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Ohio State will at least play true non-conference road games or even pseudo non-conference road games (playing TCU in Arlington), unlike Alabama. Plus the Big Ten has a 9 game conference schedule, SEC has an 8 game schedule.
That's true. I always wondered why Alabama wouldn't do that or say, play a Big Ten school on the road. Whether it's early in the season or late in the season when it gets cold.
Wouldn't go that far, no team is unbeatable no matter how great or talented they are. If you take any team lightly on any day, you'll lose. Plus, Alabama hasn't faced any tough teams yet all the teams they've faced are high school teams. It's funny that Ohio State gets dogged for coming back against Top 15 teams but Alabama and Georgia get praised for dominating cupcakes.
Alabama would toss OSU, Clemson, UGA, etc. right now. Every team has weaknesses, but this particular Bama team probably has fewer weaknesses than any other during the Saban era, especially compared to those many, many Alabama teams with anemic offenses. I fully expect them to shut down any and all comers in the Playoff.
Alabama would toss OSU, Clemson, UGA, etc. right now. Every team has weaknesses, but this particular Bama team probably has fewer weaknesses than any other during the Saban era, especially compared to those many, many Alabama teams with anemic offenses. I fully expect them to shut down any and all comers in the Playoff.
I always go with the more tested teams because they've experienced adversity and they know what it's like to have baptism under fire. Bama hasn't had that yet, you're being a prisoner of the moment because they've played cupcake teams so far. I say judge them more around November when they play better competition. You can't say that they'll shut down all comers in the Playoff because those teams are in the playoffs for a reason. The U got beat by Ohio State in the 2003 National Championship, Florida knocked off Ohio State in 2007 and Bama got knocked off by Ohio State in 2014 in the Sugar Bowl and they were heavy favorites. Maybe that's the SEC fan in you.
I always go with the more tested teams because they've experienced adversity and they know what it's like to have baptism under fire. Bama hasn't had that yet, you're being a prisoner of the moment because they've played cupcake teams so far. I say judge them more around November when they play better competition. You can't say that they'll shut down all comers in the Playoff because those teams are in the playoffs for a reason. The U got beat by Ohio State in the 2003 National Championship, Florida knocked off Ohio State in 2007 and Bama got knocked off by Ohio State in 2014 in the Sugar Bowl and they were heavy favorites. Maybe that's the SEC fan in you.
It's amazing that OSU fans are still bringing up 2014 in 2018. Ohio State beat one of the weakest Alabama teams in the 2010s. Not even Clemson fans bring up their victory over Bama as much as OSU fans do and they won just a couple of years ago.
I am far from being an SEC fan. All I'm saying is that this Bama team is unlike any we've seen before because they actually have offense. Without Tua, Bama would still be favorites to win it all. Without Tua, the game plan against Bama would be the same as always: load the box on defense and run as many plays possible on offense to wear out their ferocious D. That won't work this year because Alabama can wear teams out by running 99-100 plays on offense. It was one thing when Bama only had the best defense, but now it appears they have the best defense and the best offense in the country. You'd be hardpressed to come up with any aspect of the game in which OSU is superior to Bama. QB certainly isn't one of them. Neither is RB, WR, or LB for that matter.
OSU won't want any part of Bama in the post-season. Do you remember the 31-0 beatdown you guys got 2 years ago? It could be even uglier than that.
It's amazing that OSU fans are still bringing up 2014 in 2018. Ohio State beat one of the weakest Alabama teams in the 2010s. Not even Clemson fans bring up their victory over Bama as much as OSU fans do and they won just a couple of years ago.
I am far from being an SEC fan. All I'm saying is that this Bama team is unlike any we've seen before because they actually have offense. Without Tua, Bama would still be favorites to win it all. Without Tua, the game plan against Bama would be the same as always: load the box on defense and run as many plays possible on offense to wear out their ferocious D. That won't work this year because Alabama can wear teams out by running 99-100 plays on offense. It was one thing when Bama only had the best defense, but now it appears they have the best defense and the best offense in the country. You'd be hardpressed to come up with any aspect of the game in which OSU is superior to Bama. QB certainly isn't one of them. Neither is RB, WR, or LB for that matter.
