General

AL.com’s SEC Football Power Rankings for Week 11 of 2024 season: And then there were none

The SEC continues to cannibalize itself, and there are still four weeks left in the regular season.

South Carolina blistered Texas A&M on Saturday, meaning there are no longer any teams without at least one conference loss. In fact, there are now five with one SEC loss, and four more with two.

All of this is to say that we have no idea which two teams will be playing for the SEC championship in a month. The elimination of the East and West Divisions also means that we could get into some funky tiebreakers before we know which two teams are headed to Atlanta.

So how do the teams in the SEC stack up as we hit the season’s homestretch? Here’s the Week 11 edition of AL.com’s SEC football power rankings for 2024 (all times Central and all games Saturday):

16. Mississippi State (2-7, 0-5)

Last week’s ranking: 16

Last week’s game: Beat Massachusetts, 45-20

This week’s game: at Tennessee, 6 p.m., ESPN

Two months of misery finally ended on Saturday for the Bulldogs, who recorded their first victory since Aug. 31 by pulling away from UMass. Mississippi State doesn’t have much going for it this year, though it does have a keeper in freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren (assuming, you know, they can keep him). Jeff Lebby’s team gets a trip to Knoxville this week, following by an open date, then Missouri and Ole Miss. The Bulldogs will be double-digit underdogs in all three, so it seems unlikely they’ll pick up another win before the season ends.

15. Kentucky (3-6, 1-6)

Last week’s ranking: 15

Last week’s game: Lost to Tennessee, 28-18

This week’s game: Open date

The Wildcats gave Tennessee a game for a half, actually leading 10-7 at the break. The Volunteers won the war of attrition over the final two quarters, knocking Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff and star receiver Barion Brown from the game with injuries. Mark Stoops’ team has now lost four consecutive games, and must win out vs. Murray State, Texas and Louisville to earn a ninth straight bowl bid. They’ll need to get healthy during the bye week if there’s any hope of that happening.

14. Auburn (3-6, 1-5)

Last week’s ranking: 13

Last week’s game: Lost to Vanderbilt, 17-7

This week’s game: Open date

The Tigers made their triumphant return from a win at Kentucky the previous week and fell flat against the scrappy Commodores, who won for the first time ever at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Hugh Freeze’s offensive game plan continues to be puzzling, as Jarquez Hunter had only limited touches in the second half vs. Vandy after running the Wildcats off the field. Auburn limps into its open date knowing it will need to win out vs. Louisiana-Monroe, Texas A&M and Alabama to avoid a fourth straight losing season. The comparisons of Freeze to Bryan Harsin — fair or not — won’t cease until the Tigers start winning again.

13. Oklahoma (5-4, 1-4)

Last week’s ranking: 14

Last week’s game: Beat Maine, 59-14

This week’s game: at Missouri, 6:45 p.m., SEC Network

The Sooners needed a get-well game in the worst way, and got it by dominating an FCS opponent after falling behind 7-0. Quarterback Jackson Arnold is playing with confidence again, and Oklahoma’s other skill position players are slowly beginning to get healthy. Things get tough again this weekend with a trip to Missouri, which is probably the Sooners’ best shot at a win (and bowl-eligibility) in the final three games. After an open date Nov. 16, OU finishes up with Alabama and LSU.

12. Arkansas (5-4, 3-3)

Last week’s ranking: 10

Last week’s game: Lost to Ole Miss, 63-31

This week’s game: Open date

A week after being the hammer in a 58-25 rout of Mississippi State, the Razorbacks were the nail when they faced the Rebels. Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart riddled them for 515 yards and six touchdowns, five of them to Jordan Watkins. Arkansas moved the ball well on offense, but simply could not stop the Rebels’ passing attack in what wound up being a bleak day in Fayetteville. There’s still a game with Louisiana Tech left on the schedule, so the Hogs should wind up bowl-eligible. However, Sam Pittman doesn’t seem to be inspiring the confidence he was just a week or two ago.

11. Florida (4-4, 2-3)

Last week’s ranking: 11

Last week’s game: Lost to Georgia, 34-20

This week’s game: at Texas, 11 a.m., ABC

The Gators gave the Bulldogs all they wanted in Jacksonville on Saturday, and might have come closer to springing the upset had freshman quarterback DJ Lagway not suffered what could be a season-ending hamstring injury in the second quarter. Ironically, the injury to Lagway might end up saving Billy Napier’s job. The Gators’ November schedule is tough enough without having to rely on third-string quarterback Aiden Warren down the stretch. Florida faces Texas, LSU and Ole Miss the next three weeks, and will have to beat at least one to have a shot at bowl-eligibility heading into the regular-season finale at Florida State.

10. South Carolina (5-3, 3-3)

Last week’s ranking: 12

Last week’s game: Beat Texas A&M, 44-21

This week’s game: at Vanderbilt, 3:15 p.m., SEC Network

The Gamecocks finally put it all together against a quality team, pounding the Aggies behind quarterback LaNorris Sellers and a powerful running game. In what was an electric atmosphere in Columbia, South Carolina finished the job in a way it was not able to do against LSU and Alabama earlier in the year. Shane Beamer’s team would probably contend for the championship in the ACC or Big 12, but is just another program in the super-competitive SEC. With Wofford still on the schedule, bowl-eligibility appears to be inevitable, but the game at Vanderbilt this week is another chance to make a statement.

