Just How Good Can Alabama Be If It Plays Its Most Complete Game?

There's a lot that sports fans will never agree on, like who was the best college team ever. But there is one thing most will agree on—Alabama has not played it's best game yet this season and they're not hitting on all cylinders.

Every fan can agree that McElroy missing open receivers for touchdowns and Julio Jones dropping easy passes can't be signs of a team that has it all together. Mindless penalties that negate great kickoff and punt returns are a quick sign that things aren't clicking well.

Blown defensive coverage for an easy six and watching a defender slip to the ground to allow another are more signs of a team with issues that need work.

However, they are still winning and the mistakes do seem fixable. The question is, just how good can this team be when the mistakes are fixed?

To put in it in NASCAR terms, they have run 350 miles of a 500 mile race with two cylinders not firing—and they're still at the front of the pack. Can you imagine how much faster they'll be than the rest of the cars once they reconnect those plug wires on the next pit stop?

Alabama beat one of the top rated teams in the country by nine points last week. They could have easily beaten them by 25 with just a few of the miscues fixed.

Of course every team has it's problems and all could stand some improvement, but still, if Alabama brings it's "A" game, is there anyone out there that can stop them?

Nick Saban has to be a man with mixed emotions. On one hand, he's got a team that's making mistakes costing him hair dye and headphones, but on the other hand, he's got the team that just keeps beating some of the better teams in the country while still committing those mistakes.

He's smart enough to know what they are capable of, and a good enough coach to get them there, but when?

That is the question that keeps us watching this year's version of the Crimson Tide.