NFL Network: Jim Harbaugh Has Offer on Table from Michigan

((ht: nfl.com))

It appears the rumbling we've been hearing about the University of Michigan trying to woo San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh may have some truth.

We've been monitoring several reports from the Detroit area stating Harbaugh is telling his former teammates its "Time to get the Band Back Together"...but there's been nothing concrete.

Until now.

Ian Rappaport of NFL.com reports Michigan has offered Harbaugh a proposed contract that would make him the highest paid coach in College Football.

The offer: 6-years, $48 million dollars. Yes, $8 million a year. Or $1 million more than Nick Saban.

Just make it stop.

Ah...but anyway. Read Rappaport's story RIGHT HERE

Harbaugh is expected to leave...or be asked to leave the 49ers at the end of the season. Amid rumblings of discord in the Bay Area. The Niners are 7-7 on the season and have been officially eliminated from the playoffs.

But there are two weeks left in the season. So don't expect this to become official. At least not until after the 1st of the year.

If it happens at all.

Harbaugh will get opportunities in the NFL, though the price will be a draft pick. Don't expect that to stop the Oakland Raiders...or possibly the Miami Dolphins from looking into him.

But can they afford to pay him?

ICYMI: Lane Kiffin Makes Nick Saban Jokes

Ok, context here. We've often gone on about the alleged constant seriousness of Alabama football coach Nick Saban.

And well, after the brief roasting by his highly publicized assistant coach Lane Kiffin at Tuesday nights Broyles Award ceremony. Let's hope Saban has a good laugh.

Kiffin, a finalist for the award, given to College Football's top assistant coach cracked a few jokes about his boss's lack of height and a few other things to the assembled crowd of mostly football folks.

Here's the video...(jokes start about 2:50 in)

Morning Wrap: Never Disrespect The Saban; Bama Handles Mississippi St.

((ht: cbssports.com))

It wasn't always pretty, but it was a win over the team that walked into Bryant-Denny stadium ranked first in every poll.

Alabama used their stable of running backs and long, powerful 4th quarter touchdown drive to hold off top ranked Mississippi State 25-20 Saturday afternoon.

The Bulldogs had more yards running and passing and controlled the ball for large chunks of the game, but couldn't overcome Dak Prescott's three interceptions.

Tide QB Blake Sims threw for and efficient 211 yards, T.J Yeldon ran for 72 yards and a score. Which was just barely enough to hold off a valiant Miss. St team which scored with 15 seconds to go to tighten the game.

But they could not recover the ensuing onside kick.

The win puts Bama in the SEC West drivers seat, they are 9-1, 6-1 in the SEC. The Tide still has an Iron Bowl battle with Auburn staring them in the face after next weeks game with Western Carolina.

As for Mississippi St., they drop to 9-1, 5-1 in the SEC. They have games with Vanderbilt and arch-rival Ole Miss to wrap up the season.

Your highlights from CBS Sports:

The Dirty Dozen and Bottom of The Barrel: Who's With Me?

No, despite there only being four undefeated teams, it ain't over yet--

We're about to hit the homestretch in the College Football season...otherwise known as November. And there are still plenty of hurdles even the undefeated teams will have to clear. 

We know that the SEC West appears to be the best conference in all the land, but will any of those teams have enough left to beat Georgia in the SEC title game?

Casey

And we know that Notre Dame may or may not have gotten jobbed in Tallahassee, a game we secretly hoped both teams would lose...alas, that was not possible.

But enough of that, there's pickin' to be done....

Last week, so 11-3 ain't bad...right? And we called the West Va. win. That makes us 78-16 on the season. (We don't pick the spread...not that smart)

But anyway...

To quote the late, great Casey Kasem....it's "On with the countdown"....

THE DIRTY DOZEN

1) Florida State 7-0. Yeah SEC fans, I said it. They are still #1. Not necessarily because they are the best team, but they will run the table. No guarantees anyone else in the FBS can do that. And more importantly...

