Chris Stewart Sports

8:05 - Andre Smith and some roundball talk...

I won't kid you. My heart skipped a beat when I heard that Andre Smith had been suspended for the Sugar Bowl. I was scared to death that it was agent-related - as it has apparently turned out to be. Thankfully, though, from all accounts - including directly from Nick Saban's mouth - Smith's suspension is not an NCAA infraction issue. 

I don't know exactly what happened - nor have I talked with anybody who does. My guess is that a family member - other than his parents - had some sort of contact with an agent, or a runner for one. Clearly it was somebody close enough to Smith, be it family or friend, to merit concern on Alabama's part.

Coach Saban says there's a chance Smith could still return for his senior season. I'm torn. Obviously, it would be great to have him back next year. However, if you're Andre, how do you turn down the money that comes with being one of the top five picks in the NFL Draft?

It's a tough decision - one that we all wish we had to make.

Hoops this weekend...

In addition to hosting the pre and post game radio shows for the Sugar Bowl, I will also be spending part of tomorrow doing my prep work for the Alabama/Georgia Tech basketball game on Saturday. That game will kick off a crucial three game stretch over eight days for the Crimson Tide. The Yellow Jackets are pretty good, but Clemson, whom the Tide will visit Tuesday, is undefeated at the moment and will likely be the toughest game on Alabama's schedule. Those two matchups will be followed by a Sunday afternoon SEC opener against LSU. If Bama comes out of those three games, batton down the hatches. If they can win two (primarily Tech and LSU), they will likely be fine.

At the moment, there are a lot of questions about this team. There's a lot of doubt from the outside. We will all know a lot more after those three games take place. 

4:45 p.m. - Clemson Collapse...

Disregard what I said earlier when I said regardless of the outcome, Clemson fans will be excited about next year. My guess is that they are furious today after letting a sizeable lead get away and the inability to come from behind late. That being said, I still believe Dabo will do a great job with the program. However, they let some serious off season momentum get away with that Gator Bowl loss.

Tonight I'll share some thoughts on Andre Smith and Bama Basketball.

1:30 p.m. - Happy New Year... and hand me the remote!

Big thanks to South Carolina for showing up this morning, huh?

Man, any concern we all had that Steve Spurrier would make the Gamecocks a legitimate contender in the SEC should now be put to rest. I am truly strting to believe there might be more upside to Kentucky and Vandy than there is in Columbia.

Sticking with the Palmetto State...It's great to see Dabo Sweeney get an opportunity at Clemson - and make the most of it. As I post this, his Tigers have just taken the lead over Nebraska. I don't know if it will hold up, but I do know there will be a lot of excitement up there for the 2009 season because of how he salvaged that team and this season.

LSU obviously looked really good last night against Georgia Tech, and I think they have (or are about to) make a great hire in John Chavis at defensive coordinator. At first it concerned me, but then I realized Tennessee didn't do a whole lot with Chavis the past few seasons. And, as much as I hate to admit it, Phil Fulmer is/was probably a better head coach than Les Miles. If UT couldn't do a ton with im, there's no reason to think LSU will either.

As I wrote a few weeks ago, the implosion of LSU Football has begun, and the hiring of Chavis won't be able to stop it.

Now, Tennessee is a different story. I have no idea if Lane Kiffin will be a good head coach or not. But I do know that he has hired a heck of an defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator in Ed Orgeron. The Vols have to recruit nationally, and Orgeron will be able to do that very well. Will it be good enough to go head to head with Florida in the East? Only time will tell.

I'm wearing out the remote right now. I'm not proud of it, but I've even watched some of the NHL Winter Classic. Hockey played outdoors, especially at Wrigley Field, is pretty cool to see. I haven't seen much of the Capital One Bowl, but trailing 6-3 at the half, it looks like Georgia's disappointing season could finish that way, too. By no means do I think Georgia has had a bad year, but this was their chance to grab a championship and they didn't sniff at it. Who knows when they will get that chance again? I think Georgia will always be good under Mark Richt, but they may never have another trio of offensive weapons like they did this season in Stafford, Mareno, and Green.

More thoughts in a little while.