By Nick Saban’s standard what follows in this post qualifies as ‘Rat Poison’ for the Alabama football team. Instead, consider it as an alternative perspective of reality not always conforming to conventional wisdom. As in, what many think they know about Alabama is wrong.
According to betting oddsmakers, the Michigan Wolverines are the favorite in the Rose Bowl. There is justification for making the Wolverines a slight favorite. Michigan is undefeated and has been consistently ranked higher than Alabama Football throughout the season.
The betting odds are misleading. The main reason the Crimson Tide is undervalued is because in multiple games Bama played down to its opposition. That fact has also provided hope for Michigan fans who understand the Wolverines have serious challenges against the Crimson Tide.
A significant distinction often missed about the Crimson Tide is its transformation. Alabama Football now is not the Crimson Tide of September and October. There were reasons for encouragement in October as the Tide improved. But what Alabama is now was not fully evident before the LSU game.
The Alabama defense improved during October. The Crimson Tide offense did not improve as much, until after the bye week before LSU. Much of the credit for that improvement should go to Tommy Rees. The poor LSU defense allowed Rees to implement versions of his offensive schemes that had not been used (or little used) in Tuscaloosa. The result was a more efficient Jalen Milroe being utilized as more than a drop-back passer and scrambler.
The details of how Tommy Rees modified the Alabama offense are many. A good summary is provided in the video below.
