Going into this year I think back to 73. We had lost to Auburn in the "Punt Bama Punt" game, and then turned around and lost our bowl game. In addition, we lost a whole bunch of starters, including our QB.
Everybody was concerned that we would be average at best.
We opened against California, a team led by Steve Bartkowski, Chuck Muncie, and Wesley Walker, all who went on to All-Pro careers in the NFL.
Going into the game I was scared to death, and for good reason, there were SO many question marks. Somehow we barely beat them 66-0. Then we rolled through our schedule dominating everybody we played.
Unfortunately, in the most disappointing Bama game I've ever watched, we did nothing right against Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl and still lost just 24-23.
Had we beaten Notre Dame I would, today, still vote that as the greatest Bama team of all time, even ahead of 66. Our offense was incredible. We scored 77 against Virginia Tech in a down pour in Bryant Denny.
My point---There are so many question marks that nobody knows. We may be average, we may be incredible.
But I'll say this--Coach Saban was born and raised in West Virginia, and coached by his Dad in West Virginia.
We're NOT going to overlook West Virginia, and so NO, it's not a "Trap Game".
If they beat us, it'll be because they're better than we are.
sip
