July 19, 2024 • 11 mins
Coaches Pre-Season Poll, do we agree or disagree with the rankings?Nick Saban gets the field named after him in Alabama! PLus we hear from Kalvin Banks on where hes not looking forward to playing this year.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Nick Saban has done essentially everything acoach can do, won national championships and
multiple schools, most famously at Alabama, multiple tens of players in the NFL.
I think I saw a stat theother day that it was I think
he has the most NFL players inthe league since taking over the Alabama job,
(00:23):
which that makes complete sense. Andnow his name will be on the
field as well as today Alabama renamestheir playing field at Bryant Denny Stadium after
one Nick Saban. Now. Earlierin the show, I did the entire
breakdown of Saban's career how this isby far the most deserving coach to have
(00:45):
his name on a field that whathe did at Alabama will never be recreated.
It was impossible to think that anybodycould tie Barb Bryant's record of national
championships at Alabama, and I wouldargue that Saban did is even more impressive
because while Bear Bryant is one ofthe greats in college football history, what
(01:07):
Saban did in age of social media, of nil deals, of expanded playoffs,
of the BCS, of actually playinga national championship and not just taking
shares of a national championship, ofnot having writers vote on national championships.
What Saban did in his seventeen yearsin Alabama, compiling a two hundred and
(01:29):
six and twenty nine record while winningsix national championships and nine SEC titles will
be never recreated and seven national titlesat all most all time, won more
than Paul bear Bryant. You rememberhe won a national championship at LSU as
well. Now, Brian Denny Stadium. This is what caught my interest because
(01:52):
I didn't I wanted to get thisstat right. I didn't know if for
a fact, but here it isnow. It was constructed in nineteen twenty
nine and was named Denny Stadium afterformer university president George Denny. Then the
state legislature in nineteen seventy five renamedthe stadium in honor of bear Bryant,
who had won two hundred and thirtytwo games and six national titles in twenty
(02:15):
five years with the Crimson tie.Now, look, I kind of under
I understand why Saban decided to stepdown and decided to retire, and now
he's a median member, which isinteresting to me. The lines between being
a media member and still having influenceon your university is very interesting if you
(02:37):
see the two different coaches, thetwo iconic coaches of college athletics. Coach
k on one hand, still isvery much involved with duke basketball. He's
still I think, has his fingerin the putting a little bit. Roy
Williams the same way at UNC,and Saban kind of appears at least has
taken a step back and has decidedto now be a media member. I
(03:00):
guarantee you it pays probably a littlebit better than deciding than just another member
of the not Alabama coaching chap butthe Alabama athletic front office. He will
forever never have to pay for ameal in Tuscaloosa. That's just how it
goes. And we've talked at nauseumabout what the best jobs in college athletics
(03:24):
are. The best job in collegeathletics, of course, is a failed
college football coach who gets paid notto come to work anymore. We're looking
at you, Jimbo Fisher. Thesecond best job in college athletics is to
be a Nick Saban, because whenyou are the local legend, when you
are a coach k when you area Nick Saban, and now when you
(03:46):
are a Kirby Smart, a laneKiff and a Steve Starkesian, you are
the toast of the town. Austin, Texas is unique. I see them
on list all the time about howthey are one of the best college towns
in America, which I think isa fair point. I think that UT
has one of the most beautiful campuseson the planet, and it's probably fair
(04:06):
to say it's one of the bestcollege towns. But because of how quickly
Austin has kind of grown up aroundUT, it has lost a little,
at least for me, has losta little bit of the luster of being
in college what a true college townis, which means the entire city revolves
around the university. When you goto Tuscaloosa, it's a nice place.
(04:28):
But Alabama is the I believe thisis true. I know it was at
least a couple of years ago.It's the number one employer in that city,
like Alabama employs the most amount ofpeople in Tuscaloosa. Now again,
I don't know if that's still incurrent trend in twenty twenty four, but
I know pre pandemic that was thecase. Other college challens that you go
(04:49):
and look at, like when youare the head coach of the football team.
When you're a successful head coach ofa basketball team. I imagine Calipari
is going to do this at inFayetteville for Arkansas. Now, when you
are the premier, the face ofthe program, type of coach, the
(05:09):
legend walking around, when you ownthe town, there's not a better job
than that. And like I said, the only issue I have, the
only problem I currently have with theway that the situation has been set up
for Nick Saban. As he getshis name on the field, it's going
to be Saban Field at Bryan DennyStadium. The only issue I have is
(05:33):
it's kind of a long name.It's kind of long to say Saban Field
at Bryant Denny Stadium. I understandyou want to give credit to a person
who is important for the Alabama GeorgeDenny. I understand that you want to
(05:53):
give him some credit here, andI understand that you want to keep Bear
Bryant's name on the stadium too.I just wish that we could just call
it Staban Stadium, because it justwould it just would roll off the tongue
a little bit nicer. It justwould feel a little bit better, at
least to me. I think thatthat's not a bad a bad name.
