701 Days. That's All It Took.

Processed (v.)- The act of Nick Saban destroying your coaching career to the point that you are no longer with your team.

As stated in the title, it has only been 701 days since Nick Saban was hired to take over the Alabama Crimson Tide.

That's all it has taken for Saban not only to turn the Tide, but to take back the state, to make his presence known once again in the SEC, and to get Alabama back in the national spotlight.

So how has everyone gotten here over the past 23 months? Here is a quick timeline to refresh your memory.

• Jan. 3rd, 2007: Nick Saban is hired as the 26th head football coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. In his opening press conference the following day, Saban said, "I know there's tremendous expectations here. I can tell you that, however you feel about it, I have even higher expectations for what we want to accomplish. I want to win every game we play."
• Feb. 7th, 2007: Saban signs a recruiting class that has his partial stamp on it. Kareem Jackson and Rolando McClain are the two stars of the class which is ranked 10th by Rivals.com.
• Apr. 21st, 2007: Over 100,000 people crowded Tuscaloosa to watch Nick Saban's team scrimmage in the annual A-Day Game. Fans were turned away at the gate as the largest crowd to ever watch a spring game assembled at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
• Sept. 1st, 2007: Nick Saban makes his debut as the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide in a rout of Western Carolina 52-6. The win was Saban's first college win since 2004.
• Sept. 15, 2007: Nick Saban gets his first SEC win at Alabama with a come from behind win against Arkansas 41-38. It was Alabama's first come from behind win in since the Dennis Franchonie era.
• Oct. 20, 2007: The Crimson Tide destroy the Tennessee Volunteers 41-17 in Tuscaloosa to reach 6-2 in Saban's first season. Alabama will enter November tied for first in the SEC West heading into Saban's first game against LSU.
• Nov. 3rd, 2007: LSU comes into Tuscaloosa and comes out with a win 41-34 over Alabama, sending the Crimson Tide into a tailspin to finish their season. Alabama would lose in consecutive weeks to Mississippi State, Louisiana-Monroe, and a sixth straight to Auburn. Alabama finishes the season 6-6, 3-5 in the SEC.
• Dec. 30, 2007: Alabama finishes their season in the Independence Bowl for the second straight season, beating Colorado 30-24. Alabama ends the season 7-6, only the second winning season over the previous five years for the Crimson Tide.
• Jan. 30th, 2008: Jim McElwain is hired by Nick Saban to be Alabama's new offensive coordinator. McElwain leaves Fresno State and simplifies Alabama's offense to avoid confusion for John Parker Wilson and company.
• Feb. 6th, 2008: Alabama puts the finishing touches on the consensus No. 1 recruiting class in the nation. Final 48 hour commitments from Mark Ingram and Julio Jones helped to propel the Tide above Notre Dame, Florida, and Ohio State.
• Apr. 12, 2008: Nick Saban's second A-Day Game doesn't sell out, but 72,000 people still come to watch the Crimson Tide practice. The new offense does just enough to get fans interested as to how this team may play this season.
• June 2008: The new freshman class reports to campus for the first time. Combined with a new senior leadership, the freshmen help the team find a new level to practice at, bringing intense competition to each practice.
• Aug. 30th, 2008: Nick Saban's second team hits the turf in the Georgia Dome against Clemson and blows out the Tigers, 34-10. Alabama jumps into the Top 25 while Clemson never fully recovers from their opening game beat down.
• Sept. 27th, 2008: Alabama takes their show on the road to Athens with an undefeated record for a Top 10 match up. The Crimson Tide runs away in the first half on national television en route to a 41-30 victory over the Bulldogs. Alabama vaults to a number two ranking, the highest since 2005.
• Oct. 13th, 2008: Tommy Bowden resigns at Clemson after a dismal start to what was thought to be an ACC championship season.
• Oct. 25th, 2008: Alabama goes into Neyland Stadium and overpowers the Vols, 29-9, to take the second straight game from Tennessee and Phil Fulmer to reach 8-0, the best start for a Nick Saban team. A week later, Phil Fulmer would resign as head coach, effective at the end of the season.
• Nov. 8th, 2008: Alabama reaches 10-0 after a wild, overtime win in Tiger Stadium against LSU, ending a November losing streak in the SEC dating back to 2005. The win was also the first against the Bayou Bengals since 2002.
• Nov. 29th, 2008: Alabama ends a six year skid against the Auburn Tigers with a 36-0 thrashing, ending Auburn's chances for a bowl. The win cemented Alabama's first undefeated regular season since 1994, the first 12-0 regular season in SEC history, and Nick Saban's first undefeated regular season of his career. The loss, the worst for Auburn since 1962, left doubt about Tommy Tuberville's job security.
• Dec. 3rd, 2008: Tommy Tuberville resigns as head coach of the Auburn Tigers.

Those are the important points which bring us to today's events. It is only a matter of time before we see what this means for both Alabama and Auburn. In the meantime, Alabama has a championship to play for.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Picks, Previews and Prognostications, Week Ten

To start off the day, I think its a must that we all give a birthday shoutout to head coach Nick Saban today. Saban is turning 57 today and has done nothing but turn the Tide in his time in Tuscaloosa. So, Happy Birthday, coach.

