Sports Illustrated: Four teams that can beat Alabama

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/co...-ohio-state-texas-am-stanford-south-carolina/

Texas A&M beats Bama 45-42 in College Station:
"Manziel...(threw) for 285 yards and three touchdowns and (ran) for 160 yards and two touchdowns (for a combined 445 yards of total offense and 5 TDs)...(aTm's tall WRs,) 6-foot-5 sophomore Mike Evans and 6-5 freshman Ricky Seals-Jones (won) jump balls all day against Alabama's much smaller corners." ...

South Carolina beats Bama 17-13 in the SEC Championship Game:
... "The Gamecocks, who shook off a Week 2 loss at Georgia to go 12-1," were led by their DL of "Clowney, Chaz Sutton and Kelcy Quarles...Clowney had a sack and three hurries, while Sutton finished with two sacks...Clowney swatted (away) McCarron's (game-winning TD) pass...(and an INT caught off a) Clowney deflection early in the fourth quarter set up the Gamecocks in Alabama territory. ... "I told our offensive line all week that if everyone worried about Clowney, those other guys would kill us," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "Well, they just about did."

Stanford beats Bama 16-13 in the National Title Game:
"The key to dethroning Alabama, as it turns out, is creating a virtual facsimile of Alabama...With its massive offensive line, interchangeable stable of running backs and swarming 3-4 defense, Stanford captured a national championship (beating Bama by a score of) 16-13.
"Some people will say it was ugly," Stanford coach and unabashed smashmouth football proponent David Shaw said of the game. "I thought it was a thing of beauty."
The game pitted the nation's top two defenses. ... neither team could get its ground game going...The Tide seemingly had an advantage with their explosive passing attack. Quarterback AJ McCarron completed 65 percent of his passes and receiver Amari Cooper reached the 100-yard mark for the 10th time in 14 games. But Alabama finished just one touchdown drive, sputtering three times in the red zone thanks to a missed field goal and turnovers forced by Richards and Reynolds. Meanwhile, Stanford punted 10 times. ...

Ohio State beats Bama 28-17 in the National Title Game:
after "a stunning upset loss at Cal," the Ohio State D "suffocated Heisman winner AJ McCarron, sacking him five times and forcing a pair of interceptions (one less than he'd thrown all season) and a fumble." ... Ohio State's "Thorpe Award-winning cornerback Bradley Roby...blanketed Bama All-America receiver Amari Cooper all night...
"Our speed was just too much for them," Meyer said with a smirk after hoisting his third crystal football, one short of adversary Nick Saban. "We're gonna take this thing back to Columbus and celebrate for a whole heck of a lot longer than 48 hours."
..."(Braxton) Miller, who had greatly reduced his rushing load for most of his junior season, lined up in the shotgun on the Buckeyes' opening drive and executed a string of read-option keepers. Keeping Alabama on its toes, Ohio State also operated at a much faster tempo than during the season. ...


Top 7 in the Preseason Coaches Poll:

SEC West
#1 Bama
#6 Texas A&M

SEC East
#5 Georgia
#7 South Carolina

Big Ten
#2 Ohio State

Pac
#3 Oregon
#4 Stanford

 

Alabama would not lose to Ohio State, or any other rust belt pretender.

 

SI has just put the hex on all those teams.
I don't know what Staples is smoking but we beat Bama. Based on what I've gleaned Stanford has a puncher's chance but the gumps will rub the dirt with Johnny Football's ass. Robidoux no rust belt team has a shot at the SEC champ and we beat USCe in the SEC championship game.
I'm feeling better and better about the coming season.

 

I'm assuming in each on of those exaggerated scenarios, each team is taking advantage of a perceived weakness of the Tide. I do like USCe in the east, but too many flaws to bully this Alabama team in the SECCG.

 

I don't comment here that much when football season ends; time to gear back up. I am hoping that we have a huge chip on our shoulder for the Bama game this year. The past two games warrant some big time payback.

 

Pssst, it's Saban. He's been known to drop some to UAB, ULM...there's no "perceived weakness" necessary.

They'd better play like they have a chilp on their shoulder every time they take the field and especially every time they play Bama.

 

For sure. Against the so-called "cupcakes" as well.

 

How can Ohio State, South Carolina, or Stanford possibly beat Alabama if they are not scheduled to play them? IMHO, we'll know exactly how mighty Alabama actually is if and when they get past Virginia Tech.

 

Even though the pre season polls do not show it Notre Dame is way stronger than OSU.