This is an opinion column/charity baseball game post.
Rickwood Field is a magical place. If you watched or attended the historic Major League Baseball tribute to the Negro Leagues game in June, you know what I’m saying. The oldest baseball stadium in America has its charms. And its ghosts.
That game became a cathedral for Willie Mays, arguably the game’s greatest all-time all-around player. Rickwood was the Fairfield native’s home ballpark when he played for the Birmingham Black Barons. Willie was hoping to attend the tribute game in person. But then he got a heavenly promotion. No. 24 Willie Mays hovered over that game in spirit. Big time.
I wasn’t one of the lucky ones who attended the game in person, but I watched every minute of the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants on TV. From the joyous music of Jon Batiste, dancing among the Negro League veterans, to the lush green grass, groomed dirt and fabulous sunset to the heroics of an Alabama dude who won the game. It was all picture-perfect. Birmingham shined on this beautiful night.
The next magical game at Rickwood will be played tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 9th at Noon. The game will feature people with disabilities playing alongside former MLB pros, local personalities and one dorky cartoonist.
A few days after that Negro Leagues tribute game, I was sitting hunchbacked at the drawing board, pulling what’s left of my hair out, sifting through ideas for a cartoon. But my mind kept drifting back to that game. Baseball. Rickwood Field.
Turns out, Rickwood is like Beetlejuice. If you say Rickwood, Rickwood, Rickwood out loud (or in your mind), it magically appears.
That’s when I got an email out of the blue from a fellow who invited me to play baseball. For a charity event. For people with disabilities — with people with disabilities. At Rickwood Field. That fellow was Taylor Duncan, founder of the Alternative Baseball Organization. He’s a pretty amazing dude.
I’ll let Taylor take it from here:
A Historic Day for Inclusive Baseball at America’s Oldest Ballpark
STARRING ATHLETES WITH DISABILITIES, COMMUNITY LEADERS, AND FORMER PROS!
“On Nov. 9th, 2024, Rickwood Field — America’s Oldest Baseball Stadium — will add another remarkable chapter to its storied history. As part of Alternative Baseball’s 2nd Annual Playing for Community Integration Tour, this hallowed ground will host a groundbreaking event that celebrates inclusivity, empowerment, and the timeless spirit of America’s Pastime.”
Professional baseball players participating: Tim Hudson, Anthony Lerew, Greg Norton, Johnny Estrada, Lance Cormier, Matt Kimbrel, Stephen Pryor, Roger McDowell, Kendall Graveman, Dexter Jordan and more.
Among the local personalities:
Leslie Claybrook (general manager of the Birmingham Squadron G-League team)
It’s an exhibition game for fun, encouragement and inclusion. It’s all about love and love of the game. First pitch is at noon. The game lasts for 9 innings or 3 1/2 hours.
I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it. I can’t wait to step foot on the grass of Rickwood Field surrounded by ghosts of the game’s most legendary joyful warriors. I can’t wait to get in the batter’s box with Satchel Page winding up on the mound. I can’t wait to play catch with Hank Aaron and play pepper with Jackie Robinson and Ernie Banks. But most of all, I can’t wait to hit fly balls to Willie Mays. I’ll try to hit one way over his head so he can re-create “The Catch” he made in the ‘54 World Series.
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].
Alabama plays at LSU on Saturday night, a game that has often been personal for several players on the Crimson Tide roster.
Recent Alabama teams have been peppered with Louisiana natives, many of whom enjoyed excellent performances against their home-state school. Such connections have added spice to a rivalry that has gone a long way toward determining the SEC and even national championships over the years.
There was a mere trickle of star players from Louisiana through most of the Alabama program’s history, but it turned into an absolute flood once Nick Saban became head coach in 2007. That stands to reason, given that Saban was LSU’s head coach from 2000-04 and hired several staff members/recruiters with Louisiana ties (notably Burton Burns and Bo Davis, and later Karl Dunbar, Pete Golding and Karl Scott) during his tenure in Tuscaloosa.
