It was among the most unique stats in all of football last year - the Alabama Crimson Tide winning twice as many games at AT&T Stadium as the Dallas Cowboys.
Alabama defeated Wisconsin 35-17 in the 2015 neutral-site opener and returned to the Dallas suburb of Arlington to maul Michigan State 38-0 in the Cotton Bowl that served as a semifinal in the four-team playoff. The Cowboys, who struggled to a 4-12 record after quarterback Tony Romo broke his collarbone in the second game, won once all season in their home facility.
The Crimson Tide return to the familiar site next Saturday when they face Southern California in the luxurious facility often called "Jerry World" in reference to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
"I don't know if it gives us an advantage, but it's a great stadium and a whole lot of fun to play in," Alabama sophomore defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick said in a recent news conference. "I've never been in a stadium that big. I've played in the (New York) Giants' stadium for my state championship game, but this is a whole lot different."
Opening in 2009 with a price tag of $1.15 billion, AT&T Stadium has 80,000 seats but has held more than 105,000 for a Cowboys game with standing-room areas included. Alabama opened its 2012 season with a 41-14 thumping of Michigan at AT&T Stadium, so the Crimson Tide will be putting a 3-0 record on the line against USC.
"It's a whole lot more modern than a lot of other places, and it's the Cowboys' stadium," Fitzpatrick said. "It's somewhere you dream about as far as playing in."
Alabama will open its 2017 season against Florida State in Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which is scheduled to open next year at a cost of $1.6 billion.
No. 1 on the way?
For all the dominance Alabama has displayed in recruiting under coach Nick Saban - the Crimson Tide have been ranked No. 1 by at least one major service in eight of the last nine years - getting the top overall player hasn't been nearly as common. The only top overall Rivals.com prospect Alabama has landed during the past 15 years is defensive end Da'Shawn Hand, who signed in 2014 and is getting ready for his junior season in Tuscaloosa.
A second one could be on the way, as running back Najee Harris of Antioch, Calif., is ranked No. 1 by Rivals.com and the 247Sports.com composite rankings. Harris committed to the Tide more than a year ago.
Alabama's top-five Rivals national recruits have included offensive lineman Andre Smith (No. 2 in 2006), receiver Julio Jones (No. 4 in '08), offensive linemen D.J. Fluker (No. 3 in '09) and Cyrus Kouandjio (No. 4 in '11), Hand and linebacker Ben Davis (No. 5 this year).
Back to the grind
Alabama returned to practice Tuesday after a two-day layoff, working for two hours in helmets and shorts. It was the 20th preseason practice for the Crimson Tide.
Senior defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (ankle) was practicing during the portion of workout that was open to the media, but junior receiver Cam Sims (knee) and sophomore linebacker Keith Holcombe (ankle) were sidelined.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.