9. Missouri (6-2, 2-2)

Last week’s ranking: 9

Last week’s game: Open date

This week’s game: vs. Oklahoma, 6:45 p.m., SEC Network

The Tigers were extremely banged up heading into their open date, but are likely to be favored in three of their final four games — if not all four. Winning out would give Missouri an outside shot at a playoff berth, though they’d need some help from others in the conference (and perhaps around the country) to get there. There’s no one left on the schedule — Oklahoma, South Carolina, Mississippi State and Arkansas — that is going to give Eli Drinkwitz’s team much of a boost in the eyes of CFP committee members.

8. Vanderbilt (6-3, 3-2)

Last week’s ranking: 8

Last week’s game: Beat Auburn, 17-7

This week’s game: vs. South Carolina, 3:15 p.m., SEC Network

The good times continue for Diego Pavia and the Commodores, who have now beaten Alabama and Auburn in the same season for the first time since 1955. The win over the Tigers at Jordan-Hare was less of a thrill ride than the shocker over the Crimson Tide in Nashville back on Oct. 5, but no less satisfying in the end. Clark Lea’s team is bowl-eligible and back in the Top 25, and looks to continue the fun when it hosts hot-and-cold South Carolina on Saturday. LSU and Tennessee after the bye week is a tough way to end the season, but the Commodores are playing with house money at this point.

7. Ole Miss (7-2, 3-2)

Last week’s ranking: 7

Last week’s game: Beat Arkansas, 63-31

This week’s game: vs. Georgia, 2:30 p.m., ABC

The Rebels’ offense we had been waiting on for weeks finally showed up in Fayetteville on Saturday. Ole Miss piled up 694 yards and 63 points behind Jaxson Dart — who set a program record for passing yards (515) — and Jordan Watkins — who tied the SEC mark for touchdown catches (5). The Rebels were also salty on defense, forcing turnovers and harassing the Arkansas quarterbacks all day. But all those yards and points will be meaningless if Lane Kiffin’s team doesn’t at least put forth a representative effort against Georgia this week. A win of course would vault Ole Miss back into the playoff and SEC championship conversations. A loss would render this just another good-but-not-great season.

6. LSU (6-2, 3-1)

Last week’s ranking: 6

Last week’s game: Open date

This week’s game: vs. Alabama, 6:30 p.m., ABC

The Tigers come out of their open date and straight into a College Football Playoff elimination game vs. Alabama, adding some spice to a rivalry that has had high stakes most years in the last decade-and-a-half. Even before Nick Saban arrived at Alabama, LSU appeared to have a psychological barrier vs. the Crimson Tide in Baton Rouge. The Crimson Tide has lost only five times at Tiger Stadium in the last half-century. One of those was of course two years ago, and Brian Kelly will certainly pull out all the stops trying to put together another winning game plan. Should LSU win this one, the Tigers would be in excellent position for at least a spot in the SEC championship game.

5. Alabama (6-2, 3-2)

Last week’s ranking: 5

Last week’s game: Open date

This week’s game: at LSU, 6:30 p.m., ABC

Saban’s retirement and Alabama’s midseason struggles have removed a tiny bit of luster from the annual game with LSU, but the stakes are still extremely high for the Crimson Tide. Another loss would eliminate any hopes of a playoff berth, something even the most pessimistic Alabama fan thought was inevitable even with the coaching change. Kalen DeBoer’s team played continues to be wildly inconsistent and has not handled road adversity well, so it’s anyone’s guess what we’ll see from the Crimson Tide in Baton Rouge. The defense appears to have improved of late, but a return to form by quarterback Jalen Milroe would be a huge boost.

4. Texas A&M (7-2, 5-1)

Last week’s ranking: 2

Last week’s game: Lost to South Carolina, 44-20

This week’s game: Open date

The Aggies were in the SEC driver’s seat before they ran into a ditch in Columbia, not only getting shredded by South Carolina’s offense, but failing time and time again in big situations. Texas A&M came up twice on fourth-and-1 and also turned the ball over twice at inopportune moments, failing altogether to score in the second half. Still, Mike Elko’s team is in the thick of the conference and playoff race, just not in control of it. Following the open date, the Aggies get New Mexico State and Auburn before a showdown with Texas in College Station on Nov. 30.

3. Tennessee (7-1, 4-1)

Last week’s ranking: 4

Last week’s game: Beat Kentucky, 28-18

This week’s game: vs. Mississippi State, 6 p.m., ESPN

The Volunteers rode Dylan Sampson and a strong defense once again in their comeback win over the Wildcats, in which they trailed 10-7 at halftime. Tennessee did manage to score in the first half this time, which is definitely progress. Still, Josh Heupel’s team has positioned itself well for a College Football Playoff spot heading into the final four weeks. The Nov. 16 game at Georgia will be massive, as should the regular-season finale at Vanderbilt. The Vols can wind up in the playoff with a split; they’ll play for the SEC title and a top 4 seed if they sweep.

2. Texas (7-1, 3-1)

Last week’s ranking: 3

Last week’s game: Open date

This week’s game: vs. Florida, 11 a.m., ABC

After stubbing its toe vs. Georgia and surviving vs. Vanderbilt, the Longhorns can gear it down a little bit against a trio of flawed teams the next three weeks. Quinn Ewers got a chance to rest during the bye week and should be back to form after looking not quite right last time out. Florida, Arkansas and Kentucky are all banged up at quarterback, and Texas should be able to keep all three from mounting much of a threat offensively. Assuming the Longhorns take care of business before then, the Nov. 30 game at Texas A&M will likely be for a spot in the SEC championship game. A trip to Atlanta in its first year in the conference would be quite an accomplishment for Steve Sarkisian’s team.

1. Georgia (7-1, 5-1)

Last week’s ranking: 1

Last week’s game: Beat Florida, 34-20

This week’s game: at Ole Miss, 2:30 p.m., ABC

The Bulldogs do what they often have done in the last few years, and play just well enough to win. The good news is that Georgia outscored Florida 28-7 in the second half and has now won four straight in the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” for the first time since the Herschel Walker glory days of the early 1980s. The bad news is they didn’t look great in doing it. Quarterback Carson Beck has thrown three interceptions in back-to-back games, and more than one in four of his last five. Such sloppiness is likely to catch up with Georgia against someone other than Alabama at some point. The way Ole Miss can score, the Bulldogs might not be able to climb out of a hole this week. Still, Georgia has more talent than anyone it will face, and controls its destiny for the SEC championship game and College Football Playoff.

Creg Stephenson has worked for AL.com since 2010 and covered college football for a variety of publications since 1994. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @CregStephenson.

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General

How to vote in Alabama: How do I find my polling place?

Nov. 4 is Election Day with voters deciding on the next U.S. President.

Polls in Alabama will open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. You can go to the Secretary of State’s website to find your voting information.

Go here and put in your first and last name and date of birth. Hit “enter” and you will be directed to the name and number of your polling location, its address and a map. The same page includes a drop-down menu that shows your districts for any city, county, state and national races.

Alabama requires voters to show ID at the polling place. Acceptable ID includes:

• Valid Alabama Driver’s License – Must be current or not expired for more than 60 days
• Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Digital Driver’s License
• Valid Alabama Nondriver ID – Must be current or not expired for more than 60 days
• Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Digital Nondriver ID
• Valid Alabama Photo Voter ID Card
• Valid State-Issued ID (Alabama or any other state)

Examples

• Valid AL Department of Corrections Release – Temporary ID (Photo Required)
• Valid AL Movement/Booking Sheet from Prison/Jail System (Photo Required)
• Valid Pistol Permit (Photo Required)
• Valid Federal-Issued ID
• Valid US passport
• Valid Employee ID from Federal Government, State of Alabama, County, Municipality, Board, or other entity of this state
• Valid student or employee ID from a public or private college or university in the State of Alabama (including postgraduate technical or professional schools)
• Digital student ID from a public or private college or university in the State of Alabama (including postgraduate technical or professional schools)
• Valid student or employee ID issued by a state institution of higher learning in any other state
• Digital student ID issued by a state institution of higher learning in any other state
• Valid Military ID
• Valid Tribal ID

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General

Immigration brings complex changes to Alabama towns, schools, data shows

Immigration debates are not new to Alabama, but the issue has played a large role in both national and state elections, now one day away.

Local officials in a handful of Alabama towns have confronted what they called “baseless accusations and hurtful rhetoric” about Haitian migrants and other new arrivals in recent months. A key question: How is immigration changing Alabama schools?

AL.com took a look at migration and school enrollment trends across the state, over periods of 10 to 25 years up to 2023, the most recent year of available data. What we found shows a complex picture of immigration in Alabama. Scroll down to see local data and trends.

Figures continue to ask questions about both national and state immigration. In September, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall met with law enforcement in Talladega County, following unfounded claims from former President Donald Trump’s campaign about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, eating their neighbors’ pets. In October, Gov. Kay Ivey and Lt. Gov Will Ainsworth publicly criticized the federal migrant asylum program, which allows people from certain countries to come to America for two years as long as they have a financial sponsor.

Caroleene Dobson, Republican candidate in the closely watched 2nd Congressional District, recently said she wants to push for legislation to require more information about migrant workers. She said undocumented immigrants are “flooding our public school classrooms, emergency rooms, and other public facilities.”

While the country has seen recent spikes in migrants crossing the southern United States border, recent research suggests that only a small share of Americans live in communities that are seeing significant shifts.

The same is true in Alabama, according to census data. In fact, many counties have seen declines in their foreign-born population – especially among school-aged-children – in the past decade.

Where communities have seen shifts, such as Albertville, it can take time to separate facts from rumors. Local officials told AL.com they had seen no increase in crime since a small group of Haitian immigrants arrived.