Here’s a look back at 10 of the more notable Alabama players from Louisiana through the years, plus some honorable mentions (hometown in parentheses):
Terry Davis (10) was Alabama’s starting quarterback in 1971 and 1972, a two-season run that included a pair of SEC championships and two wins over LSU. Davis was the 1972 SEC Player of the Year and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy balloting that season. (Photo by George Long/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
1. Terry Davis, QB, 1970-72 (Bogalusa)
The original “Wizard of the Wishbone” was Alabama’s starting quarterback on SEC championship teams in 1971 and 1972 under Paul “Bear” Bryant, and thus played a major role in victories over LSU both seasons. He ran for 41 yards and the Crimson Tide’s lone touchdown — a 16-yarder in the third quarter — in a 14-7 win in Baton Rouge in 1971. The next year, Davis ran for 96 yards and a touchdown and passed for 157 more and two scores in a 35-21 victory in Birmingham. The performance landed him on the cover of the following week’s edition of Sports Illustrated. Davis was the SEC Player of the Year in 1972 and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy balloting, compiling a record of 21-3 as Alabama’s starter.
Tommy Wilcox (15) was a four-year starter at safety at Alabama, helping the Crimson Tide to a national championship as a freshman and three wins over LSU in his career. (Mark Abraham/Star-Ledger file photo)Star Ledger
2. Tommy Wilcox, DB, 1979-82 (Harahan)
Wilcox was a state champion quarterback at Bonnabel High School just outside New Orleans, but wound up playing safety at Alabama. After redshirting as a true freshman, he became an immediate starter for the Crimson Tide in 1979. He was twice named second-team All-SEC, twice first-team All-SEC and was a consensus All-American in 1981. Wilcox’s Alabama teams went 3-1 against LSU. He was part of a 3-0 shutout in the rain at Tiger Stadium in 1979, a game in which the eventual national champion Crimson Tide held the Tigers to just 164 yards of total offense. Alabama won 28-7 in Tuscaloosa in 1980 and 24-7 in Baton Rouge in 1981, but lost 20-10 in Birmingham in 1982 — snapping an 11-game winning streak in the series. Wilcox finished his college career 253 tackles, 21 pass breakups and nine interceptions, and earned a spot on Alabama’s All-Century Team in 1992.
Louisiana native Eddie Lacy (42) won three national championships at Alabama, and played a key role in a victory over LSU in 2012. (Press-Register/Mike Kittrell) MO
3. Eddie Lacy, RB, 2009-12 (Geismar)
Lacy’s commitment and signing with Alabama was a definite shot across the bow as to how things were going to be different with Saban in Tuscaloosa. He grew up in New Orleans and went to high school just outside of Baton Rouge, where he was a four-star recruit at Dutchtown High School. Lacy signed with Alabama the same year as five-star running back Trent Richardson, and redshirted during the Crimson Tide’s 2009 national championship season. Lacy worked as the third-stringer behind Richardson and Heisman winner Mark Ingram in 2010, then split time with Richardson the following year before becoming the feature back in 2012. A first-team All-SEC pick as a junior, Lacy ran for 1,322 yards and 17 touchdowns. Lacy’s Alabama teams went 3-2 vs. LSU, losing in 2010 and during the 2011 regular season before beating the Tigers 17-0 in the BCS national championship game in January 2012 and 21-17 in Baton Rouge during the 2012 regular season. Though fellow running back TJ Yeldon scored the winning touchdown in the latter game, Lacy ran for 83 yards and a score on 11 carries. Lacy jumped to the NFL after leading Alabama to a second straight national championship in 2012 — he scored two touchdowns in a 42-14 rout of Notre Dame in the BCS title game — finishing his career with three championship rings.
