Anti-Barner

Really, prerich? What in the hell were you thinking referencing a freaking cartoon movie on an SEC football website?

Saban criticized the fans in the student section for leaving early against the small schools that were nothing more than padding for the Crimson Tide schedule and a paycheck for their opponents. There are few places better to be on game day than Tuscaloosa.

One thing about Penn State fans that I had relayed to me by a friend that went at College Station in 2011 is that their fans were overwhelmingly welcoming. Many invited Alabama fans to join them while tailgating and the reason most did so is because Alabama fans treated them so well the year before in Tuscaloosa. On the other hand, an Ole Miss alum that was at their contest with LSU in Baton Rouge this season was reminded why he had not gone down for a game in the bayou since he was in college. He said the fans were absolutely horrid. It is one thing to be a fan of your team and it is altogether another that disrespects every opponent's fans that come to town.

Both State and Ole Miss fans have every right to celebrate their new found success, but don't think they are going to reach the heights that the state of Alabama has for the past five years. Four national championships in five years with a runner-up last season all between Alabama and Auburn will never be matched by any other state. The only states that could come anywhere near such feats would be Florida and Texas. I give mad respect to Dan Mullen and Hugh Freeze, but this year is a fluke. And don't forget, we're only halfway through the season. MSU still has to face Alabama and the Rebels still have to face Auburn. You guys have every right to celebrate your ranking at week 8, but there is a lot of football left to be played!

Muschamp's job security will be mentioned far more than four times (and deservedly so). With the amount of pressure that the Alabama defensive line puts on a quarterback plus the success the Tide has with blitz packages plus Nick Saban's focus on defense backs (as a former DB himself) one would have to think that Wallace is going to have at least two picks and I think that the Alabama defense will rough him up for a fumble. Not that it is particularly interesting, but I think it is a safe bet that Vanderbilt and Gurley will combine for 4.

I have no real arguments with the insights revealed in this article, but when it comes to writing – remember your audience, Mr. Smith. SEC schools aren't necessarily known as academic pushovers in the grand scheme of things, but I do take umbrage with a single word in this article. That word would be erstwhile. I kindly ask that you not make me pull out my dictionary again this season.

I am a balls to the wall Alabama fan and truly enthusiastic about our chances for winning a national championship this year, but I am also the type of guy that focuses on experience as a major part of talent. Everyone seems to be completely sold on this Coker kid and he may very well be deserving of the accolades – after practice. He has not been tested under the pressure of controlling an entire game, the type of defenses he'll play in the SEC, and the intensity he will face as a quarterback in perhaps the most elite program in the country. Blake Sims is not a stereotypical quarterback in the Saban era (or, for that matter, in the history of Bama football), but he has more experience in games and at Alabama. I just find it a bit of a leap that everyone is on the Coker bandwagon before it has wheels. Hell, Yahoo Sports (which is usually a joke anyway) picked the Florida State transfer as the #11 most intriguing quarterback in college football on August 11.

I hate to say this about someone who has so much talent, but Johnny Manziel is not ready for the NFL. He has not shown the maturity away from the field to be able to handle the pressure cooker that is professional sports. I see him getting in a lot of trouble no matter where he lands professionally. I have kept up with him pretty close over the last two years and read just about every article written on him. What really stands out to me is the immaturity he showed to the writer of the GQ article last fall. I really hope it makes it as a quarterback, but I am far more concerned with him making it as a man.