“These workers are coming in to pay for taxes, they‘re paying in for our system, and they’re making it possible for you and me to receive Social Security, to receive our retirement benefits,” Hector Baeza, the federal programs director at Gadsden City Schools, told AL.com.

Baeza, who started working at the small, north Alabama district in the mid-1990s, has seen the system‘s English learner population grow from just over 100 students to more than 700 this school year. Typically, about 20-30% of English learners are students who have recently arrived to the United States or who are children of migrant workers.

“They‘re coming in and they’re providing for their family, but they’re also providing for me,” he said. “It just takes all of us together to be able to be a productive country.”

Immigration in Alabama, by the numbers

Foreign-born immigrants make up about 4% of Alabama’s population, compared to 14.3% nationwide, according to 2023 American Community Survey data.

That’s up from 3.5% in 2022 – a big jump after nearly a decade of slow growth.

About 98,000, or 9.6%, of Alabama children under 18 have one or more parents who were foreign born, up from 2.1% in 1990. Just 1% of Alabama children, about 13,500, are also foreign born, according to the latest census surveys.

Experts say that more and more migrant workers from Mexico and Central America are likely coming to Alabama from states like Florida and Texas, possibly accounting for changes in the older population.

“What we are seeing is not so much births, but definitely migration,” said Rafael Gonzalez, a program director with the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama. “That’s what’s pushing it, and that’s mostly around that age between 16 to 54 which is primary working age.”

Gonzalez said that many migrants are driven by economic opportunities, particularly in industries like agriculture and construction.

Still, birth rates among Hispanic immigrants, who make up the majority of foreign-born residents in the state, skew higher than those of native-born residents, Gonzalez noted. That could mean schools may continue to see a climb in English learners.

And while it’s difficult to gauge more recent population shifts, he and other advocates are urging state officials to embrace future growth by bolstering language support and access to more high-skilled jobs.

“What happens with levels of educational attainment that are not so great for the jobs that are out there is that it tends to also drive down the median household income of an area,” he said.

“I think we’re in a good position to be able to anticipate those problems, because Alabama hasn’t grown like these other states, but it’s poised to grow.”

Where has immigration grown in Alabama? Where has it declined?

More Alabama immigrants also are becoming naturalized citizens. In 2022, 42% of all foreign-born Alabamians were naturalized, compared to 31% in 2012.

But Gonzalez and other researchers urge some caution when looking at annual census survey data, rather than 10-year household counts. Undocumented immigrants may feel especially wary about self-disclosing any personal information to the government.

“It tells the story of a population that tends to be a little bit in the shadows and likely not to want to kind of out themselves,” Gonzalez said. “Where that becomes kind of problematic is you can’t really articulate a clear picture of where that population is from year to year.”

Even with those caveats in mind, experts are sure of one key fact: much of the growth is concentrated in pockets across Alabama.

Franklin County in North Alabama has the state’s largest share of immigrants, who make up 8.7% of the population. It is followed by Marshall and DeKalb County, where immigrants make up about 7% of the population.

From 2012 to 2022, 27 counties have seen declines in their immigrant population, with Monroe, Henry and Coosa County seeing the steepest dips.

Greene, Pickens and Sumter County have seen some of the largest changes in the share of immigrants who now live in those areas, while Madison County has seen the biggest overall increase, with about 10,000 more foreign-born residents calling the county home.

Impact on school systems

“There’s a lot of rhetoric about recent immigrants and how they affect school systems,” said Umut Özek, a researcher with RAND who has looked at the effects of English learners in “new destination” states that have seen bigger populations of immigrants arrive in recent years.

“But much of those debates typically take place in empirical vacuums, because there’s no research to test those different hypotheses and anecdotes.”

Some studies have shown that new arrivals have helped revitalize neighborhoods, boost local economies and contribute to the academic and social development of their peers.

In Gadsden, immigrant students are drum majors, school ambassadors, and star athletes, Baeza said.

Nancy Blanco, an ESL and world languages coordinator at Birmingham City Schools, said she has seen many of her English learner students outperform their peers once they’ve grasped the English language.

In recent years, Birmingham schools have enrolled a growing proportion of immigrant students and refugees.

“It’s something that inevitably gets politicized, but at the end of the day we’re just trying to do our best for children who are our students,” she said. “And we have to remember that these are children who deserve and are legally entitled to every opportunity that their native English-speaking peers have.”

“We all want the best for our kids, she added. “And often, our immigrant families come with a really strong sense of family, faith, and are excited for the opportunities that they will have to work and contribute to the community, and are excited for the opportunities that their kids will have to learn and advance in their education.”

Officials estimate that nationwide, the amount of people coming into the U.S. is only slightly higher than those leaving the country.

“What we have seen in the past ten years or so is that the net immigration rate is practically zero,” said Oscar Jiménez-Castellanos, an endowed professor and executive director for the Center for Latino Achievement and Success in Education at the University of Georgia.

“There have been a lot of folks that actually have returned to their home countries,” he said. “So that’s something really interesting to take a look at – it debunks that myth of an ‘invasion.’”