And nobody has been able to do that. This Week: BYE

2) Mississippi State 6-0. The bye last week had to help them because they came off 3 straight tough games. And are now everyone's darlings. But unless they shore up the pass defense (last in FBS), Alabama will beat them in a couple weeks. This Week: vs. Kentucky, Our Pick: Miss St. 38, KY 17

3) Ole Miss 7-0. We're still in shock to Mississippi teams are in the top 3. That may very well be a sign of the apocalypse. Their achilles heel is offense, the O is inconsistent, but a strong D more than makes up for it. The next 2 weeks will determine how big the Egg Bowl will be. This Week: at LSU, Our Pick: Ole Miss 24, LSU 23--close call

4) Alabama 6-1. Today's lesson: Don't make Nick Saban angry. You won't like Saban when he's angry. He and the Tide went all Hulk on Texas A and M and now they get Saban's work partner Coach Kiffykins returning to the scene of one of his crimes. Already it's been fun. This Week: at Tennessee, Our Pick: Bama 45, Tenn. 23

5) Auburn 5-1. Somehow these guys always fly under the radar. Sure, they got beat by Miss. St. but they are dangerous. Very dangerous. We suspect they will have a voice in who goes to the SEC title game and the playoff. This Week: vs. South Carolina, Our Pick: Auburn 41, S.Carolina 27

6) Oregon 6-1. We put the Duckies here only because we think the Pac 12 is better than the little 10. They are likely to be a playoff team, but we don't think they are better than anyone ranked ahead of them. IMO. But I could be wrong. This Week: at Cal, Our Pick: Oregon 51, Cal 31

7) Michigan St. 6-1. Your best of the Little 10. And they are pretty good. But Oregon did beat them. And playing in the 10, they aren't going to be pushed too hard. The only test: 3 weeks from now they play Ohio St. This Week: vs. Michigan, Our Pick: Mich St. 38, Mich 27

8) Georgia 6-1. Another dangerous team with a history of shooting themselves in the foot. If indeed they get Todd Gurley back, they become scary good. The D has improved each week. With Gurley and Chubb, they just play keep away. The only test left--vs. Auburn in November. This Week: BYE

9) Notre Dame 6-1. This is one of their better, tougher teams. They should have beaten FSU, but didn't. But they are Notre Dame, they'll get love. The pass defense needs work, but Everett Golston has been outstanding. And no roadblocks ahead. This Week: BYE

10) TCU 5-1. Outside a Gary Patterson brain fart, they have been the best of the Big 9(12). The D hasn't been great, but QB Trevonne Boykin has been a revelation. And the reason the Horned Frogs are scary good on offense. This Week: vs. Texas Tech, Our Pick: TCU 48, T-Tech 31

11) Kansas State 5-1. If not for a bad Field Goal kicker, they beat Auburn and are undefeated. And yes, Bill Snyder is a wizard of some sorts, he just keeps producing good teams in the middle of the Kansas plains. This Week: vs. Texas, Our Pick: K-State 31, Texas 21

12) Ohio State 5-1. It took the Buckeyes a couple weeks to find their footing, but they have. Outside Mich. St, they are the only other serious threat in the Little 10. JT Barrett has been a revelation, and for the Urbanator, that's all he needs. This Week: at Penn St., Our Pick: tOSU 38, Penn St. 27

THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL:

Oy, there's only one NO WIN team left here (SMU). What ever are we to do? Too many of our past lists have had multiple no win teams on it. But hey, maybe that just means everyone is getting better.

Or not....

5) Georgia St. 1-6. The Panthers should never have jumped to the FBS as fast as they did. They were not ready. And are now just everyone's cupcake game. They are playing their polar opposite this week, who waited until they were ready to jump. And now are scaring everyone. This Week: vs. Ga.Southern, Our Pick: Ga.Southern 43, Ga.State 21 (was there doubt?)

