Unfortunately, I can't tell you much about the Tallahassee area. Birmingham/Tuscaloosa is my area.

Might need to check with one of the Gator fans - they seem to be having a lot of fun when they visit Tallahassee. ;)

I think it was a solid pick by the Rams. What he might lack in physical talents - and that ain't much - he more than makes up for with brains. He is very football savvy. In fact, that is the one thing that is going to be most missed on Bama's O-line this year. He was the real leader of that group and seemed to always make the right blocking calls.

As for his physical abilities, he handled ND's Nix one-on-one in the NCG. Because they did not have to resort to double teams, the guards coud block down on their LB's. And Nix is rated as one of the best DL in the next draft. The majority of Bama's rushing yards in that game came between the tackles. So what does that tell you?

Read it. And Portis' comments were different than my reasons.

It is not that I have anything against women reporters - I don't. Some are very good. I just have a thing against eye-candy reporters - both male and female. The ones that just like to be seen and/or are in love with the sound of their own voices. The ones that act like the show is all about "them" and not the game that is being played. Mussburger is an excellent example: he drone on and on and say absolutely nothing but gibberish that adds nothing to the game being played.

Anyone that has followed CFB over the past 20 years surely has noticed that all of the broadcasts have dumbed-down.

I haven't heard/read about it. But I will look it up.

Listen, I have nothing against women reporters, or even women sports reporters. But, with the exception of Holly Rowe at ESPN, most of these sideline air-heads are on there merely as decoration. It sure isn't because of their overwhelming knowledge of football. Again with the exception of Rowe - whom I consider to be a very good reporter with a high level of knowledge. However, Rowe is not a Barbie-doll type and doesn't get a lot of air time and certainly not at the big games. I know her mostly from her radio work at ESPN, which is excellent.

I think that the younger generations have missed out somewhat. When you were listening to the game on the radio, you had to picture in your mind each little detail of the game. To me, it drew you in and you actually concentrated more on the game.

Many of the younger generation have no knowledge of a world without ESPN. There wasn't a College Game Day or 24/7 highlights. If you were extremely lucky, your team was on TV 3 times in a season, including the bowl game. This was mandated by the NCAA, so the radio broadcast was your only link to your team. The people that were broadcasting understood this and often went to great lengths to describe the most minute details. Their excitement conveyed to you the excitement of the game.

And when your team was on TV - it was usually ABC - that meant that you were lucky enough to hear one of the all-time great broadcasters in Keith Jackson. He didn't sound or talk like the vanilla announcers of today. He talked like one of us, sounded like one of us. He could convey excitement while maintaining objectivity. He had close relationships with most all of the coaches of the major programs. He knew things about game plans and personnel changes that had been entrusted to him. Since getting to watch your favorite team was such a rare treat, he made it special.

Today, most of the announcer seem to be either in love with hearing themselves (Mussburger), trying to impress with their "knowledge" (Danielson), or just trying to create cute sound bites. It is more about promoting themselves than accurately describing the game. Then there are the bimbo sideline reporters that are there for nothing more than eye candy and political correctness. They have about as much of a grasp of the game of football as I have of nuclear physics - perhaps even less. Most of the time their "reports" are nothing more than fluff and an excuse to get their faces on the cameras. Do I really need to know that the mascot woke up with a hang-nail that morning? And I wince every time that I hear them with their coach interviews and insane questions at half time. Give me a John Madden diagramming X's & O's anytime - he isn't much to look at but at least he knows what the hell he is talking about.

LOL, let me get off my soap box. This is the stuff for a later blog.

Thanks TM.

As a kid, I can well remember my Dad, Mom, brother and I listening to the Bama games on the radio. John Forney was the "Voice of the Tide" along with Doug Layton, and Jerry Duncan did the sideline stuff. Now these guys were not like the polished talking heads that we have today. These guys were passionate about the game and the Tide, and it you could hear it in their broadcasts. They brought it home to you - made you feel like you were there, filled you with the same excitement as at the stadium. You could close your eyes and imagine what the teams looked like, imagine each and every play. Those Saturdays spent with my family are some of my most cherished memories.

I have no idea what a "crunt" is. Perhaps I am not well versed enough on the latest insults. I am still trying to figure out if I was being insulted or should I take it as a compliment?

^^^^^ And he demonstrates both his IQ and probably his age ^^^^^^^^

Great turn of the phrase! Your mother must be so proud! Your logic and football knowledge astound me! I can not believe that SI is not actively recruiting you for you amazing writing abilities and your eloquent style.

I guess the wise man was correct when he said "You just can't fix stupid." You are dismissed anymore of your crap will just be deleted.

And the last, but not least, reply to your comment is, well, yeah!

Why would Southern teams, or fans, WANT to travel North and play in what is typically cold or inclement weather? We choose to live in the South because we like the warmer climate. Very rarely have I heard of any Southerners retiring and moving North. But the reverse is certainly true.

I hate to assume anything, but judging from your comments you appear to be of a Northern origin but have chosen to live in the South (your profile says Orlando - which I realize may or may not be true). I would guess that your reason is either job related, retirement, or maybe you too like the climate better.

I have heard the argument many times that it is not "fair" that bowl games are played mostly in warmer climates. The Northern athletes are not acclimated to the warmer weather and that this gives Southern teams an unfair advantage (which only reiterates why Southern teams don't travel North - they are not acclimated to the colder climate and thus an unfair advantage). The reason for this is very obvious: in December/January, the weather is much more hospitable in the Southern areas of the nation. Most people have no real desire to travel great distances, spend tons of money, and freeze their butts off. Certainly not MY idea of a good time. And since the bowls are primarily concerned about money and attendance, they are going choose locations that most people would want to visit.

