Things Falling in Place for Bama’s Miami Holiday


AJ McCarron and the Crimson Tide have their sights set on another national title. (John David Mercer-US PRESSWIRE)

It’s never too early to plan ahead.

The average high temperature in South Beach in January is over 73 degrees and it gets less than two inches of rain for the month.

Sounds like perfect conditions for seafood, sunbathing … and football.

Fans of the Alabama Crimson Tide might want to go ahead and call their travel agent now. Time’s a wastin’. Don’t let those waterfront rooms get gone.

Everything is falling in place for a post-holiday vacation in south Florida.

Some fans, and for sure come coaches, don’t want to hear it and might get mad when they do. But, four weeks into the season, that’s just the reality.

With what Alabama has done on the field, and what their opponents have done to themselves, a return trip to the BCS Championship Game for the Crimson Tide looks more and more likely.

Start with what Bama has done with just a month gone in the 2012 season.

They’ve outscored their opponents, 168-21. The defense has given up three meaningless touchdowns. The victory margin is almost 37 points per game. Sure, you can argue about the quality of the opposition so far, but you can’t argue with 168-21.

Why is this happening?

Start with an offensive line with four upperclassmen starters, including two senior All-Americans. Then, you have a deep stable of running backs and a quarterback who doesn’t make the mistakes that will lose games. Add a veteran, talented defensive line and less experienced players on that side of the ball that are exceeding early expectations.

And, don’t underestimate a winning mindset, a byproduct that comes from winning the most recent national championship.

That’s a combination that may be impossible to beat.

Then, consider what is happening with the 2012 opponents. Among the major opponents already played, Michigan is proving to be much less than advertised, barely beating Air Force at home, and not scoring a touchdown against Notre Dame.

And then, there’s Arkansas. Has a football program which was riding so high ever sunk so low in such a short amount of time? Talk about distractions. From the “wild hog” ride to players’ legal problems to the coach’s bankruptcy to multiple key injuries, the Razorbacks are the football version of the Titanic hitting several icebergs.

Looking ahead, Ole Miss is improved, but their two wins over Football Bowl Series opponents are against teams with a combined 1-6 record. In their only loss, they gave up 66 points to Texas in Oxford.

Missouri is winless in the Southeastern Conference following a whipping at the hands of South Carolina. Tennessee is looking like Tennessee again, collapsing at home in a loss to Florida, giving up 26 points to Akron (1-3) in Knoxville (after being tied 23-23 at halftime), and playing at undefeated Georgia on Saturday.

Texas A&M comes to town in early November. So far, they’ve blown a lead at home in losing to Florida and won over two badly outmanned opponents. They play the Arkansas train wreck this coming Saturday. Maybe their game in Tuscaloosa can be competitive, but don’t count on it.

LSU and Auburn are also on the November schedule. If you saw the game between the Tigers on Saturday night, you could draw a couple of conclusions. Either LSU isn’t as good as predicted, or Auburn isn’t as bad as perceived … or both. Whichever, it’s not bad news for Alabama.

If the two Tiger teams play in November as they did against each other, neither will beat the Crimson Tide. Alabama does travel to Baton Rouge, so that will be a factor. But, after the beatdown in New Orleans, it won’t be the visiting team looking over its shoulder in that one.

Auburn plays in Tuscaloosa. Nobody has to remind Bama players or fans about the last time the Tigers played there, winning on the way to the national title, or that the Tide has won only one of the eight Iron Bowl games played on its home field. Elephants have long memories. Don’t expect Auburn to win this one.

That just leaves Mississippi State. As ridiculous as it would have seemed at the start of the year, that game should be one of the two most difficult in the regular season. This may be the best Bulldog team since Jackie Sherrill walked the Starkville sideline, but they won’t be a match for Alabama, playing in Bryant-Denny.

That’s it for the regular season. Do you really see this Crimson Tide team losing any of those games?

The SEC teams with the best chance to beat Alabama may be three teams in the Eastern Division, which by scheduling luck the Tide doesn’t face — Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. One of those will be Alabama’s Georgia Dome opponent in early December.

It’s doubtful that there will be an upset there on the magnitude of LSU knocking off Tennessee in 2001 on the Vols’ apparent way to a national title match-up. Coach Saban and his staff won’t allow Bama to suffer that kind of overconfidence.

So, Tide fans start checking the Dade County restaurant guide and remember to pack your suntan lotion.

South Beach is a fine place to be in January.