games. Through eleven games, Bradford has five total touchdowns in five of those games. He has been an all around player for the Sooners this season and has done his part to keep them amongst the nation's elite.

Now, since the CW Sports Staff decided to pick the Ball St. vs. Western Michigan game this week, I have to give a prediction on a Tuesday.

Western Michigan @ Ball State

The Cardinals have done their part to their march to a perfect season and only have the Broncos left in their way. Ball State has survived a touch stretch in their past two games on the road, so a win at home to finish the year and head to the MAC Championship Game should be no problem. Ball State 28, Western Michigan 17

Now, how bout some more Auburn "love?"

I only managed two posts yesterday, so I owe you two today.

For starters, we will look at the magazine cover which Tommy Tuberville graced this season. We all know that coach Saban was on the cover of Forbes, but what about Tubby's cover?

So, Who is Oregon, Anyways?

The Alabama Crimson Tide are about six hours from tipoff for their first of three games in the Maui Invitational, where their first opponent is the Oregon Ducks.

Of course most of us are aware of Alabama's situation this season, but what about Alabama's first major conference foe of the season?

First off, the Ducks have six new members to their basketball team this season, good enough to have the No. 16 class in the country last year. The gem of the class is Michael Dunigan, a 6-9 center from Chicago.

Dunigan has started his first three games for the Ducks, averaging 13 points a game and eight rebounds. His real weakness, however, is the charity stripe, where he is only shooting 43% so far.

Both freshmen Matthew Humphrey and Garrett Sim have started at the guard position this season for Oregon and have seen substantial time on the floor, as well as Josh Crittle, however none of these three have proven to be a real scoring threat.

As for the returners for Oregon, there is a real dual threat from the Ducks' guards Tajuan Porter and LeKendric Longmire. Both players are averaging 15 points a game this season, but are extremely scary from behind the arc.

Longmire is 6-8 this season from downtown while Porter is shooting 43% from range so far. As a team, Oregon is shooting 42% from distance.

To pair with Dunigan in the frontcourt is sophomore Joevan Catron. Catron averages nine points and just over eight rebounds so far this year, as well as an impressive 80% from the free throw line this year. He is second on the team only to Porter (95%).

As a team, though, Oregon seems to be a fair match for the Crimson Tide. Aside from the impressive numbers from three point range, the Ducks shoot a decent 40% from the field as a team, but a sad 65% from the free throw line.

As for their season, Oregon is currently 2-1 with wins over Northern Colorado (66-64) and UC-Irvine (84-77) and an 82-79 loss to Oakland(MI) sandwiched in between.

Now, for match ups, look for Ron Steele to be assigned Porter whether Porter is at the one or two position. Senario Hillman will have the job of keeping Longmire away from the three point line. Green and Knox should alternate between guarding Dunigan and Catron, but the biggest goal for Alabama down low will be to get rebounds on either side of the floor. Alonzo Gee will be matched against either Humphrey or Sim, whoever gets the start, and should do his best to take advantage of their young age.

For a full breakdown of the entire tournament, Jay Bilas was kind enough to enlighten the masses with his knowledge.

Now time for everyone's favorite portion of the ITNOT blog during Iron Bowl week, its more Auburn "love."

Shout out two of three for the day will come to us from Tommy Tuberville's webcam. We all know Tubbs is such a lazy recruiter when compared to Saban, so you won't see his massive ears online. Instead, it will look something like this...

ITNOT Top 25 after Week 13

ITNOT Top 25

1. Alabama
2. Florida
3. Oklahoma
4. Texas
5. USC
6. Utah
7. Penn State
8. Texas Tech
9. Boise State
10. Ohio State
11. Georgia
12. Oklahoma State
13. TCU
14. Ball State
15. Missouri
16. Cincinnati
17. BYU
18. Oregon State
19. Georgia Tech
20. Oregon
21. Northwestern
22. Florida State
23. Michigan State
24. Ole Miss
25. West Virginia

Now, a long weekend led to no blog posts, so today, you, the dedicated reader, are due three helpings of Auburn "love." Here is numero uno...

Picks, Previews, and Prognostications, Rivalry Week Part I

As the season begins to wind down, the rivalries begin to heat up.

With that said, this week is week one of two continual rivalry weeks to end the college football season, and there are plenty to be played this weekend.

However, for starters, let's see how many rivalries you can correctly name. Thanks to ESPN, this has been made possible for week one and hopefully week two will have a similar poll.

First, though, I need to update my record against the rest of the CW pick'em staff.

Last week, I went 7-1 and would have been perfect had I actually had faith in Vandy. Instead, I tied for the best record of the week last week. After three weeks of picks, I am currently sitting at 20-4. The best CW staffer is 15-9.

Now, back to Rivalry Week Part I, where I will go unopposed considering there was no Gameday published in the Crimson White this week, but the blog needs something on it, so here it goes.

Tennessee @ Vanderbilt

The Commodores are going bowling for the first time since 1982 after las week's road win against Kentucky. Tennessee is coming off of an embarrassing loss to Wyoming for Homecoming and has seemingly given up on their season. Both teams still want to win this game and Tennessee is trying to avoid an eight loss season for the first time in school history. Here's to an orange snowman on Saturday. Vanderbilt 17, Tennessee 9

Florida State @ Maryland

The Terps and the Seminoles will clash in what is an elmination game for Florida State. An FSU loss ends their conference season at 4-4 while Maryland could finish no worse than 5-3. Maryland is undefeated at home this season, but is only 2-16 all-time against the Seminoles. Fear the Turtle, 'cause Saturday in College Park will mark win number three. Maryland 27, Florida State 17

Stanford @ Cal

The battle for the Stanford Axe will commence in Berkley on Saturday between two teams known for the greatest play in college football history. This season, however, the Bears seem to be the better team, but Stanford has shown their mettle are are battling for a bowl position. Cal would love nothing more than to keep their bitter rival from going bowling this season, and the Bears will be up to the task on Saturday. Cal 28, Stanford 17

Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati

The River City Rivalry (est. 2005, for what its worth) may go a long way to deciding the Big East after Cinci's consecutive road wins at West Virginia and Louisville. A Bearcats win would all but lock up the Big East considering Cincinnati's remaining Big East schedule would only comprise of coachless Syracuse. Pittsburgh would have a long way to go if they were to win this game, still having to face West Virginia (who will be out for revenge) and UConn. With a BCS bowl at stake, the Bearcats make the necessary moves at home to all but clinch the Big East. Cincinnati 35, Pittsburgh 27

Michigan @ Ohio State

Yes it's a rivalry, and an intesnse one at that, but who all are we kidding to believe Michigan has a chance this weekend? The Wolverines are in the midst of their worst season in school history and will be on the road at The Horseshoe. This is all after Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez took time out of his week this week to actually respond to the media. They are in your head, Rich, and soon Ohio State will be as well. Ohio State 42, Michigan 10

Michigan State @ Penn State

The battle for The Land Grant Trophy is also a battle for the Big Ten title. The Nittany Lions are thinking roses after putting together another stellar season for coach Joe Paterno, but Jevon Ringer and company stands in their way. Sparty will need an improbable Michigan victory to have a chance to go to Pasadena, but that won't even be a problem after Penn State and the Spread HD seal the Big Ten title. Penn State 24, Michigan State 14

BYU @ Utah

The annual Holy War between the Utes and Cougars may be the most important game in the history of the rivalry this season. Not only is the battle for the Beehive Boot for the Mountain West title, but Utah is playing for a spot in a BCS game. Both teams have battled TCU this season, with the Utes being the only team to come out on top in a wild game two weeks ago. The Utes will once again be at home and will have plenty of time to think about which BCS bowl they would like to participate in. Utah 21, BYU 17

Texas Tech @ Oklahoma

This may be the next best thing to a college football playoff. The Red Raiders and Sooners will clash in what could be the first of two "semifinal" games for the BCS. As I discussed earlier, a Sooners win would shake up the entire Big XII landscape with one week remaining, but if Graham Harrell and company finish the job Saturday, all should remain peaceful in the land of college football and Harrell would all but lock up the Heisman Trophy. So much for wishful thinking in Lubbock as we will watch the BCS implode once again. Oklahoma 38, Texas Tech 35

Other rivalries of note this weekend:
Minnesota 24, Iowa 20-Floyd of Rosedale
Northwestern 21, Illinois 17-Sweet Sioux Tomahawk
Purdue 30, Indiana 14-Old Oaken Bucket
Colorado State 20, Wyoming 10-Bronze Boot
Washington 24, Washington State 23-Apple Cup
Harvard 24, Yale 17-THE Game
LSU 35, Ole Miss 31

Now, as always for the next week, how 'bout some Auburn "love"?

This one pretty much speaks for itself...

Texas Needs The Most Help in Search of BCS Title Game.

With the impending Texas Tech-Oklahoma game this weekend (or as one of my friends keeps calling it, "Armageddon"), all eyes are once again on the Big XII South.

College Gameday will be in Norman on Saturday to kickoff the day's action and cause many sleepless Oklahoma fans to wait another eight hours until kickoff after Gameday signs off.

Anyways, all the talk of the game started to get me thinking on difference scenarios of how the Big XII South could play out and what kind of affect it will have on those still in the hunt for the divisional title.

After all of the thinking, Texas is the team that seems to be SOL.

Sure, I like Texas and it was one of my top three when choosing a college (I say that like other places had a chance), but the Longhorns need a lot of help in order to reach Kansas City.

For better understanding, here goes my thought process.

• Of the three teams still in the hunt for the Big XII South title, and more or less BCS Title Game berth, Texas has the weakest remaining schedule. The Longhorns finish with Texas A&M next Saturday as their final game. Oklahoma finishes with Oklahoma State in the annual Bedlam game and Texas Tech will finish with Baylor.
• I will start the thought process by saying if Texas Tech wins, all that is written below is a moot point. The Red Raiders win, they will clinch the Big XII South for the first time since the inception of the Big XII Title Game
• Now, if Oklahoma wins, the division will fall into a three way tie entering the final weekend of the season. Also, voters will have many questions to ask of themselves.

1. Does Oklahoma jump Texas even though the Longhorns won the head-to-head game?
2. How far does Texas Tech drop after losing to Oklahoma?
3. Where does Texas belong after beating Oklahoma, but losing to Texas Tech?

• You may ask why this all matters, but it is huge. Assuming all three teams win their final games, there would still be a tie at the top of the division. The final tie breaker in the Big XII is BCS rank. That means, if Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas Tech all finish 7-1 in the conference, the team with the highest BCS rank will go to the conference title game to face Missouri. That would be why schedule would come into play with the computers. For Oklahoma, a win Saturday should put them into the Big XII Championship Game. The Sooners have the most appealing final game and lost the earliest out of the three teams battling for the final spot.
• Now, if Oklahoma beats Texas Tech and then loses to Oklahoma State, Texas Tech will win the division by virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker with Texas. In this case, Oklahoma would go from first to fourth in the span of a week.

So, after discussing all of that, what would Texas need to go to Kansas City?

First, they must exert revenge on Texas A&M next Saturday to still have any kind of shot should Oklahoma win tomorrow.

Second, their lead on Oklahoma in the computer polls must remain solid. As it stands this week, Texas' average computer ranking is 2.75, resulting in 0.93 BCS points. Oklahoma's average is 5.50 and 0.82 BCX points . With a Texas Tech loss, Texas' average should jump to a 1.75 and 0.97 BCS points, putting them second in the computer polls only behind Alabama. How much weight the computer's put on Oklahoma's win would dictate a lot in the BCS.

But as I said when I started this, if Texas Tech wins, all will be right with the world.

However, this is BCS era college football we are talking about, and nothing ever plays out the easy way.

Now, how bout some Auburn "love"?

Since I missed posting yesterday, today will once again bring a double dose of "love."

To start off today, we will take a look at Auburn sociology.

You know, the class where Auburn football players never show up and then get an A...

And remember Exhibit A, Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, whom the professor of the sociology class had never hear of...

And the impending scandal that pretty much made a Sociology Degree a joke?

Ok, so they were eventually cleared by "an internal investigation," but still 18 players and 97 hours is a lot.

