AUTaxMan 0 Posted October 3, 2004 Share Posted October 3, 2004 http://www.al.com/sports/mobileregister/rk...79526770530.xml BAMA-UK: TOO BAD IT'S NOT HOOPS Sunday, October 03, 2004 TUSCALOOSA -- This weekend was billed as a made-for-TV quadruple-header of the Southeastern Conference's Elite Eight. The only problem with that plan, as we all know now, is that the league has only a Sensational Seven. Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Kentucky had already proven they don't deserve to be mentioned with the best teams in the SEC. Now, add Alabama to that list. In fact, next week's game at Kentucky will not only be a battle to see who deserves to be mentioned among the top two-thirds of the conference, it will be the first time the Tide has ever taken part in a game between two basketball schools. Alabama certainly is not a football power at this point. Forget being among the best teams in the SEC, the Tide should first worry about being among the best in the state. Based on this season's performances, Bama is no better than the fourth-best team in the state. Auburn's best two wins are over LSU and Tennessee. UAB has beaten Memphis and Cincinnati. Troy State has beaten Marshall and Missouri. And Alabama has beaten Ole Miss and Utah State (a team Troy State has also beaten, but it doesn't qualify as one of the Trojans' top wins). While the SEC's best football team was not determined Saturday -- that will have to wait until Georgia visits Auburn in six weeks or for the two teams' rematch in the SEC Championship Game -- several pretenders were exposed. LSU won't be repeating as anything this season -- not national champions, SEC champions or even SEC West champions. In fact, if not for a gift against Oregon State in the opener, the Tigers might be talking today about ways to salvage a winning season. With two freshmen quarterbacks, Tennessee's attack proved to be more "Rocky" than that annoying sideline hound. Arkansas looked good against Alabama, but now we realize that had more to do with Alabama than the Razorbacks. And then there is Alabama. It's hard to imagine a quarterback playing worse than Marc Guillon did Saturday night against South Carolina. Unless you saw Spencer Pennington replace him. Large numbers of Alabama fans began leaving Bryant-Denny Stadium with more than seven minutes remaining and the Tide trailing by only 17. But the way Guillon and Pennington had played all night, the lead might just as well have been 117 points. In two games since Brodie Croyle was injured, Alabama has scored 13 points. Saturday night, the Tide didn't convert a third down. According to this week's AP poll, South Carolina is the sixth-best team on Alabama's schedule. That means the Tide is going to have to win all the games it is supposed to win -- and that number has now dwindled to two (Kentucky and Mississippi State) -- then beat one of those teams ranked ahead of South Carolina just to reach six wins and become eligible for a bowl. But going bowling is not the concern today. Finding a way to avoid a repeat of 2003's embarrassing season is. (Randy Kennedy's column appears Sundays in the Mobile Register. Contact him at rkennedy@mobileregister.com or 251-219-5689.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AU4Ever 0 Posted October 3, 2004 Share Posted October 3, 2004 My only thought is it couldn't happen to a nicer team. I'm not even sure they are the 4th best team. Gotta remember that team up in Jacksonville, AKA Jacksonville State. They are 5 and 0. Correction: 4-0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuNuma1 1 Posted October 3, 2004 Share Posted October 3, 2004 It's not a surprise that uat is doing so poorly on the football field. When you get hit with two years probation and loss of scholly's, you pay for it...simple as that. Everyone not drinking the kool-aid knew this was going to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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