NO. 6 ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE

Saban has Tide gunning for more than SEC West title

For Alabama, 2008 was indeed an aberration. That team played over it's head throughout the season, made clutch plays when required, caught teams at the right times and had a senior, seasoned quarterback to lead the way. Last season Bama had its fans bewildered and unbelievably anticipating a 13th National Title that no one in August would've thought was possible. That won't be the case in 2009.

Yes, for the Crimson Tide, 2008 won't be the catalyst for a great 2009. Alabama was, is and will rock during the 2009 season, and what happened in 2008 won't have made any difference. The Tide is legitimately a top six team entering this season, and they will be up and ready to bring it each week.

All 2008 did was show that Nick Saban's no-nonsense approach and general asshole reputation would work and even fans at a school as obsessed as Alabama would follow suit. The only area where 2008 might have played a role is the loss to Utah, which left the Tide hungry while also seeming to take the bulls-eye off the Tide (and surprisingly, thanks to the Ole Miss win over Texas Tech, putting it on the Rebels).

Now people will be gunning for Alabama, but that's the pressure that the Tide and its fans crave. They, like Florida, LSU, USC, Texas and Ohio State, want everyone's best shot. Saban has to replace stars in the offensive and defensive backfield, and yet will return a more capable team.

Outside of the showdown against Virginia Tech in Atlanta, where Bama will go to 2-0 in Chick-fil-a Kickoffs, the Tide has no one of note out-of-conference. The roughest road game will be at Ole Miss in early October, when the Rebels will probably have lost at least two games. The biggest games are at home (Tennessee, USC and LSU). And the Iron Bowl in Auburn will only be relevant if the Tigers aren't completely decimated by injury.

No, in Tuscaloosa, 2008 wasn't need for a successful 2009 campaign. That was going to happen all along.

CFN 2009 Preview | ESPN Alabama Page | CBS Alabama Page

Part of a two-week long look into the 2009 Preseason Southern Fans' College Football Poll. New posts released each day, culminating with the No. 1 team on September 2.