Often, you hear media, announcers, color commentators, etc. say you can "throw out the record books" for a rivalry game.  At least as far as Alabama-Auburn goes, that's a myth (and probably is for most other rivalry games as well)  I got all the historical data from this link:  http://www.jhowell.net/cf/scores/Alabama.htm

2010:  Alabama (10-3) lost to Auburn (14-0) No Upset

2009:  Alabama (14-0) beat Auburn (8-5) No Upset

Allright, you get the gist.  So, what upsets have happened since 1970 in the series?

2005 Alabama (10-2) lost to Auburn (9-3) Very Mild Upset

2002 Alabama (10-3) lost to Auburn (9-4) Very Mild Upset

1995 Alabama (8-3) lost to Auburn (8-4) Very Mild Upset

1990 Alabama (7-5) beat Auburn (8-3-1) Mild Upset

1984 Alabama (5-6) beat Auburn (9-4) Upset

Over 30+ years, there have been 5 upsets.  And its generous to describe 3-4 of those as upsets.  

So as you can see, there's not been a "real" upset in the series since 1984.  Now, records aren't the only thing to judge whether an upset has happened.  Strength of Schedule, Injuries, Trends, etc. If anything, that 1990 upset looks like less of one when you consider Alabama had won 6 of their last 7 entering the Iron Bowl, which they "upset" Auburn in.  Now, when you include the "upset" itself in the final records, it may help my argument slightly.  ie in 1989 a 10-0 Alabama team lost to a 8-2 Auburn team.  Viewed as an upset at the time?  Sure.  But with both teams finishing at 10-2, I maintain in hindsight its not at an upset, or at the very least not a significant one.

Anyway, I'd say its fair to say there is no need to throw out the record books.  Quite the contrary actually.   It bodes well for Saturday when 10-1 Alabama takes on 7-4 Auburn.  Now, for that matter, Auburn could still finish at 9-4 and Bama at worst 10-3.  Which would qualify as one of those rare upsets in the series (a very mild one).  Still, looking historically, when you hear someone say "throw out the record books" this week, roll your eyes.  As some coach once said, you are who you are.  On one sideline stands a 10-1 team and on the other stands a 7-4 one.  

Just wanted to link to the expected SEC schedule for weeks 1-3.  Bama will be playing on PPV at 6PM against Florida International, and at 11:21 against North Texas on the ERT/SEC Network, which I'm not sure but believe is the equivalent of the old Raycom game, but perhaps branded by the SEC/ESPN.  Meaning, I think it will be on the same network that had the Raycom game was on last year (which in Nashville for me was UPN). 

http://tennessean.com/article/20090722/SPORTS06/90722045

As far as I know, the majority of the 2009 recruiting class arrived on campus today (Tuesday June 2) for summer sessions and to participate in the strength and conditioning program.  Some recruits may not arrive until August, but this should shed some light on who in the class qualified and will count towards the 25/85.  And shed some light on who will be going to Junior College, playing professional baseball instead, etc.  Any news?

Hey,

Just curious if anybody else here is going to Atlanta?  I'll be leaving out early Saturday morning, and hope to be there around Noon to either hit the Fan Fair festivities or watch the Army Navy game in a bar.  And depending on how happy I am leaving the game, I'll be staying in Atlanta that night and going to the bars to celebrate, and probably watch the Big 12 championship when I do.

Here's my impressions of last night's game, from being in attendance.  This was my first time going to Neyland Stadium, and I'd have to say its a nice facility.  The bleacher seats are pretty much the same as you'd find find anywhere in the SEC, nothing special.  Their jumbotron was nice, not huge but still got the job done.  Also, they apparently expanded the walkways this year, as several people pointed out how much wider they were.  Concessions were far cheaper than what you'd find in Tuscaloosa. 

The fans on the way in were very cordial, and that seemed to have as much to do with most of the fans:

Accepting they aren't a good team this year, and will go to a low level bowl if they even manage to get to 6 wins

Being resentful of their head coach

Already looking forward to basketball season

However, they had a ceremony honoring the national championship team of 1998 beforehand, and the crowd was pumped throughout the first half and the beginning of the second.  It was one of the louder stadiums I've ever been in.  Even with the crowd probably being 25% or more Tide fans, compared to a typical 10% or less allotment that a visiting team gets. 

