Alabama vs. Michigan: 5 Players Certain to Steal the Show and 5 Who Will Flop

Believe it or not, the college football season opener is about a week away from taking place. And although there are many great games to choose from, there is not one matchup that is bigger than the Alabama-Michigan contest.

The Michigan Wolverines will use this game to prove that last season was no fluke, while Alabama will use it as a launching pad to show the rest of the world that the Crimson Tide are still national championship contenders.

While the game should remain close throughout and provide a lot of drama, there will be players that make a bigger difference than others. There will also be a few players that just can't figure out the opposition and will have little impact on the outcome.

Let's take a look at five players who will rise to the occasion, and then five who will likely fall flat on their faces.

Hot: Jordan Kovacs, Michigan

Jordan Kovacs is a player who has worked his tail off to just to make this Michigan roster. He was one of those guys that was doubted since day one, but 33 career starts later, Kovacs is one of the leaders on this squad and finished second on the team in tackles with 75.

Kovacs is also one of those players that play big the bigger the game is. Sure, he is a tackle machine, but all four of his career interceptions have come either on the road in hostile environments or against ranked teams.

You can bet that he will bring the same intensity to this game that he does to every other, and with him studying game film in class, you know he has had this game circled on his calendar for a very long time.

Not: Kenny Bell, Alabama

Speaking of Michigan defensive backs, wide receiver Kenny Bell is one of the guys that are going to have to face players such as Kovacs. But the senior safety is not the only one who returns from a Michigan secondary that was ranked 16th in the country last year.

In fact, all four defensive backs that started in the Allstate Sugar Bowl return for another season, and that includes talented cornerbacks in J.T. Floyd and Blake Countess.

Bell is expected to become the go-to receiver, as he is the most proven after many key offensive players left this Alabama team during the offseason. But he has not been a consistent player throughout his career, and against three ranked teams last year, he combined for only two receptions for 34 yards and zero touchdowns.

Michigan will certainly keep an eye on the speedster and make someone else beat them.

Not: Roy Roundtree, Michigan

Which Roy Roundtree are we going to see this season, the one who caught 72 passes in 2010, or the one who caught 19 last year? It will likely be somewhere in between, as Roundtree was only so effective in 2010 because he was able to thrive as a slot receiver under head coach Rich Rodriguez. 

Now that he playing outside, he will still remain the Wolverines' top target as far as receivers are concerned, but won't be as productive. It also does not help that he is coming off knee surgery during fall camp, which will likely limit him during this big matchup.

Roundtree only had two games last season with over two receptions.

Not: Jesse Williams, Alabama

Michigan has its fair share of questions on the offensive line with the loss of David Molk and Mike Huyge. But even some of the younger guys know who Jesse Williams is and will likely do anything in their power to slow this monster down.

He is known as the guy who can bench press up to 600 pounds and is going to demand double-teams all season long. He played defensive end last season, but he will shift to the nose tackle position due to his massive frame at 6'4", 320 pounds.

Williams gets off the ball quickly for a guy his size, but he will have to break free of two defenders nearly this entire game if he wants to make an impact. (Sure, occupying two defenders is doing his job, but good luck having him receive any of the credit while he frees up everyone else.)

Hot: Fitzgerald Toussaint, Michigan

Is Fitzgerald Toussaint going to play in this game or not?

Brady Hoke remains quiet on the subject, but if there is any chance the Wolverines wins this matchup, he will be suited up and ready to go.

Toussaint really emerged last season, rushing for over 1,000 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns. He is the other offensive weapon that Michigan has struggled to find to pair with quarterback Denard Robinson. He not only makes a difference in the running game, but is solid at catching the ball and is a big factor in pass protection as well.

I really don't see Hoke forcing Toussaint to sit out this game. And there is a chance the Wolverines lose this game by a couple of touchdowns, but it won't be because Toussaint failed to produce.

Not: Alabama Kickers

If there was one weakness on this Alabama team last season, it was certainly the special teams. The Crimson Tide only made 63.9 percent of their field goals, which was good for eighth in the SEC.

And while Nick Saban went back and forth between kickers Jeremy Shelley and Cade Foster, they both return for another go around in 2012. Alabama long snapper Carson Tinker says that the Tide are fine at the position, but that is not what the numbers are saying.

Good thing for Alabama, the game will be played in a dome, but I'm not sure that makes up for such lousy placekicking a season ago. And if you are a Michigan fan, you have to like these kicking woes even more, because in four of the last five season openers, a Wolverines opponent has missed at least one kick. 

Could that possibly be the game-winner in this matchup?

Hot: A.J. McCarron, Alabama

What a difference a year makes.

When the season first started for Alabama last year, the Crimson Tide had no idea who the starting quarterback was going to be. A.J. McCarron was more of a game manager, often only being asked to throw the ball when he absolutely had to.

But as the season went on, he began to build confidence, and then completed 67 percent of his passes for 234 yards against the defense of LSU. Now he is considered one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC and is growing by leaps and bounds during fall camp.

I expect McCarron to pick up where he left off last season and have a productive game for this Crimson Tide offense.

Not: Denard Robinson, Michigan

We all love Denard Robinson and the flashy way he plays the game. There simply aren't many players who can make things happen and make defenders miss the way he can. But he hasn't faced many defenses that are the same caliber as Alabama's in his career.

I still remember last year’s meeting against Michigan State where Robinson was running for his life the entire game and was always stuck in 3rd-and-longs. He was sacked seven times, completed only 37.5 percent of his passes and was held to just 42 rushing yards.

With the physical team Alabama is and the way they play defense, I would not be surprised if this is a similar result. The only way Robinson can make this defense think a little bit is to become more of a consistent passer, which is not something he has shown yet in his career.

If "Shoelace" cannot become a threat in the air, Saban is going to attack the Heisman candidate all night long and it will get ugly.

Hot: Will Campbell, Michigan

Will Campbell was a 5-star recruit from the 2009 class, but has not shown us anything throughout his career in Ann Arbor. In three years, he has just two combined sacks and 19 tackles. 

But with production needed on the defensive line, the coaching staff is giving Campbell one last chance, and so far he seems to be making the most of it. (Via Josh Slagter of mlive.com)

"

He looks good. He looks like a bodybuilder a little bit. I wish I had that body, Wolverines defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery said of Campbell. He's doing a great job. You talk about guys running sprints, he's leading the pack at 300 pounds. He's working harder than he's ever worked.

"

Campbell came out of high school with a great combination of size, strength and athleticism. If he can help generate a pass rush in this game and make things difficult on A.J. McCarron, it will not only be a great sign for the rest of the year, it will also give the Wolverines a chance to win this game.

Hot: Vinnie Sunseri, Alabama

Vinnie Sunseri was a big time contributor on special teams last year, finishing second on the team with 11 tackles on that unit. In 2012, he will play the safety position and has the huge task of replacing Mark Barron, who was drafted in the first round of last year’s NFL draft.

He has already made a name for himself, intercepting passes and returning fumbles for touchdowns during the spring game. He is almost the same size as Barron at 6'0", 215 pounds, has great instincts on the football field and of course racks up the tackles in bunches.

Sunseri is one of those players that just makes plays all over the field and has the potential to quickly develop into a game-changer. And I think it all starts in week one of the regular season against the Michigan Wolverines.