**Update: If you would like to join the Bowl Pick'em, here's the link.

Group Name: RollBamaRoll

Group ID# 18528

Password: auburntennsucks

Sorry no special prizes for the winner but I may have something special for you....

Yes I gave up keeping up with each weeks winner. Sorry guys i kinda lost the will after the LSU game. BUT NOW THERE IS HOPE!

After looking at both groups scores, taking away everyone’s worst week we have a definitive winner..Here are the top three. Winner after the jump.

In at #3 with a total of 172 points: ELIminatingthecompetition

Coming up just a shmidge higher with 173 total points: TheWaysiderOnWelfare

And with a total of 176 points...

Continue reading this post »

This post isn't pointed at Bama fans or the RBR faithful who hate the BCS, it's meant however for all those people who think what happened to Okie St is the BCS's fault. Let me say this first, I think Okie St has a very valid point and should be pissed. I know Bama fans would be outraged had we been jumped. OSU had, for their standards, a very good season. In fact, it was their best season ever. So it's understandable that they would be upset at the fact they didn't get a shot at playing for all the marbles. But under the current system, there is no place for a team who loses to an unranked team who goes 3-6 in conference. Sorry OSU, thems the rules. Lets not forget that Michigan got jumped by Florida after losing to Ohio St. I believe this was one of the deciding factors on why Bama was eventually not jumped by OSU.

Truth is Alabama or OSU for that matter, never should have been in the mix last night. We should have been somewhere in the #4-#6 ranking. Why? We lost a game. If Oregon, Stanford, Boise, and even you OSU wanted a shot at LSU y'all should have held serve. Fact is you had your chance and blew it. Don't be mad at Alabama for winning the rest of our games and doing what we needed to do get our shot. Hate it? So sorry, don't lose to Iowa St, USC or Oregon at home by 2 TD's. You knew what was at stake at the beginning of the season, last season and the 10 before that. It’s the BCS..

Let's talk about that for a second. Teams like Auburn, Michigan, Okie St and others can say the BCS is flawed and needs to be burned all they want but for all the short comings of the BCS, its not much different than the system we had before it. And I would argue it's actually better. The AP (Yes a group of totally 100% biased reporters) decided who the National Champion was prior to the BCS. And how many times in the 40+ year reign of the AP did they screw up? Off the top of my head I'd say about +10 and it’s probably much more. I was born in 1982 and those 10 are the ones I can remember. I'm sure the older readership here can point to more. So for starters we can stop with the hate for the BCS cause it is actually an improvement over its predecessor.

CarrotTop4 pointed out today exact why the BCS is better than the AP..

Second, I definitely don’t think the computers should be dropped. They give the process some objectivity which the voters sorely lack at times. The computers actually look at all the games while the voters don’t

Yesterday was a nerve racking day for a lot of reasons but I was most concerned over one thing..The fact that voters might/would/could forget the OSU loss to ISU, remember the win against OU all the while remembering the Bama loss to LSU but forgetting our win against Arky. That alone is why I at least believe the BCS to be better than the AP. Like CarrotTop4 said, the BCS has an unbiased aspect that the AP simply does not have.

Bamapride pointed out this morning why we need a +1 format and how the BCS can play a part. Kirk Herbstreit also stated last night immediately following the release of the BCS top 10, how a +1 can not only keep the sanctity of the BCS bowls, the importance of the regular season and at the same time give the people what it wants. A PLAYOFF.

Here's another reason why OSU fans can't blame the BCS. Their own conference commissioner struck down a proposal by the SEC, ACC and others to implement a +1 system. So sorry OSU, go riot your own conference and stop blaming everyone else. The SEC stepped up to the plate and the Big 12, the Big 10 and Pac 12 cowered at the idea.

So to sum up, it's not the BCS's fault that OSU and others have been left out of the National Championship game. Yes, the BCS needs to be tweaked and a +1 format needs to be implemented but placing the blame solely on the shoulders of the BCS is not the answer. I’ll let someone who is much smarter than me figure all that out but for now, I will enjoy gulping down the tears of all the butt hurt teams who couldn’t hold serve…

Roll Tide and on to #14!

Found this article written by Andy Staples and just felt like it needed to be posted. Warning: It will give you chills.

LSU vs. Alabama really does mean everything to some, and that's OK

Just wanted to get this up so I can say I did my job..Its probably the last thing on everyones mind so I'll make this short and sweet.

Crimsonken good

I suck.

Thank god I updated the rules last week cause I totally forgot to make my picks. (No I didn't plan that). This week's winners bracket is a cluster with 8 or so people getting 13 points. And per my new rule, Aborted Stripper Babies comes in dead last yet again.

Just to make sure everyone is up to date on these new rules Ill go over them again.

#1 Tennessee Sucks and will always suck.

#2 At the end of the Pick-em season I will drop every ones lowest score.

#3. Track 'em Tigers is hereby the worst written blog ever. We already knew this, I just wanted to make sure it was perfectly clear.

#4 Aborted Stripper Babies loses every week, no matter his/her score. Thems the rules.

.

Interesting picks/games of the week:

OU +13.5 at K. State

Saukarolina only a +3 at UT. Someone doesn't believe in the 'Cocks.

Whisky +7 at tOSU.

MSU +10 at UK. This might be the worst game ever. Avert your eyes.

Black bears -12 at Auburn. Im actually interested in seeing how the Barn bounces back after the LSU beat down and if Ole Miss can put up the same fight as they did against Arky.

