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The University of Alabama football program had more than talent that led it to national championships in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, and 2020 under Nick Saban.
Those teams believed in a code of brotherhood that bonded players together and held each other accountable. In the years where the Crimson Tide did not win a championship, people wonder if the credo was taken seriously by everyone in the program.
This year’s team has returned the hunger of wanting to know the BPsi Phi credo and abide by it.
A few months ago, a few alums from Alabama football came in and taught the younger players the credo. Everyone in the facility got excited as they chanted the creed with energy and enthusiasm. Coach Saban has a team that’s bought into playing together and having one focus. It adopted the “LANK” mindset of Jalen Milroe (quarterback) and Terrion Arnold (cornerback). Alabama has been letting all naysayers know to a Southeastern Conference Championship, and it is back in the College Football Playoff.
Few months ago, we had former football players that started BPsi Phi to come and teach younger players about the brotherhood. As a result, it brought a close family closer through Blood, Sweat, Tears. #BPsiPhi 4 life. pic.twitter.com/bV1jcD9vBf
— Alabama A-Club (@AlabamaAClub) December 22, 2023
The Crimson Tide looks to continue its push to a national title versus Michigan in the Rose Bowl.
Both schools will face each other on New Year’s Day in Pasadena, Calif.
More must-reads:
- 15 schools that can throw a wrench in the College Football Playoff
- Sean Payton's take about Broncos' Super Bowl chances should raise eyebrows
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The Big 12 is a Power 4 conference in name only
When it comes to the Power 4 conferences in major college football, there is one conference that isn't like the others. No, it's not the SEC or the Big Ten. It's the Big 12, and the difference between that league and the rest is the ability to win at the highest level of college football. The Big Ten has won the last two college football national championships. Before that, the SEC won four in a row. Since the inception of the College Football Playoff, the SEC has won six national championships, followed by the Big Ten with three and the ACC with two. The Big 12 has zero. The league hasn't had a team reach the national championship game, and based on current trends, it's not likely to anytime soon. To put it bluntly, there isn't a single national title contender in the entire conference, unless something crazy happens. Bud Elliott of CBS Sports released the "Blue-Chip Ratio," a list of teams that Elliott says "can actually win the national championship." In what Elliott calls the "modern" era of college football, no team has ever won a national championship with a blue-chip ratio (percentage of four and five-star recruits on a roster) below 50 percent. Michigan won with a 54 percent blue-chip ratio in 2023. Clemson was at 52 percent in 2016. Last season, Ohio State's number was 90 percent. The number can vary. Having an elite quarterback is essential. So are culture and development. But no program has won a national championship in this era without more than 50 percent of the roster being made up of blue-chip recruits. According to Elliott, transfers don't move the needle. High school recruiting is the name of the game, and on that front, the Big 12 just can't compete. 18 teams were rated by Elliott, citing the 247 Sports composite ranking, as having the minimum talent required to win the national championship this season. Not a single one resides in the Big 12. Here's a quote from Elliott that explains perfectly how college football's Power 4 is actually a Power 3. "The Big 12 is nowhere close. I thought this was interesting, considering the recent playoff model floated where the Big 12 and ACC are given two auto-bids each. Texas Tech could get there in three or four cycles if it continues to spend like crazy. The Big 12 likes to argue that it is the deepest league, but it has zero national title contenders." That's what happens when you put together a league without a single elite program. Kansas State, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona State are nice programs, but they aren't blue-bloods. This is the collection of teams left at the altar that weren't big enough brands for the other three, and it's painfully obvious. There is a lot of talk about how the Big Ten and SEC are head-and-shoulders above the rest of college football. But there should be more conversation about how the Big 12 is a Power 4 conference in college football in name only.
