GameDay Edition of All Things CW: Austin Peay at Alabama

Did Alabama play the road schedule from hell? Why Strength of Schedule is Alabama's Biggest Playoff Asset, and is basketball playing the real game of the week on Thanksgiving?

At Texas. At Arkansas. At Tennessee. At LSU. At Ole Miss.

The Alabama Crimson Tide's road schedule this season ended up being a lot more than tough, but absolutely brutal. It's not just that all of those opposing teams have been ranked this season, and four of the five were in the AP Top 25 when the games were played, collectively the venues were beyond grueling.

By venues we're primarily talking about the situations and fans. Empty out the stadiums and there's little difference in where the teams play other than the location of the clocks and the condition of the playing surface.

The fans, though? They're everything. Especially when you get in these super-sized stadiums that are among the biggest in the world.

I dare anyone to find a more challenging group of five places to play in a single season, under the circumstances this Crimson Tide team had to deal with. You'd have to start factoring in weather and other extreme measures for a regular season.

Such a search would have to begin with trying to find two 100,000-seat facilities where fans rushed the field in postgame celebration. Both games were also played at night, which makes a big difference when you're talking about LSU and Tennessee.

Last week, Urban Meyer noted there was only one other venue in college football that compares in terms of a challenging atmosphere, Penn State. We assume he was thinking about when Beaver Stadium calls for a whiteout. Tennessee now has the blackout at Neyland Stadium, but didn't need the promotion to create a frenzied atmosphere against the Crimson Tide.  

“So before everybody hits the panic button in Tuscaloosa, they went to Tennessee at night and it was a very close game and they lost,” Meyer said on Urban’s Take with Tim May. “They went down and went overtime at LSU, I’ve been in those stadiums, other than Penn State those are the most difficult stadiums in the country to play.”

Before anyone gets worked up with "What about so-and-so ... " statements, yes, there are other intense places when the crowd is worked up. Kyle Field at Texas A&M is one of them, and so is Jordan-Hare Stadium, especially when Alabama comes to town.

But Death Valley at night is different. So was Tennessee, which was desperate to snap a 15-game losing streak in the Third Saturday in October rivalry.

This season, Alabama also made its first appearance at Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium in 100 years, and played Texas for the first time since the 2009 national championship. The showdown between the storied programs attracted both College GameDay and the Big Noon Kickoff shows.

The hairs on the arms and the backs of everyone's neck stood when the Razorback fans did the Hog Call, and Ole Miss fans are always vocal following their greatest tradition, of winning the party in case the Rebels can't come through.

The Crimson Tide went 3-2 in those games, in the most hostile of environments, with both losses coming on the final snap.

None of the leading contenders for the national championship faced anything like that.

“I don’t believe any team in America would’ve won both of those games, and I know that’s a bold statement,” Meyer said “Matter of fact I’ll say this, I know none of those teams would’ve won both games, so it is what it is.”

To further put Alabama's schedule into perspective, consider what I call the Test of Three. When a college football team faces three ranked teams in succession during the regular season, it almost never gets through it intact.

Look it up. Pick a good program, and check the last time it faced three straight ranked opponents and see how it did.

Alabama last successfully did it in 2016, and then won it's subsequent game after a bye, but ended up losing on the final play of the national championship.

More typical is what happened in 2012. Alabama beat No. 13 Mississippi State and then won a close game at No. 5 LSU, 21-17. The third game, though, was Johnny Manziel and No. 15 Texas A&M, 29-24.

Or in 2010. Alabama won at No. 10 Arkansas, 24-20, beat Meyer and Florida at home, 31-6, only to subsequently take the shocking loss at No. 19 South Carolina, 35-21.

With that perspective, reconsider Alabama's schedule this season. The Crimson Tide has played a ranked opponent in five of its last six games.

The lone unranked team it faced during that stretch was Texas A&M, back when the Aggies still had a pulse, and the Crimson Tide was without its starting quarterback, who just happened to be the reigning Heisman Trophy winner.

The five, and their rankings at the time, were No. 20 Arkansas, No. 6 Tennessee, No. 24 Mississippi State, No. 15 LSU, and No. 11 Ole Miss. The Tigers were actually No. 10 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, when the Volunteers were No. 1.

