The 84th Iron Bowl: Keeping Bama’s Playoff Hopes Alive

My beloved Crimson Tide must beat Auburn to have a snowflake’s chance in Hell of making the College Football Playoffs. Auburn hasn’t won back-to-back home Iron Bowls since 2005 and 2007, but the Tigers would love nothing more than to knock their Bama rivals out of playoff contention.

This year’s Iron Bowl doesn’t have the same deafening buzz as in years past.  Neither team has a path to Atlanta for the SEC Championship.  Only Alabama has an opportunity for a playoff spot if they get help from around college football during Rivalry Week/Championship Saturday. Alabama is the only team to have made the first five college playoffs.  That streak is in jeopardy.

Root for Michigan:  If the Buckeyes lose to the Wolverines and lose next week in Indianapolis, Bama has a chance of getting in.

Root for South Carolina:  The ACC is in the cellar this season.  Any loss for Clemson would destroy the Tigers’ chances for the playoffs.

Root for the Rambling Wreck:  The Jawja Bulldawgs losing a second game against an ACC team would damage their rèsumè with the Selection Committee, but we’ll leave crossing them off the list to Coach Oeaux’s LSU Tigers.

Root for the Badgers:  If the Badgers beat Minnesota, they would face Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium.  A one-loss Ohio State alongside a conference champion Minnesota or Wisconsin team would add chaos to the Selection Committee rankings.

Simply stated, for Alabama to make the playoffs the top three teams (Ohio State, LSU and Clemson) would have to remain the same, Alabama beats Auburn today and Georgia loses the SEC title game against LSU next week in Atlanta.

Can the stringbean wearing No. 10 who was thrust into the spotlight to replace Superman lead the Tide to victory in a game that means everything to the players in Crimson and White?

The sports experts and pundits have written off the Tide for weeks now and I think Alabama will show up and prove they are, in fact, one of the top four teams in the country.

The game will be decided in the matchup between Alabama’s offensive line and Auburn’s defense.  If Bama’s O-line can protect Mac Jones, he’ll be able to get rid of the ball and let his receivers torch the Auburn secondary.

The training wheels are definitely off.  Offensive Coordinator Steve Sarkisian will call the game as if Tagovailoa were starting the game.  He’ll be aggressive relying on the run and RPOs.  Mac can handle that kind of game plan.

Blogger friend and SEC sister, Diogenes, has a great post over at her place.  We eat, drink and sleep college football and if she says Bama wins today, then you can take that to the bank.

LSU Tigers Vs Alabama Crimson Tide: The Defining Game Of The Season

Tuscaloosa is always as busy as a beehive on game day, but this Saturday will be unbelievably amped up.  With the nation’s No. 2 LSU Tigers coming to Bryant-Denny Stadium to do battle against No. 3 Alabama, ESPN’s College Gameday will be in T-Town and the passion of politics will blend with the passion of college football with President Trump in attendance.

Since the “Game of the Century” in 2011 when the Tigers defeated the Tide 9-6, Bama has amassed an eight-game winning streak.

Head Coach Nick Saban commented on the national rankings saying, “I don’t talk about that.  I don’t talk about rankings.  It doesn’t matter where you rank if you don’t have success in what you’re doing, you’re not going to be ranked there long.”

In the CFP era, the No. 3 team has never gone on to make the Playoff since it began in 2014 and that is why this game will be the defining game of the season.

Heisman trophy nominee QB Joe Burrows is at the top of his game and Tua Tagovailoa, also a Heisman nominee, is rehabbing from a right ankle injury he suffered against Cowbell U.

Burrows struggled against Auburn two weeks ago and I guaran-damn-tee you linebackers Anfernee Jennings and Terrell Lewis are monsters on the D-line and they will hunt down Burrows in the pocket.  The Cajun Nation’s Derek Stingley and Grant Delpit are tenacious defenders and tailback Clyde Edwards-Helaire led the Tigers with 136 yards on 26 carries against Auburn so Coach Orgeron’s team has the best chance in years to knock off the Crimson Tide.

War Eagle is Bama’s “natural rival” but over the years the contest that ensues either at Death Valley or Bryant-Denny has become an epic battle of titans far more meaningful over the past 25 years than most rivalries the media crow about.

Need proof?

