Alabama or Texas A&M?

[BobD]

The only difference between Alabama and NFL teams......these guys are paid in cash.

 

[RDU Irish]

All teams in east lose two while all teams in west lose one. Then east wins the title. Already have one loss with major players in the east. After this weekend one of the three contenders in the west will have one loss.

Best case, SEC Champ comes from the east and finishes 11-2 with both losses to ACC teams. Chomp, chomp!


LSU plays Georgia AND Florida from the east, much tougher schedule than A&M or Bama. I'd be surprised if they win more than two of those four games (probably losing @ Bama and @ Georgia) to finish 10-2 overall.

Hard for me to see anyone but Bama taking the West, and I would really prefer they didn't even make the title game. Therefore I change my previous inclination to now want the Aggies to win this weekend. However, I reserve the right to change my mind ten more times between now and kickoff.

 

[ACamp1900]

The only difference between Alabama and NFL teams......these guys are paid in cash.

funny, but true... and the fact that there are pics circulating about showing their star players driving around in top grade SUVS and no one seems to care while SI does a five part piece on Ok St... who has won exactly NOTHING.... that really burns me.

anyway, I most likely won't watch one down of this game... just me.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Chris Brown (of Smart Football fame) just posted a great article on the difficulties Saban had defending Manziel last year. It's relevant to Gardner's performance against us last Saturday, and some of the trade-offs Diaco is having to make in Te'o's absence.

 

[T Town Tommy]

funny, but true... and the fact that there are pics circulating about showing their star players driving around in top grade SUVS and no one seems to care while SI does a five part piece on Ok St... who has won exactly NOTHING.... that really burns me.

anyway, I most likely won't watch one down of this game... just me.

It's a conspiracy.

The SEC is the NCAA. Accept it and move on.

 

[T Town Tommy]

Chris Brown (of Smart Football fame) just posted a great article on the difficulties Saban had defending Manziel last year. It's relevant to Gardner's performance against us last Saturday, and some of the trade-offs Diaco is having to make in Te'o's absence.

Nice article. A lot of good insight to the challenges of less conventional football. Thanks for sharing.

 

[RammerJammer91]

Unfortunately most of the media hacks out there would start touting how difficult it is to play/win in the SEC with all these juggernauts in it. If there were multiple two loss teams from the SEC and no undefeated teams, I still see the SEC getting a team in the NCG. It's disgusting ....

For the one millionth time, don't focus on what those idiot talking heads in the media have to say about the SEC. It's really not that hard, and it's kind of pathetic. Don't give them your attention by tuning in to their segments. Who cares what guys like Mark May and Colin Cowturd have to say? The majority of the time they're either clueless or are simply saying what they're saying to get publicity and stir the pot. They're in the ratings business, after all. The SEC is one of the best conferences, but isn't unbeatable. The bottom tier teams aren't anything special. They're not substantially better than the bottom feeders of all the other conferences. The middle-tier teams aren't the greatest thing since sliced bread, either. What the SEC does have is a top 5 or 6 teams (Bama, LSU, A&M, Georgia, South Carolina, and I suppose Florida) that are arguably (and which probably is the case) better than any other conference's top 5 or 6 teams, collectively. Any person who is somewhat intelligent can recognize that the SEC is not unbeatable and that the "talking heads" in the media are clueless. That's been established for a while.

Alabama's schedule isn't overly difficult, but it depends on the draw. Would you not say that the SEC schedules of Kentucky and Tennessee are difficult? There are plenty of quality teams outside of the SEC that could very well lose 2-3+ games if they played the conference schedules of Tennessee and Kentucky.

 

[ACamp1900]

It would be easier to ignore the 'idiots' if their stated opinions didn't echo the course of the vote/polls.

 

[NDohio]

It would be easier to ignore the 'idiots' if their stated opinions didn't echo the course of the vote/polls.

This. Exactly.

I haven't listened to an ESPN Radio show in about a year, I mute the TV when Mak May and Lou come on(I love Lou but do not like his schtick on ESPN), and I don't really care what most of the media blabbers on about when it come to SEC football. But ACamp is right. The polls follow right in line with this thinking and it drives me crazy.

 

[Emcee77]

I want Bama to crush Manziel and TAMU!

This. Not a Johnny Football fan.

 

[Bishop2b5]

For the price of a hotel room this weekend in College Station I should get to teabag the governor of Texas.

Be glad Ann Richards isn't still the governor then. ;-)

 

[A2forND]

Ideally both teams would lose...but I'll be pulling for A&M. I can't ever envision a situation where I would be rooting for the tide. Check that, I was the biggest Bama fan for about 3 hours last season when they opened up with scUM!!

