Boomo Bugg Show 120925

[0:00] Now, get ready to roll, Shoals, Decatur, Athens and all of Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the tie, Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9. The Score. Welcome here to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us a free ride around the Tennessee Valley. Brett Beaird, welcome in where the love fest continues for Alabama making the field.

And guess who's the latest name to enter college football's Hall of Fame today. Good afternoon, welcome in and how are you? Happy Tuesday to you and the listeners. Former Alabama coach Nick Saban will be inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame tonight in Las Vegas. Speaking of Las Vegas, Las Vegas insider Bruce Marshall previews the college football playoff first round and the SEC teams in the bowl games. And Roger is here right now to talk about Alabama football and basketball. And that ain't all. Roger Hoover's got it all covered there with the Crimson Tide Sports Network.

Roger, welcome in. How are you? Doing my Bugg. Doing really well. Hope you guys are too. Hey, man. We're doing all right. Are you proud to get out of Atlanta, Roger? Yes. Yeah. That was not the best Saturday, but I will say it was followed by a very good Sunday, of course, for the news that we're headed to the college football playoff. And then a couple of wins at Coleman Coliseum for men's and women's basketball. It was a very victorious Sunday. And as a result, we're feeling much better as we go through this week.

And I'm sure we're going to be talking about this upcoming weekend as well. Pretty big date there for the beat balls. Roger, obviously it was not as scripted for Alabama, but despite the blowout, there was very little, if no fallout, except for the national media. All the smart people out there, they have a problem with Alabama making it in. Jason Whitlock from on three. He's not happy. A guy named Jason Kirk. I know this is going to come as a shock. He's with that football bastion of coverage, the New York Times.

They've never gotten it wrong, have they, Roger? They're unhappy with Alabama making it, saying Notre Dame, they got a following list of things why Notre Dame should jump Alabama. One thing I don't see on there, Roger, is 1966. The missing ring, exactly. That is maybe a little bit of payback for that. But no, I think the national media has kind of blown it out of proportion, as we're kind of accustomed to seeing. I think Alabama certainly deserved to be in, based on the strong regular season the Crimson Tide had, and the notion as well that the Crimson Tide would not be penalized or any circumstances for playing in a conference championship game.

And for Notre Dame, I think it's kind of misplaced anchored towards Alabama. I think it all needs to go back to Miami and to the ACC, and that seems like that's been the response so far from their athletic director, saying that the relationship between Notre Dame and that conference, who does participate in 24 sports in the ACC outside of football, it seems like it's a very strained relationship. So I think that's probably where most of the outrage should go. How could Notre Dame be ranked ahead of Miami for weeks and then all of a sudden get jumped to the very end, I think, is the problem with the process?

Well, the playoff selection committee, I think, finally got it right. Roger, I was looking at the Notre Dame record this year. They beat three, two in team, two in ten teams, Purdue, Arkansas, Boston College, and they beat a Stanford team that was four and eight the last regular season game. Their best win was against Navy, who ended up being nine and two in Alabama. Chuck Dunlap of the SEC office sent out or retweeted the strength of schedule when, including last weekend's games, Alabama's strength of schedule finished nationally six in number three in the SEC.

Yeah, that's why I don't think there's really any comparison between Alabama and Notre Dame. I still think it goes back to Notre Dame and Miami as a conversation point, not so much Alabama. Because, again, the Crimson Tide essentially were the regular season champions in the SEC, being the number one seed for that championship game. And maybe that's how the automatic bid gets determined in the future, if there are changes coming up for the SEC championship game and how that all looks going into the college football playoffs.

So, the Crimson Tide resume is plenty strong. Again, I think Notre Dame fans have misplaced anger if they are looking at Alabama saying the Crimson Tide got in over them. I don't think that's the case at all. And, Roger, listen, rest assured, we will not share your phone number, personal information. Notre Dame fans calling after the show want to get a further explanation on that. So, you can rest assured of that. Roger, one thing about it, Alabama is in. That's the process. That's the first stage to stay in.

[5:18] Obviously, they've got some correcting to do. That's just being objective, starting with getting some folks back. Roger, what are you hearing? Let's start with that as far as the MASH report. I think it's obvious the role that Cuevas has played over this season and how much they're missing him. Obviously, Jim Miller, everybody's been crying to go to the running back room depth chart. I think after this past weekend, they will welcome Jim back with open arms. Where is the MASH report relative to now? They've got a little time on the calendar to maybe get some of these guys back up and running.

Yeah, it's always good when you have two weeks prepared for a game. This kind of acts like just a bye week like you would have in the regular season. And we saw how Alabama played really well after the two open dates this week against Georgia or this season against Georgia and LSU. I think everybody's really trending in a positive direction, even guys that went out during the ballgame like Zabian Brown, Justin Jefferson. That's all really good. Josh Cuevas is probably the most questionable still as he comes back.

But I think there is some optimism if Alabama goes deeper in the playoff, say they're able to win, move on to the Rose Bowl against Indiana or the semifinals championship game after that. Cuevas could be available down the road. We'll see if he's able to get ready in time for this game against Oklahoma. Jeff Allen and the training staff have some time to help try and get him back on the field. But I think he'd be the most questionable out of this group. But I think there's a lot of optimism, not just about Jim Miller, but as I mentioned, Justin Jefferson, Zabian Brown, as well as LT Overton, Kelby Collins, who I think were really missed on that defense this past weekend against Georgia.

Good optimism about those guys coming back from illness, not necessarily injury. So I think, once again, this open day comes at a good time for Alabama. It's another tough part of losing that game against Georgia. I'd love to have even more time and not have to play again until January 1st. But Cribs and Tide have this opportunity, and I think they're going to make the most of it against Oklahoma. Yeah, being healthy is going to help tremendously. Roger, another thing, in all three of us have listened to the point of nauseam about Alabama's issues running the ball, and there's no question it's there.

Seven carries for the running backs against Georgia. Well, that happens when you get behind 14 and 21 to nothing. They're not going to be able to solve these by the Oklahoma game. It begins in summer, in the winter workouts, in the mat room downstairs, in spring practice, bringing in maybe a little lighter, quicker offensive linemen. They've got some very talented backs coming in. I wish it could be solved in two weeks, but it's probably not. Well, and this is not the opponent to necessarily solve those issues again.

I think Oklahoma's front seven on defense is the strongest that Alabama played throughout the season. And I kind of had a sigh of relief. Once that game was over, even a loss saying, well, we won't see a defense that good again. Well, here we are, having to go to play in a playoff game. But, you know, Alabama still was very effective in that ballgame, finding some running opportunities. I know the yardage may not look that way, and Alabama used a short passing game, I thought, really well in that ballgame, too.

You know, that game came down to special teams and turnovers, why Alabama lost. Still did some really good things offensively. And you get a player back in Jam Miller, he makes his biggest impact, in my opinion, not just running the football, but in pass protection. Alabama is clearly a better passing team when he is on the field. And I think that can help Ty Simpson and this offense get back in rhythm. In addition to having some opportunities in the running game, if you're able to have Daniel Hill be truly effective behind Jam Miller.

And then even Kevin Reilly, it sounds like there's some optimism, him coming back from his injury, that we could see more of Kevin Reilly down the road in the playoffs as well. The one and the only in the huddle with us. Roger, talk to us about this basketball team. Obviously, I saw the game over the weekend, and to me, those type games are needed to maybe, like in NASCAR, I know that's a big sponsor for the Crimson Tatton Sports Network, but to go ahead, take a pit stop and tweak some things.

To me, it's a great opportunity. And not only that, it just shows you games like this past weekend, before we look ahead to this coming weekend, games like that are important for this coaching training, not because, as you know, why would a team like San Antonio come into Tuscaloosa? Well, there's a backstory there. It's called, I know that head coach over there on that bench. Yeah, absolutely. Austin Clancho, a former assistant of the Crimson Tide in the Final Four season a few years ago. We're going to see other former Alabama assistants in Antoine Pettway coming up in Huntsville, and then Ryan Hodson with South Florida as well in the next few weeks.

So it's a good time to play these guys. And I thought Alabama got off to a great start in that game. NATO still has some things to coach on with this group, talking about how they got to rebound better and shoot better in the second half. But it comes at a really good time. Like you mentioned, kind of a good pit stop, tune up, and then you get into this exam week. And practice is going to be difficult throughout this week. Getting ready for what we know is going to be a great challenge against the number one Arizona Wildcats coming up on Saturday night in Birmingham.

[10:32] So much anticipation for that ballgame coming up at Legacy Arena. Seeing what Alabama can do once again on the biggest stage you have in the sport. Alabama's done well playing away from home in some of these matchups with a win against St. John's and Madison Square Garden. Illinois and Chicago now would love to pick up a win against Arizona in Birmingham before another tough stretch of games before the Christmas holiday. It runs your number 10. The men are number 10 right now. But let's give the women some kudos.

The first 10-0 start in the history of Alabama women's basketball down in Louisiana Monroe, 75-38. Jessica Timmons with a big night, 17 points. Scott, Carly Weathers, 11 points apiece. Naomi Jones playing well. Matt Christie Curry's got the ladies on fire. Yeah, she really does. It's been a really good start to the season. They kind of really played well in the two major games they had in their non-conference schedule already. Winning against Minnesota. Winning against Clemson. The only two power four teams they're going to face this year. So this is just a good opportunity to keep stacking up the wins.

Keep building up the resume. And keep playing at home as well. I think we're seeing a lot of fans get to experience Crimson Tide women's basketball for the first time. It was really cool to have a doubleheader with the men's game first, then the women's game right afterwards. And a lot of people stuck around and got to see this group. So I think they're going to continue finding a way to stack wins as you look through the rest of the schedule. A couple of tricky games here and there, like Tulane coming up next Wednesday.

That's also part of a doubleheader. So you'll have a great crowd there getting ready for the men's game. So I'm excited about what this group can do. And then once the calendar turns to 2026, we go into SEC play. Whole new challenge on the road at South Carolina on New Year's Day. So she's getting as many wins as possible right now. Getting this group as experiences can be playing with each other. Having her play so much from last year's team. When you lose three WNBA players, it's really hard.

But I like the way this group has approached this part of the schedule. And now I just got to keep stacking wins as we get ready for SEC play. Well, if you don't mind, let's circle back to the men for a second. Because like the football team, the basketball team has the doctor on speed dial. How healthy is this basketball team? And what's the taintable of getting the guys back up and running there? Yeah, it's been interesting. Aiden Holloway is still trying to come back from his wrist injury.

We just keep seeing injuries pop up on this team. Unfortunately, it was good to see Latrell Wrightfield Jr. be back and healthy for this group. He continues to make a good impact. But then you have Keaton Bristow still unavailable for the last few ballgames. So all in all, this group trying to find a way to get healthy is going to be really important, I think, as we continue going through this tough schedule that they have, notably against Arizona coming up this week. But if you're able to get maybe Aiden Holloway back for this ballgame, I think some really good things can follow after that.

Absolutely. We alluded to this in the opening. Congratulations to the GOAT. Nick Saban will be inducted tonight by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, going to be at Las Vegas tonight. I don't know if that's televised anywhere. But congratulations to Coach Saban for, I mean, just, again, he's the GOAT for many, many reasons. Tell us about your week. What's on Crimson Drive? If I can say it, Crimson Drive. I know you had work with Tyler Watts last night. I was going to ask you about, hey, Coach, is that on schedule with the team off this week until Friday?

And what else have you going on this week? Yeah, hey, Coach is going to be coming up on Monday night. We're kind of transitioning to our basketball edition of Hey Coach with Chris Stewart in Tuscaloosa. So that'll be coming up Monday night. I believe Coach DeBoer will be there. I think they may do a longer hey, Coach. It hasn't been confirmed yet, but we may have an even longer hey, Coach next Monday to kind of serve as a college football playoff preview show as well. So look forward to that next Monday.

