Ok, I have had PLENTY of time to let everything soak in and now I can give everyone a more informed preview for next season... not to mention a couple of guys that won't be with us next year... by the way - did you see the National Championship game? Don't you just love it? I saw passing interference!! <wink, wink> I'm glad Miami lost. It was time for Coker to lose... Anyway, on to the LOOOOONG awaited preview on next season and my take on Mike Price.

Ok, so let's start with the biggest news of the year - The cowardly trip to FAggieland gets Bama a new coach. And I'll say this - Mal Moore took his little sweet time doing so. Personally, I'm glad it wasn't Riley. He was a west coast boy who played at Alabama and headed back. He came, he saw, he played, he left. He was no legend or anything, and certainly wasn't interested in the University of Alabama.

"Let me think about it over the weekend." Please, there is no thinking. If you think, then you don't want the job. Bye bye...

Then there was Leavitt, who might have been Moore's first choice. That's really hit and miss. He's a yound energetic coach from Florida that might have turned out ok. But he had his priorities in staying at that school, which I can totally respect, something our previous coach had none of. So Moore went on the hunt some more. He finally came down to Mike Price after supposedly looking at a few others and turning down Parcells. Now in my neck of the woods, Parcells is head coach here in the Big D.

After listening to the entire press conference when he was hired, he sounds like a great fit for the University of Alabama. And because we only have a limited number of scholarships to give out, recruiting shouldn't suffer much at all, but all that will pan out in the next few weeks.

Personally (and what do I know about football, really??), I wanted to seriously consider Mike Stoops and Jimmy Johnson. Mike Stoops, because I think he is a great up-and-coming coach that is young and knows football really well from what I can tell - plus it would make for an interesting matchup against OU next year. But one of the rules for Moore's decision is that he have current head coaching experience, so that eliminates him. So my other pick was Jimmy Johnson, BUT there's one problem - well, maybe more than one - Jimmy Johnson, in my eyes is about 'me me me'. He'd be in it for the money and himself, not for the love of the University of Alabama and the longevity of the job. He was at Miami for a few years... then Dallas.... now he's a sports comentator and he seems pretty happy where he is. It just wouldn't be about the University, which totally eliminates my pick as well. So who do you pick? Some even mentioned Frank Beamer, and supposedly, he was contacted by Moore, but to no avail. Beamer wasn't interested (according to reports).

So we have Mike Price, who we should all bring in with open arms and make his life a little easier, instead of saying he's an outsider and he's not in the family. Let's be real folks. There aren't too many more guys out there that will coach Alabama that played for Coach Bryant. Everyone now is an outsider practically. Maybe after Price, we'll get an ex-Bama player, but until then, let's just back our coach and move forward. For a lot of the possibilities out there, Price definitely wasn't a bad pick. My guess is that he'll last fewer than 10 years though, mainly because of his age. He's not exactly 30 years old anymore - he's 56. He'll likely be gone after 5 years though, unless his body holds up like Joe Paterno's, which is entirely possible I guess. But we needed someone and I think he'll get us through this time of probation. He likely won't win the national championship while he's here, but he'll keep the program going in the direction it needs to go, and prep the next coach with a good foundation.

It will be VERY hard to overcome the sanctions handed down by the NCAA. Bama's last really strong year will be this coming season with the seniors making up a good part of the experience on this team. Starting the 2004 season, Bama will finally be able to go to a bowl, but one year too late - as if the NCAA couldn't figure it out already. That was the plan all along. So we'll try and defy all odds and make a bowl our first season back from the post-season ban. Next year, I look for another great season. Heck, 10 wins is still very possible as the sanctions will be felt a little, but definitely more in the following years. Let's take a look at next year's positions and how they stack up...

OFFENSE: The offense will be about as solid as they were this year, if not BETTER. Yeah, you heard it right - BETTER than this year's offense. But that really depends on what kind of offensive balance Price brings to the table. Bama has the guns, that's for sure, but will we use them?

Bama loses a huge heart of the team at QB in Tyler Watts. It's been a topsy-tervy ride for the Pelham native, but in his Senior season, he finally came thru with his best performances of his career. Now, the future of Alabama football lies in the hands of Sophomore Brodie Croyle. Like Tyler Watts, the job will definitely be his, but let's hope he is NOT like Tyler in the way Watts always got hurt during each season he played. If Brodie goes down, Spencer Pennington will be his backup. Pennington is also a sophomore, but has VERY LITTLE playing time/experience. The coaches last year did say he played well in practice though, so hopefully he's better than we think. We'll need him to get better and better, because eventually, Brodie WILL go down at some point, whether it be a quarter, or a game, or even a single play. Let's hope it's not the season. So the MAIN key here is to keep Brodie healthy. No ill-advised hits, superior protection on the line, and good play-calling all need to happen to keep our star QB out of the infirmary. Remember, Brodie is the guy who is going to have to endure all the probation period - it's a shame to see all that talent go to waste when he could have a full compliment of 4 full recruiting classes. But the good thing is that I couldn't think of a better guy to get us through this period. If Bama's to get through this, he's a great guy to have at the helm.

At RB, we lose Santonio Beard to the (cough, cough) NFL draft. I don't know how great he'll be in the pros, but I say good luck anyway - he'll definitely need it. I honestly think he felt a lot of pressure from the other RB's... probably thought his numbers would go down, plus with the possibility of Price's fun 'n gun offense, who knows how much he would get the ball? Maybe that's his thinking. Regardless, that leaves Shaud Williams, Ray Hudson, and Kenneth Darby as the top 3. We don't lose hardly a thing at this position except Beard's size. But Williams has proven that size doesn't always matter. Williams is so small, quick, and shifty, he could break the long run on any given play. Plus he plays VERY smart on the field. He's a very "football smart" player. He comes out, does his job, and does it well. He'll definitely be the main man at RB next year, especially if Bama airs it out a lot. He's a great pass-catcher.

I'm just glad he didn't have much of an option to jump ship though. He left Texas Tech because of the air-it-out system brought with the new coach... now Price comes along with almost the same mentality... but maybe not quite as bad. I think it will be a great fit for Williams. With Brodie throwing the ball quite a bit, this will open up the running game a bit for Shaud, Hudson, and company. Hudson is speedy as well, and has proven he can come up with the big catch as well. Darby was redshirted last year, but coaches and players raved about his play at practice. I'm looking forward to seeing this guy play in the future as well. So we are definitely ok at this position.

At FB, will we even have a guy play there in the new system? Who knows. If so, Greg McLain will pick up where he left off last year as he becomes a sophomore. He had a decent year for a freshman FB. Only Price knows how much he will be utilized. And this year, he'll be a true FB, not a W-back. The A&W offense is history, people. They didn't really use the W-back much anyway. About all it got was a catchy phrase. Puulease.

At WR, this is where we should be the most potent on the entire team, as we bring back a TON of seniors - that's why I say after this season, we'll be hurting pretty bad. The only guy leaving is Sam Collins. He's a huge loss - he seems to always be at the right place at the right time, and came up with a lot of big plays for the Tide - but we get back from medical redshirt A.C. Carter. Some people forgot all about A.C. Don't forget that he was HUUUUUGE in his previous years, even outplaying Freddie Milons at WR when he was here. A.C. has probably the sweetest hands of a WR since the "Duce". Not great speed, but great hands and the ability to get open and make big plays. So we lose a star and gain a star at the same time... PROVIDING that he keeps his grades up. If you recall, he had to sit out the Indepence Bowl last year due to grade problems. Since then, he has maintained them. Let's just hope he keeps them up. We need him out there on the field next year.

Then you have a more-than-qualified group of more seniors - the juniors that played very well for us this year. These are Dre Fulgham, Triandos Luke, who I think has the most potential of all of our WR's, Zach Fletcher, and Brandon Greer. This should be one of the, if not THE, best WR group in the SEC. All Seniors. If we air it out, this will definitely be the year to do so. Our top 2 guys - Luke & Fulgham - come back catching for about 500 yards apiece. Add in A.C. #'s in 2001 of over 400 yards and you've got a decent bunch. None of them amassed a ton of yards, but we were a balanced team. Those numbers could definitely be inflated at the end of next year. Look for Bama's first 1000-yd WR since David Palmer (at least to my knowledge). Who knows who will emerge, but I think someone will.

