\nThey didn’t back into it, they didn’t stumble into it, they didn’t pull it off in the last second on a miracle play – Alabama went out, took the ball to start, and beat down the Florida Gators like they’d stolen something. The #1 team in the country held scoreless in the second half, the #1 defense in the country shredded for 32 points and almost 500 yards…and Greg McElroy playing like some other guys who wore a #12 on their back for the Tide.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe only thing to give pause is that Alabama has never beaten Texas in eight tries. 0-7-1, the last one a 14-12 Cotton Bowl loss in 1982. Assuming they get by Nebraska (and the Big XII has a history of bad upsets in their title game), the Longhorns – perhaps Alabama’s most implacable nemesis among the big-ticket programs of college football – will be waiting in Pasadena.\n<\/p>\n
\nFrom what I’ve seen, Texas has no shot to defend Alabama – every team in that conference seems content to give up 35 if they can score 40. The matchup would be Colt McCoy against an Alabama defense that, to the best of my knowledge, hasn’t really been confronted with a high-powered passing game all year, bar perhaps Ole Miss. But then, I didn’t start paying attention until the Tennessee game, so I don’t know what the deal is at this point.\n<\/p>\n
\nNOW…the matchups in 1990, if the old rules were still in effect:\n<\/p>\n
\nSUGAR: Alabama vs TCU
\n
ORANGE: Georgia Tech vs Texas
\n
ROSE: Ohio State vs Oregon
\n
FIESTA: Iowa vs Cincinnati
\n
COTTON: Florida vs Boise State\n<\/p>\n
\n(I assume that the Big 12 takes the Big 8 tie-in, and that the only other locks are Sugar and Rose.)\n<\/p>\n
\nBasically, the look of things is this: Alabama beats TCU, national champs. Alabama loses and Texas beats Ga Tech – Texas national champs. Alabama and Texas both lose – TCU national champs.\n<\/p>\n
\nBut right now, it’s almost a mortal lock that the matchup is Alabama-Texas, and most Bama fans will tell you that they’d much rather take a chance with the Horns than with TCU or Cincy, both of whom are red hot. The problem, if you assume the legitimacy of Boise State, is that there is no mechanism to cope with FIVE UNDEFEATED TEAMS.\n<\/p>\n
\nBTW, to steal a line from a couple of years ago…”Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship. Somewhere, Mr Pibb is laughing his ass off.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
They didn’t back into it, they didn’t stumble into it, they didn’t pull it off in the last second on a miracle play – Alabama went out, took the ball to start, and beat down the Florida Gators like they’d stolen something. The #1 team in the country held scoreless in the second half, the … <\/p>\n