Author: Alex Haddon

The SEC Football Blog loves everything about SEC football. If it's news - and it's interesting - we'll be publishing it, and remarking on it.

How ‘bad’ is Alabama’s schedule this year?

I saw on a tweet today that a Georgia fan that Nick Saban’s effort to explain Alabama’s ‘weak’ 2019 schedule in a presser was showing a ‘chink in the armor’. “Not very Saban of him to say “we tried”. He wouldn’t accept that from his players and coaches! He hides behind being for an expanded SEC schedule while criticizing people for not showing up for HIS pitiful schedule. This is THE crack in the Saban armor. #GoDawgs #wisewords”  Mr Wisedawg’s comments come after Saban’s answer to Colin Cowherd’s rage at Bama’s poor scheduling this year. Saban said: “I think the culture of college football would benefit if we said Power 5 teams have to play all Power 5 teams. I’ve

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The SEC needs a nine-game conference schedule

Beyond the transfers, the head coaches, the stadium reductions and the backhanders to recruits, the NCAA can change something else that would really take the sport a step forward: The schedules. The ACC and SEC play 8 in-conference games and 4 non-conference games, while the Big Ten, Pac-12 and Big XII all play nine. Gus Malzahn and Nick Saban both expressed a preference for nine games. In fact, Nick Saban has been lobbying for it since 2012, while Gus Malzahn last year admitted he’s had a Damascus experience on scheduling (probably because Auburn’s is so arduous year after year): “Nine I think is best for us moving forward to make the schedules more equal across the conference.” Kirby Smart of

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The most Twitter-melting SEC moments before Twitter

I read a riveting tweet to Sports Illustrated’s Andy Staples which read: “What would be the most Twitter-melting CFB moments before Twitter was around?’ In other words, moments in college football history prior to March 2007, when Twitter exploded on the scene at South by Southwest (March 2007) I added a few things, which included the B.S. call against Miami in the National Championship Game of 2003 (NCBS), any of the FSU-Miami ‘Wide Rights’ (#WDR) and ‘Wide Lefts’ (#WDL), the Convicts vs Catholics (#ConvictCath), and – of course – Vince Young (#VY) running the ball in against USC in the 2006 National Championship Game (#VYvsUSC). I also wanted ALL of Barry Sanders’ highlights from the 1988 season (#Barry) because he

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Will Kelly Bryant stay after Missouri’s punishment?

The biggest question stemming from the NCAA’s recent announcement that Missouri would be banned from the 2019 postseason is: Will Kelly Bryant stay with the Tigers? The bylaws allow him to transfer without penalty, so he could take off and start at one of Missouri’s SEC rivals immediately. Although Missouri is in a powerhouse division with Georgia and a revamped Florida, the arrival of Bryant signalled to Missouri programs that the team was on the up-and-up – maybe towards a New Year’s Six Bowl Game. However, with the rules of a postseason ban, the only non-regular season game the transfer from Clemson will see will be on his TV. Sources are saying that Bryant will stay, but unless Bryant makes

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Missouri hit with postseason ban for 2019

Missouri has been hit with a postseason ban for 2019 by the NCAA over academic infractions. According to the NCAA, an academic tutor at the Columbia-based school completed academic work for “12 student athletes”, including completing online coursework that “included assignments, quizzes or exams”. The organisation added: “She completed an entire course for one student-athlete and completed portions of a placement exam for two student-athletes.” The NCAA also hit Mizzou with three years of probation, a vacation of records in which football, baseball and softball student-athletes competed while ineligible, a 5% reduction in the amount of scholarships in each of the football, baseball and softball programs during the 2019-20 academic year, recruiting restrictions which included a seven-week ban on unofficial visits,

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Whatever happens on Sunday, Georgia will have a National Championship winner

The University of Georgia will come out as a winner of a national championship in 2019. Sadly, it’s not THE National Championship, but it’s the National Championship for Pros- the Super Bowl. On one side is one of the most destructive running backs Georgia football ever saw – despite injuries – in Todd Gurley (St Louis Rams), and the other is the ankle-breaking speedster Sony Michael (New England Patriots). In their times between the hedges, Gurley had 3,900 total yards and 46 TDs (in just 30 games because of injury and suspension), while Michel had 4,234 yards and 39 TDs. This season, both posted excellent years. Gurley posted his second-straight 1,000-yard season this year and his third in four seasons.

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Jalen Hurts transferring to Oklahoma

Jalen Hurts didn’t last a long time in College Football’s infamous transfer window: He’s going to Oklahoma. In a piece in the Player’s Tribune, he thanked Alabama for his career, and then said that he was “taking his talents” to Norman. “For that I have so many people to thank. People who’ve made a deep and lasting impact on my life, just from their paths crossing with mine. People who have helped me, trained me, or flat-out raised me. Or even just believed in me. Thank you, truly.” Hurts found himself behind Tua Tagovailoa for the whole season, although still bagged the headlines in the SEC Championship Game when he took over from his replacement – who was having a

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GOATS and Goats: Grading (Some of) the National Championship Players

Right, so the National Championship game had some heroes on both sides – and it had some G.O.A.T.S. and it had some goats. Don’t despair Alabama fans – not all your players were terrible, and don’t get too hot Clemson fans – some of your players were pretty ordinary. So here we go: EXCEPTIONAL Trevor Lawrence (Clemson): As repeated ad nauseum on our Twitter page, Lawrence may look like a giraffe throwing a javelin, but boy, does he do it well. He wasn’t wonderful in the first quarter, but he warmed up and took Alabama apart. This was helped by some circus catches from his secondary, but heck, this was a Future Heisman Of 2019 performance. Travis Etienne (Clemson): Etienne is

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Tua got beaten by a surfer boy last night

It wasn’t his father who gave Tua the belt on Monday night – it was the Clemson defense. Tua’s first interception – a pick-six – was awful enough, and his second quarter interception was even worse than that. In the end, he finished 22-34 with 296 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs, and was pulled before the game ended. His replacement Jalen Hurts (0-2, 0 yards and -4 yards rushing) wasn’t good either, as he – like the man he replaced- struggled to deal with an on-fire Brent Venables defense, starring Christian Wilkins. And like the horror show 4th-and-6 trick play, it didn’t come off. This was supposed to be the crowning of Tua Tagovailoa. But it wasn’t.  Tua had

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Alabama – Clemson IV: A very quick National Championship Game preview

This Monday is the College Football finale between two teams that EVERYBODY thought would get there: Alabama and Clemson. It’s no secret that both teams are amazing. Both teams are stacked with first round draft picks. Both teams have five-star quarterbacks who been revelations. Both teams have insanely good wide receivers and running backs. And their defenses? Whoa. The only bad thing about the National Championship is that it’s going to be played in Santa Clara, California. My brother – who lives there – said to me: “Why in the hell are they having a massive college football game during rush-hour on a weekday? The place is hard to get to and isn’t a great stadium experience? The 49ers can’t even fill

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