On the OL, everyone returns except for Alonzo Ephraim and Marico Portis. Replacing Alonzo will likely be J.B. Closner, who did a nice job in the UT game when he got hurt this year. For Marico, Dennis Alexander could be in line to be his replacement. That will be decided after spring practice. The other 3 are solid though - Britt, Smiley, and Mathis will anchor the line all as Juniors next year. So we have 2 more years of this bunch. That part looks good. We should be ok up front. And with Price having the air-offensive attitude, maybe he will bring with him even more advice on how to make these guys better pass blockers. We KNOW they can block for the run. Now to round them out and make them even better. This could be very good for the offensive line, that's for sure.

Last, the TE. Theo Sanders will be gone, but we still have a GREAT set of guys at this position. We won't have ANY trouble out of the TE spot. And with the offense Price might bring, it would be good to see the TE get a lot of touches. Look in the NFL at Novacek (Dallas), Clarke (49ers), and currently Gonzalez (K.C.) and Shockey (NYG). So many times, people forget about the TE and they can be such great playmakers. We have the talent, I believe, to open this position up a bit and burn a lot of teams. Clint Johnston, David Cavan, and Donald Clarke all return this year with Johnston probably being the top guy as a Sophomore next year. These guys don't have a lot of speed, but have good hands. Only time will tell if they will be in intricate part of the offense as a pass catcher or blocker. Either way, we'll be ok here.

On the whole offensive package, Bama doesn't lose much at all in terms of numbers and capable backups. Watts is replaced by Croyle, Beard is "replaced" by Williams though Williams might have been the best back Bama had last year... and Carter (barring an academic casualty) replaces Collins. The OL loses 2, but should be ok. So don't look for too many numbers to slack off last year's totals. Next year could be the best year of Price's tenure at the University of Alabama. He probably won't have a team like this for another 5-6 years if he makes it that long. So he'll try and enjoy what he has on offense this year. It should be a real treat to watch next year's team. I just hope Price still keeps it balanced. THAT is how you win football games - of course combined with a great defense. If you start thinking one dimension (pass or run only), that's when you get into trouble, as seen by WSU's performance against OU in the Rose Bowl. One thing is for sure - he knows what gameplan NOT to use down here in the south. Being too pass-happy could get you in trouble. We'll see what happens...

DEFENSE: On the defensive side of the ball, the Tide definitely loses the most. The Tide loses Super Seniors Jarret Johnson, Kenny King, and Kendal Morehead, not to mention Gerald "Smoke" Dixon, Waine Bacon, and Hirchel Bolden. That's 6 more than capable guys that helped us out last year, even though Bolden DID hurt us a bit... but he still came on at the end of the year for us. But as with the offense, when someone leaves, someone else just steps it up and falls in their place.

Last year, Bama rotated in on the DL quite a number of guys, so a lot of our guys have a good bit of experience already, though still not as much as the starters. The 3 big'n's really had a heckuva year, but coming back, we have Canadian star N.McKay-Loescher, very fast Antwan Odom, Todd Bates, Ahmaad Childress, Anthony Bryant, and Leslie Williams. Every one of those guys played in all 13 games the Tide played last year, except for Childress, who played in 12. So these guys have plenty of playing time and will do well for us next year, especially Odom, who is by far the fastest and hardest to block DE on the team. There will be a little less talent here than last year, but when you have 3 Outland Trophy nominees, they can be hard to replace, talent for talent. But by the end of the season, this group will definitely have made their place in Tide history. We should be ok here... and I didn't even include the recruits that were redshirted this year. They could also make a big impact and get some decent playing time. They are Chris Browder, Chris Harris, Jeremy Clark, and Kyle Tatum, with Tatum probably being the best of this bunch. Look for good things here.

At the LB spot, we look great. Brooks Daniels, the Tide's leading tackler with 110 tackles leads the defense in his senior season. Joining him are up-and-coming sophomore-to-be Freddie Roach who did a great job this year as a freshman MLB, and 2nd-leading tackler at 95, Cornelius Wortham, who will also be a senior. This should be the strongest position on the defense by far, with backups Derrick Pope, DeMeco Ryans, and Mark Anderson backing them up. All but Anderson had significant playing time this year. Look for more of the same in 2003. Since the Tide lost 3 great DL, look for the LB's to make even more plays in the upcoming season. If this group stays healthy, this could be the best LB group in the SEC, easily. And we also have Juwan Garth coming off a redshirt freshman season. We're looking VERY good here. Roll Tide!

Back in the 2ndary, the DB's will have to maintain what was accomplished last year. Just keep up the good work. We got burned early in the season (1st two games), but after that, they really buckled down and had a great year. We lose "Smoke", Bacon, and Bolden - each of which, by the end of the season - became a lot better. Bacon was one of my favorites as he reminded me of Kevin Jackson, a SS of a few years ago that played for Bama - a really hard-hitter. Bacon was like that... and had pretty good hands. So next season, we still have some playmakers back. Charlie Peprah really made an impact in his first season at corner, starting as a redshirt freshman on the 3rd game of the season, after Bolden got burned in the OU game. He'll return as the leading interception guy next season with 4. And those 4 were big ones - his most memorial 2 coming in the Georgia game (for a TD) and at UT (inches away from a TD). The rest of the 2ndary should be ok, but will definitely have a slight talent slip-off with the absence of Dixon and Bacon.

Anthony Madison and Peprah will likely be the CB's while Charles Jones, the senior, wil anchor the 2ndary at FS. Jones was 3rd on the team in tackles and picked off the QB 3 times on the year. Look for him to have an even better year this go-around. Then at SS, Carlos Andrews could possibly be the starter there as he fights off David Scott and possibly even Roman Harper who normally plays FS behind Jones. There could be a slight shake-up here, but all that will settle itself next fall. This is one position (the 2ndary) where we can't really afford any injuries. Coming off a redshirt freshman season will be Ramzee Robinson, who the coaches have said has had decent practices in his first year. Stay healthy and we'll be ok here. But with limited backups, we need the defense to stay off the field as much as possible. The Tide has good talent here, but even the best talent gets tired, especially in the 2ndary.

SPECIAL TEAMS: This is the one part of the Tide that really gets no better this year - as a matter of fact, they are probably worse with the departure of SUPERMAN, er, Lane Bearden. He punted, he tackled like a hoss-daddy on special teams since no one else could, and he held the ball on FG attempts. He will be sorely missed. Collins, the temp-holder is also gone, so the holder spot is wide open. Could be Brandon Avalos, Pennington or a WR. But my main concern isn't even that. I want a guy who can kick the dang football through 2 uprights when it matters. Did you know that a kicker is normally the highest scoring player on the team? Why then, would you not find a great scholarship kicker??? Other schools have 'em. Why not Bama?? WHY?? Are we content with crossing our fingers and praying every time we even attempt an extra point??? I sure as heck ain't. It actually pisses me off. I'm tired of having tryouts for one of the most important positions on the team - probably right behind the QB. If you can't kick PAT's, then you miss a piece of the pie every time you have a scoring opportunity. TD - the kicker gets to get more. FG - the kicker takes all the credit. Kickoffs - the kicker gets the ball in the endzone to cause a touchback so our pathetic special teams won't have to allow huge runbacks. We NEED a good kicker, period. We went from Ziifle, to Bostic, to Robinson - a guy that didn't even get on the preseason roster before school started. How lame. The best kicker didn't even make the team. But I will say he played well at times, but as usual, we were just to sporatic. We'd kick some, then miss some.... this is unacceptable. I want the days of Tiffin, Doyle, Proctor, and most recently, the 2 years of Neil Thomas, a JC Transfer. If not for him, THOSE 2 years would have been horrible. So what do we do? Let's find a great kicker and get him. Every school seems to have a good kicker except for Bama - I don't know why.

Next, the punter. Shall I open up another can of worms? I think you already know where I stand here. Same beef. Let's get a guy that can smash the ball high and deep. Maybe we should try a field of rugby players in Austrailia. Worked pretty good for Hawaii, right? Right now Ziifle is the man, but we need a guy with some speed as well... cuz you know how our special teams tackle. If not for the toughness and speed of Bearden, there's no telling how many of his kicks would have been returned for a TD. If Ziifle is the man, then lose some weight buddy. We're gonna need it.

