Football

Alabama brought the country's best pass efficiency defense into College Station. Although Alabama's ranking was based on just one game, Alabama has continuously put out top-10 efficiency defenses under Nick Saban. A strong Alabama pass defense is about as much of a surprise as is the revelation that the ocean is damp. Manziel absolutely carved it up. Senior cornerback John Fulton, who almost singlehandedly shut down the Aggies' outside passing game in the second half of the 2012 contest, was made to look like a freshman walk-on. Cyrus Jones gave it a valiant effort, but in the end found himself the victim of a 95-yard touchdown pass, among others. Manziel didn't have quite the success he had in 2012 scrambling with the ball, but he had more than enough to break almost every meaningful defensive record contained in the Alabama media guide. Fortunately for Alabama, Texas A&M's defense was as bad as its offense was good. Alabama gave up more yards than it ever had in the past, and still won. The Crimson Tide has never given up 42 points and won a game, ever. You have to go back to the Archie Manning days at Ole Miss to find numbers like these in a game Alabama still won. It makes no sense whatsoever that Alabama could hold on to win this game -- much less be driving for a 21-point lead before T.J. Yeldon's costly fumble -- no matter how good Manziel is.

Alabama lost seven starters from its 2011 defense and six from its starting offense, making the upcoming 2012 season somewhat analogous to the 2010 team. The 2010 team finished the season with three losses and might be one of the most frustrating stories in recent Tide football history. It coughed up a late-season game against Auburn that could have derailed a championship, provided erstwhile South Carolina QB Stephen Garcia with his lone career highlight, and ended the season in a second-tier bowl despite being one of the most talented teams in school history.

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The only thing stopping the Predictions Dept. from a 10-win first week was the rain, which washed out the Florida-Idaho game. Upsets happen, but it's hard to imagine Florida losing that game no matter the weather or any other circumstance. While Florida and Idaho decide what to do about a replacement game, the rest of the conference moves on to Week 2, which is highlighted by -- if you can call it that -- Missouri going on the road to face a Toledo team that is tougher than the average mid-major.

Projected 2016 SEC Standing and National Top 25 rankings

When Tennessee comes to Tuscaloosa Saturday, the Volunteers will do so as three-touchdown underdogs or more, and conversation among national pundits is centered not on a potential Vol upset, but rather will Tennessee keep the score respectable.

Alabama made Auburn look like the Auburn most Alabama fans were expecting to see after the Tigers hired a 5-19 Gene Chizik away from Iowa State prior to the 2009 season. After an up-and-down first season, Auburn rode Cam Newton and Nick Fairley to a national championship in 2010. Then, the 2011 season came about. After seeing Gus Malzahn’s offense for two years (three if you count his aborted tenure at Arkansas under Houston Nutt many moons ago), SEC defensive coordinators caught up. Without Fairley around to flip field position or (especially) Newton around to make the Tigers’ offensive engine purr, Auburn spent 2011 getting blown out by the four best teams it faced – LSU, Arkansas, Georgia and Alabama.

The Predictions Dept. didn't just lose two games last week, it lost two games via the blowout variety, as both Texas A&M and Florida took dives in their respective matchups with Alabama and Missouri. This week, the biggest game is likely Ole Miss' bout against LSU, although South Carolina and Auburn could turn into something if the Tigers overlook the Gamecocks.

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The 2008 Crimson Tide team opened the season with 12 straight victories, only to lose a potential national title shot at the hands of Florida and quarterback Tim Tebow in the SEC Championship Game. While Alabama was admittedly ahead of schedule in even getting to the game in the first place, the loss was still a bitter pill and served as motivation for the entire 2009 year. Highlights of the 2009 SEC Championship Game, for instance, make their appearance in Alabama's pregame video under the headline “Redemption.”