UGA +3 vs UF or better known as the World Largest Douche Bag Party. All the cut off shirts..

Alabama (off) vs Idle & LSU (off) vs. Idle. These two games should be barn burners...

And always remember, a real friend never lets another friend forget to make their picks...

ROLL TIDE!

There have been a few new developments since last week.

#1 At the end of the year everyone’s lowest score will be dropped. So if you forgot to pick a week you’re still in it. I wont be keeping a weekly tally for dropped points….You know I do have a life.

#2 Tennessee Sucks

#3 Aborted_stripperbabies will hence forth lose every week…Don’t like it? Get a better name.

#4 I still hate Tennessee.

I'm sure almost every thread this week will be spewing with hate toward the viles. After all, hating Tennessee is something we Bama fans do on a second by second basis. THEY LOW DOWN. So I figured having one thread to pour all your hate, anger and anguish towards those in puke orange would be a fantastic idea..

For newcomers, this could get ugly. If you are offended by rough language this may not be the thread for you. Im not suggesting or promoting the use of potty words but when it comes to Tennessee, everything goes. This is also not something we do very often here but again, its Tennessee..And to UT fans reading this thread, this is all in good fun. Remember this is an ALABAMA blog. Don't get butt hurt by what you read. After all, at this point you should be use to it. So continue reading at your own risk..

Why I HATE THE EVER LOVING SHIT OUT OF TENNESSEE!!!

Well starting off, from a young age my father (a life long Kentucky fan) taught me to hate Tennessee. On trips from Mobile to Louisville, we would always stop in Huntsville, fill up with gas/ snacks and we would not stop again till we hit the Kentucky boarder. Seriously, Im pretty sure if the car was on fire my dad would have kept driving.

Secondly, I lived in that wretched hick state for 3 years. Yes, my father, the same guy wouldn't waste his spit on Tennessee, moved us there for a job. I lived in Burns, TN for 3 years...It was by far the worst 3 years of my life. Not only did we lose to UT each year I lived there, i was also there during the Payton Manning years AND the NC in 1998. My blood pressure is raising just thinking about it. I remember giving the state a HUGE middle finger when we crossed out of Tennessee and back to Alabama for the final time..

The arrogance of the UT toothless was beyond absurd. It was during those years when I truly let hate take over..Consider me on the 'dark side' now as I have let the hate FLOW through me. I live it..I breathe it. I HATE THE EVER LOVING PISS OUT OF TENNESSEE..And always will.

I hate their colors, the entire state, their women, men and the children they raise to be vile fans. The only good thing in the state of Tennessee are the ALABAMA fans who are forced to live there. I pray for your souls every night (the Alabama fans NOT the UT scum)

I won't let my child wear anything orange. If my wife buys me anything with a hint of orange in it I refuse to wear it. My co-workers know me as the guy who hates Tennessee and dislike Auburn..After all, at least Auburn is located in Alabama..

I hate that they have taken a great breed of dog and ruined it for all Alabama fans..I hate that they have a fucking redneck "navy" outside their stadium. I hate that I have to drive through Tennessee to get to my family in Kentucky and yes, I will continue my fathers tradition..

I hate Tennessee...So..freaking much. I want nothing but bad things to happen to all their sports teams..Karma is a cruel bitch and they deserve every terrible, awful (besides death) thing that happens to them..

I can't stress this enough..I HATE TENNESSEE.

And by all means...Continue the hate..

Sorry for getting this in so late….

I’m starting to feel like the Florida State of this seasons Pick’em. Had high aspirations going in and really felt confident I would live up to the hype of my awesomeness. Yet I have fallen flat on my face each week and have been exposed as a fraud..But unlike FSU, I will not fold under the pressure and lose to Duke..(yes Im picking them to lose this weekend).

So, if you don’t suck like me, you may still have a shot. As you can see the overall leader only has 94 points and there are about 20-30 people in the low to mid 80’s, So that coveted RBR T-shirt is still up for grabs.

I will say Bon Jovi’s Hairspray had an impressive showing with 18 points for the week.  18/22 ain’t too shabby. On the other hand, I will say that I’m really glad to see who came in dead last this week. I usually don’t snub my nose at obvious jokes but anyone with the name aborted_stripperbabies should always come in last…In everything they do.. ever.. So whoever you are, please enjoy a Bag O’dicks double portion …

Some interesting spreads this week.

GT +7.5 over Virginia. GT scores points and UVA doesn’t play D. Im thinking GT goes +20.

Bama is +25.5 at Ole Miss. Im actually surprised this one is so low. We beat Vandy by what 34 at home and Vandy beat up on Ole Miss…I could see Bama pulling a 40 – 3 victory.

UGA +11 @ Vandy..I may be taking the under on this one. If Vandy can hold us to 14 for a half, I have a feeling they can keep it close with the Dawgs.

UF +2 @ Auburn? With a 2ndstring QB? At Auburn? After getting pummeled by LSU and Bama in back to back weeks. I don’t think so. Im picking Auburn to win straight up. Though I could see Demps and Rainey having 100 yards a piece.

Oregon +15 over ASU. Oregon seems a little beat up but it is at home. ASU could keep it close though.

Well that was a rough week. When the winner only gets 15 total points you know something was wrong. There was a lot of tough games and more than a few didn't cover by a few points. Im sure a lot of you guys who bet actual money last week lost more than you made. Then again, if you picked the right game im sure you banked.

Nobody really killed it last week and there isn't a huge gap between the middle and the top. I have to give credit where credit is due. “He Gone”..well played sir. Accumulating just 6 points for the week is quite an achievement. Enjoy your Bag O’dicks…

The picks this week seem pretty straight forward with only a few looking to be hard to choose..

FSU vs Wake is an interesting matchup. FSU is coming off two loses back to back. You’d think redemption would be in their minds but they have struggled against the mightly Demon Deacons of late..Line FSU by 13

UGA only a 1 pt favorite against UT? Sounds like someone doesn’t believe in the ‘Dawgs.

Arky is a 10 point favorite against visiting Auburn. Over under on total points scored? 125? 150? Neither plays any defense so it could happen.

I'm posting this a few days early as I may not be around a computer later in the week. My wife's uncle was shot through the spine, just below the head over the weekend and we are waiting to hear if he's going to pull through. He went without oxygen to the brain for over 20 minutes so its not exactly looking good. Anyways..

It was actually a tough week all around and thanks to teams like FSU, Va Tech, USCe, and USF who just coudn't find it in the hearts to SCORE JUST A FEW MORE DAMN POINTS many of us struggled. Oh and don't even get me started on you Miss St and Oklahoma..On my shit list you are.

Much like our beloved Crimson Tide, things are really starting to work themselves out after 4 weeks into the season. My strategery is working to perfection...Suck in the beginning putting myself somewhere in the bottom half....Wait on the perfect week to come around and POUNCE. It's coming, just y'all wait.

Here are your weekly Winners and Losers.  Pat on the back and bag O'dicks applied accordingly.

As OTS mentioned earlier there are some interesting lines this week.

Texas A&M opened as a 3.5 point favorite over Arkansas, and VT opened as seven point favorite over Clemson. Fresno State is favored over Ole Miss.

South Carolina opened as only a 10-point favorite over Auburn. That’s easy money if you’re one of those who really believes they are legit. -OTS

Pick'em lines haven't been posted yet but look for those at some point today.

Roll Tide!

Wow, if I ever decide to start betting actual money on sports, I'm going to be calling a few of you..Cause yeah you're better at this than me.

After just 3 weeks the distance from the top and the middle of the pack is getting wider and wider. For instance, last week I was 41st and just 7 points out of 1st. This week I came in at 42 and 12 points out. OUCH. I ain't a quitter though...Even if its getting embarrassing.

Here are the weekly winners and losers. Cheers and Bag O'dicks included.

Interesting spreads for this week include:

Michigan at home as a 10 pt fav against San Diego St. Seems low IMO.

FSU on the road against Clempson as a 2 pt fav

Bama giving 11.5 to Arky at home

UGA giving only 9.5 to Ole Miss.

Picks are due by Friday at Midnight. So again I suggest going over and making your picks now so you don't forget.

Roll Tide!

Its Wednesday morning and you know what that means. Pick'em time. With Week 2 in the books we are starting to see who are contenders and who the pretenders are. Don't you worry though, my #41 ranking is just a ploy...Ill be making my push here soon enough.

Below are the top 20 rankings for both groups. Remember: You are competing against BOTH groups.

Well done for those of you who are actually good at this.  Destindude takes the weekly "I hate you cause you're better than me at Pick'em" prize with an astounding 20 point week. The weekly Bag O'dicks is a 5 way tie with only 12 points..Upnorthbama, Since1831, toofull, Squinky86 and RedinBatonRouge can decide exactly how to split up the Bag..y'alls call.

Though with only 4 points separating #40 and #1 it's pretty much any ones game. Ill say this, if you're within 15 points of the leader you still have a shot. If they forget to pick just one week you're right back in it. (at least this is what I keep telling myself)

The spread is up for Week 3 and I suggest going over and making your picks NOW so you don't forget. THE FIRST GAME IS THIS THURSDAY NIGHT! DON'T FORGET!!!

And as always leave your thoughts about last week and the upcoming games in the comments below.

Roll Tide!

One week up...One week down. Week one is usually one of the hardest to pick due to the lack of knowledge of the teams playing. Some of us struggled (like me with 13 points) and some others really shined. This week only further solidified why I will never EVER bet real money on sports...So on to the winners and losers..

Group 1 Winner- Jimsdiamonds - 20 points

Group 1 Loser- AlabamaJammer - 12 points

Group 2 Winner- Leviathan11 19 points

Group 2 Loser- Cam Newton 11 points

Outstanding job guys. Now I mentioned in the title that a prize would be involved. This is true. I spoke with Todd today and he graciously offered to give the overall winner of the RBR Pick'em League a Roll 'Bama Roll Grey T-shirt with a Crimson logo. So now there's more than just your pride at stake...

If you are one of the many people who didn't realize that your picks were due on Friday Night before the first game, my apologies. I used the same exact settings as last year and didn't think to remind people that games started Friday and not Saturday. But don't give up just yet. You should still continue to make your picks cause you still have a chance at winning. You never know when people are gonna forget and fall under the same misfortune. So don't give up. Coach Saban wouldn't allow it..So, continue to pick and of course....

ROLLLLLLLLLLL TIDE ROLL! 

These are my thoughts on the "negative" plays for the Oline and QB's during the first 6 Series of the game. I label a negative play as one that doesn't gain yards, results in a turnover or has blown assignments.

QB-AJ McCarron

1st drive. Fluker gets beat on a simple swim move. Should of been stopped but Trent slipped out to get the 1st.  If Fluker blocks his man its a huge gain.

1st drive.1st and goal from the 1.5 yard line. All 11 defenders are in the box. Simple zone read play for the OLine. LB slips through , trips Trent up for a .5 yard gain. Looks like Jones didn't get up field to cover the LB...We scored on what looked like the exact same play on the next play.