Pass or Fail, Week of Nov. 19

With a good portion of the SEC off between last Saturday and this Saturday, the weekly Pass or Fail segment will expand a little this week to not only more major college football, but also a peek into basketball.

Head of the Class: Vanderbilt Commodores

For the first time since 1982, the Vanderbilt Commodores will be visiting the postseason.

With a 31-24 victory at Kentucky, the 'Dores are now 6-4 on the season and 4-3 in the SEC. With a win over Tennessee Saturday, Vanderbilt will have five conference wins for the first time since 1935. Vandy gets Tennessee in Nashville and will be looking at a much better bowl with seven victories on the season.

Pass: Alabama's Javier Arenas

Every week it seems there is an Alabama player in the pass column.

Well, for starters, this is a blog by an Alabama student who gets to watch their games in entirety each week, but Alabama is also undefeated.

This week's honor falls on the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week Javier Arenas who set a school record with 153 punt return yards against Mississippi State. Arenas also set the career school mark for punts returned for touchdowns with his fifth career return against the Bulldogs.

Fail: The Deep South's Oldest Rivarly

Not only did this game kick at 11:30 on regional television, being overlooked for Alabama-Mississippi State, but it wasn't suppose to be that great of a game. It wasn't that great of a game, but for other reasons.

Auburn has struggled all season, sure, but Georgia looked absolutely pathetic after their first field goal attempt was blocked by the Tigers. The game then turned into an absolute battle of ineptitude that the Bulldogs eventually won 17-13. Tuberville could have won the game had he kicked a field goal on previous drives in the fourth quarter, but opted for fourth down offensive attempts which failed.

Pass: Tennessee Basketball

If anyone was wondering who would win the SEC this season, look no further than Knoxville.

The Vols are simply too strong in a conference full of horribly underachieving teams and Florida. The Gators will provide the biggest competition to the Vols, but everything else should be easy sailing this season.

Bruce Pearl not only has some great returning players from last season, they also have Diaper Dandy Scotty Hopson, who will be posterizing an All-SEC player near you in the coming months.

Fail: SEC Basketball

I have been on this topic as late as yesterday, but last night didn't make any matters better.

Between Georgia's dominant one-point win over Eastern Michigan and Kentucky's 28-turnover beauty against North Carolina on national television. These games have UK at 0-2 and Georgia is 1-1 with a points differential on the season of -20.

SEC fans can at least hold on to the last few breaths of football season, and the jump straight into baseball.

Pass: ACC Football

They may not be the best or have any powerhouse team this season, but the ACC has been the most fun conference to watch this year.

Why you may ask?

Parity. Each week, a new team in the ACC joins the Top 25 just to go on the road and lose, fall out of the Top 25, win at home, and start the process over.

Each team has at least two losses right now. The only two teams who have yet to dropped a third game are Miami, who travels to Georgia Tech and North Carolina State to finish the season, and Maryland, who hosts Florida State and visits Boston College.

I'm going to make a quick prediction that each team in the ACC will finish with three losses, but anyone else who wants to take time out of their lives to sort out the tie breakers for these situations, knock yourself out.

Fail: Rich Rodriguez

It is bad enough to be the first man in Michigan history, the winningest program in college football history, to take the team to they historic low of eight losses in one season.

Things don't get better when you take time out of your schedule of coaching said program to respond to media members who are roasting you like chestnuts over an open fire.

Too bad that Rich Rod has already done that this week (Ohio State week for those of you who didn't know since ESPN is shoving that game down our throats for once) by telling media members to "Get a life" after multiple outlets have questioned his first season in Ann Arbor.

Rich, some quick advice, you are no longer the native son, so you might need to grow a spine...and fast.

Epic Fail: The Apple Cup

There are no two teams in FBS college football right now who are worse than Washington and Washington State.

The Huskies are currently 0-10 on the season. Ty Willingham has been fired already and are losing by the average score of 40-14.

The Cougars have benefitted from being able to look across the state and see Washington at 0-10 because WAZU is 1-10 themselves.

The only win for the Cougars came against FCS Portland State, who is currently 3-7 themselves. They have been shut out three out of their past four games and are limping to the finish line against Washington.

In other words, something has to give.

I would look for Washington State to come out on top for two reasons: They have the game at home and, sadly, they at least know how to win.

So, now with that out of the way, it is now time for the customary Auburn "love" that will be gracing this blog over the next week and a half.

For tonight, we are gonna hit the way back machine and go all the way back to...January of 2007. Basically, it was when Tubbs started shaking in his boots and was out to continue the downward spiral that is Auburn Football as we know it today.

Hate is a Strong Word, but I Really, Really Do Hate Auburn

Sure, it may seem a little harsh, but I had a chance to reflect on this Sunday night when a Mercer coach asked us, "Why do ya'll hate Auburn so much?"

Of course, the overwhelming answer is, "Why DON'T you hate Auburn?" but it also gave me a chance to think of why I do hate that Cow College across the state, and it was quite simple.

First, let's start with the school itself.

I can't make a trip down to Auburn without feeling like I am going to contract Gona-herpa-syphl-AIDS. Nothing about that campus can make you feel comfortable about touching a doorknob down there.

Second, their whole existence revolves around beating Alabama. No matter what sport it is, even their beloved swimming and diving, they could care less about anything but beating Bama.

That overwhelming sentiment is found obviously in their favorite joke that has been handed down by their parents. You've heard it, no doubt. The whole living off a dead Bear joke. They love that.

On top of that, they have a quote above their locker room that reads, "We have an opponent in this state that we work every day, 365 days a year, to dominate." Turns out, that's a Nick Saban quote. It is right next to a poster that has all the Iron Bowl victory scores from the Tuberville era that says, "Remember the Feeling" on it.

All of that just borders on obsession.

Third, I personally can't stand stupid people, and if you have to count down for every single cheer you do, you're stupid.

Enter Auburn, where every cheer starts with, "1,2,3.." and continues with created English words such as "Wegle" and the extremely intimidating phrase of "Kick'em in the butt, Big Blue." Apparently, they are also Michigan fans.