So far this season, the top three teams in the CFP rankings have played five ranked opponents combined. Ohio State and Georgia have both played two, and Michigan just one so far. Of course, the Buckeyes and Wolverines have their annual rivalry game next week.

Meanwhile, TCU has faced five, and Tennessee six. The Volunteers managed to win against three straight ranked opponents, albeit with a bye mixed in. More impressive was that it won at LSU (during the day) and then beat Alabama on successive Saturdays.

The Vols also had a nice win at Pitt. However, they'll be finishing up at South Carolina and at Vanderbilt, which both have losing SEC records.

Going back to the contenders, here's who the four win-and-in playoff teams have faced on the road:

Georgia: South Carolina, Missouri, Mississippi State, at Kentucky this week.

Ohio State: Michigan State, No. 13 Penn State, Northwestern, at Maryland this week.

Michigan: Iowa, Indiana, Rutgers and will play at No. 2 Ohio State.

TCU: Colorado, SMU, No. 19 Kansas, West Virginia, No. 18 Texas, at Baylor this week.

Clemson's toughest road game this season was at Wake Forest. USC's was at Utah. LSU hasn't played a ranked team on the road all season.

Should Alabama win out and some of the teams ahead of it lose, the Crimson Tide's greatest argument for possibly making the College Football Playoff will be its road schedule, especially since it didn't shy away from scheduling Texas before it was known that the Longhorns would soon be joining the Southeastern Conference.

The tricky thing for the committee will be weighing that against some teams with a conference title from weaker leagues and schedules that didn't compare. 

Why Strength of Schedule is Alabama's Biggest Playoff Asset

With the Southeastern Conference in the process of adding Oklahoma and Texas into the mix, one has to wonder if the league schedule might be becoming too difficult, especially when it comes to qualifying for the College Football Playoff.

So far, strength of schedule hasn't been a negative for the selection committee, although it might have an extremely decision to make this year.

Take the following scenario, which is more than plausible:

• Georgia beats LSU in the SEC Championship.
• Ohio State beats Michigan and wins the Big Ten title.
• TCU can't stay undefeated and doesn't win its conference championship.
• Alabama wins out and is ahead of whatever teams win the ACC and Pac-12 titles.

In that scenario, Tennessee is easily in barring an upset. The committee then has to decide between one-loss Michigan, one-loss TCU and two-loss Alabama, and it'll be under a ton of pressure not to pick a third team from one conference.

The Horned Frogs have played five ranked teams at the time of their games (only two are in this week's AP Top 25). However, their non-conference schedule had at Colorado, Division II Tarleton State, and at SMU.

Michigan, which has played just one ranked team so far this season, cancelled its home-and-home series with UCLA that would have brought the Bruins to Ann Arbor this year. The replacement was Hawaii. It also played Colorado State and UConn, both at home.

Alabama played at Texas.

For strength of schedule, there's no comparison.

Only two teams in the CFP era have won the national championship having played fewer than three ranked teams heading into the semifinals.

This is obviously the kind of thing that expanding in the playoff to 12 teams will avoid, but in reality the debate will only shift from "Which team should be No. 4?" to whether a three-loss team should be considered.

That's a far cry from where we were before the Bowl Championship Series, which was designed to have No. 1 vs. No. 2 play for the title, followed by the playoff guaranteeing more top-end matchups.

The last time a consensus national champion didn’t have to face any top-five opponents was Georgia in 1980. The only time that one didn’t have to face any ranked teams at all was Oklahoma in 1956.

To gauge how much tougher it’s become the following is every consensus national champion during the poll era, along with the number of ranked opponents each faced, and those ranked in the top five of the AP poll (Note: From 1962-67 the poll only ranked 10 teams). Previous to when the Bowl Championship Series began in 1998, the team atop the AP poll is listed with one exception, 1947.