We'll have Crimson Drive on Thursday, getting thoughts from Richard Hendricks on Crimson Side Basketball. As well as Corey Reamer on Alabama football, along with some booth cam highlights for basketball. So that next show will be coming up on Thursday at 2 o'clock. And then we'll have a basketball coverage over the weekend. The men's team against Arizona on Saturday in Birmingham with our coverage starting at 730. And then the women's team taking on Jackson State on Sunday afternoon with our coverage starting at 245. So it's a busy time with basketball.

And then by the time we talk next week, we're going to be fully in football mode, getting ready for what's going to be an absolute battle between Alabama and Oklahoma, where the temperatures are looking better. I know it's been snowy in Oklahoma. People are making a big deal about that right now. I think we're going to be in the 60s, but the wind is going to come creeping down the plain, even if it's going to be in the 60s and 50s coming up for that ballgame.

So we're ready for the wind. Plus 60, not minus 60. Go either way out there. Roger, listen, man, your vision and sanity is else. Keep up the good work, and thanks so much for your time today. You guys are my best. Thanks for having me on. Thank you, bud. And one and the only Roger Hoover Crimson Tide Sports Network. Who says you can't be a grandpa and signed an NFL contract? A little hint. He's from the Tennessee Valley. Details next with Andrew Adelson, also from ESPN. Guys, thanks for helping me carry my Christmas tree.

[15:58] Zoe, this thing weighs a ton. Drewski, lift with your legs, man. Santa, Santa, did you get my letter? He's talking to you, Bridges. I'm not, sir. Of course he did. Right, Santa? You know, my elf Drewski here, he handles the nice list. An elf? I'm 6'3". What everyone wants is iPhone 17, and at T-Mobile, you can get it on them. That center stage front camera is amazing for group selfies, right? Mrs. Claus? I'm Mrs. Claus's much younger sister. And at T-Mobile, there's no trade-in needed when you switch, so you can keep your old phone.

Or give it as a gift. And the best part, you can make the switch to T-Mobile from your phone in just 15 minutes. Nice, my side of the tree is slipping. Get back! The holidays are better at T-Mobile. Switch in just 15 minutes and get iPhone 17 on us with no trade-in needed. With 24-monthly bill credits for well-qualified customers plus tax and $35 device connection charge. Credits end and balance due if you pay off earlier or canceled. Finance agreement, 256 gigs, $830. Eligible port in a new line, $100 plus a month plan with auto pay, plus taxes and fees required.

Check out in 15 minutes or less per line. Visit T-Mobile.com. This is the story of the one. This is the story of the one. As the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant, she knows the only thing more important than having the right safety gear is having it there when you need it. That's why she partners with Grainger for auto reordering. So her team members can count on her to have cut-resistant gloves on hand, and each shift can run safely and efficiently. Call 1-800-GRANGER, click Grainger.com, or just stop by.

Grainger. For the ones who get it done. COVID-19 has cast a spotlight on the stark inequalities that drive poverty. The poorest communities in the U.S. and around the world are suffering the most. Oxfam believes we can put systems in place to protect health and livelihoods in the future if we work together with dignity and compassion. Learn how you can help offer safety to the most vulnerable and fight for a more resilient future at OxfamAmerica.org. Sponsored by Oxfam America. Tim collects bobbleheads. A lot of bobbleheads.

Baseball bobbleheads. Race car bobbleheads. Little chihuahua bobbleheads. He's got an entire room strictly for bobbleheads. Does he need them? No. Is his wife mad about it? A little. But Tim works with Empower, and he got good at money. So he can be a little bad. Ooh, horse bobblehead. Classy, Tim. Empower. Invest well, live a little. Start today at Empower.com. Getting more as a My Lowe's Pro Rewards member is easier than ever with the Lowe's app. Download it today and earn 500 points the first time you log in.

Plus, your digital wallet helps you scan, save, earn, and access what you need to manage it all in one place. Download the Lowe's app and take advantage of your pro benefits today. Lowe's. We help you save. Valid 12-125-1726. Offer valid for first login per organization only. Loyalty program subject to terms and conditions. Additional restrictions apply. Visit Lowe's.com slash terms for more details. Subject to change. United Way of Northwest Alabama is thrilled to announce the return of its signature fundraising gala, Shoals Royale, on Saturday, February 21st, 2026, at the Renaissance Shoals Conference Center.

This black-tie optional casino-themed event brings all the glitz and excitement of Las Vegas to the Shoals, complete with live entertainment, gaming tables, prices, hors d'oeuvres, and a cash bar, and all for a great cause. Now in its fourth year, Shoals Royale has become one of Northwest Alabama's premier charity events. Uniting local businesses, community leaders, and residents for a night of luxury and purpose. Proceeds directly benefit United Way of Northwest Alabama and the 12 local non-profit partners and 22 community programs and funds. Individual tickets are $125 or $200 per couple.

Or go in VIP style for $350 or $600 per couple. Shoals Royale, 2026, Saturday, February 21st, at 7 p.m. at the Renaissance Shoals Conference Center. Tickets are available now at givebutter.com slash ShoalsRoyale2026. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back, Dan. Quickly, some breaking news. Question, what does the head coach at St. Michael Catholic down in Fairhope going to be doing in the offseason? Little hint, BB, he's going to be in line to play in the NFL. The pride of Athens, Alabama is back, my friend.

Phillip Rivers, hard to believe, hasn't played a down in five years in the NFL. Signed, he played with the Colts five years ago and signed to the practice squad. Now, he's got two guys, Riley Leonard, of course, from Duke and Notre Dame-ish, and then Brian Rittian. Anthony Richards is hurt, but wouldn't it be amazing if he actually gets in and plays in the game in the next couple? Signing with the practice squad. By the way, he's 44, and he's a grandpa. You go, boy. You go, girl.

Andrea Adelson at ESPN. Andrea, welcome in. Has Phillip found what you've been drinking all these years, the fountain of youth? How are you? Well, you know, fellas, it's funny. When NC State went through a bit of a rough stretch at one point this season, the fan base was calling for Phillip Rivers to be the next head coach. But I guess he's occupied right now, guys. Oh, my gosh. Can Phillip be the commissioner of the playoff committee? A lot of folks want anybody who's there now to be it.

[21:27] Andrea, is it Notre Dame or Notre Dame? What's going on there? If you guys figure that one out, let me know. Look, they're obviously upset for a variety of reasons, first and foremost, for getting left out of the playoff after they were in position to make a playoff in every single ranking but the one that counted. And I understand that frustration because if you're sitting here watching the ranking show every week and you're ranked either ninth or tenth, you feel pretty good about having that chance to make the 12-team field.

Then the committee flips it after neither Notre Dame nor Miami played because they lined up one after the other and then they can compare head-to-head. Guys, nothing about the Miami and Notre Dame schedule changed from the first ranking November 4th until the last. They played common opponents. They blew out those common opponents and the head-to-head win happened in August or early September, right? So the fact the committee did that at the very end, I understand why Notre Dame feels like they had the rug pulled from under them.

What I don't quite understand is now this campaign that has been launched against the ACC for trying to promote their full-time conference member Miami in social media posts. The conference got ripped two years ago for doing nothing to promote Florida State when they went undefeated and got left out of the playoff. Now the conference finally decides to be proactive and they promote Miami. Notre Dame says, well, that's at our expense and that's not fair and that's why we didn't make the playoff. Now, I don't think the ACC's promotion of Miami on social media is the reason the committee changed their mind.

I think the committee realized at the end of it, looking at the full body of work and how close the metrics were with those two teams, that the head-to-head could trump everything else and that's why Miami is in. So Notre Dame can sit here and blame the ACC all they want and I understand the frustration. But the conference was doing what it felt like it needed to do for its full-time member, Miami. And now here we are with a lot of hurt feelings, fellas. Yeah, remind me what conference Notre Dame is in to have that power behind them.

Or could it be that maybe they won't, as they say, their cake and eat it too. We want to be independent over here, control all the money and decision and everything else. But when it's good, like in the COVID year, we want to hook our wagon to you. How much of this is on Notre Dame saying, if you want to fix this going forward, join a conference? Well, you know, here's the thing about it, fellas. They've got a carve-out for themselves starting next year under the framework of the next deal that's going to be taking over, in which if they finish in the top 12, they're in.

So in every succeeding season, if they finish 10-2, I have a great feeling, fellas, they're going to be ranked in the top 12. History has indicated that to us about Notre Dame. They'll get the call back. They will. This season was an exceptional circumstance because the ACC messed up their tiebreaker and got in the ACC championship game over Miami. If the ACC had a tiebreaker that took into account the CFP rankings, Miami would have played Virginia and Notre Dame would be in the playoff. That feels like a 99.9% certainty.

So maybe part of it is they're mad that the ACC in general is the reason why this happened. Because of what happened with the ACC tiebreaker, right? That ultimately ended up costing Notre Dame a spot here. But you're right. You know, there's a lot of, it sounds like, entitlement here. You know, we're not going to join a conference full-time, but we want to have the benefits of being affiliated with the ACC. And maybe one of those benefits is not being targeted in social media campaign. Again, you know, the reason Notre Dame was included in the social media post is because Miami beat them.

Like, it's not like the ACC randomly decided we're going to pick on Notre Dame. There is a- Yeah, but Andrew, it's Alabama's fault. Haven't you read social media? It's Alabama's fault, Andrew. You didn't read that? I know. You know, and I'm sure, I'm sure Notre Dame in their mind is like, I mean, pick on Alabama. But no, instead, it's Miami because they're affiliated with the ACC, where Notre Dame houses its Olympic sports and has their football scheduling agreement. So, you know, look, Alabama would have been just as upset if they had gotten left.

Absolutely. So, I understand the frustration here, but it feels like some of that frustration is being misplaced and put at the feet of the ACC when all they were trying to do was promote one of their full-time league members. And, Double-A, this is one of the primary reasons. Anytime, I've said for years, the first time Notre Dame gets left out, they're expanding the playoffs. And I guarantee you, in January, they're going to 16. The other wailing and gnashing of teeth is, my goodness, why is James Madison in Tulane in?

[26:43] And we've discussed this with you for two or three years with the group of five. Do they deserve this? If they weren't in, Notre Dame and Vandy or two or three other teams would be in filling the final two slots. Your thoughts about that, and we also at one point talked about, will we ever see a group of five playoff? And a lot of people think, well, you know, again, Cinderella is one of the great reasons why the basketball tournament is so compelling, but does it equal football?

Your thoughts? So, last year, people didn't really have a problem with Boise State getting into the top group of five because they were a really good group of five team. And they played that way in the playoff, right? So, I think it's selective outrage because of who got left out this year. And because JMU made the field because of what we just mentioned with the ACC tiebreaker situation. Duke winning the ACC and beating the regular season champion, Virginia, kind of messed a lot of things up for a bunch of folks.

Not Duke, obviously, who got to win the conference. And look, this was no fault of theirs. They finished in a five-way tie for second place and got the benefit of a tiebreaker that the ACC athletics directors and coaches agreed to, right? So, Duke is kind of the collateral damage here and getting blamed for a lot of this. They did nothing wrong. They won a tiebreaker. They got to play. And they outplayed Virginia and deserve to win that game. And now you're in a situation where you have two group of five teams in.

This is not something that will happen moving forward. If you look at the reporting from last year and the discussions of getting the playoff now, a new deal starting in 26, and we'll see if they expand. I agree with you. I think they will ultimately get to 16. Was ensuring that each group of five or each power four champion now moving forward, according to the sources that we have talked to at ESPN, each power four champion will get an automatic guaranteed spot. And one will go to the top finisher in the group of five.

