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Three & Out returns to give you a periodic look at what's going on this spring in the SEC. In today's edition, we take a look at a linebacker returning from injury, some off-season scheduling drama and two bowl games that are staying in the SEC.
HIGHTOWER PROGRESSING
It pretty much goes without saying that the Alabama defense was good last year - really good. The Crimson Tide posted the nation's No. 2 defense in route to taking home the crystal football.
A player that was absent for the majority of that run was linebacker Dont'a Hightower. Hightower tore two knee ligaments in Alabama's fourth game of the season, a 35-7 win over Arkansas. The injury forced the then-sophomore linebacker to miss the remainder of the season. At the time of the injury, Alabama's plans were to hold Hightower out until summer workouts in August.
Apparently, that's not the case anymore.
"He'll practice every day like everybody else," said head coach Nick Saban in an article from The Birmingham News. "I think he could play in a game right now."
If Hightower is able to play this spring, that would be huge news for the Tide. He had a solid freshman season in 2008, finishing fourth on the team with 62 tackles and was named to the SEC Coaches' All-Freshmen team.
Alabama's defense is going to have some growing pains. You don't lose talent like Rolando McClain, Javier Arenas, Terrence Cody and Kareem Jackson without some speed bumps. But having a guy like Hightower back on the field during spring practice would go a long way towards stabilizing a defense that will need to develop a brand new chemistry after losing nine starters from the 2009 title team.
NO NEED TO CHANGE THE SCHEDULE
Speaking of Alabama, the Crimson Tide has been the subject of a growing controversy in SEC circles over the last few weeks, and the league office apparently took note.
Individual teams have released their schedules, but the league office is holding off due to an quirk on Bama's schedule. As it stands right now, the final six SEC opponents on Alabama's schedule -- South Carolina, Ole Miss, Tennessee, LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn -- will all be coming off the bye week prior to facing the Crimson Tide.
According to the Mobile Press-Register, the conference wouldn't overhaul the entire schedule, but minor tweaks could be possible.
This story playing out publicly doesn't exactly set a good precedent for future off-seasons. Is it a bit unfair to Alabama? Of course it is. But no schedule is totally fair. There are going to be quirks from time to time, and this is one of them. Let's not forget that this complaint is coming from the same Alabama team that has either had a bye or a played cupcake before playing Auburn and LSU for the last three years.
In 2008, Georgia spent an entire month on the road playing LSU, Florida (in Jacksonville), Kentucky and Auburn. Was that fair to the Bulldogs? Of course not, but that stuff happens.
You can't please all 12 teams all the time. If Alabama's succeeds in getting certain games moved, get ready for this to be a recurring theme each off-season. With Lane Kiffin now out of the conference, I suppose this off-season has been a bit quiet. But four or five teams complaining to the league office about their schedule isn't the kind of drama that the conference needs. Altering the schedule this late in the year, especially considering some fans have already made preliminary travel plans, is a slippery slope that the SEC should avoid at all costs.
BOWL DEALS EXTENDED
Since it's relatively quiet right now in the SEC, why not get some business done? That's exactly what some bowl committees have been up to.
The Orlando-based Capital One Bowl reached an agreement with the SEC extending the current relationship through 2014. The deal keeps the selection structure of the Capital One Bowl, which selects the top non-BCS team from the SEC, in place for the duration of the deal. The 2010 Capital One Bowl, a 19-17 Penn State victory over LSU, marked the third straight year that the bowl game posted a higher rating than at least one of the BCS games. The 2011 edition of the Capital One Bowl will kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET on January 1, 2011.
The Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl extended their agreement with the SEC through the 2013 season. The Nashville-based bowl has had an agreement with the SEC since its inception in 1998. Clemson topped Kentucky 21-13 in last seasons' Music City Bowl, which was played on December 27, 2009. The date for the 2010 game is expected to be announced later this month.
Barrett Sallee covers the SEC for www.CollegeFootballNews.com. He can be reached at barrettsallee@gmail.com, or on Twitter at @BarrettSallee
2010 Spring Three & Out Archive
Three & Out: SEC Thoughts, News & Notes – March 15, 2010
Three & Out: SEC Thoughts, News & Notes – March 11, 2010
Three & Out: SEC Thoughts, News & Notes – March 5, 2010
Three & Out: SEC Thoughts, News & Notes – March 2, 2010
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