Surprised Alabama Is This Good? Four Reasons You Shouldn't Be

Alabama's sudden rise to the number two spot in the AP Poll seems to have most of the college football world surprised. However, if you take a deeper look into the situation surrounding the Crimson Tide, you can see just why they've made it this far.

1. Nick Saban

Take a look at what Saban did in his first two years with LSU. In year one, he posted an 8-4 record with a Peach Bowl victory. An 8-4 record might seem pretty nice, but there were some lopsided defeats, including a 34-17 loss to the Auburn Tigers, a 41-9 loss to the Florida Gators, and the embarrassing 13-10 loss to the UAB Blazers.

In year two, which was 2001, Saban led the Tigers to a 10-3 record, which included victories in the SEC Championship and Sugar Bowl.

You might be able to tell that Saban's first year at Bama was very similar to that of his first year at LSU. Bama had an embarrassing lost last year to Louisiana-Monroe and won seven games including their bowl game against Colorado.

Year two for Bama...looks good so far.

2. Last Season

The 2007 football season was one of ups and downs for the Crimson Tide. They won their first three games, then lost two, then won three more, then lost four more, and finally ended their season by beating Colorado.

Now take a look at all six of those losses. Their average loss was by only six points, and they never lost a game by more than seven points.

The point is when a team loses that many games by that little, it's very correctable. A little change here and there, and all of the sudden those seven-point losses turn into seven-point wins. Doing the small things wins big time games.

3. The Returners

With all the talk about the freshmen for this team, we seem to forget they start 18 juniors and seniors. That is not including stud MLB Rolando McClain, who is a sophomore.

John Parker Wilson takes a lot of heat from people outside of Tuscaloosa, but in Bama's two biggest games this year, he is 35 of 46 for 385 yards, three TDs, and zero INTs. He also has rushed for one TD.

Glen Coffee, who is a junior, is on fire. He has over 700 yards and is averaging over seven yards per carry. However, a lot of his success should be credited to the offensive line, which brings me to my next point.

4. The Offensive Line

This is one of best offensive lines in the country, consisting of three-year starter Andre Smith and seniors Anthonie Caldwell and Marlon Davis. Clearly this is the strongest point of the team and a major reason for the their success so far.

Games are won in the trenches, and so far Bama is winning those battles.

Going back and reading some of the preseason predictions for Alabama's season, many people were predicting a 7-6 or 8-5 season for this team. Even though they still have a long way to go, the signs were clearly there to see this team was going to be pretty good.