Alabama Football: Week 9 Bye and Quick Previews of Remaining Games

The sun is beginning to set on the Crimson Tide's 2011 season, but the day isn't over just yet.  They sit idle this week with a well-deserved bye week, and will resume with the "Game of the Year" against LSU.

The Tide is 8-0 heading into the bye week.  Every game they have played this season has been in the most utterly convincing fashions.  

Their closest game this year was in Week 2 against then-No. 23 Penn State, where they won 27-11, knocking Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions off the chart.  Since then, Penn State has climbed back to No. 19 and show all the signs of making it into the new Big Ten championship game.

Penn State has compiled a 7-1 record and has one of the best defenses in the Big Ten, ranking first in scoring defense with 13.1 points per game.  They held Alabama to their lowest score all season.

'Bama next faced then-No. 14 Arkansas and proceeded to take them to the woodshed, 38-14. Arkansas is now ranked No. 10, with wins against Auburn and Texas A&M.  They have a 7-1 record.  

Florida was the third ranked opponent the Tide faced and was ranked No. 12.  

Florida is a much better team than they have shown in losses against LSU and Auburn, but after the Crimson Tide put their starting quarterback John Brantley on the bench with an injury, there was little they could do with no effective backup.  

Next week, Alabama faces LSU in the biggest matchup not only in the SEC, but the entire nation. There is a plethora of previews on Bleacher Report and the media in general, so we'll skip this one.

After LSU, they will be hosted by the Mississippi State Bulldogs.  

The Bulldogs are a far cry from the team that decimated the Michigan Wolverines last year in the Gator Bowl, where they won 52-14.  They already have four losses on the year to Auburn, LSU, South Carolina and Georgia.  

Running back Vick Ballard has been somewhat effective running the ball and has just under 600 yards rushing.  He will not have what it takes, however, to put up anything against the Tide's No. 1 rushing defense.  

Quarterback Chris Relf has been largely inept throwing the ball.

With no passing attack and a smothered running game, the Bulldogs are in danger of being shutout by the Crimson Tide, home-field advantage or not.

The Tide then hosts FCS team Georgia Southern (7-1) but do not be fooled!  This is not another "bye week." 

They are ranked first in their conference, even above powerhouse FCS school Appalachian State, despite having lost their only game this year to Appalachian State.

They are as upset-minded as they can get, and although they will give it their all to test the Tide, they will come up short.  

The Iron Bowl will cap off the season, but the Auburn Tigers wont go quietly into the night in their own stadium.  

Auburn may be a three-loss team and floundering compared to Cam Newton's Tigers of 2010, but they are no pushovers. 

Their only three losses have come from the hands of ranked teams, No. 5 Clemson (8-0), No. 10 Arkansas (7-1) and No. 1 LSU (8-0)

The Auburn Tigers will be looking to repeat their 1989 upset of an Alabama team poised to head to the national championship, and they can never be counted out.  

Alabama, however, has the vision of the 2010 Iron Bowl burned into their brains, and the adage, "Never Forget.  28-27," will propel them to victory.  

Alabama will likely play Georgia in the SEC Championship Game—if they get by LSU—for an easy final stretch to the BCS national championship game.

There they will face...