Safety Landon Collins made national headlines when he spurned home-state LSU for Alabama, but went 3-0 against the Tigers during his career and was a first-team All-American in 2014. (Vasha Hunt/AL.com)AP
4. Landon Collins, DB, 2012-14 (Geismar)
If Lacy’s commitment to Alabama was a sign of things to come, Collins’ was an act of war — not just toward LSU, but within Collins’ own family. The No. 1 player in the Louisiana and a top 10 recruit nationally at Dutchtown High School, Collins announced his commitment during ESPN’s broadcast of the Under Armour All-American Game in January 2012 — just days before Alabama and LSU met in the BCS national championship game. In what became an instant viral moment, Collins’ mother, April Justin, was visibly upset at her son’s decision, saying she preferred he go to LSU. Nevertheless, Collins was an immediate contributor on another national championship team as a true freshman at Alabama, and started at safety for the Crimson Tide in 2013 and 2014 before leaving for the NFL. He was an All-American as a junior, finishing with 103 tackles, three interceptions and seven pass breakups for the SEC champions. Collins was 3-0 vs. LSU, including a fumble recovery in a 38-17 win in Tuscaloosa in 2013 and seven tackles during a 20-13 overtime victory in Baton Rouge in 2014.
Baton Rouge native Tim Williams was a key pass-rusher on Alabama’s 2015 and 2016 teams, and went 4-0 vs. LSU in his career. (Vasha Hunt/AL.com)AP
5. Tim Williams, LB, 2013-16 (Baton Rouge)
Williams played his high school football literally across the street from the LSU campus at University Lab, but spurned his home state school to sign with Alabama as part of the 2013 class. A four-star recruit, Williams played only sparingly his first two years with the Crimson Tide before blossoming as a pass-rushing specialist in 2015. He totaled 19.5 sacks and 29 tackles for loss his final two seasons, helping Alabama to a national championship as a junior and a College Football Playoff berth as a senior. Williams went 4-0 vs. LSU, totaling a half-sack in a 30-10 win in Tuscaloosa in 2015 and four tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a half-sack in a 10-0 shutout of the Tigers in Baton Rouge in 2016.
Offensive tackle Cam Robinson (74) chose Alabama over LSU and dozens of other schools out of West Monroe (La.) High School in 2014. He was a three-year starter and an All-American for the Crimson Tide and went 3-0 vs. his home-state Tigers. (Vasha Hunt/AL.com)AP
6. Cam Robinson, OT, 2014-16 (West Monroe)
With Collins and a few others, Robinson is on the short list of Louisiana recruits who stung LSU fans the most when he signed with Alabama. The Tigers definitely had their hearts set on landing Robinson, a two-time all-state pick at West Monroe High School and a 5-star recruit rated the country’s top offensive tackle in the 2014 class. But Robinson chose Alabama, bringing close friend Laurence “Hootie” Jones — a four-star safety out of Neville High School in Monroe — along with him. Robinson started all 14 games as a true freshman, becoming the first Crimson Tide offensive tackle to start the season-opener since Andre Smith in 2006. In three seasons at Alabama, Robinson was part of teams that went 30-4, won three straight SEC championships, played in the College Football Playoff three times and won the 2015 national title. He was a two-time All-SEC pick and a first-team All-American in 2015, when he won the Outland Trophy as the country’s top lineman and the SEC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy. Alabama also went 3-0 vs. LSU during Robinson’s tenure.
Irv Smith Jr. grew up in New Orleans as the son of an NFL tight end, and scored touchdowns in both games in which he played against LSU. (Vasha Hunt/AL.com)AP
7. Irv Smith Jr., TE, 2016-18 (New Orleans)
The son of a long-time NFL tight end who spent most of his career with the New Orleans Saints, Smith was a bit under the radar when he signed with Alabama as a three-star recruit out of Brother Martin High School in 2016. He redshirted as a true freshman, then caught 14 passes for 128 yards and three touchdowns for the Crimson Tide’s 2017 national championship season. Smith blossomed as a redshirt sophomore in 2018, earning second-team All-SEC honors after catching 44 passes for 710 yards and seven touchdowns as Alabama reached the College Football Playoff title game for the fourth straight year. He then gave up his final two seasons of eligibility to enter the NFL draft. Smith scored touchdowns in both of the games in which he played against LSU, snagging a 4-yarder from Jalen Hurts in the first quarter of a 24-10 win in Tuscaloosa in 2017 and a 25-yarder from Tua Tagovailoa just before halftime in a 29-0 victory in Baton Rouge in 2018.
