Alabama Football: The Ins and Outs, Highs and Lows of the 2012 Schedule

The defending national champions have finished their spring practices and an interesting spring game, which means that we can now turn our attention to the regular season. One of the more intriguing things to discuss, particularly for an SEC team, is the schedule.

The Crimson Tide return a total of 12 starters and have a lot of talented players filling the holes that previous starters have left. The problem is that there is a very difficult SEC schedule that awaits them later this year that could prevent them from accomplishing their goals. 

With the season just a few months away, here is the complete Alabama Crimson Tide 2012 schedule breakdown.

Easiest Game

In the SEC there aren't many cakewalks, but a home game against the Florida Atlantic Owls should be one of the more lopsided games of the year. FAU was ranked 119th in scoring offense last season, and their defense was ranked 103rd. The Owls played two SEC teams last year in Florida and Auburn and lost to them both by a combined score of 71-17.

I think it's safe to say that this will be a victory for Alabama.

Toughest Game

With the schedule that Alabama has, you could put many teams on this slide, but since it can only be one, we'll go with Michigan—simply because they're the favorite to win the Big Ten and have a chance to reach the national championship if they repeat last season's efforts.

But the main reason this game is considered the toughest for the Crimson Tide is the fact that it's the first game of the season. Normally top 25 teams begin the season with a few below-average squads to get warmed up to the regular season and prepare for the tougher opponents. This game doesn't allow either team to do that, and the loser will put themselves in an early hole.

We saw how Oregon played in the game against LSU last season and how they weren't able to turn things around. No pressure.

Potential Blowout

Considering we already bashed FAU in the first slide, we'll go with another Sun Belt team and pick Western Kentucky to be the team that gets destroyed. The good news for the Hilltoppers is that they return nine starters on offense, but that's from a unit that averaged less than 23 points per game. They played LSU last season and lost by a score of 42-9.

Don't expect this outcome to be much different.

Potential for Disaster

We all know that Alabama beat down Arkansas last season by a score of 38-14 and really got to quarterback Tyler Wilson. This season the outcome could be much different as the Razorbacks now have running back Knile Davis who they didn't have last season. This now gives an explosive passing team a running game to help create a more balanced offense.

This of course will make things much more difficult for a defense that is missing six starters, including nearly all of their linebackers. The Crimson Tide will provide a tough test, and the game should provide great drama.

But if the Razorbacks offense gets going, can A.J. McCarron and company keep up? That's got to be a major concern going into this game. Running back Trent Richardson is no longer on this team to bail out this offense.

Most Intriguing Matchup

Before the national championship blowout, the last five meetings between these two teams were decided by single-digits. The game will take place at Tigers Stadium, a place where the Crimson Tide has lost four of the last seven meetings. And with the way the Tigers season ended, you can expect them to play this game with a lot of emotion and with revenge on their mind.

LSU only returns 11 starters, but with the depth they had on their team, many believe this year's team will be better than last year's. Once again this game will be hyped up and should provide us with another classic.

Trap Game

This may be Missouri's first season in the SEC, that doesn't mean that they are short on talent and won't be a tough team to beat. They're led by a dual-threat quarterback James Franklin, who's capable of making plays and taking over a ball game. They have a solid receiving corps in T.J. Moe and true freshman Dorial Green-Beckham, who will see the field often this season.

They also have a talented and deep defensive line that should generate a lot more pressure on opposing quarterbacks than they did last season. The game is also being played at Faurot Field, which you can guarantee the crowd will show up for this matchup.

This game kicks off a two-game road trip for the Tide, and it's one they can't afford to overlook.

Rivalry Game Prediction

Auburn returns 18 starters, which means that the game should be much closer than the 42-14 score that occurred last season. But even with all of the talent that the Tigers are bringing back, it's hard to imagine them beating Alabama this season.

They still have to answer the quarterback position. They still have to fix a defense that was ranked 79th in the country. They also have to find depth at the running back position and discover playmakers at wide receiver.

There's no question that Auburn will be much better than they were last season, but the question is, how much better? Asking me in April who's going to win a game that takes place at the end of November, I'm going to go with the team that has less question marks and the home team. And that is of course the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Alabama wins: 35-24

Upset Special

The Volunteers haven't experienced much success over the years, but this season may be the beginning of ending such a long drought. Tennessee returns 19 starters, including 10 on offense. They get a healthy wide receiver in Justin Hunter back from injury. He has the potential to be one of the top receivers in the country with his size at 6'4" and athletic ability.

They also get a healthy linebacker in Herman Lathers back on the team as well. He had 75 tackles in 2010 and will provide some much needed leadership to such a young team. This game also takes place in Knoxville, which can only increase the Vols chances of winning the game.

The Volunteers really have the talent to surprise people this season, and a victory over Alabama would do the trick.

Heisman Highlight Game

I'm not quite sure as to what to expect from quarterback A.J. McCarron this season. Will he be the quarterback that was more of a game-manager last season? Or will he be the quarterback we all saw in the national championship game, where he lit up one of the top defenses in the country for 264 passing yards?

It's always important to grab voters' attention early so they end up paying attention to you for the rest of the season. There's no better way than to make it happen on a national stage, the first week of the season against the Michigan Wolverines.

The stage is set; it's all up to the junior quarterback to get the job done.

Must-Win Game

We've talked about this game enough in this article and even brought it up in Alabama's must-win game piece. But I truly believe that this is the game that Alabama has to take care of business to get off to the right start. Crimson Tide players have already spoken about the championship letdown they suffered in 2010 and they don't want that to be the case this season.

Of course Alabama has to win the games against LSU and Auburn, and beating Arkansas would also be nice. But if a team plans on returning to the big game, it's critical that it jumps out to a fast start and makes a statement early. Losing the first game of the season and taking a hit in the polls would be the last thing Alabama could afford to have happen.