Analysis: Alabama Crimson Tide

Guest Post by Chase Falkner

The 2009 Alabama Crimson Tide football team is one of the top teams in the country and will compete for the SEC championship all year long. This team has undergone a resurgence under head coach Nick Saban, who led the team to an undefeated regular season in 2008. The team did go on to lose the SEC championship game to the eventual national champion Florida Gators and they also lost the Sugar Bowl to undefeated Utah Utes, but the season was still a major success for this prestigious football program.

Image: Zuma Press

So far in 2009, the team has looked very good against some decent competition, including a 34-24 victory over the #7 Virginia Tech Hokies. In the coming weeks, however, the Tide will see even greater competition, as they will face #20 Ole Miss, #25 South Carolina, perennial rival Tennessee, #4 LSU, and #17 Auburn. All of thee match ups will go a long way in determining whether or not this team will be able to contend for a national championship or whether they will have to be content with another berth in a major bowl. Wins over those teams, however, should be enough to catapult the Tide into the national championship game, especially if they are able to win the SEC championship game this time around.

Following the 2008 season, there were some questions to be answered by the Crimson Tide, especially on the offensive side of the ball. They returned only five offensive starters from last year’s team and lost some key player makers in the process, including first round NFL draft choice Andre Smith, starting quarterback John Parker Wilson, and leading rusher Glen Coffee. These losses would have been catastrophic for many teams, but Wilson’s slack was picked up by Greg McElroy, a junior who waited his turn and now has the chance to be something special. In addition, tailback Mark Ingram is averaging almost 100 yards per game and is the third leading rusher in the entire SEC. The talent on offence is now evident and this definitely bodes well for the team this year and in the future.

The defence was supposed to be the strength of this team, as they returned eight starters from the previous season. While the defense has struggled at point this year, they have been able to hold their opponents at the right time. A big test for this defence will come when it faces Ole Miss, as quarterback Jevan Snead is recognized as one of the top players in the conference and he will certainly show up to play in this big game. The Tide also have to contend with the fact that since they are ranked #3 in the country, every team will get up for playing them. Therefore, they will have to bring their A game each and every week if they want to keep their undefeated record in tact.

Chase Falkner is a sports writer for www.sportsfantreasures.com. He would like to invite you to check out their Alabama Crimson Tide Merchandise and Alabama Crimson Tide Apparel online today!