Tigers wide receiver Justin Jefferson was asked how different this team is compared to the 2018 team that lost 29-0 to the Tide in Death Valley.  His answer was, “I don’t really know the answer to that question.  We’re going to dominate.  I mean, there’s nothing much to it.  I mean, we owe them so we’re going to get to it.”

Did his mouth just write a check his ass can’t cash?  My beloved Crimson Tide thrives on disrespect and revenge and there’s no better feeling than making the entire college football world mad as hell when you win again.

This week has been LSU hate week.  I don’t do Hate Week because I happen to love me some Tigahs and because over the years I’ve been honored to cultivate a friendship with fellow blogger and SEC sister Diogenes of Diogenes Middle Finger.

For the last five years we’ve had a friendly bet on this game.  The loser makes a donation to Shriners Hospitals for Children, a network of 22 non-profit medical facilities who change the lives of children through innovative pediatric care.

Here’s hoping Bama has saved it's best for LSU.

UPDATE:  Welcome readers of Whatfinger News.

UPDATE II:  There was a knock at my door after the big game.  Coach Oeaux told me, “From now on Bryant-Denny Stadium is our house.”  How could I argue with that gravelly voice?  My sincerest congratulations to the LSU Tigers and the entirety of the Cajun Nation.

Arkansas Vs Alabama: Homecoming Pig Roast

It looks like Bama gets another SEC conference win as the Pigs of Arky come to T-Town.  Bama has an 11-game winning streak against Chad Morris’ hapless Razorbacks.

It’s Homecoming and the Crimson Tide is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its 2009 National Championship against the Longhorns of Texas; the only Saban squad to finish the season undefeated.

QB Tua Tagovailoa suffered a high ankle injury against Tennessee last Saturday.  The following day he underwent a procedure to repair it and will not play against Arkansas.  Next week is a bye week and Coach Saban believes Tua will be ready for some Murderball against the high-flying LSU Tigers who are currently ranked No. 2 in the nation.

Back-up QB Mac Jones will be starting with Tua out.  Mac went 6 for 11 for 72 yards in the win against the Vols.  If he does well, it’s entirely possible Tua’s brother Taulia may see action in mop-up duty.

The Tide’s defense and LB Terrell Lewis should be able to hog tie the piggies’ offense given they are 10th in total offense and 11th in scoring in the SEC.  The Razorbacks rushed for only 52 yards and passed for a meager 182 yards and that inexplicable fake punt that failed miserably in their 51-10 drubbing by Auburn.

Sadly, Coach Morris admitted the resulting interception wasn’t the result he was looking for saying, “We’d actually been working on that for a couple of weeks…We were going to let the rush come and just a touch pass over the top, like a basketball shot.”

Try that again Chad.  Auburn couldn’t do anything with the interception, but Bama—they know exactly what to do with the pumpkin.

Tennessee Vs Alabama: Smokey Will Don The “Cone Of Shame”

Unranked Tennessee comes to T-Town to face No. 1 Alabama in the first night game to be played under the new lights at Bryant-Denny Stadium. During the off-season the stadium was outfitted with a new synchronized system much like LSU’s Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.

Tonight’s game, the 102^nd meeting, will be Vols Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt’s first trip back to Bryant-Denny since taking the coaching job in December 2017.

The traditional Third Saturday in October hasn’t been competitive for the Rocky Toppers of late.  Bama has a 12-game winning streak that dates back to 2007.  In just the last three meetings the Tide won by a combined 152 to 38.

Will Tennessee start QB Brian Maurer or Jarrett Guarantano tonight?  Apparently, that decision will be made at game time.  Maurer is extremely talented, but there’s a drawback — he’s super error-prone.  Guarantano did a nice job last week against Cowbell U but his shockingly poor performances this season makes me think Maurer starts.

I hope his get-away sticks are strong because Alabama’s defense is devastating at shutting down the deep-passing game and any challenges by Maurer will end badly.

Vols LB Darrell Taylor spouted off this week referring to Tua Tagovailoa as a “decent quarterback”.  So, look for Tua to toss the pumpkin to receivers Jerry Jeudy and Devonta Smith a bunch for a decisive beatdown.