 

[Black Irish]

For the one millionth time, don't focus on what those idiot talking heads in the media have to say about the SEC. It's really not that hard, and it's kind of pathetic. Don't give them your attention by tuning in to their segments. Who cares what guys like Mark May and Colin Cowturd have to say? The majority of the time they're either clueless or are simply saying what they're saying to get publicity and stir the pot. They're in the ratings business, after all. The SEC is one of the best conferences, but isn't unbeatable. The bottom tier teams aren't anything special. They're not substantially better than the bottom feeders of all the other conferences. The middle-tier teams aren't the greatest thing since sliced bread, either. What the SEC does have is a top 5 or 6 teams (Bama, LSU, A&M, Georgia, South Carolina, and I suppose Florida) that are arguably (and which probably is the case) better than any other conference's top 5 or 6 teams, collectively. Any person who is somewhat intelligent can recognize that the SEC is not unbeatable and that the "talking heads" in the media are clueless. That's been established for a while.

Alabama's schedule isn't overly difficult, but it depends on the draw. Would you not say that the SEC schedules of Kentucky and Tennessee are difficult? There are plenty of quality teams outside of the SEC that could very well lose 2-3+ games if they played the conference schedules of Tennessee and Kentucky.

Everything you wrote is true, but it doesn't change the fact that so many people believe that the SEC is this super-hard conference to play in filled with elite teams. As you stated, once you get past the top 5 (or even top 3, IMO) you are talking about teams that are no better than the top of the Pac-12 or Notre Dame. Alabama and Clowney aren't the entire SEC; you've got Vanderbilt and Tennessee in there too. Let's hope that 2013 and 2014 are the years that the SEC get brought back to earth.

 

[choo choo]

For Manziel to get benched and then Aggie to win.

lol...really haven't thought of that one

 

[ickythump1225]

Ugh I hate that I'm forced to cheer for JFF and A&M. I'm not a fan by any stretch but I HATE Alabama. If you live in the south you'll understand. Alabama fans are f**king insufferable and most of them in my neck of the woods are just bandwagoneers as it is. If al-Qaeda formed for a football team and challenged Alabama I'd probably cheer for al-Qaeda.

 

[ARALOU]

First of all the poll is who do you think is going to win. I think Bama boat races them. Pounds them. Not because I like Bama or the SEC because I don't. Its because I think they are better than A & M. A & M has played cupcakes this year so far, and really didnt play all that well, especially on D. Bama by a bunch.

 

[Irishbounty28]

Alabama reminds me a lot of Florida or LSU last year, which coincidently were the only two teams to hold A&M to low scoring contests. They both had offenses that were rather inept, but defenses that were ultra athletic and able to keep Manziel at bay.

The difference is that the Alabama game was played after these two, and it is apparent that A&M made the proper adjustments to win that game. If Alabama has trouble on offense, than I believe A&M could win by two touchdowns. Alabama was so bad on offense against Virginia Tech, it is hard to believe they will magically score 30 plus against A&M, which could be what it takes to win.

 

[NDWorld247]

First of all the poll is who do you think is going to win. I think Bama boat races them. Pounds them. Not because I like Bama or the SEC because I don't. Its because I think they are better than A & M. A & M has played cupcakes this year so far, and really didnt play all that well, especially on D. Bama by a bunch.

I thought this was a "Who are you rooting for?" poll. My hope is most of the 50 people that voted for Alabama are just confused by the question. BobD, please confirm.

 

[BobD]

Who will you be rooting for? Johnny Autograph or the Tide?

It'll be rooting for Texas A&M because I always root for underdogs and
the Tide dismantled us in the NC game.

Here's the original post.

 

[GEORGIA DOMER]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/XaMwc2V_OBU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> sorry Johnny!!! You are going down!!!

 

[bigedefense]

I don't want to see another Bama championship. Only way for them not to be in it is to lose twice. Even then they might get in.

I don't want to see bama win the third in a row. I played & coached at Univ. of North ALabama & we won 3 in a row in the 90's. We are the only scholarship school that can make that claim as of right now. I want it to continue.

 

[Irish#1]

Alabama reminds me a lot of Florida or LSU last year, which coincidently were the only two teams to hold A&M to low scoring contests. They both had offenses that were rather inept, but defenses that were ultra athletic and able to keep Manziel at bay.

The difference is that the Alabama game was played after these two, and it is apparent that A&M made the proper adjustments to win that game. If Alabama has trouble on offense, than I believe A&M could win by two touchdowns. Alabama was so bad on offense against Virginia Tech, it is hard to believe they will magically score 30 plus against A&M, which could be what it takes to win.

