Monday links: for love of the game(s)

This weekend's weather is about as close to perfect as it gets ... and in the middle of February. As such, it's not really fair for me to spend too much time around the blog. Nevertheless, here are a few links to help us start the new week.
Before we start, here's a completely cool a capella song from the most recent episode of "Glee," in honor of Valentine's Day.

And away we go.
— Let's get the important stuff out of the way: Alabama went 1-1 this week after surviving Saturday night vs. Ole Miss. We could, of course, bemoan what happened vs. Vanderbilt — the officiating and the lousy game management — but that doesn't change the following things about this basketball team:

• The Tide is currently 9-2 in conference play, and a possession or two from being undefeated in conference play.
• The team is currently first place in the conference.
• We've now played ourselves onto the NCAA bubble.

Who saw that coming, honestly?
— To football. First, coach Saban expects the 2011 version of his team to show up hungrier and more mature. Let's hope he's right: Phil Steele projects us in the top-10 for the coming fall, and Bama fans are already securing tickets to the 2012 BCS title game.
— One loss for Bama that didn't get nearly enough play in 2011: not having Robby Green, which meant an already young secondary got even younger. This BR entry wonders whether Green can get anywhere near the field this fall.
— If math is your thing, this 2011 Alabama preview should be particularly eye-opening.
— Since it's February and we're out of things to talk about, it's time for another round of discussion about Oversigning, the great evil of our time. Here, BSR examines it from Alabama's perspective.

If it's legal, and no kids are harmed in the process, then the guy who's getting paid upwards of $4 million dollars a year to win football games ought to be doing it. If he's not, he's not doing everything he can - within the rules - to win football games. And that's not acceptable. That's the cold, hard, unfeeling truth here.

— A few final odds and ends: the Gym Tide continued its dominance over Auburn; the women opened Foster Auditorium Sunday with a win; and Tower of Bammer wonders how Jadeveon Clowney will push the envelope with today's announcement.

That's it for today. Be back tomorrow. Roll Tide.