Overrated: Alabama
The two-loss Crimson Tide interfered at No. 7, one spot ahead of Clemson with one loss and three spots ahead of a Tennessee team with the same record they lost to in October. Why? Because of the timeliness and the fact that Tennessee just got smoked by South Carolina without a rank? That’s not a reasonable excuse.
Alabama struggled to beat Texas, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Ole Miss. There are also “good losses” against No. 5 LSU and No. 10 Tennessee, as CFP selection committee chair Boo Corrigan pointed out on the show. “Game control” is a metric often cited by the committee, and Alabama had trouble controlling multiple games this year, even when it came to wins. The Crimson Tide are number 7 based on brand awareness – nothing more, nothing less.
Oh, Barrett Sallee is insanely crazy, isn’t he?
I’d hear an argument for Clemson being 7 and Alabama being 8, sure. You only have one loss. Of course they have as many fight wins as we do and got blown away by Notre Dame, the only ranked team they’ve ever played against.
But losing LOL in Tennessee is just “novelty bias”. When the tide was absolutely blown past South Carolina At any point in the season, that kind of loss really takes away any kind of hassle you might have. Meanwhile, Alabama’s “good losses” were actually “good losses.” Both were on their way to making the top ten teams by the game’s final game (and the first of which is one that everyone in the country knows is Alabama won that game three times on the penultimate drive, but the referee crew returned after it).
And for what it’s worth, LSU has the same record as Alabama, having beaten Auburn, Florida and Arkansas with one bad blowout loss to the same team that played Alabama to a tie and one loss to Florida State fights.
And I’m sure Barrett would agree that this team ranks No. 5 with two losses… Do you know why? You have a big win! They beat Alabama. Who is of course overrated. Talk about circular logic.
Anyway, here are the rankings:
College Football Playoff Rankings (Nov. 22)
1. Georgia
2. State of Ohio
3.Michigan
4. TCU
5. LSU
6.USC
7. Alabama
8. Klemson
9.Oregon
10. Tennessee
In sad but somewhat expected news, the Tide has a new addition to the portal:
Alabama runs back Trey Sanders entered the NCAA transfer portal on Tuesdayconfirmed BamaOnLine, becoming the third Crimson Tide player to make a transfer during the 2022 season.
Sanders, a redshirt junior, is listed as a grad transfer.
Sanders has been nothing but a soldier in recent years. He’s bounced back from what probably should have ended his career, even working his way up to a supporting role at the end of last season.
However, the car crash just took too much of his original explosiveness and he’s at a point on the depth chart where he’s probably behind 3 guys younger than him in his senior season next year, so it makes up for him just make a last-ditch attempt to find playtime somewhere.
Happy Trey. We will cheer for him in his new home.
In the Hoops news, Alabama is gearing up to face Michigan State in the Phil Knight Invitational, and they’ll still be without a few reserves:
The Alabama men’s basketball team might have to wait a little longer for Darius Miles and Dom Welch to hit the court. Both have missed their last three games injured — with Welch unavailable for any regular-season games due to a lower-body injury — and their availability for the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Oregon remains in doubt, head coach Nate Oats said.
“We don’t have our full list yet,” Oats told local reporters via Zoom after landing in Portland Tuesday night. “Darius was in the practice on a limited basis. Dom still hasn’t done anything live in practice. Darius starts doing live stuff. Let’s see how Darius is tomorrow, if he can go Thursday. I’d say he’s more likely than Dom right now, but both are still up in the air. So we will have 10 healthy players for sure. Maybe 11. I don’t know.
“Hopefully we’ll bring Darius back here soon, and then I think Dom will lag behind Darius a bit.”
Finally, here’s your weekly NFL recap of Charlie Potter:
Henry also broke for 1,000 yards that season, becoming the first NFL running back to reach that mark this fall and for the fourth time of his pro career in Tennessee. Josh Jacobs (Raiders), who rushed for 100 yards against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, is two spots behind Henry on the NFL’s rushing yards list and lands third with 930 yards.
A number of former Tide stars also had big days on the defensive side of the ball, as two players intercepted passes in cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey (Ravens) and Levi Wallace (Steelers) and four defenders tallied sacks. Defenseman Jonathan Allen (Commanders) recorded two sacks in Washington’s win over Houston, giving him a 6.5 for the season, which is good for tied 20th in the league. His teammate Daron Payne also has 6.5 sacks.
Quinnen Williams (Jets) leads the Commanders duo by 8.0 sacks (T-10th). Two former Alabama linebackers are also in the top 5 in tackles. Rashaan Evans (Falcons) is second with 106 tackles while CJ Mosley (Jets) is fourth with 97 stops. Safety Eddie Jackson (Bears) has the third most interceptions with four. Humphrey, Wallace, Trevon Diggs (Cowboys) and Minkah Fitzpatrick (Steelers) each have three INTs for an eighth-place share.
Quinnen Williams has a very strong claim to being the top DT in the NFL right now, and while Derrick Henry is the top RB, Josh Jacobs has resurfaced this season after being away from the Gruden disaster and is pushing fast eager to get to the top -5 RB himself.
Speaking of the NFL, Jameson Williams has a chance to make his debut this week:
When rookie wide receiver Jameson Williams decided to change jersey numbers from No. 18 to No. 9, he texted former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford.
“One thing he did tell me is that the No. 9 is going to move a lot quicker on the field,” Williams joked Tuesday while recounting his text conversation with Stafford.
Williams was allowed to wear the No. 9 jersey for the first time on the Allen Park practice field this week as the team began its 21-day window on Monday.
The Lions have walkthrough drills in a short week, but it still means a lot to Williams to return to the sport of football after spending the last 11 months repairing a cruciate ligament tear he sustained at the National Championship Game in Alabama in January had moved.
“I had a lot of training. Lots of bad days. I had to get through bad days,” Williams said at his locker after Tuesday’s practice. “But I’m here now.
“I missed the game a lot. I’m really, really, really excited to be able to put on my cleats, put on my jersey and go out with the boys. Really be part of the team. It’s something I’ve missed a lot and I’m just happy to be able to get going again.”
Williams said his knee felt good and he felt like he was back
I think it’s more than likely he’ll be held up for another week, but who knows. It will be exciting to see this guy’s speed on a soccer field again.