Alabama Crimson Tide VS South Carolina Gamecocks

A lot of people in the run-up to the game between the Tide and the Gamecocks are happy to remind you the last time Bama lost to an SEC East team was nine years ago in Columbia, SC when the Cocks won 35-21.

That year the Gamecocks were led by “Head Ball Coach” Steve Spurrier; the pipsqueak  known as “Darth Visor” for throwing and stomping on his visor when he succumbed to fits of anger like a brat kicking and screaming on the floor of a toy store.  The same Steve Spurrier who left a successful Florida Gators program to coach in the NFL when somebody pissed him off.  The same Spurrier who left the Redskins to come crawling back to college ball when things got bad.

Three years before he resigned in the middle of his 11th season at South Carolina, Spurrier threw some shade at Nick Saban saying, “He’s got a nice little gig going.  A little bit like Calipari.  He tells guys, ‘Hey three years from now, you’re going to be a first-round pick and go.’  If he wants to be the greatest coach or one of the greatest coaches in college football, to me, he has to go somewhere besides Alabama and win, because they’ve always won there at Alabama.”

During his post-game press conference following Bama’s drubbing of New Mexico State, Saban was asked, “What do you get out of a game like this and do you think this level of competition can get you ready for an SEC game a week later?”

His response was, “ Well look, I’ve talked about this before.  We’ve tried to schedule the best teams we can schedule and we’re trying to do that in the future as well.  We can only play the people who are willing to play us. I’ve said my opinion about playing 12 Power-5 schools.  That’s what I would rather do, but a lot of other people don’t agree with that.  I’d rather play 10 SEC games and then play two other Power-5 schools, so all the games are exciting for the fans; all the games are good football.  You wouldn’t have to go undefeated to get into the playoffs because you’d play a more quality schedule.”

“I’ve been through and covered that ground a hundred times.  If you asked me if we should play 12 Power-5 teams my answer would be Yes,” Saban continued.

So…the Tide rolls into Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia to do battle with Coach Muschamp’s Gamecocks.  Muschamp took some heat for his decision to punt at midfield on fourth-and-one in the fourth quarter leading the Tarheels 20-17.  They ended up losing to the Heels 24-20.  Muschamp confessed, “ We played the percentages there with our defense, but I was obviously wrong.”

In that game, starting QB Jake Bentley suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury to his foot giving second string QB Ryan Hilinski the reins against Charleston Southern last Saturday.  Hilinksi completed 24 of 30 passes for 282 yards in their 72-10 victory.

Will Muschamp was an elite defensive coordinator back in the day, but as head coach he’s nowhere near solving the SEC.  It didn’t happen in four seasons at Florida and it hasn’t happened yet in Columbia.  He’s 12-12 through three seasons at South Carolina.

The atmosphere at Williams-Brice Stadium will be electric for Gamecocks fans.  I had tickets to the game but will not be able to attend.  My best friend was hospitalized in critical condition the day before Hurricane Dorian lashed the South Carolina coast and I have chosen to be with my friend.

I know, however, Coach Saban’s murderball will be too much for Muschamp to handle.  The game will be largely lopsided in favor of the Tide as Tua takes advantage of an inexperienced Gamecocks secondary.  Bama’s defense will undoubtedly force multiple turnovers giving Bama another blowout victory to start the 2019 season.

Funny Maine has disabled embedding his videos on other websites.  I hope you'll click on the link to watch "How Bama Fans Watched Week Two Games".

South Carolina Trophy case: pic.twitter.com/EIeM23Pixr

— Blake, hold the B (@lbosey7) August 23, 2019

Tasty, Tasty Cupcakes: New Mexico State Aggies VS Alabama Crimson Tide

NMSU Head Coach Doug Martin knows he faces the unenviable task of playing No. 2 Alabama.  The Tide is a lock to win Saturday’s home opener in Bryant Denny Stadium.

The Aggies, ranked as a dead-last FBS team by CBS Sports, were obliterated by the Cougars of Washington State 58-7 last week.  Can you say the Aggies are the biggest underdog to face Bama in the Nick Saban murderball era?  Sure, you can.

New Mexico State was booted from the Sun Belt Conference two years ago and is now a member of the FBS Independents.  With no conference revenue-sharing, the Aggies are relegated to playing “fundraising games” and so the school will be receive a big, fat check for $1.7 million for the privilege of getting shellacked in T-Town.

