College Confidential

The "Unlikeable Coaches Bowl" Coming to JerryWorld

Mr. Smiles, Alabama head coach Nick Saban, said on his radio show last night that his team will play Michigan in 2012 in Dallas.
OK - let's help Mr. Saban out here. He didn't mean Dallas. There is no way Michigan plays Alabama at the Cotton Bowl. He meant Arlington and Cowboys Stadium.
Fantastic.
This is big on big.
By 2012, Rich Rod should have his team loaded the way he likes and should pose as a genuine threat to Ohio State and everyone else in the Big 10.
But there are some problems with this game.
1. Will Saban still be coaching Alabama, or will he have fled to the NFL to collect a bigger check? Not that he would ever do that.
2. Will R-Rod's team be on NCAA probation and all of his best players fled elsewhere so they can get their degrees from different schools?
3. Will Alabama be in the NFL by then and playing in Los Angeles?
4. Who to root for?
Both coaches are easily the face of their respective programs. And it's safe to say unless you're a UM fan or a Ala. fan neither Saban nor R-Rod is particularly likeable.
But they win, at least two or three of their players graduate, and they win. So who cares?

- Mac Engel

Alabama's Ingram wins Heisman

Tailback Mark Ingram was named the Heisman Trophy winner on Saturday, becoming the first Heisman winner in the history of the University of Alabama.

Ingram, a sophomore, edged running back Toby Gerhart of Stanford for the honor.

Quarterback Colt McCoy of Texas was third.

Alabama and Texas meet next month in the BCS National Championship Game.

(Photo by The Associated Press)

Award-winning company on trip home

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN ORLANDO AND BIRMINGHAM - I was a little groggy, but I did recognize the big fella on my flight.
Yep, it was Alabama offensive lineman Andre Smith, last night's winner of the Outland Trophy.

-Trae Thompson

Saban named Coach of the Year

Alabama coach Nick Saban has been named the Home Depot Coach of the Year.
Saban in his second year with the team has guided the Crimson Tide to a 12-1 record and a runner-up finish in the Southeastern Conference. Alabama was also ranked No.1 for the first time in the regular season since 1980.
Saban will be presented with the award during the ESPNU College Football Awards Show, which will be televised on Thursday from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on ESPN.

-Trae Thompson

One reason to hope for Bama-Tech

I've been talking with friends and some family members, each of them diehard college football junkies like myself, and we all agree on one thing: An Alabama-Texas Tech national championship would be amazing simply just because of the coaches.
It would be intriguing to watch Nick Saban and Mike Leach match wits in a game. The two come from polar opposite backgrounds: Saban was a Bill Belichick disciple, and Leach worked with Hal Mumme. Saban's offense is more pro style; Leach's is wide open, keep 'em guessing, fling it down field, create mismatches for opposing defenses. Both have made a huge imprint on the college game, and no one would argue they're among the best coaches in the game, too (Maybe I'm way off, but I think Saban's locked up coach of the year honors already).
Of course, watching how they would handle the media for that game would be fascinating. A moment of full disclosure: I'll always have tremendous respect for Saban since he led my alma mater (LSU) to a national championship. And to this day, my one conversation with Leach remains among my favorite, because we spent 90 minutes discussing pirates and history before he helped me on a recruiting story.
The two are similar, but also quite different though, when dealing with my profession.
On one hand you have Saban, whose attitude toward the media is somewhere between indifference and disdain (I have friends who have dealt with him, and they said it was never easy). Then there's Leach, who can also be indifferent, but extremely random and very funny with some his dry comments.
I could picture it perfectly: Saban would bite his lip and be accommodating. Leach?
He'd want to take time out and talk about pirates, the best airports to use or the pros and cons of Facebook vs. MySpace. -Trae Thompson
 

Bama-LSU game turns deadly for fans

An Alabama fan and LSU fan got into an argument. A pistol and shotgun were involved. -Trae Thompson

A little fuel added to Georgia-Alabama game

One of the top games this weekend will again be in the SEC, when Georgia plays Alabama. The Bulldogs have decided to wear black jerseys for the third time ever, but apparently one Alabama assistant coach knows why. There is a video on Youtube circulating, which shows Crimson Tide players warming up during practice. To use a family-friendly translation (minus the colorful adjective), the assistant says the Bulldogs are wearing black because they're going to a funeral.

-Trae Thompson

Wells shoots straight

Having crossed paths with him in the past, I had a feeling longtime Alabama coach Jim Wells wouldn't hold back following his team's 12-8 loss to UTA today. Wells knows the game, and has always been pretty blunt. A few of his comments....

On his team's comeback in the ninth - "We have a good offense and we'd come back, but the point in this game was starting pitching. (Austin) Graham pitched well, so Graham will start and will eliminate (Jimmy) Nelson for now. The thing is the other phases of the game broke down with the six errors...So you knew we'd come back, but we just dug ourselves a big hole with poor pitching and some errors at wrong times."

On trailing 7-0 after the first inning - "You have to stop the bleeding. We don't know how to stop it. People have big innings on us. Instead of 3-5 (runs), it's 7-8."

His impressions of UTA - "Well, we're 0-2 against them so they must be real good." -Trae Thompson

No, it's no joke

Alabama is still up to bat in the ninth, and has put four runs on the board already. It's 12-8, with runners on first and second with one out. UTA's Drew Clementz is in to relieve, and could get the save. -Trae

Pitching change

Alabama has the bases loaded, and has scored again to make it 12-5. UTA's Jeff Edlefsen is in to relieve with no outs. -Trae