Galt's Gulch

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  • Posted by $ blarman 7 years, 5 months ago
    What galls me is that because of their position and their history, they got a pass on their recruiting scandals of the 1990's. They should have been hit much harder, but weren't. They got a slap on the wrist, when they should have been shut down completely for five years+.

    SMU (Southern Methodist University) did the exact same things back in the 1980's. At one time, their team sported a combination of NFL running-back greats Eric Dickerson AND Craig James. Then they got busted and sanctioned by the NCAA and it ended them. They're now an also-ran in college football, relegated to a lesser conference.

    I used to love college football. I loved that guys played hard and played with heart. Now they are showing way too much of the NFL arrogance.
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  • Posted by $ jbrenner 7 years, 5 months ago
    Probably five teams could beat the Crimson Tide on a given day. None would be favored, but life is full of historic upsets. Injuries, bad officiating, and a few turnovers can all lead to unexpected outcomes. Certainly the Crimson Tide could beat themselves. They almost did so last night.
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    • Posted by Dobrien 7 years, 5 months ago
      Thanks jbrenner,
      I agree that many factors can come into play.
      Last night the Tigers could not win without scoring. How about the 5 teams , who are they?
      I am not disagreeing ,I'm curious.
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      • Posted by $ jbrenner 7 years, 5 months ago
        The five teams that, on their best day, could beat Alabama on a bad day, would be Clemson, Michigan (my alma mater so perhaps I am not being sufficiently objective), Washington, Ohio State (who on their best days can beat everybody), and perhaps Auburn (on another field goal return for a touchdown on the last play of the game?) if they can get their quarterback healthy and can knock out Alabama's quarterback in the first half. Alabama has an excellent team, and probably the best team this year, but they are not even close to as good as the best of the Miami Hurricanes or Oklahoma Sooners of yesteryear. Alabama's offense is sporadic enough that a team with an outstanding offensive line and quarterback could beat them. I would argue that, by Alabama standards, this is a pretty average Alabama team. Any one of the recent Alabama national champions would win over this team by at least 10 points.

        Do not forget that Nick Saban has been outcoached a few times, too. The sleeper to beat Alabama would be Washington. Their coach, while at Boise State, is consistently able to get his team up to slay Goliaths. The Huskies have been able to both force turnovers and not commit them.

        Alabama's quarterback is a freshman, and had Alabama played any of the teams that I mentioned other than Auburn yesterday, they would have been shellacked. As well as they played defensively, Alabama is not the first team to shut down LSU this season.
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        • Posted by $ blarman 7 years, 5 months ago
          My assessment of Alabama? This is a stifling defense. They've probably got seven guys who will go top five rounds to the NFL. That's downright scary. The offense is pretty pedestrian but gets the job done. All around, it reminds me of the Baltimore Ravens team that took the Superbowl a decade ago: all defense with just enough offense.

          Which teams can beat them?

          Washington does have a coach that is one of the best in Peterson. That he's been able to turn a Washington team that for more than a decade was the dregs of the PAC-10 (now PAC-12) into the team to beat says much about his coaching ability. His teams consistently over-performed while he was at Boise State (who can forget the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma?) They have a good running back at Washington and a decent quarterback to go with an under-rated defense. If they can win at USC, I'd feel comfortable that they wouldn't get blown out by the Tide.

          Ohio State? This one is a maybe. Urban Meyer is clearly one of the elite coaches in football, having coached the Utah Utes to a stomping of Alabama then taking the Florida Gators to multiple national championships before doing the same with Ohio State. Ohio State is faster than Alabama - the big question is can they take the pounding. Wisconsin plays a very similar offensive style to Alabama - a down-in-the-trenches, pound-it-out style of offense that defeated the Buckeyes this year. (Alabama coach) Nick Saban has the blueprint right there to beat Meyer. I'm suspecting that venue would matter.

          Michigan? I think Michigan has a better defense than Ohio State. Harbaugh is a great coach, but not an elite one like Saban - yet. He may get there this year by taking his team to the Championships. They're playing very well, but I never count the season over until after the rivalry games against the Spartans and the Irish, where anything can happen.