Favored by 55 points, Bama has an 83-game winning streak against unranked opponents.  Aggies’ Coach Martin said earlier this week, “I’m not so much concerned about the score as I am about us playing like a winning football team meaning that we don’t beat ourselves.”

NMSU turned the ball over three times to the Cougars of the PAC12-North Conference and allowed 618 total yards.  If that’s not beating yourself, I don’t know what is.

The Aggies will be punting the ball a boatload giving the Tide plenty of chances to score a non-offensive TD or three.  And it’s not unreasonable to assume Tua will carve up the Aggie defense before turning the QB duties to Mac Jones and chillin’ for the rest of the game.  And maybe, just maybe, we’ll also see Tua’s brother Taulia replace Jones in the fourth quarter just like he did against Duke last week.

Funny Maine, who always creates a wildly popular video of “How Bama Fans Watched…” has disabled embedding of his videos on websites, but you can view "How Bama Fans Watched Week One Games" on YouTube™ here.

Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game: Alabama Crimson Tide VS Duke Blue Devils

In a return to its ACC-SEC roots, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game will host the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Duke Blue Devils in their first matchup since 2010.  Alabama romped past the Devils 62-13.

The Blue Devils, who have gone head-to-head against the Tide a total of four times, have emerged victorious only once:  the 1945 New Year’s Day Sugar Bowl.

Duke finished last season giving up an average of 319 yards per game, 197 through the air and 222 on the ground.  Their defense allowed 27.4 points per game.

Bama is favored in this one by 33.5 points, despite first-half suspensions of Najee Harris, Brian Robinson, Devonta Smith and Terrell Lewis for missing a team function during fall camp.

Dyed-in-the-wool Bama fans know All-American linebacker Dylan Moses is out for the season after suffering a torn ACL in practice, but Coach Saban is high on a 245-pound four-star prospect, Shane “The Hulk” Lee.

Henry Russell, who coached at Lee’s high school said of the true freshman, “He’s a brick house. He runs well. He’s strong as an ox. So physically, I don’t really worry about him too much. I think it’s more getting all the mental stuff down and the speed of the college game, but I think he’s a lot more comfortable. If you had asked him to come in and start at the beginning of the spring, it would have been really tough. But now, he’s got the spring under his belt, camp under his belt and now the only thing he’s got to get is some game experience.”

If you’re like me, you’ve been waiting ten years, yes, ten long years for Bama to find a guy who can consistently kick the ball through the damn uprights.  Tide fans thought the curse had been broken when Joseph Bulovas was tapped for the job.  Bama is better at almost everything EXCEPT the kicking game.  Its kickers are worse than the national average.

Now though, the team will turn to Will Reichard.  Will he be the long-awaited answer?

“Will’s a very talented guy and he’s done extremely well in fall camp, and we think that he can do a good job,” Tide coach Nick Saban said. “But like any other guy, he’s got the talent and ability to do it, but what’s he going to do in a game? We’re confident in him. He gets the ball off quickly. He’s got a really strong leg. His accuracy in scrimmages and practice has been very good.”

Today’s game will be a chance to totally dominate the Blue Devils.  It won’t erase the heartbreaking loss to Clemson, but it will get Bama back to being Bama again.  No more stewing over what happened seven months ago.

I hope you’ll toddle over to Diogene’s Middle Finger for some humorous perspective on other Week One SEC games.

2018 SEC Championship Game: Georgia Bulldogs Vs Alabama Crimson Tide

Last Saturday Auburn Head Coach Gus Malzahn thought he had his War Buzzard ready to play some Saban Murderball.  Indeed.  They kept the game close through halftime.  When the teams returned to the field, the Tigers kept it close until the last two minutes of the third quarter when DeVonta Smith caught a 40-yd TD pass from Tua.  From that point forward, Bama kept pouring it on hapless Auburn.

Coach Saban said, “Don’t ask me why, but it doesn’t seem like we had the right kind of energy in the first half.  Don’t know if it was anxiety or what it was, but we seemed to settle down and play better in the second half.”

In the locker room at the half, Saban told his team, “We’re going to have to change the way these guys think and get after them because now they think they can win.”