At the KR/PR positions, that should be fine. PR will again be Shaud Williams, and KR will be Hudson and possibly Luke again. That could change, but Hudson will likely remain the #1 KR since he's not an offensive starter and has great speed. Nick Ridings remains the deep snapper. He'll be a senior next year.

As far as special teams as a whole, let's hope that the new special teams coach brings in a new approach on how to play special teams. You'd think at times they were in the special olympics the way they covered people on kickoffs... sheesh. Lot of work needed here. Again, get a good kicker.

That's it. My take on next year. Hope you've enjoyed it this year. Keep on coming back to BAMADOG.COM - I'll have a lot of hoops coverage along with baseball season. And you hate those annoying ads/banners that come up while listening to basketball games, listen to the games via my site - you get a small box and that's all - for you dial-up guys. That might help you out! ROLL TIDE!

Your Host,
The Bamadog

#14 BAMA vs HAWAII PREDICTION

Well, this is the last week of college football for the Tide, and this might be the most difficult game to predict. Hawaii has the nations 3rd best offense, while the Crimson Tide has the nation's 3rd best defense. But face it, both teams have been #1 sometime in the season, and there's only a handful of yards separating 1st and 3rd place, so basically, it's the best vs the best.

Now, Bama goes to the islands after getting spanked at home by Auburn. Call it what you want, but we didn't play well, so therefore I say we were spanked. We got a measly 7 points. Not good for a game against one of the most potent offenses in the country. BUT, there is a silver lining - all those yards were amassed against no-so-great teams. So the talent of Hawaii has not been tested to the fullest. Last week, the Rainbow Warriors barely won in a 4th quarter comeback against Cincinatti. Yes, a basketball school, almost 'schooled' the warriors on their (Hawaii's) own turf. So, with an off-week against the Bearcats, and Bama having an off-week against the Tigers, what do you make of this game?

Well, to be perfectly honest, I have no clue. And as you may have noticed this week, I haven't added much of any news on the front page of my site. This is due to the work/travel schedule I have this week regarding Thanksgiving. I don't have a lot of time since I'm here with the inlaws, so I hope you guys will understand. But the site will be running back at 100% come Monday when I get back to Dallas, TX (I'm currently in Memphis, TN).

So without even reading anything that has gone on this week regarding either team, it's going to be hard to know how to predict the game. The last I heard though, was that the starting Hawaii QB got hurt in the Cincinatti game, but is listed as probable for the start Saturday against the Tide. Regardless, if that holds true, look for the 2ndary to be substituting a LOT during the game. The depth at DB will help a lot, but whether our DB's can still handle that kind of passing attack remains to be seen.

Also, it depends on the status of Kenny King. I believe it was stated that he would be able to play, so if so, that will help the pass rush for sure. So Hawaii's biggest threat will be the short passing game since Bama's rush will be so dominant. I don't expect Hawaii's RB's to get over 100 yards on the day either. This game will be won in the air by Hawaii if they are to have a shot.

The Tide on the other hand, hopes to get it together this week after what was probably the absolute worst offensive showing in the Dennis Franchione era. 7 points was the fewest points scored by a Fran-Bama-coached team, and only the 2nd time in his time in Tuscaloosa where we didn't score 2 touchdowns in a game. The other was Vandy last year. So look for not many adjustments in our gameplan. We may have lost, but it was probably more of an execution problem than play-calling. Heck, our play-calling has worked great the previous 5 games before Auburn, so in my eyes, the Iron Bowl was probably just a fluke game for our offense. Some days the wheels are turning and others, well, they aren't. What can you do?

So the Tide go to Hawaii, jetlag and all, and hope to be in the right frame of mind to put it to the Warriors. I think the Tide will improve from the Iron Bowl, but what makes this game whacked out is the fact that if we get behind early, we're going to have to go to the air. And when that happens, you know Brodie Croyle will be in the game more than likely. So for Bama to win, we have to keep it close if we're playing from behind, or just keep the offense going if we're ahead. Fall behind too much, and we're in trouble. I'm just not confident if we're more than 2 TD's behind that Brodie will be able to pull us out of the hole. Remember, he's still a redshirt freshman - this is his first year to play - and we saw he wasn't quite effective at the end of the UGA game, nor the Auburn game. He's got a gun, but he still lacks some skills and overall awareness that obviously as an upperclassman, he'd do better at. In 2-3 years, you'll definitely notice a different Brodie in the backfield.

But in this game, look for Bama to keep it close and play pretty good defense. Hawaii will score, and in my opinion, they will actually score over 20. Remember, this is an offense that I believes LEADS the nation in scoring or close to it. So Bama will have to play one of their best games of the season in order to pull out the win. And LSU-type game is what we need. But with the long trip, I just don't know if Bama can pull it out.

I'm going to go out on a very LONG limb and say Bama pulls down DEEEEP to find a way to win. These seniors don't want to end the season 0-2, so they will find a way to win. Though the seniors at Hawaii don't want to go out on a losing note either. But this senior class is special and Tyler, Jarret, Kendal, Kenny, Gerald, Lane, and the boys will FIND a way somehow, somewhere to pull out the win. Bama is favored by 11 or 12 I believe, but if Bama wins, don't count on that spread even coming close. Bama will win it close - closer than we want. It's going down to the wire and the only way Bama wins is for Hawaii to have to come back and fall short. If Bama trails in the 4th quarter, just keep your fingers crossed. We're 0-3 in the 4th quarter when having to comeback and win...

So For Bama to win, they MUST score at least 30. Hawaii will definitely score over 20, but probably closer to 30. So the score is close to tied at halftime and the Tide scores a little more in the 3rd to give a small cushion... the Warriors get another TD in the 4th to make it close, and the Bama 'D' has to hold like a mackdaddy in order to hold out for the win. That's the only way it can happen. Let's just hope the Bama 'D' comes to Hawaii and has the game of their life.
PREDICTION: BAMA 34 HAWAII 33

ACTUAL: BAMA 21 HAWAII 16

#9 BAMA vs AUBURN PREDICTION

It's Iron Bowl week and the smell of Alabama winning is in the air. Aaahhhh. Don'tcha just love it? After a major woodshed beating of LSU, 31-0, the Tide comes back to T-town to take on "the school down the road" (TSDTR). This will mark just the 4th time that Alabama has played tsdtr in Tuscaloosa. The last time was a 9-0 loss in 2000 to mark the end of the well-deserved end to the Mike Dumbose era. That season, the Tide played for each one's self... and fell to 3-8 on the season - one of the worse seasons the Tide has ever had. In come Coach Franchione from Texas Christian University. A 3-5 start for the new coach, and since then, Fran is 13-2. Funny how when the team wins, everyone is happy. If Fran had ended on a bad note, who knows what I'd be writing right now.

But the Tide is riding a 5-game winning streak and rolling harder than any team in America. The Tide now leads the SEC in offense, and leads the country in defense. The Tide is only giving up about 244 yards per game, and averaging about 418 yards on offense. Did we rub a lamp and get 3 wishes? One of them has obviously been used as this team is definitely the team to beat in the SEC right now. UGA got a piece of Bama earlier in the season, but match Bama with UGA one more time in the SEC Champtionship, and honestly, it might not even be a contest.

Since that narrow loss to the Bulldogs of Georgia, the Tide has won 5 games by a combined margin of 165-43 (33 to 8.6 per game). People, that's more than an average of winning by more than 3 touchdowns PER GAME. Heck, we dismantled the "best" defense in the country by more than 4 touchdowns. Can we dare say this could be THE best 2-loss Bama team in history. Numbers speak for themselves, but I won't get into that.

Anyway, this game is unlike a lot of the other games Alabama plays during the year. For the Iron Bowl, you literally have to throw away all the record books. Yeah, tsdtr is just another team - another day in the office for the Tide, but this game is still special in the state of Alabama. This is bragging rights for the next 364 days - something you don't want to be without. For instance, my entire high school career SUCKED out the butt because Alabama lost every year for 4 years. That was 1986-1989. I could never say Bama won the Iron Bowl for my 9-12th grade years. But low and behold, my first year in '90 with the Tide, Gene Stallings came in and helped us 0-fer's out. We finally won an Iron Bowl and man it felt SOOOOO AWESOME!