So, this season is an anomaly in a lot of different ways. It doesn't mean that they won't expand further. I think they will. But I just think the JMU situation is never going to happen again. And folks who have a problem with Tulane making it in, they are a top 20 team, right? So, you want to put caveats on this. Well, say you have to be ranked in the top 20. Well, you have to be ranked in the top 20, right? And maybe next year, Boise is back or, you know, USF was ranked fairly high at one point in the season before they lost a couple of games.

You know, generally, there have been a group of five teams ranked in the top 15 over the course of the last decade. I don't think people would have as large an issue with making a 12-team playoff. I think the issue, quite frankly, is James Madison, to a lesser extent, Tulane, because of a rematch. And again, that rematch could have easily been avoided if the committee put A&M 6 and Ole Miss 7, which that's how I ranked it. I had A&M ranked 6 and Ole Miss 7 in my final ranking for a host of reasons.

That rematch could have been avoided. But because we're getting that rematch, because it was a blowout, Tulane's getting the brunt of this. They're not going to be able to do this without a group of five reps moving forward because of antitrust issues. And they're not going to just have the group of five do their own playoff because they are a part of FBS, right? So you have to include them in an FBS playoff. That's why the situation is where it is. I understand the outrage. If Notre Dame or Alabama or Vandy weren't the teams that were kind of on the bubble, you know, maybe it would be a completely different conversation.

There wouldn't be as much anger involved. Double A, our conversation here on the show, as you can imagine, centers around the SEC. But I'm telling you, and people are going to overlook this. Obviously, we've got the first round to get to the second round. Don't overlook Texas Tech. I watched their BYU game. That's the first time I'd really watched them. That is a tough, and again, you say what you want to, but they're NIL. But Jacob Rodriguez, Ben Roberts, Morton, their quarterback, they've got running backs, they've got good receivers.

Defense. Their defense is a bear. And I'll tell you one thing, you can complain about Indiana's schedule, and everybody's got a right to, but Texas Tech and Indiana, they're going to be a tough out in the playoffs. Yeah, no doubt. And Bailey's a great linebacker for them as well, but they got over from Stanford. And I think, you know, because of who the Big 12 is, I think there's a lot of people who still have not clued into Texas Tech because so much of the focus this season has been on all the SEC teams trying to jockey for position, obviously Ohio State and Indiana.

[31:47] And we don't know how much Texas Tech spent on that roster. But I don't necessarily know that people tune in every week to watch Texas Tech. They'd rather watch SEC or Big 10 games to a less extent what's happening with Miami and Notre Dame, right? So I do think that you bring up a great point that when people tune in to the Orange Bowl, and I'm going to be at that game, if Oregon does win, which I think we're all penciling Oregon in to beat JMU, that matchup is going to be fantastic because, you know, you've got the dynamic offense from Oregon, you know, the solid, aggressive, physical, nasty defense from Texas Tech.

I mean, who doesn't love to see a matchup like that in a game with such high stakes? And you mentioned Texas Tech's offense. This is a complete team. This is a complete team that plays with balance, and they are not going to bow down to anybody. And the physicality with which they play, I think, is going to challenge Oregon, quite frankly, because if you look at Oregon's schedule, the Big 10 outside of their top team, right, looks more like the ACC than the SEC, right? I mean, it's a bunch of teams that are kind of bunched in there together, and you look at Oregon's schedule, and you're like, wait, okay, they got crushed by Indiana, and then what, right?

Like, if you look at their schedule as a whole, I think Texas Tech, quite honestly, has probably been challenged a little bit more in the Big 12 because of who they played as opposed to the schedule that Oregon had. So I think that's going to be a fantastic matchup. I mean, everybody who knows and talks to Joey McGuire just absolutely loves him and the job that he has done with that program, just who he is, his story, and leading them. I think folks are really going to like watching this team play.

Absolutely. Great to talk to you, as always. We should be fun looking at the matchups for this. Kirk Signetti is Nick Saban 2.0. I mean, even the same personality, but rarely smiles, all business. But I'll tell you one thing, he's a tough son of a gun. Gun. As far as a football coach is concerned. Where can we get online and get your great stuff, my dear, and the teams? Well, appreciate that, fellas. Just click on the college football page on ESPN. You've got all our bowl projections, bowl picks, playoff picks, all that good stuff is up there.

And I'm going to have a story later this week on Chris Wenke. Can you believe it's been 25 years since he won the Heisman Trophy? Wow. And the unique thing about this is we've got older guys now playing quarterback. Diego Pavia now going to… Nobody says anything about Diego Pavia being 24. Chris was 28 when he won it because he played baseball first. And people were so mad that he was so old that he couldn't be allowed to win it. He's an absolute unicorn when you look back at how he was able to go from baseball player not picking up football for six years, guys, to then breaking his neck and nearly losing his football career to winning the Heisman, playing in three national championship games, winning one national championship.

It was a lot of fun reliving those moments with him. So check that out on Thursday, fellas. Will it do? 28 years old. He's two years older than you, Andrea. That's right. Almost two. Almost two years. Listen, great job as always. Thank you so much. And stay safe and warm down there, okay? All right, fellas. Thanks for having me again. Appreciate it. Thank you, dude. Double A, Andrew Adelson, ESPN. What's going on out in Vegas besides Nick Saban getting ready to put his name in the fame?

Bruce Marshall, the latest from the desert. Next. Stay with us. Mugshot's Grill and Bar has a winning fall lineup with their limited-time offers. Choose from the smoky bourbon maple stack with two kid burgers or the pretzel basket with four pretzel sticks sprinkled with kosher salt. You must try the Chili Trio, which is a cup of cheesy chili. Fire the Nashville Hot Tacos. Three flower tortillas with three Nashville Hot chicken tenders. Happy hour is two to six daily. And get $3 mimosas and $5 Bloody Marys until three on Saturdays and Sundays.

Watch the game with our game day pitchers. So grab your friends and head to mugshots for beer, burgers, and ball in historic downtown Florence. For the season's greetings, I'm Annie Cole. Happy Hanukkah. I'm Marlon Hamm. And Happy New Year. I'm Rick Hill. I'm Eddie Buckley. Your friends and neighbors at Certified Alarm would like to wish you all a safe and secure holiday season. From Certified Alarm to you. Merry Christmas! Irons Electric has been family owned and operated for 65 years. Irons Electric is deeply rooted in the Florence High School tradition and is happy to be a part of many past projects, including the recently completed new band room.

Irons Electric Company was voted the number one electrical contractor in 2023. Our professional team-owned staff and master electricians provide the expertise to make sure your project is installed per code to operate safely and flawlessly. From small residential jobs to large commercial projects, call Irons Electric at 256-766-3870. You won't be shocked by their reputation. Hello, folks. Mark Humphrey, new car sales manager at Ray Miller GMC, where we treat you like family. We understand that buying an automobile is the second largest purchase you'll do in your lifetime.

[37:02] And just like all the Alabama athletic programs, we take pride in what we do. So, if you're looking for a new or pre-owned automobile, we have you covered. Also, don't forget to schedule your next oil change or any of your mechanical issues with our award-winning service and parts department. So, remember, folks, we're at 246 Cox Creek Parkway, Florence, Alabama, right underneath that big American flag. We hope to see you real soon. Find the most wonderful gifts at Macy's Friends and Family Sale with incredible deals on our best brands, like Donna Karan, Yvette Lafitte, Calvin Klein, and more, all at 30% off.

Plus, take 15% off beauty and fragrance from Lancome Clinique and Yves Saint Laurent. Or Star Rewards members can earn $20 in Star money for every $100 spent on eligible brands. Going on now, only at Macy's Friends and Family Sale. Savings off regular and already reduced prices. Exclusives apply. You took the elevator to the 48th floor and handed him the briefing. Your fingertips touched, sending a shockwave of desire through the air. The room pulsed with a silent craving as he drew you in with his smoldering gaze before uttering the words your body ached to hear.

The next train on track two is delayed. And all the while, you were on your commute home. There's more to imagine when you listen. Discover romance titles on Audible. Progressive presents Employee of the Month. Small Business Edition. Today's recipient, from Lucky Larry's Landscaping, Larry! Larry saved his business money with a quick commercial auto quote from Progressive. Does it help he's his own marketing manager, accountant, executive assistant, and never been late? Technically, yes, but saving really put him over the edge. So, Larry, give Larry a round of applause.

Be your own, Larry. See if you could save in as little as eight minutes at ProgressiveCommercial.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. Hey, fans! Welcome back to Fansville's Cheers! And Tears! Okay, so, like, everybody deals with losing, right? To a rival on a last-second field goal. Whatever, it's fine. I'm totally fine. But I cope with losing with an ice-cold Dr. Pepper. Mmm, those 23 flavors are, like, so delicious. They totally wash away the pain of your college football team taking a big fat L. College football. It's a pepper thing.

Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93.9 The Score. The Atlanta Falcons are back in action on Thursday when they travel to Tampa to take on the Buccaneers. The Falcons enter the matchup at 4-9, while Tampa Bay is currently 7-6 on the season. Tune in tonight for high school boys basketball as Bob Jones plays at Florence. Pre-game coverage begins at 7-15. Tip-off tonight between Bob Jones and Florence is set for 7-30. Bundle auto and home, renters or condo, and save with Progressive. I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash presented by Progressive on 93.9 The Score.

The holidays are back at Starbucks, so share the season with a peppermint mocha. Starbucks signature espresso, velvety mocha, and cool peppermint notes topped with whipped cream and dark chocolate curls. Together is the best place to be at Starbucks. With the lowest prices for over 30 years, find what you love only at Total Wine & More. Drink responsibly, B-21. CVS Health supports people in the moments that matter, from picking up a prescription to connecting care. With nearly 5 million daily interactions and serving 185 million consumers and 1.5 million healthcare professionals, CVS Health holds a trusted place in healthcare.

By simplifying care and improving health, we're helping people get the care they need. Learn more at cvshealth.com slash Investor Day. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. Move over Elvis Presley and Wayne Newton. The biggest two names in Vegas today is Bruce Marshall and Nick Saban. We'll get that connection here in a second. Bruce is busy there with the Las Vegas Insider, BAMSports.net, CBS Sportsline, winners and whiners, picks and parlays. That podcast is Bet Rivers and Vegas Insider.

Bruce Marshall, welcome in. How are you? Well, I'm good. You guys wouldn't believe this, but I used to have hair like Elvis, but that's a long time ago. A long time ago. How big was your limousine, Bruce? You live in a great place out there. Nick Saban is going to be one of the headliners after tonight. He's going to be inducted into the College Sports Hall of Fame. Are you shocked that Nick Saban qualifies for that honor, Bruce? No, but I'm shocked I didn't get an invitation.

[42:09] Darn it. No, we didn't either. I would have been there. No, I mean, it's overdue. I mean, we knew that was going to be coming. You know, I look back now and, man, I envy guys like Coach Saban or, you know, Jay Wright, Villanova, Coach Cave. He's been getting out of this rat race when they do it. Thank you. I mean, he's loving life now. He gets to play golf and go fishing and once a week work on ESPN and get awards like this. So, for him, good for him.

And live in Florida when it's cold here. He just bought a condo community down at Orange Beach. So, life is good. And you're right. He got out at the right time. And, Bruce, what is your perspective on yet the latest chapter in chaos known as the NCAA and the College Football Playoff Committee's decisions? Yeah, you know, I think that just the whole process was ripe for inconsistencies. And there were a few in there. But, I mean, you're trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear in that whole process.

And I know people complain about the committee and 100-year-old check. And maybe, you know, I think they ended up getting it right with Miami and Notre Dame, that part of it. They finally came around to saying that we've got to look at the head-to-head here. Now, their explanation was like we didn't get to the point where it was just Miami versus Notre Dame until right at the end. So, I can sort of buy that explanation. Although, you know, when they started doing these polls at the start of November, Miami was, what, 18th?

