Alabama's Offense: Air Saban Mixed with a Scary Ground Attack

When was the last time you could say the Alabama Crimson Tide offense was better than their defense?

When was the last time you could say the Tide offense was the best in the SEC?

Can I entertain the thought that it is the best in the country?

Mark Ingram being the returning Heisman Trophy winner, Trent Richardson looking like a future Heisman winner, Greg McElroy looking poised and focused, Julio Jones prepping for Sundays, and the big boys up front handling anything in their way are all components that Crimson Tide fans understand.

But then, it hit me. Air Saban went "empty" five straight plays on a touchdown-scoring drive against Penn State. Then they went almost exclusively to Richardson on another long scoring drive. It's as if Alabama was making a clear statement. We have weapons; serious, serious weapons. And put all of the components together, with sound coaching, you may have something special.

At the end of the year, the prediction of having the best offense in Division I football won't be proven through statistics. Alabama plays in the rugged SEC, where almost every week is a rivalry game. When Alabama builds leads, they will slow it down a bit because victories are the bottom line at Tuscaloosa. And we know who Boise State, Oregon, and (insert WAC team here) gets to beat up on and pad stats throughout the season.

This will be proven through watching, never knowing what, where, or who will make the next play. If you watch teams such as Michigan or Arkansas, you pretty much know their success will go through Denard Robinson and Ryan Mallett.

If Alabama whips Duke 41-6, it could be five different players scoring touchdowns with the yardage being sprinkled across three running backs and eight receivers. There will be less visible statistics that will tell the story too. This offense will define its success through low turnovers, few penalties, high efficiency, yards per run, yards per catch, yards per sneeze, and so on.

Bama's offenses have recently had balance and efficiency.  But now you can add potency. They have multiple deep threats, spread formations, the "wildcat," and the personnel runs deep. They have high school All-Americans waving towels waiting their turn next year or the year after.

I even thought through some of those weird scenarios we prepare for as fans, such as McElroy making some bad decisions, coaches getting too cute, or a bad weather game. It's simple—toss out all of the formations and hand it off to Ingram right, Richardson left, and either one down the middle. Then do it again.

Oh, and as for the offense being better than the youthful Tide defense. Many will tell me that the defense has yielded only two field goals in two games. And they have a really good chance of keeping Coach K's...er, the Blue Devils out of the end zone this Saturday.

But Alabama's defense can't lay claim to any sort of ranking in my mind until we face Arkansas and Florida. Those will be two tests that will allow all of the Tide faithful to truly assess this promising defense.

The defense also has high school All-American water boys waiting for their turn to put a lick on the enemy. If this defense is for real, combined with arguably the best offense in the nation, then I would book your tickets for Glendale. And where are they playing the following BCS Title Game?

As with all Tide fans, I am trained to be somewhat guarded when we have the ball. We are trained to sort of nurse the game, not make mistakes, and ya' know, manage the game. It's time for training in Tuscaloosa. Will it be Wildcat or Spread?! Will Arkansas-Alabama be a shootout?!