Hello fellow RBR followers,

I have a rather funny voicemail that was left to me by my Virginia Tech Alum friend moments after the 6-9 loss in overtime of our beloved Crimson Tide to the Bengal Corndogs of Louisiana. I have kept it for a while and I thought I would share it with ya'll.

I invited my friend, who I mentioned above, to come visit me in Birmingham and go with me to the Alabama vs. Vanderbilt game. He knew I was a huge fan of the Tide and so he began checking out Tide Football. Needless to say, after the game he was a complete convert. He says "Roll Tide" everytime I talk to him and his girlfriends son even got in trouble at school for saying "Roll Tide" in the middle of class. He even has a favorite player...Brad Smelley or Smell-Dog as he calls him. I say complete convert, but I think he still does cheer for his Chokies every once in a while, but I'll try to ween him off as I was weened myself off my previous team the Virginia Cavaliers.

Here is a transcript of the (drunken) message left for me at 10:48pm Central on November 5th, 2011

"Roll Tide. Man!...what a game. That was a great game. Lift your head up. Don't be sad. Drink some more. Wait for the traffic to go by. And just know the Tide played their f*%&ing hearts out ...No one even scored [a TD]. You realize that? No one scored. And it went to overtime. It was a great game and I guarantee there will be a rematch. Oh yes...there will be a rematch."

I went to the game yesterday and was looking through the program...I wonder if Mark Ingram had an impact for Alabama in Michigan. Flint Michigan especially...take a look at three of our (walk-ons, but it's still very strange) RB's listed as #22 from Southwestern Academy. Great win against the Razorbacks in a complete performance. Sorry, I was just trying to get to the 75 mark. Roll Tide!

Levi Cook - RB #22

Jerrod Bierbower - RB #22

Tommy Keys - RB #22

I live in Southside and have recently been getting extremely sick everyday I drive to work. I get this extremely nauseous feeling that almost makes me pull over and wretch on the side of the road. It's really strange, because it happens at the same spot. I'm on 31 heading towards 59N and it hits me...after I get on 59 I start feeling better. Also, it doesn't happen on my way back, just my way to work. I went to the doctor and he really had no answer for me. After much contemplating on the subject, I think I may have found the culprit.    

Oh yeah, that's it alright.

I have been watching College Football Live this week on Espn and they have been revealing their College Football Pre-Season Top 25 for 2011. Each day this week they have revealed 5 teams. Here's the rundown so far:

25. Arizona State, 24. West Virginia, 23. Awbarn, 22. Missouri, 21. Mississippi State, 20. Texas, 19. Virginia Tech, 18. Florida, 17. Notre Dame, 16. Michigan State

I am thinking that they will rank Alabama Top 5 and possibly Top 3. If the AP does the same thing, Alabama could be the #1 team in the country early in the College Football Season (not something I necessarily want). LSU will be a Pre-Season Top 5 along with their first opponent of the year Oregon. Then on the third week of the season Oklahoma travels to Tallahassee to play Florida State. Depending on how things go with these teams as well as Bama, we could be in the #1 spot very early.

What do ya'll think of the list so far? Should we be worried if we get thrust into the #1 spot that early?

Also, Jesse Palmer said that a 6 win season and a bowl game for Auburn would be an accomplishment...hee hee

Roll Tide!

Is it just me or is there a pattern here?...Colt McCoy (Heisman finalist / UT BCS NCG appearance), who was a huge part of the offense for Texas, graduates and the next year a more than able backup comes in and Texas bombs and is probably not going to a bowl this year. Tim Tebow (Heisman winner / BCS NCG Winner '06 & '08), who was a huge part of the offense for Florida, graduates and the next year a more than able backup comes in and Florida bombs and is in a low-tier bowl. 

Let's try one more...Cam Newton (probably Heisman trophy winner / possibly BCS NCG winner/appearance), who is a huge part of the offense for Auburn, leaves for the NFL and the next year...you get the idea.  

During Bama's National Championship run we had a good number of players contributing in a major way.

