There is something else that CANNOT BE MEASURED - hunger. If they have it, they will be tough to beat. But if they spend the next eight months listening to ESPN talk about how good they are rather than hitting the weights, watching film, and learning what they have to do, they will be a four or five-loss team next year.
You must understand (and aTm has not yet had this wake-up call that most SEC teams get) - the difference between national champions and the lower part of the Western division is THREE PLAYS. That's it - three plays separate champs from chumps. We went through a period back about 15 years ago where the team that won the West one year finished last in the division the very next year (95 Arkansas, 96 Alabama, 97 Auburn, 99 Alabama). The fall is so fast you can't even look around and grab onto anything.
Furthermore......Nick Saban (and Alabama both) have a knack not only for winning but destroying programs in the process. Look at the SEC since CNS came here. Auburn is on their third coach, Tennessee their fourth, and only Les Miles and Steve Spurrier remain from the day Saban left Miami in 2007.
I have no beef with aTm, but don't be totally surprised if they beat us and then lose to somebody they have no business losing to. Don't be surprised if they lose to us (whether close or not) and recover, either. And don't be surprised if they lose to us and implode. I've seen all of those things happen in my years watching the SEC. This is NOT the Big XII, where you get a breather next week - even though as I noted aTm's schedule is favorable. (So too is ours).