Dylan Moses committed to LSU while still a freshman at Baton Rouge’s University Lab High School, but wound up at Alabama. He was part of two national championship teams with the Crimson Tide, and played in three victories over the Tigers. (Vasha Hunt/AL.com)AP
8. Dylan Moses, LB, 2017-20 (Baton Rouge)
Moses made national headlines when he committed to LSU while still a freshman at Baton Rouge’s University Lab High School in 2013, but flipped to Alabama during his senior season after transferring to Florida’s IMG Academy. A five-star recruit and Top 35 national prospect in the 2017 signing class, Moses contributed as a true freshman on a national championship team and was one of the top players on another title team as a senior. Despite missing the 2019 season due to injury, Moses ended his career with 196 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and two interceptions in 39 games with the Crimson Tide. He was a second-team All-American as a sophomore in 2018 and a first-team All-SEC pick on Alabama’s undefeated national championship team in 2020. Moses’ Crimson Tide teams went 3-0 vs. LSU (he missed the 2019 loss while injured). He had two tackles and 1.5 sacks vs. the Tigers in 2017, six tackles in 2018 and three tackles and a pass breakup in a 55-17 rout in Tuscaloosa in 2020.
Louisiana native DeVonta Smith (6) not only won a pair of national championships and a Heisman Trophy at Alabama, but he terrorized the Tigers with back-to-back monster games in 2019 and 2020. (Laura Chramer/AL.com)Laura Chramer
9. DeVonta Smith, WR, 2017-20 (Amite)
Smith grew up about an hour from Baton Rouge, but was actually committed to Georgia before Mark Richt was fired as head coach. Bulldogs player personnel director Sam Pettito, who had been a key part of Smith’s recruitment, wound up at Alabama shortly thereafter. So it was not a coincidence that Smith — a 5-star recruit rated the top player in Louisiana — signed with the Crimson Tide as part of a 2017 class that also included Tagovailoa, running back Najee Harris and fellow receivers Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs. Smith caught just eight passes as a freshman at Alabama, though two of them were game-winners — a 26-yarder from Hurts with 25 seconds left to beat Mississippi State 31-24 and then of course the 41-yard bomb from Tagovailoa to give the Crimson Tide a walk-off, 26-23 overtime win over Georgia in the CFP championship game. Smith went on to set Alabama single-season and career records for receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches during his four years at Alabama, and in 2020 became the first wide receiver in 29 years to win the Heisman Trophy. He also played in three national championship games, and bookended his career with titles in 2017 and 2020. Smith went 3-1 vs. LSU, though he totaled just one reception for 12 yards in his first two games vs. the Tigers. In a 46-41 loss in Tuscaloosa in 2019, however, he exploded for seven catches for 213 yards and two touchdowns — covering 64 and 85 yards. He was even better in a 55-17 win in Baton Rouge the next year, going off for eight receptions for 231 yards and three scores — 65, 61 and 20 yards (the latter an iconic one-handed catch in the back of the end zone).
Alabama linebacker Christian Harris (8) grew up in Baton Rouge, but was a three-year starter for the Crimson Tide. His Alabama teams went 2-1 vs. LSU, won a national championship and played for another. (Laura Chramer/AL.com)Laura Chramer
10. Christian Harris, LB, 2019-21 (Baton Rouge)
Another University Lab product, Harris actually committed to Texas A&M before flipping to Alabama as a four-star recruit in the 2019 signing class. Harris started three seasons for the Crimson Tide, totaling 221 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and three forced fumbles before leaving a year early for the NFL draft. He was part of a national championship team in 2020 and was 2-1 vs. LSU. Harris had just one tackle in the loss in Tuscaloosa in 2019, but totaled seven with a half-sack in the blowout in Baton Rouge in 2020 and six tackles, two pass break-ups and a half-sack in a 20-14 win at Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2021. Alabama won a second straight SEC title and played in the College Football Playoff national championship game that season.