About the data: The Alabama Education Lab took a look at citizenship and migration data, as well as English learner enrollment in schools to understand the scope of immigration trends in the state. Data for EL students was compiled from federal and state education statistics from the 1998-99 school year to 2022-23. We used 2009 to 2022 five-year estimates from the American Community Survey to analyze county-level immigration patterns and included new 2023 one-year estimates to look at broader state and national trends.

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General

Tropical storm headed for Gulf: Here’s the latest track

A tropical disturbance in the Caribbean Sea could become Tropical Storm Rafael later today.

The National Hurricane Center thinks the potential Rafael will strengthen to a hurricane in a few days, and it is on a path toward the Gulf of Mexico.

The storm could be in the central Gulf by the end of the work week, but forecasters expect it to weaken as it moves into more unfavorable conditions near the northern Gulf Coast.

What happens after that is very uncertain, according to the hurricane center and the National Weather Service.

As of 6 a.m. CST Monday, Potential Tropical Cyclone 18 was located about 220 miles south of Kingston, Jamaica, and was tracking to the north at 7 mph.

The storm had winds of 35 mph. It needs a defined surface circulation and winds of at east 39 mph to become Tropical Storm Rafael. That could happen as soon as today, according to the hurricane center.

The potential Rafael could strengthen quickly after that and become a hurricane by early Wednesday morning.

On the hurricane center’s forecast track, the storm is expected to move near Jamaica tonight, be near or over the Cayman Islands on Tuesday and approach Cuba on Wednesday.

Forecasters said hurricane conditions will be possible in the Cayman Islands by Tuesday afternoon

The storm could bring 3 to 6 inches of rain to parts of Jamaica and Cuba through the middle of the week.

More rain will spread to parts of Florida and eventually the Southeast U.S. later this week.

A hurricane warning is now in effect for the Cayman Islands, and a tropical storm warning continues for Jamaica.

POSSIBLE ALABAMA IMPACTS

The National Weather Service offices in Alabama continued to watch the evolution of the storm on Monday.

The weather service in Mobile said that there is an “unusually large amount of uncertainty with the movement of this system later in the week.”

Forecasters said it is too early to know with any certainty what coastal areas could face as far as storm surge, rain amounts and wind potential.

What is more certain is that the storm will generate rough surf and a high risk of rip currents along the Alabama and northwest Florida coastline this week.

The weather service in Birmingham also said that there was considerable uncertainty about how the Gulf storm could affect the rest of Alabama later this week.

Forecasters said “forecast confidence decreases significantly for Thursday through Sunday and rain chances will hinge on the potential for isentropic lift and progression of the system in the Gulf of Mexico.”

Best-case scenario is a weak system that doesn’t cause any damage but brings beneficial rainfall to Alabama, which is mired in various stages of drought.

Here is the latest report on Alabama’s drought conditions:

Those along the Gulf Coast and through Alabama are urged to keep a close eye on the forecast through the week.

ELSEWHERE IN THE TROPICS

The National Hurricane Center was also monitoring Tropical Storm Patty in the northeastern Atlantic on Monday. Patty transitioned from a subtropical storm to a fully tropical system on Sunday but is expected to lose all those features later today and become a post-tropical storm.

Patty could bring 3 to 6 inches of rain to parts of Portugal and Spain, however.

There will also be another tropical disturbance to watch near the Bahamas and Cuba this week.

The hurricane center said an area of low pressure could develop near the northern Leeward Islands in a few days. It has a low chance of development (20 percent) into a tropical depression as it heads westward this week.

The Atlantic hurricane season has a few weeks left to go. The last day will be Nov. 30.

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General

AL.com’s SEC football players of the week for Week 10

Here are AL.com’s SEC football players of the week for Week 10 of the 2024 season:

Offense

Jordan Watkins, WR, Ole Miss — Watkins tied an SEC record with five touchdown receptions in a 63-31 victory over Arkansas on Saturday. The senior from Louisville, Ky., caught eight passes for 254 yards, including touchdowns of 66, 63, 3, 11 and 62 yards.

Defense

TJ Dottery, LB, Ole Miss — Dottery had a direct influence Ole Miss’ first touchdown vs. Arkansas, sacking Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green in the end zone and forcing a fumble that teammate Princely Umanmielen recovered for a score. The sophomore from Montgomery finished the game with six tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and the forced fumble.

Special teams

Jesse Mirco, P, Vanderbilt — Mirco had one of the great days by a punter in SEC history in a 17-7 victory over Auburn on Saturday. The senior from Fremantle, Australia — an Ohio State transfer — punted eight times for a 52.9-yard average with a long of 64 and five kicks of 50-plus, including one downed at the 1-yard line and another at the 2.

