Tide Tidbits – December 24, 2009

Texas’ Mack Brown a longtime Crimson Tide admirer
As the younger half of one of Tennessee high school football’s most storied brother duos, Mack Brown always dreamed of playing for a national championship as a college football player. And as he came of age in the 1960s South, he couldn’t help but be aware of the championship tradition of Paul “Bear” Bryant and the University of Alabama. “Alabama has always been my favorite school,” Mack Brown said. “Coach Donahue came in and recruited Watson and I. I remember Coach Bryant telling Watson he would be an All-American quarterback if he came to Alabama. Mal (Moore, Alabama athletic director) was the offensive coordinator at that time, and we both just loved it. Coach (Jim) Goostree and Coach Donahue came to the house for (recruiting) visits. When Watson went to Vanderbilt, my family and I felt like I needed to follow my brother and be with him. But the University of Alabama is just a tremendous school. It is what the Southeastern Conference was (all) about when I was growing up.” [More]

Florida State and Oklahoma sign up for Pacific Institute classes used by Crimson Tide
Alabama’s return as a national football power means good business for many offshoots — even the mental-conditioning industry. The Pacific Institute, a Seattle-based international company that has conducted mental conditioning classes for Crimson Tide players since the spring of 2008, branched out to other teams thanks to Alabama’s success and Nick Saban’s connections. Antowaine Richardson, a Pacific Institute instructor, said the company started working with Florida State this season thanks to Saban’s relationship with head-coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher. Oklahoma will begin working with the Pacific Institute after this season. “(Oklahoma coach) Bob Stoops’ words to me were, ‘I want exactly what Alabama got,’” Richardson said. [More]

Forbes: Texas Most Valuable Team, Alabama Is #5
The Texas Longhorns are the most valuable football team in college sports. Forbes magazine says Texas has a team value of $119 million, easily topping Notre Dame, last year’s leader, by $11 million. The magazine based its rankings on “dividend money,” or what’s left for academics (including football scholarships) and non-revenue sports after the cost of running the football program. Bowl game revenue also is factored in. Rounding out the first 10 in Forbes’ Top 20 list are Penn State, Nebraska, Alabama, Florida, LSU, Ohio State, Georgia and Oklahoma. [More]

Tough Rhode for McElroy
Not too many Rhodes Scholars show up at the University of Oxford with a Southeastern Conference Championship ring on their finger. Greg McElroy may yet get the chance. The University of Alabama’s starting quarterback has been encouraged by UA faculty to apply, and said he will do so next year for acceptance into the 2011 Rhodes Scholar class. Had he applied for the 2010 class and been accepted, he would have been faced with choosing between one of the world’s most prestigeous academic opportunities and his final year as a starting quarterback for the Crimson Tide. And after waiting three years for the latter, he wasn’t about to put himself in that position. “I didn’t want to apply and miss a year of football if I was picked,” said McElroy, who has made an ‘A’ in every class he has taken at UA except one. [More]

Bowl game payout a boon for coaches, University
The payout for the BCS National Championship Game is expected to exceed $15.5 million for each team, but in reality the University of Alabama will be paid just less than $2 million — plus travel expenses — above the allotment received by other Southeastern Conference schools once the money is distributed. UA will receive a check for $1.925 million off the top of the BCS payout, according to Charles Bloom, the SEC’s associate commissioner for media relations. The rest of the revenue from the game will be split into 13 shares to be distributed equally among the 12 member institutions and the SEC office, which also gets a share. SEC schools share revenue from bowls, television and other income under the league’s operating agreement. Head coach Nick Saban has already earned $350,000 in bonuses — $125,000 for winning the SEC Championship Game, $25,000 for being named SEC Coach of the Year and another $200,000 for taking Alabama to a BCS bowl. The biggest assistant coaching bonus — $78,000 — will go to offensive line coach Joe Pendry. Offensive coordinator Jim McElwain and defensive coordinator Kirby Smart will both receive $72,000 bonuses. [More]

Saban wants Tide to focus on Texas
Nick Saban knows it’s out of his control, but he wishes people would stop asking No. 1 Alabama’s players about the national championship.
That’s one of those external things he calls “clutter,” things like the Crimson Tide’s first Heisman Trophy, the Butkus Award, the six first-team All-Americans and the Southeastern Conference title.
And the biggest piece of potential clutter of all: The Tide’s Jan. 7 date with No. 2 Texas in Pasadena, Calif., for the BCS national championship. “I’m not worried about winning the national championship and I don’t want our players to worry about it either,” Saban shot back at a reporter Monday. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t ask them although I know you will. “What I want our players to focus on is playing our best football and assume they’re going to be playing against the best football team they’ve ever played.” [More]

Five Reasons Why Alabama Can’t Lose the BCS Championship Game with Texas
During the next 15 days, the press will give you thousands of reasons why this could be such a close game or that Texas has a good chance to beat Alabama. Here are the top five reasons they’ll lose in no particular order. 1.) They have not played a team with such team speed on defense. 2.) Texas’ defense is a paper tiger ready to be exposed. 3.) A close game won’t be in Texas’ best interest. 4.) Alabama simply has more play makers. 5.) Confidence, not cockiness is the last reason Alabama wins this game. [More]

Roll Tide!

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