Well, that's the feeling anyone gets when you beat tsdtr every year. So a lot of emotion will be pouring out on the field Saturday, especially the Senior Class - the class that had to endure that lame 9-0 loss 2 years ago on our own turf. Even to this day, Bama has yet to score against tsdtr in Bryant-Denny Stadium. On Saturday, that will change as this Tide team is destined to finish in the top 5 in the country. Practice has been closed this week to the press, and for good reason - this game has special meaning and there's no way Fran is going to let tsdtr know what is being done on the practice field. Just like last year, Fran has a plan, and Alabama plans on beating tsdtr just like it did last year - only, the bad thing for tsdtr is that this year, it could be worse as this Alabama team is 10 times better, and tsdtr is banged up a bit and possibly a little worse than last year's team.

Points? That shouldn't be a problem this go-around. The Tide will score early, and very often. Matching last week's performance will be almost impossible, though it could happen. But tsdtr's offense is a bit better than LSU's. tsdtr is 2nd in the SEC in offense (behind the Tide) with a little over 400 ypg. So don't think this game will be a pushover. DO, however, know that Fran has a gameplan that will reak havock on the tsdtr defense. He has done it all year long. Only OU has held the Tide offense to less than 300 yards in any given game. UT held the Tide to 300 total yards.

tsdtr's defense will come out strong as the adrenaline is really pumping to start this game. But it's just another day at the office as Bama lights up the first drive (or 2) to punch the ball in the end zone or get a quick 3 from Kyle Robinson. tsdtr on the other hand, they will struggle most of the game. Remember - this is Alabama - the #1 defense in the country this week, and rightly so. The defensive front is probably one of the best in the country, and the 2ndary is really coming around. tsdtr's only shot at getting to the Tide defense is through Jason Campbell's ability to run the ball at QB. And run, well, he won't be doing much as he won't be 100% for the game since he got hurt in the Georgia game last week. Then at RB, you have Tre Smith, who is a feisty little RB that plays hard, but really - he doesn't have what it takes to be a full-time runner. He is going to get popped hard Saturday - you just watch. Before the game is over, tsdtr could be playing their TE at RB.

On defense, McNeil is back from his injury, but how he faces up against the best OL in the SEC remains to be seen. Thus far, Alabama has owned practically every team it has played. Georgia would be the exception. But you have to look at how teams are playing NOW. And right NOW, Alabama is almost unstoppable. That doesn't bode well for the tsdtr defense as Bama is also 1st in the SEC in time of possession. You boys better have plenty of water and gatorade cuz you gonna be on the field a while...

So, if I can stop rambling for a minute, I can finally get this prediction downloaded to my website, so here it is. Bama will win. Period. That's a 99.9% probability (knock on wood, right Fran?). What the score is, well, ... the average as of late is 33-9. Last year, the Tide won with a worse team, against a better tsdtr team, 31-7. Man - this could get UGLY people. If you can't handle what you're about to see Saturday, don't eat that extra BBQ pork sandwich. It's going to be brutle.

Again, Bama scores early and again... and again. Kyle Robinson even gets a little action as the offense stalls a couple of times. At the half, Bama leads by a TD or two. Then, the masacre begins. The 2nd half. The half that Bama has totally dominated all year. Heck, only 4 TD's have been scored by the offense of the opposing team in the last 5 games. What makes Saturday any different, especially against a much more inferior team? Again, avoid greasy meats when you watch the Iron Bowl. In the 2nd half, Bama pours it on, rushing left, rushing right, heck, rush it down their ever-living throats. It won't matter because the Bama OL will dominate, and tsdtr will be lucky to even touch the ball more than 7 minutes in the final quarter of play. 20 points in the first and the Tide pours on about 24 more in the 2nd.

It's close in the beginning - say around kickoff, when the score is 0-0.... but after the first 15 minutes of play, the Tide won't even be looking back. It hasn't done so in the last 5 games either. Again, this game is no different - only worse for tsdtr. Poor saps. Call an ambulance people. Again, it's gonna be ugly as tsdtr will score, but don't count on a lot. They're hurting bad - and now they get put out of their misery. Tide doesn't roll this week - it ROLLS BIG. I hate to make it this bad, but Bama's playing so well, and is so well prepared, it's like we're playing Vanderbilt or something. Check, please!
PREDICTION: BAMA 44 AUBURN 13

ACTUAL: BAMA 7 AUBURN 17

#10 BAMA vs #14 L.S.U. PREDICTION

Well, it has finally come down to this game - Bama vs LSU to find out who is the 'Best in the West'. Both teams come into this game with high hopes and high national rankings with Bama ranked #10 in the country and LSU ranked #14. At the beginning of the year, LSU was the clear favorite to win the West, especially since Bama could not play in the post-season, and they are living up to their billing, but barely.

LSU has 2 losses on the year, and both times, they were blown out, averaging about 6 points per loss. In games when they won, they scored in the mid-30's on average. Virginia Tech and tsdtr shut them down. But this is a different LSU team - just like this is a different Alabama team since the Georgia weekend. Bama has dominated it's last 4 games, winning by a total of 134-43. That averages out to a score of 34-11. People, that's some serious domination here as of late. And even though UT and MSU scored 14 pts each, only 6 of those points in each game came from a TD that was given up by the Bama defense. Talk about stingy defense. In the last 4 games, Bama is only allowing 1 TD for each team on D. Now if we can only keep the special teams out of the end zone, we should be ok. Heck, a couple of FG's here and there shouldn't hurt us too bad as long as we keep putting it in the end zone.

So what do you make of this game? Bama's defense is just as good as LSU's. Only a handful of yards separate the 2 teams in the national rankings as LSU is #1 and Bama is #3. TCU moved into the #2 spot after last weekend. Then you think about LSU's offense and Bama's offense. Bama probably has the upper hand there, but slightly. Bama seems to be about the most balanced team in the SEC right now, putting up big numbers both on the ground and in the air. When we can't run, we pass, and when we can't pass, we run. So what do you do against the #1 defense in the country? -- Do your best. The main thing is to check into good plays and FOR PETE'S SAKE, CUT DOWN ON THE PENALTIES, ESPECIALLY ON THE OFFENSIVE LINE. On about 4-5 plays last week against State, we had to lose a TON of yardage because someone held on the offensive line. Whether they are phantom calls or what, they were called and we have to deal with it. Fran said he would address those issues at practice this week, so hopefully we'll have few/no holding calls this week. We must have negated over 60 yards of offense due to holding calls alone. And I won't even talk about penalties as a whole - I did that in my take on the game.

So if we cut back on penalties, we have a great shot at beating LSU Saturday. Play like we did against State, and the results could be a lot different. The defense should definitely play a lot better than last year as proven by our running defense and passing defense stats. This is a whole different bunch of attitudes and what happened last year WON'T happen this year. Also, don't count on Rohan Davey and Josh Reed being there either, so last year's passing frenzy JUST WON'T happen. It can't - it won't. Everyone keeps worrying about their passing game. What people don't realize is that Bama is one of the best in the league this year in defense, and creating turnovers... PLUS, the 2 people that shred us up last year, aren't there anymore. So this year, we should get back to how Bama has beaten the Tigers in Baton Rouge for the last 32 years. Since 1969, Bama has lost there one time - in 2000 - the Dumbose era. Call it a fluke. Call Dumbose a fluke. We have Fran and he has HIS team playing very much how he has planned since he's been here. We'll get back to tradition this weekend as Bama dominates an LSU team that has high asperations, and may still have a chance at Atlanta, even after they lose. Remember, tsdtr could slip in there too, but only if they beat us... and then there's Arkansas, which also has an outside shot at getting in the championship game.

So as for this week, something's gotta give - either Bama's D/LSU's D - that's the billing of this game. Which defense is going to give up the big play for the opposing team's offense? In my opinion, I think Bama will get burned a couple of times in this game for big gainers, but look for the points to be on the low side. Bama is VERY good in the red zone. Remember, Bama held both UT and MSU twice each on 4th downs to keep them out of the end zone. So unless LSU scores on "explosives", don't look for a high scoring game on their part. Just keep the 2ndary fresh and we should be ok. Look for Peprah to come up big in this game - he usually comes up big in big games this year - both UGA an UT are great examples.

