by go_jays » Sat Dec 16, 2023 12:12 pm
Some thought on this game...
Have not seen Alabama play. So I don't know how "intense" there defensive efforts have been. But according to Kenpom, Bama is ranked as the 90th best defense. So it doesn't appear that they would be likely to bring the type of intensity that others, like CSU and UNLV, have brought to their games with us. Plus, for those teams, as one poster put it... we are their Super Bowl to some extent. For 'Bama, not such much I would imagine.
This bodes well for us. Our history has always been that teams willing to extend their defensive perimeter and get up in our face have given us the most trouble, and can really take us out of our rhythm/comfort zone.
Still, how our defense can handle their offense will likely determine this game. Because when you look at us and our trends, our defense really does have a tendency to initiate our offense and get us into those "runs" we are really good at.
The book on this game would be that it will be high scoring. But, it seems at least, that whoever can take the other team out of their rhythm will likely prevail. Which could be the reasoning for the -7.5.