(06:13):
If we're gonna have to rename somethingother news, I want to put this
out here, the preseason media pollpredicted by the SEC writers. Now this
was something that was voted on duringSEC media Day. Your top five teams
make a ton of sense. ButI'm going to go through them all for
you. We didn't do this earlier. We're going to go through all of
(06:33):
them for you. Picked last isVanderbilt. Now, two knuckleheads voted Vanderbilt
to win the SEC. I imaginethat those are two guys that probably will
not get to vote for an SECmedia poll again. Vanderbilt number sixteen,
Mississippi State fifteen, Arkansas fourteen.We're gonna get some audio here in a
moment from a UT player talking aboutArkansas and the atmosphere for what is most
(06:59):
under rated rivalry for UT coming intothe SEC number thirteen, South Carolina,
number twelve, Florida number eleven,Kentucky number ten, Alburn and barely cracking
the top ten Texas A and Min the media poll, Texas A and
M voted ninth going into this yearmakes a lot of sense. Underperformed new
(07:21):
head coach Tough schedule. I getwhy they're number nine, barely ahead of
Texas A and M, another rivalof the Longhorns, Oklahoma eight. I
do not imagine that three years ago, when it was announced that UT and
Oklahoma were leaving for the SEC.I do not imagine that Sooner fans thought
that they would be picked number eight, joining the conference at number seven tennessee
(07:46):
a lot of conflict right now aboutwho is the real UT. This is
what we get before we get anactual football game. Play knuckleheads on X
arguing about about who is the realUT. This is one of the worst
arguments in college athletics. I don'tunderstand why it matters at number six Missouri.
Interesting the Missouri has picked as highas they are at number five LSU.
(08:11):
Now this is where we really crackinto the I could see this team
winning the SEC this season. There'sfive teams that realistically have a shot and
winning the SEC, and four ofthem are in the SEC West. Number
five, LSU, number four Oldmiss They're the child, the darling child.
(08:33):
This is a team coached by LaneKiffin that for the last two years
people have been swap silently murdering tothemselves and to others. Hey, I
really like what they're building over thereat Old Miss that the ReBs have a
chance to. I'm not going tosay takeover the power of acking that Nick
Saban has left. I don't imaginethat Lane Kiffen turns Old Miss into what
(08:54):
Nick Saban did to Alabama. Butif you told me that Old Miss is
playing in the playoffs this year,I wouldn't be shocked. Ole Miss voted
at number four, number three Alabama. Interesting after playing for an SEC title
just a year after winning the SECtitle just a year ago and Saban's last
(09:16):
year and then going to the playoffsand losing to Michigan, Alabama brings back
a lot of talent new head coach. They're voted three, number two the
University of Texas and at number oneGeorgia, now predicted SEC championship game.
Georgia and Texas to These two teamswill be playing in Austin later this year
(09:37):
in October, and our excellent producerCole made sure to remind me that is
not only it is not only GeorgiaWeekend, it is also f one at
Circuit of America's So if you havea ticket to either of those events,
I would try to find an Airbnbor a hotel as close to the stadium
(09:58):
as possible, as close to thevent as possible, because traffic already a
nightmare in Austin, Texas will beFreddy Krueger type nightmare. It's going to
be completely awful. I do notenvy anybody who can get out of the
city on those two days. Now, I also but I do envy those
who are able to see the game. So SEC media predicts that Georgia beats
(10:18):
Texas in the SEC Championship game,which essentially would mean that Texas will be
in the playoffs in year number onein the SEC, which to me is
a ginormous win playing for an SECtitle in year one under or in year
one in the SEC, year onefor the Longhorns in the best conference in
(10:39):
football under Sarkisian. Huge win.Now here's a quote from yesterday. This
is Calvin Banks, who talked toHarje and Craig earlier this week right here
on the program. He talked aboutthe worst crowd he faced in the SEC
and why it was the Razorbacks.Who do you think would be the worst
(11:05):
crowd to really have to endure?How what you've heard because I know y'all
tell us playing a player, wewould have heard Arkansas. It's pretty crazy.