So if the LSU offense doesn't score much, then that leaves everything up to the Bama offense to pretty much win the game for us, which I think they will. Bama has scored on the opening drive in all but 2 games this year, and don't think that Fran has anything else in mind but that Saturday. The offense is so diverse, it's no wonder teams are having so much trouble stopping the Tide. This week, I think LSU stops the run. Beard and Williams wil have a mediocre day each, so the bulk of the offense will fall on the shoulders of Watts and Croyle. Croyle will definitely be ready to play as well - who knows how long Tyler will last until he goes down again. But lately, he has looked sharp. I think Watts will come thru for us though. He has been putting us in the right plays at the line, and making great throws as of late. He is also the 2nd best QB in the SEC as far as QB ratings are concerned.

So, let's factor in either a TD from special teams or defense for LSU and a TD early in the game by their offense, plus a FG, because they will move the ball a few times... then let's look at the Tide's offense, but remember we're playing the #1 defense in the country - we'll score a couple of touchdowns and maybe a FG. Defense could very well pick one off, but if not, the offense puts another one in the end zone. Also, Bama leads the entire game, but LSU scores late to make the score a little more respectable... Look for a close game that could possibly go down to the wire if Bama can't keep the yellow laundry off the field. If it's a clean game, Bama walks away with an easy one... but since we are 3rd worst in the league in penalties, don't look for a runaway game unless the Tide is just clicking on all cylinders. Question - will they click? Oh yeah, baby. And click hard, they will.
PREDICTION: BAMA 27 L.S.U. 17

ACTUAL: BAMA 31 L.S.U. 0

#11 BAMA vs MISSISSIPPI STATE PREDICTION

I'm getting pretty good at this prediction stuff... well, at least since the Ole Miss game. Last week, the Dawg was almost dead on with a whopping of Vanderbilt. No close game this year. Now comes the MSU Bulldogs to Bryant-Denny Stadium to try and throw a wrench into our good season. And as everyone knows, it was the MSU game last year that started the Tide turnaround. Since the MSU game last year, the Tide is 11-2 and rolling. The Tide will likely be favored to win it's last 2 games as well.

This week, MSU brings in a team that has a lot of questions that haven't been answered - like "When will MSU play like an SEC contender again?" Well, let's hope they decide to play like an SEC contender one more week later. Lately, MSU hasn't played worth a crap. Last week, MSU lost to Kentucky 24-45. MSU is still winless in the conference, and plans for the Tide are to keep it that way after Saturday.

The Tide comes into the game with the top offense in the SEC and the 2nd best defense in the country. Only LSU has a higher ranked defense than the Tide. Bama scores this year are averaging 31-17 or thereabouts. So don't expect anything more or less than this as this would definitely be a great prediction for this week's game. But don't count out the MSU bulldogs just yet. They are still led by their defense who rank #2 in the leage in interceptions (12). MSU's problem isn't with their defense as much as it is their offense however. MSU then gives the ball away 28 times. So the defense has it's work cut out for them - but that bodes well for the Tide who I think will have a great day on defense. MSU has no power running game and the passing game is almost extinct. That's pretty much why they are 0-fer in the conference. Some numbers of interest on MSU's side of the ball - In the SEC, MSU is 11th scoring offense (21ppg), 11th scoring defense (28ppg), 11th rushing offense (125ypg), 10th rushing defense (165ypg), 10th total offense (335ypg), last in pass effiency (101 rating), and last in 1st downs (137 compared to 171 for Alabama). Get the picture? This is looking more and more like the Vandy team we played last week. I mean, both ARE 0-fer in SEC play, so shouldn't one assume their stats are similar. They are in this case.

So, look for the Tide to exploit all of MSU's weaknesses, especially the Tide's strength - the Tide running game against the MSU defense. Expect a good bit of misdirection as the Tide eats and eats up the clock Saturday. MSU has a chance to win the game, but only if the Tide plays THAT BAD. Don't look for this Coach Fran coached team to play poorly enough to lose the game. Instead, look for the Tide to grind out a lot of yards against an MSU defense that is close to the bottom of the league.

Well, let's go ahead and get to the prediction because there honestly ain't much to talk about on this game. It's not televised which sux like a ho, so I'll be listening to the game via the internet. Anyway, the Tide wins big and doesn't trail the entire game. Beard gets back on track and the Watts/Croyle duo outsmart the MSU defense for most of the game. MSU, as most teams usually do, will eventually score a TD, but don't look for a lot of scoring on their side of the ball as they barely get 20 pts per contest. Defense is the game of this game, and it will be a defensive game in the beginning, but Bama pulls away just before the half and continues the pummelling in the 2nd half to win big...
PREDICTION: BAMA 34 MISSISSIPPI STATE 10

ACTUAL: BAMA 28 MISSISSIPPI STATE 14

#12 BAMA vs VANDERBILT PREDICTION

Man, another close week. I was only 3 points off in each direction for the UT score. PS2's really DO tell it like it is, huh? I'd play Vandy on the ole system, but naaaah. Don't think I'll need it this week. Favored to win by 21 and a team that is riding high at the moment, I don't think we could possibly screw this one up (knock on wood). Usually Vandy plays Bama very close, and there have been some very close games the last 6 of 9 contests with Bama winning last year 12-9. In the battle of field goals, Vandy came up one FG short to tie the Tide and send the game into overtime. They missed the FG at the end of the game, and the Tide just downed the ball to run out the clock. Tidefans went bolistic after the win because we were just so happy to win.

Times have changed. Now, the Tide doensn't hope to win, and shouldn't barely get by and win. This year, we have a new team concept the Tide is playing together better than ever. Only a handful of plays separate the Tide from being 8-0 right now and being ranked in the top 5 in the country. Vandy - get ready to get taken out to the woodshed. It's not going to be pretty. In other years, I'm holding my breath because Vandy always plays us tough. This year, they'll play us tough as always, but now Alabama has a defense that's playing top-notch football. We didn't have that last year. The only thing that could keep Bama from making it a blowout, would be excessive penalties, and with Bama, anything is still possible in that area.

Just a couple of stats to throw at you to put this years' teams in perspective. Bama is #4 in the country in total defense allowing 260 ypg. Vandy rushes 205 ypg. That is their only hope to win. Check this out.... in the SEC, Vandy is next to last in scoring offense, rushing defense, total defense, opponents 1st downs and LAST in scoring defense, turnover margin (-8), and pass efficiency defense. That doesn't bode very well for the outcome of the game, especially the fact that they give up 32 ppg and have only won against lowly Furman and a come-from-behind win against UConn last week. Heck, the last time Vandy won against Alabama was 1984, 30-21. Before that, 1969 was the last time Vandy won, 14-10. Since 1957, Vandy has only won twice against Alabama with last year being one of the best chances for upsetting the Tide in a long time.

Well, times have changed rather quickly and now the Tide is #12 in the country and rightfully so. The Tide has played the #7 hardest schedule in the country and have still been spectacular in all of their wins. Only 2 lone losses to top 5 teams blemish the Tide's record, both games in which the Tide led in the 4th quarter. Don't look for that kind of a game Saturday, and don't look for a letdown after the big win against Tennessee. Coach Fran will keep this group focused on the task at hand and he will not let them overlook the Dores. All he has to do is remind them about last year and then tell them how they'll feel if they lose. Not gonna happen.

Honestly, this game is going to be ugly, period. I'd like to give Vandy the benefit of the doubt, but Bama just has too much talent for Vandy to keep it close. Look for Spencer Pennington to get probably over 1/2 the 4th quarter duties as Bama puts this game away early. At the half, the game will already be over as Bama scores enough already to win the game. Too many weapons and an offensive gameplan that Vandy just can't defend is all the Tide needs to go 7-2 on the year and possibly break the top 10 AP poll, pending a couple of top 10 losses.

PS2? Nah. Not this week. It's not even close and a bit of a yawner. So get out the Jack and Coke a bit early this week and enjoy an easy-breather.

