I'll begin this by saying I'm largely ignorant of Texas' team this year. I saw parts of their games against Oklahoma and Nebraska, and highlights from some others, and that's it.
With that said, it seems there's a LOT of confidence coming from our side -- it seems the consensus is Alabama *should* win fairly comfortably, unless they do some things to beat themselves.
I have to admit, though, I've been a bit underwhelmed by many of the arguments being made in support of that.
Four of the most oft-repeated:
1. SEC > Big 12. Therefore, SEC's Bama is clearly better than Big 12's Texas.
2. Florida > Anyone Texas beat. Bama blew out Florida, so Texas can expect the same from Bama.
3. Texas struggled against the only two good defenses they played -- Oklahoma and Nebraska.
4. Texas isn't physical enough to contain Alabama's running game, because they didn't play any strong running teams.
While those first three are true, I just don't know how much those things matter in this game.
A few more reasons why I think this is a more evenly matched game than many of us seem to think:
To those who've watched Texas and can make an honest assessment: Am I missing something here? Is Texas really just not that good? Are Bama fans expecting a closer game than they seem to be?
(For the record, I think Bama will win by one score in a low-scoring game.)
With that said, it seems there's a LOT of confidence coming from our side -- it seems the consensus is Alabama *should* win fairly comfortably, unless they do some things to beat themselves.
I have to admit, though, I've been a bit underwhelmed by many of the arguments being made in support of that.
Four of the most oft-repeated:
1. SEC > Big 12. Therefore, SEC's Bama is clearly better than Big 12's Texas.
2. Florida > Anyone Texas beat. Bama blew out Florida, so Texas can expect the same from Bama.
3. Texas struggled against the only two good defenses they played -- Oklahoma and Nebraska.
4. Texas isn't physical enough to contain Alabama's running game, because they didn't play any strong running teams.
While those first three are true, I just don't know how much those things matter in this game.
- Yes, Bama played a tougher schedule, but it's not like the Big 12 is the Big East and Texas is a mirage because they've feasted on cupcakes.
- Yes, Bama drilled Florida, but that was our best game of the season, and we've certainly looked much worse than that, at times.
- Yes, Texas struggled against Oklahoma and Nebraska, but how is that any different from our struggles against UT or Auburn or even South Carolina?
- And as for Texas not being physical enough to match our running game, I think you need to have a pretty good argument for that when you're talking about the No. 1 rushing D in the nation (62 ypg). I mean, I'm sure you can present the numbers to somehow make it less impressive, but 62 yards is 62 yards. Those guys are obviously very strong against the run.
A few more reasons why I think this is a more evenly matched game than many of us seem to think:
- Anytime you're playing against a QB like Colt McCoy, you've got a chance to lose. The guy's hitting better than 70% of his passes over the past two seasons and has put up monster numbers. The guy can sling it, he can run it, he's got moxie and he's the winningest college QB ever.
- Texas' short, accurate passing game is similar to what gave us so much trouble against Utah. It's been said that no one's been able to make it work against us this year, but we haven't exactly played against a bunch of West Coast-type aces this year, either. I think Texas will be at least as good at running that type of offense as Utah was.
- Texas' struggles against Nebraska shouldn't be a dead giveaway they're no good. Remember how crummy we looked against UT after playing eight straight weeks? I think Texas was in a similar situation against Nebraska.
- I think a lot of Bama's momentum from the Florida game (as well as Texas' lack of momentum from the Nebraska game) will be negated by the long layoff.
- Despite Saban's pleas, the always-dangerous "no respect" advantage will squarely be with the Longhorns. It's a great equalizer.
- I mean, this is Texas we're talking about here. Doesn't Texas have 4- and 5-star talent all over the field? I know their fans are down on their OL, but I have a hard time seeing them being a whole lot less talented than Bama. And, by the way, they're 25-1 over the past two seasons.
To those who've watched Texas and can make an honest assessment: Am I missing something here? Is Texas really just not that good? Are Bama fans expecting a closer game than they seem to be?
(For the record, I think Bama will win by one score in a low-scoring game.)
Last edited: