Auburn, Florida: Alabama Faces New Angle In Iron Bowl

Alabama and Alabama Fans are apprehensive. They are worked up into a state that makes them both illogical and impractical. Even the Gossip Columnist on radio and TV have overtly joined in on the act. Less than twenty five percent of Alabama Fans ever darkened the doors of a classroom there. Less than one third of the Alabama Fans support any other team at the school but football. The meeting of expectations of the football program are all that decides the contentedness of most of this crowd.

Alabama has two games that matter left before bowl time. This Alabama team has had a wonderful year. They will have won 11 straight games when they meet the first of these two opponents. In most fans minds this would be a great achievement. This is not the case with the Alabama fan base. If Alabama wins these two games and loses to Texas it will still be a disappointing season. How does a fan base get to this point?  

The Mythical Football National Champion is not and has never been a recognized title for the NCAA. To begin with it was simply a title handed out by a poll. It is now just a bowl trophy. In the history of this created title, there have been just as many teams that were not the best crowned with the title, as there were that might have been. 

The true and only proof that a team has of saying they are the best is going Undefeated and Untied start to finish. In the last thirty years Alabama has achieved this only twice. It has been over a decade since Alabama did this last. If a team has a perfect season they can claim superiority over all who played them. Otherwise at least one time on a given day they were not the best.

Unless a true National Champion is decided in a playoff, like the NCAA sanctioned baseball and basketball playoffs, there is no true National Football Champion. It is just a matter of opinion. The closest a team can get to this, is to be undefeated when all games have been played for the year. There are three opponents that stand between Alabama and this goal.

Auburn: I will not elaborate on this game. There is no person that knows football that can predict this game. Alabama should win according to some statistics. Alabama does have deeper talent. Auburn's strengths are a perfect match for Alabama's weaknesses.Alabama's strengths are a over whelming match for Auburns weaknesses. It will be one of the best games to watch all year just to see the coaching strategy. I have no idea if this game will be high or low scoring. Alabama should win, but the pathway to that win is neither sure, nor obvious. In the last thirty years the record is 16 and 15. There have been two shut outs in the last decade, one by each school. Both teams have gone undefeated in the last two decades.

The interesting thing about this game is the nature of this game. Contrary to popular belief, close scores in this game are not the rule but the exception. The majority of wins by either side have been by at least a touchdown. It is the norm, not the exception for one or the other team to run off strings of three or four wins. The last time Alabama did this was 1990 to 1992. This was an Alabama team with a defense that many have compared to this years Alabama team, although it had a much more prolific offense.

Florida: Alabama was able to handle Florida last year. Fourth quarter heroics by Tim Tebow propelled Florida on to the BCS. Florida is much the same team Alabama played last year. The main talent lost to the NFL was not able to play in the SEC Championship last year. Alabama is much the same defense as they were last year as well.

Both of these games comes down to Offense, not Defense. This is what makes these two games difficult to call. I see both games as being close.