4) Idaho 1-6. Yay! The Vandals stole a game. Even though it was last week, it's not enough to get them off the Barrel--yet. They still can't stop the run. Though they should be able to manage it this week. This Week: BYE

3) Troy 1-6. There was hope for the retiring Larry Blakeney after a win. Then they play Appalachian State and got annihilated. So, the misery continues. They do have games with Ga.State and Idaho left, so there is hope. This Week: at South Alabama. Our Pick: S.Alabama 31, Troy 27

2) Miami OH 1-7. Oh how some things never change. They too finally won a game, but have done nothing with that momentum. At all. No defense and little offense, means you often will lose. This Week: vs. Kent State, Our Pick: Kent St. 37, Miami OH 36

1) SMU 0-6. Pity the poor Mustangs. They've been shut out twice and hit double figures in points once. That folks, is not good. And things aren't getting any better. This Week: vs. Memphis, Our Pick: Memphis 43, SMU 6

For you SMU fans--

ICYMI: Alabama Sends Message, Destroys Texas A&M

You shouldn't like Nick Saban when he's angry. For that matter, you probably shouldn't make Nick Saban angry.

Just a week after Saban went ballistic on everyone questioning how good his Alabama team was after barely beating Arkansas, the Tide took out a bit of frustration against an overwhelmed Texas A&M team.

The final score: 59-0. And it wasn't that close. It was 45-0 at the half.

Blake Sims threw for 268 yards and 3 TD's and T.J Yeldon ran for 114 yards and 2 TD's, which was way more than enough to secure an Alabama win.

As for the Aggies, who started out as everyone's darlings after blowing out a mediocre South Carolina team,  it's their 3rd straight loss. And QB Kenny Hill, who played so well in that game that he started looking into how to trademark the nickname "Trill" Hill...well, he threw for 138 yards and questions about his abilities have began creeping up in College Station.

The game reinforced that Alabama is going to have a say as to who wins the brutal SEC West. And it may have said, the winner is going to have to prove they can beat the Tide, which is not going to be easy.

CBSSports gives us our highlights:

Kiffin's Krimson Korner: Comedian Spoofs Coach Kiffykins....

((ht: tosh.cc.com))

Oh wow...

This is a bit crude if you aren't open minded with your humor, but for most of us, this is absolutely hilarious.

Check out this skit by comedian Daniel Tosh on his show Tosh.O.

Tosh is a big sports fan and it appears he knows an awful lot about Lane Kiffin, Nick Saban and Alabama.

The language may be a bit salty for some, but for the rest of us this skit is pure awesomeness.

As most of us who follow college football know, Kiffin isn't exactly the most beloved character in College Football. And if you watch this to the end, we're betting on seeing the requested sign this coming Saturday....

Behold--

Tosh.0
Get More: Comedy Central

Boom! Dumb Ole Miss Fan Downed by Saban's Security

((ht: saturdaydownsouth.com))

There's a reason that most college football coaches have a security team that follows them off the field during games.

That point was made very clear this past Saturday after Ole Miss beat Alabama and the drunken Ole Miss fan base stormed the field.

An overdressed Ole Miss dork made the mistake of running towards Alabama coach Nick Saban. Who just happened to have 2 troopers surrounding him.

The result.

Well, the Ole Miss student didn't win...

ICYMI: The Dirty Dozen Gets Scrambled

((HT: ESPN/SEC on CBS/Fox Sports/Northwestern Football)

Did you ever have one of those days where absolutely everything you thought was an absolute lock came crashing down around your ankles and left you in such a state that your pants wouldn't fit anymore...???

Let's face it... all hell broke loose at the top of the rankings (whether you choose to look at Brother Phil's Dozen or some other source) and sent it all in the blender for the foreseeable future...

Examples...

Starting in Oxford... it was proven once again that Alabama has SERIOUS special teams issues in their loss to Ole Miss where Bo Wallace would keep the football and stash it someplace after the game was over as he tried to escape the throng that stormed the field.
Oklahoma decided that a road game against TCU in their new digs was a great idea... It wasn't...and plays like this one Gary Patterson pulled out of the back of the playbook help. What kind of flaws do USC have...??? There seems to be the one glaring one right now... Late game focus... it came into play as Arizona State came from behind to surprise them Some would think that Miss State's win over Texas A&M was an upset... The HQ doesn't think so as their suspect defense was exposed and Dak Prescott went off in a 48-31 win But here's one last one for you to think about as we head to Sunday... Northwestern hosted Wisconsin and they weren't good hosts- beating the Badgers 20-14 in a bit of a mucker it looks like...

