Football

By Jess Nicholas, TideFans.com Editor-In-Chief Sept. 3, 2012   Last week's record: 12-0 (100.0%) Season record: 12-0 (100.0%)   The Predictions Dept. opened 2012 with a perfect record in Week...

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama football team took a much needed break from the southern heat as the Crimson Tide practiced for two hours in full pads inside the Hank Crisp Practice Facility Thursday afternoon.“Yesterday was particularly hard on the players even though it was not the hottest day,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “I think it is the cumulative effect, so we decided to go inside today to give them a little better opportunity to be able to recover and not be in the heat.

By now the whole world knows that Notre Dame and Alabama will square off in the BCS National Title Game in South Florida on January 7th. If you have paid attention to any of the media outlets and Vegas, then you also know that the Irish are almost a 7 point underdog. While this is nothing new to the Irish team and their fans, we wanted to take a deeper look at the Irish and see what we are missing that has caused them to be depicted in the role of “David” and why most of the “experts” have decided that Alabama has all but already sealed their 3rd national title in four years. We will focus on the players who might have the biggest impact in the game for the Irish.

Rivalry week is here, and for the first time perhaps since the inception of the SEC’s dual-division setup, there may not be a game on the list with any real consequences. Alabama goes to Atlanta no matter what it does against Auburn, and would still go to the College Football Playoff by winning the SEC Championship Game as a one-loss team. Really the only drama this week surrounds the teams needing a sixth win to get bowl-eligible.

VISITOR HOME Time CT Network (Channel Guide) Thursday, September 24th Cincinnati Memphis 6:30 PM ESPN / WatchESPN Friday, September 25th Boise State Virginia 7:00 PM ESPN / WatchESPN Stanford Oregon State 9:00 PM FS1 Saturday, September 26th Bowling Green Purdue 11:00 AM BTN BYU Michigan 11:00 AM ABC / espn3 Central...

The depth chart is taken from individual practice and game observations, and is color-coded.

Kentucky is on pace to possibly be one of the most improved teams in the SEC – but its record may not reflect that. The Wildcats are still relatively far behind many of its SEC East peers in terms of overall talent. And there are still questions as to the direction Mark Stoops has the Wildcats traveling: Can Kentucky compete in the SEC running an Air Raid offense and lacking in defensive athleticism? History would say no, but Stoops is certainly trying to find out.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama football team held its 18th practice of fall camp on Friday with a two-hour session at the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility. The practice marked the Crimson Tide’s final workout before its second scrimmage, which is set for Saturday afternoon at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

By Jess Nicholas, TideFans.com Editor-In-Chief Oct. 28, 2012   The game was billed as a clash of titans, two undefeated juggernauts running headlong into each other's path,...

The ever-lovable Joe Kines brought to Alabama a defensive strategy based around a concept of bending, but not breaking. And depending on the Alabama fan one interviews today, that description either encourages praise, or the gritting of teeth. Kines' strategy played out much differently than Nick Saban's ever has, and had a different attitude. Kines believed in pushing plays toward the sidelines and using superior speed to make the play. Offenses, Kines reasoned, would eventually make a mistake and kill their own drives so long as Alabama didn't give up a big play along the way. He was playing the percentages.