As far as the game itself, I was very impressed with the Tide Defense.  Twice Tennessee had great field position as a result of poor Special Teams play by Alabama and they walked away with 3 points total from it.  The run defense in particular didn't miss a beat with Terence Cody out.  While the offense struggled in putting the ball in the end zone, Leigh Tiffin was perfect, both on field goal attempts and on kickoffs.  Special Teams play has to be the big concern on this Tide team.  It seems as if one hole gets plugged each week and another one springs.  Tennessee did seem as if they got some bad calls, particularly on the offensive pass interference call at the end of the first half and the no fumble call early in the second.  However, this was a bad team regardless, there's a reason they lost 29-9 and are now 3-5 on the season. 

My favorite moment of the night was the Rammer Jammer cheer to close the game.  I'm not a fan of that song being played in most situations, when the game isn't really a "big" game or we didn't actually beat the hell out of them.  However, last night was a physical beatdown.  And the 25,000 strong Tide fans (which was about half of the fans remaining at that point) were LOUD when we sang it.

Lastly, one enjoyable moment was this older gentleman who was particularly irate and yelled at us Tide fans in his section "You guys better enjoy it because you won't have Fat Phil to whip up on next year!"

So, I google "Neyland Stadium Zip Code" to find out what the weather will be like Saturday night in Knoxville.  (which incidentally, is 45 degrees and a 40% chance of rain, so I'll probably bring long johns and a change of clothes for out in the car for the ride back, as I don't want to spend 2-4 hours with a wet ass)  The second link you get from Google is this:

http://www.clubplanet.com/Venues/162191/Knoxville/Neyland-Stadium

What's hilarious is the venue description.

Neyland Stadium - Beer? Check. Newspapers? Check. Neyland Stadium, at Phillip Fulmer Way, offers your usual selection of imports, domestics, and so on. Craaaaazy, out-of-control entertainment? Ummmm… Not so much. Your odds of meeting "the one" here are approximate to what you’d find on a desert island (less, when you consider "Lost"), but your odds of finding a six-pack are damn near 100%.

So don't expect any crazy, out-of-control entertainment come Saturday.  You can get a six pack, and a newspaper though, for some reason.

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080801/SPORTS0601/80801002

Its out.  I know these things don't matter but there's little else to talk about before fall practice gets underway.  Nick Saban apparently isn't participating this year, but 7 SEC Coaches are.  Also of note is Steve Spurrier apparently didn't vote Duke to be #25 this year.  Perhaps having a Tennessee man there caused him to change his vote, or perhaps he couldn't get away from the golf course long enough and his SID or somebody else in the athletic department did his ballot.

Alabama came in #26, basically, with the most votes of any team not actually ranked in the poll.  Just a few points behind 24 Michigan and 25 Fresno State, but well behind the rest of the field.

Here's a really interesting link I found on Deadspin.  I know I'm a bit of a downer bringing it up, but its really hard to look at college football as amateur athletics.  Its also funny to see how much Auburn spends.  I guess they haven't really gotten what they've paid for lately.   Also crazy to see Duke so high.  I know their Basketball team is the biggest of the big time, but they can only sign 4-5 players at the most in a year, right?  Cutcliffe must have got some major upgrades to that budget when he walked in the door.

http://chronicle.com/free/v54/i47/47a00102.htm#spenders

I know in my thoughts I've jumped around on all sides of this issue.  I found this link originally on Deadspin.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/36519-a-scholarship-is-nice-but-college-athletes-should-still-be-paid

"The truth, however, is if there is money to be made, the NCAA finds a way around all the complications.  When it is time to negotiate the complications of getting a $4 million dollar per year coach onto campus, the NCAA finds a way to get the deal done.  When they have to negotiate multi-year TV rights deals, international broadcast restrictions, and complex zoning regulations in order to prepare for the Final Four, they get it done.  But when the athletes come to the table demanding their share of the gravy train, the response suddenly becomes “we can’t figure out how to make it work, it’s just too complicated!”  This form of intellectual laziness is problematic from an organization that has gobs of PhDs in its association.  "

Not specifically Alabama related, but always interesting.

I can't find a link anywhere, so take it for what its worth, but the word is Prince Hall is back on campus and working out with the team.  Regardless of your thoughts on Hall as a player, the team has serious depth issues at linebacker, and virtually no other experience other than Mclain, who as great as he is is still a sophomore.  Unfortunately, I can't imagine him not being suspended for the Clemson game at the very least. 

The Alabama Clemson Game will be at 7PM Central Standard time, and shown on ABC.  It will be a regional broadcast, Michigan State and Cal will also be shown on ABC at the same time.   For one not going to the game, this is great news, it should be in HD and available for the majority of the country and particularly at least the South.  Also, I like the late start time on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend.

Link:

http://blog.al.com/rapsheet/2008/06/alabama_vs_clemson_on_abc.html