The Biggest game since UCLA in 2000

My great friend ALCRtide sent this to me.

Great article my friend
Clay
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How can that be you say? What about Tennessee or LSU in 2002? Or Auburn any year? Or Oklahoma in 2003? No doubt, all big games. Why UCLA in 2000? Because that was the last year we were favored to win the national title and that game was the beginning of the downfall of the Alabama football program Mike Shula was hired to turn around. This game tops them all for the following reasons ...

1) We haven't won 5 straight games to start the season since 1996 when we started 7-0. You'd have to go back to 1994 (12-1) and 1992 (13-0 and the national title) to do better.

2) Alabama is considered by many sportswriters (print, radio and TV) to be a shell of it's former self - a has been, a pretender. A team that is living off of it's 12 national titles. In short, we're just living off the past. And Bama and Bama fans won't admit it.

3) Alabama and Florida played in 4 of the first 5 SEC Championship games in 1992, '93, '94 and '96. Bama won the 1st one, Florida won the other three (though we only lost 24-23 in 1994). Then we won two games against Florida in 1999, including the SEC Championship game. Our record against Florida since 1990, when Gene Stallings became coach, is 3-5. So in the mind of journalists covering football Bama is now clearly 2nd fiddle to the new SEC crown jewel - Florida.

4) Our record against the best teams in the SEC since 1997 is as follows:

Florida ... 2-1 since 1997 with 3-5 since 1990 (of course those 1999 games don't count according to the media, we cheated)
Tennessee ... 1-7
Georgia ... 0-2
LSU ... 3-5
Auburn ... 3-5

So, since 1997 (the start of the Dubose era) Alabama is 9-20 (.310%) against the other top five programs in the SEC.

5) Since 1997 Alabama is 1-7 against major conference opponents (PAC 10, Big 10, Big 12 and Virginia Tech). So against the top teams in the SEC and other major conferences since 1997 Alabama is 10-27 (.370%). We have a loser reputation over the last eight years.

6) Recruiting. This is a HUGE recruiting weekend, maybe the biggest since 1999 or 2000. Alabama is in on some of the nations best players and a win will go a long way toward convincing them that Bama is the place to play. Many will be at this game. More importantly, it will make liars of opposing coaches who are telling recruits Bama can't win anymore so why go to Bama.

7) It will shut the other teams and fans up. We need to make Bryant-Denny a place everybody fears again. Right now, nobody fears coming into Bryant-Denny. That is why this season is so important with home games against Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee and LSU.

This game is HUGE because it is the first real chance since the NCAA Probation, the three coaching changes and falling to our lowest level since Bear Bryant was hired in 1958 to show we are the Bama of the Bryant, Perkins and Stallings eras. That we are not the dysfunctional Crimson Tide of Dubose, Franchione or Price.

There is no better way to show Alabama is back than to beat the crown jewel of the SEC and national football media - Florida. And that we can beat the appointed golden boy of college football - Urban Meyer. Win this game and the media and recruits will consider us back. Lose this game and we haven't beaten anybody. This game is about being a pretender or a contender - even if the analogy isn't true. The media that covers football will spin it like that.

I am not saying we are all the way back yet, we aren't. That will take until 2007. But we have a terrific defense, a big time QB, a top SEC RB and maybe the best all-around player in the SEC in Prothro. We said before the season have the weapons if we stay healthy. And we are healthy for this game, the healthiest we've been since Mike Shula took over the job. The Tide is turning, now swamp the Gators tomorrow. Comments welcome.

Roll Tide