Tide Tidbits - December 9, 2008

Saban excited about playing Utah
Alabama fell out of the running for the national championship Saturday, but the consolation prize is, in the words of Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, “as good as it gets.” The school with the nation’s best 55 bowl appearances will add to its legacy against undefeated Utah in the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on Jan. 2. Saban said Utah reminds him a bit of his own team – not in style, but in heart. “This is the kind of team that we have. It’s a little bit inspirational,” Saban said. “They’ve played really well, played with a lot of consistency, played with a lot of heart. I think a lot of people identify with that. “They beat Michigan on the road. Beat Oregon State. Wyoming beat Tennessee and they beat Wyoming. So this is a really, really good football team. They’re sixth in the country for a reason.”

Tebow, Saban take SEC top honors
Tebow was honored Monday by The Associated Press with the release of its All-SEC team, which also tabbed Tennessee safety Eric Berry as defensive player of the year, Alabama's Nick Saban as the top coach and Crimson Tide receiver Julio Jones as the best freshman. Alabama, which went 12-0 during the regular season but lost to the Gators in last Saturday's SEC championship game, placed a league-high six players on the AP's first team, including unanimous choices Andre Smith and Rashad Johnson. Florida was next with four first-teamers, including Tebow and Brandon Spikes on every ballot.

Utes bear strong resemblance to Florida Gators
Kyle Whittingham didn't have to look far for a scouting report on the University of Alabama. The head coach of the Utah Utes turned to his former boss, Florida coach Urban Meyer, almost as soon as seventh-ranked Utah was selected to play the Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl. Whittingham said on a Monday teleconference,'We talk at least weekly throughout the course of the season, and it will be a situation where the familiarity they have with Alabama will obviously work to our favor, we hope. It will give us a head start on our game planning and what we plan on doing. We share ideas all the time, so that's not new to us.'

Roll Tide!