For Monday, I wrote an article about how Alabama's opponents have done much worse after losing to Alabama. Specifically, the 12 opponents were a combined 23-17 (.600) before facing the Tide. After losing, those same teams went 31-39 (.442).In reponse, "Every Day Should Be Saturday" has a little fun with the story (very funny), the link for which and the original story are below.
Tuesday, I received a host of emails, especially from Florida fans, calling me a homer and saying I was basically full of you-know-what. You have to love the SEC.
Wednesday, Tommy Tuberville "resigned," which makes me think that six-game winning streak Auburn recently had against Alabama might suddenly be matched by a losing streak.
Combined with thousands of my colleagues getting the axe from Gannett this week, and that's not an exaggeration, these kinds of things bother me, especially just couple of weeks before Christmas.
So I wrote the following for my newspaper blog:
Being the Alabama football beat writer for the Tuscaloosa News, my job usually requires me to be objective about the Crimson Tide. Part of that means I can't cheer for the team, one way or the other, and my focus is supposed to be on reporting.
However, since the following issue is about college football as a whole and Auburn, I think I can get away with expressing an opinion.
Although I can't help but remember that Saban replaced a coach who went 6-6 his final season, I think his comments Wednesday are dead on.
Here's the lead note in Thursday's paper:
However, since the following issue is about college football as a whole and Auburn, I think I can get away with expressing an opinion.
Although I can't help but remember that Saban replaced a coach who went 6-6 his final season, I think his comments Wednesday are dead on.
Here's the lead note in Thursday's paper:
TUSCALOOSA University of Alabama coach Nick Saban appeared to be clearly unhappy and disappointed, perhaps even borderline angry, about Tommy Tuberville no longer being the head football coach at Auburn.
Of the Crimson Tide's final five regular-season opponents, Tuberville's the third coach to be out of a job, joining former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer and Mississippi State's Sylvester Croom.
"There have been several coaches who have been let go in our league who have a pretty good body of work behind them, who are really good coaches and are really good for the game," Saban said about all three coaches during his weekly Wednesday press conference. "They've been good for a lot of players, and they've had very, very good programs.
"Those guys are really good coaches. They've done a good job for a long tome and have a tremendous body of work. I really question some of the judgment relative to how it is for our game, that people who have those kinds of relationships and have done that kind of job, affecting so many people in such a positive way, and have had a reasonable amount of success relative to their circumstances, would not be given more respect and consideration.
"I guess we're 5-7 away from the same thing."
The initial reports of Tuberville's resignation broke while Saban was holding practice in preparation for Saturday's SEC Championship Game.
When asked if he thought his success at Alabama, both in terms of record and in recruiting, affected the decisions at the other schools, Saban said: "It shouldn't have.
"When you see a program start to lose toughness, discipline, those types of things, that's one thing. That's not the case. It wasn't the case at Tennessee, it wasn't the case at Mississippi State, it wasn't the case anywhere."
Tuberville was 85-40 over arguably the best 10-year span in Auburn history, including the 13-0 season of 2004 when the Tigers won their first SEC title in 15 years and finished No. 2.
"No one's ever satisfied," Saban said. "It happens all the time, and that's too bad."
Of the Crimson Tide's final five regular-season opponents, Tuberville's the third coach to be out of a job, joining former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer and Mississippi State's Sylvester Croom.
"There have been several coaches who have been let go in our league who have a pretty good body of work behind them, who are really good coaches and are really good for the game," Saban said about all three coaches during his weekly Wednesday press conference. "They've been good for a lot of players, and they've had very, very good programs.
"Those guys are really good coaches. They've done a good job for a long tome and have a tremendous body of work. I really question some of the judgment relative to how it is for our game, that people who have those kinds of relationships and have done that kind of job, affecting so many people in such a positive way, and have had a reasonable amount of success relative to their circumstances, would not be given more respect and consideration.
"I guess we're 5-7 away from the same thing."
The initial reports of Tuberville's resignation broke while Saban was holding practice in preparation for Saturday's SEC Championship Game.
When asked if he thought his success at Alabama, both in terms of record and in recruiting, affected the decisions at the other schools, Saban said: "It shouldn't have.
"When you see a program start to lose toughness, discipline, those types of things, that's one thing. That's not the case. It wasn't the case at Tennessee, it wasn't the case at Mississippi State, it wasn't the case anywhere."
Tuberville was 85-40 over arguably the best 10-year span in Auburn history, including the 13-0 season of 2004 when the Tigers won their first SEC title in 15 years and finished No. 2.
"No one's ever satisfied," Saban said. "It happens all the time, and that's too bad."
I'm off to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game. Hope you like the Christmas colors, and buy the people you love something nice.
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