Published: October 01, 2008 09:38 am         

The Game Plan: BCS title game not in Tide’s future this year

Commentary by Charles Prince

The North Jefferson News



If you’re a Crimson Tide football fan, no doubt you’re walking about 10 feet off the ground this week.

Alabama knocked off the No. 3-ranked team in the county and moved up to No. 2 in the AP poll and No. 4 in the USA Today/coaches poll.

But, before you start making reservations to see your club play in the BCS title game come January, you might want to get in touch with reality—the Tide is making a nice comeback to prominence in their second season under Nick Saban, but they’re not a national title contender just yet.

Saban said as much after the game, when he stated he thought there were several outstanding teams around the county and it’s too early to say who the best team might be right now. He ended his statement with the curious comment of, “but, if you want to drink the Kool Aid...”

I for one, won’t be drinking the Tide Kool Aid. Yes, their win over Georgia was impressive, but we have to look why the Bulldogs were ranked so high to begin with.

Georgia was the preseason No. 1 team in both polls, due in large part to their rout of Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl.

However, the Dogs weren’t the only team that could have dismantled Hawaii and scored a lopsided win against the Rainbow Warriors.

Just about any other school that reached a BCS game would have trounced Hawaii as well.

Going by that big win, the pollsters overestimated Georgia’s worth.

Another point to consider when deciding just how big last Saturday’s win was, is to remember, this wasn’t the first time that a physical team that wants to line up and run right at you has kicked the Bulldogs rear end.

In 2007, Tennessee, which has a running game based largely on making yards in between the tackles, kicked some Georgia butt in a 35-14 win. Just as the Tide got up early by 31 points, the Vols rushed out to a 28-0 lead.

The Tide is much improved under Saban, and they appear to be getting better each week, but they’re not a national championship level team right now.

Quarterback John Parker Wilson may soon hold all the Alabama career passing records, but he’s not one of the top signal callers in the country. Saban told the world that during the preseason, when he informed everyone the offense was being simplified, so Wilson wouldn’t have to make as many reads as he did during Saban’s first year in Tuscaloosa.

Wilson does seem to have better command of the Tide’s offense then he did a year ago, but he’ll face much better defenses than the one he saw in Athens last week.

We still don’t know how he’ll play when the Tide is behind, instead of playing from ahead, as they have all season.

The Tide’s trip to Baton Rogue in November will tell us much about how good or how bad Wilson’s senior year may turn out to be.

However, things could get dicey for Wilson even before then. This week’s match up with Kentucky could turn out to be more of a test than most Tide fans would expect.

At this summer’s SEC Media Days, just about every coach in the conference who commented on Kentucky, pointed out they thought the Wildcats would have the best defensive line in the league.

If that’s the case, the Tide may not be able to run the ball down Kentucky’s throat, so Saban may have to ask Wilson to take the game over. Looking at the way he played under pressure in the past, I’m not sure he can take over and win a game for the Tide with his arm.

If Alabama should come out of both Lexington and Baton Rouge unscathed, they’ll likely have to face Florida in the SEC Championship game.

Yes, Ole Miss beat the Gators, but Florida still has as many good athletes as any team in the country. That game would be a tall test. I don’t think the Tide has improved enough to negotiate past the SEC title game.

Many Alabama fans may watch the BCS title game, but I don’t think they’ll see the Crimson Tide playing in it this year.