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Will Alabama football get in playoff? Making my final 12-team CFP predictions | Toppmeyer

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Will Alabama football get in playoff? Making my final 12-team CFP predictions | Toppmeyer


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  • Georgia and Ohio State built the nation’s best teams. Of course they’ll make the playoff.
  • How many qualifiers from the SEC? Five. That includes Alabama in Kalen DeBoer’s first season.
  • Michigan won’t make playoff, but Penn State will.

Anything seems possible in January.

You’re going to lose that extra 10 pounds that stubbornly clings to you like Louisiana humidity.

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You’re going to learn a new language.

You’re going to spend less time on your phone and more time reading.

You’re going to make smarter financial decisions.

Come June, you’ve added five more pounds to your 10-pound cushion thanks to the 12-pack and three hot dogs you crushed celebrating Memorial Day.

Come July, the only Spanish phrases you know to say on your Cancún vacation are “Buenos dias” and “Cerveza, por favor.”

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Come August, David McCullough’s 1,120-page “Truman” collects dust on your shelf, but you’ve attained a new high score on Candy Crush.

By September, you own zero shares of Coca-Cola but purchased two Bug-A-Salt guns off Amazon, and you can take out a house fly with a blast of salt from 10 yards away.

I made initial College Football Playoff projections in January, when anything seemed possible (like Missouri to the playoff). But January is the time for fantasy. August’s sobering light brings realism.

Here is my final playoff projection of the preseason.

Georgia (automatic bid, SEC): The Carson Beck-Trevor Etienne combination ranks as the SEC’s best quarterback-running back duo. The offensive line will be solid, and the defense robust. This isn’t Kirby Smart’s deepest squad, but it’s still the nation’s best collection of talent this side of Columbus, Ohio.

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Ohio State (automatic bid, Big Ten): If the Buckeyes had Georgia’s Beck, they’d be my front-runner to win the national championship. They’re loaded. They have not one, but two, All-America-caliber running backs. Alabama transfer safety Caleb Downs cements the defense. Ohio State should cruise through the Big Ten.

Miami (automatic bid, ACC): Mario Cristobal assembled a talented squad. Quarterback Cam Ward (Washington State) and running back Damien Martinez (Oregon State) defected from the Pac-2. Transfers should improve the defensive front, too. The Hurricanes will host Florida State in their toughest ACC game.

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3 underrated teams in preseason US LBM Coaches Poll

Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network offers three underrated teams in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll.

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Oklahoma State (automatic bid, Big 12): How far can the nation’s best running back take the Cowboys? To the playoff, anyway. Ollie Gordon II spearheads an experienced roster. They were the Big 12’s second-best team last season, behind Texas. And Texas isn’t a problem anymore.

Memphis (automatic bid, Group of Five): I can think of Power Four schools that would be blessed to have Seth Henigan as their starting quarterback. Upperclassmen stock Memphis’ lineup, and the schedule doesn’t present many potholes other than a Week 3 game against Florida State.

Texas (at-large): The Longhorns are built for the SEC and made sure of it by reloading their wide receiving corps, including Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond. Their offensive line will make SEC peers blush. I’ve got a few questions about the interior of Texas’ defense, but not enough questions to think it won’t be one of the SEC’s top five teams.

TOPPMEYER: Kirby Smart’s crocodile tears don’t fool me, but does Georgia coach have a point?

SEC FOOTBALL: Hugh Freeze, stop worrying about Nick Saban ahead of pivotal season for Auburn

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Oregon (at-large): All that Nike money looks good on Oregon. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel will keep the offense humming. He headlined a dynamite transfer class. Ohio State assembled the Big Ten’s best roster, but Oregon is closer to No. 1 than to No. 3 in that conference.

Alabama (at-large): Working with Kalen DeBoer will be a boon for Jalen Milroe. Already one of the nation’s most exciting quarterbacks, Milroe can become one of the nation’s most complete quarterbacks. Alabama’s offense will be fine. How its secondary develops will determine its national championship quest.

Ole Miss (at-large): The Rebels won 11 games last season, and this roster is superior. In fact, this is Lane Kiffin’s best squad ever. And the schedule ranks among the SEC’s most favorable. He retained his “Portal King” moniker by using transfers to elevate what had been an average defense.

Penn State (at-large): Speaking of favorable schedules, the Big Ten gifted Penn State a docket devoid of Oregon and Michigan. James Franklin fizzles in the big games, but he’s dependable in the ones he should win, and the Nittany Lions should be favored in nearly every game. As usual, their backfield and defense will be sufficiently stocked.

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3 overrated teams in preseason US LBM Coaches Poll

Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network offers three overrated teams in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll.

LSU (at-large): The only way for LSU’s defense to go is up after last season’s disaster. New defensive coordinator Blake Baker previously engineered defensive improvement at Missouri. The offense remains in good hands with quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. He’s plenty talented and showed it in a bowl victory against Wisconsin.

Utah (at-large): Veteran quarterback Cameron Rising’s return should boost an offense that misfired when he missed the season with a knee injury. Utah won the 2022 Pac-12 Championship behind Rising. As usual, Utah’s defense is in good shape. In a Big 12 marked by parity, Oklahoma State and Utah are a bit better than the rest.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s SEC Columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

Subscribe to read all of his columns. Also, check out his podcast, SEC Football Unfilteredand newsletter, SEC Unfiltered.

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Alabama football fans invited to pep rally at River Market

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Alabama football fans invited to pep rally at River Market


Alabama football fans are invited to a preseason pep rally Aug. 4 at the Tuscaloosa River Market.  

The pep rally is part of the annual fall kickoff event hosted by the Tuscaloosa County chapter of the University of Alabama National Alumni Association. 

The family friendly event will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the River Market, 1900 Jack Warner Parkway. Tickets, which include a barbecue dinner, cost $30 for adults and $15 for children ages 8 to 12. Children 7 years old and younger will be admitted for free.   

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The pep rally will feature live entertainment, a silent auction and a range of family-friendly activities. There will also be a cash bar with wine and beer. 

Tickets can be purchased on the chapter’s website, tuscaloosacountyuaalumni.com. Membership in the local alumni chapter is not required for attendance. 

University of Alabama President Peter Mohler and UA baseball coach Rob Vaughn will be part of the festivities. 

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Mohler began his duties as UA president on July 21, 2025.

Before being named UA president, Mohler spent nearly 15 years at Ohio State University, where he held senior leadership roles overseeing research, innovation and economic development. He also served as OSU’s acting president, providing leadership during a pivotal period for one of the nation’s largest public universities. 

Mohler earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Wake Forest University and a PhD in cell and molecular physiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Duke University Medical Center before joining the faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 

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Vaughn has been UA’s head baseball coach for three years, leading the Crimson Tide to the College Baseball World Series in 2026. 

The Humble, Texas, native served as head baseball coach at Maryland for five seasons before coming to Tuscaloosa.

Vaughn played collegiate baseball at Kansas State, where his position was catcher. 

Alabama begins the 2026 football season on Sept. 5 with a home game against the East Carolina Pirates. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. at Bryant-Denny Stadium. 

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Other Alabama home games include Florida State on Sept. 19, South Carolina on Sept. 26, Georgia on Oct. 10, Texas A&M on Oct. 24, Chattanooga on Nov. 21 and Auburn on Nov. 28.

Reach Ken Roberts at ken.roberts@tuscaloosanews.com.  To support his work, please subscribe to The Tuscaloosa News. 



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Alabama teen charged with stabbing mom to death issued vile threat to dad — as new pic shows bloodbath left behind

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Alabama teen charged with stabbing mom to death issued vile threat to dad — as new pic shows bloodbath left behind


The Alabama teen charged in a heinous knife attack on his parents in their sleepy private community hissed that he was “gonna kill” his dad as he allegedly stabbed him — as new photos show the blood-soaked front porch where his butchered mom died.

The grisly scene unfolded on home surveillance footage Sunday night along Augustine Drive in the handsome Belforest complex — which captured the 17-year-old threatening his father, while allegedly knifing him.

“You can hear both of them coming out of the house, and there’s like one scream from the mom,” neighbor Shawn Scurry, 51, told The Post Wednesday.

“Then the dad is arguing with the [son] — and when I say arguing, I mean like, ‘Why are you doing this?’

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“He’s basically saying, ‘I don’t want to die. Please stop. No.’ And then he’s repeating, ‘Somebody help me, please, help me’ very loudly,” Scurry said of the clip. 

Samantha Baker (left) was allegedly stabbed to death by her 17-year-old son — as her husband, Lance Baker (right), begged the boy to stop the sickening attack. Facebook/Lance Samantha Baker

At one point, the audio captures the son “telling [the dad] he was gonna kill him.”

“Those words are in the video,” she said. 

Meanwhile, a large pool of blood stained the front entrance of a neighbor’s home where cops say 37-year-old Samantha Baker was butchered around 9 p.m. Sunday.

Another haunting image exclusively obtained by The Post shows blood splattered and smeared across a glass window overlooking the spot where Samantha was found dead.