Others of note …

Offense: Jovantae Barnes, RB, Oklahoma; Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss; Raheim Sanders, RB, South Carolina; LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina

Defense: Chaz Chambliss, LB, Georgia; Jamon Dumas-Johnson, LB, Kentucky; Joshua Josephs, EDGE, Tennessee; Princely Umanmielen, DE, Ole Miss

Special teams: Randy Bond, K, Texas A&M; Jeremy Crawshaw, P, Florida; Alex Herrera, K, South Carolina; Peyton Woodring, K, Georgia

Previous winners

Week 1

Offense: Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt

Defense: Kyle Kennard, DE, South Carolina

Special teams: Peyton Woodring, K, Georgia

Week 2

Offense: Henry Parrish, RB, Ole Miss

Defense: Tim Keenan, DL, Alabama

Special teams: Kai Kroeger, P, South Carolina

Week 3 Offense: Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama

Defense: Bradyn Swinson, DE, LSU

Special teams: Blake Craig, K, Missouri

Week 4

Offense: Graham Mertz, QB, Florida

Defense: TJ Metcalf, DB, Arkansas

Special teams: Kai Kroeger, P, South Carolina

Week 5

Offense: Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama

Defense: Nic Scourton, EDGE, Texas A&M

Special teams: Luke Elzinga, P, Oklahoma

Week 6

Offense: Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt

Defense: Walter Nolen, DL, Ole Miss

Special teams: Devin Bale, P, Arkansas

Week 7 Offense: Dylan Sampson, RB, Tennessee

Defense: Whit Weeks, LB, LSU

Special teams: Caden Davis, K, Ole Miss

Week 8

Offense: Jadan Baugh, RB, Florida

Defense: Nick Emmanwori, DB, South Carolina

Special teams: Damion Ramos, K, LSU

Week 9

Offense: Jarquez Hunter, RB, Auburn

Defense: Suntarine Perkins, LB, Ole Miss

Special teams: Tyler White, P, Texas A&M

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General

Goodman: Should Auburn fire Hugh Freeze?

This is an opinion column.

_____________________

We roll into Week 11 of the college football season with Vanderbilt holding bragging rights on the entire state of Alabama. The post-Halloween Monday mailbag is out for blood.

Jim in Scottsboro writes …

Body slam body slam and body slam will get us there eventually, said Diego Pavia. I thought that is what Jarquez Hunter was for? It makes you question coach Hugh Freeze’s situational awareness in a game.

GOODMAN: The SEC has a new folk hero

Jarquez only gets 10 or so carries in a game? It’s like Payton Thorne is free to do what he wants without any restraints from Freeze. And that is never good. This team has no discipline as it continues to make penalties that ends drives or puts the game out of reach. There is no improvement. That has to be on Coach Freeze.

The worst scenario is coming to fruition. It’s very unlikely that they beat Texas A&M or Bama.

You are correct that Freeze might get another year, but can you imagine any coach being on a hotter seat than Freeze next year? The type of hot seat that could get you fired mid-season.

Perhaps it’s time to consider DJ Durkin as a viable option for head coach? He seems to be young and savvy and could keep the recruits on board. If Freeze flames out I would have that under wraps. Do you think Durkin is ready?

One parting thought I wonder what Tommy Tuberville thought when Diego held up his three fingers? A touch of irony.

Warren from North Alabama writes …

If there is a coach who can replace Freeze this week that can do better, then please name him. Otherwise AU is gonna just have to stick it out for a change. Continuing to change coaches is a losing proposition. And even worse in the NIL era…

Jordan-Scare (HALLOWEEN TERM) used to be really scary to come play in Auburn. That’s no more!!! And it sucks being a lifelong Auburn fan. I’ve seen the good and the bad through my 50 years on this earth, but Auburn has brought the current situation upon ourselves.

Clay in Mountain Brook writes …

As an Auburn student in 1969, Vanderbilt made me a believer when they beat Alabama and Bear Bryant at night 14-10. We had won our game earlier in the day by beating Clemson 51-0 and felt pretty good as a result. Everyone in Auburn listened to the Alabama game on the radio and when the Auburn students heard the final score, they descended on Toomer’s Corner to celebrate and rub it in.

This was before rolling Toomer’s Corner had become a thing, but lots of white spray paint came out of the woodwork and the student body went wild painting 14-10 on the side of every building in downtown Auburn. Some of these cave paintings were still legible years later.

ANSWER: The worst thing Auburn could do at this point in its rebuild is fire the architect. Most Auburn fans understand the conundrum where Auburn now finds itself, but that doesn’t mean anyone can stomach an embarrassing season that includes a 17-7 loss at home to Vanderbilt.

In this new era of college football, Vanderbilt can be a serious contender in the SEC. Most fans will find that hard to believe, though.

I’m not about to make any excuses for Freeze — he’s 4-10 against SEC opponents since being hired — but the struggles of his team need to be framed in the proper context. Auburn is less than two seasons removed from the worst coach in the history of the SEC. At the same time, college football is in the middle of a revolution. Cash is king. Teams can no longer stockpile talent, and wealthy private schools like BYU and Vanderbilt are emerging as legitimate threats.

Vanderbilt physically manhandled Auburn and Alabama this season and nearly upset Texas. Is anyone going to be surprised when the Commodores upset South Carolina, LSU or Tennessee? BYU is in position to make the College Football Playoff. The reason for the transformations at Vandy and BYU is the combination of NIL money and the transfer portal.

If only Freeze had gone into the portal for Vandy quarterback Diego Pavia.

