And the cheers rang out..."SEC! SEC!"...

and the Rammer Jammer was heard wafting through the rafters...

and the Tide was back on top...

with an expertly played game on all sides of the ball.

And today happens to be my 40th birthday,

and I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present.

ROLL TIDE!!!!

(Back tomorrow with some actual intelligent analysis. For now, I am simply reveling in the victory!)

It's kinda like Christmas Eve.

You remember the feeling, don't you? You're a little kid and all you can do is think about what's coming tomorrow. You'll rush through the evening's activities, trying to hurry the hours along. And then, when you finally get in bed, you won't be able to go to sleep.

It's just all too darned exciting, and you're not sure if you can make it those last few hours or not.

That's kinda how I feel today.

I got my first taste of college football last night, and boy did it ever feel good. I watched South Carolina smoke N.C. State (they really creamed them, but SC still looked very shaky), and then caught updates of Vanderbilt beating Miami (Oh.). I was glad to see the SEC go 2-0 on opening day.

And now comes the real fun.

Just one more day until Alabama vs. Clemson, and I've got that "I'm really excited, but I also feel like I could puke" feeling in my stomach. I go from feeling really good about our chances...to realizing that, really, we don't have enough experience to win it...but then back to thinking maybe we do have a chance after all. And then I just settle down and realize that the game is really a no-lose situation. This is still a rebuilding year...we're young...and it's going to be a great time to see what the future holds. But, then, wouldn't it be great if we won?!

So, I'm biding my time with "real" stuff (like that pesky thing called Work; dang it, that I can't get paid to just surf around Bama sites and blogs all day long) until The Day gets here.

Back in a bit with my weekend predictions...

Go check this out...

I'm the Guest Blogger on THIS Purdue blog. I rhapsodize on "Seven Reasons Why I'm Excited College Football Season Is Here."

I love blogging for many reasons, but one of the best is that you become friends with people you'd otherwise never meet. Phats is a former Purdue cheerleader and one of the biggest Boilermaker fans out there. He and I became "blog buddies" when we both realized how much we love football. Now I've got him cheering for the Crimson Tide and, I have to admit, I now catch Purdue when I can find them on tv and find myself looking out for Purdue scores on Saturday evening (or on the stadium score scroll when I'm at Bryant Denny). And...last year, when I won his March Madness challenge, I got a Purdue tshirt in the mail. I will be wearing it this year for him.

We have a depth chart!

In his press conference today, Coach Saban released the official depth chart for the opening game against Clemson (which, if you if you aren't already counting the days down, it's now less than five days away). As was expected, a slew of freshman are seen in the rotations. Three make the starting spot for their positions--wide receiver Julio Jones (who also, apparently, will return kicks...which now makes the return game especially interesting, don't you think?, with opposing teams trying to figure out whether to kick it to Julio or Javier Arenas), defensive back Dont'e Hightower (who is officially the "will" back), and nose tackle Terrence Cody (who isn't, officially, a freshman but is new to the team as a junior college transfer).

More freshman make it into the second and third spots (and people like running back Mark Ingram could, actually, get a lot of playing time since there is so much rotation among the backs). In fact, newcomers are all over the place!

This is very exciting...and interesting...news to me, especially with opening day so soon against a highly-touted opponent. There's nothing like throwing your new players into the fire and seeing how they do. It's really a no-lose situation; if you lose, it's because we're young and inexperienced; if we win, it's a huge statement for us. And--either way--we're getting a lot of young guys getting serious experience...which can only mean good things for our future!

Here is the depth chart as released today by the athletic department:

Offense:

LT 71 Andre Smith 6-4, 330, JR

75 Barrett Jones 6-5, 280, FR

-or- 72 Tyler Love 6-7, 290, FR

LG 78 Mike Johnson 6-6, 299, JR

66 Brian Motley 6-2, 289, SO

C 59 Antoine Caldwell 6-3, 305, SR

70 Evan Cardwell 6-2, 279, JR

-or- 73 William Vlachos 6-0, 305, FR

RG 76 Marlon Davis 6-2, 300, SR

74 David Ross 6-3, 295, SO

RT 79 Drew Davis 6-7, 300, JR

67 John Michael Boswell 6-5, 300, FR

-or- 68 Taylor Pharr 6-6, 285, SO

TE 83 Travis McCall 6-2, 260, SR

88 Nick Walker 6-5, 248, SR

87 Chris Underwood 6-3, 224, FR

85 Preston Dial 6-3, 245, SO

-or- 17 Brad Smelley 6-3, 218, FR

QB 14 John Parker Wilson 6-2, 211, SR

12 Greg McElroy 6-2, 220, SO

2 Star Jackson 6-3, 195, FR

-or- 16 Thomas Darrah 6-5, 212, FR

RB 38 Glen Coffee 6-1, 198, JR

22 Mark Ingram 5-10, 215, FR

-or- 29 Terry Grant 5-9, 190, SO

5 Roy Upchurch 6-0, 201, JR

FB 40 Baron Huber 6-3, 249, JR

34 Jeramie Griffin 6-2, 228, FR

X 8 Julio Jones 6-4, 210, FR

82 Earl Alexander 6-4, 216, SO

19 Chris Jackson 6-1, 190, FR

11 Brandon Gibson 6-1, 196, FR

Z 80 Mike McCoy 6-2, 205, JR

4 Marquis Maze 5-9, 171, FR

-or- 9 Nikita Stover 6-0, 203, SR

H 80 Mike McCoy 6-2, 205, JR

1 B.J. Scott 5-11, 188, FR

15 Darius Hanks 6-0, 172, SO

Defense:

DE 93 Bobby Greenwood 6-5, 278, SR

97 Lorenzo Washington 6-5, 275, JR

90 Milton Talbert 6-3, 263, SO

94 Undra Billingsley 6-3, 275, FR

NG 62 Terrence Cody 6-5, 365, JR

99 Josh Chapman 6-1, 305, FR

92 Damion Square 6-2, 290, FR

DE 95 Brandon Deaderick 6-4, 287, JR

96 Luther Davis 6-3, 299, SO

-or- 57 Marcel Dareus 6-3, 280, FR

SAM 13 Cory Reamer 6-4, 218, JR

5 Jerrell Harris 6-3, 215, FR

-or- 55 Chavis Williams 6-4, 223, SO

MIKE 25 Rolando McClain 6-4, 249, SO

45 Charlie Higgenbotham 6-0, 218, SO

21 Prince Hall 5-11, 235, JR

WILL 30 Dont’a Hightower 6-4, 250, FR

36 Chris Jordan 6-2, 220, FR

42 Jennings Hester 6-3, 219, FR

JACK 98 Brandon Fanney 6-4, 257, JR

32 Eryk Anders 6-2, 227, JR

41 Courtney Upshaw 6-2, 230, FR

LC 28 Javier Arenas 5-9, 198, JR

24 Marquis Johnson 5-11, 192, JR

15 Alonzo Lawrence 6-1, 190, FR

RC 3 Kareem Jackson 5-11, 192, SO

8 Chris Rogers 6-0, 195, JR

-or- 23 Robby Green 6-0, 180, FR

SS 27 Justin Woodall 6-2, 220, JR

4 Mark Barron 6-2, 215, FR

FS 49 Rashad Johnson 6-0, 186, SR

26 Ali Sharrief 5-9, 205, JR

-or- 20 Tyrone King 5-11, 198, JR

Specialists:

PK/KO 99 Leigh Tiffin 6-1, 199, JR

44 Corey Smith 6-0, 195, FR

HOLD 97 P.J. Fitzgerald 5-11, 198, JR

SNAP 50 Brian Selman 6-0, 211, JR

61 Carson Tinker 6-1, 230, FR

-or- 53 Daren Hallman 6-3, 230, FR

P 97 P.J. Fitzgerald 5-11, 198, JR

98 Heath Thomas 6-3, 213, JR

PR 28 Javier Arenas 5-9, 198, JR

8 Julio Jones 6-4, 210, FR

KOR 28 Javier Arenas 5-9, 198, JR

8 Julio Jones 6-4, 210, FR

What is your initial reaction to our first official depth chart of the season?

What do you think?

Six Days and Counting!!!!