And then they made their way up. So, I mean, there's some inconsistencies. But I think that's sort of unavoidable. I am also, I mean, we mentioned this last week. They didn't penalize Alabama for losing the conference championship game. And that was something that they had mentioned last year. They weren't going to rearrange the order based upon the conference championship games. Although, they sort of did. I mean, they dropped BYU after the loss to Texas Tech. And, you know, I was talking to somebody the other day.

I remember, you know, 2017. And that was the year, you know, Alabama beat Georgia in the final with the two coming in and throwing the TV pass. But they didn't make the SEC title game that year. Gus Malvin beat them that year. And then he lost to Georgia in a rematch. And Alabama had gotten into the four-team playoff that year. So, there's inconsistencies building. But for me, guys, the thing, the story after the smoke, the dust settled on Sunday was Notre Dame. And the absolute haughty arrogance of the fighting.

Thank you, Bruce. Yeah. I mean, think about it. As an institution, college football has bent over backwards for Notre Dame with all of these accommodations for Notre Dame and special exceptions and exemptions, including that provision next year that says, well, if Notre Dame's in the top 12, they're going to be in. Now, I don't know who made that deal, but that sounds like a New York Mets free agent deal. I mean, or an Angels free agent deal. I mean, that's ridiculous. For them, what did the Gator Bowl or one of the Orlando Bowls do to get Notre Dame mad?

And Notre Dame people wonder why people dislike them. And I've grown up around Notre Dame people. I know a lot of them. They're almost all the same. There's a haughty arrogance and moralizing, you know, you guys, you're not real students. We're students. You guys cheat. We don't cheat. Well, I don't know about that. I've had other people tell me, no, Notre Dame's not as, you know, there's some stuff that's happened there, too. But it's that sort of moralizing and it is the sort of academic elitism.

That's what fosters a lot of a dislike for Notre Dame. It's not envy that they've done well. I mean, it's been 40 years since they won, almost 40 years since they won a national title. And even 88, they were not the best team that year, but that's a different subject for a different day. One other note, Notre Dame, this pulse, Notre Dame supposedly has, you guys remember as good as me, Notre Dame-USC used to be like the premier TV game of the college football season. Now this year, late October, that same day, Notre Dame-SC on NBC was outdrawn more than two to one.

One by Ole Miss-Georgia on ABC. Also, well outdrawn by Tennessee-Alabama, almost two to one. And even LSU-Vanderbilt that day, more than a million more viewers, according to the TV ratings people, watch that than SC-Notre Dame. Thank you. I can't buy they've got this much pull anymore either. It just rankles me no end. Let me ask you about Alabama and Oklahoma. Alabama gets a real break after rushing for negative three yards against Georgia, which was ranked the number six run defense. They get to face the nation's number five run defense in Oklahoma.

By the time they got to the fourth quarter, Alabama had eight starters who were out in that game. Georgia had a very good game plan. In particular, they took advantage of the special teams blocking the punt. They won the line of scrimmage. They were more physical. Alabama had physical them in September. Different story in Atlanta. This is Alabama-Oklahoma 2.0. Alabama is a one-and-a-half point favorite. We'll pick this next week. But your early thoughts on a rematch of the Tide and the Sooners? I agree with you, Brett, that this is the one matchup that might work for Alabama.

[47:51] Because Oklahoma, and we'll break this down more next week, but, I mean, the offense with Mateer, we've seen some flashes of him since he came back, but he is still not the same since that ring injury. Their defense, though, makes plays, but that's a pretty, and that's why they won that game in Tuscaloosa last month, but that's a pretty thin ledge to walk on there to hope you're going to get a pick six and turnovers, although Oklahoma has a big play defense to do that. What would more concern me about Bama, though, is that how they, were they not ready to play?

Georgia certainly looked more ready than that game on Saturday. And you guys talked about this from midseason on. This running game is inconsistent, and now these injuries they've had up front and to the running backs. Listen, down the depth chart, Phelan DeBoer's got to be upset. I mean, I know you don't have Jam Miller and some of the other guys in there, but your other backs, they've got to be able to catch the ball. When Simpson throws it to them out of the backfield, they've got to be able to do something.

And they're going to have to play a lot better if they want to get any further than Norman in the playoffs. Now, they might have a shot in this game, and we'll break it down more next week, but the Alabama we saw against Georgia ain't going too far in this playoff, so we'll see what happens. And as you mentioned, delve deeper into it next week. Bruce, in the meantime, who got the best draw? Maybe Alabama did by some accounts. Who got the worst draw of the 12th field this year?

Maybe Texas A&M, I mean, getting Miami thrown at them. And when you think about it, you know, Ole Miss, I mean, the difference between Ole Miss and Texas A&M, so you put Texas A&M below Ole Miss, Texas A&M was sitting, what, third in the poll until the loss to Texas, and you dropped them all those spots for one loss, you know, and they dropped them beneath Ole Miss. And the difference between us being 6th and 7th is really big. Texas A&M gets you Tulane, and that's who Ole Miss beat 45-10 in the regular season.

7th gets you Miami. I'm not sure that Miami isn't a bit overrated, but they're kind of scary. You've got an NFL quarterback in there throwing to some NFL receivers, and Miami was pretty hot down the stretch, and I think A&M got kind of the short end of the stick. And, oh, by the way, at 7, that means if they can survive that game against Miami, they would get Ohio State next. So I think Texas A&M was the one that got hit the most. And Ole Miss probably got a break.

Actually, Oregon got a pretty good break, too, because they, you know, they get James Madison first, and then, you know, they would get, you know, the next game, I guess, they get the four seed. So Oregon probably got a good, Ole Miss got a good, Texas A&M, no. Is it going to be interesting, and Miami does beat Texas A&M. Who do they play next? Carson Banks' former team. That's going to be an interesting matchup there. We talked about this for a few minutes with our friend, Andrea Adelson.

They don't get much. Of course, some of these Big 12. I'm telling you, I know all about the NIL, and I read some of the back story on that and how they put all this stuff together. But I tell you, Bruce, BYU is a good physical team, and Texas Tech just ran all over them. I know they made some turnovers. Their defense is really good. Dickey is a good running back. Douglas, Econ, I mean, just go on and on with Texas Tech. Texas Tech and Indiana with Signity, they're going to be tough in the playoffs.

Oh, yeah, I think so. Texas Tech, I'm glad you brought them up, Brett. They're a little bit of a mystery team in there. I mean, if they're as good as they've looked, they could win this whole thing. Now, the question I have had all year about Texas Tech is I am not sure how strong the Big 12 was this year. But, you know, they only slipped that one time at Arizona State, understandable. It's the only time they let down all year. That's the only, not just game they lost, that's the only point spread they didn't cover.

And they were working with the backup quarterback in that game. Also, the non-conference schedule. If I'm going to take Texas Tech to task, I mean, when you're playing Arkansas Pine Bluff and Kent State and this version of Oregon State, you were not tested. So I just don't know. And we're going to have to figure that out when we get to the, after the first round about how good Texas Tech is. But, you know, maybe they are. I mean, they're doing what a real good team is supposed to do to teams that are not so good is beat them up.

And Texas Tech did that, and they won with three quarterbacks this year, and they can run those guys you said up front. And Morton's in their quarterback. This is the team that we're going to have to look at a little more closely under the microscope. And if they're as good as they've looked against the Big 12, these other teams better watch out. Bruce Marshall, check him out. Vegas insider does football, does basketball. Bruce, quickly, who's going to win when Alabama takes on number one, Arizona this weekend, and be him?

[53:12] Wow. I mean, you know, there's that curse of being number one, you know, and maybe Arizona doesn't want that. I mean, Alabama has played everybody thus far, and, you know, they're not going to be scared by this. Maybe, you know, the point spread is going to be close to Pickham in this game, so it's not going to be, Arizona's not going to be, you know, a prohibitive favorite at all. Having said that, I like this Arizona team, you know, an awful lot. This freshman, Pete, is awfully good.

And, you know, the backcourt is just, I mean, they just fire away, and they got some experience back there with Jaden Bradley, who used to be at Alabama, and others. But I wouldn't put a pass to Alabama to win this game. I mean, they're ranked 12th, and they have played, I mean, look at that. This is the anti-Texas Tech football schedule. That's exactly right. St. John's, Purdue, Illinois, Gonzaga. Clemson's not bad. They whipped them. I think Alabama's got a shot, for sure. Absolutely, it will. Nobody does it better.

Still, the gold standard. College basketball, college football, the NFL, the NBA, you name it, you do it. By the way, tell us all of the platforms that you've got, and who's going to win? If you don't have a vote, you can tell us. Who's going to win the Heisman Saturday night? I hope Diego Pavia wins it. I really hope he does. By the way, Vanderbilt's got a legitimate claim for legitimately to be upset, I think. Because I think they're one of the 12 best teams. But I hope he does.

Something tells him Mendoza's going to win it. But I hope it's not Jeremiah Love after I dumps on Notre Dame like that. But I'm cheering for Pavia. But we'll see. Anyway, for all my stuff and all these picks, we've got college hoops, NBA, NHL, football, NFL. What an interesting one last night. By the way, my wife got more kick out of that on ESPN2. They had the Monsters, Inc. version of the game. So I actually watched Eagle Sturges on that. Check me out online, VegasInsider.com.

Old standby. Also, CBSSportsLine, SportsLine.com. And picks with a different twist at WinnersAndWiners.com, PicksAndParlays.com. Love your wife. And I know you do too, Bruce. Listen, as always, good to hook up with you. Thank you so much. And have fun out there, okay? Let's do it again soon. Okay. Let's see if I can crash that ceremony tonight. Yeah! There you go. There's Marshall Bussey there at Vegas on Saturday. How about that? Diego Pavia. What are the odds, speaking of Vegas, of the best player for the SEC this year from Vanderbilt, baby, if you go by the Heisman gauge.

Coming up in the next hour, we're going to be taking it all over the place. Matt Merchelle is going to be on board. Joe Cox with the Coast to Coast when it comes to the SEC. Thomas Ashworth and Morris. Straight ahead, stay with us on the Boom, Old Bug Show. Hello, my name is Deborah Bell Passeur, and I'm an attorney with the law firm of Johnson, Passeur, Medley, and Burchell. Why call an out-of-town lawyer when you can call our law firm, which has over 100 years of combined experience in all areas of the law?

Check us out first by calling our office at 256-766-3131. No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers. Hank Williams, Tammy Wynette, Lionel Richie, The Swampers, Riley Green, Jamie Johnson, Ella Langley. What do all these great music icons have in common? Well, they're all from right here in Sweet Home, Alabama. At the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, they invite you to come take a journey to see all the great music legends and future music makers that make us all so very proud.

The Alabama Music Hall of Fame, located on Highway 72 West in Tuscumbia. Did you hear? Allstate car insurance now costs even less. So when you bundle with home, you can save even more. Check Allstate first to bundle and save with a new lower auto rate. You're in good hands with Allstate. Not available in every state. Only applicable for new auto insurance business. Rates will vary by several factors, including how you purchase the policy. Potential savings may vary. Allstate North American Insurance Company and affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois. Welcome back to Winter Hack Radio.

The place for clever hacks to survive the season. Icy driveway? Well, try spreading sand or bird seed to help with traction. Snowy puppy paws? Well, grab a whisk, brush it off, done. Catch COVID-19? Well, just get… Actually, there's no hack for COVID-19. But if you test positive, prescription medications for COVID exist. Ask your doctor if they're right for you. Visit PfizerForAll.com to learn more. Sponsored by Pfizer. My name is Whitney Allen. I am a widow. My husband, Ryan, died. We never thought in a million years we'd have to use life insurance.