Year, Coach, Team, Ranked opponents, Top 5

2021 Kirby Smart, Georgia 7 4
2020 Nick Saban, Alabama* 6 3
2019 Ed Orgeron, LSU 7 4
2018 Dabo Swinney, Clemson 4 2
2017 Nick Saban, Alabama 6 3
2016 Dabo Swinney, Clemson 5 3
2015 Nick Saban, Alabama 9 3
2014 Urban Meyer, Ohio State 4 2
2013 Jimbo Fisher, Florida State 5 2
2012 Nick Saban, Alabama 6 3
2011 Nick Saban, Alabama 5 2
2010 Gene Chizik, Auburn 6 1
2009 Nick Saban, Alabama 6 2
2008 Urban Meyer, Florida 6 3
2007 Les Miles, LSU 8 1
2006 Urban Meyer, Florida 5 1
2005 Mack Brown, Texas 4 2
2004 Pete Carroll, USC (vacated) 3 1
2003 Nick Saban, LSU 5 2
2002 Jim Tressel, Ohio State 5 1
2001 Larry Coker Miami 5 1
2000 Bob Stoops, Oklahoma 6 3
1999 Bobby Bowden, Florida State 5 2
1998 Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee 6 2
1997 Lloyd Carr, Michigan 7 2
1996 Steve Spurrier, Florida 6 3
1995 Tom Osborne, Nebraska 4 1
1994 Tom Osborne Nebraska 5 2
1993 Bobby Bowden, Florida State 7 3
1992 Gene Stallings, Alabama 4 1
1991 Dennis Erickson, Miami 4 1
1990 Bill McCartney, Colorado 7 2
1989 Dennis Erickson, Miami 4 1
1988 Lou Holtz Notre Dame 4 3
1987 Jimmy Johnson, Miami 6 2
1986 Joe Paterno Penn State 2 2
1985 Barry Switzer, Oklahoma 4 2
1984 LaVell Edwards, Brigham Young 1 1
1983 Howard Schnellenberger, Miami 3 1
1982 Joe Paterno, Penn State 6 4
1981 Danny Ford, Clemson 3 2
1980 Vince Dooley, Georgia 3 0
1979 Paul “Bear” Bryant, Alabama 3 0
1978 Paul “Bear” Bryant, Alabama 5 1
1977 Dan Devine, Notre Dame 4 2
1976 Johnny Majors, Pittsburgh 3 1
1975 Barry Switzer, Oklahoma 7 3
1974 Barry Switzer, Oklahoma 2 0
1973 Ara Parseghian, Notre Dame 3 1
1972 John McKay, USC 6 2
1971 Bob Devaney, Nebraska 3 2
1970 Bob Devaney, Nebraska 4 2
1969 Darrell Royal, Texas 3 1
1968 Woody Hayes, Ohio State 4 3
1967 John McKay, USC 3 3
1966 Ara Parseghian, Notre Dame 4 1
1965 Paul “Bear” Bryant, Alabama 1 1
1964 Paul “Bear” Bryant, Alabama 4 1
1963 Darrell Royal, Texas 2 2
1962 John McKay, USC 3 1
1961 Paul “Bear” Bryant, Alabama 1 0
1960 Murray Warmath, Minnesota 3 2
1959 Ben Schwartzwalder, Syracuse 3 1
1958 Paul Dietzel, LSU 2 0
1957 Shug Jordan, Auburn 3 0
1956 Bud Wilkinson, Oklahoma 0 0
1955 Bud Wilkinson, Oklahoma 3 1
1954 Woody Hayes, Ohio State 6 1
1953 Jim Tatum, Maryland 3 1
1952 Biggie Munn, Michigan State 3 0
1951 Bob Neyland, Tennessee 3 1
1950 Bud Wilkinson, Oklahoma 4 2
1949 Frank Leahy, Notre Dame 3 1
1948 Bernie Oosterbaan, Michigan 4 1
1947 Fritz Crisler, Michigan 3 1
1946 Frank Leahy, Notre Dame 3 1
1945 Red Blaik, Army 5 2
1944 Red Blaik, Army 2 2
1943 Frank Leahy, Notre Dame 5 4
1942 Paul Brown, Ohio State 3 1
1941 Bernie Bierman, Minnesota 2 1
1940 Bernie Bierman, Minnesota 3 1
1939 Homer Norton, Texas A&M 2 1
1938 Dutch Meyer, Texas Christian 1 0
1937 Jock Sutherland, Pittsburgh 4 0
1936 Bernie Bierman, Minnesota 2 2