1.) Maze, Hanks and Upchurch against VT

2.) Cody's blocks against Tennessee

3.) Ingrams One Man Show against USCe / Barron Pick 6

4.) Marquis Johnson & Kareem Jackson against MSU

5.) Richardson/Julio/Upchurch against Auburn

6.) McElroy against Florida

7.) Dareus and Anders against Texas

Also, I posed this to some people at TET yesterday...Both Bo and Cam (two of Auburn's best players in the history of the school) both wanted to go or went to another school(s) before going to Auburn. An Auburn fan said that originally Cam wanted to go to Auburn, but Kodi Burns was there...so he went to Florida??? I'm guessing there was some nobody QB he could easily beat out for a starting spot? And he lied when he said he missed Florida?

Auburn, you are the stepping stone to the NFL for Cam, nothing more. 

Sorry that I had to use a fanpost for a quick question, but I wanted to know if anyone has heard anything about healing injuries coming off the bye-week and who seems to be good to go against LSU. I know that Saban usually can determine after the Wednesday practice, but I haven't heard anything about Fluker or Menzie. I'm guessing after the record-breaking performance that Julio is still feeling and playing well. Thanks for any info ya'll might have. Roll Tide!

 I went to Rivals.com and looked at their preseason rankings and thought about the toughness of Bama's schedule and all the flack that Boise State has been getting about the WAC schedule. So I decided to compare them...and I think you know what the results will be.

Bama -                                                                    Boise State -

1. San Jose State - #119                                    1. Virginia Tech - #9

2. Penn State - #19                                              2. Wyoming - #71

3. Duke - #93                                                        3. Oregon State - #22

4. Arkansas - #18                                                4. NM State - #113

5. Florida - #6                                                       5. Toledo - #98

6. South Carolina - #31                                      6. San Jose State - #119

7. Ole Miss - #44                                                 7. Louisiana Tech - #101

8. Tennessee - #49                                            8. Hawaii - #86

9. LSU - #15                                                         9. Idaho - #78

10. Mississippi State - #61                               10. Fresno State - #66

11. Georgia State - NR                                       11. Nevada - #65

12. Auburn - #39                                                  12. Utah State - #103

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 Anybody that knows me knows that I could talk about Bama football and Bama recruiting 365. I wanted to ask the recruiting experts here on RBR what they think of Alabama's chances at landing some of these recruits. Thanks.

I've been looking over the ESPN 150 list and had questions on a few guys.

Numbers are national rankings.

#5 Isaiah Crowell and #7 Malcolm Brown (RB)  - Both look really good; however, from the highlights I feel like Crowell's yards after contact look really good (Ingramesque). I'm thinking Brown is a Texas lean. Any chance Crowell goes in-state and picks the dawgs?

#6 Cyrus Kouandjio (OT) - Hopefully we'll get him with his brother already committing to the Tide. Any chance we dont' get him?

#11 Quan Bray (ATH) - He's a great runner and played QB in high school, but I'm guessing the Dark Lord Saban may want to get him to DB???

#18 Jay Rome (TE) - ESPN has him as a Clemson lean, but with what looks like a need at TE, is there anyway we can get him?

Also, do you think we will pick up any more recruits outside of the Southeast? Any QB's that we're looking to recruit?

Roll Tide!

I just wanted to recognize a truly great man and a truly great Alabama fan who passed away yesterday at St. Vincent's hospital in Birmingham. My wife's grandfather was 93 years old when he died and was a POW in WWII and the father of 5 children and 7 grandchildren and lived almost all of his life in the southside of Birmingham (my current home / right down the street from the very first Iron Bowl game). He had two sons who graduated from Auburn and one from the University of Virginia and was still an Alabama fan until the day he died. He was born in 1916 and has seen (and heard) a lot of Alabama football. He listened to the 1926 Rose Bowl on the radio and saw Bear Bryant and Don Hutson play in Birmingham. He told me some great stories and would often quiz me on Alabama Football Trivia. And the great thing is that the last Alabama game that he ever saw was the 2010 National Championship game against Texas. Truly a great man and great Alabama fan. Thank you everyone for allowing me to post this. Roll Tide!