Yeah, if we would have heardwhen they went down there in the
first year and played them, theirfans are pretty well so I can't wait
too. I can't wait to getthere. Seriously, I am so excited
for the Arkansas Texas game. Morethe Craig Waite Show coming up after the
(11:28):
break right here on sports Radio AMthirteen hundred The Zone
Nick Saban has done essentially everything acoach can do, won national championships and
multiple schools, most famously at Alabama, multiple tens of players in the NFL.
I think I saw a stat theother day that it was I think
he has the most NFL players inthe league since taking over the Alabama job,
(00:23):
which that makes complete sense. Andnow his name will be on the
field as well as today Alabama renamestheir playing field at Bryant Denny Stadium after
one Nick Saban. Now. Earlierin the show, I did the entire
breakdown of Saban's career how this isby far the most deserving coach to have
(00:45):
his name on a field that whathe did at Alabama will never be recreated.
It was impossible to think that anybodycould tie Barb Bryant's record of national
championships at Alabama, and I wouldargue that Saban did is even more impressive
because while Bear Bryant is one ofthe greats in college football history, what
(01:07):
Saban did in age of social media, of nil deals, of expanded playoffs,
of the BCS, of actually playinga national championship and not just taking
shares of a national championship, ofnot having writers vote on national championships.
What Saban did in his seventeen yearsin Alabama, compiling a two hundred and
(01:29):
six and twenty nine record while winningsix national championships and nine SEC titles will
be never recreated and seven national titlesat all most all time, won more
than Paul bear Bryant. You rememberhe won a national championship at LSU as
well. Now, Brian Denny Stadium. This is what caught my interest because
(01:52):
I didn't I wanted to get thisstat right. I didn't know if for
a fact, but here it isnow. It was constructed in nineteen twenty
nine and was named Denny Stadium afterformer university president George Denny. Then the
state legislature in nineteen seventy five renamedthe stadium in honor of bear Bryant,
who had won two hundred and thirtytwo games and six national titles in twenty
(02:15):
five years with the Crimson tie.Now, look, I kind of under
I understand why Saban decided to stepdown and decided to retire, and now
he's a median member, which isinteresting to me. The lines between being
a media member and still having influenceon your university is very interesting if you
(02:37):
see the two different coaches, thetwo iconic coaches of college athletics. Coach
k on one hand, still isvery much involved with duke basketball. He's
still I think, has his fingerin the putting a little bit. Roy
Williams the same way at UNC,and Saban kind of appears at least has
taken a step back and has decidedto now be a media member. I
(03:00):
guarantee you it pays probably a littlebit better than deciding than just another member
of the not Alabama coaching chap butthe Alabama athletic front office. He will
forever never have to pay for ameal in Tuscaloosa. That's just how it
goes. And we've talked at nauseumabout what the best jobs in college athletics
(03:24):
are. The best job in collegeathletics, of course, is a failed
college football coach who gets paid notto come to work anymore. We're looking
at you, Jimbo Fisher. Thesecond best job in college athletics is to
be a Nick Saban, because whenyou are the local legend, when you
are a coach k when you area Nick Saban, and now when you
(03:46):
are a Kirby Smart, a laneKiff and a Steve Starkesian, you are
the toast of the town. Austin, Texas is unique. I see them
on list all the time about howthey are one of the best college towns
in America, which I think isa fair point. I think that UT
has one of the most beautiful campuseson the planet, and it's probably fair
(04:06):
to say it's one of the bestcollege towns. But because of how quickly
Austin has kind of grown up aroundUT, it has lost a little,
at least for me, has losta little bit of the luster of being
in college what a true college townis, which means the entire city revolves
around the university. When you goto Tuscaloosa, it's a nice place.
(04:28):
But Alabama is the I believe thisis true. I know it was at
least a couple of years ago.It's the number one employer in that city,
like Alabama employs the most amount ofpeople in Tuscaloosa. Now again,
I don't know if that's still incurrent trend in twenty twenty four, but
I know pre pandemic that was thecase. Other college challens that you go
(04:49):
and look at, like when youare the head coach of the football team.
When you're a successful head coach ofa basketball team. I imagine Calipari
is going to do this at inFayetteville for Arkansas. Now, when you
are the premier, the face ofthe program, type of coach, the
(05:09):
legend walking around, when you ownthe town, there's not a better job
than that. And like I said, the only issue I have, the
only problem I currently have with theway that the situation has been set up
for Nick Saban. As he getshis name on the field, it's going
to be Saban Field at Bryan DennyStadium. The only issue I have is
(05:33):
it's kind of a long name.It's kind of long to say Saban Field
at Bryant Denny Stadium. I understandyou want to give credit to a person
who is important for the Alabama GeorgeDenny. I understand that you want to
(05:53):
give him some credit here, andI understand that you want to keep Bear
Bryant's name on the stadium too.I just wish that we could just call
it Staban Stadium, because it justwould it just would roll off the tongue
a little bit nicer. It justwould feel a little bit better, at
least to me. I think thatthat's not a bad a bad name.