If Nick Saban Was In Jurgen Klinsmann's Cleats...

((HT: Fox Sports/Mike Romano via Vimeo))

This is what happens when Nick Saban is answering questions as the head coach of the USMNT after Group play...

And Mike, pretty much, nailed it...


No other questions, coach, thanks...

NCAA Drops 10-Second Rule Proposal--For Now

((ht: usatoday.com))

So the Rich Rodriguez/Arizona/Speed video from Monday was for naught?



Damn!

The NCAA Football rules committee decided today (Thursday) they will not present a rules proposal to slow down the growing "Hurry-Up" offenses currently en vogue.

For those unaware of what we are talking about--said rule would require a minimum 10-seconds after a ball is placed down before it could be snapped.

And based on the vociferous reaction from an awful lot of coaches, the idea was not a good one. Not to say there weren't supporters, the biggest being Alabama head coach Nick Saban who's vaunted defenses have struggled against hurry-up teams.

Read the full story from USA Today RIGHT HERE

Note that the rule won't be formally presented THIS YEAR. There are a small percentage of coaches saying the hurry-up causes more injuries. There's been no legitimate proof of that. The majority seem to think it's the regular pace teams trying to get control of the game's pacing. And yes, the rule was designed for "No-Huddle" too.

We think you haven't heard the end of this debate, if for no other reason than that Saban is a primary proponent of it. Yes, Bret Bielema of Arkansas has gone on record--albeit awkwardly--to back up Saban, and that will be enough to keep it out there. Our guess is next year or when the "Power Schools" breakaway from the NCAA is the time you'll see this rule become the norm.

Signs of the Apocalypse: Nick Saban Dances; Lane Kiffin Sings

((ht: twitter/@alexevans))

So, you ready to see something you can't unsee?

You're latest (Sunday night) Internet craze?

Yes, you are not imagining things, it's none other than Alabama head coach Nick Saban in the red sportcoat doing the electric slide.



Not to be outdone, newly hired offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin got in on the musical fun. Alabama recruit Donetris Scarborough tells BamaOnLine.com that Kiffin, at the same party, held for recruits and their family, got in on some Karaoke fun, singing "Sweet Home Alabama".

Read the whole story from BamaOnLine.com RIGHT HERE

Unfortunately...or fortunately, depending on your taste, video of the performance has yet to surface.

Strange Bedfellows: Lane Kiffin is the New O.C at Alabama

Wha...what?

Yes, you read the headline correctly, former USC, Tennessee and Oakland Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin is either a cat with 9 lives or has got some sort of blackmail photos.

Why do we say this?

Because the Mega Powers have now united---Lane Kiffin is joining the staff of Nick Saban...as the offensive coordinator for the Alabama Crimson Tide.



We are pretty sure Clay Travis of Outkick The Coverage and pretty much any hardcore SEC Football fan in existence are still doubled over in laughter on this hire for more reasons than we can count.

Kiffin takes the place of Doug Nussmeier who left to take the same job at Michigan.

The adventures/chronicles of the coach we all call "Kiffykins" has been well documented here and on many other blogs. From his strange departure in Tennessee and string of NCAA questions left in his wake to his non-success at USC where he somehow got fired on the way HOME from a loss, on a bus, on the tarmac at an airport, pretty much all of us and probably all of you can't help but laugh about this.

Apparently Kiffin struck up some sort of friendship with Saban, who had him in to consult during the downtime between the end of the regular season and the Sugar Bowl game. We're assuming that may/or may not have impacted Nussmeier's decision to leave.

According to ESPN.com, Kiffin will sign a 3-year deal.

Our question: When Saban steps down, and he's already started hinting that he's thinking of a time where he isn't coaching, does Kiffykins stand a chance of being the coach-in-training?

Is Texas Longhorn Strong...???

