Posts Tagged ‘Alabama’
A Few New Coaches Hit the Trail Running
By Paul Myerberg // Feb 1, 2012
A rookie head coach can offer the keys to the kingdom. That’s the usual pitch for a new staff, one that plays on the idea that unlike his predecessor, in most cases, the new head coach will be one who builds the dynasty. So be the missing piece: play immediately, for starters, but also become known as the one recruit who turned the tide. It’s a pitch that’s worked for generations, heading all the way back to Bear Bryant’s initial turn at Texas A&M more than a half-century ago and continuing with coaches like Urban Meyer, whose 2006 class at Florida ranks among the best in college football history. And a few rookie coaches, as well as a few coaches completing their first full recruiting haul – those who had only a few months to fill out a class last winter – are again using this approach to land a top 10 class in 2012.
Tags: Al Golden, Alabama, Brady Hoke, Florida, Kevin Sumlin, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Nick Saban, Ohio State, Recruiting, Texas A&M, Urban Meyer, Will Muschamp
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Missouri’s Ready; Is the SEC East Ready?
By Paul Myerberg // Jan 14, 2012
It’s funny, but not in a laugh-out-loud sort of way. At least not for Missouri, which will close its debut season as a member of the SEC in undesirable fashion: at Florida, at Tennessee and at Texas A&M, a trio of tough road dates this November that should sandwich a home game against the softest patsy the program can find to fill out its non-conference schedule. In fact, Missouri should aim to fill out a trio of open non-conference dates – Arizona State is already locked in – with the easiest road possible, befitting its new place in a league known far and wide for cruising through non-conference play in the easiest way possible.
Tags: Alabama, Gary Pinkel, L.S.U., Missouri, SEC, Texas A&M
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230 Things to Occupy 230 Long Days
By Paul Myerberg // Jan 13, 2012
There are 230 days until Aug. 30, when a few lucky teams jump ahead of the curve and start the 2012 season on a Thursday, not a Saturday. And for that, the teams in question — I know Utah is one — earn our love and affection. But that lies way, way in the future, and the question now becomes how we fill our college football-free days. For 230 days, here are 230 ideas. Not all are possible; some of us are pretty busy, and the next time I do 230 things over 230 days will be the first time, I must admit. But nonetheless, the list:
Tags: Alabama, Bo Pelini, Bob Bostad, Chad Morris, Dana Holgorsen, Ed Orgeron, Gary Campbell, Greg Mattison, Gunter Brewer, Kansas, Les Miles, Matt Barkley, Miami (Fla.), Mike Stoops, Nebraska, Nick Saban, Odell Haggins, Ron Cooper, Sal Sunseri, Terry Bowden, Todd Monken, Trent Richardson, Utah
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Three Days Later, 25 for 2012
By Paul Myerberg // Jan 12, 2012
This is pretty self-explanatory: as of now, prior to any late withdrawals to the N.F.L. Draft and unforeseeable coaching changes, here is Pre-Snap Read’s very, very early top 25 for 2012. How much movement will we see prior to September — or August, when the Countdown will reveal the real top 25 teams heading into the season opener? Quite a bit, I’d imagine. As of today, however, here are 25 teams I feel will rank among the nation’s best in 2012. You know the drill: each team gets a one-sentence breakdown; final 2011 ranking and 2011 records are also listed in parenthesis. Questions, comments and concerns should be listed below.
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Tags: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida State, Georgia, L.S.U., Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, T.C.U., U.S.C.
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Ranking the Countdown, 1-120, For 2011
By Paul Myerberg // Jan 11, 2012
The season is over, so it’s time for the ugliness to begin. How bad was it, anyway? Oh, not terrible – but not great either. I nailed No. 1: Alabama in August, Alabama in January. I wasn’t too far off on No. 2, missing Boise State by a few spots. But what about No. 64, for example? Or No. 115, as another example? Here comes the painful task of ranking the rankings, measuring this past summer’s Countdown, 1-120, with today’s final re-ranking. After hitting jackpot on the top spot, it can only be downhill from there.
Tags: Alabama, Boise State, East Carolina, Louisiana-Lafayette, Sun Belt, Washington
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P.S.R. 1-120: Final Re-Ranking
By Paul Myerberg // Jan 11, 2012
With the season in the books, here’s a look at how the country ranks — using the original rankings as the starting point, with the year’s results as rationale for any movement. The top 25 teams land a one-sentence breakdown. The rest? Not so much. Part of the perks of being one of the best. Think your team is too low? Feel another team deserves more credit, less credit? Let’s hear it below. It’s a delicate ranking process, but with the year completely in the books, this is as good as it’s going to get.
Tags: Alabama, Arkansas, Boise State, Georgia Tech, Iowa, L.S.U., Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Stanford, Texas, U.S.C., West Virginia, Western Kentucky
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Alabama’s Upcoming Roster Overhaul
By Paul Myerberg // Jan 10, 2012
L.S.U. and Alabama met three times over a 461-day span: Nov. 6, 2010; Nov. 5, 2011; and Jan. 9, 2012. Even after last night’s disappointing loss, the Tigers took the three-game series. Each of those two victories were by a field goal, unlike Alabama’s 21-0 win in New Orleans, and the first, back in 2010, came in Baton Rouge. So does familiarity breed contempt? Not exactly. In the case of Alabama and L.S.U., close quarters — three marquee pairings in a year and two months — have only added another layer of respect to this long and meaningful SEC rivalry.
Tags: Alabama, Courtney Upshaw, DeQuan Menzie, Dont'a Hightower, Dre Kirkpatrick, L.S.U., Les Miles, Mark Barron, Marquis Maze, Nick Saban, Trent Richardson, William Vlachos
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Revisiting Last Night’s B.C.S. Predictions
By Paul Myerberg // Jan 10, 2012
I made several predictions heading into last night’s game, but only one was dead-on accurate. As projected, every fan in the country – outside of the Alabama fan base, still celebrating – came to the following conclusion about an hour after the B.C.S. National Championship Game went final: we’re 233 days away from the start of the 2012 regular season, and that’s a long, long time to wait. How to fill that time remains an unknown, but I’ll have some more ideas later in the week. For now, let’s revisit the pregame predictions and see how they played out.
Tags: Alabama, B.C.S. National Championship Game, Cade Foster, Dre Kirkpatrick, Jarrett Lee, Jeremy Shelley, Jordan Jefferson, Kenny Bell, Kevin Norwood, L.S.U., Trent Richardson
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