During my lifetime there have been few games where the hype and anxiety level leading up to the game has been this high. Despite being the regular season, this feels like Bama vs. Gators for the 2009 SEC Championship Game. There are some similarities when comparing those games as the teams were highly ranked, had a lot of depth and Bama had lost the previous season.

Now granted we don't have Julio as a big target/wide receiver, but there have been some truly special accomplishments. In all honesty, you have to go WAY back to find a Bama defense that rivals this one. Also, how many Bama seasons can you remember where Bama crushed EVERY opponent they played by a double digit margin? Yes the SEC is down as a conference this year, but don't let that discount the fact this team is special.

Last year there was some growing up and adversity that had to occur in order to forge this team into the weapon it is today. We had to take some licks, learn from our mistakes and find the hunger that got us to the previous BCS game. In addition to learning from last year's losses, we had the personal tragedy from the tornado, which helped the team bond even more through local relief efforts.

All in all, I'm proud of this team and look forward to the matchup against a very formidable opponent. Stats, history and hype be damned, this game will be decided by discipline, heart and execution for 60 minutes. I can't wait to see these two heavyweights go toe-to-toe. The problem is just finding a way to get through the next couple of days until kickoff.

ROLL TIDE!