Top Reasons Alabama Is "Bulls-Eye University" in College Football
Yes, every team that enters the season as last year's national champion has a bulls-eye on their back but there's a lot more reasons that that for all the targets in Crimson this year.
So with being the National Champions as the number one reason they have a bulls-eye on their back, let's look at the remaining top five reasons.
The Defensive Secondary
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When you have an inexperienced secondary, and one of newly named starters is recovering from an injury that many thought would take months more to recover from, you are marked men.
Every team is going to take their shots against this group and they indeed have a large bulls-eye on the whole group.
That secondary has a chance to be targets or heroes, with Saban's help they hope to be latter.
Mark Ingram
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No single player may have a bigger bulls-eye on his back than a returning Heisman Trophy winner.
Mark knows he has a target on his back and everyone knows they can earn a highlight clip for banging him for a loss or for taking him out of the game.
There are even defensive coordinators who build their whole game plan on stopping Ingram first.
Greg McElroy, Mr. Perfect
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A lot of players and teams are getting tired of hearing how Greg McElroy hasn't lost a game since the eighth grade.
Nobody outside the Alabama Nation wants to see him finish his career with that perfect mark.
People discount his skill and say he's simply surrounded by great players who make him look good. Everyone wants to see him knocked down a peg.
They may wind up waiting for his NFL career for that loss. Some teams last year sold out to stop the run and dared Alabama to beat them with McElroy's arm.
Ask Arkansas how that worked for them.
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The Alabama Running Game
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The whole Alabama running game has a huge bulls-eye on their back.
How many times did 'Bama fans have to listen to fans of opposing teams brag before the game that, "They haven't played against a defense like ours!"
Texas was a perfect example. They had the nation's No. 1 defense and said that no Alabama back would run for 100 yards against this team.
They were right.
Alabama had two backs to do just that. They ran through the Texas defense like the Longhorn line was a bunch of school girls playing "Red Rover."
So this year, the whole running game has a big target on their back again, as teams will all try and prove that they are team that can stop them.
The Kick Return Team
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For a few years, the weak link the 'Bama chain has been kickoff coverage.
Once again this year, they'll start off with a big bulls-eye on their back until they finally prove that they can stop the returners with good field position for the Tide.
If they do that this year, this could could be a monster team with better results that last year's.
The Freshman Kicker, Cade Foster
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The last time Alabama had an untested freshman kicker it didn't fare very well for the Tide and losses resulted.
He did, however, go on to break records and be an asset.
Now it's Foster's turn to be thrust into the spotlight and make the long game winning kicks when duty calls.
With a big target like that on his back, it's more up to how he gets his mind right over keeping that leg healthy.
Only time will tell if he can do it.
And There You Have It!
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Now the only question that remains is, can anybody hit the target?
Many teams have tried before. Many will try again. So far, the members and team have been able to dodge the arrows.
Can they do it yet again in 2010?
Only time will tell.
For a humorous look at the likely losers in the SEC this coming week, read "Larry's Losers in the SEC Week 1."
Click the link for Larry's Losers
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
