re: Bama Football Tidings

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A new season of Bama Cuts has arrived.

Five days into Alabama's fall camp, the team released Episode 1 of Season 2 of Bama Cuts, which will feature current players chatting with guest speakers at the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility.

The first episode of this season featured stand-up comedian and radio personality Rickey Smiley, who spent time with Xavier McKinney, Najee Harris, Terrell Lewis, Jerry Jeudy and Raekwon Davis inside the team barbershop. Smiley spoke to the team earlier during preseason camp.

The video, which is embedded above, doesn't have many quotes from the Crimson Tide players, but it does show Smiley giving him valuable advice for the future, especially after their football careers.

Bama Cuts will be released on Wednesday afternoons during camp and will feature other guest speakers such as ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith and motivational speaker Inky Johnson.

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On Wednesday, all of the SEC schools released their full 2020 football schedules with all the dates and matchups locked in. When taking a look at next year’s schedules, it was easy to see that some teams have a tougher non-conference road than others.

Some schools tried to boost their win total with cupcake games, but others weren’t shying away from tough Power Five programs. Before the 2019 season has even begun, we’ve ranked each 2020 SEC non-conference slate by toughness.
(Photo: Mark Zerof, USA TODAY Sports)

14. Kentucky Wildcats
vs. Eastern Michigan
vs. Kent State
vs. Eastern Illinois
at Louisville

Half of Kentucky’s 2020 non-conference opponents start with the word “Eastern.” That doesn’t bode well in terms of toughness. The Wildcats should blow through their first three non-conference games before meeting Louisville to end the season. The Cardinals will still be undergoing a rebuilding process, but they’ll be nearly two full seasons in by that point. This non-conference schedule sets up Kentucky nicely in terms of getting to a bowl game.

13. Missouri Tigers
vs. Central Arkansas
vs. Eastern Michigan
at BYU
vs. UL-Lafayette

The Tigers have one of the weaker non-conference schedules in the SEC for the 2020 season. The road trip to BYU gives it some degree of toughness, but that’s not quite on the level with some of the other road or neutral-site games Missouri’s SEC peers play. The Tigers are in position to get four non-conference wins in 2020, even if the games aren’t too flashy.

12. Mississippi State Bulldogs
vs. New Mexico
at NC State
vs. Tulane
vs. Alabama A&M

Without the road trip to NC State, this non-conference schedule would be quite weak. The Bulldogs will take on the Wolfpack for the first time in over seven decades, and that will be a great measuring stick for Mississippi State in the early going. However, that will be the only non-conference test the Bulldogs will get in 2020.

11. Ole Miss Rebels
vs. Baylor (Houston)
vs. SE Missouri
vs. MTSU
vs. Georgia Southern

Opening against Baylor at NRG Stadium in Houston is an entertaining way to start the 2020 season for the Rebels. However, the entertainment value steadily drops off after that. Games against FCS Southeast Missouri, MTSU, and Georgia Southern won’t draw too many eyeballs or give Ole Miss much of a challenge.

10. Florida Gators
vs. Eastern Washington
vs. South Alabama
vs. New Mexico State
at Florida State

The Gators’ 2020 non-conference schedule looks pretty weak aside until the rivalry game against Florida State in the final week of the regular season. If the Seminoles don’t start to turn things around this fall, even that game won’t look too daunting by the time the fall of next year comes around. The Gators also have the benefit of facing a bad New Mexico State program the week before that rivalry clash too.

9. Texas A&M Aggies
vs. Abilene Christian
vs. North Texas
vs. Colorado
vs. Fresno State

The Aggies don’t necessarily have a marquee non-conference opponent, but this schedule features some mild tests. North Texas is a tricky Group of Five team that took down Arkansas in 2018. Colorado is a Power Five opponent, and Fresno State is a team that is capable of pulling off an upset. Still, Texas A&M should still run the table in non-conference play in 2020.

8. Vanderbilt Commodores
vs. Mercer
vs. Colorado State
at Kansas State
vs. Louisiana Tech

Vanderbilt’s 2020 non-conference schedule is a tough one to rank. The two bookends, a game against Mercer and a game against Louisiana Tech, are of the cupcake variety. However, the Commodores play a couple of tougher games against Colorado State and Kansas State. This is a respectable non-conference slate when compared to some other SEC programs.