Bills GM says James Cook decision was 'disappointing'
On Monday, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane responded to James Cook's decision not to practice with the team on Sunday. Cook, who had been practicing with the Bills through training camp until that point amid contract negotiations, told ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg that he made a "business" decision not to practice with his teammates. During an appearance on WGR 550, Beane said the team did not know of Cook's plan until right before practice. He was disappointed that the situation deteriorated to a point where the star running back felt the need to miss a practice. "There's been constant communication between the two sides....at the end of the day I wish we weren't here," Beane said, via WGR's Sal Capaccio. "This is my ninth season and have never had a player miss practice due too a contract, so it's disappointing for me." Beane doesn't believe Cook's negotiations will cause a distraction in the locker room unless players "let it become" a distraction. The negotiations between the Bills and Cook could continue past training camp. "We'd love to keep him, but I have to make sure it all fits under an umbrella, not in a silo... If we don't get something done now it doesn't mean we can't before (Cook) becomes a free agent," Beane said. Cook is looking for a $15 million per year deal after earning his second consecutive Pro Bowl appearance and earning the NFL rushing touchdowns co-leader (tied with Derrick Henry and Jahmyr Gibbs with 16) in 2024. Beane said he isn't taking a hard line on not paying Cook because he's a running back, saying the Bills want to sign him at the "sweet spot." The Bills need the "sweet spot" to come sooner rather than later. It's common for teams to deal with sit-outs and holdouts during the preseason. What Buffalo doesn't want is a distraction during the regular season or postseason, and that could be where this is headed.
Aaron Boone addresses Alex Rodriguez’s criticism of Yankees
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone responded Sunday, one day after Alex Rodriguez suggested his team lacks discipline and accountability. On FOX’s MLB pregame show Saturday, Rodriguez questioned the “accountability” of the Yankees after Boone did not pull Jazz Chisholm from Saturday’s loss to Miami after the infielder made a brutal baserunning blunder. Rodriguez suggested that the Yankees do not face consequences for such mistakes, and that it has contributed to further errors. “If any one of us made a mistake, we would be sitting our butt right on the bench,” Rodriguez said. “I see mistake after mistake, and there’s no consequences.” Boone took issue with those remarks when asked about them on Sunday. He said he accepts that the Yankees will always face added scrutiny, but that he disagreed with the substance of Rodriguez’s remarks. “I would disagree a little bit with the accountability factor, but the reality is, we’re focused every day on being the best we can be,” Boone said, via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. “That’s how we have to do it. But I understand when it doesn’t happen, or we don’t have the record that I think we should have, or certainly people think we should have — that comes with the territory.” Boone is known for keeping things positive publicly, even when things are going poorly for the Yankees. That has led to some criticism from fans, who feel that he goes too easy on his players when they are underperforming. The team’s recent stretch of mediocre play combined with a lack of consequences for errors like Chisholm’s have reinforced those critiques. The Yankees lost again on Sunday and were swept by the Marlins, dropping them to 60-51 on the season. Until the team starts consistently winning again, Boone is going to hear more comments like Rodriguez’s.
Marlins troll Yankees with fitting song amid series sweep
The Miami Marlins turned to good ol’ Neil Diamond to clown on the New York Yankees during their impressive weekend triumph. Miami pulled off an improbable three-game series sweep of the Yankees on Sunday with a 7-3 win at LoanDepot Park in Miami. It marked the sixth consecutive series victory for the Marlins as well as their first-ever three-game sweep of the Yankees in franchise history. As Sunday’s game was nearing the end, the Marlins decided to have some fun. With the Yankees down to their last three outs entering the top of the ninth inning, “Sweet Caroline” began loudly playing inside the ballpark. Here is a video: Of course, “Sweet Caroline” is an anthem of the Boston Red Sox, the hated rivals of the Yankees. The song plays in the eighth inning of every game at Fenway Park. Fittingly enough, the 62-51 Red Sox are officially now ahead of the Yankees in the AL East standings (thanks to the Yankees’ brutal weekend against the Marlins putting them at 60-52). The Yankees only had themselves to blame for their poor weekend showing, piling on several more embarrassing mental mistakes during the series. As for the Marlins though, they are quickly looking like one of the best stories of the second half. After sitting at a dismal 25-41 in mid-June, Miami is suddenly a .500 team again at 55-55 and it has clawed to within 5.5 games back of a wild-card spot in the NL.
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