Yes, that would be ideal
SEC official Charles Bloom on "fixing" Alabama's schedule so that the Tide -- who are already starting behind the eight ball -- don't have to play so many teams that coming off byes.
"We would like to have that done by the end of the month if possible," Bloom said. "The schools need to know who they are playing and when."
It is a little known fact that it is, indeed, positive for teams to know whom they are playing and when. Though it could be fun if a team was just given an envelope on Wednesday or Thursday and told where to show up.
In any case, it's great to see that the SEC is media-savvy enough to counter suspicions that it gives special treatment to teams like Alabama by, um, giving special treatment to Alabama.
One fewer player that will need to know where he's going
Robby Green is out for Alabama next season. NCAA reasons. We're sure this is just the latest step in the organization's ongoing plot to do everything it can to destroy the Tide.
The infraction is of an individual nature and not an institutional matter. No penalties have been levied against the UA athletic department or football program over the matter, which ony affects only Green's eligibliity.
"Even though we are very disappointed, we will continue to support Robby in every way possible," Saban said in a written statement. "He'll practice and do all the other things with our team in terms of classes and workouts, but just won't be eligible to play in any games this fall."
So he'll have plenty of idle days.
The Brett Favre of Kentucky basketball says ...
As long as it doesn't become the leading segment on SportsCenter over the next few weeks, this should be easier to watch than the Mississippi Meanderer's annual Hamlet routine, but Patrick Patterson might return to Kentucky after all.
"I'm half in and half out right now," Patterson said in an interview with The Associated Press Saturday while he was watching horse races at Keeneland. ...
Last week, a news release from the university announced Patterson was one of five underclassmen to submit their names for the draft, along with freshman guards John Wall and Eric Bledsoe and freshman centers DeMarcus Cousins and Daniel Orton.
"I want to thank the fans who have supported me all three years," Patterson said in the release. "I also want to thank the coaches for putting me in a position to showcase other parts of my game as well as my versatility. Lexington and UK will always be a special place to me."
Patterson going back to Lexington would mean only 17 Kentucky players will be available in the NBA Draft this year. But someone really should tell him that the NCAA doesn't allow a player to be half eligible.
Can Jonathan Crompton petition the NCAA for a sixth year?
Nick Stephens is out at Tennessee after losing some first-team reps to other quarterbacks. You can understand the decision, but it seems like Stephens never got much of a chance. His only real starting time came in the Year of Infinite Sadness in 2008, when one doubts that Peyton Manning or even Zombie Johnny Unitas could have led the Vols to a bowl. In any case, good luck to Nick Stephens.
You can only expect so much
Vince Dooley visited Tennessee on Thursday and addressed the Vols -- which we can assume would never happen had Derek Dooley not been hired as head coach. Blood being thicker than water only goes so far, though.
"I was a little disappointed he came out here in red but it was checkerboard," Derek said, referring to his father's button-up shirt.
The orange-clad Dooley said UT booster Jim Haslam bought his father a Tennessee hat, but not a UT hat. Haslam figured a red hat with the Tennessee state emblem on it would be compromise enough.
Perhaps, but the elder statesman of Georgia football wasn't wearing it on Thursday.
Baby steps, folks. But, if you can ever get him to sing Rocky Top, you'll have really accomplished something.