Seemingly each college football season, there’s the perception that Alabama is far and away ahead of every other team in the country.
But coming off the Crimson Tide’s narrow 31-29 win over then No. 11 Florida in Gainesville last Saturday, ESPN’s College GameDay crew had a discussion about whether Nick Saban’s No. 1-ranked team is vulnerable.
Here’s what they had to say:
Desmond Howard: “I think so. And I think it’s the same vulnerability they’ve always had. It’s like if you can play an offense with a running quarterback, a dual-threat quarterback, it gives Nick Saban’s defenses fits and that’s what you saw last week when they played Florida. So, I think they still have the same issues defensively. Coming into this season, people were like oh, this is going to be the best defense Nick Saban’s ever had. They were up 21-3 and allowed Florida to climb back into that game, only beat them by two points. So, I think a running quarterback can give them fits.”
Lee Corso: “Against Florida, Alabama was sloppy. They had 13 penalties, and they did not play Alabama football in the second half. The question I have — is Florida that good, or Alabama that vulnerable? Time will tell.”
Kirk Herbstreit: “I think Alabama, this is one of Nick Saban’s best defenses. The Chris Allen injury hurts them because he and Will Anderson on the edge, that was dangerous. I think this is an overreaction. I think they went to The Swamp, they were up 21-3. If there’s a lesson to be learned for this young football team, you can’t take your foot off the gas. Florida got rocking. Their fans got going, they started to believe. So, I think to me, it’s more impressed with Florida than more concerned with Alabama.”
The Crimson Tide return to the field at 7:30 p.m. Saturday against Southern Miss at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
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