Optimism

My husband laughs pretty regularly at my glass-half-full mentality. I can pretty much be positive in just about any situation ...and that positivity usually translates into the way I watch sports as well. I don't just solely see the bad in a loss; I also see the reasons for optimism (well, aside from the ULM, and MState, and Auburn losses last year; there wasn't much of anything good to remember from those!).

But, at the beginning of the year especially there is the reason for optimism. And I see a lot of it in this team and this season. Lots of excitement building, and lots of things to look forward to (heck, even Coach Saban has praised a bunch of his players throughout the fall).

I thought this was an excellent read from the Montgomery Advertiser on the topic...

Reasons Abound for Optimism at UA

Friday Afternoon Stud of the Week

I am a regularly reader of Roll Bama Roll, one of my favorite Bama-themed blogs. I enjoy all of the author's insightful posts about Bama football throughout the week...then come to Friday, when he posts photos of his blog "babe," and then goes onto post some "beefcake" aimed toward his female readership. Let me assure you, the beefcake pictures are done in jest...no good-looking man in the bunch!

Now that there is a woman doing a Bama blog--that would be moi--I think it's only fair that I instigate a regular weekly post entitled "Friday Afternoon Stud of the Week."

Surely, I could come up with studs from the Alabama sports program...but I am actually going to make the rule that I must go outside the "family" for my weekly favorite, and that they need to prove athletic prowess (not just a pretty face!).

With that in mind, then, I must go to the Olympics where I have found many a stud in the pool, on the track field, on the basketball court, even on the gymnastics mat. I have found myself cheering, of course, for any American who is involved in the competition. But, beyond that, I find myself cheering for the stud!

Therefore, my inaugural Stud of the Week award goes to the entire American swimming team for (1) their incredible studliness and (2) the joy they gave me as I saw them win the 4 x 200 relay that gave Michael Phelps his second gold of the games. (I have never yelled so loudly and jumped up and down quite so boisterously while watching a SWIMMING race).


And in case you need some Bama news this afternoon...

** This is a good read on receiver Mike McCoy's improved play and leadership. I think he's going to be a good one this year!

** Here is a good read on moves made yesterday by Coach Saban (Lorenzo Washington to defensive end; Josh Chapman and Terrance Cody fighting for nose tackle position).

** Here is a good read on Alabama getting ready for Clemson in practice (just eight days!!!)

I hope you all have a great weekend. It's the last one without college football--so enjoy the sleep you can get tonight and Saturday night!

My biggest question marks...or,
"Wouldn't it be great if________?"

If my faith in Alabama was written on a dollar bill, it would contain one of these statements: "In Andre Smith I trust," "In Antoine Caldwell I trust," "In Nick Saban I trust." But with so few assurances on the team this year, I find myself instead leaning on Andre, and Antoine, and Coach Saban and the other returning performers, and then looking forward to seeing if some of the other players (even freshmen!) perform like I think they can.

I recently read an article by Stewart Mandel over at Sports Illustrated that broke down his list of ten things he'd like to see "live up to their billing" this season in college football (things like Tony Franklin, BYU, Jimmy Clausen and, yes, Julio Jones), and I immediately made my own "wish list" of things I'd like to see come to fruition this year.

So I give you my fill-in-the-blank answer to the question: "Wouldn't it be great if ____________?" . . .

John Parker Wilson had a monumental senior season. It kinda seems like he's due for one. After all, he owns all sorts of Alabama records and, when you look at the numbers, he's looked pretty good since his start at Bama and has even had flashes of brilliance (against Tennessee last year, in the closing moments of the Arkansas game), but he's suffered from a lack of consistency and what I like to call "scaredy cat feet."

If he can get smarter with his decisions and not throw into situations that he shouldn't, I think he'll have a really good season. And we all know that, "as the quarterback goes, so goes the team."

Jim McElwain's new offense brought consistency. McElwain seems like a pretty sharp guy, with a good track record at Fresno State and a reputation as a good coach to quarterbacks. If he can get Wilson settled down, as well as create a productive offensive scheme, he will be in good shape. (Right now, indications from practice seem to say that the offense will be quicker with more dink-and-dunk passes, more use of tight ends, and more use of runners as receivers).