A native of Rayville, La., Kenny Bell played wide receiver at Alabama from 2010-13. He was part of two national championship teams and three victories over LSU. (Birmingham News file photo by Mark Almond)BN FTP
The podcast player and daily report are below. First, the Alabama news quiz:
Listen to the podcast or read the report beneath it:
Lions in Florence …
The University of North Alabama is considering bringing another live lion to its campus habitat, reports AL.com’s Heather Gann. The school has been surveying the community in Florence to see how folks feel about it.
The lion program has been active for most of the past 50 years. Leo III died earlier this year.
The survey is ongoing, but reaction on social media is varied. Some are concerned about the animals kept in captivity while many enjoy the tradition and like the idea of the program’s being used for education and advocacy.
The school said if it does restart the program, it will adhere to Association of Zoos and Aquariums standards for the lion’s treatment and habitat and that the $5-$7 million cost would not be paid with student tuition.
… and Tigers in Baton Rouge
Speaking of live mascots and debates, LSU reportedly may restart its tradition of having a caged live tiger at Tiger Stadium when the Alabama Crimson Tide visits on Saturday.
It’s a tradition that was paused after the death of Mike VI in 2016. Mike VII lives in a 15,000-square-foot habitat across the street from the stadium, but the reports say the school has acquired another tiger that would appear at the ballgame.
PETA is not happy about this. The animal-rights group has called it “idiotic” and said a tiger would face too much chaos and stress.
Prep football tragedy
Back in August, a 14-year-old football player collapsed on New Brockton High School’s practice field in Coffee County and later died at Medical Center Enterprise.
AL.com’s Carol Robinson reports that Coffee County Coroner Arnold Woodham has now released Semaj Wilkins’ cause of death. He said an autopsy revealed that Wilkins had died of congestive heart failure because of a coronary anomaly. That is, he had an enlarged heart that wouldn’t pump blood like it was supposed to.
The autopsy said it was due to natural causes.
Warm November breezes
A person could almost call yesterday hot. I wouldn’t, but somebody else might. If it was raining at all we’d still be cutting grass.
AL.com weather reporter Leigh Morgan reports that a pair of cities saw record highs on Thursday. Birmingham reached 86 degrees, beating the previous record high for Nov. 7 by one degree. That previous record was set two years ago.
And Huntsville reached 84 degrees, breaking its previous record of 82, also set two years ago.
Both Birmingham and Huntsville, as well as Anniston, Muscle Shoals and Tuscaloosa, were more than 10 degrees above the average high temperatures for Nov. 7.
For a little context, the nighttime lows we’ve been having in many parts of the state are about what we usually can expect for daytime highs.
Quoting
“I’m glad it’s basketball season, right? And I’m sure people that follow me on Twitter are glad it’s basketball season.”
A half-hour or so from Mobile on the other side of Mobile Bay, Fairhope is a Coastal Alabama treasure — an easy, fun little getaway whether you want to spend an afternoon there or stay for the whole weekend.
We don’t get there often enough, but when we do, we never run out of places to go and things to do, and we always leave wishing we had more time.
Yep, it’s that time of the year again, time to get over the sugar rush from Halloween and commence planning something really frightening: Thanksgiving Day.
I’m not sure if you’ve been paying attention, but the most overwhelming one-day cooking event in the year for home chefs is coming up soon. And the guest of honor will be a perfectly cooked turkey that will take its rightful place at the center of the table.
Prince William got candid this week about the “brutal” and heartbreaking year 2024 has been, as wife Kate Middleton and father King Charles have navigated their respective cancer journeys.
“It’s been dreadful,” he told People from South Africa, where he was presiding over the Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony for climate change innovation, which he founded. “It’s probably been the hardest year in my life.”
