azbengal

I've heard that about 25,000 people tailgate on Saturdays in the parking lots and don't go to the game. Maybe having to pay to park will cause some of them to stay home and make it easier for the ticket holders to find a place to park. Let's hope.

I don't think LSU fans are giving Miles enough credit. He won the BCS 3 years after Saban left. Saban won the BCS at Bama 3 years after Mike Shula was fired. I don't hear anyone saying that Saban won the BCS with Shula's players. Seems like a double standard to give Saban so much credit for LSU's BCS championship in '07.

Saban will never have a better season in college football than he had in 2009 and he knows it. Bama was 14-0, Ingram won the Heisman and they won the BCS. He will be damn lucky to ever equal that record and probably never will. I suspect he will move on from Bama before Miles leaves LSU. Nick Saban has a history of being addicted to the next challenge. The leopard isn't likely to change his spots.

McKnight is a gifted RB but his tendencies to fumble and be injured are going to hurt his NFL draft status.

I believe Jake Locker may be the most underrated QB in college football. If he stays healthy, look for U-Dub to win a lot more than they lose this year.

Lest we forget, Rich Rodriguez ran the offense that went 12-0 at Tulane. He won big at W. Virginia. Give him the time to recruit his type of offensive players and he will win at Michigan. If he can coach an undefeated offense at Tulane and win at W. Virginia, it's just a matter of time until he restores Michigan to prominence in the Big 10. He hasn't forgotten how to coach.

As for Les Miles, he recruits great players and assistant coaches with the best of them. My guess is that he will still be at LSU long after Saban has worn out his welcome at Bama.

Can you imagine Knight and Saban at the same school? One would be dead and the other in prison in less than a year.

Note to Coach Miles: A camel is a horse designed by a committee. Hire a good D coordinator for next year.

Bama is a great program and Saban is a great coach. However:

1. Bama is the most difficult place to coach in the SEC. How would you like to be the head coach at a place where a former coach's words and image are played before each home game? Every coach at Bama is being compared to a coach who is granted God-like status. The truth is that Bear Bryant couldn't do today at Bama what he did back in the '60's and '70's. He didn't coach when there was a 30 scholarship limit and so many SEC coaches with national championships. The era of SEC domination by one team is over. Bama fans forget that Bryant never beat Darrel Royal at Texas or Notre Dame. He had several tries at both.

2. Nick Saban is one of the most difficult coaches to work for and play for. He burns out coaches and people don't enjoy being around him. He doesn't wear well, he knows it and that's why he moves every few years. When he was at LSU, people respected him and put up with him, but they did not like him. Judging from his recent press conferences, he hasn't changed.

I suspect that some time in the next 1-5 years, Nick Saban will either retire or leave Bama for another job. The program will be better for his having been there, but they won't be putting up a Saban statue outside Bryant-Denny.

I think the Gumps are going to lose tomorrow. It may not even be close.

"The Weasel Bowl"

"The Larry Brown Bowl"

Fulmer's teams usually manage to lay a few big eggs and look mediocre during the season. But year after year, his teams end up in the thick of the SEC race. Last year was a case in point. Florida had Tebow and UGA ended the season on a roll, but Tennessee won the SEC East and may have won the SEC if it wasn't for two 4th quarter interceptions.