We start week zero of the college football season after a long summer.
The marquee matchups start next week, including Alabama opening its season against Middle Tennessee State.
RELATED: Kirk Herbstreit doubles down on Alabama winning it all in the fall
Alabama has seen negativity from the media, in terms of it being doubted to compete for a national championship, but some positivity came Saturday in a preview show from ESPN’s College GameDay. The panel of Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, and Kirk Herbstreit picked the Crimson Tide to win the Southeastern Conference Championship. It would be the ninth SEC title for Alabama in the Nick Saban era since 2009. Howard, McAfee, and Herbstreit also had the Tide as one of four teams in the College Football Playoff. Howard, a University of Michigan alum, took the Wolverines to win it all. McAfee and Herbstreit chose Alabama to capture the national championship. Coach Saban wants his team to show it remains a physically dominant program.
RELATED: Kirk Herbstreit tells Pat McAfee not to count Alabama out and can “win it all”
Alabama battles the Blue Raiders at Bryant-Denny Stadium at 6:30 p.m. CT next week.
Click here to follow the Bama Elite Podcast
*Get the BEST Alabama football insider information, message board access, and recruiting coverage today! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our subscriber-only content!*
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