Fourth, the absolute classless nature of Auburn. If you don't know what I'm talking about right now, you must be playing dumb like you were about to start an Auburn cheer.

If you haven't noticed, Auburn fans enjoy their sole purpose in life so much, that they will count wins on their fingers. They enjoy their streak so much, it is their only crutch to stand on when they get in an argument.

But, on top of all that, the sheer use of the gesture is classless.

Don't believe me? Well, take a look around. Do you see teams like Ohio State, Georgia, or Oklahoma holding up their win streak numbers over Michigan, Georgia Tech, or Oklahoma State? No? You want to know why? Cause they have class and expect to win those games.

Anyways, as classless as it may be, it has to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is the top.

That's right, the last reason to hate Auburn is Tommy Tuberville, the epitome of classless. Go ahead and defend him all you want, Auburn fans, but this is the same guy who went "duck hunting" in Arkansas last season when he was obviously trying to get the head job, yet still told you he was an "Auburn man."

This is the same man who said he wouldn't leave Oxford except for in a pine box, then flew in a metal plane to Auburn.

This is the same guy who started the whole "Hold up your fingers, all my followers and simpletons."

But most recently, this is same man who showed the utmost disrespect for his opponent when he said, "We've never lost at Jordan-Hare West, and it ain't gonna start this year...I know they have the Messiah over there, but he might want to take that day off."

Yea, Tommy Tuberville is all class.

So, I know Mercer is well out of town, but there is enough of an explanation right there.

Now, as I said earlier today, I was a day behind on my Auburn "love," so today is a double dose, so here it goes.

Since I was discussing Auburn and their stupidity, here is one of the more classic examples of Auburn stupidity.

SEC Basketball is Worse Than Advertised, Screw ESPN, and the ITNOT Top 25

After having two days to stew on Alabama's opening game loss to Mercer, my outlook for this season is not getting too positive.

Sure, it's just one game, and things could easily turn around, but the lack of physicality and passion shown against Mercer is a big cause for concern.

This is on top of the fact Alabama could have one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country this season for a team from a "BCS" conference. Alabama still has three games in Maui, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, and at Clemson. That could easily be five more losses going off of the way Bama played on Sunday night.

But it is not just Alabama that was disappointing, it is the entire SEC. Just take a look around at the opening games for SEC teams this season:

• Kentucky lost to Virginia Military Institute 111-103 and gave up 57 points in the first half.
• Arkansas had to go to overtime to beat Southeastern Louisiana.
• Georgia, defending SEC Tournament Champion, had their own behinds handed to them on a silver platter by Loyola-Illinois 74-53.
• And, of course, Alabama looking absolutely uninspired against Mercer in a 72-69 loss.

Things are not going to get better soon for Kentucky, as they face the mighty North Carolina Tar Heels on ESPN tonight.

Speaking of ESPN, the Worldwide Leader in Sports has struck a deal with the BCS to get all BCS bowls, minus the Rose, and the BCS Championship Game starting in 2011 through 2014.

This means that the BCS bowls for the 2010 season will be broadcast on ESPN.

Sure, this may seem like a proud day for Disney, considering they now hold every BCS game thanks to ABC's contract with the Rose Bowl, but lets look into what this now means for fans.

The argument for people who use antenna's is almost moot considering the Digital Transition that will take place in February of next year, but there are still those people who have gone and bought HD antennas.

Because ESPN is not broadcast as a basic local channel with a national affiliate, Joe Schmo will not be able to watch the national championship game or any other bowl game before New Year's Day for that matter.

This move is just the latest for the growing monopoly that is ESPN/Disney. Not only do they now have television deals with every BCS conference and the BCS itself, they have that huge deal with the SEC starting next season, they get the NBA playoffs and Finals on ABC, Monday Night Football, and an average of three baseball games a week plus playoffs.

In other words, if Hockey hadn't bit the dust for a year, ESPN would hold rights to every major sport. O yes, not to mention the US Open will now move to ESPN as well.

Anyways, it is time for this week's Top 25, which does not see much change near the top.

ITNOT Top 25

1. Alabama
2. Texas Tech
3. Florida
4. Oklahoma
5. Texas
6. USC
7. Penn State
8. Utah
9. Boise State
10. Ohio State
11. Georgia
12. Oklahoma State
13. TCU
14. Ball State
15. Missouri
16. Michigan State
17. LSU
18. BYU
19. Virginia Tech
20. Pittsburgh
21. North Carolina
22. Cincinnati
23. Oregon State
24. Maryland
25. Northwestern

But wait, there is bonus over the next two weeks!!!!

In honor of the Iron Bowl in 11 days, 2 hours, and 30 minutes (yes, I am counting), I will show my absolute love to the Cow College across the state everyday in some way, shape, form, or fashion. Since I missed yesterday, I will give an extra one today.

Auburn fans are so confident in beating Alabama this season that the Huntsville Auburn club went as far as to cancel their annual Beat Bama Party this year. Don't believe me? Just take a look for yourself.

Nick Saban gets fired up!!!

If you haven't heard what Nick Saban had to say last night about this week's game against Mississippi State, you may want to take a listen.

Coach Saban got on a roll last night about those who are viewing Mississippi State as a pushover team.

Just a heads up to those of you who may not know:

• We have lost two straight to State.
• We haven't scored an offensive TD against State in 186 minutes of football.
• Our two campuses are the closest of any in the SEC.
• O yea, in case you forgot, their head coach played for The Bear.
• Finally, they have the most annoying cheer in the SEC. (BTW, the correct cheer is "State sucks, State sucks." They will love you for it.)

So, now that you know that, I'll let the man say his peace about this game.

So yea, all you students who don't show up to the game until kickoff or are not planning on coming at all, this is not the State team you are used to from when you were in high school.

This team is a bit better than what you may think, and this game is extremely important for this season.

The ITNOT Top 25, Heisman List, and Quick Links

So, after returning from Baton Rouge and New Orleans, it took a little time to recuperate (and get some school work done), so the blog suffered a bit, but today will be posts for miles, ranging from SEC Pass or Fail to some thoughts on basketball, but first, its time for the ITNOT Top 25 and Heisman lists.

