Now that Sports Illustrated has picked the Ole
Miss Rebels to beat Alabama, I feel much better about the outcome of the
game. SI has the knack to miss on almost everything. It used to be called the SI curse. Back in the day
being on the cover of SI was the kiss of death. Let's hope it still is alive and well for the
sake of Alabama. SI isn't the only media
grabber to pick Ole Miss. That tells me
two things. First, Ole Miss is starting
to reap the dividends of better recruiting. The second is that Alabama hasn't
given the national media a game that they feel shows the real nature of the
Tide. I don't fully agree with that
analysis. I think that Bama's win over Texas A&M said an awful lot about
the Tide. Going on the road to play
Johnny Manziel was a big deal. Falling behind 14-0 and storming back with 5
consecutive touchdowns was impressive.
Keep in mind that TAM didn't score during that Bama offensive
performance. I'll give some props for A&M for mounting a comeback, but more
eye opening was the Tide's refusal to roll over and die late in the game. Bama
got knocked around but never hit the canvass. That says tons about the
character and ability of this team. Ask
yourself this - what team has won a bigger game than the Aggie game? No team in the SEC is even close. Same for the national scene. Keep that in mind before kickoff tomorrow.
Bama has some problems to iron out at the corners...
Manziel's hail Mary pass into a crowd looked stupid to many, but the tallest wide out, Evans, was his hopeful target. Tall is hard to beat. Tall and very good is even harder to beat. Against CSU our young corners got whipped some, but the starters are back for Ole Miss on Saturday. Bama is going to win this weekend. We may a learn a lot about the future of this team for the remainder of the season. My bet is that we learn far more good things than bad. That has been a hallmark of a Nick Saban coached team. Can Ole Miss win this game? Sure, that's why they actually play the game instead letting the talking heads make the decision. Would I be stunned if the Rebels pulled this one off? Yep. More than stunned. I'd be mortified. A Rebel win might mean more problems than even Saban can fix. I just don't think that Hugh Freeze has put together enough talent in two recruiting seasons to overcome the Bama process. I was in attendance the last time Ole Miss beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa. It took a perfect storm for that to happen. There's not enough storm clouds brewing tonight.
Their is no doubt that Alabama has struggled at the corners. Last night I watched the A&M game again a little closer. Alabama was in perfect position on most of those long passes. They merely were over matched by a great receiver. There is no shame in getting beat by a bigger and better player. What Saban will do is to make the corners better. He can't make them taller.
Of more concern is the offensive line...
We have to recognize that during the Colorado State game that Alabama had one starter from last year's team on the field. I am not suggesting that as an excuse for the lack of Alabama enthuthsiasm. It is a reason for poor play, however. There is no getting around that fact. Lack of experience generally means poor play. Alabama is not immune to that rule. The positive of that is the lack of experience is very talented. Talented inexperience gets better a lot faster than average experience. This bodes well for Alabama in the long run. In the Tide's case they have LSU game as their "long run". The line will improve by leaps and bounds between now and then. If they don't it really will not matter. Alabama expectations run higher than just improving. The Tide has but one goal each season, and we all know what the goal entails. There is no room for second best in Tuscaloosa. I have no idea of the exact how Nick Saban uses to get his team ready for games like Ole Miss. You can just look at his record and see the outcome if not the method. We all know that around this State it is the outcome and not the method that counts. I'm not saying that is all that should matter, but in the long run we all that is the only think that matters. Alabama football is highly pragmatic. Altruism isn't on the A list in Tide Town. It's all about winning but the bottom line is winning. That is the real reason that I think 'Bama should win tommorrow. I'm not saying that's bad. After all, I am a Tide fan. ALABAMA BY TWO TOUCHDOWNS
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