Alabama Crimson Tide Empire Not Crumbling Yet
Nelson Chenault, USA TODAY SPORTS
One might think that the Alabama Crimson Tide are crumbling, what with the questioning that has gone on this week.
The national media has criticized the Tide after last week’s 14-13 win, on the road, against the Arkansas Razorbacks. The critics say that a team hoping to compete for a national championship should be able to put an opponent like Arkansas away and not let them stay in the game.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban was not happy with the criticism of his team. As Saban pointed out in his Monday press conference, the Tide not only won, but they won on the road against an SEC Western Division rival. In the brutal SEC, any road win is a good win. The Tide can take another step toward silencing their critics this week.
Alabama, currently ranked seventh in the country, hosts the 21st-ranked Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday in Tuscaloosa. Those not following the SEC closely will watch this game from afar, perhaps not realizing that A&M has taken a step or two back after its hot start to the 2014 season.
This could actually work in Alabama’s favor. The Tide are a double-digit favorite to win this game, and those same national pundits who criticized a close win last week may overvalue a big win over the Aggies this Saturday.
Alabama is still far from where Saban would like them to be. There were numerous mistakes against Arkansas that need to be fixed. Special teams continue to be a problem for the Tide. Quarterback Blake Sims still seems to struggle making simple throws. And the secondary, which will be challenged this week by A&M’s Kenny Hill, has been less than spectacular, to say the least.
All of that being said, Alabama is still 5-1 on the season and very much in the race for not only the SEC title, but the College Football Playoff. And knowing Saban, his team will continue to get better and silence its critics.
Tim Letcher is a contributing writer for www.RantSports.com and a member of the Football Writers Association of America. Follow him on Twitter @TimLetcher , on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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