[58:20] The unexpected happened. With Ethos, it is so fast and easy. It's 100% online. You can get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, and get same-day coverage. No medical exams. And you can get up to $3 million worth of coverage through Ethos. Get your free quote at ethos.com slash game. That's E-T-H-O-S dot com slash game. Time spent on application may vary. Online health questions required. Individuals and businesses with tax problems. Listen carefully. If you owe over $10,000 in back taxes or have unfiled tax returns, U.S. Tax Shield can help you take back control.

The IRS can seize your bank accounts, garnish your paycheck, close your business, and file criminal charges. Our team of tax attorneys can stop collections and get you protected. U.S. Tax Shield offers a price protection guaranteed quote to get you protected today. U.S. Tax Shield is A-plus rated with the BBB. So call 800-494-6139. U.S. Tax Shield. 800-494-6139. Your ambition just met its match with Robinhood. Trade stocks and ETFs, options, futures, and crypto all on one platform. Get started today at Robinhood.com slash your money.

Your money, your move. All investments involve risk, including loss of principal. Options, futures, and crypto trading carry significant risk and may not suit all investors. Securities offered through Robinhood Financial LLC member SIPC. Futures trading is offered by Robinhood Derivatives LLC, not FDIC or SIPC protected. Crypto offered through Robinhood Crypto LLC. NMLS ID 170-2840, not FDIC or SIPC protected. Portfolio management offered by Robinhood Strategies. An SEC registered advisor. 1819 News. The state of Alabama is now getting the bill after a special master recently redrew two state senate districts.

The special master was appointed by a judge as part of a lawsuit that challenged the makeup of the state senate districts, especially districts 25 and 26. District Judge Anna Monasco ordered the special master to draw up the map in time for the 2026 elections. The bill for all of that effort is now coming in at $240,000. Judge Monasco ultimately chose plan three of the three maps submitted by the special master. That map three wasn't even created by the special masters. They did the plans one and two. Instead, plan three was submitted by a University of Alabama freshman student, Daniel D. Donato, who says he's been interested in elections and map making since he's been a student in high school.

I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this. Where I was living was not a great place to live anymore. I began to pray for a place to go, praying for all of these things that a nine-year-old would want. I wanted horses, big house with a bunch of people my age. I wanted parents. I wanted a mom and a dad. Before I even prayed it, the Lord had already answered my prayer with the Big Oak Ranch. Who would that nine-year-old be if she never came to the Big Oak Ranch?

I would be trying to fight for survival instead of fighting to break a cycle. Big Oak Ranch, a Christian home for children needing a chance. A Jefferson County judge has given approval to a stabbing suspect to move out of state while he awaits his trial. 20-year-old Daniel Mincy is accused of stabbing two UAB football players this past November. Mincy is also on the football team. The stabbing occurred at the UAB Football Operations Center. The two players did survive the attack. Now, Mincy wants to move to Pompano Beach, Florida, and was in court with his attorneys to work on conditions for that release.

I'm Andrea Tyson. For more news affecting Alabamians, go to 1819news.com. And while you're there, subscribe to the daily newsletter. Valley Broadcasting Corporation, WITK-FM, Rogersville, Athens, Decatur, The Shore. Sports Radio 93.9, The Score. Scott Graham here from Westwood One. Don't miss any of our exclusive NFL action all season long until a new champion is crowned at Super Bowl 60. Of course, each week begins with Thursday Night Football. I'll get it started with a preview and a look ahead at the big weekend games. Then it's to the stadium for the play-by-play of all the action.

Join us all season long on Thursday Night Football. Ryan Ranke here from Sunday Night Football on Westwood One. Join Mike Golick and me every Sunday for a marquee primetime NFL matchup. Scott Graham gets things started with a pregame show from the studio with exclusive player interviews and the latest league news. Then from the stadium, Mike and I bring you the exclusive play-by-play call of the action. Join us every week for Sunday Night Football. 93.9, The Score weather. Today, mostly sunny with a high around 50. Tonight, mostly clear with possible gusty winds overnight and a low near 40.

Tomorrow, sunny. Gusty winds continuing with a high around 60. Tomorrow night, partly cloudy with a low near 30. And for your Thursday, mostly sunny with a high around 50. Your weather from 93.9, The Score. Now, get ready to roll Shoals, Decatur, Athens, and all of northwest Alabama and southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9, The Score. Welcome back in. Appreciate the free ride around the Tennessee Valley.

[1:03:55] Our tour to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg. That's Brett Beaird and BB. Some breaking news. We mentioned earlier Nick Saban heading into the College Football Hall of Fame tonight. Later on, out in Las Vegas. But a friend over at UNA, Mike Ezekiel, saying we don't have to go that far to get some good news. It's announcing that UNA Women's Basketball's all-time leading scorer becomes the first lion to receive ASUN Hall of Fame induction honors. Anyone who's been around the program for a while remembers the name Ivy Wallen.

She is on her way to the ASUN Hall of Fame. Over 1,700 career points. So, congratulations to Ivy Wallen. Inducted into the ASUN Hall of Fame. The first lion to receive such an honor, BB. Congratulations to her. I think any UNA fan remembers the Wallen girls. And certainly high school basketball. And we remember Thomas Ashworth, who's probably coming out of a pit stop these days. He's got the entire high school world covered there at AL.com. Thomas, welcome in. Did you survive the big state dates? How are you?

I'm still catching up on sleep, but I think other than that, I'm all right. I'm a bit. Your thoughts about this year, before we get into the obvious, we've got some good news. Obviously, speaking of folks in Florence with good news, pretty obvious where we'll go in a second. But just in general, your thoughts, starting with, again, a good job at the Alabama Public Television. We're going to have the man that's at the heart of that, Kevin Scarbinsky, with a schedule in the way tomorrow. But, Thomas, your thoughts about a heck of a party down there.

Yeah, I mean, just the games are sad. It's always a good event. I mean, I think that they do a really good job. And, you know, there were some questions, I think, when it was moved away from Auburn and Alabama as to, you know, Will Uwe's charm, that kind of thing. But I think it's, you know, almost grown in a way that, you know, it provides a more almost intimate setting, I think, in Birmingham. It's much more accessible for a lot of programs. And I think it was a really good atmosphere.

And there were some really, really packed crowds for those games. And next year, it'll be in Mobile. So, we'll see what happens with that move as well. But, I mean, it's always a really well-put-on event. I think they do a really good job. The HSA, I think, shines the most when, you know, as far as championship play goes. I think those events are pretty well-put-on. So, I mean, big credit to them. But, I mean, games aside, it was a really good week. Let me ask you about some of the guys that you saw.

There are some future stars in college football here. Trent Seaborn of Thompson, winning, I believe, his third state championship, been playing quarterback since the eighth grade. They routed Brian Moore in Opelika, the former Hartzell and Jasper coach, 148-10. Morris Hill, double-headed monster of Jackson Penn and Hudson Higgins, ran for nearly 400 yards. What can you say about EJ Crowell with Jackson running 4-3-0-4-25, Aaron Fry of Clay Chalkville, and they beat Muscle Shoals in the semifinals, 167 yards passing, and 192 rushing. Boy, you saw some amazing performances last week.

Yeah, I think Alabama fans should probably be pretty happy with what they saw. It's funny, we wrote kind of a recap of the Super 7 championships, and one of the things was like, oh, who's going to win Mr. Football? It looks like it's down to Trent Seaborn and EJ Crowell right now. So, you know, we put that out there, and Trent was like, nah, it's EJ. He should be Mr. Football. Which, I mean, that's a fair assessment, I think. But both of those guys really do shine on the lights of the brightest.

I mean, both of those guys just led absolutely crushing wins. And I think that in the Opelika game, I think they had like, I think Opelika had like 22 yards at halftime. I think the first down for Opelika came with like three minutes left in the first half. Something like that. Something just ridiculous. Which was kind of a theme, I guess, in the Super 7 this year. I think the average margin of victory for all the teams was like 25 points or something like that. Like the 52-0 game that Jackson won was like the fourth biggest margin of victory in Super 7 history.

And we saw a ton of those. I mean, there were just so many blowouts this year, which is weird. You know, I remember, I mean, we were talking last week, and we were like, man, there's going to be some good games. You know, it'll be really good. But most of the news fast, other than 2A. But no, I mean, I think the Alabama fans should probably be pretty happy. E.J. Crowl probably is the most can't-miss prospect I've seen play live at the high school level.

Just a ridiculous player. I mean, you think about it, he moved down a class to, you know, be able to play for Alabama early. So, I mean, he should be a junior right now, which is just ridiculous to think about. But, I mean, with the way that Alabama's run game looked on Saturday, I think they're more than ready for him to be in Princeton. Yeah, he should have left and gone to Atlanta over the weekend. Tell us what's amazing about it, those two you mentioned, is everybody says, well, they've got these big numbers.

[1:09:16] But look who they've played relative to the schedule. But when you get into the state playoffs and starting to the state championship game, what amazes me about both the guys you mentioned, Crowell and Seymour, they make it look almost effortless, do they not? It's almost like they're playing a video game out there. Yeah, you're right. It's just, like, I think the, I said this a couple times, I think Jacquez Wilkes is another good example for a while. Like, granted, he didn't, he left with an injury.

But last year, I was saying, like, man, some of these guys, it looks like they're just like, like, you go to Thanksgiving and, like, your uncle is playing football with you. And, like, you're eight years old. Like, that's what that looks like for some of these guys. They're just, like, shouldn't be playing at this level. It's just ridiculous. And Trent, you know, he just makes passes that, you know, some college guys might not be able to make. No. He's just so accurate. And, you know, I think I was watching the Clay Chalkwell game when they played Thompson.

I was like, man, he's just making throws that guys just shouldn't be making right now. He did that in the Super 7 as well. And E.J. Crowell, I mean, he's a guy that, you know, there were a couple of rounds where he seemed like he was just dragging defenders, like, 215 yards to get a touchdown. It was just ridiculous. I mean, like you said, these guys could probably, if they just started playing right now, they might be in the depth chart over at Alabama. But, I mean, they're just freaks.

They're really good. I think, like I said, I think they shine with the lights of the Braggers. Let me ask you about it. I appreciate your wrap-up that you had yesterday. Let me ask you about two things. Number one, a rare play in any sport, but I don't know if I've seen one in 40 years, but a free kick. I think Coach Jake Gaines, at the end of the first half, there was a fair catch on the punt. In the very next play, Ryan McPherson kicked a 50-yard field goal as a free kick, something you don't see very often.

And you noted this, and we talked to Ben Thomas about this yesterday. As only he can do, Rush Probst, the, quote, interim coach, who's a Christian, they come back, rally to beat Lynette, 29-22. Well, he's fired up after the game, and tells everybody he's not done with coaching. And I am open for business. One of the best quotes I've heard this year. Yeah, I'll start with Rush. I mean, that dude is, you know, he's going to keep coaching until he falls over. I mean, that dude is, I mean, and, you know, I'm from Georgia, so, you know, his reputation sees itself in Georgia as far as the championship.

I'm sure it does. And then, you know, all of those at Hoover. But, I mean, this dude, you know, everybody was kind of expecting it when he got in the playoffs. They're like, okay, you know, if that guy stays in the playoffs, they're going to win a championship. You know, granted, Pistar put up a really good fight against him. I mean, that, I mean, Rush just knows how to win. He had a really good player, Kylan Johnson's another guy. I think that doesn't get enough credit.

I mean, he got his first SEC offer from Missouri. I think after that state championship win, he left injured, but he scored all the touchdowns for Kusa Christian until that last touchdown to kind of seal that one. But, I mean, he looked the part. He really does look like an SEC-type player, even though he's playing some two-way ball. But, yeah, Rush Krups is open for business if anybody's, you know, listening to this, I guess, and wants to joke. But, you know, going back to, you know, all the games, I mean, I think that it provided a lot of clarity for, you know, as far as, you know, kind of the playoff picture, I guess.