He said he’s managed by simply powering through, inspired by the strength of the king and the Princess of Wales.
“But I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done,” William said. “But from a personal family point of view, it’s been, yeah, it’s been brutal.”
With three small children and royal duties, on top of a fairly new role as the Prince of Wales in the wake of the 2022 death of Queen Elizabeth II, William had his hands full.
While she could not join William in South Africa, Princess Kate is on the mend, he said, adding she would be cheering him on from home at Windsor Castle.
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“She’s doing really well thanks,” William told the BBC. “She’s been amazing this whole year. I know she will be really keen to see tonight be a success.”
Brianna LaPaglia, known as Brianna Chickenfry, alleges she suffered abuse while in a year-long relationship with ex Zach Bryan.
She alleged on her “BFFs” podcast that she faced “narcissistic, emotional abuse” for a year before they broke up last month.
“The last year of my life has been the hardest year of my life,” she told cohosts Dave Portnoy and Josh Richards. “Dealing with the abuse from this dude, I’m still scared right now.
“My brain’s rewired, I’m scared to make him mad. “He made me believe everything was my fault. He isolated me from my whole entire life. He wouldn’t let me be who I wanted to be. He made me hate everything that I loved about myself.”
LaPaglia said she ignored multiple red flags, and it escalated.
“He manipulated the f-word out of me,” LaPaglia said. “I don’t expect people to understand emotional abuse if you haven’t been through it, and I hope you never have to go through, but if you’ve been there, you know what I’m talking about. It was just this constant cycle of, ‘Built you up, beat you down, apologize,’ over and over and over.”
LaPaglia said she refused $12 million to sign an NDA.
“I don’t want, in two years, to buy a f-ing house,” she said, “and think, ‘Oh, this is the money from the dude that literally f–king destroyed me and broke me for a year.’ F-word that.”
Last month, Bryan confirmed the couple’s split after just more than a year in a post. Bryan made the news public on Instagram.
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“Addressing something,” Bryan wrote on Instagram, “Brianna and me have broken up with each other and I respect and love her with every ounce of my heart. She has loved me unconditionally for a very long time and for that I’ll always thank her.”
LaPaglia, in an emotional video message via YouTube, said she’s been “blindsided” by the news, but she is focused on her healing.
Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.
If Alabama football wins out, it should be in the College Football Playoff.
That looks to be the case with the CFP committee ranking the Crimson Tide No. 11 with the No. 11 seed inside the 12-team playoff in the first CFP rankings this past week.
There are potential scenarios where Alabama wins out and doesn’t make it, though. SMU winning the ACC could prove problematic, for example. So it wouldn’t hurt if Alabama received some help from some other teams to boost its ranking and provide more cushion.
Of course, none of it matters for the Crimson Tide if it doesn’t beat LSU on Saturday (6:30 p.m. CT, ABC) at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Another loss, and Alabama is out of the College Football Playoff race.
For now, let‘s operate as if the Crimson Tide remains in the mix after this weekend. With that in mind, here are some of the teams for whom Alabama fans should root this weekend to help boost the Crimson Tide in the CFP rankings and improve Alabama’s seeding.
No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 16 Ole Miss
Logistics: 2:30 p.m. on ABC in Oxford, Mississippi
Root for: Georgia
Right now, the Crimson Tide has the second-best win in the country behind No. 1 Oregon beating No. 2 Ohio State. Alabama’s late September victory over the Bulldogs is the best reason for including the Crimson Tide in the playoff. Alabama needs the win to stay that way. So the more Georgia keeps winning, the better for the Crimson Tide. If Georgia loses and falls in the rankings, that will hurt the value of that victory Alabama has on its resume. Plus, Ole Miss losing another game will make it a three-loss team and eliminate the Rebels from playoff contention.
