SEC OPINIONS - OLD RIVALS MEET IN A BIG ONE

THE AIR IS BECOMING CHARGED WITH ANTICIPATION…

          Every we have that special week. You can always argue the Auburn game is that week.  You’d have a hard time convincing me this week isn’t that week. It’s the one that could mean the most for this year's rendition of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Should the Tide win they won’t completely control their destiny for the SEC Championship, but they sure will feel better about the chances. At least a lot of us fans will feel better. Once again, our beloved Tide has managed to back themselves in a corner. We need to beat LSU and someone needs to beat Ole Miss.  One more time, we have to hope the competitive nature of the SEC helps the Crimson.

THE BIGGEST NATIONAL GAME IS IN TUSCALOOSA…

           It doesn’t matter what anyone else needs to do this week except two teams. LSU needs to beat the Tide and vice versa. This is going to be the week where we finally find out if the stonewall defense of Alabama can stop the wrecking ball named Leonard Fournette. Don’t get me wrong. I love Derrick Henry. He is a great running back. But he is not Leonard Fournette. On the other hand, I’m not sure that the Tiger front seven are equal to the Tides. The question is whether the match-ups of that day will favor the Tide or not. I also think Henry is more balanced than Fournette. He can block, catch passes, get outside, and loves the inside. On paper, it seems the Tide has just the run defense to slow down the gifted Tiger bulldozer.  If the Tide’s front seven can do that without bringing additional defenders into the box, the Tide should win. Bama’s cornerbacks always play a lot of man to man defense. That should help the Tide, but LSU has a lot of great young receivers. They also have an improving quarterback, Brandon Harris, in much the same manner as Alabama. A lot of national commentators have said that the running games will cancel each other out, and we have a battle of quarterbacks and receivers. 

LSU GAME HAS BECOME SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL …          

          The LSU game has become unique in the last decade. In all fairness, the LSU game was an afterthought at one point. The rivalry has always been spirited, but pretty one sided. Now, it is one of those games you dread as an Alabama or LSU fan but look forward to as a football fan. You know the game is not going to be easy, and very physical.  It seems the game has become one a team survives as much as wins. I am always very relieved when the game is over. Relief as much as jubilation seems to be the general rule. You also know this is going to be grown man football.  It isn’t some of those silly Gus Malzhan and Big 12 offenses. This is line up, point your finger across the line and tell your opponent we are coming at you on this play. This is Dick Butkus and Vince Lombardi football. This is the type of football that Bear Bryant would love. I bet Nick Saban is smiling this week. I can almost hear him telling Lane Kiffin we are going to run, and you are going to enjoy it. Truthfully, Kiffin is going to have a dead good run/pass ration that will keep the LSU front seven guessing. 

 
  One thing that both teams has historically learned about each other is they always try to run over the other team, but it is rarely the death blow that wins the game. After the 9-6 slug-fest, the Tide opened it up through the air in the National Championship game. Saban put the ball in the quarterback’s hands and told him to win the game. McCarron did, and the Tide dominated the Tigers. That was the night the Honey Badger bit the dust. The Tide won another National Championship that night, and a win this week can go a long way in earning #16. 

        Alabama opened as a 7 point favorite.