24-20, 7-0, #2

I’m not sure how to feel about this Alabama team. In the first half, they look like the best college football team in the country. Every game this has happened. They dominate. They impose their will on the other team. They shut people down, run up the score.

Then they switch uni’s at halftime. Or maybe Saban puts them in a hypnotic trance. Or it’s something they are eating or drinking at halftime. Maybe the JV suits up in the varsity’s numbers.

I’m running out of explanations. Do you have any?

This team can’t score in the 3rd quarter. They can’t stop anybody in the 3rd quarter. Fortunately, the defense decides to play in the final moments of the 4th. Saban is 7-0 but you wouldn’t know it by watching him on the sidelines or after games. He’s irritated. Borderline angry. You can see the volcano just underneath the surface. He doesn’t get it and he’s trying to fix it.

Through all of this, this truth remains. Alabama plays well enough to beat anybody in the 1st half. They play just well enough to win in the 2nd. Will that work in Knoxville this weekend? Will that work in Death Valley? Will it work against Auburn?

Maybe, no, and absolutely. We’ll soon find out.

Meanwhile, we’ll enjoy the ranking and enjoy the win. It’s nice to be relevant in college football again. But Saban doesn’t have long to figure out how to put a complete game on the board if they want to remain in the national title hunt.