I mean, we were kind of wondering what would happen when, you know, the 7-8 games were mixed up and all that stuff. And I think we kind of saw it. I mean, we saw the semifinal game against Central Phoenix City for Thompson. I think that was kind of the state championship game. It was. And with no disrespect to Opelika, I mean, they had a really good year. We were able to avenge a really tough loss to Auburn and, you know, advance to the state championship game.

But, I mean, it's clear that, you know, the talent disparity was there. I mean, there was no question. And, I mean, it's going to be interesting to see kind of how that kind of may change or it may stay the same as far as, you know, to look at it and say, oh, there were just so many blowouts this year. Is there a way that we can change that or is that just going to kind of keep being the norm as far as, you know, the north and south respectively, you know, getting their share of blowouts.

I mean, we'll see what happens. But I think that might set a precedent for what's to come in 7-8. Thomas Fashworth, AL.com. We saved the best for last. Mars Hill Bible back-to-back state titles. They're just a well-oiled machine, are they not? Yeah, we've talked about them all year. I'm sure, you know, there's no bias at all over in North Alabama about the Bible. No. Not at all. But, no, it's well-deserved. I mean, they just looked awesome. They really did. But I think that they're probably one of the more – if we're talking – I'm not saying, you know, they're more talented or anything.

[1:14:29] But as far as complete teams, they're just a really complete team, if you know what I'm saying. You know, they're top to bottom really good. But, obviously, you know, Jackson Penn, I think it was kind of a storybook moment for him to get MVP, especially how, you know, the season ended last year and he was watching from the sidelines at that point in the year with an injury. I think it was kind of poetic in a way that, you know, he put on a show like he did.

But, I mean, Hudson Higgins, another guy that's just ridiculously talented. That run game, I think it was just kind of, you know, whoever they faced, they were just going to run the balls down their throat for 400 or 500 yards. You know, it didn't matter at that point. But, I mean, Daryl Higgins has done a phenomenal job over there. I mean, they just keep on winning. I mean, they're probably going to be playing for a ball pretty soon. So, you know, we'll see the test against, if they make it this far again, you know, against the Jacksons or the St. Michaels or, you know, those teams.

And, you know, in the north they give the Cherokee Counties and, you know, the Alexandrians and Anistons and those level of teams. I mean, and Wes Morgan as well. So, I mean, it's going to be interesting to see what happens with their move before it. But, I mean, as for now, I'm sure they're still celebrating, and rightfully so. It's just a really good win. And that Bayside Academy team is really good as well. So, really big win for them. Yeah, we're going to find out about reclassification if Morris Hill does move up with that competitive balance.

I believe on Monday, at least, or at the first part of next week, Caleb Suggs of the Decatur Daily mentioned that Austin may be dropping to 6A. So, it's going to be quite a few teams in the North Alabama area we're going to be looking at to see if they go up or down. So, great stuff, good job of covering it, basketball coming up, Mr. Football. What else have you got on top this week, and where can we get online to get it? Yeah, I mean, honestly, there's not too much going on right now with football.

That's a good thing. Yeah, there's a couple of college football teams still playing. And, you know, we've got some high school stuff coming. So, AL.com has got you covered with all that. We've got a lot coming. And, you know, it's basketball season now. So, I mean, that's like one of the biggest things in the Shoals all year. So, I'm sure you're all excited about that one. Absolutely. Well-deserved rest. Thomas, thanks so much for your time today, and have a great week, okay? Yes, sir. Appreciate you guys.

Thank you, bud. Thomas Ashworth, AL.com. You mentioned celebration time at F. Marsdale. The boss himself, Daryl Higgins, scheduled to be with us coming up tomorrow. In the meantime, all over the SEC with Joe Cox on the Boomo Bugg Show. Stay with us. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Hugo's Mexican Restaurant at 4160 Florence Boulevard at the entrance to Kendall Gardens. Open Tuesday through Thursday, Sunday till 9, and Friday and Saturday till 9.30. Hi, I'm Dr. Brady Citizen with Treehouse Children's Dentistry. Our teens in Tuscumbia, Killen, and Madison are so excited to welcome you and your family to our treehouse.

We know that choosing a dental home can be a stressful experience. That's why at Treehouse Children's Dentistry, we've created an environment that kids and parents love. Our team is experienced in caring for every child, from infants to teenagers to children with special needs. Call one of our three locations today or visit our website at treehousedentist.com. We're so excited to see you soon at Treehouse Children's Dentistry, a branch of Singing River Dentistry. Dr. John and Misty Waddell and staff want to wish our family and patients peace, love, joy, and a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

From Dr. John Waddell's Family Dentistry, 1829 Darby Drive, Florence. At AT&T, we guarantee our network so you can talk college football with your BFF while taking Buster to the vet. Hey, yeah, I can't believe he ate the whole thing of chicken wings. And I can't believe we're staging a comeback. Touchdown! Yes! Staying connected matters. That's why in the rare event of a network outage, you'll automatically get a bill credit for a full day's service. For wireless downtime lasting 60 minutes or more caused by a single incident impacting 10 or more towers, must be connected to impacted tower at onset of outage.

Restrictions and exclusions apply. See att.com slash guarantee for full details. Rich Eisen here. As you all know, I care deeply about pediatric cancer research and awareness. That's why I'm proud to talk about Hyundai Hope on Wheels. For over 27 years, every Hyundai sold has helped fund life-saving pediatric cancer research. Together with over 850 dealers nationwide, they've raised more than $277 million, supporting over 25,000 kids in their fight against cancer. At Hyundai, hope isn't optional. It comes standard. Visit HyundaiUSA.com and search Hyundai Hope on Wheels to learn more.

This is the story of the one. As the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant, she knows the only thing more important than having the right safety gear is having it there when you need it. That's why she partners with Grainger for auto reordering. So her team members can count on her to have cut-resistant gloves on hand, and each shift can run safely and efficiently. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by. Grainger, for the ones who get it done. COVID-19 has cast a spotlight on the stark inequalities that drive poverty.

[1:19:43] The poorest communities in the U.S. and around the world are suffering the most. Oxfam believes we can put systems in place to protect health and livelihoods in the future if we work together with dignity and compassion. Learn how you can help offer safety to the most vulnerable and fight for a more resilient future at OxfamAmerica.org. Sponsored by Oxfam America. From the University of Alabama, this is Crimson Tide Today. It's a daily update on Bama sports, and it's brought to you by Vector Security Champions Lane, the best pregame fan fest in college football.

Visit online at championslane.com. Hello again, everybody. I'm Roger Hoover. Here are thoughts from Alabama football head coach Kalen DeBoer on Alabama being selected for the college football playoff. Important day for our program, getting a chance to have a berth in the CFP, the playoffs here. Just something our guys have been working for, you know, going back really to the beginning of January. So, 11 months and, you know, the work paying off and everything we did this season leading to this opportunity. Obviously, a team that we know well with Oklahoma, one that, you know, came here and obviously was a battle.

It was a physical game and, you know, came out on the wrong side. But looking forward to, you know, third meeting in less than two years or really just probably 12 or 13 months. And so, each team knows what to expect, know each other well, and I know it'll be a hard-fought game. I'll have more in a moment. Tide fans, are you ready for game day in Tuscaloosa? Don't miss the ultimate pregame experience this season at Vector Security Champions Lane, opening four hours before each home game. This FanFest has everything you need to get pumps for kickoff.

Located next to the Walk of Champions, you'll enjoy live music, player autographs, the best food trucks from all over Alabama, and ice-cold beer in our Legends Lounge Beer Garden, where there's never a cover charge. Check out ChampionsLane.com each week for the latest updates. Roll Tide. Join us Thursday for Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR, streaming live at 2 p.m. Central on all CTSN social media platforms at UA underscore CTSN. Crimson Tide Today is brought to you by Vector Security Champions Lane. Crimson Tide Today is a production of the Crimson Tide Sports Network from Learfield.

The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. The Score. Welcome back in. As our friends from Greece would say, he's got the ACC cover from the Alpha to the Omega. He's Joe Cox. Visited there Saturday down south. His book's called A Fine Team Man. Joe, welcome in. How are you? Can't complain. It's a nice sunny day for once up here. And, you know, got a nice slate of bowl games ahead of us. A lot of outstanding college football to come. Joe, as usual, everybody's happy with the CFP committee's selection.

Or did I get that wrong? Joe, did they get it right? Or did they get it wrong? And if so, where did they get it wrong, Joe? I think they probably got it about as right as you're going to get it. I mean, there's always going to be hand-wringing and consternation. I think the big takeaway from the picks ends up being Notre Dame, get in line and join a conference like everybody else. Thank you, Joe. I mean, that's your real takeaway here. I mean, it's hilarious.

They're mad at the ACC. The ACC's like, what do you think we're going to do? Say, yes, please, leave out our teams and put this virtuous Notre Dame squad in there. I've never understood that one. And, you know, yeah, I do feel a little bit bad for them to win 10 in a row. At the same time, they essentially played an ACC schedule without having to play the ACC championship. So, hard to feel too bad. Joe, it was rather amusing. The Notre Dame athletic director, Bakwa, I believe, comes out and says, Notre Dame had won the most dominant runs, winning 10 games, consecutive games.

And every team deserves that when you run off a 10-game streak. They beat three 2-10 teams, 1-3-9, and 1-4-8. I don't know how dominant that was. Well, I mean, it's dominant in the way that the big boys at the high school could beat the third graders, but that's not really noteworthy there. Yeah, I've got to say. I mean, I know you've got to say those things. And realistically, for them, it probably was a bad year to have as many ACC opponents as they did.

I mean, we're talking about a league where 8-5 Duke ends up winning, and they get the group of five a second team in the field just because of how awful the ACC was. But, yeah, no tears shed for me. I definitely sympathize with Alabama in this situation. And when it comes down to Miami and Notre Dame, I see why Notre Dame's upset. But at the same time, you know, no real dog in the fight. And I think probably either of those teams would be a quick first round out in the playoff regardless.

[1:25:07] Boy, they say the number 13's unlucky. Just ask Notre Dame this year or Alabama last year. Alabama is in this year. They're trying to forget their game against Georgia. They've been trying to forget their game against Oklahoma. Well, they can't do it because they got them again. Joe, your thoughts about where Alabama is now and where will they be in, what, a week from Friday night when they go out to storm Norman out there? Yeah, I mean, it's a tough one. But if you're going to have to go on the road, you know, that's probably the least imposing of the four.

You definitely, nobody wants to go play at Oregon. And Ole Miss and A&M have pretty well stated their cases. So, you know, if you're Alabama, knowing you're not going to get one of those top eight spots, I think Oklahoma is, you know, as fair of a spot to land as any. It's going to be interesting to see how Alabama bounces back from just a really lethargic effort in the title game. But I will say, for Kalen DeBoer, his teams tend to respond to adversity pretty well.

And it's another chance to prove that. You know, you win that one, all of a sudden things get interesting. Everybody loves Indiana. And let's see Indiana play some real competition in the next few weeks before we go crowning them. Joe, as far as the SEC-affiliated bowls, there are some intriguing games. Now, Tennessee fans are not exactly fired up to be going to Nashville. I think they'd rather go to a Florida Bowl. But the Music City Bowl, Tennessee and Illinois, December 30th. Vanderbilt and Clark Lee just came out and said, look, we've had a lot of people talk about Vandy being in the playoffs, but we had our opportunities and didn't take advantage of it.