OSU won't want any part of Bama in the post-season. Do you remember the 31-0 beatdown you guys got 2 years ago? It could be even uglier than that.
I meant the SEC fan thing as a joke. The reason why OSU fans still talk about that victory over Bama in 2014 because Alabama were heavy favorites in that game even if that team wasn't the most talented; they were still picked to face Oregon in the National Championship. Also, that Bama team got beat by a team with a 3rd string QB. And, plus the national media kept pushing the narrative that "The Big Ten can't compete with the SEC." As far as the beatdown to Clemson 2 years ago, Ohio State shouldn't have been in the playoffs that year IMO now they should've been there the year before because they were the defending national champs at that time.
All I'm saying is that you can't underestimate any team in a one-game, winner-take-all playoff game even if there are more talented or the least talented; I get that Bama is very a talented team but Ohio State isn't a scrub team.They're #3 in the country for a reason. The Miami Hurricanes in '88 were heavy favorites over Penn State, they took them lightly and Penn State beat them. I know Ohio State has issues in with stopping the run but Bama has issues in the secondary and the kicking game. The Patriots went 16-0 with tremendous talent and they got beat the Giants, who were a Wild Card team that had to win every road game to reach the Super Bowl. All I'm saying is games are decided on the field not on paper.
Last edited by QCongress83216; 10-02-2018 at 12:46 PM..
Alabama would toss OSU, Clemson, UGA, etc. right now. Every team has weaknesses, but this particular Bama team probably has fewer weaknesses than any other during the Saban era, especially compared to those many, many Alabama teams with anemic offenses. I fully expect them to shut down any and all comers in the Playoff.
I'm usually one to argue that anything can happen.. But.. I'd agree with you at the moment. Now, there's still 3/4 of a season to play, and teams can and do get better as time goes on. Trevor Lawrence gets experience, then there's a chance there. They still have secondary issues that need to be addressed, but I think Alabama is weakest in the same area. Well, other than the kicking game, which, while improved, still is an area that Alabama has problems.
I'm usually one to argue that anything can happen.. But.. I'd agree with you at the moment. Now, there's still 3/4 of a season to play, and teams can and do get better as time goes on. Trevor Lawrence gets experience, then there's a chance there. They still have secondary issues that need to be addressed, but I think Alabama is weakest in the same area. Well, other than the kicking game, which, while improved, still is an area that Alabama has problems.
Alabama is a nightmare scenario for the rest of college football. We all used to ask "What would happen if Alabama ever got a good QB?" Now we're seeing what that looks like and it's frightening. It took a Herculean effort by Deshaun Watson on a well-balanced Clemson team to barely pull out a win against the Tide in 2017. He arguably played better the year before that and his team still lost. And remember, the 2016-17 Tide was a team led by a true freshman (Hurts) who couldn't hit the ocean if it was more than 15 yards away.
The Tide may not be as good on D this year as they have been in very recent years, but the D hasn't slipped that much if at all, and it doesn't have to be as good as it has been in the past because the offense is so much better. The only way I could see them losing is if a team gets up 14-0 early on them in a road game. If Bama gets up 14-0 on any opponent, and the defense feels free to blitz at will, I honestly don't see any team recovering from that deficit given their firepower. They put so much pressure on opponents on both sides of the football whereas Bama teams of the past were more one-dimensional.
So can Bama be beat? Sure, anything is in the realm of possibility. I just don't see Haskins or Lawrence or Fromm/Fields dropping 500+ yards on them AND their defenses not gassing the hell out against Bama's high-powered offense. It's a tall task for sure.
That's true. I always wondered why Alabama wouldn't do that or say, play a Big Ten school on the road. Whether it's early in the season or late in the season when it gets cold.