The college football world is wondering if, based on the games against The Citadel and the “Barners”, the Tide can be beaten.  I will acknowledge that everyone watching the SEC Championship Game who isn’t a Buckeye or a Sooner fan will be rooting for Jawja to beat Bama.

With the Wolverines falling to the Bucknutts 62-39 last Saturday, the College Football Playoff Committee is now forced to have a serious conversation about who will be ranked No. 4 on Sunday, December 2nd, the day after Bama and the Bulldawgs clash in the SEC Championship Game.

If Georgia is defeated, I think Oklahoma gets the fourth spot over the Bucknutts because they were horribly embarrassed by Purdue losing to the Boilermakers 49-20.

I’m putting the cart before horse here.  First, the Tide must decimate the Bulldawgs.  That’ll be one mean feat.

What if Coach Smart makes the game interesting by putting in backup QB Justin Fields at some point in the game?  What if the game suddenly rides on the performance of Bama’s special teams?  Kicker Joseph Bulovas is a dismal 4 for 16 FG attempts and has blown 5 extra point attempts.  Georgia’s Rodrigo Blankenship has been deadly accurate all season long. Georgia is better prepared to meet the Tide’s strength this time around. 

Bulldawg tailback Elijah Holyfield adamantly insists, "Last year has nothing to do with this next game coming up.”  Oh?  Second-and-26 is what people remember the most from last year’s National Championship Game.

The Dawg Nation may want to blot that exhilarating play from their memory, but the Tide faithful carry it with them to this day.  Hell, it’ll live forever in Bama’s storied history.

Jawja’s last win over Bama was way back in 2007.

On Thursday, UGA Alumni tweeted an awkward invitation to all the SEC schools to #BeADawgForADay.  It didn’t turn out well.  Here’s one example from War Buzzard:

pic.twitter.com/z1IjxTelkJ

— Auburn University (@AuburnU) November 29, 2018

The Vegas bookies have Bama as a double-digit favorite against Jawja.  ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives the Tide a 63.7% chance of victory.

Throw out the stats. The team that plays with the most emotion, most pride and sheer dominance will win this slobberknocker. The 2018 SEC Champions will be my beloved Crimson Tide. 

Auburn Tigers Vs Alabama Crimson Tide: 2018 Iron Bowl

The state of Alabama got two holidays this week:  Thanksgiving Day and the 83rd Iron Bowl. 

The Auburn-Alabama rivalry has always been a heated and bitter contest, but something is coming this time:  REVENGE.

Coach Saban won’t have to remind his players about last year. Nope. No sir.  They’ll want their reckoning.

The Crimson Tide has never lost two in a row to Auburn. Defeat has been followed by a victory scoring an average of 25 points and will likely be up by that much by halftime.

War Buzzard fans, buoyed by their defeat of the Tide in last year’s Iron Bowl contest, believe they can ruin their most hated rival’s chances of getting into the College Football Playoffs.

Did they hear what ESPN analyst Trevor Matich said about Saturday’s Iron Bowl? “Literally, if a spaceship comes down and abducts the entire Alabama team, Auburn would have a chance.”

Head Coach Gus Malzahn is 2-3 against Coach Saban’s Murderball in his six years with the Tigers.

Bama QB Tua Tagovailoa is not Hurts, Blake Sims or Jake Coker.  He broke A.J. McCarron’s single season touchdown record against The Citadel last Saturday passing for 340 yards and 4 TDs. On the season, he’s thrown for 2,865 yards, 31 TDs and just two INTs. He’s also added four rushing TDs.

There are other rivalry games:

No. 13 Florida at Florida State (who cares?)

No. 4 Michigan at No. 10 Ohio State (Go Buckeyes!)

Georgia Tech at No. 5 Georgia (who cares?)

South Carolina at No. 2 Clemson (Go Gamecocks!)

No. 3 Notre Dame at USC (Go Trojans!)

Citadel Bulldogs Vs Alabama Crimson Tide

College football Saturdays down South are serious business.  Nothing, but nothing interferes with it.  This, however, is Cupcake Saturday in the SEC so you are cleared to tackle those pesky items on your Honey-Do List.