ITNOT Top 25

1. Alabama
2. Texas Tech
3. Florida
4. Oklahoma
5. Texas
6. USC
7. Penn State
8. Utah
9. Boise State
10. Ohio State
11. Georgia
12. Oklahoma State
13. Missouri
14. TCU
15. Ball State
16. TCU
17. Michigan State
18. North Carolina
19. LSU
20. BYU
21. Virginia Tech
22. Florida State
23. Pittsburgh
24. South Carolina
25. Wake Forest

Heisman Top 5

1. Graham Harrell, QB, Texas Tech
2. Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
3. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas
4. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
5. Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma

Generalized Links

• ESPN.com: Forde Yard Dash, On the Mark, and plenty of new stuff from Chris Low
• Weekly Mailbag from Stewart Mandel at SI.com
• Week 12 Expert Picks from CBS sports

Picks, Previews, and Prognostications, Week Eleven

Hello everyone from New Orleans, Louisiana, where we are celebrating the 21st birthday of, well, me.

Twenty-one years ago, I was born about five minutes before Alabama-LSU in 1987. The Tide won that game in Baton Rouge, 22-10.

Of course, I would love for that to happen again this year, but we will see how I feel about that game later in this post after a review of last week and then other predictions for this week's games as selected by the CW Sports staff.

Last week, I managed to go 6-2 in the head to head competition with the CW Sports staff. The best any one of them could do was 5-3, and only one of them could muster that.

My seven times "Not so fast" on the Georgia Tech-FSU game plus my pick of Texas Tech over Texas helped to push me over the top.

So, what is there for this week? Well, I am already 1-0 after last night's grand comeback by Utah to beat TCU and remain unbeaten, but here are the other games.

Oklahoma State @ Texas Tech

The Red Raiders are looking to avoid a let down after a big victory over Texas last week. Oklahoma State is trying to remain in the Big XII South race with a win. Both teams still have a chance to make it to Kansas City to represent the South with a three-way tie, but Texas Tech can eliminate the Pokes all together with a win.

Texas Tech 45, Oklahoma State 41

California @ USC

As I pointed out earlier in the week, USC hasn't played anyone of meirt in their last four games, but the Golden Bears from Berkley are currently ranked in the Top 25. USC no doubt has a great offense as usual, but is their defense as good as advertised. The Bears will give the Trojans a run for their money, but USC is too strong in the Pac-1 to be challenged at home.

USC 35, Cal 14

Ohio State @ Northwestern

The Wildcats are looking at a bowl berth for the first time since 2005 and their fourth this decade, more than doubling their total bowl berths before the year 2000. Ohio State is still in the running for a Rose Bowl berth or even a Big Ten title if they can continue to win and get a Penn State loss. Northwestern may have home field advantage in this game, but that doesn't mean much when your stadium only holds 50,000 fans. A healthy Chris Wells will help the Buckeyes come out on top.

Ohio State 28, Northwestern 10

Georgia Tech @ North Carolina

Both Georgia Tech and North Carolina already have two losses in the ACC Coastal Division, just like three other teams, so a loss could be detrimental to any championship aspirations. Georgia Tech played a great game last week against Florida State and have won eight of the last nine against North Carolina. The Tar Heels can secure their first winning season since 2001 with a victory, and this should be the case on Saturday.

North Carolina 28, Georgia Tech 27

Cincinnati @ West Virginia

The Bearcats are currently tied for second in the Big East with Pittsburgh. Both teams are trailing the Mountaineers of West Virginia. Those three teams have yet to play each other until this weekend. WVU is starting to hit their stride after a big win over Auburn and are currently 5-0 at home this season. Make that 6-0 after Saturday.

West Virginia 38, Cincinnati 17

Arkansas @ South Carolina

Is their seriously nothing better this weekend to pick? Apparently not. I will make this one easy: Best defense in the SEC against the worst defense in the SEC. Sure, South Carolina may not have the greatest offense, but they are on enough of a roll right now that Michael Smith and company will not change that pattern as the Gamecocks celebrate Senior Day in Columbia.

South Carolina 24, Arkansas 10

Alabama @ LSU

The Crimson Tide are currently 60 minutes from clinching their first SEC West title since 1999. LSU fans have waited 675 days for Nick Saban to return to Baton Rouge as the coach of the Crimson Tide. Alabama is #1 in the country for the first time in almost three decades, and the question will be how they handle the pressure. The Tide will handle the pressure just fine because Nick Saban preaches one game at a time.

Alabama 24, LSU 14

So, we know what I think, but what previews and predictions are out there from other people around the country?

• Here is the Top 25 Overview from ESPN.com
• Christ Low, the SEC Blogger, has his things to watch for this weekend as well as his predictions for this week's games.
• Bruce Feldman of ESPN.com takes a look over the entire college football landscape for Week 11.
• Chris Fowler previews this weekend by looking at Florida's BCS Title chances, Barack Obama's change for college football, as well as a look at LSU-Bama (of course).
• Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com blabs on and on about every little thing in college football this weekend and guess what game he also comments on?
• CBS' video preview of the Bama-LSU game is right here.
• The CBS "experts" make their picks for this weekend here.
• Steward Mandel of SI.com, as normal, offers his thoughts on this week's games as well.

Finally, to head into the weekend at full force, there must be a story on John Parker Wilson. With Alabama's success this season, Wilson has been a favorite subject of many articles, and SI.com's Andy Staples now takes his turn on JPW.

Who is LSU, Anyways?

Uh, just the defending national champions of college football, that's all.

The Bayou Bengals may have suffered a few humiliating losses this season at the hands of Florida and Georgia, but they still have very good skill players and have a core left from last season who still know a thing or two about winning.

Charles Scott has emerged as the biggest threat on the ground for the Tigers this season for a team that has all of a sudden gone from running back by committee to one solid guy. Scott is averaging 6.7 yards per carry this season with 11 touchdowns and 111 yards per game.

At quarterback, the picture is a little fuzzy. Jarrett Lee and Andrew Hatch have been sharing time all season, but that doesn't throw out the possibility of seeing freshman Jordan Jefferson take the field for the Fighting Tigers. Lee has seen the most action this season, completing 56% of his passes for 1427 yards on the season, but has a horrid touchdown to interceptions ratio at 12:10. He is also averaging one interception for every ten completions.