So, after Baylor head coach Art Briles tweeted his disinterest in the Texas job and UCLA head coach Jim Mora said he was staying in Westwood, it came down to Louisville's Charlie Strong to be the new head coach for the Longhorns...

The reported salary figure is 5 years at $25-million...

Strong's record at Louisville was 37-15 and he is set to accept the position if asked...

Strong, apparently, still wanted to speak with Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich and his university president first.
“He will be the coach,” a well-place source told Kirk Bohls and Brian Davis at the Austin American-Statesman.

Strong seemed to have survived a four-hour interview with AD Steve Patterson...

Here's Brett McMurphy discussing briefly with Kenny Mayne
((HT: ESPN))

Reports: Mack Brown Will Stay With Texas After All

What was that famous quote? "Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated?"

That may very well be the them song of University of Texas head coach Mack Brown.

Early this week, it was widely reported (including here at OSG Sports) that Brown was going to be forced to resign his job. And the rumors were that Alabama head coach Nick Saban was being set-up to replace him.



According to a report from Bobby Burton of 247Sports.com, Brown will be on the Longhorns sideline for another year.

BREAKING: Source tells me that Mack Brown, following mtg w school prez and AD, will remain coach of the Longhorns.
— Bobby Burton (@BobbyBurton247) December 14, 2013

Mind you this comes on the heels of an ESPN.com report Friday stating Brown was fighting to keep his job. Their report and others say Brown was ready to step down from the job, but after word leaked out at the beginning of the week, he got mad and changed his mind.

Read the ESPN.com story RIGHT HERE

Brown's contract in Austin runs through the year 2020 and pays him north of $5 million a year. The Longhorn faithful (guys with money) have gotten restless the past few seasons as the team has struggled to be competitive at the highest levels of the BCS and College Football. They seem to be of the impression that Texas A&M has passed them by after moving to the SEC and having lots of success.

Another factor cited by many is that Brown is but 2 wins away from passing Longhorns legend Darrell Royal's record for most wins. (Royal had 160, Brown has 158)

Either way, it appears Mack Brown will probably be back on the Texas sideline in 2014. However….another 8-4 or worse season and, well, we suspect this whole conversation will probably come up yet again….

ICYMI: Saban Speculation Over: Staying at Alabama

If any of you live outside of Alabama, we want to explain to you where…and why the people of Alabama rate football higher than any other thing that happens anywhere else in the world.

The lead story on the late local news last night?

Not the school shooting in Colorado, no, the lead…and breaking news cut-ins were all about one thing: Nick Saban signs a contract extension.

Despite rampant speculation the University of Alabama head coach would take the money from Texas and run, he didn't. And the more the stories began surfacing that he would, the less we really believed them.

Late last night, Saban's people and the University's people agreed to an extension of his current contract, which now runs through the year 2020 at over $7 million a year.

Yes, he's getting paid $7 million-plus to coach a college football team.

In case you don't follow college football, the rampant speculation and belief by many was the University of Texas would ask coach Mack Brown to step aside. That still may happen, but as of the day we write this, Brown is still the coach.

If Brown had stepped aside, the conspiracy theorists all believed Texas, though not the best, but certainly the richest program in the country would send a Brink's truck to the Saban residence and he'd leave.

And maybe 5 or 10 years ago, it might have happened.

But Saban, for all the bridges he burned behind him, is now 62 years old. The end of his career journey is a lot closer than the beginning. And it became obvious, that for all his ladder climbing ways, he didn't want to go somewhere and start all over.

We may never know how close he came to leaving Alabama and heading to Austin, Texas or if it was even an option. Our suspicion, as most people believe, is that his people were contacted to gauge interest. And heck, he may have thought about it for a minute or two.

But no Alabama fan, you have nothing to fear. Your savior is not leaving. Not now, not next year, not until he's good and ready.

God knows how much money he'll be getting at the time that happens. Schools…and the University systems in many states may be one step away from being broke, But the almighty college football coach, he gets to sit in his palatial office waiting for the peasants to bring him offerings, all while he gets to lean back and count his money.