I appreciate him saying that. But in Tampa, Vandy and Iowa, in one of the best games of the bowl season, and we will see how the opt-outs go, in the Cheez-Ett Citrus Bowl, Texas and Michigan. But on the surface, that's a pretty good game. Yeah, it really looks like a nice slate. Now, unfortunately, we hit the time of year where we start to get opt-outs. And we guys are not going to play. So far, it's been pretty quiet on that front. Maybe we'll be lucky, and that will continue.

But, yeah, I think it's a pretty good slate, despite what Notre Dame would have us believe. I think we'll still have bowl games for a few more years to come. But, you know, we'll just have to kind of play it. It's definitely going to be one of those things where these games you'll have to watch a lot closer to kickoff just to see who's in and who's out. Joe Cox, Saturday, down south. Joe, switching gears a little bit. What were the odds at the beginning of the year that here we are with the Heisman coming up?

And I guess it's one way of saying who's the best player from the respective conferences. The best player from the SEC this year will be out of Vanderbilt. What are the odds of that? And, Joe, also the message that's being sent there, and you look at the playoffs, where are we with college football going forward in terms of putting a roster together? You go to Indiana. You go to Diego himself at Vanderbilt. The old days, it was built off four and five stars out of high school.

Now, you look at who's going to be going to the Heisman party this weekend and a lot of transfers. Yeah, and I think if you want to see this through a positive lens, what you say is there's not just one path anymore. There was one path. You recruited the best players. You lined them up. You kept them for three, four, five years. Now you can still do that. Those teams are still around. They're not going anywhere. But there is another way. And I think that's great.

I think that's wonderful for teams like Vanderbilt, teams like Indiana. Indiana. Teams that were afterthoughts. That now, you know, there's really no hurdle that can't be avoided here. You can figure out a way around it, through it, under it, or over it in some way. And everybody's got a chance. Now, the bad thing is that means everybody's going to expect to be there. So, the hot seat on all of these coaches just got a little bit hotter. Joe, we've talked about this the last couple of years, and it's a pretty common topic nationally.

What to do to salvage the bowl situation. Are there too many? Yes. There's no question about that. But a lot of people look at bowls, at least they used to, as a reward for the season. The players get a nice package. You know, they go to a lot of them are warm climate. But in the future, I know there's been some discussion about having some of these bowls as the first game of the year. And making it a big deal, tying an NIL package with this.

Next season, Auburn and Bader kick off in Atlanta, and they're going to get $4 million as an NIL package. They're already doing that in basketball, that Alabama-Auburn and Tennessee participate in Las Vegas. What can you do to put more into the bowl season? I would like to see them cut back on the number of games. I think when everybody makes one, it definitely takes some of the luster off of it. And, you know, I'm old enough to remember, as you say, when there was a time where, you know, just having a winning record wasn't going to be enough to get you into a bowl.

[1:30:39] You had to do something to make a bowl. I think fewer games would help. I think, obviously, you know, as you say, warm weather helps putting people. I'm not against, you know, let's throw another one back in the Bahamas. Like they had for a while, let's put one in Hawaii. You know, let's give these guys a fun vacation if they're going to go and compete. But, yeah, the money is the most transparent answer. I mean, it's there anyway. If you win your bowl, you make your conference more money, and the share that gets passed down is more.

But let's just be more upfront about it, I guess. And, you know, say, look, the cash is on the line. And if you win, you're going to get a nice payday out of the deal. I mean, it works for the other sports, and it'll work for college football, I suppose. Yeah, I think that's where we're headed if they want to keep some of these bowls relevant. We'll see where that goes. Always good stuff. I know Adam Spencer, our buddy, we talked to him on Monday. He's got the SEC basketball power rankings.

Alabama's hosting the number one team in the nation Saturday night. That's going to be an 8-30 game on ESPN. I know you're going to be getting into that soon, too. Joe, where can we get online and get your stuff and the teams? Yep, Saturday down south is the spot. And I guess right now, guys, my theory is I'm going to wait until Kentucky wins a game that matters to talk about basketball. So it might be a little while still, it's starting to look like. Enjoy the sunshine.

It's been challenging up there between dentist visits and snow and cold and daughters going job shopping. It's been challenging. Good to see you survive it. Thanks so much, Joe, and keep up good work, okay? All right, guys. Y'all take care. Go back Saturday down south. Coming up about as far south as you can go, Orlando and Matt Merchelle next day with us. From the team at Martin Supply, here's wishing you a holiday season filled with joy, peace, and cherished moments. Thank you for letting Martin Supply be a part of your year.

Happy holidays and best wishes for a prosperous new year. Hello, Shoals. It's Elmer Pierce from Garner Pierce Autos. Are you tired of being told that it will take two weeks to service your vehicle or even to look at it to tell you what's wrong with it? Are you tired of being told that it's going to be $200 to $300 an hour for labor? At Garner Pierce Autos, we have four full-time certified and trained technicians that have over 75 years of automotive service experience. We service vehicles of every make and model and do anything from oil changes to engine and transmission replacements.

We're your one-stop shop or servicing your entire fleet or your personal vehicle. We have every accessory for your car, truck, van, or SUV. 4.9 stars on Google and Facebook. Garner Pierce Autos on Florence Boulevard right next to Appleby's, where it's our business to earn your business. You took the elevator to the 48th floor and handed him the briefing. Your fingertips touched, sending a shockwave of desire through the air. The room pulsed with a silent craving as he drew you in with his smoldering gaze before uttering the words your body ached to hear.

The next train on track 2 is delayed. And all the while, you were on your commute home. There's more to imagine when you listen. Discover romance titles on Audible. At Target, great memories start with great prices. Get gingerbread house kits for just $12. Plus all the Wondershop baking must-haves. Gather the whole fam, grab some gingerbread kits, and start building sweet moments together. Then keep the joy rolling, baking up tasty treats with Wondershop that'll make the season a blast. Make unforgettable memories with incredible prices on gingerbread kits and Wondershop baking essentials.

And step into the holidays only at Target. Restrictions apply. Hey, fans. Welcome back to Fansville's Cheers. And tears. Okay, so like everybody deals with losing, right? To a rival on a last-second field goal. Whatever, it's fine. I'm totally fine. But I cope with losing with an ice-cold Dr. Pepper. Mmm, those 23 flavors are, like, so delicious. They totally wash away the pain of your college football team taking a big fat L. College football, it's a pepper thing. Fellas, it's the season to shine. And not just from the holiday lights.

Manscaped is here to keep you looking sharp for every holiday party, family photo, and mistletoe moment. The Lawn Mower 5 body trimmer and the Chairman Plus face shaver deliver precision, comfort, and control worthy of Santa's nice list. I've been good and nice. Whether you're tidying up before a big night out or preparing for New Year's Eve, Manscaped has your back. And your face, too, to be exact. So, gift yourself with some grooming greatness this season. Because looking good is the best gift of all. And now you can find Manscaped products at your local Walmart.

Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93-9, The Score. Georgia and Auburn are both back in action on Saturday at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. It's Holiday Hoopsgiving. Georgia is set to take on Cincinnati. The Bearcats are 6-3, while Georgia Bulldogs come into the matchup at 8-1. Following that game, 21st ranked Auburn will take on Chattanooga. The Mocs are 4-5. Auburn is currently 7-3 on the season. Alabama will play in a top-15 matchup in Birmingham on Saturday night. The CM Newton Classic, 12th ranked Alabama, is 7-2.

[1:36:12] They'll take on the Arizona Wildcats. Arizona is in the top spot on the polls. They're number one. After an unbeaten start, they're currently 8-0. Bundle auto and home, renters or condo, and save with Progressive. I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash, presented by Progressive on 93-9, The Score. I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash. Getting more as a My Lowe's Pro Rewards member is easier than ever with the Lowe's app. Download it today and earn 500 points the first time you log in. Plus, your digital wallet helps you scan, save, earn, and access what you need to manage it all in one place.

Download the Lowe's app and take advantage of your pro benefits today. Lowe's. We help you save. Valid 12-125-1726. Offer valid for first login per organization only. Loyalty program subject to terms and conditions. Additional restrictions apply. Visit Lowe's.com slash terms for more details. Subject to change. Find the most wonderful gifts at Macy's Friends and Family Sale with incredible deals on our best brands like Donna Karan, Yvette Lafee, Calvin Klein, and more, all at 30% off. Plus, take 15% off Beauty and Fragrance from Lancome, Clinique, and Yves Saint Laurent.

Or, Star Rewards members can earn $20 in Star money for every $100 spent on eligible brands. Going on now, only at Macy's Friends and Family Sale. Savings off regular and already reduced prices. Exclusions apply. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back, and quickly, some breaking news here. We mentioned earlier, Ivy Wallen being named to the first to be named to the A-Sun Hall of Fame. Obviously, the leading scorer for women's basketball at UNA. And thanks to our friend, Mark Hurd. Thank you, Mark, for sharing some good news.

It looks like this is a great day if you're from UNA, BB. Yeah. Florida State Coach Trey Jones, who is a UNA graduate and currently the golf coach, he is a legend in collegiate golf. Nick Saban is not the only one being inducted into a Hall of Fame tonight. He's going to be inducted in Las Vegas tonight, also, the Golf National Hall of Fame. Trey grew up in common. His dad, Buddy Jones, is from Decatur. Yep. Certainly, congratulations to Trey for being inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame.

And, Mark, thank you again for letting us know about it. Yeah, and his buddy's going to be there tonight. Buddy Jones, proud Papa, going to be right there with him. By the way, Trey, getting a lot of points there. He led Georgia State men's golf team to his first ever NCAA appearance. And because of that and all his track record overall now at Florida State, congratulations to Trey Jones and his family. Let's go from Vegas to Orlando and check in with the voice of the big O.

Matt Marcia hooking up with us there, busy with the Orlando Center and his podcast, 365. Mark, Matt, welcome in. How are you? I'm doing well. How are you guys doing? Good. Man, we're doing all right. Matt, obviously, a topic du jour you may not have heard, but there's a lot of scuttlebutt about this committee's vote this week. Matt, did they get it right or did they get it wrong? You know, I think there's some questionable things, once again, about how some of this came down. You know, you look at some of the placements of some of the teams.

I was a little surprised that Alabama, you know, didn't drop after being blown out by Georgia, you know, in the SEC championship. I'm not talking dropped out of the bracket, but, you know, didn't at least drop a spot or so. You know, and I was a little bit surprised, not so much that maybe Notre Dame didn't get in, but just the fact that the committee on Tuesday felt Notre Dame was good enough to be above Miami, and then on Sunday decides when those two teams don't play at all, and then decides, okay, now Miami's good enough to be above them.

I think that's a decision that's going to haunt them for a while, because I think that the idea that they do these rankings every week, and we've spent so much time screaming at each other about them, that I think that's going to come back to haunt them, because I think maybe if you had just not had that ranking and they had the final ranking, I think it would have been fine. You know, I don't think people would have lost their mind, as they, so to speak.

I don't know if Notre Dame would have lost its mind, you know, but, you know, I mean, it just, so I think, yeah, there's still some things that are going to have to look at this stuff. They're going to look at the Notre Dame situation. They're going to have to look at everything that's going on, because I just don't think, again, it's not a perfect world, it's not a perfect system, but something has to be done at some point, because I just think you're always going to have people left out with hurt feelings, but I felt like this time around, it was more so than it was in the past.

If Notre Dame called the Pope, he didn't take their call, did they? Yeah, I mean, you know, and I'm going to say this, I don't blame Notre Dame for what they're doing. I mean, if Notre Dame doesn't want to do this, and you have to look at it in several different ways, if they felt like they were being disrespected, they felt like the ESPN and the ACC were trying to, you know, were basically campaigning to get Miami, and that's how they feel, you know, get Miami, then don't play in a bowl game, you know what I mean?