After the Citadel Bulldogs were crowned 2016 Southern Conference Champions, Head Coach Brent Thompson said of the 2018 schedule which included the Crimson Tide, “These games are important for many reasons and they allow us to provide our cadet-athletes with once-in-a-lifetime experiences.  I’m excited that our team will have the experience of playing in front of more than 100,000 fans against one of the premier teams in college football.”

By any objective measure, this contest will be one of the biggest mismatches of the year in college football. The Citadel rode buses nearly 8 hours from Charleston, SC to Tuscaloosa to be out-manned at virtually every position. For the Bulldogs this game is not about winning; it’s about the money.

One Citadel player, 2006 alum Porter Johnson, chose to have some fun with the overwhelming odds his Dogs face this weekend:

This is just disrespectful. You mean my Alma Mater only as a .1% chance to beat Alabama this weekend....really @espn? We couldn't even get at least 1%? C'mon man...😀 That's alright, we are going to shock the world this weekend. Go Bulldogs!! pic.twitter.com/eD1tRMOayj

— Porter Johnson (@PorterJ40) November 15, 2018

Last week the Mississippi State Bulldogs were the victim of ludicrous officiating by the SEC referees.

On Bama’s first possession of the game there appeared to be a fumble by Damien Harris before his knee touched the ground that was never reviewed.  Minutes later the Tide scored at TD.

At the end of the first half, Missy’s sophomore RB Kylin Hill scored a TD only to have it called back when WR Deddrick Thomas was penalized for an illegal block in the back. Replays shown in real time and slow-motion showed the Tide defender was never touched.  

Absolutely ridiculous call for block in the back to negate that TD. 🙄 pic.twitter.com/FtvPy2hlhQ

— Belle Es You (@SouthernbeLLSU) November 10, 2018

Alabama's new mascot: 🦓

— Wes Blankenship (@Wes_nship) November 10, 2018

The booth’s failure to a review a clear fumble and the official’s phantom flag for a penalty that did not happen gave plenty of ammo to the throng of Bama haters who frequently flap their gums claiming it isn’t fair that teams have to compete with Alabama and the refs calling the game.

Mississippi State Athletic Director John Cohen complained to the Conference saying, “I’ve personally communicated with the coordinator of football officials, Steve Shaw, and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. Both of them assured me that Saturday’s game with Alabama is being fully reviewed and they also stated that the official issues will be identified swiftly and dealt with directly.”

As a dyed-in-the-wool Bama fan since the 1950s, I cannot defend the zebras sorry officiating nor dispel the charges of “Bama Bias” and “Alabama Collusion”.  This team is either good enough on its own or its not.  The zebras should not do anything to cheapen their season.  There.  I said it.  Now, on to the cupcakes of The Citadel and the impending decimation of War Eagle in the Iron Bowl. 

Mississippi State Bulldogs Vs Alabama Crimson Tide

Last year the Tide needed to score 14 points to come from behind against Hail State on their home turf.  They did.  The final score was 31-24.

Mississippi State’s QB, Nick Fitzgerald, believes he can replicate those three strong quarters and marshal his Bulldogs offense to a victory at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Fitzgerald knows that last year has no bearing on today’s game in Tuscaloosa, but he’s confident knowing they held the lead until the fourth quarter giving him the motivation he and his team will need if they hope to beat Bama on the road.

These two teams have done battle on the gridiron going all the way back to 1896 and the series history shows the Crimson Tide has owned the Dogs 80-3-18.  ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives the Boys from Tuscaloosa an 89.7% chance of victory.

No cupcake, MSST was ranked No. 18 last week in the College Football Playoff rankings and rose to No. 16 after drubbing War Eagle 23-9.

Paul Finebaum said last week the only way Bama suffers a loss on its way to the playoffs is if Tua Tagovailoa gets injured.  “I think we’ve come to that conclusion and it didn’t take 10 weeks to do it,” he said.

CBS analyst Gary Danielson believes the only two teams that have a shot at beating Alabama this season are Clemson and Georgia.  Kirby Smart’s Bulldawgs are currently two touchdown underdogs. We’ll know if Danielson was right on December 1st in Atlanta when they clash in the SEC Championship Game. Dabo will seek revenge against Saban’s Murderball if the fates pair them in the CFP Playoffs.