2nd drive. 1st and 10. AJ throws deep to White into double coverage. Over throws him. Had Trent wide open in the flat. Only reason i call it negative is because he had a man open. I dont have a problem with throwing deep to keep the defense honest.

2nd drive 1st and 10. Lacy just had a big run on a screen play.. Single I. Toss sweep to the Right. Underwood misses a block and Lacy is stopped for minimal game. Again, if he doesnt miss the block its a potential huge gain.

2nd drive. On AJ's TD pass to Maze, Steen gets beat bad by Nix and allows pressure. AJ throws off back foot but throws a strike. Only negative was Steen getting beat.

3rd drive. 1st and 10. Single I. D is in their 4-3 but really its a 3-4. DE plays in an up position most the time on the strong side. Run stretch play to the right. Everyone has good blocking but Warmack gets beat REALLY BADLY by Nix. Trent get hits about 4 yards deep. Vlachos does get beat later and the play possibly would of gone for a decent gain. None the less....2nd and 15

One thing Im noticing so far is the D is playing 8 men in the box almost every running play.

3rd drive. 3rd and long. We are in a 4 WR. D brings 5. A LB and DE twist brings a little pressure but Oline holds up. AJ is forced to throw a tad early but is eyeing White the entire way. Throws behind the WR. punting time. Maze was open on the bottom of the screen...wouldn't of been a 1st had Maze been thrown the ball. A perfect pass would of been a 1st.

1st three drives observations. All of AJ's reads seem very simple. Only a few plays were designed for him to go through his progressions. Most were 3 step drops or quick hits to the flat. I would give AJ an A for his first three series. I would say A+ but he threw behind his receiver on a 3rd and long.

Oline I would give a C. They passed blocked ok but missed some assignments. One guys misses a block and the whole play is dead. It wasn't that Kent St. guys did anything great. Our guys just missed a block.

WR's Id give an A. No drops. RB's an A as well. Cant get yardage if you dont have a chance to build steam. D does key on Trent and put 8-9 in the box when he's in. Id give Maze a C on punt returns. He one good return but dances WAY too much. Needed to just get up field.

And Yeah...the Alabama D was lights out. Except for a play here and there..I saw little mistakes.

1st drive for Sims. No passes. Run blocking looked much better on each play. Lacy had the double spin move run. Trent scored from the 9 yard line.

2nd Drive. 1st and 10 from the 27. Single I. Play action pass. (PAP) Smelley fakes the run block and releases into the flat. His man sees the PAP and rushes Sims. Vlachos gets beat. Both defenders meet at the QB. sack. Loss of about 10.

2nd drive. 3rd and 19. Empty back field. Shot gun. Trips left. Maze and Smelley on the bottom of the screen. D comes out in a 3-3-5. We attempt a slip screen to maze but it fails cause Maze bobbles the pass. Sims gets popped by a LB who was released by Warmack. This was designed and the pass rush didn't effect Sims' throw.

3rd drive. 2nd and 4. Pistol formation. PAP. Sims looking for the home run. Good blocking but Sims holds on to the ball way to long. Sims gets hit and fumbles. Had Lacy as a safety valve. That one is on Sims. He comes back on the next play and hits Maze for 15 yards.

3rd drive. 1st and 10. Double tight end single back set. Quick slant to White. Incompete and should of been picked off. White actually stops on the route right as Sims throws.. Had he kepts going it would of been complete. Not sure if that was designed or not. Im going with a NOT. So i blame the WR on that one.

3rd drive. 2nd and 10. Shotgun formation with Lacy to the Left of Sims. Simple zone read for the line. No pulling or trapping. Good blocking on the Right side but there is confusion on the left side. DE goes untouched and gets Lacy in the back field.I know it was a zone read to the right but Jones has to know that you at least put a arm on a guy...These plays are designed to let the RB read the blocks and pick his hole. Had Jones blocked his man, there would of been a huge cut back lane.

Last play for Sims was in a 3rd a long. He hits Maze in an underneath route. good safe check down. punting time.

Observations: Sims looked ok. He didn't seem rattled or nervous. He made a couple of bad throws but nothing to shake your head at. O line blocked poorly and i thought the play calling was odd as well. Just a completely different feel than when AJ was in.

4th drive for AJ. Cyrus in a LT. Beyond that i cant tell numbers. I think Jones is in at center. Again i didn't get this recording in HD. Single I PAP. Cryus lets his guy on the inside and makes AJ rush his pass. He throws it incomplete to Smelley. Trent was wide open underneath after the PAP and would of been a good gain. Instead, 2nd and 10.

4th drive. Very next play. 2nd and 10. AJ tries to squeeze a pass into double coverage to the TE Williams. both Williams and Norwood ran a double out with about a 5 yard spacing. Neither was open. It was a zone by the D and Williams did look open but the WR covering Norwood broke off and nearly picked it off.

4th drive. Very Next play. 3rd and 10. shotgun. Trent is in blocking to the right of AJ. No pressure what so ever. AJ tries to hit a wide open White on a crossing route. Ball floats on him. Interception.

5th drive. Looks like we have the starting five Oline out there.This drive was a good one in the sense that there were no negative plays. Oline blocked really well. A nice run by Trent got us to about the 20. White drops a screen pass and then AJ just barely misses Smelley on  a back shoulder throw to the endzone on the very next play. White gets held on 3rd and 10 but they call the ball "uncatchable" even though the ball hits white in the hands. FG good.

