Yet another preseason analysis for next season and Bama looks more and more like a unanimous preseason #1. CFN though thinks there is still a wad of talent left down in Gainesville and until I am convinced otherwise.....and I certainly could be by things like negative fall practice reports......I am in agreement with CFN that it just might get down to a Bama vs Fla #1 vs. #2 in Atlanta again in a BCS semifinal. http://cfn.scout.com/2/945236.html
A long way to go until next December. Alabama and Florida will be both be good but there are others that will be good also. The article may be correct but I'm sure there are a lot of folks around the country with their sights set on the NC also.
I talked to Commish about the SI special issue covering Alabama's winning the BCS. Sales were a disappointment. His take was that Tide fans took the win over Fla. as being the real BCS game and the game with Texas was sort of anticlimactic.
I wonder what the sales were compared to the year LSU won, both are relatively small states compared to Florida and Texas.
Actually Finebaum said that very same thing a few days after the title game. Callers had prompted him for a response about the environment at the Rose Bowl, the 'feel' of the game and all that... He had mentioned that the SECCG seemed 'more special.'
I think redemption is the factor at work here. UF fans know this year how Tide fans felt last year and it's a bitter taste. Bama was able to redeem itself and move forward to the next level and also UF had a 22 game winning streak coming in to Atlanta and all the hype of a no. 1 ranking. Additionally there was the danger for Bama fans that UF would become a huge maybe insurmountable obstacle if they again denied the Tide and Saban from the SEC Championship and NC game. A potential 800 lb. Gorilla never had the chance to crawl on their respective backs and I'll bet a little relief was mixed in with celebration. I can see the point.
It's funny how different fans bases are. For instance when SI had a special on Farve a couple of yrs. ago, they sold hundreds of thousands of copies in Wisc. When OSU won the NC vs Miami the issue was flying off the shelves in the Columbus area. I would have expected the same type of reaction in Alabama.
It was hard to pick out Sports Illustrated at the new stands and bookstores. There were so many commemorative issues of different magazines and each one was thicker and glossier than the next. Honestly the choices were almost confusing. SI has never been that big of a deal, at least for me. Books-a-Million in Decatur has a tent set up in the front of the store and there are probably a half a dozen different special magazines, and other memorabilia available still. The NC tee shirt and clothing apparell is still front and center in all of the sporting goods and department stores as well. I don't know about SI but I would be interested in knowing how much total sanctioned merchandise has been sold, and it isn't over yet. As to the SECCG and the BCS. The Florida game was big and I mean big, but a week after it was over I think Alabama fans had moved on. I was worried about Texas. I did not think we should have been favored and I was worried that the team would start reading the papers. The Florida game was first, once we won that one, then the NC game became the biggest.
KP, I had similar concerns. We happened to play an excellent game against Fla, and Texas nearly lost to the Huskers. Those games are important, but I felt that some people were giving them too much weight (as opposed to looking at the whole season), and as a result didn't give the Horns much chance. I saw us as maybe a slight favorite, but basically felt it was an even game. RTR
You guys were right it turned out to be worried given how the game was going with McCoy in there. But.....you took him out.....and the rest was history.
Speakin of History, I was thinking that it's about time Nebraska and Florida meet for a Bowl game again. This year based on schedules and rankings, there's a very good chance that the 2 could meet this year. Just a thought.
AJ, How about a home and home. I would really enjoy one between Alabama and Nebraska. We had one a couple of years ago with Oklahoma and it was great.
I'm on it Senior Chief. Let me make a few calls and e-mails... Why you ducking us TBD (Tampa Bay Dave)? :wink:
The last 2 Alabama-Nebraska games were in 77 (Huskers won) and 78 (Bama won). I was at that 78 one in Birmingham...it was a night game, and I'm pretty sure was televised by ABC. RTR
After the '72 OB, Devaney said that Bryant told him that's a pretty good team right there. Devaney said that he'd pass that on to the other coaches. Bryant said "I was talking about the team, not the GAWDAMN coaches". Good Ol Bear.
Speaking of Bama coaches, I met Gene Stallings at the Fiesta Bowl in January 1999. Yes, I am quite aware that Bama was not at that game... but Stallings was. He was seated among the common folk and walked right past my isle seat to a seat about 8 rows behind me. I pointed him out to Cindy as he was walking up the steps. When I saw that he was sitting close, I turned to get him to autograph my ticket. About the time that I got to him, Tennessee intercepted a pass and ran it back for a TD. Stallings' comment as he autographed my ticket was: "Mighty fine Defense... Reminds me of one I had in 92."