Alabama-Virginia Tech: No. 5 Crimson Tide Hope to Ride Defense Over No. 7 Hokies

Written by Jay Horne of BangTheBook.com your source for free football picks and online sports betting information.

Saturday, Sept. 5, 8:00PM Eastern

Betus.com betting line—Alabama -7, 38 O/U

The most prominent college football game for opening weekend will highlight two of the top programs in the country when powerhouses from Alabama and Virginia Tech collide in prime time Saturday night.

The game marks a battle of top 10 opponents in a kickoff classic sponsored by Chick-fil-A that highlights two of the top contenders from rival conferences in the ACC and SEC each year.

The Alabama Crimson Tide participated in last year’s matchup when they embarrassed the then-No. 9 Clemson Tigers, 34-10. However, the Crimson Tide will face a much more worthy opponent in this year’s meeting by taking on the defending ACC champions in the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Both teams had similar stories in 2008, as they entered last season under the radar with an inexperienced group of players. However, both teams emerged last season in dominating form, giving hope to 2009 with all the young talent returning.

There is a lot of anticipation from both sidelines for 2009 and even legitimate national title hopes, but only one team will prevail this Saturday night when the two collide on neutral turf in the Georgia Dome.

Alabama returns the nation’s third-ranked defense from 2008 with hopes that they can be just as good in 2009.

The Crimson Tide defense carried the team through their surprise run last season, which resulted in an undefeated regular season. The good news for Alabama is they will return nine starters from that impressive unit, and there is no reason not to expect another dominating group of players.

However, even as good as the defense was last year, they didn’t get a ton of offensive help with some solid players at key positions like QB John Parker Wilson and RB Glen Coffee. How will having to replace those players affect the offense? Well, you would expect the offense to take a step back, even if the Crimson Tide cannot afford the backward steps.

Stepping behind center this season will be junior quarterback Greg McElroy. McElroy has only attempted 20 passes throughout his career in Tuscaloosa, and a lot will ride on his play this year. Unfortunately, McElroy will lose some key players that kept Wilson comfortable last year in Andre Smith and Antoine Caldwell.

Replacing those guys won’t be an easy task, and not only will that affect the passing game, but it will also cause holes in the rushing attack.

Mark Ingram should develop into a solid tailback with quickness and power ideal for an Alabama running game.

Of course, the biggest playmaker on offense will be WR Julio Jones. Jones had a huge freshman season, and if McElroy can get the ball to the young wideout, it will definitely propel the offense.

I truly believe Alabama's conservative style offense may be holding back his potential, and the Crimson Tide could really help their offense by getting the ball in Jones' hands more often.

The Virginia Tech Hokies also return a very strong defense. The Hokies defense ranked seventh in college football last season, holding teams to just 279 yards per game. However, the Hokies lost a few more players than the Alabama defense.

However, we all know the “Lunch Pail Defense” has not gotten its reputation for no reason. The Hokies will replace talent with some very talented guys, and it is unlikely to have big worries on the defensive side of the ball.

Any Bud Foster defense should not provoke any type of worries. However, rest assured there will be worries on offense, especially considering running back Darren Evans tore his ACL in practice and will now miss the entire season.

Evans racked up over 1,265 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2008. Evans could have been even more effective this season with the running threat of quarterback Tyrod Taylor, as Taylor is the sole quarterback in operation now.

However, the Hokies will now need freshman Ryan Williams or sophomore Josh Oglesby to mature very quickly. It definitely appears that Evans' injury was a big blow to the offense. Still, Taylor can make things exciting. He has a natural athleticism that gives him the ability to make big plays.

Without question, Taylor can frighten defenses with his running ability alone. However, if he can make defenses truly respect his arm, then the Hokies offense should not have much to worry about in the ACC this year, although the mighty defense of the SEC from Alabama will be a much more difficult task.

Bottom Line

The loss of Evans means the team has lost its biggest threat in the running game. The extremely talented front seven of Alabama should keep Taylor's running from breaking the game open. Unless Taylor can rack up yards through the air, the Crimson Tide should be able to win this game and cover the spread.

Pick: Alabama -7