Tide Tidbits - December 14, 2008

SEC favorite in 2009?
In the Southeastern Conference, where football is king, it's never too early to look at the season on the horizon. Defense, Nick Saban, Glen Coffee, Mark Ingram and Julio Jones will make Alabama the division favorite. Coffee ran for 1,347, Ingram for 702, and Jones caught 51 passes for 847 yards. Wilson's backup was Greg McElroy, a junior who threw all of 11 passes, and defenses will attempt to put him on the spot. If not him, a newcomer, and that is always dicey.

Will Chizik become Saban's new favorite snack?
Gene Chizik? As head football coach? At Auburn? One former SEC assistant heard the news and laughed out loud. One former Auburn assistant who worked alongside Chizik reacted with stunned silence. One college football insider who knows both the current Alabama boss and the man Auburn has chosen to battle him said Chizik is a good coach - but Nick Saban will eat him for breakfast. No word on whether it'll be before or after his daily Little Debbies.

College's best visit Richardson
At this rate, Escambia running back Trent Richardson could probably sell his doorbell on Ebay. That's because it's in-home visit time. Richardson's new-found friends are a who's who of big-time football, a list that includes Alabama coach Nick Saban, FSU coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher, LSU coach Les Miles and Florida's Urban Meyer among a bevy of their assistant coaches. Richardson, the No. 5 overall player and top-ranked running back in the nation according to ESPN.com, has been an Alabama commit for months, but that hasn't called off the competition that would love to see him change his mind.

Roll Tide!