More articles as the countdown begins in earnest

It's hard to believe but college football season is just around the corner. Here are a few articles to help get you psyched up!

Alabama linebacker Ezekial Knight who has medical problems is shopping around for a college willing to clear him medically. According to his former high school coach, he has officially requested a transfer from Alabama. "He asked to be released at Alabama and he's going to try to go to a smaller school," Randy Boyd, his former coach at Randolph County High, told me today. - Birmingham News

Get to Know the 50 States (Alabama) - Sporting News

Flashback: Alabama vs Florida 2005

Most lopsided rivalries:
12) Alabama-Mississippi State (Roll Tide!!!), 92 games, .788 They say that the states of Alabama and Mississippi rank near the bottom nationally with virtually any comparison. However, we didn't know that the drop-off from 49th was this great...
11) Michigan-Wisconsin, 61 games, .795 This is pretty sad for Wisconsin, one of my favorite Big 10(11) teams. Being dominated like this costs big bucks at your local B & D parlor...
10) Oklahoma-Oklahoma State, 102 games, .799 The only intrastate rivalry to make the list. Oklahoma wasn't even a state yet and OU-Ron was still a young man when the Cowboys started getting owned by OU. A decent record against the Sooners is apparently something that T. Boone Pickens can't buy...
9) Ohio State-Northwestern, 73 games, .801 Nothing really earth-shattering here. Private Northwestern is the Vanderbilt of the Rust Belt. The 2nd worst team in the Big 10(11) has been dominated by Michigan, too.
8) Georgia-Kentucky, 61 games, .803 For decades, Georgia fattened up on Kentucky and Vandy every year before being mandated to play other Appalachian team Tennessee annually in 1992...
7) Alabama-Ole Miss (Roll Tide!!!), 55 games, .818 Curiously, Miss State has a better record against the Tide than the cross-state Rebels do. Can you call that being Croomed? Eh, maybe not...
6) Nebraska-Kansas State, 89 games, .826 K-State is also seriously owned by old Big Two, Little Six rival Oklahoma. With the Huskers dominating the Jayhawks, too, it's not unfair to say that the state of Nebraska should just move their entire border 200 miles south...
5) USC-Oregon State, 71 games, .845 They get a lot of rain up in the Pacific northwest. Forecast for the Beavers: Cloudy and bleak, with chance of heavy Trojans downpour...
4) Michigan-Indiana, 59 games, .847 Big 10(11) celler-dweller Indiana also gets clobbered by Ohio State, but who's counting? Is it round-ball season yet?
3) USC-Washington State, 67 games, .851 The Pacific bully feasts on yet another victim. If you're wondering why the Arizona teams haven't been included in the Trojan's feast, it's because they've only been in the conference for 30 years and haven't qualified for them--yet.
2) Notre-Dame--Navy, 81 games, .870 You guys thought this one would be number one. Hell, I did, too. Notre Dame only keeps this one alive to repay some eternal debt that they owe Navy. Here's a novel idea, perfect for military men: administer the coup de grace to the midshipmen and let this one die! However, Navy does currently have a one-game winning streak. Hmmm....
1) Oklahoma-Iowa State, 75 games, .919 Okay, I had to look it up, but Iowa State WAS a member of the old Big 8 conference. They decided to continue the despair and moved over to the Big 12, where they are also the designated beat-down'ees of Nebraska and Colorado. Too bad the Cyclones can't match that F-5 tornado that comes out of Oklahoma--they are indeed the drubbing kings in all of BCS Division 1-A.

Roberts to fill in for Stabler - Crimson White
Former Alabama quarterback and Crimson Tide Sports Network color analyst for Alabama football games Kenny Stabler has asked to take a leave of absence for the 2008 season. Stabler has been a member of the Alabama football broadcast crew for the last ten years. "We regret that Kenny will not be part of our broadcast team during the upcoming season, but accept and understand his decision," said Jim Carabin, general manager of Crimson Tide Sports Marketing.

Alabama's Lawrence is one to watch
Alonzo Lawrence, a 6-foot-1, 187-pound cornerback from George County High School in Lucedale, Miss., who runs the 40-yard dash in a speedy 4.43 seconds. Lawrence also possesses a 36-inch vertical leap, speaking to his sheer athleticism. In fact, Rivals says he is the best athlete of all the cornerbacks in the 2008 class and the second-best overall CB.

Alabama sells out football tickets - Montgomery Advertiser

You'd better sit down: Price of SEC football seats soars - Birmingham News
Ten years ago, a face-value ticket to the Iron Bowl cost $30. Today, $30 can't get you into any Alabama or Auburn game, even against the nonconference bottom feeders. The price to watch college football has skyrocketed. The average SEC ticket price - including the minimum donations required for the right to purchase season tickets - has increased 80 percent since 1998, from $61.07 to $110.05, according to an analysis by The Birmingham News. Combined with escalating gas and food costs in a slumping economy, some fans and athletics administrators worry the average college football fan is being priced out of stadiums in favor of wealthier clientele.

UA flag finds new home in Alabama
A University of Alabama flag that greeted millions of hungry troops in a dining facility in Kuwait has been retired -- a new one, signed by football coach Nick Saban and Crimson Tide players, has taken its place.