- Alabama is boring. A few weeks ago I made the point that with the DJ Fluker allegations that we knew that Alabama was buying and taking care of the best players. A booster acting as a go between between an agent and a player providing extra benefits. Classic case. Should be penalties and an investigations, but there won't be.
And because of that, they're tainted. To me, Alabama will never have any respect from me again. I used to say, "Yeah, they may, might, maybe be cheating, but I respect that Saban is a great coach and that they have great players."
That respect is gone. They can drown in a well for all I care.
But away from that tangent, their buying players is ruining the game. They do NOT have a good team. This is the worst Alabama team since 2007, and even that one had a bit more gall to it than this one.
Alabama is riddled with penalties. Their offensive line is putrid. They're inconsistent. Their defense has had trouble all year playing pass defense. They are undisciplined. They seem to be poorly prepared.
But with that said, on a drive in the 2nd quarter, with their starting running back on the bench, their starting center with a bum knee, and three fumbles (all on this drive), they managed to come away with 3 points.
I told a friend of mine afterwards that Alabama would hit a 75 yard breakaway run in the 2nd half and the game would be over.
And it happened. TJ Yeldon slipped through, spun, and took it to the house.
Because that's what happens when a vastly talented team plays like shit against inferior talent.
It reminds of the story of Karsten Braasch playing a tennis match against the Williams sisters. The Williams sisters thought they could beat a male tennis player. Braasch, then ranked 203rd, beat both of them. Venus 6-2 and Serena 6-1.
It was later revealed that Braasch had spent the previous night drinking and was hungover during the match.
He owned them while he was hungover. He admitted that he didn't take the match seriously in an article in wrote, and he suspected the other sisters didn't either. But who really believes those two girls didn't really think they would go into a match like that and win?
The point is, Ole Miss had no shot. Even though Alabama shot themselves in the foot in the 1st half, there was no chance Ole Miss was going to win. That's fine some years. Sometimes recruiting goes your way and you develop such an experienced team that even when you play your worst, the other team just isn't good enough to beat you. Like Colorado State the week before. Or Virginia Tech in week one. Or Alabama's defense against Texas A&M in week 3.
But after six years of it, I'm tired of it. It's the same rerun over and over. We have definitive proof that Alabama has broken NCAA rules, and the common consensus is that they're fine. That nothing will come of it. That they're the top dawg of NCAA football.
I love The Roundtable in Birmingham. Have always respected those guys. I've lost a lot of respect for them the past few weeks. I listen to them daily. They all act like, "Besides Alabama, who's in contention for the top two spots?" "Besides Alabama, who's playing the best football right now?"
That's asinine. Alabama's playing terrible football. But even if the Dallas Cowboys were hungover, they'd still beat Gadsden High School by 40 points.
Is that even fun for Alabama fans? I guess it is. It's why so many of them are apt to break NCAA rules and pay for players. I can't imagine that though. That game was boring. It was a chore to watch the whole thing, and anyone who has watched football the past six years knows that Alabama was going to pull away in the end.
The only thing that didn't happen in that game was a pick six. I figured Bama would get one.
- LSU-Georgia was a great game. That's why top college football teams should do when they play each other. Classic SEC football. Well, no defense. But still a lot of fun.
- Arkansas-Texas A&M was about like I would have expected it to be. Maybe I thought Arkansas would eat clock up, but they gashed A&M really well. Take away that pick six and this game goes down to the wire with a possible Arkansas win.
- Stanford is not very good. I watched a good bit of them against Washington State, and while they play like an SEC team, they don't have the tenacity of an SEC team. I really think they'd get beat handedly by LSU or Georgia.
- Also, I'm going to watch Auburn games to support the orange and blue. We're just not up to having 22 guys (plus backups) that can play SEC football.
Wisconsin had a linebacker. #44. He's short. About 6'0 on a good day, but probably shorter. I think their roster lists him at 5'11 240. 240 might be generous.
Anyway, he looks just like Jake Holland. I mean, if you put Borland in an Auburn uniform, you'd think he's Jake Holland.
Here's some proof;
They're not that different looking.
There is a big difference though. Borland knocked the fuck out of some Ohio State players. He was all over the field. Making plays. Making tackles. Hitting people. Being mean. Being what an inside linebacker should be.
I know we've beaten the Holland horse to death, but I'm not going to watch Auburn this year and expect us to win. I'm not going to expect to see "improvement" with the Auburn defense. I'm not going to expect to climb to any great bowl games or see us put ourselves into position to win the West.
This year is like last year expect we won't give up at the end. It's like last year but instead of thinking we're spiraling into the toilet, I'll think we're building for the future.
We're staring at some difficult and embarrassing losses over the next few months. ANd it's not just Jake Holland. There are a few others that need to step their game up if they even have the ability to.