FanPost

Why I'm rooting for Arkansas tomorrow.

#1. Happy Thanksgiving. We are a blessed people, living in the most prosperous time and place in the history of the world. Many of us have health, and families, and jobs. We have homes and cars, food and shelter, and we're all part of a fan community of one of the greatest athletic programs this country has ever produced, in the midst of its resurgence as a perennial college football power. I'm thankful for that.

#2. The tradition that defines Alabama is the gritty "hard road" where we have players who are physically and mentally tough, who grind it out.

#3. We are also the alpha dog in the SEC. We are -- and should be -- its champions, both in the short term and the long term. I think it's a little trite to say that "at Alabama, we win national championships" in such a way as to devalue the SEC championships that are the foundation of so many of those national prizes. Why in the world would I root for anyone OTHER than us to be SEC Champs, when we are still alive for that championship? If we're good enough to win America, we're good enough to beat Georgia, by damn.

#4. If we beat AU and secured the SECCG berth by virtue of an Arkansas win over LSU, I would not be afraid of UGA. If we're a true national title contender, then we should welcome all comers. Credit Miles in the 11/5 post-game, he had it right; we should be honored to play anybody willing to line up across from us. I wouldn't want to shortcut an SEC title for a BCS title berth because we're "nervous" about the outcome of a contest in Atlanta. Let's beat UGA in Georgia and then LSU in Louisiana. Frankly, I'd like to see a 12-1 Bama play an 11-1 LSU, not a 11-1 Bama vs. a 13-0 LSU. I think a win in that situation would get a different kind of asterisk, but you'd have folks clamoring for a rubber match. Even if Bama/LSU was the rematch, I'd like it better if WE were the ones with the SEC rings going in.

#5. That said, I don't buy this whole "win your conference to play." As of today, we're one of the top two teams in America (as was confirmed last weekend with all the upsets). I fully expect that to be borne out after this weekend too. The BCS was designed to put #1 and #2 in the big game. If LSU wins tomorrow, I don't think that should kick us out. Nobody has a better "quality" loss than we do, and that won't change if Arkansas beats LSU.

#6. I'm not going to be cocky about the AU game. We've only won there what, 2x? 3? AU has only lost their away games this season, and they're going to sell out physically with nothing else in front of them until bowl season. I don't really expect the Ark or LSU blowouts. Also, and perhaps of greater concern, I don't think we've played as good a brand of football since LSU as we were playing beforehand. Do I think we're a more physical, more complete, and better team than AU? Yes. Do I think we're going to win? Yes. Do I expect to waltz through them like 2008? No.

Roll Tide.

 





 

FanPosts are just that; posts created by the fans. They are in no way indicative of the opinions of SBN and the authors of Roll Bama Roll.