I know Kleph wanted to know if the QB's were starring down their receivers. Hard to tell. It does seem as if AJ know who he wants to go to before the ball is snapped. I dont see much "going through your progressions". Haven't seen a check down throw much.

6th drive.2 minute drill. Lacy gets a big run on 1st. AJ hits Maze over the middle for a huge gain. He had nice pocket awareness. Oline blocked really well. Foster misses the 54 FG. Its another positive drive. No negative plays...well besides the badly missed FG.

1st half observations. AJ looked better but Sims only had 3 drives to AJ's 6. Offense just didn't look in sync. Ill say this. the play calling is much more aggressive than at this point last year. Or maybe its that the QBs look like they can hit the deep pass cause i see more passes over the middle. Outside of the one over thrown pass by AJ, the passing game looked great. Oline was inconsistent at best. If they put a hat on a guy the running game is much more effective. I dont see us getting pushed around at all. We are just missing blocks. Big difference. On the plays where the RB gets hit in the back field its due to blown assignments, not the lineman getting pushed in the back field. 

4th drive for Sims. 1st three plays were 2 runs and a pass. Trent actually missed the hole twice.

4th drive. 2nd and 3. Single back with an upback to the right. PAP. Sims seems to force a throw to White when he had Smelley open for a 1st down. Again, he was looking that way the whole time. He also had Trent open in the middle AGAIN. Trent would of run for about 20 yards.

4th drive. 3rd and 3. Shotgun. 5 WR's. 3 to the right. D shows 3 down lineman with two LB's playing on the outside of the DE's and showing blitz.  At the snap, the LB over Fluker drops into coverage. The other blitzes untouched. We run a short out and the WR is open but Sims is hit by the blitzing LB and the ball sails. INT. Jones and Warmack seem caught up in a dline twist and dont see the blitzing LB. Jones should of seen this prior to snap and made the audible or the TE (who was split just off the line) should of come down to help. Either way bad pass blocking play.

5th drive. Pistol. TE lined up next to LT. D showing a 4 man front and 3 LBs. CB is showing blitz. (8 in the box) Its basically a man on man blocking scheme by the olineman. Its a simple off tackle .play to the left. We actually get ok blocking initially. Cyrus is in at LT and drives his man well out of the way.  Warmack gets pushed a little into the back field but either the TE or Vlachos miss an assignment as No one goes out to get the Middle LB. Im thinking the center should of gone to the 2nd level and blocked the LB since it was a run to the left. TE needed block the CB, even though Maze attempted to block and failed miserably. What could of been a good play ended up as a 3 yard loss.

5th drive. 3rd and 3. After a good pass to Smelley to make a managable 3rd down we come out in the shotgun with trent in the back field. 3 WR's and Smelley again just off the LT. D is in a 3-3-5 with the WR's all getting a 5 yard cushion. They bring only 4 and the oline picks it up rather easily. Immediately Norwood is open (lined up on the left side and running a simple 4 yard in route) Sims never looks off his primary receiver and throws the ball late. Had he been on time it would of been an easy completion. Not sure why he hesitated. Call it a rookie mistake. This INT led to the only score of the day for Kent St.

 So thats it. AJ comes in on the next drive and gets a TD. I would say that play calling and some back blocking assignments hurt Sims more than AJ.  But both need to not lock in one WR. One thing GMac did well was go through his progressions. He knew he couldn't make certain throws so he checked down a lot. These guys know they can make the throw and we are seeing more forced passes. I believe this will change next week.

AJ had two INT's. One was his fault the other the WR. Sims also had two INTs. One was definitely his fault and the other, though it was caused by pressure was also on him. He held the ball just too long.

As for the Oline. Missed assignments and a constant 8 man front was our problem. I didn't see anyone getting pushed around except on one play where Warmack didn't get a push. We controlled the LOS but one guy kept screwing up. You cant have that on the Oline. One guy misses a block and the play is dead.

So that was it. 6 drives for AJ. 5 for Sims. I would call it a win for AJ and say he's leading 60% to 40% right now.

Thoughts?

So here's the back story. If you haven't done so yet, go read Queen of the Universe's post entitled "Seriously People" where she pleads with the RBR faithful to step up to the plate and take one for the team to gain favor with the football gods. I graciously accepted the challenge of taking on Kent St. Though this weekend is pretty much a guaranteed win there is still plenty to ask favor for.

#1 Injuries. We don't need them. We don't want them.

#2 QB battle- Lets hope after this game we have a strong #1 and this battle doesn't stretch too far into the regular season.

#3 Injuries. See #1 and double the plea for favor in this area.

Now, I offered to eat just about anything but it was pretty clear what would be asked of me...

Bammer, of course, will have to eat oatmeal.  

Some of you may ask, "Why oatmeal bammer? How is that a sacrifice?" Well by now you may know that I have a fitness website called DIY Fitness and I also lost a bunch of weight avoiding such foods like Oatmeal. Add to the mix that a while back I wrote an article describing the dangers of eating too much oatmeal.  I posted a link a bunch of times via Twitter and from there things kinda jumped up a notch..I mean it really escalated quickly..

So this is a double sacrfice. It goes against my belief that carbs early in the morning are a bad idea for those trying to lose weight and it furthers the notion that I indeed hate oatmeal and it causes cancer of the face. (not really of course). To make this even more of a sacrifice, I chose to eat a double serving and added absolutely no flavor i.e. sugar, cinnimon, honey. Just plain...nasty...oatmeal..

