What is Alabama’s toughest game in 2013? Contrary to many, the Crimson Tide’s toughest game this coming season will come against LSU in Tuscaloosa on Nov 9. Most fans and media have circled the game at Texas A&M as Alabama’s Armageddon game. There will be a huge buildup for that one, especially if quarterback Johnny Manziel plays, but the Aggies lost key personnel from last year on both lines of scrimmage. This will also be proclaimed as the Aggies biggest game in history. Meanwhile, Nick Saban and his Alabama team have played in nearly 10 of these “games on the century” games already and have won virtually every one of them.
Give the Aggies credit for winning in Tuscaloosa last year. Keep in mind Alabama was coming off an incredibly emotional — and physical — win at LSU. It took the Tide nearly three quarters to adjust and they still nearly rallied to win. No question A&M is in line for a fine season, but I don’t think they beat Alabama at home.
The LSU/Alabama rivalry is usually a brutally punishing game for both teams. The winner typically wins the division title. For some odd reason, both teams struggle at home in this series. Alabama has won the past two games, including last year at Baton Rouge, but LSU has won in Tuscaloosa too. The teams are mirror images of each other with elite coaches, superior talent, suffocating defenses, a punishing running game and just enough passing to keep the other honest (even though both passing attacks could be vastly improved this season).
Alabama has all the ingredients to win its third straight title, but LSU is the Tide’s biggest threat on the schedule.
AUBURN: If you need a stat to tell you why Auburn has struggled over the past few years here is it. After Kiehl Frazier moved to safety, Auburn will open a season with a new starting quarterback for the seventh straight year. In a nutshell, Auburn is struggling due to inconsistency at the most important position on the football team. At some point this has to stop. New coach Gus Malzahn decided to go with junior college transfer Nick Marshall as his starter. Sophomore Jonathan Wallace will be the backup and talented true freshman Jeremy Johnson will likely redshirt. Marshall could have a huge impact on the SEC West race this season if he plays up to his abilities.
COMING UGA ATTRACTIONS: Georgia fans have been intrigued with the early reviews on freshman safety Tray Matthews. Even though Matthews has been slowed virtually all preseason by injuries to his shoulder and hamstring, the hype continues. I am hearing from Bulldog beat writers that Matthews could be one of the best defensive backs ever to play in Athens.
FRANKLIN SHOWS MOXY: Give Missouri senior James Franklin a lot of credit for winning the starting quarterback job despite lingering offseason criticism. Coach Gary Pinkel has publically kept the pressure on Franklin to earn the job. Pinkel said Franklin, who was dogged by injuries last season, beat out redshirt freshman Maty Mauk, who is a fan favorite. Pinkel said Mauk may have a planned series in games to give him experience. Other SEC coaches need to do the same for their backup. Sophomore Corbin Berkstresser, who started four games last year, is also competing. A dose of reality for Missouri fans is this: It doesn’t matter who the quarterback is if the Tiger offensive line can’t protect him. Pinkel has has made the line of scrimmage more of a priority this season. Missouri’s offensive line was not SEC-ready last year.
D- LINE BULKING UP: One big change for the Florida State defense over the past few years is the size of its line. Per Warchant.com, since 2009, the average weight of FSU’s defensive linemen has gone up more than 30 pounds. For example, Timmy Jernigan weighed 275 pounds when he got to FSU. He’s added nearly 20 pounds since. In 2009, FSU gave up 5.4 yards per carry. The Noles gave up just 2.8 yards per carry in 2012. Coach Jimbo Fisher, who is a disciple of Saban, has realized that the Noles must stop the run with bigger, stronger linemen. This is why I believe the Noles win the ACC because their D-Line shows similar traits to their SEC cousins. SEC coaches realized years ago that they had to recruit and develop better defensive linemen more than any other conference in the country. This is one of the main reasons the league has won seven straight national titles.