There are a handful of games in this sport that captivate not just college football fans, but sports fans in general. They feel more like spectacles than games, and even the most casual of followers will plan their Saturday around it.
Bryant-Denny Stadium has played host to several of these matchups, as the Crimson Tide have been must-see TV for the past 15 years. The atmosphere around Saturday night’s showdown with the Texas Longhorns wasn’t unfamiliar; however, the result certainly was.
Texas being back has been a recurring punchline for over a decade, with fans and media alike prematurely declaring that the Longhorns had returned to elite status. While I’m not exactly sure what would constitute being “back”, going into Tuscaloosa and handling the Tide is certainly a good place to start.
The ‘Horns entered 2023 as favorites to win the Big 12, as has been the case several times in recent years. After all, Texas consistently flashes in recruiting and has had several elite squads on paper.
What’s different about Texas this time around is they are a complete team with no major weak spots. While they’ve always had more blue-chip talent than their conference foes, they haven’t been able to put together a truly dominant group.
That appears to have changed in year three under Steve Sarkisian with Texas doing what few have been able to: beat Nick Saban in his own building.
Quinn Ewers developing into an elite player is the single biggest driving force behind Texas’s rapid ascension. Pairing a high-caliber quarterback with some of the best offensive personnel in the nation gives Texas the ability to hang with anyone they may run up on.
It takes more than a great offense to beat Alabama; you also have to match up physically on the defensive side of the ball. Texas did on Saturday night, holding ‘Bama to just over three yards per attempt on the ground and forcing two critical interceptions from Jalen Milroe.
Texas is very much a contender for the College Football Playoff and should be favored in every game en route to the semifinals. The key for Sark now is establishing consistency. We’ve seen what this team is capable of at their best, but they have to avoid dropping multiple games if they want to be in a position to win the National Championship.
As for Sarkisian’s former boss, Nick Saban’s squad has little room for error the rest of the way. Quarterback is still a question mark after Milroe’s spotty performance, and the schedule doesn’t get any easier.
I don’t buy that the dynasty is dead; ‘Bama just ran up on a really talented team and got beat. The Crimson Tide are still every bit as capable of winning titles as ever. Recruiting hasn’t slowed down; they’ve just hit a rough patch.
Alabama still has one of the best defenses in college football and, outside of maybe Tennessee, they won’t face an offense as potent as Texas for the remainder of the regular season.
The Tide still control their destiny, and the majority of their toughest games are at home, where they have only lost six games since 2008.
Reliability under center has to improve, but if it does, this is still a team capable of winning at the highest level.
Not every program in the state of Texas had a Saturday to remember like the Longhorns. In fact, their rivals in College Station had quite the opposite.
Jimbo Fisher entered the season facing more pressure than any coach in America, and it would only take one loss to unleash floodgates of criticism towards the Aggies.
It took all of two weeks for that to happen after A&M’s secondary made Tyler Van Dyke look like Vinny Testaverde in Hard Rock Stadium.
Who would have figured it was the defense that would be Texas A&M’s biggest concern. Bobby Petrino has more or less gotten his side of the ball going, and Conner Weigman looks like he has promise.
While I’m not calling for anyone’s job just yet, the upcoming schedule is daunting, and things could get ugly if the pass defense doesn’t drastically improve.
I do want to give credit to Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes for their performance against A&M. This is a program that is still in the early stages of a rebuild, and they beat a team that was superior to them on paper.
Many, including myself, jumped the gun on Miami last year and thought that it was a quick fix down in Coral Gables. That clearly wasn’t the case, but the hiring of new offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson looks to be a home run.
Florida State is the unquestioned top team in the conference right now, but the second spot in the ACC Championship is still open. If Miami can continue this upward trajectory, they could be in the running for a trip to Charlotte this December.
While the ACC isn’t exactly the strongest conference right now, the Pac-12 is thriving (at least on the field) in 2023. You have teams that were expected to be good getting off to hot starts, but the biggest story out of the conference so far is Colorado.
The Buffaloes were in a letdown spot after upsetting TCU in the opener, but instead of falling into the trap, they looked even better against Nebraska.
As the Buffs enter conference play, I’m interested to see how far they can go. Coach Prime has already vastly exceeded my year one expectations, and they’ll have the opportunity to prove themselves against conference frontrunners in Oregon and USC over these next few weeks.
Chris’s College Football Top 25 Rankings
1.Georgia Bulldogs(2-0) W vs Ball State 45-3, last week-1
2.Michigan Wolverines(2-0) W vs UNLV 35-7, last week-2
3.Ohio State Buckeyes(2-0) W vs Youngstown State 35-7, last week-3
4.Florida State Seminoles(2-0) W vs Southern Miss 66-13, last week-5
5.Texas Longhorns(2-0) W vs Alabama 34-24, last week-8
6.Penn State Nittany Lions(2-0) W vs Delaware 63-7, last week-6
7.USC Trojans(3-0) W vs Stanford 56-10, last week-7
8.Alabama Crimson Tide(1-1) L vs Texas 34-24, last week-4
9.Tennessee Volunteers(2-0) W vs Austin Peay 30-13, last week-9
10.Washington Huskies(2-0) W vs Tulsa 43-10, last week-10
11.Notre Dame Fighting Irish(3-0) W vs NC State 45-24, last week-12
12.Oregon Ducks(2-0) W vs Texas Tech 38-30, last week-11
13.LSU Tigers(1-1) W vs Grambling State 72-10, last week-13
14.Utah Utes(2-0) W vs Baylor 20-13, last week-14
15.Kansas State Wildcats(2-0) W vs Troy 42-13, last week-15
16.Oregon State Beavers(2-0) W vs UC-Davis 55-7, last week-16
17.Oklahoma Sooners(2-0) W vs SMU 28-11, last week-18
18.Duke Blue Devils(2-0) W vs Lafayette 42-7, last week-20
19.Ole Miss Rebels(2-0) W vs Tulane 37-20, last week-24
20.North Carolina Tar Heels(2-0) W vs Appalachian State 40-34, last week-19
21.Miami Hurricanes(2-0) W vs Texas A&M 48-33, last week-unranked
22.Colorado Buffaloes(2-0) W vs Nebraska 36-14, last week-unranked
23.Clemson Tigers(1-1) W vs Charleston Southern 66-17, last week-21
24.UCLA Bruins(2-0) W vs San Diego State 35-10, last week-unranked
25.Washington State Cougars(2-0) W vs Wisconsin 31-22, last week-unranked
Dropped out of rankings- Texas A&M, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Tulane