No. 12 Alabama trying to duplicate 2014 turnaround

At first, they are so mighty it nearly takes something from the cosmos to strike them down. The things Saban complained about this past offseason were different from the things he’s complained about in many previous offseasons. Saturday marked the first start of Bateman’s Alabama career….

Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze admitted to being concerned with Kelly’s throw, which seemed to be lofted into the air, but that his prayers were answered because of it.

But a much more dramatic shifting of sands is happening under Saban’s feet, whether he is willing to acknowledge it or not.

Last year, Alabama rebounded from their loss to Ole Miss to eventually win the Southeastern Conference for the fourth time in the previous six seasons, finishing the regular season ranked number one nationally. The Vandy defense is allowing 17.3 points and 270 yards per game with six sacks and one fumble recovery.

Here’s a look at the 25 best teams in college football right now, according to our panel.

Ohio State is No. 1 and Michigan State is No. 2 in The Associated Press college football poll, giving the Big Ten the top two teams in the rankings for the first time since 2006.

“Last year we got ahead in the game and kind of got sort of relief syndrome or something where they got momentum in the game and we could never get it back. “We’re going to continue to try to progress throughout the course of the season”.

FPI is a forward-looking measure of team strength, whereas Strength of Record and Game Control are backward-looking measures of what a team has accomplished. Throughout the first three games of the season Ole Miss is averaging 64 points per game.

Lockie, a redshirt junior who sat behind Heisman Trophy victor Marcus Mariota the past three seasons, completed 23 of 31 passes against Georgia State. However, the Bulldgogs are just fine heading into a crucial SEC West matchup at Auburn.

Coker was 21-of-44 passing for 201 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

“We’re Alabama so we know we can’t lose too often”, Robinson said. He’s going to need a little more time.

That was the message from Alabama, repeated over and over Saturday. Ole Miss ranks eighth in defensive efficiency, making the Rebels the only team in the top 10 on both sides of the ball. As though they weren’t earned? At its own 17-yard line, the Alabama defense held the Rebels and forced them to settle for a field goal.

Alabamas road doesnt get any easier. I also thought they abandoned the running game way too early.

Coker came up with big plays, and big mistakes. College football is an incredibly unpredictable place, now even more so with the playoff system set in place. There may have been those big plays, but that didn’t mean it was the end.

Those turnovers weren’t the reason Ole Miss wideout Laquon Treadwell plucked a flawless pass at its highest point and scored the game-winning touchdown.

“You’re always going to be upset when you miss a play”, Jones said. In two weeks, it will have to win at Georgia.

“A lot of credit goes to Alabama”.