7 Teams You Would Love to See the Tide Play Soon

Larry Burton (Syndicated Writer) Alabama has a lot of rivalries in and out of the SEC. This week's meeting may be the last one for a while between Alabama and Penn State which has provided both national championships and upset wins and losses.

Who else then would you like to see Alabama play to either start or continue a rivalry?

That is the subject of this article and without further delay, let's begin the top seven from conversations with Alabama fans across the South.

Texas

Texas is the big dog (or so they think) of their conference and despite the pounding that Alabama gave them in the 2009 BCS Championship Game, Texas still has a winning record over the Crimson Tide.

That is something not many schools can claim to have.

It's time to start evening the score.

Besides being a ratings bonanza, the winner would have a leg up on national title talk for that year.

Nick Saban and Mack Brown are friends and could make this happen.

This would be a great series to see take place. Both have fine stadiums and the experience would be great for both teams and fan bases to "check each other out."

USC

Not only would the Alabama fans love to see the boys in Crimson get their hands on Lane Kiffin again, this is a rivalry that has much history.

Coach Bryant used USC and Sam "The Bam" Cunningham to help integrate his own teams at Alabama. This was a series that both teams were proud to be a part of and could be again.

Again, USC's historical place at top of the Pac 12 would also make it a "big dog" on "big dog" affair.

This would be a home and away series that would be loved by both teams who rarely get the opportunity to be in each other's back yard.

Florida State

If you can't make Florida State a member of the SEC, just do the next best thing and schedule them to play Alabama in home and away games.

This is a natural rivalry that just never got going.

The proximity of the schools and intermixing of fan base areas would make this one of the region's top games for that week.

Plus, with Florida State getting themselves back to the upper echelons of the ACC, it would be another historical top of one conference playing another.

Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban are more than just pupil and mentor here, they are also good friends and could make this happen.

Boise State

While a home and away series might seem a far fetch, considering that the Tide would travel with more fans than Boise's stadium could hold, there is still the opportunity to have this a season opening game for a few years at a "neutral" site.

Boise had a taste of the SEC this season, but if they really want to prove they aren't scared to play anybody at any time, let them quit kicking the SEC's step children for now and fight with someone their own size, or at least someone who they think is their size.

Alabama would stop the BCS busting cold in the first game of the season and we wouldn't have to listen to silly Boise State is getting left out talk any more.

Michigan

Alabama and Michigan share a storied past and a bright future. The two are two of the most winning programs of all time.

The two have only met three times despite being two of the older schools in football.

Michigan won the first game in the Hall of Fame Game in 1988 28-24. Alabama won the second meeting in the 1997 Outback Bowl, 17-14 and the last game was one for all time the 2000 Orange Bowl that Michigan won 35-34 in overtime.

In the three meetings, Michigan has scored 77 points and Alabama has 75. No game was decided by more than four points.

This is a tradition that could be built on as one of the best of all time.

Ohio State

People in the South have either fairly or unfairly always pointed to Ohio State for being treated far too kindly in both the preseason and regular season polls.

The joke is that what does a cat run over by a transfer truck and Ohio State have in common?

Neither can beat an SEC team.

This is a chip on their shoulder that many Buckeye fans want to be removed and what better way of doing it than knocking off the SEC team with the most SEC Championships of anyone?

It would also either give the fans in the South a chance to shut up the pollsters or shut up themselves.

Notre Dame

Yes, Notre Dame would get their butts kicked, but at least it would be from a good team and they do have the chance for an upset win. It wouldn't be like losing to South Florida.

Notre Dame needs to do something big to jump start their program. They've been irrelevant too long.

If you disagree, consider this, the freshman class that will enroll next fall will never have seen Notre Dame finish in the top 10 or win a remotely respectable bowl game in their lifetime.

If that is not irrelevance, what is?

Why is it good for Alabama to exorcise the demons of years past when not even legendary Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant could get a win over Notre Dame?

Alabama fans would like to see that score settled.