Auburn, Alabama lead SEC in spending

Auburn and Alabama each poured more than $26 million into its football programs in 2008-09, which ranked atop the Southeastern Conference and in the top four nationally, according to an interesting study by Brett McMurphy of Fanhouse.com. Per McMurphy’s research through figures from the U.S. Department of Education’s Equity in Athletics, Ohio State ($32.3 million) spent the most money of any team in 2008-09. Auburn ($28.8 million) ranked second, followed by Iowa ($26.9 million), Alabama ($26.4 million) and Tennessee ($22.9 million). Such high totals for Auburn and Alabama contrasted sharply with the league’s No. 12 team in expenditures — Ole Miss ($9.5 million). – al.com

Nick Saban gets new deal at Alabama

Nick Saban’s bonus clause will now kick in more frequently. The raise and contract extension Saban agreed to last year included the formation of a $5 million “Contract Year Completion Benefit” clause that was to pay Saban a lump sum at three different times if he is still coaching the Crimson Tide. He would have been due an additional $1.6 million in Jan. 2012, $1.7 million in Jan. 2015 and $1.7 million more in Jan. 2018. Under new terms approved today by trustees, Saban would still receive the same $5 million total, only it would be spread over each year instead of the three-year milestones. – Mobile Press-Register

Best college football state in the country: Alabama

Alabama welcomed 91,312, while Auburn welcomed 63,217, and UAB added another 2,500 for spring football games. It might not sound like head-turning stuff, but that’s big stuff for the Blazer Nation and maybe don’t hold your breath UAB can capitalize on that enthusiasm this fall. But 91,312 fans for Alabama’s A- Day game, 63,217 for Auburn’s A- Day Game and 2,500 at UAB’s, on the same day, I can’t think of another state where 157,029 fans would turn out for something in April not named NASCAR. What does this say about the state of Alabama? Let’s accept it for what it is that people just love their college football here. – The Birmingham News

Nick Saban: Rule change won’t affect Tide

The annual tweaks to the rulebook by the NCAA, approved Thursday, include the outlawing of wedge blocking on kickoff returns. Wedge returns call for three or more players, side by side, leading the return man in what was, in essence, a human shield. Kickoff teams, in turn, often employed what was known as a wedge buster, whose job it was to collide with the wedge and disrupt it enough for others to more easily make a tackle. According to UA coach Nick Saban, the rule change will not have much of an affect on the Crimson Tide. “It won’t affect us much. We only have one return that has a three-man wedge and I don’t think we used it very much last year,” said Saban. “It’s not going to be a big factor for what we do. It will be maybe a little bit of a factor for kickoff coverage because wedge fits are always something that you work on with your players.” – Tuscaloosa News

Alabama’s Nick Saban taking players to meet President Obama

Alabama’s national championship football team will tour the sights in Washington, D.C., on Monday, including a stop by the White House to meet with President Barack Obama. The White House and University of Alabama on Tuesday confirmed details of the trip, which has been expected since the Crimson Tide beat Texas in the Jan. 7 BCS national championship game. During the day in Washington, there are scheduled stops at the U.S. Capitol, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and National Mall. Alabama’s team will also take part in a service project, meeting with a group of D.C.-area youth and encouraging them to stay in school and discuss the positive impact of making healthy choices, according to the White House. The Crimson Tide will depart Tuscaloosa on Monday morning. Coaches and players will return in time for next Wednesday’s on-campus pro day workouts for NFL draft-eligible players and the start of spring practice, which is scheduled two days later. – Huntsville Times

Could Irish call on Nick Saban?

Nick Saban should be insulted. He should be so angry, every headset from here to Auburn should be very, very afraid. How many undefeated regular seasons does the guy have to stack on top of each other to get a little respect? Of all the slights Saban’s received, this one may be the biggest. The Notre Dame job appears ready to come open in less than a week, and absolutely no major media outlet has mentioned the Alabama coach as a potential candidate. Never mind that he’s Catholic. And that he’s one of the top three coaches in college football. And that he’s Catholic. And that Notre Dame finds itself in the exact same position as Alabama three years ago, in serious need of a proven winner to restore a faded power to its former glory. And did I mention that he’s Catholic? If someone close to the Fighting Irish doesn’t pick up the phone and call someone close to Saban, at least to check his pulse, then Notre Dame isn’t as smart as it would like you to think. It wouldn’t be the first time Notre Dame has reached out behind the scenes to gauge the interest of an Alabama coach. Dennis Franchione once showed up on the Irish radar. – Birmingham News

Spurrier: South Carolina is going to be my last college job

Nearly three years later, Steve Spurrier wasn’t interested in reliving the details of Alabama’s latest coaching search Sunday, six days before the Crimson Tide hosts the Gamecocks. It marks Spurrier’s first return to Bryant-Denny Stadium since his tenure at Florida. “I don’t need to talk about whatever happened back then,” he said. “I said a long time ago that South Carolina is going to be my last college job, my last job in all likelihood. When I took the job, I wanted to coach here seven or eight years and see if we can’t win in the SEC. We still have hopes down the road that’s going to happen.” – Mobile Press-Register

SEC coaches defend Urban Meyer

While the debate continues over whether Florida quarterback Tim Tebow should already have been out of the game when he was injured against Kentucky last week, coaches of several of the Gators’ biggest SEC rivals defended Florida coach Urban Meyer on Wednesday, saying they don’t see a problem with Tebow or other starters still being on the field with a 24-point lead. “I think obviously this is about whether Tim Tebow should have been in the game or shouldn’t have been in the game, but 31-7 in the third quarter is not a game that’s out of reach,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. LSU coach Les Miles said a head coach has to make the best decision for his team, players and what he feels is best to win the game. – St. Petersburg Times

Home-field advantage returns for Alabama

Only about 35 scholarship players on the University of Alabama roster have been around long enough to notice the difference. The rest only know Bryant-Denny Stadium as a place that’s always full, always loud and always good for a victory. But the veterans, like offensive lineman Mike Johnson and cornerback Javier Arenas, can recall a UA home venue where opponents were more undaunted and where victory was anything but certain. ‘A lot of passion is brought back and put back into the fans, so it’s loud,’ Arenas said. ‘It’s more spirited. There’s more to protect now. ‘Before, we were kind of on and off, you know what I mean? It’s not like we had an undefeated home record to protect or anything like that. It’s a lot at stake and lot of emotions around it now.’ – Tuscaloosa News

No. 3 Alabama now positioned for run at big prize

Alabama has its path. The question now is: Can it stay on it? As expected, the Crimson Tide rose one spot in both major polls to No. 3, replacing last week’s No. 3, Southern Cal, which dropped out of the top 10 after losing to Washington yesterday. The significance? Well, while the BCS rankings — the rankings that really count — aren’t out yet, the fact that Alabama is now No. 3 in the major polls is a good sign and indicator of where the Tide might be in the later-to-be-released BCS standings. So what’s good about being No. 3 when it’s the top two teams in the BCS that square for the national championship? Because the team sitting on top right now is fellow conference member Florida, the team Alabama will face in the SEC Championship Game if both squads continue to win. In other words, Alabama doesn’t need to worry about a repeat of 2004 when Auburn went undefeated through the regular sesaon, won the SEC Championship Game and got left out of the BCS national title game. – CrimsonConfidential.com

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