Initially I thought perhaps Va tech might be the pick at +21 or higher, but after a little more thought and research it just seems like they will be way overmatched. I look for Va tech's defense to keep them in it early, but Alabama will eventually just wear th down with their execution and physicality. I see this ending up in a second half route to the tune of 38-10. Would love some real feedback as most of my info is very public and basically square in content.
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Totally agree with your assessment. Alabama is going to be a much better team than even last years!Comment -
i went thru a bunch of teams and i think alabama had the least number of returning OL and DL starters of any team. i think 4 in total. could there be an adjustment period?
strikes me taking 20 points with quality program is a good situation. having said that, alabama has been great ATS on the road (i know, because of helpful sbr posters, that the game is neutral but i'd say that's more analogous to a road game (for both teams)Comment -
Yeah, the lack of returning stArts on both sides of the ball is a bit of a question mark. Nevertheless, last year seems to have been more of a rebuilding season than this year, and they still won the NCAA title. Their offense should score at will on nearly any defenseComment -
Coach Saban is all that you need to know, as the man is the best in the business.Comment -
The line may go over 21, in which case Va. Tech is a great wager. They will not win this game, but going back to "Beamer Ball" is what they plan on doing this seaason. That means a tough defense, a ball control offense, gooed special teams play, and not giving the ball away. They do not have the talent to win this game outright, but if the line hits 21.5, they certainly have more than enough talent to cover that spread.Comment -
Under 47' is the play in this game. Bama has an inexperienced "O" line going against what will be one of the top "D" lines in the nation this year in Va Tech. On the other side, Va Tech QB L. Thomas cannot hit the side of a barn when he throws the ball, which relegates Va Tech to a one dimensional "O". I see this game, maybe Bama 23 Va Tech 10.Comment -
yes, UNDER sounds good.......... not sure how it's been recently but i completely associate VT with UNDER. EDIT: i lost the webpage, but yes, vtech has been a good UNDER the last 3 years. renowned for stellar D, offense often shaky.Comment -
The talent of Alabama will destroy VT, plus you can not beat Saban when he has time to prepare. Last year Alabama was favored over Michigan by 17 I believe, kicked there ass by 29! I expect same result!Comment -
I do not. 'Bama had a better team last year than this year, and Beamer is a better HC than Hoke. Watch the line. It has already gone up from it's opener in Vegas of 18.Comment -
i went thru a bunch of teams and i think alabama had the least number of returning OL and DL starters of any team. i think 4 in total. could there be an adjustment period?
strikes me taking 20 points with quality program is a good situation. having said that, alabama has been great ATS on the road (i know, because of helpful sbr posters, that the game is neutral but i'd say that's more analogous to a road game (for both teams)
wait til you see the kids they replace them with. OL will be very similar to last year and DL will be much better this year. The Bama defense will be wayyyyy better this year. They lost only Jesse Williams and Dee Milliner, everyone else will be upgraded this year.
20 pts is a lot not sure its worth it, A&M game will be the game to hammer this year with them.Comment -
Totally agree with you on your assessment!Comment -
Urban Meyer is NOT better than Saban.Comment -
Nothing to dispute as both are excellent leaders and head coaches, the cream of the crop.Comment -
Listen to this guy ^^^ He actually knows something about Alabama football.
Alabama's offensive line will be one of the best in the nation. And as difficult as this may be for some to believe, Ryan Kelly is actually an upgrade at the center position over Barrett Jones.
Whether Alabama's defensive line will be an improvement over last season will be contingent upon the ability of Brandon Ivory, et al to hold the point. Last season's results when Ivory was pressed into action were not exactly encouraging. The good news for Bama backers, however, is twofold. First Alabama is very deep at the nose so if Ivory doesn't get it done, there is likely someone on the roster who will. Secondly, Ivory will be going up against the Virginia Tech offensive line, so his best will likely be good enough.
Yes, Alabama's starting defensive ends and 2-deep will be much improved over last season. Ed Stinson is returning, and Jeoffrey Pagan is certainly an upgrade. Dalvin Tomlinson and LaMichael Fanning (of suplex fame) will see a lot more action this season making Alabama very formidable on the edge.
Overall, this season's defense will rival the record-setting defense of 2011, and I will be mildly surprised if Virginia Tech finds the end zone in this game.
