Alabama’s obviously been a perennial college football power. The Crimson Tide will be expected to flex their muscle once more at Bryant-Denny Stadium against Southern Miss on Saturday ahead of a huge showdown with Ole Miss on Oct. 2.

Last Saturday, the Tide were at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to face Florida, with the atmosphere at the Swamp living up to the billing. Interestingly, it was Alabama’s first time in Gainesville since 2011.

And the scene at Florida led Nick Saban to offer a charge to Tide fans on his weekly radio show on Thursday as his team prepares to play the Golden Eagles.

“I don’t want anybody to ever say that it’s harder to play someplace else than it is to play here,” Saban said. “Let’s just get some practice on what we’ve gotta do to fill the stadium, have some spirit and passion for our team…

“I’d appreciate that from everybody if we can do that. I’ll do the best I can to get these guys to grow and develop, but let’s everybody be a part of the team.”

We’ll see how the fans respond on Saturday and throughout the remainder of the season.