The true stars of LSU on offense are the wide receivers who can do some damage if Alabama allows Lee and company to get them the ball. LSU is led by Brandon LaFell and Demetrius Byrd at receiver. LaFell has been the go-to guy this season, having a majority of the catches, yards, and touchdowns.

On defense, LSU has lost a lot from last season, but is still very stout on the defensive line.

The defensive line has a two-headed monster in Rahim Alem and Tyson Jackson. Both of these guys will be cause for concern for the Alabama offensive line and may be the best tandem they will face all season. Alem is the team leader in sacks with six and Jackson has four and a half himself. Combined, these two have 15.5 tackles for loss this season.

After the line, the defense gets a little shaky.

The leading tackler on the team, Harry Coleman, only has 47 tackles on the season from the safety position. Perry Riley is the leading tackler among the linebackers with 37 tackles. The secondary has only caused four interceptions all season and has been picked apart by both Matthew Stafford and Tim Tebow. John Parker Wilson could easily do the same if play calling permits.

Overall, the LSU defense has only caused eight turnovers this season, well below the 36 this team caused last season.

Obviously the keys for Alabama will be to keep LSU out of the offensive backfield, prevent turnovers, and create some turnovers of their own.

Now, before I go and get ready for the trip to Baton Rouge and the turning of 21 in New Orleans, I found an interesting set of articles that reflects the two sides of Nick Saban: Alabama and LSU. Hope you enjoy and be on the lookout for picks out the wazoo tomorrow, but since one of the games picked by the CW Sports staff is tonight, here is one to help tide you over until tomorrow.

TCU @ Utah

The Utes are undefeated, the Horned Frogs have one loss, albeit to Oklahoma. For all intensive purposes, this is the Mountain West Championship Game with both teams undefeated in conference, top ten in the BCS, and BYU with already one loss at the hands of TCU earlier this season. Utah gets this game at home, and that will be the factor that gets them over the top and into the BCS.

Utah 27, TCU 24

SEC Pass or Fail, Week Ten...and Links!!!

So, another week, and another installment of SEC Pass or Fail here at ITNOT.

This week in the SEC saw another big match up turn into a big blow out, some stellar defensive efforts, and some just horrid individual and team play. Out of all of that, here is what stood out.

Head of the Class: Alabama's Defense

Sure, Alabama was playing Arkansas State this week, but this was a team who has a win against a BCS team this season and scored 83 points in a game. All Alabama did was shut them out and hold them to 158 total yards.

In their last four games, the Crimson Tide defense has only allowed four offensive touchdowns and has yet to allow a 100-yard rusher so far this season. On top of this, the defense has four touchdowns of their own this season and will face their last tough road challenge of the regular season this weekend against Charles Scott and the LSU Tigers.

Pass: Florida's Tim Tebow

After the Gators lost to Ole Miss at home, many people were wondering what happened to Heisman winner Tim Tebow. Four games later, it's safe to say "Superman" has found his stride once again.

Since the Ole Miss game, Tebow is 52/75 with eight passing touchdowns to just two interceptions. He has also ran for six touchdowns in those games. He has led the Gators to three straight games of 40 points or more for the first time since the Spurrier era, and managed to set the school record for career rushing touchdowns (39), surpassing Emmitt Smith in the process.

Fail: Georgia

The Bulldogs were the pre-season number one team in the country, the national title pick by Lindy's pre-season magazine, and were suppose to have two Heisman candidates in Knowshon Moreno and Matthew Stafford. Instead, the Bulldogs have fallen flat in their two biggest games this season.

Between games against Alabama and Florida, the Bulldogs have given up 90 points to those two teams in two losses. Both losses have managed to propel the opposing team into the national spotlight, while Georgia falls further away from where most people saw them at the beginning of the season. The Bulldogs are now playing for a spot in a New Year's Day Bowl instead of any sort of championship.

Pass: South Carolina's Defense

The Gamecocks started the season at 1-2 and were looking at an entire season like the way last year ended. Instead, the Gamecocks are now bowl eligible and it is due in large part to their defense.

South Carolina is only giving up an average of 15 points per game and have the best, and most underrated, defense in the SEC this season. USC has managed to do this while also having the worst turnover differential in the conference at -7. I thought Lou Holtz was crazy when he called the Gamecocks the best defense in the SEC earlier this season during halftime of a game they would lose, but they have made Lou look like a he knew what he was talking about for once.

Fail: Mississippi State

The Bulldogs had a great season last year and were looking to build on that success this season. Turns out that Mississippi State is Mississippi State once again.

Wesley Carroll was all about winning an SEC championship this season at SEC Media Days, but that focus has now shifted to just winning an SEC game. The Bulldogs have won one conference game all season and have blown chances against Auburn and Kentucky this season. State must win their final three games to even be considered for a bowl, but they must go on the road to Tuscaloosa and Oxford for two of those final three games. The only problem is State is win-less this season on the road.

Pass: Ole Miss

Ole Miss won three SEC games during the three year career of Ed Orgeron and won three games each season under Coach O. The Rebels have three SEC wins this season alone after last weekend's win over Auburn.

The Rebels are one win away from their first bowl since Eli Manning and company took down Oklahoma State 31-28 in the 2003 Cotton Bowl, and they have two very good chances to get that sixth win. The Rebels finish with two of their final three at home against Louisiana-Monroe and then the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Houston Nutt has things going in the right direction in Oxford and has the players to be making some noise soon.

Fail: Three Interception Quarterbacks

Interceptions are never the way to win a football game for your team. Multiple interceptions is just an easy way to spell "loss," and that's exactly what Georgia and Auburn did when their quarterbacks threw three interceptions each.

Kodi Burns and Matthew Stafford managed to complete three passes to teams in the wrong color jersey this past Saturday. Burns' interceptions all came in the second half and directly led to Ole Miss' final touchdown in a 17-7 Rebel victory. Auburn finished the game on Ole Miss' 25-yard line which would have been prime for a game-tying field goal. Stafford's blunders (which also included a fumble) also all came in the second half and led to two Florida touchdowns on the very next play after the interception as the Gators embarrassed the Bulldogs 49-10. It's pretty safe to say that three interceptions are not the way to win a ball game.