Alabama will likely score in the 40s, or come very close to it. The high water mark for VT is probably 10 points. Alabaterf's initial score estimate of 38-10 is a solid albeit conservative final score estimate.Comment -
Alabama's offensive line one of the best in the nation? Are you kidding me? Not even close. There are three teams in the Pac 12 with better offensive lines than 'Bama has. Georgia and Tennessee have much better offensive lines. They will be lucky to be considered a Top 20 unit. Alabama's lines, both offensive and defensive will be their downfall this season. I see that there is going to be a huge opportunity to make big bucks fading the 'Bama homers this season.Comment -
Alabama will have one of the best offensive lines in the country every season, and this season is no exception. Lindy's rates Alabama's offensive line as the 4th best in the country, and while I would rate the o-lines somewhat differently than Lindy's does, 4th is about right for Alabama.
People can engage in endless, futile arguments about subjective things such as preseason unit rankings all day long. The fact of the matter is, other than comparing potential NFL talent, there is almost no way to accurately compare offensive lines from one conference to another. You are certainly entitled to your subjective opinion as I am entitled to mine. What I can tell you, however, is that Alabama's entire starting offensive line will be playing in the NFL someday. What I can also tell you is that if you're going to fade Alabama because you think Alabama doesn't have a top 20 o-line, you're going to lose your money.
And while we're on the topic of you losing your money, the way I see it, if you're going to lose your money anyhow I figure you might as well lose it to me. I mean, better to see your money go to a good cause rather than a bookie right??? So what do you say??? I'll give you Virginia Tech @ -21 for as much as you want to bet.Comment -
Frank Beamer is the most overrated coach in CFB IMO. His teams rarely show up in big games (I think he's won one game in the last 22 against top 10 teams). Last years team was a disaster and unless his QB has a mental transformation, I don't see it getting any better this year.
I don't like laying 21 points in any game but fading Beamer is probably a smart move here. He has really fallen off the wagon.
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Ditto amigo!Comment -
Jimmy,
With all due respect to keep the threads clean of personal attacks of any kind, please take things that are not directed towards the entire thread to the private message system, so as not to clutter the initial thread itself. I am sure the readers of the thread will much appreciate it. Do not take my post personal, as it is meant for everyone in general who wants to engage in a personal type of conversational postings.Comment -
I've been watching Alabama football longer than many of you have been here on God's earth. The 2012 offensive line is probably the best group that I can remember. John Hannah back in the early 70s is the best O lineman to ever play in Tuscaloosa in my opinion. Got a chance to talk to John recently and he thinks this year's O-line will be just fine. He said Bama is just going through a reloading phase. Just young, talented players who have paid their dues moving into prominent roles. He thinks this is a very talented line and if they develop the chemistry necessary that separates the average from the good...then this year's edition will be just fine. He added that Saban doesn't seem to worried about these guys. With the backfield and receivers available this year...don't sell these guys short my friends.Comment -
Thanks for weighing in on this matter UWL
The point of a wagering message board is to exchange information about football games in an effort to help the participants thereof win money. When someone makes an idiotic post out of pure spite, that has the opposite effect. It has the effect of inducing readers to the losing side of a wager. Thus, that idiotic post needs to be publicly exposed so that, a) readers can recognize it as such, and get on the winning side of the game, and b) discourage such conduct in the future.
In the instant case we have a poster who wants to "to make big bucks fading the 'Bama homers this season," and I provided him the opportunity to do just that. In fact I offered him better odds than he can get at any book with zero vig. That is no way tantamount to a "personal attack" as you suggest.
So if he actually bets real money on football games, and actually believes the shit he is peddling in this thread, then there would be no reason for him not to accept the wager - the details of which can be handled via PM. Of course I think we all know that he won't publicly accept the wager because the purpose of his post was not to inform the readers of this thread, but to spew venom at a team he obviously abhors - and mislead readers of this thread in the process.
On the other hand, if he actually has the gumption to back up his words by publicly accepting the wager(s), then that would at least lend a modicum of credibility to his post. Until then his post amounts to nothing more than the spiteful rantings of a hater, and should be given zero weight when capping this game.
