Georgia preview: Tide plays for a title against team it was built to defend
Alabama will face off against a team that was more or less built to mirror Alabama. And Alabama’s attack plan is more or less designed to attack teams like this.
Clemson preview: On paper, this should be a defensive showcase
December 27, 2017 Comments Off on Clemson preview: On paper, this should be a defensive showcase
For the third straight year, Alabama and Clemson will meet in the College Football Playoff. For the third straight year, however, TideFans.com will not pick Alabama to win by a score of 23-17.
Continue reading …Auburn preview: Alabama gets its toughest test where it least wants to see it
November 22, 2017 Comments Off on Auburn preview: Alabama gets its toughest test where it least wants to see it
If there has been one thing regarding SEC football that seems out of place in this era of Nick Saban’s domination at Alabama, it’s been that Auburn has not only survived in Alabama’s shadow, but thrived.
Auburn has won a national title (2010), played for it a second time (2013), and if Auburn beats Alabama this week and Georgia a second time in the SEC Championship Game, the Tigers seem all but assured of representing the SEC as a two-loss hopeful in this year’s final four.
Continue reading …Mercer preview: Wounded Alabama hopes for a Mercer-ful respite before Auburn game
November 15, 2017 Comments Off on Mercer preview: Wounded Alabama hopes for a Mercer-ful respite before Auburn game
Mercer, a school whose program lay dormant from 1942 to 2013, is a Southern Conference member of the former Division-IAA, now called FCS. The Bears are 5-5 in 2017, put a small scare into Auburn earlier in the year, and lost by just 1 point to Wofford, which now sits at 9-1 and leads the Southern Conference standings.
Continue reading …MSU wrap-up: Hurts cementing legacy as a clutch QB
November 12, 2017 Comments Off on MSU wrap-up: Hurts cementing legacy as a clutch QB
Alabama’s Jalen Hurts accounted for nearly 100 total yards on his own in the fourth quarter (and the total would have been more than 100, if college football didn’t take sack yardage down from rushing totals), led two touchdown drives and another drive that ended when Andy Pappanastos’ field goal attempt bounced off the left upright. More or less, Hurts did the same thing to Mississippi State that he did to Clemson in last year’s national championship game, except this time the defense held the opposition out of the end zone in the end.
Continue reading …LSU Preview: Tigers hoping emotion will carry them against Tide
November 1, 2017 Comments Off on LSU Preview: Tigers hoping emotion will carry them against Tide
For the most part, SEC fans have somewhat neglected the LSU Tiger team this season, choosing to focus on Alabama, Georgia, Auburn to a lesser extent, and the coaching carousel next.
Lost is actual discussion of how good LSU is. And there’s a reason for that: the hiring of Ed Orgeron as its head coach, first on an interim basis in 2016 and since as a permanent replacement for the erstwhile popular-yet-kooky Les Miles.
Continue reading …Tennessee preview: It’s been a rocky year for UT, and not likely to get better this week
October 19, 2017 Comments Off on Tennessee preview: It’s been a rocky year for UT, and not likely to get better this week
Somewhere this week, there’s a Tennessee fan wondering how Alabama is still in business – and also wondering why his own team barely is.
One of the perhaps-apocryphal stories of Alabama’s long walk through the woods circa 1993-2007 was that then-Tennessee head coach Phil Fulmer told former Alabama RB Santonio Beard that Alabama “would be out of business in two years.”
Continue reading …Arkansas preview: Hogs lack the horses to hang with Bama
October 11, 2017 Comments Off on Arkansas preview: Hogs lack the horses to hang with Bama
Texas A&M had enough raw talent, moxie and sense of duty and loyalty to the head coach to make life interesting for Alabama last week.
Arkansas does not. Or, at least, it shouldn’t.
There’s not an easy way to talk about mismatches that occur within the borders of the conference without sounding condescending, but a cursory look at where certain teams fall in the five-year rolling average for recruiting rankings tells the story. In Texas A&M’s case, the Aggies have been in the top third of SEC classes most of those years. For Arkansas, getting out of the bottom third even one out of five times has be
Continue reading …Texas A&M wrap-up: Win holds some positives, but only if Alabama learns from the negatives
October 7, 2017 Comments Off on Texas A&M wrap-up: Win holds some positives, but only if Alabama learns from the negatives
Alabama football is about competing for national championships, not just having solid seasons. For teams that aspire to the level of “good,” a win like Alabama’s 27-19 triumph over Texas A&M would be something to brag about.
For Alabama, this was a step backward, maybe more.
Texas A&M Preview: Danger level depends on how one views UCLA loss
October 4, 2017 Comments Off on Texas A&M Preview: Danger level depends on how one views UCLA loss
Kevin Sumlin is probably not worth the steep buyout he negotiated for himself with his employer, Texas A&M. But Sumlin – and his team – are likely better than most would admit.
The question is, is this team good enough to beat Alabama at home?
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