So hopefully this sacrifice will be good enough to gain favor with the football gods and get us through this warm up game with a dominating win, no injuries and an obvious #1 QB....ROLL TIDE!

Pictures after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

I love this time of year. Football is in the air and before you know we'll be watching live FOOTBALL!! This is the 4th annual RBR College Football Pick'em (at least for me) and I for one am ready to get going. Last year JTCrimson won with an outstanding 172 points and Rolltidejunk brought up the rear with 146.

Now, If you've never joined a Pick'em league or have no idea what is let me explain. It's pretty simple. Each week you will need to pick the winner of 20 or so college football games. Each game you choose correctly you get a point and I post the winner of each week and the overall leader every Monday. Like I said, very simple but there are a few league settings.

1. We are picking against the spread. Not just straight up winners and losers. This means if Bama comes out as a 31 point favorite against Kent St, you'll have to pick whether or not Bama will cover the spread. Its not just about picking who's going to win.
2. We are using tie breakers
3. We are picking the Top 25 and SEC games of the week.
4. Picks are due 5 minutes before the start of the first game of the week.
5. Remember, if I have to create two groups you'll be competing against BOTH groups each week.
6. Anyone can sign up but if you aren't a regular commenter and decide to join, please come back and join in the fun.
7. Winner gets a "Bag of dicks" courtesy of our very own Stuck in the Plains.

UPDATE: With already 60 people signed up in Group 1 I went ahead and created Group 2 to avoid 60+ in one and 10 in the other. So sign up below.

Link to group

Group Name: RollBamaRoll2

Group ID# 10330

Password: neverforget

ROLL TIDE!

SEC! SEC! SEC! (didn't want to start out with ROLL TIDE)

Hey guys,

We've been having a rather lively debate over at RollbamaRoll on the thought of Duke and UNC being the 13th and 14th teams in the SEC. Find the original article here. Some believe that UK fans would love the thought of the evil Dukies and Heels joining the ranks due to the added strength of schedule. It also would add football and basketball recruiting markets that the SEC lacks right now.

It is my opinion and that of my fathers (who is the biggest Wildcat fan I know. He painted his out door kitchen UK blue for crying out loud) That ya'll would absolutely hate the idea of UNC and especially Duke joining the conference.

So, I leave it up to you fine folks to settle the debate..Yay or Nay? WHAT SAY YOU?! By all means answer the poll question but also come over to RBR and throw out ya'lls thoughts.

Roll Tide and GO Cats!

Its that time again folks. First off, this isn't the "What will Bama's record be?" That has already been covered here.

Below are my predictions for the entire season: Each conference winner, BCS NC winner, Heisman winner etc. Of course the whole point is for you guys to follow suit and we'll check back at seasons end and see who was the true "know it all". Here were 2010's predictions and results.

So here it goes...

2011 Predictions

SEC

West- Bama

East- UF

Winner: Bama

I hate predicting anything for Bama but I just can't bet against us. Now, the UF pick is a stretch but I think everyone is looking past them. UGA and USC will be about the same and maybe a little better this year but I think UF plays with a chip on their shoulder. Either way, the East will come out to who's the best of the worst.

SEC predictions:

West:

Alabama

LSU

Arky

MSU

Auburn

Ole Miss

East:

UF

UGA

USC

UT

UK

Vandy

ACC- link to divisions

Atlantic- FSU

Coastal- North Carolina  Va Tech....

Winner: FSU

This is an easy call. FSU is building a damn fine team here in Tallahassee and no one in the ACC is even close. Everyone is picking VA Tech to win the Coastal but I think NC has what it takes they are all correct cause UNC is a train wreck.We'll see..

Big 12 (10) 

Oklahoma

Pretty simple one here...

Pac-12- Link to divisions

North- Oregon

South- USC  Arizona

Winner- Oregon

Oregon hasn't been hit with sanctions or suspensions yet so I have to go with them repeating until that time comes. USC won't be winning cause they got busted LOL Arizona should be much improved and win an easy division. even with the loss of scholarship players. 

Big 10 (12) - Link to Divisional splits (Just try and not laugh at the names...I dare you)

Leaders- Wisconsin

Legends- Nebraska

Winner: Nebraska

Ohio St is rebuilding and Michigan is feeling the pains of the Rich Rod years. Wisconsin has a veteran team and now has a decent QB. Nebraska should run away with the Legends

Big East- Link to teams

Pitt- This is really a default "win" by and large..Since there was a three way tie last year your guess is as good as mine.

WAC link to members 

Winner- Hawaii

Hawaii is the only team left in the WAC with a good amount of talent. Just ask Stuck in the Plains.

Mountain West Link 

Winner-Boise St. 

The Nov. 12th show down with Boise and TCU will decide the conference and I feel Boise returns too much to lose that game.

National Championship: Oklahoma vs Alabama

I believe Oklahoma beats FSU early in the season and wins out. I also believe FSU loses a game they shouldn't later in the season taking them out of the NC picture. Bama loses a game early but recovers to win the West and still makes the NC game. Bama wins a defensive game 21-14 and celebrates our 14th national championship.

Heisman

Usually the best player from the best team wins the Heisman but not this year. Also, since the award is given before the NC game its kinda hard to see who the best player really is...So the winner of the 2011 Heisman goes to Landry Jones, QB Oklahoma.

So these are my predictions..And just like last year if you don't agree Im fine with that..Leave your predictions below and we'll see who's right in January. 

