JR’s top 25 - #23 Alabama

By J.R. Hopwood  |   Tuesday, August 02, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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Alabama Crimson Tide fans have thought about a fateful game against Western Carolina for nearly a year now. That was the game where star QB Brodie Croyle was lost for the year. 2004 was a much anticipated year for Croyle as he was very highly touted coming in. Now it's 2005 and the pressure is on both Croyle and head coach Mike Shula, although Shula did receive an extra year on his contract keeping him in Tuscaloosa until 2009.

The offense will really hinge on how well Brodie Croyle has healed and how he gets back into game form. I'm not sold on the backup QBs, so should Croyle get hurt again, this offense may be a sinking ship. Kenneth Darby is a solid running back who ran for over 1000 yards and scored 8 times last year. The O-line could be decent to run behind, although there will be some underclassman on it. Nearly all the receivers return so Croyle will have some solid targets.

Alabama returns 9 starters from a defense that ranked number one against the pass last year and ranked 2nd overall. Scary as it is, this year's defense could be even more potent than last year's with solid talent at nearly every position. The Crimson Tide dropped a close one in Knoxville last year and may have had a shot with Croyle at the helm. It may be a stretch to call for Bama to win the SEC overall, but don't be shocked if they make an appearance in the SEC title game. They have all the parts a team needs to get to the promised land, but once again injuries will be the big question mark.
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