Enjoy the ride Tide fans….just remember eventually it will come to an end.

Reports: Mack Brown to Step Down at Texas or Did He? Updates (And More Updates)

((ht: orangebloods.com))

Update--Brown is quoted by texas.247.sports.com in an updated story. He tells them "I'm in Florida recruiting. If I had decided to step down, I sure wouldn't be killing myself down here. I have not decided to step down."

Read the entire story RIGHT HERE

Hmmm....can I get a "Not so Fast My Friends"?---That includes us...

Though we might add, much of the speculation on Brown's status hinges on a UT Trustees board meeting set for Thursday. The belief is the official word will come then.

Unless it's leaked out

-------------------------------------------------------------------

((Original Post))

So, it looks like it really wasn't hype. The speculation was true.

The ever impressive Chip Brown of Orangebloods.com reports that University of Texas head coach Mack Brown will resign from his job after 16 years of leading the Longhorns.

High-level sources tell http://t.co/Pb827xg41z Mack Brown will step down as coach at Texas after 16 years.
— Chip Brown (@ChipBrownOB) December 10, 2013

Chip says that Mack Brown will get every bit of the $2.75 million buyout written into his contract. And Brown, who will leave just 2 wins short of being Texas's all-time wins leader, will be honored at his teams season ending banquet next week.

Read the entire story from Orangebloods RIGHT HERE

There had been numerous rumors this season and last that Brown's days were numbered. The Longhorns, arguably the nation's richest, most well supported program had been struggling since really 2005, when they lost the National Championship game to USC.

Speculation has been rampant most of the season the Longhorns were trying to woo Alabama coach Nick Saban. Saban, through channels has denied and in fact laughed off that speculation.

But a story surfaced last week claiming Saban has had a deal in place all along this season. And that he was just waiting for the right time to announce it.

Stay tuned, we should find out in the next few days if that's the trick new athletic director Steve Patterson has up his sleeve.

PM UPDATE: The Orangebloods story has Brown stepping down after the Alamo Bowl...

Naturally, Brown's lawyer has told the Associated Press that it isn't happening...

Nick Of Time: A Lesson In Ego And Hubris

Okay, let's go back to the end of it all...
((HT: Auburn Athletics/Auburn IMG Sports Network))


The HQ will readily admit that the refereeing was out of sorts...
Auburn was getting over six yards a carry and decided to go away from that running game- inexplicably...

But, the visitors had more issues...

Cade Foster pull-hooking two field goal attempts and having a third one blocked led to Adam Griffith being the other field goal attempt with :01 left. But it went a little deeper than that...

Earlier in the game after the first miss, Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who is notoriously quick-triggered with his kickers, would decide to go for it with a 3-point lead with 5:32 left. That was instead of giving Foster an attempt at getting the Tide a 10-point lead.

Put the game away...???
Nope...

Go for it with a run up the middle that was diagnosed immediately and gave Auburn momentum all over again...

Even as his special teams had failed him three times earlier- two misses and a field goal attempt that was blocked...

But the largest failure was on the Griffith field goal attempt- and the HQ did the math... other than the kicker, going with what CBS color analyst Gary Danielson said: it was just a bunch of fat guys- with the exception of tight end Brian Vogler and two other skill position players...

11 on 7 for a punt return...
You tell me those odds... and it had happened before in the Ess-E-Cee...
Odell Beckham, Junior against UAB
((HT: SEC on ESPN))


And it looked like the UAB players did less watching than the Alabama players did in trying to defense the return once it was on...

So, add it all up...

Whether it's Eli Gold...


Or Uncle Verne...
((HT: SEC on CBS))


Or Rod...

Saban will learn the lesson on his special teams gaffe, but he will still make his kickers walk home...
But, sometimes, the lesson is learned too late to maintain perfection in a self-perfect atmosphere...

Cade Foster has already seen the silliness of fanaticism through his Twitter machine...

Saban shall hear it on sports talk radio for quite some time...

But, he has already moved on... he's getting ready for his bowl game... and (insert divine being here) help his opponent... unless there's a repeat of the Utah Sugar Bowl game...