Freeze was too proud and so now he’s 0-3 all-time against the SEC new folk hero.

The SEC is starting to feel like a miniature version of the NFL, isn’t it? In Week 10, Vanderbilt destroyed Auburn at Jordan-Hare and South Carolina clobbered top-10 ranked Texas A&M. Talent is spread out across the league. Every week is highlighted by a new surprise. When was the last time the SEC was this balanced? The answer is never.

Auburn and Oklahoma are traditional powers of college football and they’re both near the bottom of the league standings going into Week 11. Oklahoma is 1-4 in the SEC. Auburn is 1-5. The Sooners are struggling because former coach Lincoln Riley saw the writing on the wall and left for Southern Cal. Riley didn’t want anything to do with the SEC. Current OU coach Brent Venables is on the hot seat and I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets fired before the end of the season.

Auburn’s situation is different. I still think Freeze can be a good coach. He’s recruiting some of the best offensive players in the country and Auburn’s young defense looked better against Vanderbilt than Alabama. Auburn is in better shape for next season than teams like Oklahoma and Florida.

Expect Florida to hire Lane Kiffin away from Ole Miss. Like it or not, Auburn is married to Freeze until his recruits begin defecting. A lot of people said Freeze was a good fit for Auburn, but I’ll keep dreaming about Coach Prime.

David writes …

The real loss of Birmingham-Southern was to the state as a whole. It was the only nationally ranked small private college in Alabama. Other names will emerge one day to fill that niche but not anytime soon. The means to save that college were available however the politics weren’t right. Money was not the real problem. Playing the blame game is useless.

GOODMAN: When rings represent the courage of the human heart

Insofar as the Panther BSC baseball team being bequeathed team rings, that is a splendid talisman to remember what they accomplished. To endure excellence in the face of a certain dreaded institution failure is the supreme example of human achievement.

ANSWER: I’ll never cover another story like the final few weeks of the Birmingham-Southern baseball team. I can’t wait for the documentary on the team that’s being produced by Blue Eyes Entertainment. I’m hearing that Chipper Jones is involved.

As for postscripts of the Panthers, readers will be happy to know that assistant coach JD Hulse was named National Assistant Coach of the Year. Hulse and former BSC head coach Jan Weisberg are now at Valdosta State.

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General

JD Crowe: Alabama ‘regular guy’ claims he is voting for Kamala Harris

This is an opinion cartoon.

Shocking as it may seem, an Alabama man who identifies as ‘just a regular guy’ announces — out loud and in print right now in the cartoon above — that he’s voting for the Black woman. For president.

(Actually, that ‘regular guy’ identifies as a ‘dorky cartoonist.’ But the rest is true.)

Here are some economic policy reasons to vote for Harris.

Related: 16 economic policy changes Harris would implement if elected

The only other thing this regular guy dorky cartoonist would have added to the cartoon if space had allowed, is how easy this decision was to make. The final line of text in this Kamala Harris cartoon was going to be something like:

“Her opponent is an unstable, unfit, misogynist maniac who has zero respect for women, Veterans, Black people, Puerto Ricans, all non-rich people of any race, the U.S. Constitution, democracy and anything and everybody but billionaires and dictators who suck up to him and he sucks up to because that’s who his heroes are and what he wants to be: An authoritarian dictator tyrant who can use the military to punish his political enemies while he sells King Trump Version Bibles and spray-painted gold sneakers to his MAGA base to help pay off all his sexual abuse and other felon criminal hobbies.

“Oh, and what woman doesn’t love it when an angry man throws open the shower curtains and yells, “I will protect you whether you like it or not!” The Tic-Tac guy is a real charmer. And don’t get me started on what Trump was doing to this microphone …”

Ran out of space for all that stuff in the cartoon. Sorry.

Any cartoonist in their right mind — oops, no such thing — would love to have this ridiculous vulgarian as president again for the 24/7/365 source of outrageous content. Trump is a waddling, slurring gibberish-spewing garbage truck of violent nonsense.

This exhausting nightmare is a cartoonist’s dream, right?

Like a true Alabamian, this dorky cartoonist is voting against his own best interests.

I will joyfully cast my vote for the only sane, responsible adult in this election: Kamala Harris. Truth is, she’s been my favorite candidate for president ever since she made Jeff Sessions nervous in his confirmation hearings for Trump’s attorney general.

Vote your conscience, y’all.

True stories and stuff by JD Crowe

The mysterious ‘Bubble Guy’ of Fairhope and the art of bubble Zen – al.com

How I met Dr. Seuss

Robert Plant head-butted me. Thanks, David Coverdale

I was ZZ Top’s drummer for a night and got kidnapped by groupies

Check out more cartoons and stuff by JD Crowe

JD Crowe is the cartoonist for Alabama Media Group and AL.com. He won the RFK Human Rights Award for Editorial Cartoons in 2020. In 2018, he was awarded the Rex Babin Memorial Award for local and state cartoons by the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. Follow JD on Facebook, Twitter @Crowejam and Instagram @JDCrowepix. Give him a holler @[email protected].