Here’s the decade-by-decade breakdown:

Decade, Ranked opponents, Top 5 (Ratio)

1930s-x 9 3 (2.25/.75)
1940s 33 15 (3.3/1.5)
1950s 30 7 (3.0/0.7)
1960s 28 15 (2.8/1.5)
1970s 40 14 (4.0/1.4)
1980s 36 18 (3.6/1.8)
1990s 55 19 (5.5/1.9)
2000s 53 17 (5.3/1.7)
2010s 57 25 (5.7/2.5)
2020s-y 11 7 (5.5/3.5)

x-just four years; y-through 2021

Throwback Thursday? AJ McCarron, Memphis Showboats Both Back

We interrupt the playoff chase to do a little throwback talk, as both a former Alabama quarterback and a professional franchise that many Alabama Crimson Tide fans were familiar with have re-emerged in the football world.

We'll start with the player.

Dwayne Johnson has been saying “Don’t call it a comeback” for the XFL, but that's exactly what AJ McCarron is trying to do in the XFL 3.0, which is set to return shortly after the Super Bowl is played.

Earlier this week, McCarron was drafted by the St. Louis Battlehawks, where he will compete with former Virginia Tech quarterback Ryan Willis to be the starting quarterback.

McCarron is 32. The three-year starter at Alabama from 2011-13 was selected in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft and spent four seasons as a backup with the Cincinnati Bengals. He's also had a cup of coffee with the Bills, Raiders, Texans and Falcons.

For his NFL career, McCarron's played in 17 games and completed 109 of 174 attempts for 1,173 yards, with six touchdowns and no interceptions.

However, he hasn't played in the NFL since Aug. 21, 2021, when he tore the ACL in his right knee during a Falcons preseason game.

"AJ brings us a championship pedigree," Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht said. "He has seven years of NFL experience as a starting and backup quarterback. Unfortunately, A.J. battled through several injuries during that time which limited him from playing additional games.

"I feel like his time is now. A.J. will bring a very high football IQ, great leadership qualities, and invaluable experience to the St. Louis Battlehawks team."

A lot of times when quarterbacks feel like they never really got a chance to really show what they can do in the NFL there's a lingering "What if?" itch that never seems to go away. Here's hoping that at minimum McCarron can scratch it.

Also selected this week were offensive lineman Chris Owens by the Seattle Sea Dragons, defensive lineman Joshua Frazier by the Orlando Guardians (although he's listed as an offensive lineman), linebacker Ben Davis by the San Antonio Brahmas, long-snapper Thomas Fletcher by the Sea Dragons, and Maurice Smith by the Vegas Vipers. 

The draft was primarily done by positions, so it didn't follow the traditional round-by-round process. Players who participated in the USFL last year remain under contract to that league, so were not available.

Speaking of the USFL, the Memphis Showboats have officially risen and will again play at Liberty Stadium. The league announced the inaugural game will be played on April 16, 2023.

“We’re home,” USFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Daryl Johnston said when making the announcement.

After the then eight-team league played nearly every game of the 2022 season in Birmingham, Memphis is the first addition to the league. Or should we say re-addition.

Of course the original Showboats entered the USFL in 1984 and made the playoffs in 1985. The two names that stood out on the roster were sack king Reggie White and, ironically, future professional wrestler Lex Luger.

The initial owner was Crimson Tide booster Logan Young, who, in 2005, was found guilty in federal court of conspiracy to commit racketeering, crossing state lines to commit racketeering, and arranging bank withdrawals to cover up a crime in regards to a recruiting scandal.

He died at home in 2006 while appealing the conviction. Local officials ruled that he bled out after hitting his head at the end of a fall on his staircase, while on a blood-thinner medication.

One can't help but believe he'd be thrilled to see the Showboats back on the field. 

What to Make of Joshua Primo's Fall

It's difficult for Crimson Tide fans to have a strong opinion on what happened to former basketball player Joshua Primo, especially since the reason he was released by the San Antonio Spurs on Oct. 28 wasn't initially disclosed, and the details may now never be fully known.