Now, it is Friday, so that means its time for picks for the weekend's college football action.

Since I haven't been doing this blog but for just a few days, I'm still gonna jump on the train late to see how I do against the others on the sports staff at the Crimson White. So, for starters, here are the games they picked this week and my predictions for each.

Texas @ Texas Tech

Texas may be the most complete team in the country...if Colt McCoy is on his game. Oklahoma State threw him off a bit last week, but the 'Horns still came away with a win. Texas easily has the better defense in this game, but they would need a repeat performance of their game against Missouri to be able to run with the Red Raiders. Texas may have the better team, but strange things have happened in Lubbock, TX (see 2007 Oklahoma-Texas Tech). Texas Tech 42, Texas 41

Florida vs. Georgia in Jacksonville

The SEC East basically comes down to this game. Its a battle of quarterbacks (Stafford vs. Tebow) through the air and fan favorites (Percy Harvin vs. Knownshon Moreno) on the ground. It has been well documented this week that scars from last season's endzone celebration still exist in Gainesville, but both coaches have remained mum about the incident. Look for something from whoever scores first in this game to set the tone for another wild ride in Jacksonville. Florida 31, Georgia 28

Florida State @ Georgia Tech

The Yellow Jackets have taken to Paul Johnson's Triple Option a lot better than most people could have expected this season and are currently second behind Virginia in the ACC's Coastal Division. The Seminoles are on top of the Atlantic Division right now are are ranked in the top 20. FSU has escaped their past two games, being down by ten points in both of them before storming back for a win. Look for Georgia Tech to be able to squelch any comebacks on the Seminoles and hand Bobby Bowden his first loss to Tech as a head coach at Florida State. Seven times "Not so fast, my friend" on the CW staff. Georgia Tech 24, Florida State 20

Oregon @ Cal

Both of these teams are tied at the top of the Pac-10 standings, along with many others, with one conference loss heading into November. Both teams have been flirting with the Top 25 all season long, and Oregon is currently sitting at number 24. Both teams will also be playing in the rain on Saturday, giving an advantage to the Ducks who possess the fifth best rushing attack in college football. Oregon 28, Cal 21

Northwestern @ Minnesota

Sure, coach Saban is a great pick for Coach of the Year, but the job Tim Brewster has done at Minnesota this season cannot go overlooked. He has taken a Golden Gophers team from 1-11 in 2007 to bowl eligible and in the Big Ten race in 2008. They are currently second in the Big Ten behind Penn State, and they avoid playing JoePa and Co. this season. The Gophers easily continue their remarkable run during their last season in the Metrodome. Minnesota 24, Northwestern 10

Auburn @ Ole Miss

Sure, both of these teams may be 4-4 and 2-3 in the SEC, but they are heading in two separate directions. Ole Miss has two more conference wins this season than they had all of last season already and are excited about a possible bowl opportunity. Auburn is in a tailspin (maybe literally), dropping three of their last four, and their fans are watching the team fall apart at the seams. One thing may work in the Tigers' favor this weekend: Colonel Reb has not seen a victory at home against an SEC opponent in the last year and a half. Hotty Toddy, Gosh Almighty, Auburn's 4-5. Ole Miss 27, Auburn 17

Pittsburgh @ Notre Dame

Pitt is currently sitting pretty in the Big East right now and are finally starting to make progress under Dave Wannestedt. Notre Dame is apparently the Notre Dame of old after beating such powerhouse teams as San Diego State (by 7), Stanford (by 7) and Washington (0-7). Now, I will admit that I am not the biggest Notre Dame fan (not as bad as this guy, but see 1966 to understand), but I still think they might have a chance in this game. Cheer, Cheer for ol' Notre Dame...to lose. Pittsburgh 34, Notre Dame 27

Arkansas State @ Alabama

It's Homecoming at the Capstone, and the Tide are riding high into November like its nothing new. The thing is, it isn't anything new, but the final regluar season records over the past few years would dictate otherwise. However, this is a new team under a new coach with a new attitude. Alabama fans should actually get to enjoy Homecoming without taking some years off of their lives. Alabama 31, Arkansas State 10

Other games of Interest

• South Carolina 14, Tennessee 7
• LSU 31, Tulane 7
• Kentucky 17, Mississippi State 10
• Tulsa 28, Arkansas 17
• Oklahoma 38, Nebraska 21
• USC 88, Washington 7

So, there are my picks for the weekend, but what are the other writers across the country saying for this weekend? Here are some picks from other college football guys across the country

• Bruce Feldman, ESPN.com
• Chris Low, SEC blogger for ESPN.com
• CBS Sportsline staff
• Stewart Mandel, SI.com

So, go crazy in filling your brain with all of these predictions and be careful going out on Halloween/Nick Saban's birthday.

I, for one, will be out and about tonight myself with just one question to ask: Where is Harvey Dent?

Happy Haunting.