The University of Alabama Football and Crimson Tide Sports Source
April 25, 2024
October 16, 2017
With Five Games Left
As we roll into the third Saturday in October, we can be thankful that Alabama survived the chaotic weekend that took down four top ten teams. Bama took care of business with an uninspiring, yet methodical dismantling of the Hogs from Arkansas on the turf of Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Seven weeks into the season Alabama sits at number one in both polls with all the first place votes and a comfortable lead on number two Penn State. The discussion over what team is really number one is over for another week. Now that I’ve laid out the rat poison let’s get real. Tennessee is coming to Tuscaloosa this weekend for what everyone believes will be a dismantling of the Volunteers in front of a national audience on CBS ( 3:30 p.m. eastern).
That is the issue here – most likely Alabama will blow up the Vols and help send Coach Butch Jones out the door. However, stuff happens. Never forget that college football is peopled by 18-22 year old men who have all of the issues that come along with that age bracket. They lap up the rat poison and figure they’ve got this won before kickoff; their girl friend told them to take a hike the night before the game or some such. Did anybody seriously think Clemson would lose to Syracuse??? Liar, liar pants on fire, you did not!
All that said Alabama’s offense is not bad. The Tide currently have two of the SEC's five leading rushers: Damien Harris is number three and Jalen Hurts in number four. Calvin Ridley is the league’s number three pass catcher. Hurts is the tenth ranked passer with the number four quarterback rating. Bama leads the league in first downs and total yards. All in all not bad.
On defense the Tide ranks ninth nationally in third down conversions. Alabama is fourth in total defense allowing 4.09 yards per play; 254.3 yards per game and they have given up only eight touchdowns. The Tide is currently second in scoring defense allowing 10.1 points per game. In case you’re wondering Penn State’s number one allowing only nine points per game.
All of that is fact or if you will more rat poison. The long and short of it is that Alabama is good. They’re playing as well, if not better, than any team in the country right now. But, there are five games left in the regular season and everything could blow up.
After Tennessee the Tide gets a bye week before a newly rejuvenated LSU comes to town. The Bayou Bengals, who were once written off for dead, are back and will prove a challenge. LSU is followed by a trip to Starkville, a visit by Mercer and the season finale at Auburn. No matter what you think, Auburn will be a tough out on the plains. Alabama has four SEC games left and only a fool would insert W’s before the games are played. I know that’s what’s being done by many people, but the SEC is still a pretty tough league. Mississippi State beat LSU, Tennessee’s a rivalry game, LSU will be tough and Auburn will run every trick play they have. And never forget how lucky AU can get – bounces sometimes just go their way.
There’s still work to do, but if Bama can stay the course and take care of what’s next and not get ahead of themselves, everything should be OK.
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