Julio Jones lived up to all the hoopla, and become a bonafide playmaker.
For the first year ever, I got sucked into the recruiting hype this year and got a tad bit nervous right before heralded Foley five-star receiver Jones signed his letter of intent. Not that one person can change a team, but all the hype said that this guy could be the "real deal." Once he'd committed, though, I waited with guarded optimism to see what he might bring to the team; and early signs show that he could truly be a "real deal." Reports from practices and scrimmages say he has a great vertical leap; that he can outmanuever defenders; and make some catches others can't make. I see a primary mixture of Julio and Mike McCoy adding some brand-new excitement to the receiving game this year.

Mark Ingram became the type of power runner we've needed for a while.

All indications are that Ingram is a bruising runner with lots of speed and power, who's hard to take down. Since he came all the way from Michigan, he's a bit of an unknown in the South...but I think Saban knew what he was doing with this guy. I expect him to be one of the freshmen to get significant playing time (probably alternating it in with Terry Grant and Glenn Coffee) from very early on.

The linebacking corps gelled as a group, with the youngsters quickly adjusting to SEC play. This is where we are most thin this year, after losing Ezekial Knight, Jimmy Johns, and temporarily Prince Hall out of the lineup. I heard Coach Saban in a radio interview this morning and he made it sound like all of the freshmen in this group will be in the two-deep rotation. So, it's a young group...but, if it's a young, talented group that gels well, we might improve pretty quickly.

Sophomore Rolando McLain continues where he left off last season.
McClain was our biggest impact newcomer last year as a true freshman. And it says a lot for the youthfulness of the Bama team this year that he is already considered a veteran--even though he's just a sophomore. If McClain can keep up his all-SEC play, we'll have one fewer question to worry about.

Terrence Cody administered at least one concussion per game. Cody is a huge junior college transfer (he came in around 400 pounds and has apparently gotten down to more like 370, but still...) who seems to have been quite impressive in Fall practices. At the second scrimmage of the season, he was instrumental in a goal-line stand preventing the offense from getting into the endzone on four straight tries. He also apparently can do a 360 slam dunk, and is quite lithe on his feet. He sure looks happy here...

but he'll assuredly look happier still when he is administering said concussion (not that I promote violence or anything. I'm just ready for a tough as nails tackle who is big and strong).

With that being said...