Epic Fail: Tennessee

The daisy orange and white have looked horrid this season, and it all came to a culmination after two straight losses to familiar foes.

Tennessee is currently sitting at 3-6 after back-to-back losses to Alabama and Steve Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks. The Vols have only managed 15 points in their last two games and had finally had enough to let Phil Fulmer go on Monday. The Vols will have a new general on the sideline next season for the first time in 17 years in hopes that they can once again return to greatness in the SEC. As it stands right now, it might take a lot more than a head coach to fix the mess on Rocky Top.

This week, even though they aren't in the SEC, an extra special Epic Fail goes out to the Michigan Wolverines, who will not be going to a bowl in Rich Rodriguez' first season in Ann Arbor. The losing season snaps a 33-year bowl streak for the Maize and Blue, which was easily the longest in the nation. The pain is only made worse as Ohio State, Michigan State, and Notre Dame are all having successful seasons once again.

So what is up concerning college football today?

• The Forde-Yard Dash on ESPN.com by Pat Forde takes a look at a potential eight team playoff and asks the question of where has George Teague gone.
• Ivan Maisel of ESPN.com looks into the BCS puzzle as well as Miami's second season under Randy Shannon.
• Chris Low of ESPN.com looks inside the SEC for his internal affairs and is sold on Alabama's three headed rushing attack.
• Steward Mandel of SI.com talks about the biggest storyline of this weekend in his weekly mailbag. Of course, its Nick Saban vs. Les Miles.
• Gentry Estes of the Mobile Press-Register takes a look at things Nick Saban has come to realize in his year and a half at Alabama.
• In today's Birmingham News, Ian Rapaport (my favorite blogger to read, btw) tells the story of how John Parker Wilson is among the Alabama elite quarterbacks, but he still needs some signature wins, starting with Saturday at LSU.

That's all for tonight. Tomorrow, we will take a look at LSU and all the threats they posses for this Alabama team.

Pete Carroll: The Adam Morrison of College Football

For the second time this week, USC (University of Southern California) head football coach Pete Carroll spoke out against the BCS, and he didn't have anything better to say the second time around.

"I think it stinks. I don't think it's the way it should be," he said Tuesday.

And that was just the beginning of his little therapy session with the media yesterday.

"What is the criteria of the process? Is it to pick the team that has the best season, that has the season that you like the most and feel best about voting for? Or is it the best team at the end of the year, the team that would win a playoff system if you did have it?"

Pete may be the cool factor of college football coaches, but apparently he doesn't know how to use the internet effectively.

Here is where I step in for him.

One quick type of "BCS formula" on google gave me this site as the first choice and it explains it.

Here is the short hand explanation of the BCS:

• The Harris Poll, made up of 114 voters of the media, makes up 1/3 of the formula.
• The ESPN/USAToday coaches poll, voted on by 60 coaches in the FBS (football bowl subdivision) makes up 1/3 of the formula.
• Six computerized polls (Peter Wolfe, Wes Colley, Sagarin, Seattle Times, Richard Billingsley, Kenneth Massey) rank the top 25 every week. The highest and lowest rankings for each team are thrown out, leaving four rankings. That average makes up 1/3 of the formula.

Upon further review, Pete just didn't take the time to look into the formula.

It's not about a feel good story or any of that crap, its for who the voters think is the best team, just like it has always been. No one outside of Los Angeles feels sorry for you and your team because you are not among the best right now.

Sure, you have shut out three of your last four opponents, but lets take a look at who these teams are:

• Arizona State: The Sun Devils currently sit at 2-6, having lost their last six games. USC beat them 28-0, while Oregon beat them 54-20 with their third string QB. Carroll tried to defend his conference by saying teams have been hit by the injury bug at QB, but it doesn't seem like that argument can hold much water. ASU's season may be looking up, because their next two games are against the other two teams on this list, followed by 3-5 UCLA and 5-3 Arizona. Possibility of a bowl: 15%.
• Washington State: The Cougars are currently 1-8 on the season, the only win coming against Portland State, a 3-5 team from the Big Sky conference in the FCS (football championship subdivision). The Trojans beat them 69-0, but a shutout of a 1-8 team is nothing, especially when they lose to Stanford 58-0. Washington State does not possess a win against an FBS team this season, and would be lucky to get one. Possibility of a bowl: BAHAHAHAHAHA!
• Washington:The Huskies make up the second half of the most inept state in college football this season, looking at a great chance at completing a defeated season. "U-Dub" is currently 0-8 this season and lost to USC 56-0. It is bad enough when you can't win a game, but it's even worse when your rival across the state, who is 1-8, can look at you and say, "Hey, at least we have won a game this season." Possibility of a bowl: About as likely as Ty Willingham getting another coaching gig.

It doesn't help USC's cause to have the fourth game of that stretch be a 17-10 squeaker against Arizona.

So Pete, you were wondering why your team dropped this week from five to seven in the BCS?

It's because your conference down right sucks on top of the fact that you lost to unranked Oregon State.

Look at the teams ahead of you, Pete. Oklahoma lost to #5 Texas. Texas lost to #7 Texas Tech. Alabama, Texas Tech, and Penn State are all undefeated.

Florida is the only other team ahead of you who lost to an unranked team in Ole Miss, but they have since beaten #8 Georgia like a drum and play in a stronger conference.

So, Pete, I hope this explains a lot of things to you so you don't come crying like Adam Morrison again because of your team's lack of consistency and ineptitude in Corvalis.

Like I said earlier, no one outside of Los Angeles feels sorry for you.