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The bloodbath began after Samantha and her 46-year-old husband Lance Baker got into a heated argument with their 17-year-old son over a disciplinary issue inside their family home, Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office Captain Justin Correa told The Post Wednesday. 

That’s when the boy — whose name is being withheld by police — turned a kitchen knife on his parents, allegedly stabbing them both “multiple times,” according to Correa. 

A large pool of blood stained the front entrance of the Belforest community home in Baldwin County, where cops say Samantha Baker was found dead from multiple stab wounds Sunday night. Obtained by NY Post
Another haunting video clip exclusively obtained by The Post shows blood splattered and smeared across a glass window overlooking the spot where Samantha was found dead. Obtained by NY Post

The parents fled outside in a desperate bid to escape — but the attack continued.  

Lance’s spine-chilling screams could be heard as he ran door to door down the block, leaving bloodied handprints on neighbors’ front doors while seeking help — with his son right on his tail, according to the traumatized neighbor. 

“It was like fighting off a bee that keeps stinging you,” Scurry said, and claimed that another neighbor’s surveillance camera captured the teen repeatedly stabbing his father outside another nearby home. 

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Correa confirmed that doorbell camera footage of the assault had been handed over to police, and said at least “a few” of the neighbors were not home when Lance was looking for help. 

Lance only “went to doors where people were on vacation — that’s why they didn’t answer, and that’s why he was becoming helpless,” Scurry claimed.  

Scurry, who was home at the time, only became slightly aware of the horror unfolding when she spotted the Bakers’ dog wandering around her front door. 

“I walked with the dog back to their house, rang their doorbell. Nobody answered, and I went around to the garage,” she recalled. 

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That’s when she heard cries in the distance. 

“I heard … ‘Help me.’ I couldn’t find where it was coming from,” Scurry said, adding that she went back into her home after that. 

The bloodbath began after Samantha and Lance got into a heated argument with the knife-wielding son over a disciplinary issue, according to authorities. Facebook/Lance Samantha Baker

The teen eventually retreated to his family’s home and called 911, said authorities, who described the attack as an isolated domestic matter. 

Cops arrested him at the home without incident, according to Correa, who pushed back on reports that the alleged killer barricaded himself inside the house.

As emergency crews flooded their typically quiet street, Scurry said she stepped outside again and saw Samantha’s body before the coroner arrived. 

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“I saw her face down with stab wounds all over her back,” the shaken neighbor said. 

Samantha, a realtor, was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Lance, a US Army Reserve Battalion Commander with the 1184th Deployment and Distribution Support Battalion in Mobile, was flown to a local hospital in critical condition, according to cops. 

Nest camera footage from a neighboring home allegedly captured chilling audio of Samantha’s final moments — along with Lance’s frantic pleas for the teen to drop the knife.  Obtained by NY Post

As of Wednesday, the father of two was still in the hospital, where his condition had become stable, Correa said. 

The teen, who will be tried as an adult, is facing charges of murder and attempted murder. He is being held in jail on a $1 million bond after his arraignment on Monday.

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The family’s younger teen son was not at the home at the time of the attack, police said.

“A very sad event for sure,” Correa said.



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Mac Jones asked who was his craziest teammate at Alabama

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Mac Jones asked who was his craziest teammate at Alabama





Jan 8, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Tony Brown (2) against the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2018 CFP national championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Mac Jones joined “Bussin With The Boys” and was asked who his craziest teammate ever was, and he went back to his Alabama days to highlight Tony Brown.

Brown is a former Alabama cornerback.

“There’s this guy, Tony Brown,” Jones said. “I don’t know if you guys know him. Look him up on there. His name’s Crazy Tony, but he was a stud at Alabama. He played on that defense with like Daron Payne, like all those guys, Minka (Fitzpatrick), everybody. He played in the league for a little bit. He was the man, like scout team, me and him. Every day, like going at it, like pretty much fighting. He was just crazy, dude. I’d throw a dig route over the middle, and he would just crush our scout team receiver. Like, Mac Hereford… he would go over the middle and Crazy Tony would just crush him. Saban would just look the other way. I’m like, dude, he just got smoked. Like, what are we doing? It’s like same thing, fighting at practice and stuff. But he was a great teammate. He just had his thing on the field where it was like he just blacked out. It wasn’t because he was a bad guy or anything. That’s what he does. He goes and knocks people out.”

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Brown played for Alabama from 2014 to 2017, and he was a part of two National Championship teams. He finished his career at Alabama with 89 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and three interceptions before moving on to the NFL.







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