Now that the Arkansas game has given us a better idea of what we can expect from our beloved Tide, and several other teams have had better tests after a couple of weeks of cupcake primers, it's time to go back and readjust a few Bocephus Album Cover Worry Index Rankings tm.
| Bocephus Album Cover Worry Index |
vs Georgia
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vs Florida State
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vs Houston
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at Ole Miss
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vs Tennessee
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vs LSU
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at Mississippi State
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vs La. Monroe
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at Auburn
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9/22 - vs Georgia
The Dawgs are an enigma right now. They come into Bryant-Denny this weekend sporting a 2-1 record, with the 1 being a 12-16 loss to South Carolina in their lone conference game so far. UGA didn't score a single TD in that game, and their receivers showed a frightening inability to catch the ball, a problem they suffered from most of last year that has apparently reared it's ugly head once again. Their season opening win over Oklahoma State looked impressive...until the Cowboys were pounded by the other Trojans last week. Even their showing against Western Carolina had plenty to nitpick, ending the first quarter in a 3-3 tie and giving further evidence that the o-line problems UGA fans had hoped would disappear but quickly are still hanging around. From Hey Jenny Slater, "The fortunate thing is that that's the kind of thing we can do against WCU and not get too badly burned by it, but it's not going to work against Alabama. Honestly, aside from the running of Moreno and Brown, not much that we did against WCU is going to work against Alabama." So even though the Arkansas game produced a groundswell of confidence in this team and it's coaches, and even though my belief a young and inexperienced o-line would be the difference for the Tide, I'm still wary of the Dawgs for one reason. Knowshon Moreno. He might not be Darren McFadden, but the kid is fast, he's shifty, and he could give the Dawgs enough of a run threat to get the passing game going if the safeties have to come up. So I'm sticking with Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound for now, since I'm confident we can win, yet there is enough concern to shadow my rugged features.
9/29 - vs Florida State (Jacksonville, FL)
It's amazing how far the Seminoles have fallen in the last few seasons. They're at 2-1 right now, and have a bye week before facing the Tide, so they'll still be 2-1 when we make the trip to Jacksonville. Of their two wins, one was over a UAB team that managed 24 points and took a 17-10 lead into the half after being absolutely slaughtered at Michigan State, and the other came at Colorado, despite an offensive performance that prompted new OC Jimbo Fisher to proclaim it "The most ridiculous demonstration of football I've been around in my life," Fisher said. "If I'm an offensive player, I'm embarrassed. Our defense won that football game." We were all pretty excited about this marquee matchup in the preseason, finally having an exciting opponent to watch our beloved Tide take on instead of the usual 1AA and Sun Belt fodder, but right now I'd imagine Florida Atlantic would give us a better game. Family Tradition
10/06 - vs Houston
The Cougars aren't going to be as big of a challenge as they were last season with Kevin Kolb under center, but I'm upgrading the worry factor on them for now. They have two QBs that can get it done, and pretty good running back, and should take care of business in C-USA again this year. They'll be taking on Colorado State and East Carolina at home before coming to Tuscaloosa, so we'll have to see how they fare in those games before making a final judgement. Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound
10/13 - at Ole Miss
The past two seasons, the Rebs have played us a little too close for comfort. Not this year, though, as they continue to look worse each and every week and won't have the benefit of defending clueless playcalling behind a terrible o-line. Family Tradition
10/20 - vs Tennessee
Things are looking pretty rough up on Rocky Top, with the Vols sitting at 1-2 after a pantsing by Florida this past Saturday. With Arkansas State, Georgia, and Mississippi State on the horizon, the Vols could limp into Tuscaloosa at 3-3. Watching both Cal and the Gators light up their secondary was a thing of beauty for the Bama faithful trying to do a little scouting for the Third Saturday in October. Family Tradition
11/3 - vs LSU
Picking the Tide to upset Coach Saban's former team has gotten so trendy even Colin Cowherd has jumped on the bandwagon, but I'm still not buying it. LSU is the class of the conference right now, destroying everything in their path, and the only thing standing between them and a win over the Tide is standing on their sideline in a goobery white hat. Contests against South Carolina this weekend and vs Florida on October 6th will really let us know what we're in for. The Pressure is On
11/10 - at Mississippi State
Upset win over Auburn notwithstanding, there's still nothing to worry about here. It's not that State was that good against the Teagles. Far from it. It's that Auburn was just that bad. Family Tradition
11/17 - vs Lousiana-Monroe
The Warhawks put up a pretty good fight for a half last season, but that was then. No way they get overlooked this year. Family Tradition
11/24 - at Auburn
That karma is a real MFER, isn't it Teagles? After years of talking shit about the Tide and how you owned this state and how Alabama will never be back on top, things are finally getting back to normal. If K-State hadn't pissed the opener away with idiot mistakes and turnovers, y'all would be at 0-3 right now, and you should be quaking in your boots at the prospect of a pass happy New Mexico State coming to Jordan-Hare this weekend. If the first three week's worth of performances are any indication of how well you're going to play the rest of the season, then only Tennessee Tech is a guaranteed win. Family Tradition