aaronjordan

What's it like to root for a team who hasn't been relevant since the 90's?

Reason 4,567,828 why Twitter is the worst thing ever.

Riiiight, because he won't feel any pressure at Texas.At least Saban will get paid more at Alabama.

I'm as big a Bama homer as anyone but you're crazy if you think this game is going to be that one-sided. This is going to be a huge test for both sides of the ball. Not to mention Les has done very well in Tuscaloosa. If we win by more than 7 that would be a surprise.

Murray looks good, but man that defense is terrible.

Haha, seriously A & M. Manziel could murder someone and you response would be "oh that is a dummy, fake blood, God you all are such haters."Just own the fact that he cheated - big deal? The NCAA is a joke so who cares?

I think you have to look at the context of last year's loss as well.First of all Bama just came off there most physical game of the year in LSU - emotions were high, and it is tough to get going for two games in a row.Second, A & M took Bama completely by surprise. If you watch that first quarter there are looks of befuddlement all along the Bama sideline. And as you mention, the game does start to settle down in the second half - but it was too little too late for Alabama.Third, the turnover game. We had some brutal turnovers.Call them excuses but they are major factors that led to the loss last year. I think this game shapes up much differently than the previous meeting. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Manziel air it out 85% of the time. Which, his arm is looking pretty good this year.However, there is much unknown about both teams. The VT game and the SHSU and Rice games only show us minor glimpses of either team.

I bet a lot of teams would look like championship contenders against UNC.

I live in Big 12 country (Oklahoma) and the undue animosity is relentless. It is almost a daily occurrence that some talking head brings up OK State supposedly getting robbed for the national championship game two years ago. That they were only two plays away from being in that game. Oh really? As I recall Bama was only two plays away from beating LSU in the regular season.

He's like "JoJo the Indian Circuy Boy with a pretty new pet!"

It all depends on Hugh's ability to coordinate and effectively use all of that talent. How many times have teams had excellent recruiting classes yet they yield mediocre results. * Cough, cough* Texas *Cough, cough* USC.

Kind of alarming that no Bama DT's made the list. I agree with this top-ten completely but if there was one weakness in the defensive game that was strikingly obvious it was the pass rush. Look back to games like LSU and there were blitz packages all over the place but Mettenberger had plenty of time to pick the secondary apart.

LSU had better not sleep on TCU. That team has the opposite of the Tiger's problem. They are returning 19 or 20 starters.

Give me a B-U-T-T-H-U-R-T! What does it spell?! Auburn!

This all comes down to Murray's ability to throw vs. Alabama's pass rush. As a Bama fan I am concerned about our ability to put pressure on the QB.

Look at three and arguably all four of those QB's you mentioned - all of them are dual threat quarterbacks. As an Alabama fan, I saw this coming since the Ole Miss game. For some reason our scheme just doesn't allow for much in the way of stopping that dual threat. However, I will give Alabama a little bit against A & M we did make some adjustments and held Manziel to just 9 points through the last three quarters of the game.Ultimately it comes down to one aspect for Alabama - putting pressure on Murray.

Most of the articles about the ad nauseum "Johnny Football" need to take a close look at the losses and the close victories. A & M has had a few. Against strong defenses, they have not faired very well and against strong offenses that defense does not fair well at all. Look at Ole Miss and La Tech both of those were flag football games which came down to a few key plays/turnovers.

Its only shoddy play calling if a team loses. I am a die-hard Alabama fan but their play calling last night was terrible. The inefficient secondary blitzing almost killed Bama, the complete abandonment of the running game almost the entire second half.

I don't see how you can think that. No other major sport (college or professional) is set up the like the BCS. And what is usually the most exciting part of every major sport - the playoffs.

If Mettenberger can move the chains then the game becomes a more even playing field. If Mettenberger is ineffective this is a long uphill battle. But I wouldn't expect any less from a homer article. In fact I believe these were his words before the 21-0 BCS game "While it will be close, I’m confident the LSU Tigers will have what it takes to bring home the victory." That worked out well...

Sorry to hear about Lattimore. It is sad to see that happen to such a talented kid for a second year in a row no less. Also, I wonder if Pat Dye regrets his Chizik comments from earlier in the season?

I always wonder how Gruden has the opportunity to sit down and chat with virtually every person on the field before a game. The third string punter come into the game, without a doubt John Gruden will say something like "now I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with this young man. And let me tell you, he is a gamer. His Alma Mater Northwest Mountain Technical College knows how to train their punters."

Alabama has converted 20 turnovers into 112 points this season. That's nearly a touchdown per turnover (5.6). That is an incredible stat and one of the primary reasons this team is doing great things.

USC is a great team. They have been for the last few years. However, they are their own worst enemy. In 2010 they played the Cam Newtonified Auburn team and barely lost, and then beat Alabama. The conversation was that South Carolina was back after that Alabama win. Well, then they went out and laid an egg against Kentucky. Same thing last year - they handle Georgia and are rolling along until they lose to an Auburn game. Granted, South Carolina no longer has to deal with a QB who will remain nameless, but still they have to prove they can go out and stay consistent.

I think Kirby Smart is waiting for the Alabama head coaching job. Saban is in his 60's and has never made any assertion that he will be a "lifer" of a head coach. Kind of a Jumbo Fisher type of deal.

True Sabanite. But I think the glaring deficiency on the Arkansas team is the defense. Look who they have played and already they are at the bottom of the league in defense. Unless Arkansas can put up more than 21 points (which they haven't done in their last 4 games) I don't think they will have a shot.

This is a common occurrence. Tennessee gets a couple of soft wins at the beginning of the season and think they are on a tear for the national championship. The same thing happened last year. They trounced weak Cincinatti and Montana teams and then had to match up with the SEC. It didn't end up so well. Sure Bray is a good QB, but for the most part he is untested.

Beware of the circle button!

I'm so glad they got Notre Dame's approval and all. How many BCS bowl games have they won? Oh yeah 0. Use the argument they have a lot of televisions. Those television sets will come in handy when they are watching any other team but Notre Dame in the final four.

Georgia is the Nortre Dame of the SEC. Unbelievable press and hype before the season with marginal results during the season.