Earlier this month, a former psychologist for the Spurs, Dr. Hillary Cauthen, sued the team and Primo for indecent exposure incidents she claims San Antonio ignored and attempted to cover up. She also filed a criminal complaint against the former Crimson Tide standout.

However, on Thursday, an agreement between all sides was reached, apparently closing the issue legally.

Specifically, the Spurs, Primo and Cauthen “agreed to resolve” Cauthen’s lawsuits against the franchise and former player, as Primo was waived and has yet to sign with another professional team.

The terms of the agreement(s) were not disclosed.

Spurs CEO RC Buford released a statement Thursday saying that the situation was “a matter we take seriously,” and that the organization has ensured that all parties were treated with dignity and respect.

“As an organization, we are continuously evaluating and refining our processes so they ultimately reflect the values and culture of who we aspire to be every day,” Buford’s statement said. “To that end, we have decided to collaborate with Dr. Cauthen and other experts in an effort to review and improve our workplace processes and procedures.

"This is a learning opportunity for us, and one that we are certain will make us better moving forward.”

Cauthen said in her suit that Primo repeatedly exposed his genitals to her during their individual private sessions. His attorney, William J. Briggs II, responded and said in a statement that his client “never intentionally exposed himself to her or anyone else.”

So where does that leave Primo?

Probably with another team when some of the dust settles. He's still only 19 years old.

After a stellar performance in the NBA combine, which made him a lottery pick, the 6-foot-6 guard/forward was the No. 12 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. With it came a four-year contract worth $18.4 million.

The team had just picked up the $4.3 million 2023-24 option when Primo was suddenly released.

Consequently, for another NBA team to claim Primo it would need to have the necessary room under the salary cap, in this case be able to absorb his $4.1 million salary this season plus owe him the $4.3 million for 2023-24.

In other words, they'd have to make a $8.4 million commitment. That's a pretty expensive gamble.

Primo averaged 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 50 games as a rookie, and also played some with franchise's G-League team in Austin last year. He played in just four games this season and averaged 7.0 points.

Dr. Cauthen was contracted with the Spurs beginning in September 2021 and first reported Primo to team management in January. Per the suit, she filed “numerous complaints” with the team’s leadership about the alleged sexual misconduct.

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said he could not comment on when he was first informed about Primo's alleged behavior and what decision/actions may have been taken because it had become a legal matter.

"I would only add that anybody that has observed the Spurs over a very long period of time knows that an accusation like this would be taken very seriously, without any doubt whatsoever," Popovich said. "No equivocation, the Spurs organization would be on top of it. I am absolutely confident that the men and women on the managerial staff that dealt with and are dealing with this did so purposefully, efficiently, promptly and did it with the utmost care for everybody concerned, the accuser, the accused, the people in the organization, to make sure that everybody still felt comfortable and safe. I'll just leave my comments at that."

As someone who has dealt with the organization and the coach in the past, I can vouch for that reputation. Popovich doesn't get enough credit for being outspoken for social causes and being in the corner of his players.

But the franchise is out a first-round pick, a player it had invested in for the future. It might think twice about drafting a project so young for a while.

We'll have to wait and see the long-term impact with Primo, who at one point released a statement saying he was dealing with mental health issues and was stepping away from the game for a while. Moreover, he's no longer part of an organization that has an outstanding record for developing talent.

And fans are left with a non-feel good story, or at least a disappointing one that's going to feel kind of weird for a while. 

Is Alabama Basketball Playing the Real Game of the Week on Thanksgiving?

The men's basketball team already knew that it would be facing its first strong test of the 2022-23 season at next week's Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Ore.

It's looking even tougher, now.

When Alabama plays in the nightcap game on Thanksgiving, set to tip off at 9:30 p.m. CT, it'll face Michigan State in the first round.

Tuesday night, the Spartans stunned No. 4 Kentucky in the Champions Classic, 86-77.

Joey Hauser, a fifth-year transfer from Marquette, led the Spartans with 23 points and added eight rebounds. He was 8-for-16 from the floor, including 4-for-7 from 3-point range.