[1:41:25] And listen, it's, you know, they've got a big enough brand. They can do that. They don't have a conference tie-in, so they're conference tie-ins with the ACC, but it's for the other sports. You know, if they want to say, we're done, we're walking away, and the team says, we're done walking away, as long as the team is in agreement, you know, and it's not just some coach or some, you know, athletic director making this decision, you know, I think it's fine. And Notre Dame's the only one that can really do that, because they can't get behind, really, and they've got a big enough brand that it hits ESPN in the pocketbook, because Notre Dame would have drawn a lot of eyes to television, and would have sold a lot of tickets to bowl games, and that's not going to be around.

Of all the folks out there to talk about Notre Dame, it is you. Correct me if I'm wrong, you've got roots to Indiana. What are the odds of the story from Indiana is not Notre Dame, except, as a lot of folks have put it, whining. But the real one is the Hoosiers from Indiana. Who says Indiana is a basketball school? You're from the state. How big is this story, Matt? Well, this is huge. Yeah, I mean, if the Notre Dame stuff doesn't go on, this is the biggest story in Indiana.

Yeah. It's Indiana getting there. I think I told you this, guys, last week, if Indiana wins the Big Ten title, which they did, you know what I mean? There are going to be a lot of Indiana fans who are going to start building a statue for Kirk Cignetti, and especially if they can go through and win, you know, the national championship. And they've got a good chance. You know, obviously, they have the number one seed, the top seed. You know, they've got a chance to get a bye week.

They face the Alabama-Oklahoma winner. Then they would probably more likely face whoever wins the Texas Tech game against, you know, James Madison in Oregon. And, you know, so they've got a good path if they continue to do the things they're doing. Winning a national title at Indiana in football would be unbelievable. I'm not kidding. It would build a statue. And it says a lot about the job that the administration, the athletic department has done in getting Kirk Cignetti and kind of getting him the tools he needed to get to the spot.

You could see why so many schools were interested in trying to get him. You know, during his coaching course, because they realized he's a guy that can really take you. I mean, listen, the guy said it before a couple of years ago. Just Google my name. I win. And so far, it's come to be preventable. Let me ask you this while we're on that topic with Kirk Cignetti. If you look at him, folks a short time ago didn't know him, except if you dive deep into it, he's off the Nick Saban tree, who's not this day in college football.

If things don't work out in the future, it's almost like if you just close your eyes and listen to him, it's like, that's Nick, is it not? Jerry just is almost dragging it. Just the facts, ma'am. It's part of the process. Let's play football 399 days a year. How much did he build his case if things don't work out eventually in Tuscaloosa that he might be able to move back to his old house that will be a bigger house this time? Yeah, I mean, exactly. I mean, if he could have, you know, if things will go well in the next, you know, four or five years, you know, I think, you know, he might want to make that move and it opens up.

I mean, I think that would probably be the one job that he probably would leave Indiana for right now at this point. I mean, you know, Indiana, the expectations aren't like Alabama. You know, Indiana, you get to the college football playoff two years in a row, you know, let's say they don't go next year. It's not like they're going to be screaming, fire the guy. You know what I mean? They're going to, they're going to, they're going to say, okay, we're going to get back to it.

So, um, so yeah, but if the opportunity opened up and he felt like, Hey, this is a chance for me to do something. I think he's very well, it's the blueprint of what Nick Saban has put together, you know, in his program. And I think it's something that he would be able to slide into that job and be able to do it well. So, I mean, yeah, he's a guy that definitely has shown that he's able to win and win at different levels. And I think this just, this does a lot about, you know, the big 10 and, and what he's been able to do with Indiana.

Let me ask you a quick question before I ask another one. Are you a Heisman voter? Yes, I am. I have been one. Well, I don't want to phrase this. Jeremiah Love, Notre Dame running back, Indiana, uh, quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, Diago Pavia, and the Herald and I are more than familiar with him. Judy and saying there are a lot of very good, um, uh, college football players. Uh, did you agree with the finalists? Yeah, I think so. I mean, when you look at the, when you look at the, this, this, this group of, of Heisman finalists, you know, I had someone ask me earlier today, you know, was, was this, was this, was this, you consider this an underwhelming class, you know, when it came to, to the Heisman and I said, yeah, probably, you know, when you look at the overall statistics, you know, this isn't like a Johnny Manziel year where a guy put up so much eye-popping numbers that it was almost, you know, given this is going to be the guy who's going to win the award.

I think there were, there were, there were players who elevated their teams, who had big moments, big moments in their, in the, during the year and were able to take their teams to that next level. I think that's where you sink to some of these guys. You know what I mean? I think that it's a quarterback heavy class. I mean, it's always, it always feels like the Heisman is a quarterback heavy group. And I think one of the things that you have to take into account, some of this stuff is just how these players impacted their team.

[1:46:33] You know, maybe it wasn't the big statistical year that we're used to seeing, but these guys maybe impacted their teams in different ways. There were a lot of other players that weren't, weren't finalists, but I felt like did that. You know what I mean? But again, are they going to get the kind of attention that, you know, like the, that these four got? Probably not. That Michelle, the Orlando centerless talk chalk, if you don't mind, Matt, we were joking earlier, your thoughts about the Alabama, Oklahoma part two, and we were joking.

And could it be that the first team that, forget about getting a three, the first team that scores a safety against a two may win this game, given the way the defenses are playing and given the way the offenses are playing. Your thoughts, where do you start talking chalk in Alabama and Oklahoma part two? Yeah, I think that's exactly it. I think you've got to start with the defense. The defense is going to be what's going to, you know, be the key in this game. I think both these two teams are tough-minded defenses that play defenses really well.

The offenses have got to find a way to get some points. You know, whoever kind of gets that, maybe gets a seven-point lead or a ten-point lead. I mean, that's going to seem insurmountable in some ways, you know, based on these defenses. So, I think early on, whoever finds a way to, you know, get that early advantage, get maybe some momentum, takes advantage of maybe creating some turnovers or can take advantage of turnovers, gets a short field. Field position, I think, is going to be very key in this game.

And I think it takes advantage of that. It's the worst point. I mean, sports are going to be at a premium. So, there's no fourth and three at the 40. You know, if you've got a chance to kick a field goal, you know, you're going to take those points because you want an opportunity to be able to do that. So, I mean, again, I think it's going to be a close game, much like the first game was. I think it's going to be a tough game, and it's going to come down to whoever really kind of can't, you know, can't, you can pull away a little bit towards the end and not make any mistakes.

Here's the fun question. Whoever wins that game gets to take on the aforementioned team from your neck of the woods, Indiana. Your thoughts, I know it's one game at a time, but your thoughts about that potential matchup. Well, I mean, I think Indiana obviously has got, there's no time to play good defense as well. We saw that this weekend against, you know, Ohio State. I think you look at the quarterback situation with Indiana. I mean, Mendoza's had some big moments. They're often going to put points on the board if they want to.

It's not, and they're going to have weeks to rest. I mean, that's huge. I mean, if you're Alabama coming off the SEC championship game, then you've got to jump into the first round of the playoffs, and then you go to travel to the Rose Bowl, and you've got to face a rested Indiana team, it's going to be tough. So, I think that's the challenge is, you know, can you kind of shake all that off? Can you build some momentum and hope maybe to catch Indiana maybe slumping a little bit?

You know, maybe getting caught in a stargazing. You know, Indiana's not been in this position before. They're at the Rose Bowl. All of a sudden, you know, maybe you can catch them napping. So, that's really the opportunity for Alabama or Oklahoma when it comes to that. But it's a lot when you've got that first round by. That's why these teams want those, because you get an opportunity to really get rested up and get your guys ready to go. Let me ask you about the Big 12 before we let you go.

You're quite familiar with the league since you follow Central Florida. The league literally fined Iowa State and Kansas State for staying at home for the bowl season. They fined them $500,000 for not playing in a bowl game. I'll be curious to see if they're able to collect that or what they're able to work out. Why? Because coaching changes, players in the transfer portal. Auburn did the same thing with the new coach. And they had players scattered everywhere. And I see both sides of the story of that.

And a lot of people saw Texas Tech for the first time on Saturday beat BYU. They capitalized on four turnovers. And you can say what you want to about their NIL. But they've got some players. And particularly defensively, Rodriguez, Ben Roberts, they're very good linebackers, David Bailey, et cetera, et cetera. They are going to be a tough out in the playoffs. Your thoughts on Texas Tech? And did the Big 12 do the right thing in finding the two schools? Yeah, I think the Big 12, let's start with that first.

I think the Big 12 wanted to, you know, make sure they sent a message. They wanted to make sure that, listen, they understand, I think, in some ways that, yes, Iowa State lost this coach. But you've got a lot of these schools that lost coaches that are playing a bowl game. Because, you know, they've got an interim coach. They want to get their players a chance. One more game. It's extra practices. All those situations. Right. But I think Iowa State did want to deal with that. I think they wanted to have to get a team to travel.

They know, obviously, that they'd have some players opt out of that game and make it even worse. And I also felt like they probably wouldn't go to a premier bowl game. It would probably be a second-tier bowl game. So, Kansas State, again, I thought they could have played. I know Chris Kleiman, you know, is retiring. But I still felt that he could have stepped up and maybe coached that game. What I think is interesting about all this is just you've got to worry. If you're a bowl rep, you've got to be worried about this trend where you're seeing more and more that's not wanting to travel because of this kind of thing.

[1:51:40] Because they look at it and they say, well, listen, if we've got a coaching change and we're going to lose a bunch of players to opt out of this game and we're not even going to make money on this game, why are we going? You know what I mean? And it's a disturbing trend. It's something I think that needs to be talked about a little bit more that's going on. You go back to Texas Tech. I mean, I saw Texas Tech in person. This is a legitimate team.

Yes, you could say it's the $30 million. But this team is the closest team you're going to see on the NFL team. They have that kind of feel for them. They've got a good starting quarterback. Their offense can put up a lot of points quickly. Their defense is outstanding. And this is a team I think right now that you don't want to face. I know Oregon and Jake Madison are probably the next one, but you don't want to face Texas Tech. And I think right now they feel like they've got the best thing.

And I think John McGuire is a really good coach, underappreciated coach, coached really well in the high school system, knows what it takes to kind of get guys going. This team feels like they've got what it takes to get there. I've said this at the beginning of the year. They won the Big 12 title. That's what they had to do. Now, if they don't get to the national championship, it's a considerate of failure because they don't have much money they spend. That's the question that Texas Tech has.

Yeah, I also noticed Utah, and we're going to be curious about this. And we've talked about this with you before. They're entering a partnership, $500 million with an equity firm, Antro Capital. I'm going to be curious to see where that goes. And I also would like to know what the return on the investment for Antro Capital, what they're expecting from Utah somewhere down the road. Matt, great stuff, but where can we get online and get all of it? Yeah, you can go to OrlandoSentinel.com to get the latest or follow me on OS Matt Michelle.

I agree with you. I spoke to a couple of people today for the Big 12. There's a little bit of a concern. Where is this private equity money going to come from? And what happens to, you know, who has actual control of your athletic department? Is it going to be the school, or is it going to be an entity that has no ties to your school that's trying to make money? Yeah. Matt, we can answer part of that. We can tell you that Brett and I do not have control over that money, so you can go ahead and print that, okay?

All right. See you, bud. Matt Mercedell is going to be there with the Orlando Sinless Podcast, Gridiron 365. Again, Ivy Wallen, Trey Jones, both out of UNA to the respective Hall of Fames. Congratulations, Brett Beaird. I was going to say, Harold, we've got to catch a quick plane if we're going to get to Las Vegas tonight and attend both of these ceremonies. I can't make it. My tux is dirty again. That's going to take care of this for today. On behalf of BB, Greg, James, Blair, the entire crew here.

Harold Buck, thank you so much for your time today. Let's do it again tomorrow, noon to two, with the Boomer Buck Show. Back here on Sports Radio 93.9, the score.