South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt
Logistics: 3:15 p.m. on SEC Network in Nashville, Tennessee
Root for: South Carolina
It might help for Vanderbilt to win and become ranked so that Alabama‘s two losses would be to two ranked teams. But the committee will probably value the Crimson Tide adding to its list of wins over ranked opponents. Alabama beat South Carolina, so the Gamecocks becoming ranked would be good for the Crimson Tide. South Carolina isn‘t ranked now, and it‘s hard to know how far out of the CFP top 25 the Gamecocks are right now. But South Carolina was the second team out of the AP top 25. So maybe a win over a solid Vanderbilt team would put the Gamecocks in the CFP top 25.
Florida vs No. 5 Texas
Logistics: 11 a.m. on ABC in Austin, Texas
Root for: Florida
If the Gators can go into Austin and beat the Longhorns, it would give Texas its second loss. That would almost certainly move the Longhorns below Alabama as Texas doesn’t have a victory over an opponent ranked in the CFP top 25.
Michigan vs. No. 8 Indiana
Logistics: 2:30 p.m. on CBS in Bloomington, Indiana
Root for: Michigan
The Hoosiers are undefeated, but they don‘t have a single victory over a ranked opponent. Their best wins are over two 5-4 teams: Washington and Nebraska. Considering Indiana only sits three spots above two-loss Alabama, one loss could move the Hoosiers below or around the Crimson Tide. If Indiana loses to Michigan and Ohio State, two losses would without a doubt put the Hoosiers lower than Alabama in the CFP rankings. So an Indiana loss to Michigan would be a good thing for the Cri
Florida State vs. No. 10 Notre Dame
Logistics: 6:30 p.m. on NBC in Notre Dame, Indiana
Root for: Florida State
The Seminoles have struggled mightily this season, winning only once. Outside of Florida to close out the regular season, this is the last matchup for Florida State to get any kind of signature victory in what has been a dismal season. At this point, the Seminoles don’t have much to lose. Can they go into Notre Dame and beat the Fighting Irish? Probably not. But it sure would help Alabama, ranked one spot behind the Fighting Irish right now.
Washington vs. No. 6 Penn State
Logistics: 7 p.m. on Peacock in University Park, Pennsylvania
Root for: Washington
If the Huskies can somehow go into Happy Valley and beat the Nittany Lions, that would give Penn State a second loss. Couple that with no wins over teams that are still ranked, and Penn State wouldn’t have much of an argument for being ranked ahead of Alabama.
Purdue vs. No. 2 Ohio State
Logistics: 11 a.m. on Fox in Columbus, Ohio
Root for: Purdue
Don’t hold your breath on Purdue (1-7) beating Ohio State (7-1), but it would benefit Alabama. The Buckeyes would fall in the rankings and Georgia would move back up to No. 2 and give Alabama the best win in the country again.
Mississippi State vs. No. 7 Tennessee
Logistics: 6 p.m. on ESPN in Knoxville, Tennessee
Root for: Mississippi State
Add this to the list of rooting for the significant underdog. Chances are slim the Bulldogs will go into Neyland Stadium and beat the Vols, but it would be nice for Alabama if Mississippi State did so. That would give the Vols a second loss. Tennessee still might not fall below Alabama considering the Vols beat the Crimson Tide, but another Tennessee loss or two will help the Crimson Tide potentially move up. Alabama just doesn’t want the Vols to lose too much so that it becomes a loss to an unranked team on the resume. Tennessee is a long ways away from that happening, though. So one or two more Vols losses should help Alabama.
Stop if you’ve heard this before but the Alabama-LSU early November showdown has massive postseason implications.
The winner survives and remains in the playoff conversation. To the loser: Pack your bags for Orlando.
This time, both enter the 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday game with matching 6-2 records. The No. 15 Tigers dropped its opener to USC — now 4-5 won just one of its last five games — and its last outing, 38-23 at Texas A&M.
No. 11 Alabama had its slump when losing to Vanderbilt and Tennessee before rebounding to beat Missouri, 34-0 before the open week.
So, in a season of parity, these two rivals have been caught up in the wash at times.
