Cincinnati Enquirer sports columnist and WLW radio sports-talk host Paul Daugherty admits this morning he's a turncoat.

Once an unabashed NFL fan, Doc has switched its allegiance to the college game. Maybe it's years of watching the Bengals. Maybe it's the resurgence of UC football. Either way, Doc writes that he now finds the collegiate version superior to the play-for-play sport.

Excerpt:

As for me, I love both. Each has its charms. I find the BCS maddening, but admit that these days all NFL teams play relatively the same. I like that any NFL team (except for the Bengals, of course) can rise up and beat any other NFL team, while for the most part the college powers remain the college powers. Then again, nothing beats the charged atmosphere of a college football game.

What do you think? Would love to hear your preference.

First to admit here that UK's competition to this point has been something less than stellar. But what Kentucky has done with field position has certainly been stellar.

Thanks in large part to Tim Masthay's kickoffs, and some nice pooch punts by Ryan Tydlacka, the Cats have been able to keep the opponent bottled up deep in the opponent's own territory.

Some stats:

• Of the 58 possessions by the opponent, 41 have started either at the 20 or inside the 20-yard line.

• Of those 41 possessions, 21 have started at the 20-yard line.

• Of the 41 possessions, only one has ended up as scoring possessions -- a field goal by Western Kentucky.

• Of the 41 possessions, three other times did the opponent reach field goal range, only to miss the field goal.

• Nine of the opponents' possessions have started inside the 10-yard line.

• In not one of those nine possessions did the opponent end up past midfield.

• Of the 17 possessions that have started beyond the 20-yard line, the opponent has scored two touchdowns and one field goal.

• Five possessions have started in UK territory. The opponent has scored on two of the five -- a field goal by Norfolk State after taking over at the Kentucky 27; a touchdown by Middle Tennessee after taking over at the Kentucky 34.

A Crimson Tide 10:

• 1. Alabama has not allowed a point in the first quarter all season. Nick Saban's club has outscored opponents 74-0 in the first 15 minutes.

•  2. Alabama has not trailed at any point in any of its five games.

•  3. The Tide received 21 first-place votes in this week's AP poll.

•  4. Alabama scored on its first five possessions at Georgia.

•  5. Alabama has allowed two kick returns for touchdowns this year -- a 96-yard kickoff return by Clemson's C.J. Spiller in the opener and a 92-yard punt return by Georgia's Prince Miller last Saturday. That was the first punt return for a touchdown Bama had allowed in 12 years.

•  6. Alabama leads the SEC in scoring offense at 37 points per game. The Tide is first in rushing offense at 215.2 yards per game.

•  7. Georgia had rushed for 212, 263, 106 and 176 yards in its first four games. The Bulldogs gained just 50 yards on the ground against Bama.

•  8. Quarterback John Parker Wilson completed 13 of 16 passes for 205 yards a touchdown against Georgia to earn SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

•  9. Georgia coach Mark Richt after the game: "They took it to us -- period."

• 10. In the season opener, Clemson managed zero net yards rushing against Alabama.

Tuesday, Sept. 30

Wednesday, Oct. 1

Thursday, Oct. 2

Friday, Oct. 3

Saturday, Oct. 4

A 3-spot from Rich Brooks’ press luncheon earlier today:

• 1.  The challenge of the Bama offense: Alabama plays “back-to-basics” football, as Brooks called it. Bama isn’t a spread team. The Tide lines up in a pro-style, no-nonsense offense that has but one goal -- to knock you off the line of scrimmage as possible. And it does just that. Alabama is averaging 5.2 yards per carry. It has a great offensive line. In his press conference today, Nick Saban admitted that his running backs are North-South runners. “Most of the runs that we’re running are direct runs. We’re running downhill,” said the coach.

• 2. Great receiver vs. lockdown corner: An interesting matchup could be Julio Jones vs. Trevard Lindley. The former is Alabama’s star freshman receiver, whom Brooks said “is playing like a senior.” Lindley is UK’s best cover corner, a pre-season All-SEC picks. This will be by far Lindley’s toughest test this season. Then again, if Kentucky can’t at least slow down the Alabama running attack, the Tide might not put it in the air. Quarterback John Parker Wilson attempted just 16 passes at Georgia last week. He completed 13, earning SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

• 3. Coach vs. Coach: Rich Brooks may not have anything against Nick Saban, but you can tell he’s not crazy about the $4 million salary afforded the Alabama coach. Brooks said the Tide was the best-coached team in the country, but “they ought to be, they have the highest-paid coach.”

