What's Next for Alabama?

Given the heroic feats of Saturday's dismantling of the Dogs, what's next?

Will Alabama fans start murmuring and wringing their hands if they only beat Kentucky 24-21?  Is it not enough just to win anymore?  Will the fans expect the Tide to take EVERY team out for a first half woodshed thrashing?

Will the players begin to doubt themselves if they go into the locker room at halftime tied?  How will they react if another team jumps out to a fast lead?

These are among the many questions that Nick Saban and staff must prepare for.

Too many times teams get caught up in their own headlines and rankings.  Bama has seen this firsthand this season when Clemson and Georgia both got brought back down to earth.

The Tide players should know all too well just how easy and quickly it can be done.  But it's a harder lesson to learn when you're on the dispensing side of the beating.

Right now all the players and coaches are saying the right things, and it's not like Alabama still doesn't have serious problems to deal with.  These problems may help keep the Tide grounded as they coast through a few "easier" games.

Alabama doesn't have another mountain to climb until the LSU game several weeks from now, and then there's that darn streak that's been hanging over their heads for too long.  This gives the team time to iron out the kinks.

Among them are:

1. Kick and Punt coverage

This problem area is a glaring thorn in their side and one that could have let Clemson or Georgia regain momentum.  Right now coverage is just plain bad, and if it's not fixed, it could cost the Tide in a close game.

2. Consistency at QB

Will the REAL John Parker Wilson please stand up, and STAY standing, please?  Good game, bad game, good game, bad game, and then good game last week against Georgia, where he was all but perfect.

If he turns in another sub-stellar effort this week, then it could be only a matter of time until the stars align and Wilson is playing a top team on a bad day.

3. Second half lapses

Saban is pulling his hair out trying to figure out why the team can't maintain the same level of play for 60 minutes.  The coaches are making the players watch the entire third quarter of the Georgia game so they can see what went wrong, as well as the staff. If they can fix this, they may be unstoppable.

4. Pass rushing

Though the Tide has been successful at stopping offenses more or less, they still haven't found a way to use Cody to create gaps that the linebackers can exploit on a consistent basis.  Kevin Steele wants to find a way to pressure the QBs even more.  So far, it just hasn't been there.

One thing is for certain: Nick Saban won't be happy unless they win the National Championship game in a 63-0 shutout.  Perfection is a hard thing to achieve, so don't expect to see Nick Saban smiling for a while.

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