In short, my post serves a necessary public service to those who are serious about winning money, and the exchange between Bigdaddy and I is customary grist for the message board mill.Comment -
I'll add a bit of commentary to your well written post if I may.
First of all John Hannah knows much more about offensive line play than you or I ever will, so I respect his opinion as much as you seemingly do. But in my defense, I attended all of the spring scrimmage games, as well as three regular practices. Thus, my opinion is not based upon something written in a Phil Steele tome, it is based on firsthand personal observation.
First of all, saying that the new additions to the line are "young" is not exactly accurate. Two of the newcomers are entering their 4th season, and one of them is entering his 3rd season. All have real game experience.
And while the accomplishments of Barrett Jones during his time at the University of Alabama are legendary, he was basically a jock of all trades, and the master of none. That's why he dropped to the 4th round of the NFL draft. Center is probably Barrett's natural position, but he had never actually played the position until his senior season. His replacement Ryan Kelly, on the other hand, has always specialized at playing center, and the coaches I have spoken to think he's a better center right now than Barrett. In fact, Kelly actually helped teach Barrett the position. Ryan Kelly is a special talent who will ultimately go higher in the draft than Barrett Jones.
The other two guys who are stepping into starting roles is future 1st round pick Cyrus Kouandjio's brother Arie (LG), and Austin Shepherd (RT). While neither of them will be quite as dominant in the run game as Chance Warmack and DJ Fluker were, both are outstanding linemen who will soon be playing on Sundays.
RT Austin Sheppard is a hell of a run blocker and very underrated in his ability to pass protect. The only concern about him is whether his shoulders are going to hold up. From what I saw, I think he'll be fine.
That's not to say that D.J. Fluker won't be missed because he certainly will. He is going to be missed not so much because of what he did at right tackle, but because of his leadership. Fluker was the guy that got the team ready before practice and games. Fluker was an extremely hard worker who brought it every single day.
All three of the new starters are huge as you would expect. Center Ryan Kelly is 6'5" and 290 lbs (huge for a center). Arie Kouandjio and Austin Shepherd are both 6'5" and 315 lbs.
The two holder overs on the offensive line are LT Cyrus Kouandjio who is a 1st round lock, and Anthony Steen who is projected to be a 2nd to 3rd round selection.
The offensive line got a huge shot in the arm when Saban was able to pull Mario Cristobal from Miami. Cristobal had accepted the defensive coordinator position at Miami when Saban came calling. Jeff Stoutland obviously did a great job with the previous two offensive lines (both won national championships), but Stoutland is no Mario Cristobal. Cristobal is an outstanding offensive line coach and recruiter. Based on what I saw, the players really respect him, and love playing for him.
Big John Hannah mentioned chemistry, and chemistry is the key to the success of any offensive line. All offensive lines blow assignments from time-to-time, and this one will be no exception. But from what I saw in the spring (and I'll update when I watch the fall scrimmages), I don't think chemistry is going to be a huge issue for this group.
You are absolutely correct when you say that Saban and staff are very comfortable with the new offensive line, and that alone speaks volumes about how good they are. Overall, this offensive line obviously won't be as good as last year's version, but they'll be pretty darn close. They'll be close enough to be one of the top 5 offensive lines in the country IMO.Comment -
awesome info jimmy, thanks for the post and keep'em cominComment -
Why wouldn't it be? Why would things be trending downward at this point? VPI has lost to Clemson by 20+ points three times in the last two seasons. They are not what they used to be. This should be a blowout, unless Alabama is looking ahead to the TAMU game. With a week off in between, I doubt it, but that's what concerns me. Otherwise, I'd expect something like 38-7.Comment -
This is another tough game to cap.
I have the number at Alabama -19, and when you try and break it down Alabama rush offense v. VT rush defense, VT rush offense v. Alabama rush defense etc, Alabama clearly has the advantages up front, especially along the front seven. But with a number in the 20's, we gamblers know anything can happen.
Alabama cruising along 31-7, late fourth-- VT gets a backdoor score to break your back if you have a 'Bama ticket.
Take the emotion out of being a fan of either team, and this is another game to avoid.
VT doesn't have the talent that Alabama has, but they do have enough athletes to cause you to lose your bet.
I wouldn't bet this game, but to all of you that do, good luck.Comment
