NO. 3 ALABAMA (0-0) vs. NO. 20 WISCONSIN (0-0)
8 p.m. EDT * AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas * ABC & 97.3/99.3/105.1 FM
THE MATCHUP
Wisconsin's tailback tandem last season of Melvin Gordon and Corey Clement combined for 3,536 rushing yards, setting a Bowl Subdivision record for teammates. Gordon, who rushed for 2,587 yards and was the Heisman Trophy runner-up, is now with the San Diego Chargers, but Clement is back for his junior season behind a rebuilt offensive line that sustained injuries in preseason camp and was mixing and matching its right side as recently as this week. How the Badgers do up front offensively will be critical against an Alabama defensive front that is the deepest and potentially the most talented of the Nick Saban era. "You would have liked to have had more snaps, absolutely, but at the same time, they are going through it together," Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said in his news conference this week. "I think that there can be some benefits from that, as they go through and watch the tape, but the bottom line is they've all got to communicate."
ONE TO WATCH
Alabama's quarterback, whoever that might be. Cooper Batemen, Jacob Coker and Alec Morris entered this week as the final three vying for the job, but Saban said on his radio show Thursday night that two had received the first-team reps this week. Saban did not detail who the two were, and it could be a mystery right up until tonight's kickoff. If tonight's Crimson Tide starter can have the same success as Blake Sims did a year ago, they could be in for a special season, and the unknown has affected how the Badgers have prepared. "We kind of knew going in that there was going to be a number of different possibilities," Chryst said. "Therefore, I think it allowed us to focus on really what we know of Alabama and what they do. In every game, there's going to be certain adjustments that need to be made. Their center (Ryan Kelly) has done a heck of a job. He's a heck of a player."
IN THE END
Saban has a knack for producing big results when he has a summer to prepare, as evidenced by Alabama's 5-0 record and 177-81 scoring margin in neutral-site games since 2008. On the Tide's first offensive play from scrimmage last year, offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin called for Sims to throw a quick screen to Amari Cooper, who wound up having a record-setting season and finished third in the Heisman Trophy balloting. Might the first play tonight foreshadow who will be this season's go-to offensive player? We must wait and see, but Alabama is too deep and rich to struggle against a team without several key pieces from a bunch that lost last December's Big Ten title game 59-0.
PREDICTION: Crimson Tide 34, Badgers 13
- David Paschall