2 Rushers for over 100 yards, and Brodie gets a lot of snaps in the 2nd/3rd to get about 150 yards of passing since most of our damage will be done on the ground just to get the clock to run out quicker. Yawn... I'm already tired of scoring on these guys... And dang if the stupid Mississippi State game ain't gonna be televised next week. What a pisser.... <...sigh...>
PREDICTION: BAMA 45 VANDY 9

ACTUAL: BAMA 30 VANDY 8

#19 BAMA vs #16 TENNESSEE PREDICTION

Ok, Ok, Ok... I have been hearing it from every angle. I know I was wrong last week, but hey - you can't pick 'em all, now can ya? I didn't get the Bama/UGA game right either, but no one called me on that one. I just call it like I see it. a 4-point win isn't that much of a win anyway. My main thing was Ole Miss's passing offense (which has been pretty good as of late) and Bama's passing 'D' (which has been burned by the deep ball plenty this season, not to mention the previous week against UGA). So I figured we lose by Manning in the air. I goofed, and as you all read, I was hoping that I was wrong... and I was. ROLL TIDE! I hoped hard enough and it happened. Now I hope that this week's prediction is a little more accurate...

I start by saying that UT is overrated, period. They are ranked #16 in the country, but like Bama, haven't won the big games. They have lost to UGA and Florida. Both games, it wasn't really even close. Heck, even Rutgers gave Tennessee a scare a few weeks ago. Well, Bama is another ranked team coming into Knoxville and riding high after a win against ranked Ole Miss - and having a great offensive showing and an awesome defensive showing, and an even better showing on special teams. We seem to have a new placekicker, at least for extra points - Kyle Robinson. We didn't try a FG, so I don't know who will take over those duties from short/long range.

But UT is scared - real scared. They are favored to win by 3 and frankly, they probably don't know why. I don't know why either, but doesn't Bama usually play better when we are the underdog? This week will be a good week. We have had good practices, our defense seems to be gelling a lot more, our special teams seems to have learned how to tackle in the off-week, and our running game seems to be intact with Beard getting a lot of the carries last week. We are averaging over 200 yards per game on the ground. If we do that against UT, then it will be a long day for the Vols.

This week, I did something different - maybe something I try from here on out - who knows? I put Bama put up against UT on EA Sports College Football 2002. Of course, this is last year's team, but I'm on year 2 in dynasty mode, and UT happened to be up. So at this point, Brodie is a Redshirt Sophomore and a backup guy with the name of Bayless is his backup. I have a few people left from the team this year, but not many. My running back is ex-transfer Brandon Miree. Go figure. I'll use him anyway. He's a senior and he's actually in 5th place for the Heisman right now. He has racked up about 900 yards in 9 games. Collins, A.C., Luke -they are all gone. Luke left me this past off-season because he actually won the Heisman with some freaky better-than-Josh-Reed type numbers. That hurt. But on to the game... I wish I could make this stuff available so you could actually watch the game via the internet - anyone have an idea???

Game starts out with Bama kicking off. I have it set for 7:00 per quarter, so it's a 28 minute game. UT goes up the field, and there's nothing Bama can do to stop 'em. Kelly Washington (yeah, he's still there somehow) has a field day on this drive. UT finally gets to 1st and Goal at the 3 and Bama holds. FG UT. UT 3-0.

Bama gets the ball off the kickoff and goes 3 and out losing 7 yards. Bama punts and Kelly Washington returns the punt 20-30 yards. Can't anyone tackle this guy?? At this point, the 2nd quarter has started... They drive the short field again, and run a 1-yd TD up the middle by their RB #44. XP is good. UT 10-0

By this time, I'm like, ok Tide - it's time to buckle down and play some freakin' football. Don't be such a panty-waste. We're down 10 - not the way you need to be starting a football game. Well, Bama buckles down, runs down the field after giving up it's passing game for a while and Miree comes thru for the Tide. In the end, Lowe (Bama's ex-FB due to injury) scores on a 2-yd run up the gut. XP is good. UT 10-7

A couple of nothing series go by, one which included Croyle throwing a pick... then Bama holds on another series making UT punt the ball and Bama runs up the field in a hurry, and with no timeouts and :07 seconds to go, Croyle hits the TE for a TD. XP is good. Bama regains the lead 14-10 going into halftime

At the half, Rushing - UT(103) Bama (104), Passing - UT(76) Bama(97), TO - UT(0) Bama(1). Croyle is 5/11 for 79 yds and Bayless is 1/2 for 18 yds. Croyle ran for 23 yds on 11 carries while running some option.

3rd quarter started with Bama getting the ball first. Bama runs up the field nicely and gets to the 20-yd line and gets penalty after penalty - stupid computer game has something against Bama. At this point, it's 3rd down and 33 on the UT 47 or some crap. Well, Croyle hits the TE over the middle for a 35-yd gain and 1st down to keep the drive alive. Eventually, Croyle throws a TD pass to to WR Jeffery, a new recruit. XP is good. Bama 21-10

UT gets the ball, and eventually throws an interception to Thurman Ward. I guess in his senior year, he'll be playing, huh? Anyway, Bama mosies up the field and my new kicker, Theodore, kicks a 48-yd FG to give us 3 more. Bama 24-10

At this point in the 3rd quarter, things look good going into the 4th quarter, especially with only 7 minutes to play, right? Let's see... After swapping the ball a few times, and another Croyle interception (eek!), UT finally gets back on the board with a 36-yd pass to who else - Kelly Washington. XP is good, and the game is close again - one score up on UT. Bama 24-17

Bama goes up the field, turns the ball over again with a UT interception. Dang boy! What's wrong with you? Well, we get lucky and get another interception of our own... yep, by Thurman Ward. They go to Washington too much, and my guy will figure it out. Bama drives up the field to get another 3 points on a Theodore FG of 45 yards. Bama 27-17

Feeling a lot better now with only a couple minutes left... UT goes for it on 4th down and doesn't get it. Bama drives up the short field and knocks thru a 26-yd FG with :17 seconds left in the game. Bama 30-17

That's all she wrote after one last play by the Vols to get a TD. FINAL SCORE: Bama 30 Tennessee 17 Pretty realistic score from my perspective. Only I don't think we'll get that many FG's in our game.
Some final stats of interest:
(Bama) Croyle - 11/24 for 177 2TD/3int and was sacked 5 times.
(UT) Mobley - 9/26 for 183 1TD/2int and was sacked 1 time.
(Bama) Miree - 24 for 158 yds, Croyle 19 for 21 yds, Lowe 2 for 4 yards and a TD
(UT) Mobley 3/73 [QB had a 60 yard run in the 1st quarter], Burrow 5 for 20, #44 13 for 19 yds & got injured
(Bama) WR #50 4/51, Clark TE 3/36 & a TD, Graham WR 3/67, Jeffery 1/5 & a TD, Townes 1/36 (big 3rd down play)
(UT) Washington 4/117 & a TD, Others - 2/21, 2/34, 1/11
McBride led Bama with 7 tackles and Loescher got the only Tide sack.
3 Punts for Bama averaged 50.3 (not Bearden since he's already graduated), net of 37.6 after returns
6 Punts for UT averaged 42.5, net of 34.1 after returns

Total Yards - 412 Bama, 295 UT | 1st downs - 23 Bama, 11 UT | TOP - 17:17 Bama, 10:43 UT

And also simulated on that day was the tsdtr/Ole Miss game. Here, tsdtr is 7-1 going into the game and ranked #15... well, tsdtr loses to Ole Miss 35-23. Ole Miss is now 2-5.

So as you can see, I've been pretty busy getting my prediction this week. In the real world, these stats will compare to today's players, only our rushing totals will be more since we have Shaud as well. Brodie won't throw 3 interceptions, but the defense will come ready to play. with those factors involved, I'll make my prediction. Bama is better in real life than in the game. Kelly Washington will get his touches and will burn the Tide for a TD or 2. He's just THAT good. Question is, will a healty Clausen get him the football? If not, it will be a long day for the Vols. I think the Bama D-Line will dominate and take Clausen out of the game if he's the starter. They can only hope we punt a lot, because that's the only sure-fire way Washington will touch the football. Bama and UT close at the half, but too much Bama ground game in the 2nd half to pull away. And we make a FG in this game. I give us an extra point to the PS2 result because I know we can do it. ROLL TIDE!!
PREDICTION: BAMA 31 TENNESSEE 17

ACTUAL: BAMA 34 TENNESSEE 14

#24 BAMA vs #21 OLE MISS PREDICTION

This is a toughy. Last week, I felt really confident in the Tide, but more 4th quarter heroics by the other team left another sour taste in my mouth... soooooo....