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Harris vs Trump latest presidential poll: Who is winning ahead of tomorrow’s election?

One day before the election, the latest presidential poll shows a tie between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

The poll by Yahoo News/YouGov shows Harris and Trump locked at 47% each among registered voters. It’s the first tie since Harris entered the race on July 21 after the exit of President Joe Biden. Previous Harris leads ranged from five points after the Sept. 10 debate to one point after the Democratic National Convention.

The two are also tied – 48% each – among likely voters.

Harris leads Trump by 3 percentage points when it comes to favorability, though both candidates are underwater with the public. Harris has a 47% favorable rating with a 49% unfavorable rating for an overall negative 2. Trump has a 44% favorability rating vs. 53% unfavorable, for a negative 9. Trump polled better when it came to how he handled the job of president. Forty-seven percent said they approved of the way Trump handled the presidency compared to 48% who disapproved for a negative one. Forty-four percent of the way Harris is handling her job as vice president compared to 48% who disapproved for a negative four.

Forty-four percent said the Republican nominee has a clearer plan to solve America’s problems compared to 42% who said the same about Harris. Fourteen percent said they weren’t sure.

Cost of living was the biggest concern for voters (38% said it was the top issue) followed by immigration (16%) and democracy (15%). No other issue scored above 10%. Trump scored best in handling cost of living (43% – 40%) as well as addressing crime, immigration and the conflict in the Middle East. Voters thought Harris would do a better job of handling the abortion issue and democracy.

Fifty-one percent said Harris was fit to serve as president though voters were split on Trump – 45% saying he was fit to serve as president, 45% said he wasn’t.

The Yahoo News/You Gov poll was conducted Oct. 29-31 among 1,710 adults. It has a margin of error of plus/minus 2.8 percent.

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General

Election Day weather forecast: Are voters in for rain?

Election Day is coming up on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The polls are scheduled to be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Will the weather make voting easier, or harder?

Looks like the former, according to the National Weather Service.

Alabama’s weather looks to be mostly problem-free on Tuesday, with only a few showers and warm temperatures expected in most areas.

High temperatures on Tuesday are expected to be in the mid- to upper 70s in north Alabama, the upper 70s to low 80s in central Alabama, and the low 80s across south Alabama (see the forecast for Tuesday at the top of this post).

A shower or two can’t be ruled out on Tuesday, but overall rain chances will be on the low side statewide, with eastern Alabama having slightly better odds of being rain free. According to the weather service the western side of the state could have rain chances in the 20 percent range during the day on Tuesday.

Here’s the probability of rain from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. CST on Tuesday:

Rain chances are forecast to climb for northwest Alabama — but only after the polls close on Tuesday night.

Some voters will be headed to the polls in darkness, thanks to the recent switchover to Standard Time.

Polls will open after sunrise, but it will get dark a few hours before they close.

Some sunrise times on Tuesday:

* Auburn: 6:03 a.m.

* Birmingham: 6:10 a.m.

* Huntsville: 6:11 a.m.

* Montgomery: 6:06 a.m.

* Mobile: 6:10 in Mobile

* Muscle Shoals: 6:15 a.m.

* Tuscaloosa: 6:12 a.m.

Sunset times:

* Auburn: 4:47 p.m.

* Birmingham: 4:51 p.m.

* Huntsville: 4:48 p.m.

* Montgomery: 4:50 p.m.

* Mobile: 5 p.m.

* Muscle Shoals: 452 p.m.

* Tuscaloosa: 4:54 p.m.

And, no matter who wins on Tuesday, the sun is still scheduled to rise again on Wednesday, according to NASA.

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General

Quincy Jones, music icon, dead at 91: ‘An incredible loss’

Music icon Quincy Jones died Sunday. He was 91.

Jones’ publicist, Arnold Robinson, said that Jones died at his home in Los Angeles, surrounded by his family.

“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” the family said in a statement, per The Hollywood Reporter. “And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him.”

Jones received the Motion Picture Academy’s Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1995, an honorary Oscar in 2024 and the Grammy Legend Award in 1991 and reeled in 28 Grammys from an all-time best 80 nominations.

Survivors include one of his seven children, actress Rashida Jones.

Lionel Richie, who co-wrote “We Are the World” and was among the featured singers, would call Jones “the master orchestrator.”

In a career which began when records were still played on vinyl at 78 rpm, top honors likely go to his productions with Michael Jackson: “Off the Wall,” “Thriller” and “Bad” were albums near-universal in their style and appeal. Jones’ versatility and imagination helped set off the explosive talents of Jackson as he transformed from child star to the “King of Pop.” On such classic tracks as “Billie Jean” and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” Jones and Jackson fashioned a global soundscape out of disco, funk, rock, pop, R&B and jazz and African chants. For “Thriller,” some of the most memorable touches originated with Jones, who recruited Eddie Van Halen for a guitar solo on the genre-fusing “Beat It” and brought in Vincent Price for a ghoulish voiceover on the title track.

“Thriller” sold more than 20 million copies in 1983 alone and has contended with the Eagles’ “Greatest Hits 1971-1975″ among others as the best-selling album of all time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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