On a lazy, rainy afternoon in Tuscaloosa following the second-largest defeat in the series since 1976 and the most lopsided ever at Jordan-Hare Stadium, I was basking in the thrill of victory. I believe I've read every article about the game, watched every replay, and listened to/watched every version of Rammer Jammer out there.

Then I got started on Twitter. After perusing my friends' feeds who made it to the game, I took a look at the profile of the auburn athletic department. It seems that a few fans decided to tweet straight to the top, both during and after the game; here are a few of my favorites:

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I know we have long debated the significance of our rivalry with the Auburn Tigers. While I have no problem expressing how I feel about those gravy-sweating cousin lovers, I've often wondered how I would feel if we won every game except the Iron Bowl.

Playing in the same division as LSU has really screwed us this year. The possibility still exists that we could back our way in to the SEC Championship Game and/or even the BCS title game, but we have to rely on other teams to do the dirty work for us.

My question is simple:

Because sleep evades me, I was perusing the oft-referenced oversigning.com site for the first time tonight.  Boy, does that guy have a vendetta.  His extreme bias notwithstanding, I found this post from 2 FEB 2011 to be quite interesting.  It seems the author took Coach Nick Saban's statement "Nobody really  knows for sure how many guys we had on scholarship last year" to mean that either a) There is a callous disregard for scholarship numbers in the University of Alabama Athletic Department or b) Saban intentionally keeps the scholarship numbers from the media so that he can't be pinned down on exactly how many players are "oversigned."

Saban's statements made during the NSD press conference were perfectly reasonable, given that there are a number of players from upper class families on the roster.  I had always assumed that every player on the roster received an athletic scholarship, but it seems like a legitimate practice to have players who can pay their own way do so in order to free up scholarships for "riskier" recruits.

Additionally, if a football recruit qualifies for any of the academic scholarships offered by the University, would Coach Saban have an extra scholarship at his disposal?

It seems that the entire sports media universe is convinced that Coach Saban is an evil dictator just waiting to yank scholarships from poor little boys who always tried their best, but it seems just as likely that we actually remain perpetually undersigned so that we can always offer scholarships to the best players.

THE MAN IS A GENIUS.

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Olin Buchanan of Rivals.com discusses whether the rivalry of Nick Saban and Les Miles could elevate to the level of the legendary Schembechler/Hayes rivalry of the 1970s.  His short answer:

And though Alabama and LSU are rivals, especially since Saban took over in Tuscaloosa four years ago, Auburn remains the Crimson Tide's arch-enemy. Indeed, a rivalry between Saban and Auburn coach Gene Chizik may be developing that could be greater than any in college football today.

Buchanan also answers questions about bowl ratings, which coaches "care" about their players, and whether UGA can right the ship in 2011.

Fellow RBR beneficiaries,

I'm planning on making the 100-mile trek from Fort Bragg, NC to Wallace Wade Stadium this Saturday, and I'd love to know if any of y'all would be there as well.  My previous experiences with Duke and Durham haven't been great, but I'm hoping that a solid Crimson Tide victory will leave me feeling much better about this trip.

I'm planning on beginning my tailgate around 10 a.m., and my tent will be open to any and all.

Sincerely,

animalcracker

RTR

via football.ballparks.com

The Times devotes significant coverage to college football, including the Rose Bowl and BCS Championship.  Currently they have two stories about our beloved Crimson Tide.

This about Greg McElroy's Golden State roots and his patience while waiting to take the reins as QB1

and

This one about the team's first full day in California

SORRY!  I had meant to be adding these updates as they became available.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get to a computer for a few days.  Here are some more:

Bill Plaschke's column on how Nick Saban is no fun

A great human interest story on how the Bryant Scholarship is still impacting lives today

Here's a story that focuses on our defense's approach to stopping the Horns, with a last sentence hat tip towards our tremendously improved graduation rates

You know they couldn't resist doing a story on everybody's favorite mountain, Terrence Cody

Varied updates on the Tide with a focus on placekicker Leigh Tiffin

Details of Mark Ingram's unselfish attitude accompanied by another bit of "writing"by Plaschke

A story on the epic clash (AARRGGH!) that will take place when our stiff-arming wrecking ball meets UT's stellar rushing D

It's interesting to read about the players we know so well in the words of foreigners, and I will be monitoring their site for any new stories leading up to Thursday's game.

Enjoy!

I always enjoy reading the recruiting news that Andrew Bone reports for the Tuscaloosa News, and this quote from a visitor to the LSU game made me chuckle:

I have been to a lot of college games, but I forgot how crunk it gets down at Alabama. It was so loud. Those LSU fans tried to get crazy, but the Alabama fans came right back at them. They didn’t say a word in that fourth quarter.

Clemson commitment Desmond Brown said that.  Wish I could've been there...