The epic clash between Texas and Alabama is 19 days away. There’s confidence in the Texas Longhorns from those who cover the team. There’s equal confidence from Alabama writers in the Crimson Tide.
Our colleague Stacey Blanchard, who does excellent work for Roll Tide Wire, felt strongly earlier this offseason that the Tide would defeat Texas on Sept. 9. Roll Tide Wire had Alabama beating Texas by “more than two touchdowns.”
Roll ‘Bama Roll also appears to be unfazed by the Longhorns. The challenge of playing in Bryant-Denny Stadium is cited as reason why Texas will lose the game.
We are cautiously confident in the Longhorns the closer we get to the game. Our recent predictions had Texas beating Alabama in a 31-27 game. The concern for Texas revolves around a dominant front six for Alabama and another secret weapon.
Former five-star Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is receiving some noise as the season approaches. His high-end potential is what makes his push for the starting role worth monitoring. If Simpson performs like Quinn Ewers did in the matchup at quarterback last season, Texas will have a battle on its hands. Even so, it will be a difficult task for Simpson to win a primetime game over what could be a Top 10 opponent as early as Week 2.
I still view Texas as the better team because it could realistically match the Tide in the trenches and has what looks like a clear advantage over Alabama at quarterback and receiver. Even so, there are several potential outcomes for the game. While it’s not the most likely result, a dominant Alabama win over Texas also is on the table.