But the new 12-team playoff doesn‘t disqualify two-loss teams. Alabama has among the nation’s highest quality wins over then-No. 2 Georgia on Sept. 28. Two weeks later, LSU got its marquee moment by taking down then-No. 9 Ole Miss in Tiger Stadium.
Now, one of these two will get a second data point to impress the College Football Playoff selection committee.
This is setting up to be another classic between these two under the lights on ABC on Saturday night.
The best-case scenario for Alabama: One-dimensional Tigers, Milroe turned loose
There are certain truths we’ve come to associate with LSU football. First, the Tigers can run the ball, and they play stout defense.
Well, neither are necessarily the case this fall.
LSU is a stunning 15th of 16 SEC teams (111th nationally) averaging 99.5 rushing yards in league games.
A year ago, this team was No. 1, averaging 222.0 yards running against SEC teams. That was not the case this season as it managed just 24 rushing yards on 23 tries in the 38-23 loss to Texas A&M. That Tiger offense was severely one-dimensional against the Aggies as Garrett Nussmeier threw it 50 times, completing half of them for 405 yards but with three interceptions to two touchdowns.
Forcing a team to be predictable would be a good recipe for an Alabama team eager to avenge a 2022 loss to LSU the last time they traveled to Baton Rouge.
Texas A&M also exposed an LSU defensive weakness when combating a mobile quarterback. Pulling traditional passer Conner Weigman for the speedy Marcel Reed helped turn a 10-point second-half deficit into a 15-point lead.
Granted, that mid-game swap wasn’t necessarily something LSU spent time in preparation and Jalen Milroe’s skillset is no secret.
Especially to LSU.
That’s because Milroe ran all over the Tigers in last season’s 42-28 win in Tuscaloosa. While throwing for 219 yards on 15 of 23 passing, the 155 rushing yards remain his career high on 20 carries. That included four touchdowns as LSU struggled to keep Milroe contained in the pocket.
Getting that going again would be nice for an Alabama offense that’s also struggled with its multi-dimensionality. That was better against Missouri when a league season-high 271 rushing yards (on 37 attempts) paired with 215 passing yards (on 26 throws).
Worst-case scenario: LSU bombs away
This LSU passing game is a high-risk, high-reward kind of attack. The Tigers have 20 passing touchdowns but nine interceptions. They have 37 completions of 20-plus years, the 13th most in the nation.
This is an offense with big play threats in Kyren Lacy (41 catches, 618 yards) and former Alabama WR Aaron Anderson (36 catches, 614 yards). Tight end Mason Taylor, who caught the game-winning two-point conversion against Alabama two years ago, has 39 catches for 369 yards.
The point is LSU has multiple weapons that can make big plays in the passing game. Alabama brings a secondary that’s banged up and has been susceptible to big plays. It would also be fair to say that group is high risk, high reward as it recorded 11 interceptions and allowed 11 passing touchdowns.
If LSU can get the passing game in rhythm, Death Valley can become a dangerous place for visiting teams. Alabama lost its last two road games, one at Vanderbilt but the other in a similarly insane Neyland Stadium.
Allowing a repeat of that would be a pretty bad scenario.
Prediction: Alabama 28, LSU 21
Who knows?
Flip a coin.
Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.
DEAR ABBY: You often respond to a person who has been “ghosted” by a friend or relative. I have the opposite problem. I have a longtime friend and colleague who has begun to drive me nuts, creating anxiety and anger whenever I must deal with them.
They are a nice person, but every time I communicate with them, they respond by texts and emails multiple times a day. They have only four go-to topics — one of them being weather. I don’t know how not to hurt their feelings, so ghosting seems like the softest approach. Ideas? — FUTURE GHOSTER IN OREGON
DEAR FUTURE GHOSTER: Explain to this colleague that your schedule is swamped. Then stop responding to the unnecessary texts and emails.
If the person asks why or what has changed, repeat that you are jammed and do not have time for personal exchanges during work hours. Period.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