And the second-best decision that Auburn AD Jay Jacobs has ever made...???
Opening the gates and getting the white jackets out of the way to focus on not getting his head coach, players, and television live shots from getting trampled...

Alabama Strength Coach Placed On Administrative Leave For Clinton-Dix Loan

((HT: Tuscaloosa News/Suttles))

University of Alabama assistant strength and conditioning coach Corey Harris has been placed on administrative leave for providing impermissible benefits to suspended football safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

Basically, it was a loan of less than $500, and Clinton-Dix has since paid the loan back...

Now, we know why this was what Coach Nick Saban told the media yesterday...


The university compliance office also discovered that Harris had a connection to a representative of a sports agent. The subsequent investigation determined that Clinton-Dix has not had any contact with anyone that Harris may know fitting that description.

The act by Harris may be a violation of NCAA Bylaw 16.11.2.2, which states that “an institutional employee or representative of the institution's athletics interests may not provide a student-athlete with extra benefits or services, including, but not limited to ... a loan of money.”

Ha-Ha: Alabama Suspends Top DB Clinton-Dix Indefinitely

((ht: al.com))

Yeah, sure, his name sounds like a laughing matter, but getting indefinitely suspended certainly isn't that funny.

Top ranked Alabama coach Nick Saban announced after practice on Wednesday that the guy considered the teams best defensive back, Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix will be suspended for a "Violation of Team rules".

Note that Saban didn't say how long, but just indefinitely.

Nor did he mention what Clinton-Dix did to get the boot

More from AL.com RIGHT HERE

The Tide face perhaps the worst FBS team in the country this Saturday, Georgia State, so the general consensus is the move won't hurt much, at least in the short term.

However, the loss of Clinton-Dix, considered a possible 1st Round NFL pick by most scouts, for a long period of time, may hurt the Tide as they pursue yet another NCAA Title.

The schedule sets up well for Bama as the only serious challenge on the schedule left is a November 9th game vs. LSU, a game that will be played in Tuscaloosa.

Short of losing a game they shouldn't, Alabama may face a powerhouse offense in Georgia, a game where someone of Clinton-Dix's talent will be needed.

We suspect this suspension will be over in a week or two. But we could be wrong....

Guess What...??? Texas Regents Talked About Saban To Agent, Dodds Not Retiring

Surprising no one...

Regent Wallace Hall along with one of the Hicks brothers, Steve (yes his brother Tom is the former Liverpool and Texas Rangers owner) talked to Nick Saban's agent, Jimmy Sexton about his client's possible interest in being the head coach at the University of Texas.

Hall and Hicks had a conference call with Sexton a few days after the national title game. Then, Tom Hicks had a meeting with Mack Brown to see if he was still interested in coaching the Longhorns. Brown told Hicks he was not interested in retiring, so the matter wasn't pursued any further.

Mack Brown is set to be paid $5-million a year through 2020...

Saban is getting $5.6-million, but with Brown's buyout at only $3.25-million, this could be a very quick eventuality after the conclusion of the 2013 season.

"Wallace Hall brought this to the chairman and myself. Nothing was authorized by the board and the chairman and myself thought the board should not be involved," Steve Hicks told the Associated Press. "Tom and Mack are friends and talk often. They simply visited and just talked the idea through. It was dropped and nothing happened ... It was a short conversation."

Along that same line, rumors are swirling about AD DeLoss Dodds retiring- which would make another piece of the puzzle for the removal of Mack Brown- forced or otherwise...

Dodds, of course, is denying it...
((HT: Longhorn Network))


Conventional wisdom is saying that a 5-year, $50-million offer is on the table for Saban to succeed Mack Brown- which lends itself to Carousel...

The HQ anticipates three names tied to Alabama: Bob Stoops (whose message has grown stale in Norman), Will Muschamp (whose move from Gainesville might be thought of as "sideways"), and Dabo Swinney- the alum with the hot name after an allegedly successful season-to-be in Clemson.

HQ's coin is on Swinney- who will get destroyed...