Audio:

• Linebacker Johnny Williams talks about the upcoming Alabama game.

• Defensive tackle Corey Peters talks about the challenge of playing Bama.

SEC West

Alabama's 41-30 win over Georgia may not have been a shocker, but the Crimson Tide's 31-0 halftime lead at Athens was an absolute stunner.

We've heard before that Alabama football was on its way to regaining its national power status. In fact, long-time columnist Paul Finebaum wrote that the three most overused words in the English language were "Bama is back." But maybe this time, Nick Saban has indeed brought the Tide back to prominence.

In Chip Cosby's UK football story this morning, Rich Brooks claims he knew all along Alabama would be good this year. "I'm not surprised at what they've done because they have very good players," said the UK coach. "Alabama is Alabama. It's a tough league, and they're always a factor."

Of course, Brooks will get a first-hand look this Saturday when Kentucky travels to Tuscaloosa. CBS will be on hand for a 3:30 p.m. telecast.

• Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News says Alabama is back, and this time we mean it.

• Paul Gattis of the Huntsville Times writes, "This is what perfection on the football field looks like."

• Ian Rapoport of the Birmingham News asks why has Alabama jumped to No. 2?

• Bill Bryant of the Huntsville Times writes that Bama turned the lights out early in Athens.

• Mike Herndon of the Mobile Press-Register writes that Nick Saban has put his stamp on this team.

• The Tuscaloosa News' Cecil Hurt writes that Bama can't be ignored.

• The AJC's Mark Bradley writes that no one has outcoached Mark Richt the way Nick Saban did Saturday.

• ESPN's Pat Forde writes about the Alabama rebirth.

After Kentucky's 41-3 win over Western Kentucky:

• Kentucky has allowed 22 points in its first four games. That's the fewest since Bear Bryant's 1950 team started the season with four straight shutouts.

• The closest to that is the 1966 UK team, which allowed 31 points in its first four games.

• Kentucky held Western Kentucky to 15 yards passing, the lowest passing total by a UK opponent since Vanderbilt passed for three yards on Nov. 5, 1994.

• It was just the fifth time since 1988 that an opponent has passed for less than 40 yards against UK.

• UK has won 13 straight non-conference games, longest streak since 17 straight from 1954-60.

• UK is now 4-0 for the second consecutive season. That hasn't happened since 1983-84.

• Alfonso Smith's 35-yard touchdown run was a career-long.

• Ryan Tydlacka was 2-for-2 in his field-goal kicking debut. Tydlacka made a 45-yarder and a 33-yarder.

• Kentucky had given up 151 rushing yards in its first three games. Western rushed for 142 yards on 37 carries.

• Bobby Rainey, a redshirt freshman from Griffin, Ga., rushed for 99 yards on nine carries for the Hilltoppers.

• WKU quarterback K.J. Black completed just three-of-10 passes for all of eight yards.

• Dicky Lyons caught six balls. He has caught at least two passes in 24 consecutive games.

• Tim Masthay now has 15 kickoffs for touchbacks this year.

• Mike Hartline's consecutive pass streak without an interception was stopped at 95.

• Derrick Locke became the fifth UK player to return a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. The previous four:
  • Keeenan Burton on 9-3-06
  • Derek Abney on 9-28-02
  • Craig Yeast on 9-26-98
  • Kurt Johnson on 10-28-89

From Commonwealth Stadium:

• Final: Kentucky 41, WKU 3

• David Wolke now in for Western at quarterback.

• Ryan Tydlacka boots a 33-yard field goal with 5:35 left for a 41-3 lead. He's 2-for-2.

• Western fumbles away the football, and Will Filder makes his 2008 debut second 2008 appearance as UK quarterback.

• At end of three quarters, Mike Hartline was 17 of 28 for 155 yards with one interception and one touchdown.

• At end of three quarters, Kentucky had outgained Western 311-117.

• Cats open fourth quarter with an 11-play, 72-yard drive to go up 38-3. Tony Dixon does honors from two yards out. But Moncel Allen was star of the drive. He had five carries for 37yards on the  march. There is 10:16 left in the game.