The only absolute "fair" way would be to have ALL bowl games played in indoor stadiums with average temperature suitable to both teams. Since that is not going to happen, the situation is what it is: Up North, you freeze - down South you sweat.

As for regular season scheduling, most Northern teams are not to crazy about coming to, say, Louisiana during late August/September when the temperatures are still around 100 degrees and humidity equally as high. Most Southern teams do not relish the idea of playing in the North in November/December when the temperatures are decidedly lower than what they are used to. So it is a push - both groups have their reasons for not wanting to schedule those games. More the reason to admire teams like Penn State and Alabama for scheduling home and home series to balance the equation.

And I have no idea what this comment is supposed to mean. As I understand it, local NFL games are blacked-out when the game is not a sell-out. If that is true, and you are implying that Southerners did not attend, then I would have to agree completely. As stated in the blog, NFL teams have never been overwhelmingly successful in the South. However, calling the city of Miami "Southern" is a bit of a stretch I think. While I don't have the exact census figures, I do believe that there is quite a large population of Northerners that have migrated there (snowbirds) and/or a large population of Latin Americans. This does not fit the typical demographics for most Southern areas, so it is hard to attribute typical Southern customs to its citizens.

You merely said "rarely travel NORTH". You did not specify what boundary you consider to represent NORTH.

And last time I checked, Duke is in NORTH Carolina. I will be glad to post a link for a handy atlas for your edification. However, considering the location of the state of Alabama, the only state South of us is Florida (and parts of Texas if you really want to quibble). Therefore, the bulk of states are to the North of Alabama. But by all means, you draw the line where you consider NORTH to begin.

As to future, or present, Southern teams traveling North, I might remind you that Alabama and Penn State played a home-and-home from 1981 thru 1990. Penn State's joining of the Big 10 disrupted that. In addition, as recently as 2008, Bama had tried to schedule at least a 4 game series with Notre Dame. However, Notre Dame did not wish to play a longer series.

In the program's history, Alabama has played games in the following states:

Arizona........................... 1
Arkansas......................... 9
California........................ 9
District of Columbia...........1
Florida........................... 35
Georgia......................... 64
Hawaii............................. 2
Indiana............................ 2
Kentucky........................ 15
Louisiana........................ 76
Maryland......................... 2
Massachusetts...................2
Mississippi........................59
Missouri............................1
Nebraska..........................1
New Jersey.......................2
New York..........................2
North Carolina...................1
Oklahoma.........................1
Ohio.................................1
Pennsylvania.....................8
South Carolina...................4
Tennessee...................... 81
Texas..............................21
Virginia........................... 1
Washington......................1
Wisconsin.........................1

Of course, the vast majority of the away games are in the SEC states. But other wise a pretty fair travel record around the nation.

AND this only represents Alabama. I have not researched the other SEC member schools. Nor am I including ALL teams that are considered "SOUTHERN" by whatever definition you chose for Southern.

And again, I challenge you to tell me which major Northern programs have traveled so well to the South - other than the obvious bowl games.

Oh, and I forgot to add Vandy at Northwestern, Tennessee going to Oregon, Alabama playing at Duke. I am sure that I am forgetting others that fall under the catagory of "Southern" teams.

Broad, sweeping statements like yours are why it is sometimes a really good idea to:
1. Research first
2. Think before hitting that "Submit" button.

Good sir, if I did, blame my backwoods Southern education - and the spellchecker ;)

Alabama will be traveling to Pennsylvania about this time next year. I am planning to try and attend that game, just to say that I have seen a "White Out".

But to contradict your statement, I believe that Miami just completed a (not so good) trip to Ohio. Ole Miss has a home & home with Boise starting next season. Alabama is trying finalize a deal with Michigan starting the 2012 or 2013 season. I believe that Texas has a deal with Notre Dame up coming. And those are just a few that come to mind.

So tell me, outside of bowl games, and the above mentioned games, how many NORTHERN teams come South?

Amazing what an education, and a few typing, courses can do.

I agree, the stain of discrimination did/has tainted the South and the sport. However, in defense, that has come an gone. And, yes, I did see the HBO show and thought it was great.

As for dressing up at the games, well we Southerners are known for our grace and civility. And keep in mind, that football down here is something of a high-holy thing. So when you go to the Stadium/Church, you must dress appropriately. But as I pointed out in the blog, football is, and has been, very much a social affair. Even though most now do not remember the origins, it is a tradition that still carries over somewhat today: you go to a social event, you dress up in your Sunday best.

Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Davis sitting around shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run. Davis says "Gentlemen, we can go ahead and win this war, become our own nation, and vex the Yankees. OR we can let this one go, wait a few years and dominate them on the football field and really piss 'em off. What do you say?"

Nothing like playing with a chip on your shoulder, eh? And you Yankees did not realize that we LET y'all win just so we could dominate football in the future.

Holy Cow! A Silars sighting! Have missed you my old friend. You should drop in on the table crowd every now and then.

Yeah, they kind of let me down as well. Not that I wished for the win over Auburn, but because I had picked MSU ;) No vested interest in whomever wins - until they play Bama. The the homer comes out.

I am still perplexed about the game. I don't understand why MSU went from a running game that was working very well in the second half to a passing game. And deep passes at that. And Auburn is going to have to develop other weapons besides Newton. he is a great athlete, but do you really want your QB to be your leading rusher every game? Then again, that worked out pretty well for Florida...

Oh well, already starting this week 0-1.

BTW, excellent post. As usual. We would expect no less.