Crimson Tide Should Cruise against Tennessee Chattanooga

As Alabama begins to set its sights on the Iron Bowl and Atlanta, they have a  week where even Coach Saban thought a Monday off might be good for the troops. The Tide will suit up against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga "Mocs" for a 6 p.m. central kickoff on November 19. The game in Bryant Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa will be on ESPN2.

By the way, do you know what a Moc is?  Let me take a moment to explain how our world of political correctness has created a twisted and tortured journey to arrive at this mascot. First, going back to the 1920s, the team was represented by a snake and was obviously the Moccasins. At some point over the next 50 years an Indian came to represent the team and the moccasin became, of course, a shoe. Then, as teams began to be embarrassed by the political correctness police the school realized that the state bird was a Mockingbird, so they could keep their name and shorten the name to the Mocs. And the new symbol would be, of course, a train!! But they didn't have the guts to be the Choo Choos, so they kept the Mocs name. You just can't make this sh*t up.

So what will we see. First, this is a good team within their FCS division and has spent an amazing 46 straight weeks inside the Top 25. They're ranked #11 right now despite a loss last week to their Southern Conference leader The Citadel.

At 8-2, they know how to win and have wins over names you know such as Furman, Samford and Western Carolina. In the Sagarin Ratings of all 253 NCAA football teams, they currently rank #105. That puts them ahead of nearly three dozen FBS teams, including Power 5 teams Rutgers, Purdue, and Kansas, for example.

Look for a LOT of misdirection on offense in a team very balanced, with 23 passing TDs and 25 rushing TDs. They like to control time of possession and have a sizable margin against their opponents this year. Their first year QB is doing a good job and they are 8th in FCS in passing efficiency. They have scored 30 TDs in 43 Red Zone trips.

They also have some notable players, including RB Derrick Craine (who may be playing a bit injured). Also watch for All-American safety Lucas Webb, who is from Tuscaloosa and the son of former Tider from the late 80s Stephen Webb.

All that said, this school has a long record of playing top teams and the score is usually high 40s or more to their zero or 6 or so. Bama beat them in 2013 by 49-0. I expect something like this again, with one caveat.

With what's on the line, I expect we could see Cooper Bateman take the entire second half, with a couple of series with mostly starters in the game for experience but by the fourth quarter we could see lots of subs. Personally, I wish we would see him on the second series if we score the first time, but I'm not expecting it! Last week late in the game there was one moment when I could not find a defensive player on the field I knew without looking up his number. We'll see more of this as the Tide prepares for the Iron Bowl and Atlanta. So we could see some late scores that surprise us. While the starters could shut this team out, I would not be surprised to see 10 or even 13. I'm not predicting it, but would not be surprised.

Bama remains #2 in the nation in total defense behind Michigan. The Tide yields 13 points (Mocs give up only 17). And the Tide will only allow about 4 yards per play (to its own 6.75). The Tide is also ranked #2 in scoring defense.

On offense, Bama will be unstoppable again with its balance of 237 a game in the air and 255 on the ground to lead the conference and rank #23 in the nation....yes with a true freshman! By the way Hurts has moved into the top 5 QBs in the conference in total yards and is only 60 yards behind Tennessee's Joshua Dobbs to be in the top four.

In scoring, Bama averages 41 and it's hard to imagine not going well above this. Even with folks like ArDarius and Ridley and Hurts resting, we'll have Bateman throwing to Diggs.

I hope to see young Raekwon Davis on the D line get a lot of playing time to create his own brand of chaos as he prepares to step up and replace Jonathan Allen next year.

So to all you folks who leave early, this is a real-life opportunity to get a glimpse of some new talent for next year. The first 11 minutes of the fourth quarter will be a fantastic time to watch closely with your field glasses in one hand and a program with a roster in the other.

Final outcome, Bama by 48.

Running Tally of Predictions

Prediction: Bama 38/USC 20 Actual: Bama 52/USC 6 (who could have imagined)

Prediction: Bama 42/WK 10 Actual: Bama 38/WK 10 (good week)

Prediction: Bama 34/Ole Miss 20 Actual: Bama 48. Ole Miss 43 

Prediction: Bama 59/Kent State 0. Actual: Bama 49- KS 0 (not bad)

Prediction: Bama 49/Kentucky 7 Actual: Bama 38-Kentucky 6 (not bad again)

Prediction: Bama 36/Arkansas 21 Actual: Bama 49-Arkansas 30 (close on the spread, and won ATS)

Prediction: Bama 38/Tennessee 21 Actual: Bama 49/Tennessee 10 (I'll take it. Won ATS.)

Prediction: Bama 34/TA&M 20 Actual: Bama 33/TAMU 14

Prediction: Bama 31/LSU 21 Actual: Bama 10/LSU 0

Prediction: Bama 44/MSU 13 Actual: Bama 51 MSU 3 (decent forecast. Won ATS)

Prediction: Bama 51/Mocs 3