I don't know what to say. There are many factors involved - too many to make a sound prediction really. But I'll still give it my best shot. Tyler may or may not play - we still don't know. Bearden may or may not punt this week - odds are, he will from what Coach Fran spoke about on 'Hey Coach' Thursday night. Next, we don't know if special teams tackling will improve this week. Also, if Eli is as good as he was last year against our secondary, it could also play a huge role in the outcome of the game (obviously).

Basically, we CANNOT underestimate Ole Miss. Sure we own these guys over the entire series like 156-5-1 or something crazy like that, but the fact is that a Manning is QB'ing this team and that team beat us last year in Oxford in some late 4th quarter heroics. Down 24-10 with about 11 minutes in the game, Manning capped 2 TD drives that put Bama away in the end - 27-24. It was at that point last year when we started a 3-game losing streak - losing to OM, UT, and LSU before finishing strong the rest of the season.

This year, the DL is stronger and wiser, and so is the 2ndary. Bolden has been burned deep early in the season, but has come back in somewhat of a strong way, not losing the coaches' confidence in him. Peprah has already made a small name for himself coming up with the big interception in the last game against Georgia. Needless to say, his efforts were for naught unfortunately.

Bama's offense will score and Ole Miss's defense will let us score. They really don't have much of a defense. So basically, it comes down to Bama's defense against Eli and the Ole Miss offense. Which one will dominate? Will one will pull out the win?

Lately, Bama can't beat ranked teams. Bama faces another ranked team which throws the ball a lot. We don't seem to do well against those kinds of teams, but maybe this is the "turnaround" game for us. Maybe the 2ndary will surprise us and make a few picks - maybe not. Remember, this is the team that beat Florida... but is Florida really that good this year? They are 4-3, at a worse record than Bama, and out of the AP Poll for the first time since '90, Spurrier's first year with the gators.

Hmm... again, a toughy to call. I honestly think Bama will improve on kickoff and punt coverage, but will still get picked apart in some parts of the game allowing Ole Miss to score early and make Bama have to play come-from-behind football - something we're not very good at. And when we DO come back, we see our hopes squashed in the waning minutes of the game. At this point, I'm going with past performance, and what we have proven so far this season. So far, we haven't stopped the pass at all hardly. And we have the same players. They are being coached to do better, but regardless, they are still the same players. So, unless something weird happens and Eli Manning gets hurt, look for Manning to throw for better than 300 yards on the Tide, scoring 3 TD's on the day which doesn't bode well for Alabama playing catch-up ball.

It's a tough day for Bama as we score... but Ole Miss scores just a bit more than the Tide early in the game, giving the Rebels a lot of momentum going into halftime, only to hang on late and win the game to ruin another homecoming for us out-of-staters. Here's hoping I'm 100% wrong with my prediction... Alabama better prove me wrong. Go Bama! Go Secondary! We will need you BAD this weekend, or it could be a woodshed beating for the Bama defense.... EEEK!
PREDICTION: BAMA 24 OLE MISS 28

ACTUAL: BAMA 42 OLE MISS 7

#22 BAMA vs #7 GEORGIA PREDICTION

This week is another tough one. Georgia is ranked #7 in the land only because they have won their games and people ahead of them have lost. They have played 2, what I call mediocre, games this season in opponents - South Carolina and Clemson, both games in which they barely won. Those teams aren't even high calibur.

This week, the Dawgs get the #22 ranked Tide. This is probably one of the toughest games the Bulldogs will have all year, yes, even better than Florida and Tennessee. Fact is, is that no one in our conference has the OL or DL that we have... or the running backs we have. We are a legitimate top 10 team in my opinion, but this week will tell a lot of the story. If we beat Oklahoma, a game we coulda/shoulda/woulda won... we'd be in the AP top 10, period.

So what do I make of this game Saturday? Well, Brodie will be QB once again for the injured Tyler Watts. Bearden will likely be out as well, so that's not good. But Fran has said we'll get a good backup this week. Whether that's true or not - that remains to be seen. Fact is that Coach Fran will have this position prepared whether it's Ziifle or another guy. Just like Brodie the week before, he didn't do squat in the S. Miss game, but with preparation, he did well. Same will happen for the kicking game this week. It won't be up to par as with Bearden in, but it won't be worse than last week's meltdown against the Hogs (punts and return tackling).

Georgia comes in with one of the best WR's in the conference - Terrance Edwards. They also do very well on punt returns and kickoffs, something that doesn't bode well for Alabama if we keep tackling the way we do. Fran made it a point this week to make changes in the kickoff and punting game regarding tackling. I take his word for it. They spent most of one practice going over the techniques of punt and kick coverage. Let's hope it pays off this weekend. I think it will. Fran DOES try to leave no stone unturned. Everyone knows that.

Anyway, Brodie will have another good game. People don't need to make their national championship reservations for 2004 quite yet though. Croyle still has a way to go even though he had a great game against the Hogs. Take away his 2 big plays of the night, and he threw for say, about 175 yards or so. Not bad still. But good thing long plays count, huh? The Georgia defense won't be as good as Arkansas' in my opinion. They are allowing more on the ground than what Arkansas allowed (90 ypg rushing and 195 ypg passing). And Georgia has not faced a team with as many weapons as Alabama, in the air or on the ground. Bama's running attack is one of the best in the nation, gaining almost 250 ypg.

Now if Brodie has ANY sort of game against UGA, then the Tide looks good. The Bama defense will take care of itself, pressuring Sophomore Georgia QB David Greene and forcing a couple of turnovers. Bama's front 4 on 'D' will be chasing Greene all day - the Georgia line won't be able to stop them. That's when Georgia will have to turn to their special teams as they've done all year for some help in scoring. They think they'll take one to the house on Saturday and I think they have a good shot at doing so.... but Fran will have this group prepared... not Saturday. They might have some good returns, but I don't think they'll burn us on the deep returns.

Shaud and Beard will do what they did last week. We'll churn out more than 200 yards on the ground, but don't expect to see both RB's with over 100 yards this time (as I predicted for the Hogs' game). One of the RB's will get hot and Fran will try and stick with the hot hand. I personally think it could be either RB. Also, the WR's look to make a huge impact in this game as UGA tries to stuff the run to make Brodie throw the ball. Look for Triandos Luke to have a good game, as he didn't catch a ball last week.

Brodie will have a good game - but he's going to find out that mistakes can hurt. He'll throw a pick on Saturday mainly due to pressure in the backfield. Don't think anyone will take it to the house unless he fumbles like the S. Miss game though. This game will be close early, but given the home-field advantage, the noise Georgia will have to overcome, the quick-strike mentality of the Tide this year (Tide has scored on its first drive in all 5 games so far), the dominating defense, and the running attack, I honestly don't see how Georgia beats Bama Saturday. The only way Georgia wins, is on special teams and defense, because they won't win with their 12th ranked (in the SEC) offense. They'll move the ball, sure - but not consistently. Bama leads at the half only by a FG, but in the 4th quarter, Georgia runs out of gas due to the fresh legs Bama has on offense. Oh, and we'll kick a short FG or 2... and miss one as usual... Man, I wish we had Neil Thomas for another year or two... And no, I try NOT to be biased in my predictions. Yeah, you should know that by now.

Even a prediction by Lee Corso for Bama to win this weekend won't be enough for the Dawgs of Georgia to pull out the win... ROLL TIDE.
PREDICTION: BAMA 34 GEORGIA 24

ACTUAL: BAMA 25 GEORGIA 27

BAMA vs ARKANSAS PREDICTION

Man, what a tough call this week, huh? Razorbacks have the nation's #1 (cough cough) defense against the run (against cream-puffs) and they have a rushing attack that leads the conference against those same cream-puff teams that have no defense. On the other hand, you have Alabama who have proven what they have against the likes of a great passing team (MTSU), a great rushing and rush defense team (OU) and another great rushing team with good rush defense (USM). We played the #2 team in the country and held them to -23 yards on the ground. The leading rusher gained 9 whole yards. Oh, Razorbacks DO have home field advantage, but they'll be wearing red, right? Maybe the Tide thinks those are our fans... hmmmm....