What are YOUR biggest questions for the upcoming season?
What surprises on the playing field would make you most happy?
Who do you think needs to excel especially for the team to do well this year?

~~~~~~

The Mandel column in SI that I already referenced was really good, and I recommend it for your reading pleasure.

Some other good reads on this morning include ...

* Over on Espn.com, Pat Forde gives his predictions for the SEC season this year. (Included: a no-repeat for Tebow at Heisman, a surprise win in either the first or last week for Bama)

* This season's CBS schedule was apparently leaked and this blog got a hold of it. I'm not sure if it's 100% accurate, but it has Alabama's Kentucky, LSU, and Auburn games scheduled.

* In my favorite "so absurd that it can't be true" story, go read about the outbreak of jock itch that invaded the USC campus.

* It's now just nine days until our opening game with #9 Clemson. This is a good story about Clemson's last scrimmage of the preseason (it's always good to know what you're going up against).

* I have totally enjoyed the "Blog around the SEC" that Espn's Chris Low is winding up right now. He traveled the SEC over the course of a few weeks and gave some really good insights into fall camps and expectations. He gave some good interviews with coaches and players too; if you are an SEC fan, it is well worth the read. Start reading it here, but also scroll down and read all the blogs in the series (the Alabama stories are several days past).

Nine days and counting...Roll Tide!

(And thanks to all of you who popped by yesterday for my debut. Keep stopping by!)

The Legacy...and Love...of College Football

I guess you could say that I was born with college football in my blood.

Born to college student parents, I lived my first two years on a college campus (a small one in east Texas), where Dad said they'd walk from their married dorm to the stadium every Saturday afternoon and get into the games for free. He still gets a little misty eyed when he tells the tales of those idyllic days, long before College Game Day and blue-chip recruiting...when a day at a football game was pure enjoyment (and that's all).

As my father ventured into the world of academia, I was blessed to live all of my growing-up days in college towns. And, let me tell you, there is no better place to grow up...surrounded by the smell of books, the sound of ringing chimes, an appreciation for marbled columns, and a love of learning. And, of course, an unabashed passion for tailgating and fight songs, for cheerleaders and marching bands, and for touchdowns and game-winning field goals.

As a girl, my first love came in the hue of burnt orange. My father received his PhD from the University of Texas, and he says he can still remember the look in my eyes when I first heard "The Eyes of Texas" played at dusk right beneath the Tower. At just eight-years-old, I learned to yell "Hook em Horns" with the best of them.

But, children are fickle, and when the University of Arkansas came calling, I quickly learned to call the Hogs. I have such sweet memories of going to games at Razorback Stadium (for some reason, the one that sticks out in my mind was one against SMU, back in the days of the Southwest Conference), but even sweeter ones of Barnhill Arena and the heydey of Arkansas basketball.

My loyalties were divided and I often riled up my family when I'd cheer for the Hogs over the Horns (and, in fact, I almost got booed out of a game in Austin one time when they played each other...but, I guess the fans didn't have it in them to eject a twelve-year-old).

But, soon, no loyalties would exist in my own personal world of college football allegiances. My family moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, before my sophomore year in high school. That's never an easy age at which to start over. I cried when we left Fayetteville; cried for my lost friends and the fear of beginning again. And, yes, I cried because I was leaving behind my beloved Hogs.

We arrived in 1983, as Ray Perkins took the helm of the football program. So, no, I never experienced the Bear Bryant era; I never heard him speak or saw him stalk the sidelines (in fact, my only "real life" memory of him is of him beating all the teams I ever cared about as a child). So, you see, I never really expected to fall in love with the Crimson Tide...but, I did... just as sure as you can't help but fall for the allure of the perfect boy. You know the one? The one with the smile and the swagger and the sense of humor and the style. That's what happened once I moved to Tuscaloosa. I developed a big ole crush on the town and the campus and, of course, the football team.

I spent six years at the Capstone (in undergraduate school, and then again in graduate school) and some of my fondest memories are of the Saturdays spent either at Legion Field in Birmingham or at Bryant Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. At registration, I got a little jolt of anticipation as I saw the new slate of classes on my schedule; and got an even bigger jolt when I checked the box that said, yes, I'd like to order my student football tickets for the season.

Time has gone by since then, and I've endured the ups and the downs over the years. The heartbreaking losses (how can I forget the loss to Tennessee by two points? We actually sang a dirge in the stands of Legion Field after it ended); the mediocre seasons; the unbelievable wins; and the national championship run (we watch the 1992 game on DVD every year before bowl season, and my three daughters almost know the plays by heart).

And so it is that I have come to the beginning of another season of Alabama football. It's 2008 and the slate is clean. The opportunities are endless. The future is bright. And the day can absolutely not get here soon enough

In fact, in just ten days, we will kick off against a highly-touted Clemson team. It will be the big game of the weekend; ESPN will be there; the bourbon will flow and the ribs will be a'smokin; the fans will be worked into a frenzy; and the sounds of Roll Tide will emanate from every corner.

I will be watching from home, my stomach tied into knots before the opening kickoff. I will cross my fingers, say a little prayer (I know that God really doesn't care much of anything about the outcome of a football game, and I usually ask for forgiveness for getting my priorities out of whack when I head to church the next morning), and then cheer for the team that might just fulfill my football dreams this season.

And then I will settle down...and just enjoy the ride for the rest of the next four months.

~~~~~~~

(And that, my football friends, is my little introduction to this blog which I am affectionately calling "Tide Chick." I will share day-after analysis of the Bama games each week; post any news I find as I scour across the Internet; share pictures and videos and other fun stuff; hopefully start a podcast as the season moves along; and pretty much share anything that has to do with college football, sports in general, and Alabama football. And, as you can probably tell from this post, I will also be known to wax philosophical about my love of the game. Despite my love for the game, though, I am also an intelligent student of the game and I think I'm pretty unbiased as a fan. I hope, then, this blog will not only be entertaining but also knowledgeable.

So... I hope that you will pop by often. Tell your other football friends about it, and comment to let me know that you're stopping by. And join in with me as we scream "Roll Tide" as we start on the 2008 season...a season that I, actually believe, holds a lot of promise and is going to set us on the road for some championship seasons sooner rather than later.)