7. Auburn Tigers
vs. Alcorn State
vs. North Carolina (Atlanta)
vs. Southern Miss
vs. UMass

The Tigers’ 2020 non-conference schedule is a little tougher than some of the others on this list. The Tar Heels will be in their second year under Mack Brown in his latest tenure with the program, so they should be an improved team. Plus, Southern Miss has shown it can hang around with SEC teams that come out flat in recent years. The issue for Auburn is not getting a non-conference game the week before the 2020 Iron Bowl.

6. Alabama Crimson Tide
vs. USC (Arlington)
vs. Georgia State
vs. Kent State
vs. UT-Martin

As has become the new norm, the Crimson Tide begin the season with a fantastic non-conference, test. In 2020, that test will be against USC at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. That will be a rematch of 2016’s clash between the two programs. Beyond that game, the quality of the non-conference competition takes a nosedive.

From BamaOnline: “The Crimson Tide opens the 2020 campaign against USC on Sept. 5 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. It marks the ninth consecutive year Alabama has opened the season with a neutral site game with UA currently holding a perfect 7-0 mark in those contests.”

5. Tennessee Volunteers
vs. Charlotte
at Oklahoma
vs. Furman
vs. Troy

That road trip to Oklahoma buoys the strength of Tennessee’s non-conference schedule in 2020. That game will be as hard or harder than most of the SEC games on the Vols’ schedule next year. Beyond that game against the Sooners, Tennessee should dispose of its other non-conference opponents with ease.

4. South Carolina Gamecocks
vs. Coastal Carolina
vs. Eastern Carolina
vs. Wofford
at Clemson

The Gamecocks play three thoroughly underwhelming teams in their non-conference schedule, but it’s tough to blame them when the fourth comes on the road at Clemson. South Carolina will get three guaranteed wins outside the SEC, but that game against Clemson hasn’t gone the Gamecocks’ way in a while.

3. Arkansas Razorbacks
vs. Kent State
at Notre Dame
vs. Charleston Southern
vs. UL-Monroe

Obviously, the game that stands out here is a road game against Notre Dame. For a program struggling to get back to bowl games like Arkansas, this clash with the Irish won’t make that any better. The other three games on Arkansas’ non-conference schedule are rather unimpressive, but going to South Bend for a game is commendable. Because of that road trip, the Razorbacks won’t be getting a cupcake before playing in Starkville the next week.

2. LSU Tigers
vs. UTSA
vs. Texas
vs. Rice (Houston)
vs. Nicholls

The game that stands out like a sore thumb here is the Longhorns paying a visit to Baton Rouge. Depending on how 2019’s game between the two marquee programs goes, the Tigers will either be looking for revenge or looking to retain bragging rights. Like a number of other programs, the rest of LSU’s non-conference schedule is somewhat disappointing.

1. Georgia Bulldogs
vs. Virginia (Atlanta)
vs. ETSU
vs. UL-Monroe
vs. Georgia Tech

Georgia’s 2020 opener against Virginia in Atlanta presents an interesting challenge, but that will effectively be a home game for the Bulldogs. Still, the Cavaliers are an ascendant program under Bronco Mendenhall. The Yellow Jackets will be in year two under Geoff Collins, but they will still be in the rebuilding process. Outside of that, it’s two sure blowouts against ETSU and UL-Monroe.

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For the first full day in pads, Alabama head coach Nick Saban was at least slightly merciful in his practice venue.

The Crimson Tide went inside for its Wednesday practice, simulating conditions for the season opener against Duke and avoiding the 93-degree humid Tuscaloosa heat.

Tight end Miller Forristall was back for the practice after sitting out the last week with a foot injury, although he was not yet in full pads with the rest of the team. Major Tennison continued to work with the first unit at tight end, followed by Cam Latu and walk-on Giles Amos.

Cornerback Josh Jobe was back at practice after missing Tuesday’s workout with an undisclosed injury.

Defensive end LaBryan Ray and defensive back Nigel Knott continued to be out of practice.

Wednesday’s practice was also abuzz with visitors, including Texas Tech basketball coach Craig Beard, who led the Red Raiders to the Final Four last season; longtime LSU and Auburn defensive line coach Pete Jenkins, who was a member of Saban’s LSU staff in 2000-2001; scouts from numerous NFL teams including the Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, Oakland Raiders and Indianapolis Colts.

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