Next, Bama has 15 sacks in 3 games. Yeah, we didn't get one sack in the 1st game I believe. Bama's 'D' is definitely better than the Hogs'. At least that's the way it looks, even though on paper it doesn't show that. Again, the numbers are skewed a bit, but this week will be the telling point, right?

Next, if you look at a year by year basis, this is technically Arkansas' year to win. Bama won last year 31-10, Arkansas 28-21 in 2000, Bama 35-28 in 1999, Arkansas 42-6 in 1998... so the trend lately is every other year, you get a win. This year, the trend ENDS. Period. Here's why: Last year, Bama dominated the passing game but was almost even in the running game (10 back from the Hogs) and we beat them by 21. If last year is ANY indication of what will happen this year, watch out Hogs. Bama's running game is on par or better for what we did last year and our defense is playing like, is it too early to say - the '92 defense. Sure, we've given up more points than that team, but this defense is finally coming around. And not just one week - but the last 3. And that's what you want. Consistant play from your defense and peaking at just the right time - at the beginning of SEC play. Oh crap - I forgot something.... NOT.

Here's where it gets interesting. Brodie or Tyler. Yeah, that seems to be the question of the week - but honestly, think about it. Watts won't be ready to play. If he is, I'll be VERY surprised. Monday, Watts didn't practice. Who do you think was getting all the snaps? Duh. Brodie is the man this week and he'll have had one full game under his belt. He learned a lot from the USM game, but he's still not perfect and he's still going to pull plenty of "Zow's" out there (that's overthrowing WR's for those of you who don't know what a "Zow" is). But he'll learn. He's young and he's Bama's future - not present - though he might be if Tyler isn't well enough by gametime Saturday. Don't look for a game like he had against USM. But don't look for a 300 yard game either. He'll throw an int or 2 because he's still a freshman. You don't grow out of being a freshman overnight. He's still the same guy we all saw last week, only with one game of experience notched on his belt. Even pros throw int's... and with the talent the Hogs have in the 2ndary, look for at least 1 or 2 picks on the day, one of which will probably go for a TD... so don't look for a shutout either unless you're thinking of offensive scoring only.

The Defense will shut the Hogs down. The DL is going to be all over the QB, whichever one they use. One QB is a bit more mobile than the other, but it won't make much difference. The Bama D is playing hard, they're playing tough, and I feel confident that Torbush is finally getting all his ducks/players in a row. We've weeded out the guys that hurt us the most (Bolden) and put in the guys that help us make plays (Peprah). Nobody else really has moved. The LB's will continue to hit hard, and believe me - the players know the importance of this game. We have NO purpose this year since we're pretty much out of the AP National Championship picture (yes, even a team with no post season can win the AP National Championship) and we have no SEC post-season. I don't want to say "no purpose" because we do have a purpose - just not one we would like. Our purpose is to show that we can dominate and to show that Bama football is back on the map... and that when we DO get our post-season back in 2004 (man, that's a long way off!), people better watch out for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Scholarships lost will hurt us, but we'll still come back with a vengence.

Lastly, this is Arkansas. We just can't lose to these guys. This is a team we should lose to (actually never) but only once every 10-20 years or so. This year, the offense will struggle - whether it's Watts being tentative because of his foot, or Brodie because of his inexperience. Due to this being a home game for the Hogs, that's why the game has no odds on it. Nobody knows anything - that's why it's so hard...so let's see... Bama scores on it's opening possession as it has every game this year and Arkansas eventually answers, but not on the first drive. Bama 'D' shuts 'em down bigtime. Bama leads at halftime and Arkansas, as usual, mounts a comeback as they seem to always do, but too much Bama 'D' in the end. Our D gets a rest and the offense has its way on the ground for a 200-300 yard rushing attack on the day. Beard and Williams both have over 100 yds of offense and Croyle throws a couple of ints to make it interesting. Beard fumbling won't help things either, so he needs to hang on to the ball. Razorbacks get a TD off an int, but not much more in the end. Bama wins a close one on the road and Brodie gets another game under his belt, and a much needed confidence booster. Watts will be ready for UGA or after the off-week. This is Brodie's game to win, and he'll do it mainly with the help of the Bama D - who also force 2 turnovers on the day, which is the difference in the game. Period. Woof.
PREDICTION: BAMA 30 HOGS 24

ACTUAL: BAMA 30 ARKANSAS 12

BAMA vs SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI PREDICTION

What a week! Bama tears up UNT, then receives news that we won't get ANYTHING back from the NCAA Appeal. What a mixed bowl of crap, huh? Well, in any case, Bama still has to play S.Miss this weekend and we have to face Derrick Nix once more. Seems like this guy has been around forever - kinda like Leonard Little for UT a few years back.

Anyway, USM comes into the game with a better record than Alabama at 3-0. Of course they haven't played anyone, but then again, neither have we - minus Oklahoma. Ok, MTSU is better than people think. Regardless, USM will be riding high knowing that they can be 4-0 for the first time since the early 80's. But a very tough Bama 'D' stands in their way. The Tide is only giving up 271 yards per game, actually pretty good comparable to USM's defensive unit that gives up 296 yards per game. But the difference will be the running game, which the Tide should dominate on offense and defense. Nix comes into the game as the Golden Eagles' main RB. He has been shut down by the Tide each year for the most part, and Saturday, he'll probably face the toughest Bama front 4 he has seen to date. Look for the Tide to force USM to win the game through the air, as they have in every game so far. Our main concern will be the 2ndary as usual. Bolden lost his starting job last week to my boy Charlie Peprah from Plano, TX, and Peprah should do ok again this week. The competition is tougher, but he'll be fine.

Overall, USM actually has better stats, but when you look at who they have played, Memphis, Illinois, and Jax State, well, Illinois was ok, but the other 2 were definite cupcakes. Now may the real team step forward. Bama is a favorite in this game, but only by 7 points. We get the nod with home field advantage, but that's all.

That's really about it. USM will gain a lot of yards on the Tide, but they will be thru the air. Will Bama have enough to hang on to a win against a much improved USM team? That remains to be seen, but my answer is yes. Bama pulls away in the 3rd quarter after getting down early in the game. The kicking game will be huge in this game, so our guys MUST be on for once. Tyler will have a good game, as will the RB's. This will be a GREAT game for Bama on the ground as USM won't be able to stop the running attack. Where Bama could self-destruct will be the passing game if we're not careful. Brodie will see playing time, but Tyler will be the difference in this close Bama win. Oh, and I should be able to see the game this week since it's on ESPN2. Let's hear a big 'ol ROLL TIDE this week!! Screw the NCAA. BAMA'S STILL GONNA KICK THEIR BUTTS!!!
PREDICTION: BAMA 27 SOUTHERN MISS 20

ACTUAL: BAMA 20 SOUTHERN MISS 7

BAMA vs NORTH TEXAS PREDICTION

This is a week where Bama KNOWS it can win the rest of its games. North Texas went to a bowl game last year, but with a losing record. Don't look for Bama to take it easy on the Mean Green this weekend. The Tide is rarin' mad about last week's loss against OU and now it's time for a creampuff to go down HUGE.

Don't look for mercy as the Tide pummles the Mean Green from here in Denton, TX, and gets a lot of guys some much needed playing time, including Brodie Croyle and some of the other WR's. Hershel Bolden might even see some playing time. :)

But don't expect North Texas to just fall over for the Tide. They have a point to make just like we had a point to make last week against OU. They will fight VERY hard to win the game, and with Freddie Kitchens there as RB coach, he KNOWS what the Tide plans on doing... running the ball right at UNT. This will be a game in which the running game will gain over 200 yards and Watts will throw for over 150 before Croyle comes in to finish the game. The defense, will play like last week, and totally dominate the game. North Texas will score, but so will the Tide. But the Tide scores more in a huge offensive day from the RB group as a whole.

BUT, note that the Tide will come out strong, but then will layoff a little while playing down to the strength of the opponent - don't we always??? Then with a force, we'll put the game away in the 3rd quarter and have a little sit-back time as we watch the 3rd and 4th stringers get some TV time.

So look for a quick start and the addrenalin is pumping, but then a small letdown in the 2nd.... but the Tide comes up big anyway in a good "Woodshed 3rd Quarter" as East Cupcake High take a shellacking.

PREDICTION: BAMA 45 UNT 14

ACTUAL: BAMA 33 UNT 7