Why Alabama is Back Hosting Season Openers: All Things CW

The final time the College of Alabama soccer workforce opened a season at Bryant-Denny Stadium, there have been 4 important story strains heading into the sport. 

1) Junior-college switch Duron Carter was cleared academically and the extensive receiver was lastly on the Crimson Tide roster (in fact, he by no means performed a sport for Alabama).

2) Nick Saban had but to announce a starter between sophomore AJ McCarron and redshirt freshman Phillip Sims, saying “It’s out of equity to them that each guys get a chance on this sport.” (McCarron find yourself being a three-year starter).

3) Barrett Jones moved to left deal with, however would play in three completely different spots in the course of the opener (he was received the Outland Trophy at left deal with and a yr later he moved to middle and received the Rimington Trophy).  

4) It was Alabama’s first sport after the April twenty seventh twister. 

There have been remembrances, a second of silence, thanks ovations for emergency rescue employees, and ribbons strategically positioned on helmets and on the sphere at Bryant-Denny Stadium. 

The Crimson Tide subsequently dismembered Saban’s alma mater, Kent State, 48-7.

The twister restoration was clearly crucial factor that day, but it surely was additionally a transition level in Alabama’s scheduling method. Three years earlier, the No. 24 Crimson Tide had opened the 2008 season with a formidable win in opposition to No. 9 Clemson, 34-10, within the 2008 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Basic.

The sport had large ramifications, and even ended up on the duvet of Sports activities Illustrated.

Amongst them: 

• It signaled to varsity soccer {that a} new period had arrived with Saban at Alabama. 

• It launched the Crimson Tide’s undefeated common season, and run that lasted carried by way of the 2009 nationwide championship, and sparked a dynasty that is nonetheless going, with further titles in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020.

• It marked the start of the top for Tommy Bowden at Clemson, which might promote Dabo Swinney mid-season. 

• Lastly, high-profile neutral-site video games we abruptly in vogue, and everybody wished Alabama. 

It made sense, and was like including a bowl sport on the entrance finish of the schedule, performed in NFL stadiums or in a setting the place championship sport are hosted. A marquee opponent may very well be used as offseason motivation for the gamers, plus it all the time appeared good to recruits.  

Saban used it to his full benefit. 

General, he is 15-0 in season openers at Alabama. The Crimson Tide has outscored its opponents 610-176 in these video games and outgained the opposition, 6,658-3,273. 

That is a mean rating of 40.67-11.7, and yards differential of 443.9-218.2.

Only one opponent managing to be inside two touchdowns (West Virginia in 2014).

Nick Saban Season Openers

• 2007 Western Carolina, at Tuscaloosa, W 52-6
• 2008 Clemson, at Atlanta, W 34-0 – $4.17 million 
• 2009 Virginia Tech, at Atlanta, W 34-24
• 2010 San Jose State, at Tuscaloosa, W 48-3
• 2011 Kent State, at Tuscaloosa, W 48-7
• 2012 Michigan, at Arlington, Tex., W 41-14
• 2013 Virginia Tech, at Atlanta, W 35-10
• 2014 West Virginia, at Atlanta, W 33-23
• 2015 Wisconsin, at Arlington, Tex., W 35-17 
• 2016 Southern California, at Arlington, Tex., W 52-6 
• 2017 Florida State, at Atlanta, W 24-7 
• 2018 Louisville, at Orlando, Fla., W 51-14 
• 2019 Duke, at Atlanta, W 42-3 
• 2020 Missouri, at Columbia, Mo., W 38-19 
• 2021 Miami, at Atlanta, W 44-13 5 

However issues have modified, and Alabama has gone again within the different route, of signing high-profile home-and-home sequence with the largest packages , usually for Week 1 or 2 

The lineup contains Texas this yr and subsequent, Wisconsin (2024 and 2025), Florida State (2025 and 2026), West Virginia (2026 and 2027), Notre Dame (2028 and 2029), Georgia Tech (2030 and 2031), Virginia Tech (2034 and 2035) and Arizona (2032 and 2033). It additionally signed Oklahoma, but it surely and Texas are on the brink of be part of the SEC. 

A part of the change was to appease the fan base, which coveted extra high-profile residence video games. Too usually the Bryant-Denny schedule was a few sturdy SEC video games, a few league video games that weren’t anticipated to be shut, and three non-conference video games that did not excite anybody.  

Whereas the power was given a $107.17 million replace that was accomplished earlier than the revamped 2020 season started, and continues to be slated for yet one more renovation as a part of the third and ultimate section of the Crimson Commonplace (10-year, $600 million initiative), maximizing these alternatives grew to become a precedence. 

Financially, the neutral-site video games weren’t as interesting, both. Granted, the payout grew from the $4.17 million mixed that Alabama and Clemson received in 2008, to the $6 million the Crimson Tide landed eight years later to face USC in Arlington, Texas. It crushed the Trojans 52-6, however an excellent a part of the rewards had been offset by touring prices and logistics.

Lastly, the matchups had been turning into more and more tough, as curiosity from different packages waned. In 2019, the Chick-fil-A Bowl scheduled Alabama in opposition to Duke and the end result was a predictable rout. 

So no extra neutral-site openers for Alabama, no less than not for some time. 

Consequently, the largest indicator of how issues have modified since that Kent State sport is with this statistic for subsequent week’s residence opener. Alabama is paying $1.91 million to Utah State, the third-highest complete for a visiting workforce in NCAA historical past.

Crimson Tide Odds and Ends 

In the event you’re searching for some manufacturing benchmarks for what Alabama’s prime gamers would possibly do that season, take into account the next over-under odds for the common season from BetOnline:

Bryce Younger

Passing Yards: 3,800½
Passing Touchdowns: 37½
Interceptions: 4½

Jahmyr Gibbs 

Dashing Yards: 1,000½
Dashing Touchdowns: 10½

Will Anderson Jr. 

Sacks: 13 

Tide-Bits

• Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne advised WVTM 13 that the athletic division is hiring 4 licensed social employees to assist student-athlete psychological well being. “Our greatest concern [since COVID] has been psychological well being points with our student-athletes. The isolation, the challenges that got here together with that had been important, and we’re nonetheless coping with that at this time.” 

• Deion Sanders and Saban are again on good phrases and so they not too long ago shot one other Aflac advert to lift cash for his or her favourite respective causes. When Sanders was requested about Saban’s newest contract throughout SportsCenter, he stated: “Coach Saban is our magna cum laude [of coaching]. He’s our man. You wouldn’t have questioned Michael Jordan and you do not query LeBron [James] when they’re given a contract of this standing.

“Each alternative I get to sit down with him on this excellent Aflac set, I am gleaning from him simply among the fruit and nuggets he is capable of spit to me. I’m blissful. Effectively deserved. … I want I wouldn’t catch anybody saying something in regards to the contract Saban has warranted. He’s the G.O.A.T.”

• Eddie Jackson is a participant to look at this season. Below coach Matt Eberflus and coordinator Alan Williams, the Bears made him extra of a free security once more after drafting Penn State security Jaquan Brisker within the second spherical, and shifting Jackson again off the road of scrimmage. The Bears hope he’ll be extra just like the participant in 2018, who had seven takeaways. Chicago lead the league that yr with 36, however had 19 in 2019 (twenty second), 18 in 2020 (twenty fifth) and 16 final season (twenty sixth). 

• Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts had been extensively requested about one another this week because the Dolphins and Eagles held joint practices previous to their preseason finale on Saturday. 

“Dude’s a tough employee,” Tagovailoa stated on Hurts. “Within the weight room, within the classroom, on the sphere, like, dude needed to be the primary into the burden room, needed to be the primary out onto the sphere.”

He added: “It actually tells you the way he goes about his life. It tells you about how he type of sees issues, how he appears at issues. Clearly, he’s a competitor. By no means needs to be much less.”

As for Hurts …  

• In the event you had been questioning how former Alabama walk-on Keelan Cox fared throughout his first sport with Wyoming, he sadly did not play in the course of the 38-6 loss to Illinois. The defensive finish who was shifting up the depth chart is out for the season after struggling a fractured proper hip in apply, just like the damage Tagovailoa suffered.

5 Issues That Obtained Our Consideration This Week

1) Out of the Bizarre?

If Bryce Younger has a subpar yr, Alabama followers could also be fast accountable Dr. Pepper’s Fansville advert marketing campaign. Final yr was the primary time it included an energetic participant as Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei signed an NIL deal. Clearly it did not go so properly, which has to make one marvel if Younger stumbles if a brand new advert marketing campaign could also be “Simply What The Dr. Ordered.”

2) The subsequent stage in NIL?

The Los Angeles Instances reported that soccer powerhouse St. John Bosco introduced that the whole workforce can take part in an NIL cope with KONGIQ Sports activities Efficiency, and is believed to be the primary highschool team-wide settlement in historical past.

Dan Wolken of USA Right this moment instructed it might “open the floodgates to one thing a lot greater,” and he is most likely appropriate. 

Here is the query right here: What occurs when sponsors become involved and begin making an attempt to steer prospects to varsity soccer packages they do enterprise with> 

3) Nonetheless making up the deficit

Minnesota’s director of athletics Mark Coyle reminded everybody of one thing relating to the Large Ten media rights settlement:  

“Through the pandemic, we completed with a mortgage of about $21.5 million that we nonetheless must pay again. I believe individuals have forgotten about that. That is why this media deal is an enormous a part of our program as we transfer ahead. … Clearly, we knew this new media deal could be coming and that it was going to have an effect on our program. However there are issues now we have to handle in-house as we take a look at that media deal and the way it will assist us compete in the perfect convention within the America.” 

In the meantime, the pandemic continues to be ongoing. Even at Alabama, the variety of covid instances has sharply been on the rise since college students returned returned to campus.  

4) Missouri with the blues

Missouri athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois stated that the division was understaffed by about 30 % when she arrived in Columbia in 2021, and morale was low. 

“Change may be difficult to a workforce that was already doing two jobs per particular person,” she advised the St. Louis Put up-Dispatch. “After which abruptly, you’ve got change in management. That’s difficult. You could have a pandemic. That’s difficult. So I wished to verify I listened. However now we have clear-cut expectations. We gave of us alternatives, however ultimately, now we have to do what’s proper for Mizzou. And now we have to construct a high-performing tradition.” 

She famous that as of final week, Mizzou was 84 % totally staffed to its pre-pandemic numbers. 

5) Mo’ cash 

Bear in mind the current $450 million enlargement of Kyle Subject, which bumped capability as much as 102,500?

Texas A&M is at it once more, and introduced 23 new south facet suites on the stadium, which include their very own stage within the south finish zone, non-public entry up and down the elevators, and an operable glass wall to open up the suite in direction of the sphere.

The suites might be prepared in time for the primary sport of the 2023 season. 

Rule modifications

A fast reminder on among the modifications made for the 2022 season:

Focusing on Carryover Attraction: In video games which have on the spot replay, when a focusing on foul happens within the second half, the carryover penalty (of sitting out the primary half of that participant’s subsequent sport) might be eligible for additional enchantment. 

Misleading Harm Timeout: Faculties and conferences will be capable to report questionable eventualities to the nationwide coordinator of officers, who will overview and supply suggestions. Nonetheless, any penalties levied could be as much as the convention workplace or faculty concerned.

Blocking Under the Waist: It many solely be achieved by linemen and stationary backs contained in the deal with field. 

Sliding: If a ball service simulates a feet-first slide, the runner is to be declared down at that spot.

Defensive holding: It will nonetheless be a 10-yard penalty, however with  an computerized first down.

Did you Discover?

• Tennessee athletic director Danny White congratulated Allen Greene on getting out of Auburn. “Congratulations @AGreeneIV for getting the heck out of a loopy scenario for greener pastures! I like the way you managed that chaos with class & integrity,” White wrote on Twitter. “Look ahead to seeing your subsequent chapter!” Greene was employed by Auburn from Buffalo in Jan. 2018. 

• SI’s Preseason Faculty Soccer All-Individuals

• Saturday’s Week 0 matchups included one which was of particular curiosity to us, former SI/FanNation analyst Jim Mora Jr. making his debut with UConn, in opposition to Utah State. The Huskies had a 14-point lead after the primary quarter, however beginning quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson  went down with a knee damage and so they finally took a 31-20 loss.

We are saying congratulations to Mora anyway, for efficiently getting again to his past love in soccer, teaching, and to Utah State we’ll see you subsequent week at Bryant-Denny Stadium.  

• Lastly, it solely appears acceptable to acknowledge the passing of Corridor of Fame quarterback Len Dawson this week. Years in the past, once I was simply beginning out as a sports activities journalist I had the prospect to satisfy and interview Len about his combat with prostate most cancers. He was probably the most personable and pleasant sports activities personalities that I ever met, and might be missed. 

Christopher Walsh’s notes column All Issues CW seems each week on BamaCentral.