Roll Tide!

via www.gifsoup.com

Spock went out drinking last night and is probably passed out in some deutschland ditch....So you guys and gals know the drill..Shuffle like champions!

Alabama- The Closer You Get

Ben Harper- Number three

Jamie Cullum- I Get A Kick Out of You

Beastie Boys- Eugene's Lament

Matisyahu- Close My Eyes

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds- Seek Up

Alison Krausee & Union Station- I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow

Radiohead- Karma Police

311- Down

House of Pain- Jump Around

Not sure if you guys have seen this floating around but I find the following article to be flat out HILARIOUS. Yes it angers me that this "guy" can be so freakin stupid but it also makes me LOL at how...well freakin stupid he is...Im not gonna sit here and go through line by line how retarded he is...that would take years..Ill just let you guys enjoy in all it's "glory".

You Can Kill Auburn's Trees, but You Can't Kill Auburn's Spirit
By Kevin Strickland
(Correspondent) on February 17, 2011

The rivalry between Auburn and Alabama has always been known for its
passion and intensity.

The relative proximity of the two schools, the close familial relationships
of the two fanbases and the history of success that each can boast is part
of what makes the rivalry rise above all others.

But there’s bad blood, and then there’s malicious ignorance. The lunatic
who poisoned the hallowed trees at Toomer’s Corner in Auburn strayed beyond
the borders of even malicious ignorance and set up residence in criminal
spite.

The act itself is a sickening display from a psychotic fan who in all
likelihood didn’t even attend the University of Alabama. It is the act of a
man whose entire existence revolves around a football team? someone who has
no self-worth beyond the glory he can extract from wins and losses over
which he has no control.

What’s even more disgusting today, however, is the reaction of far too many
of his brethren.

Here’s a sample of three fairly common responses.

It’s what y'all deserved since you rolled those trees on the day Bear
Bryant died.

You can plant new ones. By the time you win another national championship,
they’ll be grown enough to roll, heh, heh, heh.

What’s the big deal? They’re trees. Do you know how many trees are killed
every year to make paper?

Rolling those trees after an Auburn win is a cherished tradition. It’s an
integral part of the game-day experience and a source of many fond memories
for Tiger fans.

It’s understandable that an Alabama fan wouldn’t comprehend the
significance of the trees. Rolling Toomer’s Corner is a tradition, and for
all its boasts, Alabama simply has no tradition.

You hear that rattling noise? It’s the Alabama fanbase getting up in arms.
They’ll tell you they have tradition out the wazoo, but the fact is they
simply don’t.

Ask an Alabama fan about their tradition. The first thing they will say,
and this is guaranteed, is, “Thirteen national championships.”

That’s not tradition. That’s a number. It’s a statistic?and it’s a
fraudulent statistic at that. The only people in the universe who accept 13
as a legitimate number are those who wear crimson. To the rest of the
college football universe it’s a joke.

When Bama fans proudly wear shirts or hats with 13 on them, they do so
unaware that everyone else is laughing at them. If college football were
the movie Dinner for Schmucks, Bama fans wearing 13 gear would be the
unwitting schmucks.

Well, what about Bear Bryant, they’d say? Not a tradition. A man. A man is
not a tradition no matter how you much you deify him.

For the record, the trees at Toomer's Corner were not rolled on the day
Bryant died. The fable that the trees were rolled was fabricated, much like
the 13 national championships Bama fans claim. In fact, Bryant’s passing
was met with sadness and support from most Auburn fans. We hated Bryant and
what he represented, but we had enough class to respect what he meant to
college football and commiserate with our crimson brothers at his loss.

Okay, but we got Denny Chimes, the Bama fan would protest. Sorry. Denny
Chimes is not a tradition. It’s a building. More specifically a clock
tower?an ugly and useless one at that. A drab tower of bricks is not a
tradition.

Fine, but we got Big Al, the typical Tide fan would sputter. Sorry, wrong
again. Big Al is not a tradition; it’s a mascot. Interestingly enough, Big
Al came into existence after Auburn debuted its mascot Aubie and after Bama
fans mocked it, saying they didn’t need a costume roaming the sidelines.
Funny how that works.

Angry now, the typical Alabama fan will bring up the Walk of Champions. Now
we’re getting somewhere. The Tide football team walks through a gathering
of fans on its way into the stadium for home games. That qualifies. It also
qualifies as a complete and total imitation of what Auburn pioneered with
its historic Tiger Walk. Is it really tradition when you first mock and
then sheepishly and shamelessly copy a tradition that belongs to your chief
rival?

Well, we are winners, the average Tide fan would claim smugly. That’s our
tradition. Nothing but winners. Winning in and of itself cannot be a
tradition, but suppose you consider it such. Really? Since 2000, Alabama is
43rd in the country in winning percentage. The Tide ranks behind Auburn,
Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia and LSU in the SEC?and behind
Southern Miss. Guess those Golden Eagles are nothing but winners too.

Take it back 30 years, and Alabama ranks 18th in winning percentage.
Supposed “little brother” Auburn? The Tigers are 11th. Auburn’s won eight
of the last 11 meetings against the Tide. Who’s the little brother? Nothing
but winners? Only in your minds.

That’s really the difference between the two fanbases. Alabama fans are
wrapped up in numbers and statistics (even bogus ones) and the deification
of historical figures. For most, the football team is the cornerstone of
their existence and the source of their self-worth.

For Auburn fans, it’s much bigger than that. No doubt football is
important, but it’s not the alpha and omega of the love for the school.
Auburn fans love the spirit of Auburn and what it represents.