Hail State’s Head Coach, Joe Moorhead, doesn’t give a whit about their 10-game losing streak to the Tide saying, “We have to concentrate on the things we need to do.  We’re going to have to have great practices.  We have to have great urgency and body language.  Our scout team will have to be great because it’s almost impossible to replicate what Alabama does in all three phases.”  Sounds like a plan to me.

Every team that goes into Davis Wade Stadium is subjected to 61,000 infernal Bully Bells.  The Hail Staters truly believe those damn things intimidate the opposing team.  Well, they don’t.  They’re annoying as hell.  There won’t be any cowbells in Bryant-Denny Stadium.  No siree.

The Bulldogs will be treated to the sounds of the roar of a rampaging elephant over the stadium loudspeakers and AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells” on every Bama third down.  Oh, and let’s not forget the Athletic Director is once again allowing “Dixieland Delight” to be played at the beginning of the fourth quarter.  That alone will strike fear into Coach Moorhead’s boys and spur the Crimson Tide on to victory.

No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide Vs No. 3 LSU Tigers

The game is simple.  The best ones always are.

It’s been seven long years since the “Game of the Century”. That’s the longest winning streak in the series since Coach Bear Bryant claimed eleven in a row from 1971 to 1981.  The streak lingers like a dark shadow over the Cajun Nation.

The last time LSU beat Alabama was November 6, 2010.  LSU was ranked No. 10 and Bama was ranked No. 6.  The Tigers were trailing the Tide 14-13 in the fourth quarter when Coach Les Miles called for a reverse play to tight end DeAngelo Peterson who rambled for 23 yards to Alabama’s 3-yard line and the go-ahead touchdown. LSU went for the 2-point conversion to make the score 21-14.  LSU was able to add another 3 points on a FG attempt with 5:34 left in the game making the score 24-14.

Bama QB Greg McElroy tossed to Julio Jones for a TD with 3:23 left in the game but it wasn’t enough to pull off a win.  The final score was 24-21.

Under the lights of Death Valley, the Crimson Tide will clash with the Bayou Bengal Tigers of LSU for the 14th time in which both teams have been ranked in the AP Top 20.  Nine times one of them has been ranked either No. 1 or No. 2.

The College Football Playoff Committee released its first rankings on October 30th with LSU in the No. 3 slot. A lot of people expect Alabama to keep rolling.

Here's @stephenasmith's top 5 college football teams ... 😂 pic.twitter.com/qANgLe1jCJ

— First Take (@FirstTake) October 30, 2018

LSU is a legitimate contender in the race for the national championship coming into tonight’s game.  I have the utmost respect for the Tigers.  They’ve got the best QB in Joe Burrows they’ve had in years and he’s made a substantive difference for these tenacious rivals.  This will be a bare-knuckled, slobber-knocker grudge match.  If they beat Bama they will be in the driver’s seat for a playoff berth and the Cajun Nation will be insufferable.

This is LSU Hate Week.  This is a good hate; this is a respectful hate; this is a rivalry that has become far more meaningful over the past 25 years than most rivalries the media crow about.

Hawaiian phenom Tua Tagovailoa remains at the controls of the most intimidating offense in the FBS and has yet to take a fourth-quarter snap in 2018. LSU is the team with the greatest chance of ruining the Tide’s dreams of an unprecedented 18th National Championship.  As such, this may well be the game in which Tagovailoa will finally play in the fourth quarter.

"Alabama has always been the benchmark and Coach Saban has done a fantastic job," Head Coach Ed Orgeron said. "He's going to go down as the greatest college football coach in the history of the game, so give him the credit for what they've done at Alabama.

"We've got to beat them to get to where we want to go and that's a fact."

During this Thursday’s “Hey Coach” press conference, Saban had this to say: 

Nick Saban was just asked what he will choose during the coin toss at LSU -- kick or receive?

Saban: "To be honest with you, I hope we elect to kick ass, is what I hope we do."

— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) November 2, 2018

Oz Music, a Tuscaloosa music store, immortalized the quote by turning it into a good old-fashioned election button: 

Oz Music in Tuscaloosa made some buttons for Saturday.... pic.twitter.com/kSyWilHc5L

— Aaron Suttles (@AaronSuttles) November 2, 2018

So, to the Cajun Nation I say, ”Tell ‘em Alabama’s coming and hell is coming with ‘em.”