(06:13):
If we're gonna have to rename somethingother news, I want to put this
out here, the preseason media pollpredicted by the SEC writers. Now this
was something that was voted on duringSEC media Day. Your top five teams
make a ton of sense. ButI'm going to go through them all for
you. We didn't do this earlier. We're going to go through all of
(06:33):
them for you. Picked last isVanderbilt. Now, two knuckleheads voted Vanderbilt
to win the SEC. I imaginethat those are two guys that probably will
not get to vote for an SECmedia poll again. Vanderbilt number sixteen,
Mississippi State fifteen, Arkansas fourteen.We're gonna get some audio here in a
moment from a UT player talking aboutArkansas and the atmosphere for what is most
(06:59):
under rated rivalry for UT coming intothe SEC number thirteen, South Carolina,
number twelve, Florida number eleven,Kentucky number ten, Alburn and barely cracking
the top ten Texas A and Min the media poll, Texas A and
M voted ninth going into this yearmakes a lot of sense. Underperformed new
(07:21):
head coach Tough schedule. I getwhy they're number nine, barely ahead of
Texas A and M, another rivalof the Longhorns, Oklahoma eight. I
do not imagine that three years ago, when it was announced that UT and
Oklahoma were leaving for the SEC.I do not imagine that Sooner fans thought
that they would be picked number eight, joining the conference at number seven tennessee
(07:46):
a lot of conflict right now aboutwho is the real UT. This is
what we get before we get anactual football game. Play knuckleheads on X
arguing about about who is the realUT. This is one of the worst
arguments in college athletics. I don'tunderstand why it matters at number six Missouri.
Interesting the Missouri has picked as highas they are at number five LSU.
(08:11):
Now this is where we really crackinto the I could see this team
winning the SEC this season. There'sfive teams that realistically have a shot and
winning the SEC, and four ofthem are in the SEC West. Number
five, LSU, number four Oldmiss They're the child, the darling child.
(08:33):
This is a team coached by LaneKiffin that for the last two years
people have been swap silently murdering tothemselves and to others. Hey, I
really like what they're building over thereat Old Miss that the ReBs have a
chance to. I'm not going tosay takeover the power of acking that Nick
Saban has left. I don't imaginethat Lane Kiffen turns Old Miss into what
(08:54):
Nick Saban did to Alabama. Butif you told me that Old Miss is
playing in the playoffs this year,I wouldn't be shocked. Ole Miss voted
at number four, number three Alabama. Interesting after playing for an SEC title
just a year after winning the SECtitle just a year ago and Saban's last
(09:16):
year and then going to the playoffsand losing to Michigan, Alabama brings back
a lot of talent new head coach. They're voted three, number two the
University of Texas and at number oneGeorgia, now predicted SEC championship game.
Georgia and Texas to These two teamswill be playing in Austin later this year
(09:37):
in October, and our excellent producerCole made sure to remind me that is
not only it is not only GeorgiaWeekend, it is also f one at
Circuit of America's So if you havea ticket to either of those events,
I would try to find an Airbnbor a hotel as close to the stadium
(09:58):
as possible, as close to thevent as possible, because traffic already a
nightmare in Austin, Texas will beFreddy Krueger type nightmare. It's going to
be completely awful. I do notenvy anybody who can get out of the
city on those two days. Now, I also but I do envy those
who are able to see the game. So SEC media predicts that Georgia beats
(10:18):
Texas in the SEC Championship game,which essentially would mean that Texas will be
in the playoffs in year number onein the SEC, which to me is
a ginormous win playing for an SECtitle in year one under or in year
one in the SEC, year onefor the Longhorns in the best conference in
(10:39):
football under Sarkisian. Huge win.Now here's a quote from yesterday. This
is Calvin Banks, who talked toHarje and Craig earlier this week right here
on the program. He talked aboutthe worst crowd he faced in the SEC
and why it was the Razorbacks.Who do you think would be the worst
(11:05):
crowd to really have to endure?How what you've heard because I know y'all
tell us playing a player, wewould have heard Arkansas. It's pretty crazy.
Yeah, if we would have heardwhen they went down there in the
first year and played them, theirfans are pretty well so I can't wait
too. I can't wait to getthere. Seriously, I am so excited
for the Arkansas Texas game. Morethe Craig Waite Show coming up after the
(11:28):
break right here on sports Radio AMthirteen hundred The Zone
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