At Auburn, traditions are important. The Tiger Walk, the eagle circling the
field during pre-game and rolling Toomer's Corner are each in their own way
just as important as the games themselves.

The slavish devotion of Tide fans to Alabama football is also why the
rivalry between Auburn and Alabama is considered bad almost exclusively
when Auburn is winning. Historically, when the rivalry ramps up to
hysterical levels, you can bank on Auburn being ahead of Alabama in some
way: ahead in the rankings, winning the head-to-head meetings, achieving
more.

Tide fans covet what they cannot have and despise Auburn for taking what
they ignorantly believe is theirs and theirs alone. The bitterness and hate
in this rivalry is particularly one-sided, and it's based purely on envy.
You'd never get a Bama fan to admit it, but the most basic emotions they
feel are jealousy and fear. Jealous of anything Auburn accomplishes and
fear that what they know deep down?there aren't 13 and winning is a
farce?will be exposed for the world to see, thus invalidating their entire
lives.

To the Bama fans who celebrate the poisoning of the trees at Toomer’s
Corner, you may be right. Saplings may have time to mature to mighty oaks
before Auburn wins another football national championship. But as you sit
there in your ridiculous “Got 13” shirt and your silly houndstooth baseball
cap, know this: Every single day of that span and for every day thereafter,
the Auburn spirit is alive and well. It's greater than you or your team can
ever hope to be.



LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spock is obviously in a foxhole somewhere so I figured I'd take the lead this week. You guys know the rules...Put on that shuffle and list the first ten songs that come up...NO CHEATING YOU DIRTY BARNERS!

And what a way to start things off...I am so embarrassed

1. Rihanna- Only Girl (in the world)

 2.Rage Against the Machine- Calm Like a Bomb

3. Dave Matthews Band- Rhyme & Reason

4. Garbage- Dumb

5. Ingrid Michaelson- The Way I Am (i love this commercial)

6. Foo Fighters- Best of You (Third week in a row i think)

7. Sublime- Scarlet Begonias

8. Kim Walker- Where You Go I Go

9. Journey- Girl Can't Help It

10. Joe Purdy- Ode to Sad Clown (god i love this song)

And in honor of Black History Month

Back on Sept. 1st I posted a challange, pick the winner from each conference, the heisman winner and eventual National Champion and we would check back at the end of the season to see who was dumb....Well the time has come. As usual I rule all.. You can see the original post here.

Here were mine..

SEC

West- Bama East- UF

Winner: Bama

ACC

Atlantic- FSU Coastal- Va Tech

Winner: FSU

Big 10

Iowa

Pac-10

Oregon St.- .

Big 12

North- Nebraska- South- Oklahoma- .

Winner: Nebraska

WAC- Boise MAC- TCU

Some hits and a few misses there..Actually besides the mid majors I didn't get a single conference winner right...But i had at least the division winners right for a few. What i really missed on was the NC game and Heisman winner. (Ponder? What was i thinking?) funny thing..I didn't see a single person pick Auburn..on a Bama site..IM SHOCKED.

I had to LOL at 5026's pick for Clemson winning the ACC and Texas winning the Big 12..

Todaddy had I think 3 conference winners right but missed of course on the NC.

jtcrimson picked UGA to win the east...how cute.

Thomas Walker at least had Oregon winning the Pac-10...but was wrong saying no one goes undefeated out there.

Worst prediction of the thread?....yeah i said this..

Texas is the sleeper in the B10 south.

 They are pretty much in the same boat as OU. Lost a lot of guys from both sides of the ball and big time contributers to boot..The Big 12 should be a lot of fun to watch this year.

Bumpjon was pretty close but his picks dont count since he picked multiple choices for each conference :)

Worst BCS prediction? TexaninNYC

Rose Bowl: Ohio State over Oregon
Fiesta Bowl: TCU over Iowa
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech over Connecticut
Sugar Bowl: Florida over Texas
BCSNCG: Alabama over Oklahoma

Anyways...just by looking at it you can tell we are all geniuses and should be getting paid for our immense amount of knowledge... 

Anyone want to stab at early predictions for the spring games?

BTW, totally stole this from Mike & Mike but I don't care

So what system is worse?

A 12-0 TCU team being left out of the National Championship picture or a 7-9 Seahawks team hosting the 11-5 Saints team?

At first glance you have to go with TCU just because they didn't even have a chance to play for the Championship...But at least in college football a 7-9 team wouldn't even be playing in a bowl game, not to mention having to a chance at the Super Bowl.

TCU still got paid like never before and I didn't see any complaints from their fanbase after the Rose Bowl win. Unlike Utah and Boise, the TCU faithful seemed happy to be there and thankful they had a chance to show the world they could hang with the "big boys", even if those biggins were from the Little 10.

If i were a Saints fan I'd be happy as hell. Your #5 seed gets to play a 7-9 #4 seed. Sounds good to me. Going a step further, every other NFL playoff team should be pissed as hell. The Saints are getting a 1st round pass and could face the Bears in round two. Seriously, if i were a Pats fan id be looking at the Steelers, Ravens, KC etc. and saying to myself, "WTF? This can't be right."

Yet, thats the system the NFL has. It's a system that a lot of people in the college football want but you have to ask yourself, is it that much better? I get that a team going undefeated but being shut out of the NC game is a travesty. But is it fair to allow a 8-5 UConn team, who got manhandled by Michigan, a chance at the title? Or a a VT team who lost to James Madison the same shot?

I say no. What say you?