All you need to know about last night's officiating come from Vanderbilt blog Anchor of Gold in their write-up of the game:

That reffing was...not great. Anthony Grant ripped into the referees with 12 minutes to play, unleashing a Darren McGavin-esque stream of profanities while doing everything in his power to keep the veins in his neck from exploding. Part of the frustration came from how his players were reacting on the court - but a big part of his rage came from the refs themselves.

Vanderbilt seemed to receive most of the 50/50 calls early in the game, and most questionable whistles sided with the Commodores in a contest that saw the crowd use plenty of sarcastic applause whenever the 'Dores were called for a foul (Vandy only had 12 in the game). This early advantage seemed to have taken a toll on the Tide, and it helped the team dig themselves a hole that they couldn't climb out of. Vanderbilt is a team that excels at getting to the free throw line, but many off-the-ball fouls and charges that could have been blocks seemed to go Vandy's way in Tuscaloosa.

He goes on to note that this was not the decisive factor in the game (true), but it certainly didn't hurt. As always, SEC officiating is the pits.

I've defended Alabama's signing practices in this space (and via Twitter), many times in the last few years. And, I've been repeatedly savaged for being a Nick Saban "apologist". I've always countered that there are things that trouble me about oversigning (most notably situations like what Les Miles did to Elliott Porter), but I felt that Nick Saban's "evilness" has been overstated, and he never has been the worst offender when it comes to the practice (coaches like Miles and Houston Nutt were undeniably worse).

All of this brings us to Justin Taylor. This is, at very least, an interesting kettle of fish.

I have been going to Alabama football games since 1983. I have been fortunate enough to only miss a half a dozen or so games (home and road) since 1998. I have now been present for Alabama winning three national championships. I feel confident in this next statement being more truth than hyperbole:

I have never seen a good football team be beaten so thoroughly and completely as Alabama whipped LSU on Monday night.

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The University of Alabama men's basketball team will host LSU on Wednesday night at Coleman Coliseum for its SEC home opener. While the Tigers will almost certainly outscore their football counterparts, Bama will look to continue an SEC home winning streak that saw the Tide go undefeated at home in conference last year. While Bama has fallen from the top 25 polls, the Tide is in good shape to make its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in six seasons.

Real life has intruded a bit on posting around here lately, and we're genuinely sorry. Nxojkt is already taken up camp in the French Quarter - mysteriously, his hotel apparently lacks soap. Seems like it's not something the locals expect in a lodging establishment...

I did get forwarded something pretty cool today - it's the new Nike promotion that previews the BCS game - and showcases two of Nike's flagship football teams: Alabama and LSU. It's a pretty awesome spot - in case you needed anything else to get you fired up for Monday's game.

Enjoy and Roll Tide! I'll be Tweeting once I get on the ground in NOLA (Sunday noonish) so, give me a follow.

The University of Alabama football team concluded its Tuscaloosa practices on Tuesday before heading to New Orleans on Wednesday. Bama is checked in to the New Orleans Marriott and the media onslaught will begin on Thursday. There has likely never been a more anticipated BCS Championship Game.

Here's what you need to know:

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This will likely be it for the practice reports prior to Christmas. Bama is expected to practice again on Friday before the players will be allowed to head home to see their families. The Tide has switched to full pads as it continues to prepare for its rematch with LSU in the BCS Championship Game. Because of cold weather, rain, and the fact that the game will be played inside, Bama has practiced in the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility.

Here's what you need to know:

The University of Alabama football team began its on-field preparations Monday for the rematch against LSU in the BCS Championship Game on January 9. The practice, held inside the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility, saw players practice in shells. It was the Tide's first practice in three weeks.

Here's what you need to know:

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Obviously, it's not something we're generally that pumped up about. But this time, it means rematch. As you no doubt know by now, on January 9, Alabama will play LSU in New Orleans for a dainty crystal football.

As an unabashed lover of all things New Orleans, I couldn't be more excited. In the coming days, we'll have breakdowns of the game (including a re-viewing of the last matchup), travel advice, and likely a discussion of nxojkt's newfound hate of purple.

I'll leave you with this quote about the 2011 Tide from Matt Hinton's Dr. Saturday at Yahoo.com:

Alabama bludgeoned its opponents by the widest margin of victory in the nation. Its seven SEC wins came by an average of 30 points apiece. Its closest win all season was 16 points, at Penn State, and it wasn't that close. 'Bama leads the nation in total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense, passing defense, pass efficiency defense and third down defense. At 8.8 points per game, the Tide are the least scored-upon team in Division I in more than a decade.

Roll Tide!

The SEC Storied Doucmentary The Play that Changed College Football - airing tonight on at 10 pm ESPNU* - takes the stance that the most important play of the past 25 years was Antonio Langham intercepting Shane Matthews in Birmingham, Alabama in 1992. On its face, that's a bit of a head scratcher.

*it's an interesting scheduling decision, considering it'll start during the conclusion of the Georgetown-Alabama basketball matchup on the Deuce. That game tips at 8:30 pm, and if you're in Tuscaloosa and don't have a compelling reason not to, get thee to Coleman! Your DVR can catch this documentary to watch tomorrow.

Sure, it was cool to see my beloved Alabama Crimson Tide win in the inaugural SEC Championship Game. It was my freshman year at the Capstone, and to subsequently sit in the Superdome a month later and watch the Tide dismantle an overmatched Miami team was even more fun.

But I had no inkling at the time that Langham's fourth quarter interception of Mathews would become "the play that changed college football". Turns out it likely was.