          Clemson? Of all the offenses that would challenge the 'Bama D, it would have to be the Tigers. I don't think there is a defense in the nation that keeps Deshaun Watson out of the end zone an entire game. That being said, Clemson plays in a weaker division than any of the other nominees, with the only real challenges coming in Louisville and Florida State. It's also a different style of play in the ACC than the SEC. It would be interesting to see if the faster pace wore out the bigger SEC team or if their speed in the fourth quarter would be enough to compensate for the size mismatches.
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  • Posted by Dobrien 7 years, 5 months ago
    Who can beat them?
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    • Posted by $ allosaur 7 years, 5 months ago
      In legend Odysseus and his crew snuck up on the snoozing drunken cannibalistic cyclops named Polyphemus and put out its only eye.
      When the cyclops asked who had done this mean thing to him, Odysseus replied, "Nobody."
      Odysseus and what was left of his crew escaped. Later other cyclops came by and asked Polyphemus who had blinded him.
      And lo it came to pass that Polyphemus did sayeth unto them, "Uh, duh, Nobody."
      Yes, old dino has seen Bama get beat plenty times in the past but the Tide is on a roll.
      Roll Tide Roll!
      I have a certain red shirt I'll be wearing when me dino votes for Trump in the heart of Alabama.
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      • Posted by Dobrien 7 years, 5 months ago
        Roll tide roll trump!
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        • Posted by $ allosaur 7 years, 5 months ago
          What I'd call a win-win.
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          • Posted by Dobrien 7 years, 5 months ago
            51-3 and 290 electoral votes
            Roll tide Roll Trump.
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            • Posted by $ allosaur 7 years, 5 months ago
              LOL! A win-win after all.
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              • Posted by Dobrien 7 years, 5 months ago
                Tide rolls again , next week a tougher foe.
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                • Posted by $ allosaur 7 years, 5 months ago
                  Auburn is the Tide's greatest rival I guess for being in the same state. Two days ago I caught an unfriendly frown from some guy in his Auburn colors in a convenience food store because I was wearing a Bama shirt.
                  In Alabama a "mixed (married) couple" does not pertain to a Catholic and a Protestant (despite there being couples like that) but of a Bama fan and an Auburn fan. I've seen bumper stickers and even specialty license of split college colors.
                  I married into a family split down the middle like that. Due to such influences when Auburn had Bo Jackson and a winning team, my stepson and daughter wound up as Auburn fans and my (youngest) son is a Bama fan as is his mama, who is now my ex.
                  Once I had the attitude that it was good if Auburn won as long as they couldn't beat Bama. That's before a prison shift commander decided to make me a near permanent back gate tower officer (with lots of job threatening responsibilities)..
                  That partnered me up with a near permanent sally port officer who was a raving Auburn Tiger kinda fan. Fortunately for me, this was during the period when Coach Gene Stallings led Bama to the 1992 national championship.
                  His name was Chuck but let's call him Chucky.
                  Chucky would never shut the hell up about whatever he thought was wrong about the Alabama football team..
                  Chucky would do stuff like stroll up to the tower from the dorms and across the Southside grounds, smack his hands together and proclaim, "Alabama has no depth!" (but then Bama would win that Saturday, tee hee).
                  When an important player was out of action, he approached, saying, "I know what you Alabama fans are saying--Oh, no! Not Antonio.!"
                  And Alabama won again that Saturday. Tee hee!
                  When Alabama won the championship, Chucky was so mad that he went into his sitting space beneath the tower stating his hope that the entire Bama team would be wiped out by a bus wreck.
                  That's when I realized just how sick Chucky was in the head.
                  Not long after that, Chucky transferred to a new prison opening up in a neighboring county.
                  What really made that good day better was that Chucky was replaced by a black officer nicknamed "Big AL" after Bama's elephant mascot. Big Al was a bit on the heavy side and a~ta-da!~AN ALABAMA FAN! YAAAAY!
                  What a relief!
                  Anyway, now I feel this to the depths of my heart just like my brother Tom, who once said, "A good weekend is when Alabama wins and Auburn loses."
                  So me dino is really looking forward to seeing Alabama beat Auburn again. That's what usually happens. That's what supposed to happen That's how my world is supposed to spin.
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                  • Posted by $ Suzanne43 7 years, 4 months ago
                    You can certainly tell a good story, Dino.
                    I went to Wayne State University where someone once said that we had a football team, but since no one ever saw a player or a football game, we student just decided that it was a rumor. I did, however, become a fan of college ball when our son went to Purdue. He was there when Drew Breez played. I loved going to the games, and I understand your enthusiasm and loyalty.
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                    • Posted by $ allosaur 7 years, 4 months ago
                      The only football me dino watches is very Alabama game, including a "Cupcake Saturday" on ESPN2 unless it's a rare real knock-over for a dinky team on that SEC Channel I don't have. Don't like listening to games on the radio.
                      I will also watch the Super Bowl and that's it.
                      I believe I got bored with the last one and switched it off during the second half. Or was it the one before? What the heck? I don't even remember who played in both.
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                  • Posted by Dobrien 7 years, 5 months ago
                    Tide rolls ove Auburn! Can't win them all if you don't win the first dozen.
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                    • Posted by $ allosaur 7 years, 5 months ago
                      Every time they'd turn a TV camera on a sad Auburn fan, me dino would say something like "Aw, poor baby!"
                      Then I'd laugh.
                      Don't know why Auburn fans wanted to make me turn into what I am for too many of them running their mouths.
                      It's not as if their team can actually beat Bama most of the time.
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                  • Posted by Dobrien 7 years, 5 months ago
                    Chucky's team is sucky . bama will win unless unlucky , big Al was a relief ,seeing the smile of his teeth, when the tide rolls. Tigers hopes
                    Buried in holes. Allosaur is a winner , when you have tigers for dinner.Tee hee
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                    • Posted by $ allosaur 7 years, 5 months ago
                      Working with Big Al was great but only lasted about the same two years before Officer Allen transferred to a work release.
                      That's when the sally port officer post was abolished. Now I was to call for one of the Southside officers. The regulars there proved out to be a whiny pack of shirkers as far as being called to the sally port was concerned.
                      They also seemed to hide a lot.
                      It got so bad I transferred off the first shift. On the Second Shift, I filled in when the regular Tower Four officers was gone but that was okay.
                      When that officer retired, I ran Tower Four until I retired.
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                      • Posted by Dobrien 7 years, 5 months ago
                        Through the prison was heard don't f with tower4 or you might become extinct.
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                        • Posted by $ allosaur 7 years, 5 months ago
                          Actually, that's close to what I heard Chucky (on one of his better days) tell an inmate shortly after I fired a warning shot. I saw two both down on the ground Southside officers become endangered by just way too many closing-in inmate spectators while trying to break up a fight.
                          Those brawling inmates were immediately kinda like, "Yes, sir! Please take me to the shift office, sir!"
                          That's what I call instant gratification.
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