Nothing You Don't Already Know (Yet Another Blog On How Bammer's NOT Back)

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Blog...Bama Is Not Back
      
By Barrett Sallee
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Aug 5, 2008



Alabama has been getting some publicity this year as a dark horse to win the SEC West. However, there is no reason to believe that the Crimson Tide will be anything more than a middle-of-the-road SEC team in 2008.

It started with that one eventful day back in January 2007 at Tuscaloosa Regional Airport. Gone were the miserable days of Mike Shula. Gone were the trips to Shreveport. Gone was the losing streak to Auburn. Nick Saban had arrived. Bama was back. 11 months, another loss to Auburn, a 6-6 record and a trip to Shreveport later, it was more of the same.

Fast-forward to the present, and you find the Crimson Tide preparing for the 2008 campaign with question marks abound. Alabama enters 2008 with a new offensive coordinator in Jim McElwain, endured a tumultuous off-season that included several arrests, and returns only five starters on a defense that was mid-pack in the conference in total defense in 2007. Couple all of that with John Parker Wilson, who has been consistently inconsistent during his first three years in Tuscaloosa, and you have a Crimson Tide team that’s resurgence has been greatly exaggerated.

That’s not to say that Wilson can’t break through in 2008 to have a fine senior season. Four of Alabama’s starters return on the offensive line, including All-SEC OT Andre Smith. Plus Wilson has shown flashes of brilliance in the past, most notably in a big home win against eventual SEC East champ Tennessee in 2007. And there’s certainly a precedent for improvement in the play of senior QB’s in the SEC. Jason Campbell and Andre Woodson both have done it recently. However, his performance, arguably, is the determining factor on whether Bama will be “back,” or back to the drawing board.

Fans of the Crimson Tide will tell you that they were on the brink last season. Sure, the 7-6 record was not what Nick Saban had envisioned in his first year, but they didn’t lose a game by more than a touchdown. However, take a closer look, and you will see a four-game losing streak to end the regular season, a scare at home against the Houston Cougars, a flat-out robbery against Ole Miss, and a homecoming loss to Louisiana-Monroe. Alabama could have been 10-3. They also very easily could have been 4-8 and sitting at home during bowl season.

The 2008 season finds the Crimson Tide with a difficult path to Atlanta. Road tests against LSU, Tennessee and Georgia will all be major tests, to say the least. Add in a stellar out-of-conference opener at the Georgia Dome against ACC-favorite Clemson and the ever-present Iron Bowl, a game in which the Tide hasn’t won since 2001, and it’s tough to find any reason other than “hope” to think that the Tide will rise in 2008. But, for whatever reason, “hope” does currently seem to be permeating our decision-making this year.

There’s no doubt that, at some point, Alabama will be back and competing for SEC Titles. However, 2008 is a bit premature to start crafting that SEC Championship ring. Lack of depth, lack of experience and a tough schedule will make this year’s version of the Crimson Tide an 8-4 team at best.