A&M did their damage in the first half last year. Bama made the adjustments and held Johnny Jockstrap in check the second half. I will be surprised if Bama doesn't have him figured out already.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

The Solid Verbal's Ty Hildenbrandt (an ND fan) just published an article on Manziel titled "Jimmy Clausen 4.0":

It dawned on me this week that Johnny Manziel is Jimmy Clausen 4.0. Think about it, Manziel is everything Clausen so desperately wanted when he emerged from a white limousine at the College Football Hall of Fame to announce his commitment to Notre Dame. He’s more accomplished, more elusive, more revered, more accurate, more decisive, more interesting, more analyzed, more debated, more hated, more of a prima donna, and harder to ridicule because of a stupid haircut. He’s the greatest punk ever.


To be fair, Manziel has ruffled far more feathers than Clausen. He’s also a much different kind of player. But there is a similarity: That pit-in-your-stomach feeling you get when reading about Manziel’s antics in the news. It’s the same uneasiness I felt every time I used to read about Clausen. Rightly or wrongly, I always compared Clausen to Eddie Martel, the super talented and unbearably pompous quarterback from The Replacements. I just never felt great about rooting for him, even though he showed flashes of brilliance and I was convinced he’d be a star in the NFL. For what it’s worth, the NFL didn’t agree and put off drafting Clausen for as long as it possibly could. By the time Manziel gets picked next April, Clausen might be out of football altogether.

Manziel is an upgraded Clausen. He’s better in nearly every facet of the game, yet far worse in terms of public relations. He’s so bad, actually, that it might be on purpose. He’s a voluntary villain—a good old-fashioned heel. Players at major institutions are all given some degree of PR training; Manziel is what happens when the homogenization process doesn’t work. You never need to worry whether Johnny Football is being genuine. Texas A&M does.

But Manziel also has a better sense of humor. If it’s not clear by now, he’s a button-pusher and a habitual line-stepper. Either due to entitlement or cockiness or general amusement, Manziel does not shy away from being controversial. For sure, he’s had some mild run-ins with the law, but in a football sense, he’s merely guilty of crimes that suspended him for—WINK, WINK, NUDGE, NUDGE—one half of one game. Some say he’s an attention-seeker, others say he’s young and dumb. He may be both, but I’m starting to think he’s just a troll.

Indeed, Manziel’s offseason hijinks and on-field celebrations have turned many into haters. But maybe that’s by design. Maybe Johnny Football really does care what you think about him—maybe he just prefers if it’s something critical.

Maybe it’s the negative energy that makes Manziel tick. And maybe the chorus of public outcry is playing right into his trap.

Maybe the best way to root against Johnny Manziel this Saturday is silently.

 

[Irishbounty28]

A&M did their damage in the first half last year. Bama made the adjustments and held Johnny Jockstrap in check the second half. I will be surprised if Bama doesn't have him figured out already.

While that is true, A&M held the almighty Tide to 10 points to their 9. Teams make adjustments during the game all the time, so even though the Tide made adjustments, so did the Aggies. I know that Saban is the king of adjustments, and when you give him time he is the best in the business.

The only thing is that its hard to adjust for Manziel type quarterbacks. Game plans get busted wide open by players like him. You don't think last year Alabama had good enough tape on them playing so late in the year? I think it is safe to assume that he did.

Obviously they are both different teams this year, and it has yet to be seen how "good" Bama is. We know the Aggies can score, we don't know that about Bama. We will see who wins.

 

[ACamp1900]

I am not sure this Tide team is as good as previous years... and to be very frank, past year's teams only played a few losable games a year and always managed to drop at least one...

I think it'll most likely be a game... though I am still in the ‘couldn’t care less’ camp...

 

[Irish#1]

Chris Brown (of Smart Football fame) just posted a great article on the difficulties Saban had defending Manziel last year. It's relevant to Gardner's performance against us last Saturday, and some of the trade-offs Diaco is having to make in Te'o's absence.

That was a good article on defending A&M and Johnny prick. I would have liked for him to tell us what LSU did to beat him. I would have to imagine that Nicky Saban has watched that game once or twice.

 

[Irishbounty28]

That was a good article on defending A&M and Johnny prick. I would have liked for him to tell us what LSU did to beat him. I would have to imagine that Nicky Saban has watched that game once or twice.

I'm sure he watched it a few times, and is trying to mastermind a grand scheme that will stop "Money Manziel". The only problem is he had that tape last year for their game. The one good thing for Bama is they have 2 weeks to prepare, which gives more time to work on containment.

 

[Veer option]

Roll damn Tide, because johnny foosball is a gigantic twat.

 

[BobD]

 

[NDALA]

I don't want to see bama win the third in a row. I played & coached at Univ. of North ALabama & we won 3 in a row in the 90's. We are the only scholarship school that can make that claim as of right now. I want it to continue.

That's funny my sister went to UNA and i was at the 94 and 95 championship games man it was cold!!!!! Go Lions! I'd like to see JF get crushed but the Bama fans at work are horrible so its a lose lose situation.