The ITNOT Top 25, Heisman List, and Monday Links

ITNOT's Top 25 for Week 11

1. Alabama
2. Penn State
3. Texas Tech
4. Florida
5. Texas
6. Oklahoma
7. USC
8. Oklahoma State
9. Utah
10. Boise State
11. TCU
12. Ohio State
13. Georgia
14. Missouri
15. LSU
16. Ball State
17. Michigan State
18. North Carolina
19. BYU
20. West Virginia
21. Georgia Tech
22. Maryland
23. Cal
24. Pittsburgh
25. Northwestern

Heisman Top 5

1. Graham Harrell, Texas Tech
2. Colt McCoy, Texas
3. Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
4. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
5. Tim Tebow, Florida

Being the sports enthuaist that I am, I have a routine for things which I look at each day during the week on different sites, so the Monday run down looks like this normally:

• On the Mark by Mark Schlabach on ESPN.com
• SEC Power Poll by Chris Low on ESPN.com
• My review of Alabama's most recent game and a question for the next week on Bleacher Report.
• Steward Mandel from SI.com lays out five things he learned over the weekend in college football.
• Dennis Dodd from CBS.Sportsline.com has his rundown of random musings from this weekend in his Dodds and Ends blog.

Nick Saban's Warnings, Basketball Returns, and Other Things

As if Nick Saban returning to Baton Rouge this week was not going to be enough of a media distraction, Alabama now has a No. 1 ranking in all polls to create a media barage during time with the media.

But don't worry, Saban has already issued a warning to the media on both instances.

After the game Saturday, the talk of of the Fighting Tigers had begun, and Saban was already clearing the air about his connections to this game.

"It ain't going to be about me," Saban said. "It's going to be about our players and about our team. And I don't care how hard anybody tries to make it about something else, it's not going to be. So I'm kind of giving you a little forewarning. If somebody wants to get a you-know-what chewing this week, that would be a good way to get it. Because it's not going to be about that."

Safe to say, if anyone drops the idea that Saban once coached the Bayou Bengals.....well, getcha popcorn ready!

As for the new BCS, AP, and Coaches' poll rankings, Saban was flattered, but made his statement to try and protect his players from the new distraction.

"We appreciate the interest shown to our team," Nick Saban said in a statement, "but rankings at this time of the season do not define anything relative to the post-season. Our concern is our preparation to play a very good LSU team and these external factors can not affect our planning, schedule or focus on the task at hand."

As fans, that goes for you, too. We play LSU this week, and any hopes of Miami and maybe even Atlanta to an extent hinge on this victory.

In other news, the Men's Basketball team took to the court last night with a new look, a new three-point line, and ready for a new season.

The Crimson Tide, sporting the "throwback" jerseys from a few years ago (which all indications are that the Tide will be in these jerseys all season) took to the court for their first open practice so far this season.

What transpired was somewhat familiar, but there were a few nice suprises.

The Crimson Team won 102-77, led by a Demetrius Jemison double-double and diaper dandy JaMychal Green's 18 points.

The White team was helped by Ron Steele's 21 points to lead the White team and a double-double from Alonzo Gee.

The suprises, however, were quite nice.

Mikhail Torrance, on the Crimson team, led all scorers with 27 points and nine assists to easily have the breakout afternoon in this game.

As for the new three-point line, which has been moved back a foot for the men's game, it did not seem to make a difference for the Crimson team.

JUCO transfer Anthony Brock, who shot 47% from three last season, was 3-6 from downtown as was Senario Hillman.

The best suprise of the afternoon, however, had to have been the free throw percentages for both teams.

The Crimson team shot 91% from the line, the White 75%. Both of those numbers are lightyear's ahead of the team's free throw percentage from last season.

The men will take to the court for their fist exhibition game on Thursday, November 6th, against Faulkner at 7pm.

Now, just for a quick rundown of what an early morning browsing of the internet has revealed:

• Sign ups for Mark's Madness have begun! To sign up, visit Coleman Coliseum sometime between 2-5pm Monday-Wednesday and between 6-9pm on Thursday for the Faulkner game.
• Mark Ingram has been named SEC Freshman of the Week this week for his performance against Arkanas State. Ingram ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns against the Red Wolves during Alabama's homecoming victory.
• Sources are beginning to report that Tennessee head coach Phil Fulmer and UT officials have agreed to a deal that would have Fulmer step down at the end of the season.

That's all for now. Be on the lookout this afternoon for my Top 25, my Heisman list, as well as links from around the country concerning Alabama and the SEC.

Alabama Deserves #1, but Do They Really Want It?

In the craziness of college football, some things should never cease to amaze you.

For example, anyone who counted out Texas Tech last night with 1:29 to go and down one was an outright fool.

The only more perfect ending to that game last night than Harrell to Crabtree would have been if walk-on Matt Williams kicked the game-winning field goal. Too bad Michael Crabtree wanted the end zone.

So, with the Texas loss, Alabama looks to be in prime position to take the number one spot in the AP, ESPN/USAToday, and BCS polls.

It is not like the Tide doesn't deserve this spot. Alabama has only trailed for 75 seconds all season, has a top five defense, and is averaging 32 points per game on offense while only giving up twelve.

The real question to ask yourself is...Does Alabama really WANT the number one ranking?

From a fan's perspective, this is something you want for sure. To say that you were at Alabama while the team was No. 1 in the country hasn't happened in the regular season since some guy named Bryant walked the sidelines.

However, the ranking seems to be a curse this season.

There have been four teams in the top spot this season: Georgia, USC, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Each team has one loss right now.

If this sounds familiar, it's because the same curse was on the number two spot in the polls last season.

In 2007, eight different teams held the number two spot in the country over the course of the season, and LSU found themselves in that spot three separate times and USC two different times.

For those of you keeping score at home, out of the 16 polls released from the AP during the season (Preseason-Final), the number two spot changed hands eleven times. Even more crazy, from week five on, there was a new team at number two every week through the end of the season.

On top of this curse, Alabama would be number one in the country for the first time in nearly three decades going into three games where the Tide is 2-7 over the past three seasons.

Sure, this is a new Tide team with a new attitude, but nothing could make a season for either set of Tigers than to beat No. 1 Alabama.

So, when the polls are released in the next few hours and the BCS later tonight, I would fully enjoy the idea of Alabama being the best in the land.

However, this is the best time for the voters to give that big boost to Joe Pa and Co. to ensure he wouldn't be left out of the title chase if his Lions remain undefeated.

So, here is my belated outcry to put Penn State at number one.

Keep Alabama at number two. They seem to really like it here.