It's an interesting matchup. Tom Izzo's team has a terrific transition defense and a lot of toughness and poise, but not a lot of depth.

The Spartans also played in the Armed Forces Classic on the USS Abraham Lincoln, where they lost to No. 2 Gonzaga at the buzzer, 64-63. They also host Villanova this Friday at the Breslin Center for those who want to do their own own scouting.

If organizers could redraw the brackets for the eight-team tournament they probably would because one these teams is going to end up traveling across the country just to end up in the consolation bracket. Granted, the field is so strong the games would still be interesting, but obviously it wouldn't be the same.

Of note, before Michigan State upset Kentucky, SportsBetting.ag had North Carolina as the Phil Knight Invitational favorite at +135, with Alabama and UConn second at +500, and Villanova fourth at +525. Michigan State was listed sixth at +1000, after Oregon.

After the Spartans pulled off the upset, the odds changed to North Carolina +160, Michigan State +350, and Alabama +525.

Tide-Bits

• Circle Dec. 5 on the calendar, it's when the transfer portal will open. It's the morning after the Alabama football team banquet, and two days following the SEC Championship Game.

• Per his contract, Nick Saban will be getting a $100,000 bonus and the football program hit the required mark with its APR score and the recently released NCAA Graduation Success Rate of 89 percent. That's among the top four of SEC football teams (tied for third with South Carolina, behind Florida and Vanderbilt.

Also of note from the NCAA, the overall single-year Graduation Success Rate for Division I student-athletes held steady at 90 percent, the highest rate recorded. Over the past 20 years, Black student-athlete graduation rates have increased from 56 percent to 81 percent. Hispanic/Latinx rates went from 64 percent to 88 percent.

• If the 12-team College Football Playoff was already being used, based on the selection committee's rankings eight-seeded Alabama would host Clemson in the first round, with the winner facing top-seeded Georgia.

Meanwhile, the BCS computers (remember them?) don't see eye-to eye with the CFP rankings by the selection committee when it comes to Alabama. The computers have the same top five of Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, TCU and Tennessee. But then they have the Crimson Tide sixth, ahead of LSU and Southern California.

Did You Notice?

• Mississippi State coach Mike Leach was asked on the weekly SEC coaches teleconference with media how he would grade officiating this season. Leach called it a ridiculous question and added: ‘You go ahead and mail me a check. I think $30K will cover it. You go ahead and mail me the check, and I'll give you one heck of an answer.’”

• Vanderbilt, Florida, Georgia and Pittsburgh are the latest programs to partner with the NFL on a $60M concussion study which utilizes data from mouthguard sensors worn by players who voluntarily participate.

• Sports Illustrated had previously reported this, but SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey reiterated this week that the league is leaning heavily at going to a single division. The four-team pod system is no longer being significantly considered.

Please Be Thankful

As we head into the holiday season, please take a moment to think about what happened at Virginia, where a deadly campus shooting took the lives of three football players: wide receivers Lavel Davis Jr. and Devin Chandler and linebacker D’Sean Perry, while running back Michael Hollis in critical condition in a Charlottesville hospital.

Virginia has canceled Saturday’s football game against visiting Coastal Carolina,

No decision has been made on the Cavaliers’ scheduled Nov. 26 game at Virginia Tech, which not too long ago had its own horrific campus shooting with 32 people murdered, 17 wounded and six more injured from jumping out of windows to try and get away from the shooter in 2007.

You also may want to check out the outstanding coverage by Sports Illustrated‘s Ross Dellenger including the following.

• ‘I Walked Into a Nightmare:’ Mike Hollins’s Mother Recounts UVA Shooting Aftermath
• After an Unspeakable Tragedy, UVA Students Are Left With One Question: Why?
• Thousands of Students Gather for On-Campus Vigil to Honor Shooting Victims
• Three Football Players Dead in University of Virginia Shooting

There's also the story of former Alabama center Ryan Kelly and his wife Emma, who was 19 weeks pregnant they los their baby daughter. They're now trying to help others who may have gone through something similar.

All our best to Kelly and his family. 

Get your Crimson Tide tickets from SI Tickets HERE.