Georgia Tech vs. Louisville
Mid Tenn State vs. Marshall
Utah State vs. BYU
Maryland vs. (16) Michigan
Missouri vs. South Carolina
(8) Oklahoma vs. (19) Texas
Northwestern vs. (21) Michigan State
Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh
Tulane vs. (24) Cincinnati
Boston College vs. (18) NC State
(6) Clemson vs. Wake Forest
Kansas State vs. Baylor
(7) LSU vs. Florida
Iowa vs. Minnesota
Navy vs. Air Force
San Diego State vs. Boise State
Arizona State vs. Colorado
(15) Kentucky vs. Texas A&M
(9) Auburn vs. Mississippi State
(4) Notre Dame vs. (20) Virginia Tech
Cal vs. Arizona
Fresno State vs. Nevada
Utah vs. (17) Stanford
Pick Overall Record: 82-46
Pick Record Last Week: 20-5
Here are my picks. Georgia Tech vs. Louisville (Both teams aren't good, but at least Georgia Tech looks decent against garbage competition. Louisville almost lost to a bad Western Kentucky team, and blew it against Florida State last week. Based on pure observation, i'll take the Yellow Jackets.) Mid Tenn State vs. Marshall (I'll go with MTSU on the road.) Utah State vs. BYU (Well, it appears BYU is not as good as they looked. And the Aggies have an offense...giving the edge to them.)
Maryland vs. (16) Michigan (Looking like the most winnable of Michigan's next four games coming up.) Missouri vs. South Carolina (Things are going to start to get sour for Muschamp, i think.) (8) Oklahoma vs. (19) Texas (I excused our offense last week...there won't be an excuse this week, because this is about the best or second best offense we'll face all season. Won't leave anything out, as all logic is thrown out the window when the RRS comes around.)
Northwestern vs. (21) Michigan State (Wildcats won't get the luxury of playing in Ryan Field this time. I think Sparty strikes back this time around.) Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh (A little interesting matchup...i'll give it to the Orangemen on the road.)
Tulane vs. (24) Cincinnati (A matchup that not many will look at...i think it'll be a good game, but my pick for this one is the Bearcats at home.) Boston College vs. (18) NC State (Hmm...a bit of a trap for the Wolf Pack, as Boston College has played them tough as of late. I think they get them this year.) (6) Clemson vs. Wake Forest (Jeez...i really wanted this to be my upset pick of the week. Although with Trevor Lawrence expected to start, those hopes are beginning to fade.)
Kansas State vs. Baylor (I expect K-State to go back to how they've typically been this week. From what i've heard, Snyder seems to have some type of vendetta against Skylar Thompson, and from seeing him almost lead the comeback last week...why? Delton's trash.) (7) LSU vs. Florida (I'll take LSU, but watch out for a trap, because of where this lays on the schedule. I could see this being an overtime game, and i won't entirely be that surprised if Florida wins this game either.)
Iowa vs. Minnesota (This is a pretty weird game to pick every year, but even with the whuppin' Maryland gave the Golden Gophers, i'll take them to beat Iowa.) Navy vs. Air Force (This is a guess.)
San Diego State vs. Boise State (Another under-rated matchup, and i'll take the Broncos at home.)
Arizona State vs. Colorado (#Firm4Herm was fun while it lasted. Now...and Colorado actually looks more competent this year than last. Not ready to rank them yet, though...no offense, but their schedule so far has been pretty weak.)
(15) Kentucky vs. Texas A&M (I think Kentucky will end up dropping a game before the Georgia matchup, and i think it'll more than likely be this one. Either this, or Mizzou. But i think they drop one.) (9) Auburn vs. Mississippi State (If you're looking for a game with plenty of offense, please skip this one. From what these two have shown, this will be one of the more boring games of the week. However, i think Auburn's got a bit more in the tank than the cowbell school does.) (4) Notre Dame vs. (20) Virginia Tech (Tricky game to pick, honestly...yes, VT lost to Old Dominion. But that wasn't in Lane Stadium...and Blacksburg's pretty tough to play in. I am, however, still a believer in the Irish, and i'll take them to edge out VT and continue on their quest for the playoff.) Cal vs. Arizona (As promised, Wildcats on the s**t list for the rest of the season due to their loss to USC.) Fresno State vs. Nevada (An interesting late-night matchup for those who spend their Saturdays watching football all day, and going past their normal bedtime routines. I'll take Fresno on the road.)
Utah vs. (17) Stanford (Ugh...i'm not really impressed with either team, but Stanford was at least able to hang with Notre Dame.)
Yes they did and that's also the last time they played a true non-conference road game.
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